The Five Steps | Jensoo

Chapter 3

But it's my mum. She actually replied to one of my texts.

Mum🤍

U there?

yep, just got here

The queasiness instantly melts away, baby hairs and uneven eyeliner aside. One night down. I slow to a stop at the overflowing trash can on the corner when I see a bright red door, the number 530 tacked to it in rusting silver. The same apartment building that was in the ad posted a month ago.

My new roommate, Kim Hyunah, definitely used the equivalent of the Snapchat dog filter on this thing, the hidden pores and under eye bags now fully exposed in the form of peeling paint and crumbling brick.

It's not far off from my place back home though, so I'm not too worried about it.

I take a step forward and squint at the ancient buzzer tacked on the wall, carefully avoiding the exposed wiring while I press the button for what I hope is apartment 3A. There's a long buzz and then a staticky crackle, a muffled yet chipper voice pouring through the speaker.

"Be right down!"

I run my fingers through my hairs a few more times and try to swipe off some more of the eyeliner, fixing a smile on my face as the door opens. I'm relieved to see the wavy haired Kim Hyunah I was expecting from my social media creeping and not a literal ax murderer.

"Hi!" she says, holding out her hand. "You must be Jennie."

"Yeah! Hyunah, right? Nice to meet you." I shake her hand and nod down at her carefully manicured nails. "I like your nails."

She gives me a grateful smile and I follow her inside. Both of us struggle to fit together in the narrow entryway. The speckled carpet is worn and fraying, mail is overflowing out of the boxes but... it doesn't smell like cat pee or trash. Which counts for something I guess.

Besides, this was the only place I could find that was furnished and under $500 a month – much cheaper than on campus housing and the only way I could afford to go to school and buy all of my overpriced "special edition" textbooks.

We climb the steps up to the third floor, and Hyunah talks while I try not to pass out on flight number two from lugging my massive suitcase.

"You're a freshman right? You excited?"

"Yeah I think so," I gasp out as we loop around the suitcase.

"Why'd you decide to come here?"

"Good premed program." Did I pack bricks in this duffel bag? Jesus. "But still far enough away from home that it feels out of the city," I add as I pull it up farther on my shoulder, taking Irene's words to heart and opening up just a tiny bit more than I usually would.

"Girl, I get that." Hyunah looks back and rolls her eyes before coming to a stop in front of a bruised white door. "I wanted to go to UCLA but..." Her voice trails into off and she rubs her thumb against her middle and pointer fingers

Money. Tell me about it.

She fits the key in the lock and pushes inside. "But PNU a good uni. You'll like it here. My boyfriend, Dawn, is a transfer student and he loves it way more than Seoul National University so that's got to count for something."

She smiles at me as we step through the doorway and I smile back, reassured.

The apartment is surprisingly nice. The wooden floors are a little scratched and worn and there's an ominous brown patch on one of the white ceiling tiles that will probably leak by the end of this term but Hyunah and her currently backpacking through Europe roommate have really made this place feel homey.