Min Jae
With a deep sigh, I took one last look around my tiny apartment—the one I was about to leave behind with a heavy heart now that I had completed my second year of university.
I'd been through a lot in this small, cozy place. A fair share of bad times... but also a lot of good ones.
I was going to miss it. Even though it was just a concrete block. It was my first home.
"Min Jae, we should get going," nudged my classmate gently in the side. Baek—my dark blue-haired friend and one of my best buddies—was here with another classmate of ours, Lee Moy, the brown-haired one and also one of my closest friends at the university.
They were almost always by my side, supporting me even though they had enough going on themselves. And today, on my moving day, they'd come along to help.
Why am I moving?
The answer's simple: money.
Because of money.
I decided that, thinking about my future, I should start saving a bit. So I found a smaller and cheaper place. At least now I'll be able to set aside a little from what's left of my scholarship and my side job that I do online while attending university.
I'm not as privileged as some of the others. I don't get money from my parents.
My mom's gone, and my dad became an alcoholic, rotting away in a little holiday house in Busan. So I've been on my own for a few years now. It was hard at first—I won't lie. But over time, I accepted it, learned how to manage, and now life's become a bit easier.
"I know... I'll miss it too," I muttered, pressing the keys into the landlord's hand and thanking him for the place. Then I carried half my stuff down to Baek's car while my friends brought the rest. Everything fit nicely into the back.
"Well, that's that," Lee clapped his hands. "Now guide us. We have no clue how to get to your new place." He hopped into the back seat while Baek and I sat up front. Soon we were on our way.
"Honestly, the new place will be better in one sense—it's closer to campus," I started to say, but the blue-haired one cut in.
"In Guhak, everything's close to everything. What did you expect?" he chuckled.
"Yeah, and it's getting boring. Seoul's just a stone's throw away. I still don't get why we didn't go to university there. Why did we end up in a town practically isolated by forests, where it's always foggy and gloomy? It's kind of depressing after a while. Especially when the stuff we study isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows either," Lee complained.
"What's your problem with our dear Haemyeong University? You're the one who wanted to go into medical studies. You want to be a neurology specialist. No going back now," Baek said casually as he drove.
"Turn left here," I chimed in.
"I'm telling you, there's something off about this university. Too many weird things happen there," Lee continued.
"Like what?"
"Turn right here. Guys, can we not? I know the whole place is gloomy and the university too, but please... let's not kill what little motivation we have left to study here," I cut in.
"You're right. You've had enough already, what with fainting during the last dissection," Baek laughed.
"Don't even remind me... Mr. Kim suggested I go to tutoring because I can't handle the corpses. And honestly, he's right. I could use a little extra help. I know the theory, but sometimes I just can't deal with the dead bodies. It depends on my mood. But whatever, it's not like it'll work out anyway," I sighed in defeat.
"Why not?"
"Haven't you heard? Mr. Kim's going abroad next week to join a research group, and he won't be back until after the exams at the end of the school year. So much for that. No other teacher has the time for me. I'm just one of many."
"Oh, come on... Other professors also teach anatomy. It's not just Mr. Kim," Lee tried to comfort me.
"Left again here. I might ask our group coordinator—maybe she can help. Or recommend someone who'd have time. Right again... and we're here. I know it's a terrible place, but it's livable," I said as we pulled into a parking lot.
"Uhh... Are we sure this is the right place?" Baek looked around skeptically.
The building where I managed to score a cheap rental wasn't in the best part of town. It was crammed between two other buildings and gave off a pretty dark vibe. But inside, it wasn't so uninviting. I'd seen it once when the owner gave me a tour. It didn't seem that bad.
"Oh, come on! It'll look nice once we're inside, you'll see," I tried to reassure them. We popped the trunk and started dragging my stuff into the towering building.
You could tell it wasn't newly built. I still had to open the door with a key. And of course, the elevator was out of service, so we had to suffer up the stairs to the first floor with all my stuff.
"Which one's yours?" panted the brown-haired Lee.
"Number 16 on the right."
I opened the door for them and, without a word, we carried all the heavy boxes inside. We only got as far as the hallway before I locked the door behind us and we looked around.
It had a small living room connected to a tiny kitchenette, a bathroom, and a bedroom. That was it. But it was just enough.
"Doesn't look like a family ever lived here," Lee observed.
"I don't know... I kinda liked your old apartment better," Baek added.
"So did I. But I've got to save money," I said, grimacing.
"Okay, but to say something positive: it's not bad. You could totally turn this into a cozy little home. I see potential," Lee smiled.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's unpack!" I ordered.
No questions asked—we got to work finding places for all my stuff. For the next three hours, we did nothing but arrange and organize. And by the end of it, we were more or less done. Finally, we cleaned the entire place, and I've got to admit—it looked way better. I was starting to feel good there.
"Now that's more like it. So, when's the housewarming party?" Lee raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Hmm... How about tomorrow after school? Then it's the weekend. We can survive one day without studying," I offered.
"We'll be here," they both chimed in.
"You guys bring the booze, I'll take care of the food," I assigned the roles.
"Deal!"
And that's how the first night in my new apartment went. I was a bit scared, a little anxious, especially after my friends left me alone. I could barely sleep, the scent was still someone else's—not mine.
This building felt strange. But then again, everything in Guhak feels strange. There's something unexplainable—something so obvious yet unknown to everyone.
Something fascinating. Frightening. Something that draws you in, makes you want to stay... even in this heavy, shadowed place where the sun barely shines.
And yet… I like living here.