ROOMMATES CH-1

EIRYIA and KWUINTESSENCE (JinYoon FF)

He is no longer in Busan, the sound of ocean waves he grew up to are now replaced by the sound of leaves gently rustling in the breeze. Everything before him was abloom, plum trees that lined the way up a gently sloping hill showed off their dainty blossoms. White petals swirled as if doing a dance especially for him. Stretching out his hand, a perfect petal fluttered down and came to rest on his palm. It was a warm and bright day and for Kang Seungyoon, it might just be the very day that he gets himself a new place to call home. Delicately placing the wayward petal in his wallet, he continued his walk up the hill.

Having carefully memorized the way from the cafe his friend worked at just down the hill to the apartment, he stopped halfway up the street from his destination. He spotted a small park down by the river at the bottom of the hill along with a convenience store at the corner from where he was standing. Another cool breeze blew past him at that moment, making the leaves on the trees above him rustle. Seungyoon faced up the sky, revelling over how blue and vast it was. Taking one last moment to enjoy the breeze and everything else around him, Seungyoon released a satisfied sigh as he began walking again.

    “It should be this building right here.” he said to himself, turning to face the building behind him.

It had six floors with balconies facing the treelined street he was standing on and there was what appeared to be a car park on the other side of the road. The entrance was not grand in any way, blooming primrose in flower pots were positioned on the steps leading up to it, making the whole place seem unpretentious and inviting. Coming closer, Seungyoon took notice of several small notes posted on the door.

Recalling that the landlord had told him to wait by the entrance, Seungyoon sat down on one of the steps that was partially in the shade of a blossoming plum tree. He hoped that this place would be right for him, that this place would finally be it. The apartment complex was only a short bus ride away from his university and there was also a subway line he could take if he walked a couple extra minutes. His childhood friend, Lee Seunghoon, was the one who tipped him off about it the previous week. He worked at a cafe located down the hill from where he now was sitting and waiting.

    “Toodle Doo!” the shrillness of the voice startled him, making him jerk his head up to where it had come from. Above him was an old woman with the fluffiest hair of white he had ever seen. She was leaning over the balcony excitedly waving down at him.

    “Are you Kang Seungyoon? The one on the phone looking for a room?”

Seungyoon abruptly stood up. Bowing towards the old woman, he started to wave back.

    “Yes, ma'am. I came to have a look at the room you have for rent.”

The old woman nodded at him and smiled a strange smile.

    “It’s on the 6th floor! Apartment 601! The front door is open!”

Walking up the stairs, Seungyoon regretted not taking the elevator. It was a warm day and he was already feeling a little clammy from walking up the hill. He wanted to make a good first impression even if the landlord had appeared a bit odd. Stopping at the last flight of stairs to the sixth floor, Seungyoon paused and quickly ran a hand through his hair, hoping that it would at least make him look more presentable.

The door to apartment 601 was indeed unlocked when he reached it, still he waited for the old lady to come to the door and let him in after he had knocked.

    “Ah, come in! Come in!” she ushered brightly, almost dragging him inside. She was a crooked little woman with a very gentle looking face filled with smiling wrinkles. She quickly explained to him that she had arrived early to tidy up the place, but that it had looked decent beforehand so she had made herself some tea and enjoyed the view from the balcony instead.

Seungyoon already knew that someone else would be sharing the place with him, but the only thing she had told him on the phone about him was, ‘Quiet fellow, pretty face, and he has allergy friendly pets. Moved in over a month ago.’

 “You share the living space, the kitchen, and bathroom. As you can see, it’s very spacious.” the old woman was walking ahead of him, pointing things out here and there, “Now, this here will be your room.”

As the old woman opened the door to it, the first thing Seungyoon noticed was the sun’s afternoon ray slanting at a funny angle through the glass. It bathed the room in a soft warm glow making it seem as if it was almost sparkling. At that moment, Seungyoon felt a strange feeling envelop him. It was a very nice bright and airy room with a window by where he easily imagined he would put his desk. A big comfy bed would be perfect at the far end, then a wardrobe at the opposite wall. Maybe even a bookcase and a moderately sized cabinet for all his other things!! He was already envisioning it all in his mind. It had to be a good sign! The fact that the living space was in between their bedrooms meant that they could both have some privacy too. It wouldn’t be that much of an issue if he played his guitar in there.

Walking out of the room, he paused as he felt the same invigorating breeze from before flow in through the half-open window. Seungyoon couldn’t help but grin, everything seemed to be falling into place, it all felt just right. He could already see himself sitting by that very window drinking his morning coffee. The kitchen wasn’t very large, but he didn’t cook much anyway. Peeking into the bathroom he was surprised to see a bathtub which was very rare for these kinds of apartments.

    “What do you think?” the old woman suddenly asked from behind him. Startled yet again, Seungyoon turned abruptly to face her. She was sipping on her tea eyeing him with a curious look. He wasn’t the type of person to rush into these kind of decisions but everything just felt so right leaving him with no room for doubt. This place is it! Seungyoon knew it to his core.

    “I like it and I would definitely like to rent it should you choose me over the others who have already viewed this place.” he declared with unwavering certainty.

The old woman’s facial expression was hard to read. She took another large sip of her tea and closed her eyes, probably enjoying the breeze like he did earlier.

    “You know, you are the third person to see it this afternoon. I would really like for this to be settled today as I would very much like to go out and enjoy the nice weather.” she paused for a moment, a wistful expression on her face, “There’s something about you, something that tells me you and him will get along just fine.” finishing the last of her tea, she continued, “I say we have a deal, young man. The room is yours.”

Seungyoon instantly felt elated but he wasn’t quite sure if he had heard correctly so he repeated her words out loud.

    “We have a deal? I got the room? Really?!”

    “Yes, yes! Hurry along.” She had jumped to her feet as she said it and was now in a hurry to close the window to his promised room. “I’ll send you the key in the mail along with the papers. Should take less than a week!”

Minutes later when he was out on the sidewalk again, Seungyoon glanced up. His gaze falling on the balcony on the sixth floor where the old woman was waving at him from earlier. Unless he had just been a victim to some mean trick, he was now only a week away from calling that very place home. Continuing his way down the hill, he decided to buy himself a cooling drink at the convenience store he passed by earlier, maybe he could enjoy it in the nearby park he spotted before stopping by the university to pick up his ID that should be ready now.

He was just about to cross the