March 2, 2019 - Day 2
7:56 pm
"Aish! I'm so tired. When will I get this right? I have almost used up all my ingredients. Just great!" Joy has been attempted several times to perfect her new cupcake recipe but to no avail.
Sitting down on her couch for a break, her eyes spotted the untouched paper files on her coffee table.
Might as well read this up a bit.
Joy scanned through the documents and it seemed pretty usual for her. She has been to several rental properties anyways. This one doesn't seem sketchy.
Not until...
Section 32. Tenant at the end of stay must leave a review on the app to be considered as cleared. Failure to do so will cause an additional 10% fee to the overall bill.
"What the freak? What kind of deal is that? What if I give such poor reviews then this apartment will go down!" Joy rolled her eyes. She took her phone and went to the housing app. She looked up all the reviews and almost all seemed positive about this apartment.
Did he pay them off? Geez. What a scheme.
Joy could not care less and ended up signing the papers.
Get ready. You've got yourself an honest tenant, Mr. Yook.
———
Sungjae was about to open his first bottle of alcohol when a loud knock came through.
"Yo! My favorite bro! Open up! Ah, nevermind. I know your code anyways." Changsub shouted. This idiot obviously used SoHyun's birthday as his code. Anyone could get in.
Sungjae sighed at the sight of Changsub walking inside his apartment as if it is his own. Sungjae could only give him death glares.
"Hey, kid. Let me stay here just for a couple of days. My sister is just so crazy whenever she's on her period! I want to live in peace" Changsub looked at him with pleading eyes. "Look, I got pizza!"
"I don't even an option, hyung. You're already settled in. Now give me some pizza. That would be great with beer. Should we also get chicken?" Sungjae said as he took his first slice of pizza.
"Stop with the drinking already, Sungjae. There are many fishes in the sea! Get yourself out there! I mean look at me. Today I decided to go to a local grocery store to buy my sister's napkins because DUH I wouldn't want to be seen in the mall with those winged-stuff. It was terrible at first! Some street kid managed to get in and steal my wallet. Good thing, I was saved by this charming young lady who offered to pay for the napkins. I made a new friend! See? It isn't so hard. You just have to bring yourself out there, bro", Changsub just blabbered and not even noticing Sungjae raising his eyebrows.
"Hyung, you have Chorong", Sungjae crossed his arms. He hated the idea of cheating. He felt SoHyun left him because she liked someone else or that someone was better than him.
"Hey, easy there kid! This one's loyal!" Changsub went to full on defensive mode. "I'm just trying to prove a point, okay? Besides, I was actually thinking of hitting you up with her. She seemed reserved but definitely nice. Aish, I just didn't get her number because I might look like a creep. I hope to bump into her next again and will make sure to bring her to you!" Changsub raised his beer and laughed.
"No, thanks. I have SoHyun." Sungjae drank all his beer in one go and Changsub could only see his friend drown in alcohol again for the rest of the night.
———
March 3, 2019
5:35 am
Joy went outside her apartment to get some fresh air. Her favorite time of the day would always be the morning- literally early morning. It's just that there are less people on top of the cooler weather.
She hears a slight commotion to the front only to see Mrs. Took watering her plants again. Trying to avoid interaction, Joy silently tried to walk back her from door.
"Young lady!"
Oops. Too late.
Joy turned around and gave her well practiced smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Yook."
"You are a morning person, huh, young lady? It's so nice to see someone as beautiful as you at the start of my day. I apologize I never got to know your name!" Mrs. Yook looked at her curiously.
"I am, ugh, Joy. Please call me Joy." She bowed with awkwardness.
"Ah, your name fits you well! You bring joy to my mornings!" Mrs. Yook said as she reached out to Joy to pinch her cheeks.
Joy was obviously taken aback by the sudden appreciation and froze.
"Oh dear! Sorry! I just miss my eldest daughter. She is a successful fashion designer in New York now. You just remind me of her."
Successful? I'm far from that, though.
"Why not have some coffee with me, dear? Please accept! I will get so sad." Mrs. Yook said it as if Joy didn't have a choice. Awkward as she is with people around, she accepted the offer.
Won't hurt to have some coffee right? No attachments. Just coffee. Guard yourself.
Mrs. Yook led Joy to her unit. Compared to Joy's unit, Mrs. Yook obviously had a bigger cut with a nice interior design. It was well-organized inside and well-kept. Joy looked around and saw several photos hanged on the wall.
Is that... Sungjae? Cute. Wait, what did I just say?
"Oh, look at our family! This one's my favorite one!" Mrs. Yook pointed at the largest photo frame placed on top of the piano. "This is my husband. Handsome, huh? I did a good catch!" Mrs. Yook let out a hearty laugh. However, it turned to a serious tone immediately after. "He passed a way 5 years ago. May he rest in peace."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Yook." Joy unconsciously reached out to give her a side hug.
"It's okay, dear. We have been adjusting. This is my eldest, Janice. She left to pursue her dreams in New York. I'm so proud of her. She has always been that confident young lady with big dreams. You smile just like her! That is why I'm so fond of you, I guess?" Mrs. Yook looked at Joy with adoring eyes again.
Joy's heart fluttered. Please... don't make me feel this warmth. This isn't real...
"And this is my son! My baby Yook Sungjae. He tends to go by his own ways and be creative. He hates going with the flow. He innovated an app recently to get travelers to book our place! He is a big dreamer just like his sister. He's also the funny one! You should hear his jokes. It will crack you up! He just hasn't been himself since..."
Mrs. Yook was interrupted when she heard footsteps from the outside.
"Mom?"
"Auntie!"
Joy's eyes widened. As much as she has trained herself to easily forget people she meets as a defense mechanism, she clearly remembers those two voices- and it happens to belong to the other 2 people she just met as well. This could get awkward.
Dear universe, why are playing with me?
YOU ARE READING
Way Back Home
Romance[COMPLETED] Joy never had a place to proudly call her home. Everything was always temporary. City after city, she just tried to make ends meet, but only to be hurt repeatedly by the people she met. She finally steps foot to Jeju where she crosses p...
