Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 16, 2021 12:35:34 GMT -8
Raein nodded, glad Wooram was thinking the same thing he had. "If we went with that apartment, I would have suggested that or something similar in terms of rent splits." He replied back softly.
He followed Sarah to the other apartment, liking the look of it until he saw the kitchen. He also wasn't crazy about the balcony, but that was easy to avoid. He wasn't completely fond of the fact that the second bedroom had a larger window, but that was an easy fix; just keeping the blinds down would be enough. He looked to Wooram when the other man started talking. "I am not crazy about the kitchen. The galley style wouldn't be bad if it weren't in such a small space, and the refrigerator being at the back of it is really inconvenient. But, if we wanted to go with the more equal sized rooms, this looks like a good size apartment to me. I'm still willing to take the smaller bedroom in the other unit, but I would prefer to have at least a slightly bigger room." He said, frowning slightly. His parent's house had a galley-style kitchen, but their house was also a ridiculous size because his grandparents had bought with the intention of it being a multi-generational household. "I think we could make the kitchen work." He finally summed up.
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5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Wooram Mok on Jul 16, 2021 13:23:41 GMT -8
Wooram thought about it for a bit and nodded, "Yeah, I think that we could make the kitchen work, as long as we're good about helping each other grab things if needed. I wish that the dishwasher was in the back corner and the fridge was at the entrance to the kitchen instead of how it is, but it's workable."
The layout of the apartment was overall kind of better anyhow, with similar sized bedrooms and restrooms, though one of the restrooms was attached to a bedroom and the other was off the hall. Those were small concerns that they could discuss, and honestly Wooram cared more about getting the room that got morning light than whether the bathroom was attached or not.
He asked Raein, "Do you want me to ask about the application process for the apartment? It looked like we could do it all online, but I don't know if they'd rather we did it in person. I feel like we should go somewhere else and talk it over before applying, but I'm leaning towards if you're interested, I'd be down for trying to apply for this apartment today."
He hoped he wasn't rushing the process, but he was more than done with sleeping in a motel with all of his stuff in a storage unit nearby. He asked tentatively, "You drive right? If we go through with renting together, would you potentially be willing to help me pick up my stuff from the storage unit I got some friends to help me stick it in down here when I wasn't sure how long I'd be in a motel? None of it's super big stuff."
None of his stuff was super big. He'd lived in a furnished apartment in Bellingham, so he'd not had that much to take with him, mostly just decorations and personal belongings and kitchen supplies. He figured he'd need to order some furniture or possibly drag Raein to IKEA if they both needed furniture, but that was a thing to consider for later.
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Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 16, 2021 13:46:49 GMT -8
Raein thought a moment, analyzing the kitchen, and nodded. "We should definitely talk it over once we're away from the complex, but there's no harm in filling out the application today, and in fact gives us a one up if we decide to go along with this."
"Yeah, I drive. And I have a truck, so even if we need to like, buy furniture, which, at least I will need to do, I can drive us to get it." He added. "Though I don't know where to get furniture around here." He added as an afterthought.
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5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Jul 16, 2021 14:05:52 GMT -8
Wooram nodded and said, "Sounds like we're on the same page with the application."
He went over to Sarah and asked, "Do you prefer that people to apartment applications in person or through the online process that I saw when I was signing us up for the apartment tour?"
Sarah smiled and said, "We've finally got our process fully online! If people do the application in the office, we have tablets that we can set them up to do it on, but it's just the application that's on the website. I can give you the information on these units on our brochure down in the lobby, and you're welcome to stick around and do the application here, but if you'd rather just do it on your own machines, that's just as easy for us."
Wooram nodded and glanced at Raein as he said, "It would probably be just as easy for us to do it on our own machines. It's nice that you have it set up like that."
Sarah nodded and said, "It makes things so much easier on our end too."
She led them back down to the lobby and gave them a little brochure with the two floorplans they'd seen circled in sharpie with the unit numbers written next to them. She said, "I hope to see you both soon!"
Once they were clear of the interaction, Wooram told Raein, "That sounds convenient. I also need furniture, my place up in Bellingham was furnished, so my stuff is like decorations and personal belongings and clothes and kitchen stuff. Easiest way to do furniture would probably be to take your truck down to the IKEA in Renton. It's a bit of a haul, but we'd not have to pay delivery fees that way, and as long as you're willing to help hold things, I'm decent at putting together IKEA furniture."
Wooram added, "We should go on like a weekday morning though, so it isn't horribly crowded or anything."
Once they were out of the apartment complex, he asked, "Do you want to go somewhere to talk about rooming together and apartment applications? I feel pretty comfortable with the idea of being roommates, especially because you're also a teacher. I don't think that I'd have been as willing to jump to the idea of applying for an apartment same day if I didn't put a certain amount of trust in us both being teachers. But like, I am really done with being in a motel."
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Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 16, 2021 14:15:13 GMT -8
Raein listened quietly as Wooram and Sarah talked. He was suddenly relieved he had his smartphone now. He wouldn't have to hold up Wooram at the office because he didn't have the means to fill out the application, or borrow his phone or something like that. He thanked her as she handed them the pamphlets and pocketed it once she left them. He kept his hands in his pockets as he followed Wooram out of the building. "There's an IKEA here?" He asked. He'd never been to IKEA, and barely knew anything about it. He wondered what the inside was like, he'd only seen a few memes about trying to put things together being a test of marriage or something. That, and that the place was apparently like a maze. He wondered how crowded was 'too crowded,' and nodded. "I would also appreciate it being not too crowded." He agreed.
He looked around before nodding, "Yeah, perhaps like, a coffee shop or something?" He smiled at Wooram saying he was confident about the decision to room together, and comfortable with the idea, because he felt the same. "I agree. Finding a fellow teacher was a stroke of luck, but I'm happy it happened. I am also super done with living in a motel."
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5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Wooram Mok on Jul 16, 2021 14:26:43 GMT -8
Wooram was thoughtful for a moment and said, "There's a coffee shop right by the motel where I'm staying, which is like another block this direction, and if you wanted, we could pick up my laptop on the way to coffee shop and use a laptop to fill out the application. I didn't bring it with me because it would have been bulky and awkward."
He waited to see if Raein would agree before actually walking in the direction that he was indicating, but he hoped that would work out. When he'd glanced at it on the phone, it looked like they wanted all applicants to fill out a combined application, and he would really rather not just be passing a phone back and forth.
He nodded to Raein's question and said, "I mean, it's a bit of a drive to IKEA, it's south of Seattle, but not that far. Worth it for one big trip, especially since you've got a vehicle that can handle hauling a decent amount of stuff."
Wooram had a realization and said, "I, uh, should probably text my parents and the friends who helped me get me and my stuff down here from Bellingham to tell them that I've found a roommate and we're applying for an apartment. They wanted to know, and I probably shouldn't worry them."
He quickly texted all four people involved, though his parents in Korean and his friends in English, "Found another new teacher in the district to get an apartment with, we're planning to apply to it later today."
He added to his parents, "He's also Korean-American, though he was born here."
He was pretty sure that they'd been reassured a little bit by that, and for all of them, that he was rooming with a fellow teacher. He'd probably just let his parents assume that he'd met Raein because they were both going to be teaching in the same school district and were new. It wasn't even totally not true. It seemed like another teacher was part of what had appealed to both of them about the other as a potential roommate.
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Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 16, 2021 14:36:49 GMT -8
"Oh, cool. That sounds like a good plan." Raein quipped regarding both the coffee shop and Wooram going to get his laptop to make the application process easier. He could fib knowing how to work a computer, and he at least got used to using Word and the internet while he was going through college.
He groaned, "That reminds me, I should tell my friends before they call the cops. I'm like 95% sure they were joking about that, but don't need to risk it." He rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone and sending a text to the one that had been messaging him earlier. 'I'm hoping to get an apartment with the person I met today. He's nice, also Korean-American, and also a teacher. I feel good about this.' He pressed send after double checking his message for any errors and put his phone back in his pocket. He hesitated a moment before speaking again, "Um, if you wanted, I can get you something to drink while you get your laptop? Since you're planning to let me use it, it's the least I can do."
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5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Jul 16, 2021 14:43:51 GMT -8
Wooram chuckled and said, "Yeah, better not risk it."
He hesitated over the offer as they were walking towards the destination and said, "It's not a big detour if you just want to walk with me while I grab it and we can each order our own, I've got a first floor room and the coffee shop is literally right by the motel. But I'm happy enough either way. They had a jasmine green tea there that was fine with nothing added."
He realized that there was a chance that Raein had someone he needed to call without the two of them being in the same space, so hopefully he'd set that up to not be awkward for Raein to go on ahead of him if that worked better for the other man.
He indicated the motel with a little coffee shop at the other end of the parking lot that was coming up across the street and added, "Here it is."
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Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 18, 2021 10:19:46 GMT -8
Raein smiled politely, "I appreciate the offer, but my phone is now buzzing off the hook, I'm pretty sure meaning my friends are worried I'm about to room with a serial killer." He let out a small laugh. "I should give them a call to calm them down. I'll be happy to get a Jasmine green tea for you."
He looked around and inside the coffee shop. He fell in love with a coffee shop back in Olympia, and even though his friends had solid wifi, he often spent long days studying at that coffee shop because he liked the atmosphere, and the music and ambience was never too distracting. "Oh this is so cute!" He praised. It wasn't too far from the apartment complex, either, so if they did get the room, he could come hang out here and grade papers or something.
He gave a quiet, "see you in a bit," to Wooram before heading inside, glad to see there wasn't any line at the moment so he could order immediately. He got Wooram's jasmine green tea and got himself a vanilla latte, and found a seat. He pulled out his phone and called the friend that had been blowing up his phone. "Hi Will - No it's fine, I swear - Yes, he's going to be a fifth grade teacher the elementary school. - He's Korean, like me. - Yes, I will ask him to video chat with you later. Let us get the application put in first. - Yeah, chill. You saw the ad, I sent it to you. You said he seemed okay." He heard the drinks be called out and he turned to see where to pick them up before returning his attention to his phone. "Yeah, I'll let you know if he's okay with video chatting later. I gotta go. Bye." He said quickly, cutting off whatever rant Will was in the middle of. He went to the counter and picked up the drinks, quietly thanking the barista before returning to the table.
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5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Jul 18, 2021 21:30:05 GMT -8
Wooram nodded and said, "That makes sense."
His phone vibrated, and he glanced at it, and said, "Actually, I think that I may need to call my mom for a similar reason. So sounds like a plan."
As they split ways in the parking lot, he checked the text from his mother. She'd had written in Korean, We will have to come and meet him. Are you sure that he's a safe roommate?
Wooram considered just texting back, but he sighed and called her, "Hi umma."
He got through the basic pleasantries before telling her, "Raein is another teacher in the district, he's teaching ELL and Korean at the middle school, and is a new hire this year too. I'm happy to have found another teacher to live with. You and appa will be able to meet him when you come down to visit me, at least in passing."
He listened to her talk about everyday sorts of things as he put his laptop in the case and checked if there was anything else he needed. When he got a chance he told her, "OK umma, I need to go do some paperwork now. I was just getting my laptop for it. Talk to you later!"
He was relieved to make it to the cafe relatively quickly and find Raein at a table with their drinks. He smiled, plopping the laptop bag down into a chair and claiming the seat next to Raein for ease of passing laptop back and forth. He said, "Thank you for getting me the tea! Hopefully your people are also reassured."
He pulled out his laptop, getting it started out and to the application. He asked, "Before we start this, is there anything else that you especially want to discuss before we do the application?"
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Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 19, 2021 17:25:47 GMT -8
Raein smiled and nodded as Wooram thanked him for getting his drink. "No problem. And yeah, mostly. They did request a video chat with you, but if you're okay with that, it can wait until later." He added simply. He rested his head on his hand as he tried to think of any other questions he may want to discuss. "Um... Not that I can really think of. I guess just uhh... I'm still fine with taking the second bedroom. As long as the hall bathroom can mostly mine." He said with a shrug, "Obviously, like, guests too, if-slash-when we have any, but otherwise mine." He said. He really wasn't picky about getting the master bedroom, and it felt easier to ignore how high off the ground they were when in that second bedroom for some reason. "Did you have anything else?" He asked in return.
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5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Jul 20, 2021 15:37:23 GMT -8
Wooram nodded and replied, "That seems like a perfectly reasonable thing, and I'd be happy to do a video chat. We can do it now or after we do the paperwork, whichever is better for you."
Wooram thought about it for a moment and replied, "I'm happy with taking the master bedroom and bathroom and having the second bedroom and hall bath be yours. I figured that whoever had the second bedroom would have main claim of the hall bathroom. We'll probably want to come up with a list of what chores will need to be done together, but that's the sort of thing that really needs to happen in the space, so I'm happy waiting to do that until after we know for sure what the space is like."
He considered for a moment longer and then added, "At least as things stand right now, I'm probably not going to have guests over particularly often. I figure my parents will probably want to see the apartment at least briefly the next time they're in the area, sort of like how your friends want the video call, but I'd much rather do stuff with them out and about and maintain my privacy. I don't have anything against guests in the space though, and maybe as I make more friends in the area, I'll have people who I'd want to invite over."
He got his laptop set up while he was waiting for Raein to decide on the order of video call and doing the paperwork, so that they'd be ready to get started once it was time to do the paperwork.
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Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 23, 2021 8:59:24 GMT -8
Raein smiled, "I told them I wanted to get the application done first, so we can do that, and then have a video chat." He told Wooram. He paused a moment before adding, "And I agree the chores list should probably wait until we're actually moved in." He thought over the people that would probably come to visit him. His Olympia friends, more than likely. His parents and brother, probably not - they'd be too busy with the restaurant. He wondered if he could convince his grandparents to come visit him. But he'd also encourage them to get a hotel because they were older and needed proper beds. "There's a good chance my friends will want to come and visit at some point, but otherwise I'm about the same on the guests front. I may try to convince my grandparents to come visit, but they would stay in a hotel or something and I may bring them home to show the space or make them food. I think as long as we communicate in advance about visitors, it'll be fine."
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5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Jul 24, 2021 21:48:17 GMT -8
Wooram nodded and went ahead and pulled up the application on his laptop, already having connected to the cafe's wifi. He filled out his section as the first applicant, all of it information he knew easily enough off the top of his head, double checked what he'd written to make sure that there were no weird typos, and turned the machine towards Raein. He said, "There's my part in. You need to fill out the same information as applicant 2, and then we can fill out the unit information from the thing she gave us, though we might just be able to select that from a drop down it looks like. And then we can submit it."
He thought over the visitors situation, and added, "I guess there's a possibility that if my sister and aunt visit from Korea they'll want to see my place too, but honestly it's been a few years since they visited last, and they'd be more likely just to stay with my parents, even if they come down here, we'd probably just visit in Seattle itself, and they'd stay in a hotel."
It had been a while since he'd seen either of them though, and despite the fact that they had been a major part of his early childhood, Wooram felt kind of disconnected from both of them these days, with an ocean between them and a whole different life in the US.
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Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Jul 27, 2021 16:57:09 GMT -8
Raein got started on his part of the application, able to fill it out pretty quickly. He tested the drop down menu and double checked the brochure. "Yup, it's in the drop down menu. I'll go ahead and select it." He confirmed before selecting their preferred unit and carefully shuffling the laptop back over to Wooram to double check it and click the submit button.
"It sounds like as long as we tell the other in advance, guests are fine." He said softly.
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