I wish you luck. I hope you get along with your roommates well.

Even a short and simple message from his special someone is enough to bring a smile on Shim Changmin’s face. He misses her so badly. It’s been two weeks since she left to study abroad in Japan. Since they got together in their first year of high school, they had been an inseparable couple. The longest time they’ve been apart was when he had to attend summer camp and that was only for a week.

 

Changmin has always been excited about college. He’s looking forward to experiencing new things and celebrating a newfound freedom away from home, without the doting eyes of his overbearing mother or the prying eyes of his meticulous perfectionist father. But somehow, without Go Shina, a part of him felt unmotivated.

 

Today, Changmin is moving to an apartment owned by his paternal aunt, which means, he wouldn’t be 100 percent independent from prying eyes after all, but at least, his new home is located within walking distance from the university.

 

“Oh, Changmin!” His aunt Shim Sang Hee greets him with a big kiss. He has to bend forward for her to reach him. She is only a few years older than Changmin—eight years, in fact. As the youngest sibling of Changmin's father, she easily passes as Changmin’s big sister, which is why she insists on her nephew calling her noona instead of auntie.

 

“Did you grow 10 centimeters over the summer?” His aunt compares her height with his. “How is it that you’re so tall now? What have you been eating?” She pinches his cheeks. Changmin forces a smile. He is no longer a boy who welcomed his favorite aunt’s affection. He is a man now; he is twenty years old and his aunt is not much older. If people saw them, they’d likely misinterpret.

 

“Are you nervous?” Aunt Sang Hee notices his discomfort. Though she misunderstands the situation, Changmin just bobs his head.

 

“Don’t worry. These are really nice people. I’m pretty sure they’ll like you.” She says positively.

 

“Right,” Changmin mutters sarcastically to himself. He isn’t nervous about his housemates liking him at all; his aunt should be more concern about Changmin not liking them. Changmin knows how selective he can be with people; he also knows that he’s not very agreeable as a person. He’s aware of his sharp tongue and his very dry sense of humor. Some would think he’s shy when in truth, he’s just almost always not in the mood to be interacting with people. The only person that Changmin would never get tired of interacting was his long distance girlfriend Go Shina.

“So, tell me about my classmates.” Changmin asks just to be informed. He’ll be spending the rest of his college life with this people. He might as well get to know them well.

“Well, first of all, there’s Jung Yunho. He was my first tenant when I opened the house for rent. During that time, he was only a law school student and just recently, he passed the Bar examinations and just got a job at the prosecutor’s office.”

 

“Then there’s Junsu. He’s a game developer. I’m sure you’ll get along well with him. He’s got a bubbly and optimistic personality. He’s well-loved by everyone.”

 

Changmin imagines the game developer to be hyperactive and over optimistic. He’s not so sure about getting along well with him since his personality was the complete opposite.

 

“The last two tenants came together. They’re best friends Jaejoong and Yoochun.” Sang Hee continues. “Jaejoong works as a model. The tenants call him the mother of the house since he prepares the food for them. You should get along well with him and he’ll take care of you well.”

 

“Alright. I’ll be on my best behavior and try.”

“Well, lastly, there’s the novelist Yoochun…” Sang Hee’s voice drops anticlimactically as if there’s an unpleasant taste in . Changmin’s not sure, but it seems like a small sigh escaped his aunt’s mouth after she mentioned the last name. Unlike the other three who was described thoroughly by his aunt, there was no further information about Yoochun.

“Welcome to my house, or as I’d like to call it the Casa Jalguem, home of the flower boys.” Sang Hee singsongs. “This is a place where four flower boys reside, five starting this day.”

 

Sang Hee shows off the house proudly. At twenty-eight, she is already a proud owner of an 800 square meter house located in a bustling district, which she purchased with inheritance money from her late father (Changmin’s grandfather).

The house previously belonged to a large household. Shim Sang Hee, who was an interior designer knew the value of the property. When she purchased the house, she already foresaw the opportunities she can do with it. The house that sits on a slope consists of three separate buildings connected by bridges. The first building is the receiving area, a large space with high ceiling and a welcoming atmosphere. Two bridges lead to the living areas. The east wing which was once the previous owner’s guest house is where Shim Sang Hee resides. It’s much smaller than the other wing, but it has its own private sauna and a study area that Sang Hee currently uses as her design studio. The east wing, which was previously the dwelling of a family of five is now rented to four young men. Changmin will be the fifth occupant.

 

“Here.” Sang Hee leads her nephew into the west wing. They ascend a few steps before they land in front of a double height mahogany door. She rings the doorbell and a few seconds later, a bespectacled twenty-something man in gray cardigan answered the door.

 

“Oh, it’s you,” Sang Hee frowns. Changmin doesn’t have to guess. This man must be Park Yoochun. He stands a few inches shorter than Changmin, and has this very gentle presence and calming aura. Yoochun wears a large-framed glasses and has his shirt neatly tucked in his pants. There’s a certain kind of grace in the way he folds his hands against his chest. His gestures seem to suggest that he comes from a well-to-do family.

 

“You’re the new tenant. I’m Park Yoochun.” The bespectacled man greets Changmin with a warm smile.

 

“Hello,” Changmin bows. “I’m Shim Changmin. A pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Where are the others?” Sang Hee asks, scanning the place for his other tenants.

 

“Jaejoong has a photo shoot this morning, but he’ll be back soon. As for Junsu, it’s Saturday, so as usual, he’s with his twin brother.”

 

“And Yunho?” Changmin’s aunt cranes her neck and scans the place.

 

“Ahh… that man hasn’t left his room since last night. I heard he’s handling a huge case, so he’s working really hard.”

 

“Oh, Yunho… He’s such a workaholic. Well, remind him not to skip meals, will you?”

 

“Don’t worry.” Yoochun nods. “You know Jaejoong won’t allow him to do that.”

“Well, please take care of my nephew for me. I have some errands to do before I leave for Jeju tonight.”

 

“You’re leaving for Jeju? Tonight?” Changmin asks. A small smile threatens to break from his lips. Is this the newfound freedom Changmin’s been longing for?

 

“It’s just for a few days. Don’t miss me too much.” Sang Hee beams at her nephew.

 

“What are you going to do in Jeju, by the way?” Yoochun asks curiously.

 

“Well, that is none of your business.” Sang Hee rebuffs him. Yoochun responds with a dimpled smile as if he has already gotten his answer. Sang Hee frowns deeply, annoyed at the smugness of her tenant. She turns towards Changmin instead and her expression softens. “So, Changmin, I will be leaving you in their care. So, settle down and be comfortable. I hope you have a great time here.”

“Have a safe trip, noona,” Changmin says as he waves goodbye.

 

 

“Do you know why your aunt’s going to Jeju?” Yoochun asks the younger boy as soon as Sang Hee was out of earshot.

 

“She’s signed up for a matchmaker or a mixer gathering or something.” Yoochun continues.

 

“What? She did?” Changmin asks in awe.

 

“I saw a brochure of it on her desk when I dropped by to hand her in my month’s payment.” Yoochun narrates with an amused look on his face. “The reason she is so cold to me is because she knows that I know. She’s afraid I’d tell the others.”

 

Changmin chuckles. “Well, did you?”

 

“No, not yet. I’m keeping that information as an upper hand for her later. You’ll never know this might come in handy later.”

 

At that instant, Changmin has taken a liking to Yoochun. He realizes that they might be like-minded individuals.

 

“Why don’t you go look around first before I show you your room?” Yoochun suggests. “Right here is the communal place. There’s this day in the week that all of us tenants gather to hang out. Sometimes, a close friend of ours visit. You’ll meet her soon, I guess.”

 

Changmin scans around the house. From where he is standing he can see the courtyard through the large glass windows. He takes a few steps up to the dining area where a boxy chandelier is suspended above the table. The design is similar with the chandelier that greeted Changmin at the receiving area, but it’s scaled much smaller. Changmin knew that his aunt designed and decorated the place. He would never admit it but one of the reasons he decided to pursue a degree in architecture is his admiration for his aunt’s works.

 

“If you’re looking for the bathroom, it’s behind the kitchen,” Yoochun tells Changmin as he followed the new tenant into the dining area. “The room beside that is mine. Then, there’s Jaejoong’s room at the opposite corner. The room across the kitchen is Yunho’s and the one near the entrance is Junsu’s,” Yoochun walks to the door across the dining hall. “This is your room right here. You’re sandwiched between Yunho and Junsu. You won’t have any problems with Yunho. He’s usually just quiet. Junsu, on the other hand… Well, you’ll get used to him…hopefully.”

 

Yoochun leads Changmin to his room. Everything inside is already prepared for him, including the pillows and the blankets that his mom had delivered a few days ago. The boxes he had sent had already arrived and were set on the floor.

 

“Your mom came here a few days ago with your aunt to make sure everything is set for you.”

 

“Aaah. I see.” Changmin cringes in embarrassment. His roommates are grown men, who probably lives independently from their parents for a few years now. He’d like to think of himself as an adult, too, but most of the time, his mom is overbearing. He wonders if his mom interrogated his housemates like what she did when Changmin’s high school friends visited their house.

 

“As I’ve mentioned,” Yoochun says. “The bathroom’s right behind the kitchen. We’ve only got one bathroom to share, so please be considerate. Also, I’ve devised a timetable for bathroom use in the morning. I haven’t updated the schedule yet with your inclusion, but I’ll hang the timetable on the bathroom door. So, just keep yourself posted.”

 

“Alright. Are there other house rules I have to be aware of?” Changmin inquires.

 

“Oh, thanks for reminding me about that. Your aunt’s not so particular with the house rules,” Yoochun shakes his head. “But Yunho, the lawyer and I have taken the initiative writing the roommate agreement. I’ll print you a copy of it later. You can suggest some changes and we can discuss it during Jalgeum night. But for starters, let me show you one important thing…”

 

Yoochun walks Changmin towards the kitchen. He opens the refrigerator. “As you can see, everything is labeled carefully here.” Yoochun opens the fridge widely for Changmin to inspect. Sure enough, the foods are labeled in color-coded post-it notes. The top shelf contains green labels with Yunho’s name written on it. The second shelf has pink-colored labels with Junsu’s name. The third shelf has Yoochun’s items labeled with yellow post-it notes. They were even further classified into perishables and non-perishables. The last two shelves are all occupied by Jaejoong’s items labeled with blue post-it notes.

 

“As you can see, we have a color-coding system. You can use orange post-it notes to label yours,” Yoochun advises Changmin. “Remember to label the food items in the fridge with your name. Do so in the pantry as well. Should you forget to label, your food will be considered a shared item by the housemates. I also check the fridge from time to time to dispose of food items past their expiration date.”

 

“Do you think there’s still a space for me?”

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll ask Junsu to make room for you.”

 

“He won’t mind? Maybe, I can take one of the last two shelves?”

 

“Ah, but Jaejoong would need a lot of space, though.” Yoochun considers. “You see, Jaejoong’s the designated chef, so he needs all of that for storing all his ingredients. As for Junsu, he doesn’t really need all that space. If you check the pantry, you’ll see why.”

 

Changmin does what he’s told and opens the pantry cabinet to discover that from the top shelf down to the last were junk foods, instant cup noodles, crackers, biscuits and cereals, all labeled in pink post-it notes with Junsu’s name on them.

 

Changmin wonders out loud. “This guy… He's not health conscious at all, is he?"

 

“Rather than health conscious, he’s just really hopeless in the kitchen.” Yoochun chuckles. “One time he was in charge of breakfast, he tried to make us sunny side eggs, but they were served to us scrambled. By the way, do you cook?”

 

“I’m no master chef, but I can survive on my own,” Changmin replies.

 

“Well, you have an option,” Yoochun presents. “You can chip in for the groceries and Jaejoong will take care of everything. He doesn’t mind doing all the cooking since it’s really his passion. If you’re interested, you can further discuss this with him later. I, myself have no jurisdiction over the kitchen as it is Jaejoong’s turf, so I can’t say much.”

 

“We’re home.” A large booming voice calls out. The mahogany door opens widely and two young men come in.

 

“Ah, speaking of the devils.”

 

One of the two men who arrived doesn’t bother removing his shoes and jumps on the sofa immediately.

 

“Hey! Your shoes!” Yoochun reproaches and the young man lazily removes his shoes with his feet.

 

“I’m sooooo tired!” He groans. When he wiggles out of his coat, Changmin gets a better look at him. Without any introductions or whatsoever, he knows this is Jaejoong, the model his aunt mentioned. Jaejoong’s face is still blanketed by makeup, enhancing his unique and effeminate features and enthralling cat-like eyes. When he’s freed himself from his coat, his masculine frame is exposed and Changmin couldn’t help thinking that it seems so unlikely for an effeminate face to sit atop of such a manly physique.

 

“You’re the new tenant!” Jaejoong notices Changmin and the latter instantly averts his eyes, realizing he had been staring at the model for far too long.

 

“This is Shim Changmin, Sang Hee’s nephew.” Yoochun introduces him.

 

Changmin bows his head politely.

 

“Can you give me a second to rest?” Jaejoong pants. He inhales deeply and extends his hand to Changmin. “I’m Kim Jaejoong. A pleasure to meet you.”

 

As Changmin accepts his hand, a creaky voice calls out behind him. “And I’m Kim Junsu.” At first, he expects to see an overweight man in a Star Wars or a Marvel shirt, with a bowl-cut hair and large thick glasses. From someone who makes a living out of video games and lives on a junk food diet, you’d normally think of the stereotypical gamer. Junsu looks nothing like what Changmin imagines him to be. He looks just like a regular dude; he might even fall above average range in looks. He looks fit and healthy, as well. Junsu’s round cheeks swell as he smiles brightly at the new tenant.

 

“Back so soon, Su? I thought you’re having lunch with your brother.”

 

Junsu pouts like a child. Changmin wonders if this man was older than him. His aunt had mentioned though that all her tenants were in their mid-20s, all of whom a few years older than him. With Junsu pouting and stomping his feet in front of Yoochun, it’s hard to believe he is a grown man.

 

“My brother treated me to McDonald’s but he didn’t even order for himself. He said he had to go somewhere. Where do you think he’s going? He doesn’t even have work today.”

 

“Maybe he has a date.” Jaejoong speculates.

 

“Date?” Junsu looks flustered as if ‘date’ was a taboo word. “Why?”

 

“What do you mean, ‘why?’’ Jaejoong scoffs. “He’s almost 30. Why shouldn’t he date?”

 

“Of course, I don’t mean that he shouldn’t date. It’s just unusual. He’s never mentioned any girl to me before.”

 

“Coz he doesn’t have to. Are you his diary or something?”

 

Junsu shrugs. “I just can’t imagine Junho-hyung with a girl yet. I mean, it’s weird.”

Jaejoong crosses his legs. “It’s not weird. You know what’s weird? The fact that you’re almost thirty, too, and you haven’t even thought about dating. It makes me wonder if you’re gay, though there’s nothing wrong with that. But by any chance, Junsu, are you… aual?”

 

“Hey!” Junsu flushes pink at Jaejoong’s comment. “Speak for yourself. Aren’t you all guys, single too? Jaejoong-hyung, you go out on dates a lot, but none of them last long enough to be your girlfriend. Isn’t that more disconcerting?”

 

“Hey!” Jaejoong shoots up to his feet, revived from his exhaustion by Junsu’s comment. “At least, I try to go out there and meet new girls. Unlike some people who are holed up in their room creating Yuna Final Fantasy fanfics.”

 

At this, Yoochun broke into fits of laughter. “Oh, I read that. I was surprised to know Junsu has the talent for writing.”

 

“You think that’s funny?” Junsu throws his arms across his chest and frowns at Yoochun. “You know what I think is funnier? It’s the fact that a cynical person like you is writing romantic novels. You don’t even believe in love! And yet you’re writing love stories that even become best-sellers. Aren’t you sorry to your fans? You’re actually ripping them off! You’re like an atheist preaching about religion. Such a hypocrite!”

 

Jaejoong and Yoochun exchange bewildered looks and burst into a frenzied laughter. They held onto each other for support as they laugh their hearts out.

 

“Hey! I’m not at all that pathetic, am I?” Junsu sulks. “At least, despite not having a girlfriend, I’m still enjoying my youth. Unlike Yunho-hyung who’s so busy with work that he should probably marry his job.”

 

Jaejoong wraps an arm around Junsu. “Relax, we were just teasing. You always get so worked up. That’s why it’s fun teasing you.”

 

“I agree.”

 

 

Junsu makes a defeated face. He opens his mouth to say something, but he hesitates and just shuts it off. Then, he notices Changmin watching at the corners.

 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized to the new tenant. “I swear, I’m not hot-headed like this. I’m actually a nice person.”

 

Yoochun takes a step forward in front of Changmin and blocks Junsu off, shaking his head in disagreement. Junsu bumps him off and pushes his face away. “I swear. I promise I’ll be a good housemate.”

 

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll try my best to be a good housemate, too.” Changmin says, fighting his best not to break into a smile.

 

 

“So, Changmin, you’re going to Younha University, right?” Jaejoong inquires. “What course?”

 

“Architecture.”

 

“Woah. That’s so cool. Just like Sang Hee-ssi, am I right?”

 

“Sang Hee’s an interior designer.” Yoochun corrects his best friend. “It’s the same field, but it’s a totally different thing, right Changmin?”

 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Changmin agrees. “Architects design the whole building while interior designers design the spaces within it.”

 

“Oh, I see.” Jaejoong stands corrected. “Well, all right, dinner together tonight?” He claps his hand enthusiastically. “It will be like a welcoming party for Changmin. Of course, I'll make something special, something really good. Sang Hee-ssi mentioned that you have a big appetite.”

 

“You don’t have to bother—“ Changmin protests.

 

“No, no, no!” Jaejoong interrupts. “It’s not bothersome at all, and besides, we need an excuse to lure Yunho out of his room.” Jaejoong winks and Changmin is slightly taken aback. He’s never met someone who looks so out of this world as Jaejoong. ‘It must be the makeup,’ He tells himself.

 

“Ah, Changmin, you’re so lucky,” Junsu says enviously. “When I came to this house first, the warmest welcome I received was a post-it note from Yunho saying ‘You’re Welcome! If Jaejoong-hyung and Yoochun-hyung came to live in the house before me, they’d probably throw a welcome party for me, too.”

 

“No, we wouldn’t. What makes you think we would?” Yoochun curls his lips into a half-smile.

 

“What? You won’t. Why not?”

 

“Because you’re not the land lady’s nephew.” Yoochun laughs as he accepts Jaejoong’s high five. As Junsu whines, Changmin can’t help but laugh with the best friends. Poking fun at Junsu seems like a natural occurrence in Casa Jalguem. Junsu reacts with disapproval at first, but he would, later on, submit to his defeat and join in with the laughter.