BIGBANG Next Door: Bang Epoque

PART 1 - LIES

Today, December 31st of 2020, was the day I moved to South Korea for my six month business internship.
You may be wondering why I'm moving all the way across the world for only a business internship. Well, not only did they want me to experience different cultural industries and how they became so huge and how other cultural industries effected them, but they also wanted to show me the world.
Fashion industries were in the first month, food and packaging in the second, banking and loaning in the third, housing in the fourth, book and magazines on the fifth, and acting and music in the sixth.
It sounded amazing and exciting until I learned that I had to write reports after every seminar and lesson I went to in both English and Korean. I mean, it wasn't too bad, like I said, I'd be seeing the sights.
I was going to be staying in a small suburban house in a small town outside of Daegu called Gyeongsan surrounded by other small suburban houses and a single share house.
I had a taxi take me there from the airport so I could get settled in and take a nap from the tiring flights and time change. I pay the driver before I grab my suitcase and walk up the stairs of the porch.
I go to open the door and realize it's locked when I turn the handle. I could hear slight shuffling inside before an elderly woman opens the door. She introduces herself as the owner and lets me come in as she moves aside,"How was your flight?" she asks while she walks to the right and into a door that I found out was a small but functional kitchen.
She has a pot of tea on the stove while two teacups waiting to be filled sat on the countertop next to it.
"Quite tiring," I say truthfully,"I've never traveled outside of my own country before."
She smiles sentimentally,"Well, you're always welcome, dear..call me halmeoni."
The Korean word for grandmother.
I smile as I say politely,"Wouldn't you rather be called unnie? You look much too young to be a halmeoni."
She chuckles as the teapot starts whining,"Don't flatter yourself, I never had children to give me grandchildren..I have enough younger sisters, pfft.."
"Halmeoni it is."
She fills up our teacups before she sits at one end of the table, I stood in the kitchen foyer until she says,"Come sit and enjoy your tea while we chat for a minute."
I nod as I sit on the opposite side of her so we could face each other before I realize she placed sugar, honey, and milk on the table.
I fill my tea with sugar and take some sips before she speaks again,"Now, I'm not going to be here all the time but I'll check in to see how you're doing twice a month."
"Of course, halmeoni."
"But because of that, I have a few rules," she points a stern finger at me before she lists off things what to do and what not to do,"No parties, a few friend is fine but no more over three. No loud music, not only does it disturb the neighbors but it also gets the police called with a noise complaint. No boys unless they're here to help you study or do maintenance. Always keep the house clean, nobody likes living in a messy house. Finally, don't move any furniture, I like it just the way it is."
I nod,"Got it."
"Everything?"
"Yes, halmeoni."
She grins,"I left my number on the coffee table in the living room if you need anything and also to see if my visits work well with your schedule," she moves her teacup aside as she goes to stand up,"Would you like a small tour?"
"Of course."

After she left, I ran over to the little convenience store and bought a few things; a blackboard, some chalk, and some house shoes.
When I got home, I look around some drawers and found a hammer and some nails. I find a blank space on the living room wall right where you walk in so you can see it there but also throughout the whole living room and hammer a nail into the wall before hanging the blackboard on it.
I took the chalk and wrote down halmeoni's rules and then the dates we had settled for her first visits.
As I write some more things down, I think of some of the things she said about the neighbors and which ones to stay away from. She told me the family right across from me was loud and obnoxious, but the ones ride beside me on the left was the share house I had heard about. It had a sign hanging on the mailbox that said 'Bang Epoque' in very simple text.
She said they kept to themselves and never went out unless nobody was looking. They seemed mysterious but they might be nice enough.
I write on the bottom of the board to try and meet them. I sit on the couch once I was done and look up at my handy work from afar..looked pretty good to me.