“Here you are!” the landlord announced, gesturing toward the door of your apartment.

You stared at the light blue door with sparkling eyes and a huge smile spread across your face. Finally, after nineteen years of living with your parents and biding by their strict rules, caring for your five younger siblings, and working two part-time jobs just to scrape up enough cash to place a down payment on a decent place, you had done it. You finally had your own place. You were a real adult, out in the real world, on your own. You had never felt so free in your life.

“Here’s the key,” the landlord said, handing you a small, brass key. Your hands were shaking so much you nearly dropped the darned thing on the floor, causing the small, chubby man to giggle. “Well, I hope you like the place. Please be mindful of your neighbors and keep the music, television and all that at a reasonable volume. Oh, and no wild parties!”

You laughed airily and nodded your head with what he said. “Thank you,” you sighed happily, looking back to the door. “And you don’t have to worry about any wild parties with me,” you added, “I’m not much of a party girl.”

The landlord smiled appreciatively and gave a small bow before gesturing once more at the door to your new place. “Go on in. If you need anything, just call me. I live on the top floor.”

“Okay!” You bowed 90 degrees and the other made his way back to the elevator.

After the rusty doors closed and the landlord’s smiling face disappeared, you turned back to the door and couldn’t stop the squeal that escaped your lips. In a matter of seconds, the key was in the knob and the door was unlocked. You threw it open and stepped into your home. The idea that this was your home, and only yours, had hundreds of butterflies fluttering excitedly in your stomach.

Your eyes sparkled as they swept over the place. It was everything you could have hoped for. Straight ahead, about fifty feet away, was a large window with a white sill beneath it. The sill was big enough to sit on and you already imagined what it would look like with adorable plushies and stuffed animals perched on top of it. Through the window was a lovely view of Seoul, the city you had always dreamed of one day calling home. It was all you could think about back at your family’s home in Busan.

You squealed again and kicked the door closed behind you as you stepped up into the main room of the apartment, leaving your shoes in the entryway. The room was pretty big and had glossy, sand-colored hardwood floors and light blue walls that matched the blue on the door. On the left wall were two doors and on the right wall was an archway that seemed to lead to the kitchen. You decided to inspect the kitchen, first.

A row of counters lined one wall, separated sometimes by an appliance. The fridge seemed pretty old, but you weren’t in a situation where you could replace anything, at the moment. Money was pretty tight. You took a look at the slightly rusty, white oven and nodded, finding it satisfactory. The kitchen wasn’t anything special, yet. It would be a lot cuter when you added some pink accents and wall decals.

You spun around and ran through the empty main room and towards the last two doors. You threw the left door open and blinked at the dark room. You fumbled along the wall until your fingers discovered a light switch. Once the room was lit, you realized it was a bathroom.

“Does this apartment have two bathrooms?” you thought aloud. When you had looked the place up on the internet it had said there was only a master bathroom. “Lucky,” you sang cheerfully as you flicked off the light and closed the door. It’s always nice to have more bathrooms, in case guests were to come over.

Taking a glance at the final door, you braced yourself for what you were about to see. Back in Busan, you shared a room with your two younger sisters while your three brothers shared the other bedroom. Your parents slept in what had once been the garage, which they renovated into a make-shift master bedroom. You had never had your own room, except for the three years before the twins were born. But those didn’t count because, well, who can remember back when they were three?

“My own room,” you whispered, floating over to the door. With a shaking hand, you turned the knob and let the door swing open on its own. And there it was: your very own bedroom.

A huge smile lit up your face and you ran in, dashing from one end of the room to the other. It was huge! There was a huge window just like the one in the main room, windowsill included. You ran over to it and perched yourself on top, gazing out and over the beautiful city below.

“So there are two bathrooms!” you remarked when you turned your head to look at the room. There was an open door at the other end of the room that led to a master bathroom.

You stood up from the windowsill and walked back out into the main room of the apartment. With a loud sigh, you plopped down on the floor and flopped around like a fish, the excitement and adrenaline finally settling in.

“My own place,” you murmured, staring up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe it!” You sat up and laughed aloud, the sound of your voice bouncing off the walls and echoing throughout the empty space. You really needed to get furniture. Before that, though, you needed a job so that you could actually afford to furnish the place.

A strange rumbling sound cut through the peaceful silence and you giggled, patting your stomach. “I guess I better eat, first,” you thought out loud. The train ride to Seoul had been a long one, and you hadn’t eaten anything but a rice cake before boarding. You were starving. You figured you better give your parents a call first, though, and tell them that you were still alive.

After the hour long phone call – your mom basically told you every recipe she knew, and your dad kept warning you about erts – you placed your phone back in your pocket and stood up from the floor.

The landlord had said he’d send up your luggage when it arrived, which would most likely be later that night. All of your bags had to be placed in a different train car and would have to be delivered to you, which you found to be a major pain in the . A glance at your watch told it was only 1:30 p.m.

You had some cash on you, so you decided to do a little grocery shopping and make yourself something to eat while you waited. Another growl from your tummy told you that you better get to it fast.

---------------------

The elevator doors opened up and you grunted loudly as you stepped out into the hall. You trudged over to your door, juggling the shopping bags in your arms. They were in danger of falling over at any moment.

“Dammit,” you muttered, struggling to grab your key out of your pocket. Once you got a hold of it, you attempted to get it into the lock on your door. It wasn’t working out too well.

You heard the sound of the elevator doors opening and glanced over your bags to see who was getting off; maybe they’d help you out.

Your eyes went wide and your heart hammered against your chest when your eyes settled on the person coming out of the elevator.

Making his way toward you was a guy with chocolate brown hair and dark, mysterious eyes. He had a sharp, well-defined nose and wide-set shoulders. You assumed he worked out a lot. A mysterious, cold aura surrounded him. He was extremely handsome.

You gulped when he stopped at the apartment next to you and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a brass key similar to yours. Is he my neighbor?! you thought, trying not to freak out. How would you function normally knowing someone so gorgeous lived right next door? You figured you'd better ask him for help before he got his door open.

“Hello,” you began nervously, “I’m Kim Eunmi.” Your jaw tightened when the guy didn’t even glance your way. You didn’t like being ignored. You’d been ignored long enough back at home, what with so many other people constantly battling for the spotlight. “I’m your new neighbor! It’s nice to meet you.”

There was still no response from the other. It was like talking to a brick wall! He shoved the key into the doorknob and turned it. You huffed and blew your bangs back from your face.

“I’m sorry to bug you,” you continued sweetly, glancing down at the jingling key in your hand, “but could you open my door for me? My hands are full and I can’t seem to-”

SLAM!

Your head snapped upwards and you found that you were alone in the hallway. He had gone into his apartment without paying you even a speck of attention.

“That…that jerk!” You stomped your foot and let out a frustrated sigh. “How dare he ignore a girl when she asks him for help? He didn’t even pay me the courtesy of bowing or saying ‘hi’! What an arrogant jerk!”

You continued to grumble to yourself as you struggled to get the key into the doorknob. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the key slid into the opening and your door clicked open. You shouted out in victory and ran into your apartment, slamming the door shut behind you.

You chopped the vegetables for the kimbap furiously, launching bits of food here and there with every chop.  “…jerk…idiot,” you chanted as you continued to cook, hoping he somehow heard every curse you threw his way. That pretty face wouldn’t save him from your resentment.

“Maybe he had a rough day at work,” you considered aloud, biting your lip and stopping mid-chop. “But that’s still no reason to ignore somebody!” you shouted, returning to your furious chopping. If you saw him again tomorrow, you’d ask him why he ignored you, and then maybe force him to apologize.

And then you’d call the landlord and ask about the possibility of installing electronic locks.

So here's chapter one! I hope you enjoyed it!

I'll update again sometime soon, so look forward to it!

Annyeong~