Lee Eunsook had always hated move-in day.  It wasn’t just the tiring work of lugging her belongings, unpacking them, and settling into her new home for the year.  It wasn’t meeting her new roommates, nor was it the fact that she had a whole year of studying to look forward to.  She hated it because it was the day everything in her life would change for a while, and she hated change.  It was unsettling, and honestly, it scared her a bit, because she never knew what that change might bring her.

It was the beginning of her senior year in university, and this year, Eunsook was determined to enjoy herself.  She was turning over a new leaf.  If Koreans had middle names, ‘Optimist’ would be hers, and she would have to be ashamed of her very being if she didn’t finally integrate that philosophy into move-in day.  “Enjoy yourself,” she mumbled breathlessly as she dragged her luggage along the sidewalk.  “Greet your new roommates with enthusiasm.  Smile, embrace the change, and look forward to your last year.”

If only she knew just how much change she was in for this time.

Thunk.  Eunsook set down her bags as she needlessly fiddled with the key in the lock.  To her surprise, it was unlocked already; that meant someone was inside.  She was used to being the first one to her apartment, being the punctual one among her old roommates, who had all tended to be at least a little tardy.  Picking up her bags, she opened the door, pushing her way inside, to be greeted by the sweet smell of flowery perfume.  A suffocating smell, actually.  Eunsook could practically feel her lungs constricting in protest.  Coughing, she dropped her bags and waved a hand in front of her face.

“Anyone here?”

No answer for a moment, then a rustling sound, and finally a voice.  “In the pink room!”

Eunsook only had to wonder for a moment what that meant.  As she walked around and glanced in through the open doors, the second one greeted her with an almost blinding quantity of pink.  Pink curtains on the window this girl had been quick enough to claim, pink sheets on her bed, posters on her walls filled with pink, and even a stuffed pink bunny on a shelf in the corner.  The entire room was pink themed.  Eunsook was thankful they weren’t sharing a room.

The decorator whirled around to face Eunsook, her copper brown pigtails bouncing.  “Hi there!” she greeted, sticking her hand out, presumably for a handshake.  Eunsook obliged.  “I’m Gwiboon.  Are you living here too?”

Eunsook nodded.  “Yes, I’m Eun-”

“Sook?” the girl chirped, finishing for her.  Eunsook couldn’t bring herself to find the interruption rude, not when it was performed so brightly.  Besides, all the pink was distracting her.  Maybe she was allergic to it.  “I’m the…dorm captain, if you will,” the girl continued, labeling herself aptly.  “Or maybe coordinater,” she mused with a giggle.  “Yes, I like the sound of that better.  It’s nice to meet you, Eunsook-unnie!  You can pick whichever room you want that’s still open, just make sure you put your stuff in there, so the others know you claimed it.”  She patted Eunsook’s shoulder, then turned back to her decorating.

Eunsook turned to leave, but lingered in the doorway a bit longer.  “Um…Gwiboon-ssi.”

“Just Gwiboon, darling.  No need to be formal.”

“Right…then, Gwiboon.  What’s the smell?” she finally asked, trying not to cough.

Gwiboon turned to smile at her.  “Room spray.  It smelled dreadfully musty when I got here.”

“Ah.”  She nodded, understanding, but then hesitated with her next question.  “It’s not…always going to smell like this, is it?”

“Oh, heavens no!  We’ll do something more permanent about it later.”

Satisfied with that answer, Eunsook left to move her luggage.  She claimed the room farthest from Gwiboon’s, on the opposite side of the dorm.  It wasn’t that she didn’t like Gwiboon; the girl was quite agreeable.  It was just in case she decided to use some of that room spray ever again.  She didn’t want to be the next door neighbor who complained all the time.

Once she had all her things settled in, clothes unpacked and into her drawers, books on her shelf, and pencils and computer and such on her desk, Eunsook stepped back to admire her room.  It was plain, and seemed bland in comparison to Gwiboon’s.  If they were allowed to paint their walls, she was sure the other girl would have painted hers a bright pink.  But this was the way Eunsook liked to live, not only with decorating but with her words and her lifestyle as well.  Plain and simple.  Comfortable.  Smiling contently, she stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her.

Eunsook stretched a bit and glanced around.  It seemed so quiet and empty so far, and she was starting to wonder where their other roommates were.  There were supposed to be five residents here, or so she’d been told.  Reluctantly stepping into Gwiboon’s room again, she asked, “How come we’re the only ones here?”

“We’re not,” the girl replied, pigtails bouncing as she turned toward Eunsook again.  “Minjung’s here.  You just probably didn’t notice her ‘cause she’s so quiet.”  She rolled her eyes.  “That girl’s gonna get hit by a car someday or something…”

“Which one’s her room?” Eunsook asked, assuming that was where the girl would be.

Gwiboon pointed.  “Two rooms down, I think right next to yours.”

“Thanks.”  She smiled, and Gwiboon smiled back.  She has pretty teeth, Eunsook thought absently as she left to find Minjung.  As she approached the door, she knocked lightly.  It was open halfway, but she didn’t want to disturb her if she was busy.

“Come in,” a quiet voice mumbled, deeper than Gwiboon’s cheerful, higher pitched voice.

Eunsook stepped into the room.  On the bed was a slender girl she assumed to be Minjung, lying on her stomach with a manga open in front of her.  “Minjung-ssi?”

The girl looked up.  “That’s me.”

She didn’t seem inclined to say any more, so Eunsook continued.  She bowed slightly.  “I’m Eunsook.  I’m living here too.  My room is next to yours.”

“Cool.  Nice to meet you.”  Minjung’s eyes moved back down to her manga.

“Ah…nice to meet you too,” Eunsook mumbled awkwardly.  She felt so uncomfortable in Minjung’s room.  The girl hadn’t smiled, had hardly spoken a word, and wasn’t even looking at her anymore.  This struck Eunsook as antisocial, but she couldn’t really blame her.  She had intruded and distracted her from her manga, after all.  “Sorry for bothering,” she said quietly, ducking out of the room and pulling the door most of the way shut.

“Maybe she’ll talk later.”

“Minjung?” Gwiboon asked, startling Eunsook out of her thoughts.  The older girl nodded.  “Nah, I doubt it.  She didn’t say much to me either.  I guess she’s not a people person,” she reasoned.  “Want a snack?  I was just about to make myself something.”

“No, that’s okay.”  Eunsook headed over to the small kitchen to join Gwiboon.  “I just want some water I guess.”  After all, they only had what food they’d brought with them right now, and Eunsook hadn’t brought any herself.  She didn’t want to take Gwiboon’s food from her.

“I’m going out later to buy some food and stuff.  Wanna come with?  I could use the help.”

Eunsook poured herself a glass of water, nodding before bringing it to her lips.  “I’d be glad to.”

The door swung open, bringing in a small girl, panting and dragging her heavy looking luggage behind her.  The girl’s face brightened when she saw Gwiboon and Eunsook.  Dropping her bags, she ran over to greet them with a grin.

“Lee Taeyeon,” Gwiboon guessed, earning herself a nod.  The pigtailed girl grinned, practically squealing with delight.  “You’re so much more adorable than I imagined!”

Taeyeon blushed a bit, stammering out the beginning of a ‘thank you,’ but was cut off by Gwiboon’s arms around her, squeezing the air from her lungs.  Her eyes widened and she tried to wriggle her way out of the hug so she could catch her breath.  Eunsook chuckled at the sight.  She found the little girl incredibly adorable, especially in this flustered state, her eyes wide and cheeks rosy.  However, with the girl’s size and her cute face, she was starting to wonder how old she was.  Taeyeon looked a bit young to be going to college.

Now wasn’t the time to be asking questions, however.  Taeyeon looked desperate for oxygen, and as Gwiboon didn’t seem to be letting go any time soon, Eunsook came to the rescue.  “Gwiboon, let go of the poor girl, she needs to breathe!”

“Oh!  You’re right, unnie!”  Gwiboon released the smaller girl, who gasped for air, clutching at her chest.  She grabbed Taeyeon’s shoulders and frowned.  “I’m so sorry, are you alright?  Do you want something to drink?  Or a snack?”

Taeyeon shook her head.  “N-no, I’m alright thanks,” she squeaked quietly, reminding Eunsook of a mouse.  A small, cute, and fragile mouse, the kind that crawls into your heart right away, warm and cozy and intending to stay.  That was exactly what Taeyeon was doing, Eunsook mused, a smile making its way onto her face.  Taeyeon was just about the cutest person she’d ever seen.  She couldn’t help but want to take care of her, like a doting older sister.

“I’m Gwiboon,” the pigtailed girl was saying, “and this is Eunsook.”

Taeyeon bowed to each of them in turn.  “Hello unnies.  It’s nice to meet you.  Um…”  She glanced at her bags.  “Which room is mine?”

Gwiboon pointed at the middle room and the one on the far left, the two neighboring rooms to her own.  “Those two aren’t claimed yet.  Just pick one and move your stuff in.”

Taeyeon nodded.  “I’ll take the left one, then…”  She moved to pick up her luggage, then turned again, looking at her roommates bashfully.  “Um…unnies, could you help me?  Please?”

“Of course!” they said in unison, almost like a reflex in reaction to the girl’s cuteness.

Taeyeon giggled.  “Thanks.”

As the day progressed, they settled in and the three girls got to know each other a little.  They saw Minjung from time to time, but she didn’t say much, only to greet Taeyeon and ask if anyone had brought any snacks.  Gwiboon and Eunsook did go to the store, hoping Taeyeon would tag along with them, but she wanted to stay at the dorm and finish unpacking her things.

“Where’s the fifth person?” Eunsook asked when they returned to find the middle room still empty.

“Oh, Junghee?  She’s staying with her boyfriend tonight,” Gwiboon explained, and Eunsook wondered why she hadn’t mentioned this earlier.  “She’ll move in tomorrow I guess.”

Eunsook wondered what kind of person Junghee was.  From her observations so far, they had an extravagant girly girl, a plain and simple girl, a quiet boyish girl, and a cute and shy childish girl.  Who would be the fifth, to complete their group?  What would her personality be like?  Eunsook tried to picture her, and came up with an interesting clown.  The mental image made her laugh.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” she told herself as she lay on her bed, staring at the speckled paint on the ceiling.  She glanced at the schedule she’d taped to the wall earlier, above her desk.  Senior year was going to be interesting.  Just how interesting, she wasn’t sure, but she was willing to bet she was in for a ride.  And this time, she was definitely looking forward to it.