Plain Beginning
Let Love...
"No, no, please! Look, I have the money now. Don't make me leave!" Amber kept pleading the ahjumma of her apartment but she just kept pushing her away.
"this is not the first time you paid late,. You've done it twice before, you just did it now. I'm sure you'll do it again and I won't let it happen." the ajhumma was confident on her decision.
Money had always been Amber's main problem., Her family ony sends her money every two months and she doesn't get much from her part-time job in a cafè. She spends most of her money for university and whatever's left she'd use it for the apartment bills but never was it enough. And right that moment she lost a place to stay in.
"Hello, Min? Can you come here?" she called her very best friend as soon as she got out the apartment.
When Min arrived, she didn't ask anymore question cos she could tell what just happened. She just gave Amber a warm embrace to make her feel better and it did. She was smiling.
"Let's get you out of here." Min helped her with her things as she smiled back.
Amber sighed and threw herself on Min's bed.
"I don't think I can live without you, Min." Amber uttered.
"You can stay here as long as you want. I'm sure grandma wouldn't mind." Min suggested as she sat on the edge of her bed.
"No, I'll look for a new apartment first thing tomorrow. You don't have to worry about me." Amber didn't want her friend to worry. She's done too much for Amber and Amber already felt guilty since she hasn't done much in return.
"But Amber--"
"I'm gonna be fine. I need to stand on my own somehow." she sat back up and patted Min's back.
"You're staying here for tonight though."
"That I will do, but tomorrow... I have to do it all by myself."
Amber felt a little too dependent to Min ans she ddn't want to be a burden to her anymore. For the last two years, Min has been helping, caring and loving Amber as a sister and of course Amber was doing the same thing but she felt like she hasn't given her all for their friendship. She thought that it's a little unfair if Min's the only one who does all the sacrifices so she thought that it's time to face everything alone without any help from others.
She has a good sleep on Min's bed though it was a little hard to move around since she was sharing the bed with Min. She got ready for the long day ahead wearing a loose white paw printed shirt, a pair of baggy and sloppy jeans and a pair of high cut sneakers. Of course, she didn't forget her favorite LA black cap to cover her already short hair. She basically dressed like a boy. That was her style, where she's comfortable at. Sure. everyone used to look at her oddly and it bothered her on her first year in Korea but more people became used of that boyish style and hardly one person mistakes her for a guy. That's when she became even moe welcomed in the country.
'Good thing it's school vacation or else I'd probably stay inside the campus and secretly live there.' she said in her mind with a tiny giggle when she passed by a small middle school. Soon she arrived at apgujeong. She checked every aprtment in case there's a vacancy or someone needs a company in her apartment. There were quite a lot of vacant rooms but it's either for guys or it's over her budget. It was getting dark and she had not found a good plac. She sat on her baggae and heaved a sigh. She wanted to give up and just call her best friend but she also wanted to proe that she can do it on her own. She faced her palms and thought of some ideas to survive. 'Boys apartment, cheap, works for me.' she was having some crazy thoughts. 'Should I? I don't know if it'll work... Would anyone believe me?' she looked at the building ahead of her. There was a sign outside and so she checked it out.
"Are you looking for an apartment, young man?" a lady, probably in her 50s asked.
'Did she just call me young man?' Amber was hesitant before but now that the old lady thought so, she just went on with it.
"Uhm, yes ahjumoni. I'm looking for a vacant room... uhm.. that one with two bedrooms, you know, that one who I can share a place with... I don't really know how to explain it in Korean." Amber scratched the back of her head hoping that the old lady wasn't suspecting that she's faking to be a guy and was also hoping that she understood what she's trying to say.
"Oh, I get it, I have a place for you. Come with me." the lady brought her to the second floor and opened the apartment at the left side of the stairs.
Amber put down her suitcase surprised as she was welcomed by the spotless and wonderful living room with a cloud like sofa, a tiny but very cute center table and a medium size TV. At the right was the all-white kitchen.
"That is the bathrom." the lady pointed at the door at the very right corner.
"That in the middle is your roommate's bedroom. He arrives home a little late. I'm sure you'll meet him soon. He's a very Nice young man ." she stated as she looked at Amber.
"Oh, and this one here will be your room if you're going to take it. The one who used to live here moved out a couple of months ago. Nobody ever came here to replace him. We've been searching for a while now." the lady opened the door at the left side of the room. Amber couldn't ask for more. She thought it was perfect. It was spacious, the bed looked really fluffy, the closet was big enough for her clothes and there was a small shelf that she'd sure enjoy to fill.
"Two months advance and the room is yours." Amber didn't hesitate to pay her immediately.
"Welcome to our apartment building.... what's your name again?" the lady asked before leaving.
"Uhm... AJ Liu but my korean name is Yoo.... Eunyoung." she bowed a full 90°.
"Eunyoung... You have some girly aspects, do you know that?" Amber was a bit surprised with the lady's words.
"I-I do get that a lot. Ha-ha." she faked a smile.
"I'm Mrs. Kang, everyone's mom here. Well, good night, Eunyoung."
She bowed again and as soon as Mrs Kang left, she sighed in relief. She was too tired to even unpack her things or to have dinner so she just lied down on her fluffy single bed and she instantly fell asleep.
....
"Good evening, ahjumoni." Jinki bowed at Mrs Kang at the entrance.
"You're here pretty early." Mrs Kang said looking at the clock. It was already midnight although usually, he arrives at around 10 or 11.
"Ahjumma, you know I'm preparing for the new school year." he said acting like a little child.
"It'll start in a week, right?" she asked and so Jinki nodded.
"Well, I'm going up, Mrs Kang. Good night!" he bowed again but before he could even take a step at the stairs, Mrs Kang had called him.
"I forgot to tell you. You finally have a new roommate... Yu Eunyoung. He's one flower boy." Mrs Kang noted with a gigle.
"Pretty boy, huh? Thanks for telling me Mrs Kang, see you tomorrow." he said with a bow and went straight upstairs.
When he opened his apartment door, the lights were on but nobody was there. He assumed that his new roommate was already asleep so he didn't bother waking him up to greet him. Instead he went straight to the kitchen and made some instant noodles to eating. Humming a certain song, he grabbed a tiny bowl and a pair of chopsticks.
"What a tiring day." he said and started eating.
Jinki worked part time on school days and full time during vacation like what kids at university do. But he didn't really want to work full time, actually, he didn't want to work at all. he just had noc hoice cos of what he's going through. It's his method to get over his problems that he never wanted to share to anyone. He thought that all his friends had enough problems for themselves and he just didn't want to add to them. Although most of the time, his friends ask him for advice or sometimes they simply tell him their problems just cos he's a good listener. But when it comes to his problems, he kept them all to himself. He'd just smile it away and no one ever suspected that he's sad or he's going through something awful. "That's just how he is." his friend would always say.
He turned off all the lights and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Showering at night would always relax him and would send him immediately to sleep. After he took a shower, all he did was yawn which literally meant that it's time to sleep. He lied down on his bed, pulled up his blanket over his body upto his head without any part of his body showing not even the very tip of his hair and soon he fell asleep.
Amber woke up early the next day. The first thing she did was text Min.
Hey, just woke up. Got a new apartment.Tell you the whole story later.
She didn't wait for her reply and started to unpack her things. She put all her shirts together at the right side of the closet, all her shorts and pants on the left and her sneakers at the bottom. She literally only had sneakers. She intentionally left all her girly sandals at her old apartment since she didn't really use them. When she was about to start working at the shelf, she suddenly heard a door slammed.
"Wind, I hate you sometimes." she also heard someone say.
'Roommate maybe? I'll talk to him later.' she turned back to what she was doing.She was to occupied of what she was doing that she forgot about the time.
"What the?! 9.30? I'm gonna be late for work!"
She panicked and started to searched for clothes. She ran to the bathroom and took her quickest shower. She grabbed her hat in her room without brushing her hair. She already lied to her boss that she was sick the day before so she needed to work extra that day. She rushed outside and forgot to greet her roommate. She kept thinking that there would always be next time to talk to him.
On the other hand, Jinki was in his room preparing for his job. After fixing his hair, he went out of his room and noticed that his roommate's door was still closed.
"Is he still asleep?" he asked but he didn't really bother since he's the type that minds his own business.
==
Amber arrived at work 5 minutes before the opening.
"I'm sorry for only arriving now." she kept bowing with an apologetic expression.
"It's alright. You were sick yesterday so we assume you're still not feeling well." the manager said being an understanding person that he was.
"Oh, yes, I'm still having a little nausea." Amber touched her head as if it hurt.
"I'll go change!"
She went inside their changing room and put on her uniform. She started wiping tables like what her co-workers were doing. Amber was always in charge at the counter cos that's what she do best--entertain people, socialize, count money and be patient. She improved her patience with the help of feeling discriminated. She knew that feeling of discrimination. She was living in a foreign country, she's an alien to that country. It hurt her a lot but she got over it once she made friends.
"Welcome to Periwinkle cafè!" she greeted the first customer with a smile and her work finally began.
..... ..... .... ....
First chapter!!! yahoo!!!
I honestly typed it without writing chapters so I cut it wherever I think it's long enough for a chapter.
I don't think this is any introduction or anything just plain beginning.(just thought of that right at this moment. wow)
Hope you liked it though.
Comments, critics, don't hesitate. I don't mind. I adore readers' love and hate. I'm serious. haha
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