this feeling // newjeans.

one.

You sit up in bed, the alarm blaring through the cold room. It's eight, and your first class is about to start.

These are the mornings you despise. Overheating under your blankets makes you open a window in the middle of the night, only to wake up cold.

Turning on the heater, you begin your day by brushing your teeth and slipping into your school uniform while dreading the long day ahead.

The colder the air, the earlier you wake up each morning. December is often particularly harsh.

But you don't mind too much, having recently taken a liking to dress warmly right after waking up chilled to the bone.

It could be worse.

Before leaving, you grab your favorite camcorder, eager to see the new friends you made at the start of the semester. You've started recording them dancing. In return, they've provided comfort and companionship. It's been fun.

They emerged from nowhere, instantly clicking with you and fitting perfectly into your "best friend" category.

Initially, each girl revealed herself in the oddest of manners. Hyein was the one you encountered in the hallway, mingling with the popular crowd.

She was the first to approach you, albeit for all the wrong reasons. You had thought yourself outside her ideal circle of friends.

Minji became your friend through Hyein. They were inseparable, always buzzing about the latest trends, possessing a charismatic and leader-like aura, sometimes one more than the other.

Danielle met you in chemistry class as your assigned seatmate, and she swiftly befriended you. It seemed in her nature to collect friends by the dozens.

Initially a stranger, Hanni turned out to be an old friend of Dani's, though you only had the opportunity for a proper introduction then.

And then there was Haerin, who entered your life as if by a twist of fate.

Quite literally, in the most clichéd way possible.

She stumbled into your life and gradually got to know you, eventually becoming part of your circle of friends.

This morning, you found yourself on a mission to avoid the girls as long as possible, craving additional time alone in the sanctuary of the library.

It had been some time since you had immersed yourself in a good book, a habit that faded after you met the girls. You cherished the moments spent alone.

"Good morning, sweetheart," greeted the school secretary, offering a faint smile. You felt a wave of panic.

She seemed to notice your awkward stance as a reaction to her greeting. "Have a good day," she said before you shut the office door behind you.

Straightening your dress shirt's collar, you breathed a sigh of relief. Rarely speaking to anyone, you needed to figure out how to handle such encounters without seeming odd.

Only the girls engaged with you openly.

Should anyone else initiate a conversation, you felt you'd crumble, struggling to form a simple sentence.

The quiet of the dark mornings, devoid of bustling students or lingering teachers, was almost pleasant.

It was as if a message whispered that perhaps you were meant to be a morning person, though your evident grumpiness begged to differ.

Ascending the first flight of stairs, you glanced at your watch. Forty more minutes remained before the final bell would ring.

"Heesoo!" a voice calls out your name. As you turn around, Hyein strides towards you. "Hello," you greet her politely as she pulls you to her side.