Chapter 1: Moving Out

Somewhere in the rural town of Chuncheong where young children run about the street and aunties set up their stalls all over the place, lies an old-run down building which is an office of a small broadcasting company where 25-year old Park Chorong works as a secretary. Her days at work aren't easy, barely getting enough sleep, attending meetings, signing papers and many other challenging tasks. Often, she returns home late night where her mom often complains that her daughter will never marry if she continues to work like a dog in which Chorong disagrees completely. 

"Why can't you just marry your childhood friend Changsub? He's such a nice boy, has a stable career, has good manners too." mumbled her mom again while washing the dishes in the early morning.

"Mom! Can you stop, we're just friends don't make it complicated. I don't want to marry him anyway, he has a bit of a screw loose in his head." sighed Chorong  she finished the last bit of kimbap and left to work.

Although it is true that Changsub has always been her only friend, even in high school. She wasn't really a sociable person, always distancing herself away from the crowd. She simply studied hard in order to earn a good job, love didn't really matter. Within just a 15 minutes walk, Chorong arrived at the office but there was something strange. Large cardboards were covered over the windows, furniture was placed outside the entrance, what's going on? With worry, she headed upstairs to the CEO office, where her boss was waiting for her.

"Sajang-nim....what's going on?" asked Chorong with worry.

"Sorry that I didn't tell you advance Chorong-ah...." sighed the man.

"Don't tell me....the business has gone bankrupted?"

"Hah, what a joke. We're moving to Seoul! And I told you not to call me Sajang-nim right?" chuckled the man with a smile.

"You scared me for awhile there Gak-oppa....wait....Seoul??"

"That's right, I'm transferring everyone to the office in Seoul including you. But unfortunately, you will have to find your place yourself. Our company doesn't have the funds to provide for you. We will be leaving next week."

It was far too sudden for Chorong, but it was for the better. Chuncheong was simply a town that wasn't the centre of attraction and didn't pull much profits. On her day off, she searched through every single website that rented rooms but it was far too expensive.

"Why is Seoul so costly? One month will eat up half of my salary..." sighed Chorong as she continued to search. Suddenly, there was a notification from her phone.

"Yo Chorong-ah, you said you were finding a place in Seoul? Try this website!" -Changsub

"You sure I should trust this link? Seems like a site that you've been watching... -_- " -Chorong

"No!! I'm not a ert like everyone else :P Trust me, it's gonna be awe~some-Changsub

There wasn't really a choice. With hesitation, she clicked on the link which suddenly lead her to an extremely pink-webpage with the title "WELCOME TO THE PINK DORMITORY" placed in the center. She scrolled down and saw a huge paragraph listing their details.

"Hello! Looking for a place to stay? You've come to the right place! We offer a good room fully equipped with an attached bathroom and kitchen facilities. You do not need to pay for anything as long as you vow to be caretaker of this dormitory until you no longer need to stay!" Contact us at XXX-XXXX-XXX!

Chorong arched her eyebrows upon reading, it sounded very suspicious yet it was a good deal because she would save a lot of money. With a long thought, she reached for her phone and dialed the number. For awhile, it rang for a long time. 

"Maybe this is just a scam that pabo Changsub is trying to get me in." sighed Chorong. But before she could end the call, someone picked up.

"Hello?" answered a young girl, who sounded mature.

"Hello, is this The Pink Dormitory? I'm thinking of moving in but can I visit the place first?"

"Sure but first, may I get your details please?"

"Yes, my name is Park Chorong and I'm moving to Seoul because of my company."

"When do you want to visit? If it's fine, you can visit today if you aren't busy."

"I'm actually in Chuncheong so it will take a day drive to Seoul. I'll move next week so I'll visit during that time. May I know your name and address so that I know the right person when I arrive?"

"It's Son Naeun. The address is at Myeongdong, D-500, Block 2, Road Daemun"

"Thank you, I'll see you next week."

"See you soon."

~X~

After days of packing, it was finally time for Chorong to leave her hometown and hit for the big city of Seoul. After having lunch, she went straight to finding the dormitory but it didn't take long before she could find the place. It was in a small two-floor apartment where the first floor was a convenience store. While climbing up the stairs, there were two doors. Strangely enough, one door was plastered with a wooden cardboard that was written "USE OTHER DOOR". It didn't bother her much as she headed to press the doorbell. Ding~dong~ 

The moment Chorong rang the doorbell, she could hear a loud ruckus inside the door. Sounds of wood crackling, muffled voices of girls shuting echoed the hallway and soon enough, the door broke open. Immediately, a girl who wasn't much older than her was on top of her. Their eyes met each other and for a moment there was silence.

"I told you not to run pabo Bomi! Now you ruined the door for like the tenth time already!" shouted a girl who came stomping through.

"Hey, she looks pretty Eunji-ya! Prettier than you!" said the other girl who continued to stare at Chorong while laughing.

"You're going to get it later..." Eunji whispered while saying "Well, are you going to kill her with your weight? Get off!" as she pulled Bomi off Chorong before bowing in apology.

"Sorry, my friend here gets a bit excited when we get a visitor. You are?"

"Chorong, Park Chorong."

Nice to meet you Chorong-ssi, come inside. The floor is a bit shaky but don't worry, you won't fall." joked the girl who cracked into a Busan accent.

The house was surprisingly big compared to the exterior, there was a huge common area where there was a small tv in front of a sofa. It later lead into a small hallway where there were four rooms. Chorong was lead to the room towards the end, where there was a bed neatly tucked in the corner with a study desk and cupboard to complement at the side. 

"Not a bad place right?" grinned Eunji.

"But what if she doesn't like it?" whispered Bomi.

"Shush!" hissed Eunji as she whacked Bomi.

"Umm...I can hear you..." said Chorong as she looked behind where the two girls almost got into a fight.

She sighed, wondering how old those girls were. For awhile, Chorong analysed the room. It was definitely a good place to stay for no price, besides becoming the dorm's caretaker.

"May I know if Son Naeun is here?" asked Chorong.

"Right, Naeun." said Eunji as she went towards to room beside and knocked on the door.

"Yes Eunji unnie?" said a tall, slim girl whose long, silky brown hair was tied in a bun that showcased her face line. To Chorong, she was a beauty.

"The guest is looking for you..."

"Sorry, I should've been the one to greet you. You're Park Chorong-ssi right?" smiled Naeun as she bowed with courtesy. It was definitely a complete contrast compared to the two other girls.

"No, it's nothing. I looked at the room already and I like it. But, the website said that I had to be a caretaker if I wanted to stay here?"

"Yes."

"What do I actually do as a caretaker?"

"You cook us food!!" grinned Bomi.

"And make sure this pabo doesn't do stupid things." joked Eunji, pointing to Bomi.

"Don't listen to them Chorong-ssi. A caretaker is simple, ensuring that all the residents in this dorm is fed well and takes care of us. And maybe, clean the house too, like laundry and all that." said Naeun with a smile.

"Wait, how old are all of you?" asked Chorong in suspicion.

"I'm 21. Bomi and Eunji are 22. We also have two high schoolers." replied Naeun.

"That's means I'm older than all of you by at least three years?! Wow...." said Chorong in surprise.

"Oh, you're an unnie! Please take good care of us!" grinned Bomi as she bowed.

"Me too, unnie!" smiled Eunji.

Indeed, it was strange. Why on earth is there a dormitory with no one to care for these young adults? It made Chorong worry if she left them like that, after seeing the condition of the house. Secrets don't reveal themselves but she couldn't leave them like that. After all, it might be fun living with people than living alone.

"Alright, may I have the contract?" asked Chorong with hesitation.

"About that...there isn't really an actual contract for this." said Naeun.

"Really? Then how are you going to handle legal documents and all the dealings with the government?"

"We have our own contract that only this pink dormitory has." smirked Bomi.

'What?" 

Suddenly, Chorong felt something wet on her cheek. Bomi just lightly pecked her.

With a dolphin-like scream, she pushed her away in surprise.

"Cute." grinned Bomi brighter than ever, giggling away after noticing Chorong's reaction.

"Well, it's a contract that Bomi created by herself so I'm not going to do that." said Eunji as she crossed her arms, pulling inside to the point where you would think she lost her lips.

"Me either. Anyway, welcome to our dorm." smiled Naeun.

"Oh god, these people are so weird..." thought Chorong to herself.

This was simply the start of her new life in the city of Seoul. Meeting these strange people was just the beginning.

[END OF CHAPTER 1]

A/N: Yes, Chomi is starting first haha. This is just a start of a really long story so I hope that I can keep you interested! Hope you enjoy this first chapter and I'll work hard on the next update as soon as I can! :)