I don’t want to move!

As part of my contract, I receive a free apartment from my university.  They don’t actually own it, but pay “jeonse” to the actual owners.

From Wikipedia: “The lessee (my university) makes a deposit of about 60%~70% of the housing price. The key money is returned when the lease expires.  The jeonse system has a leveraged investment effect enabling the landlord to make more capital gain with less investment.”  In turn, my university doesn’t have to pay a monthly rent for me to live here.  They only had to pay the one time housing deposit.

I love my apartment.  It’s the biggest apartment I’ve had since living in Korea (26 pyeong/86 sq meters/925 sq ft), and it’s the perfect size for two people.  It’s on the 14th floor, has a great view with lots of natural light, is modern and new, close to the subway, and has good insulation to be warm in winters and cool in summers.  This apartment is the main reason why I signed for another year at my university.  That being said, I think I might have to move.

The owners are wanting to sell this apartment and have brought people to look at it twice, with the last couple leaving here half an hour ago.  The first time they came, it was out of the blue, and it scared me to hear the bolt unlock and the door start to open.  The owners had a magnetic keycard they swiped to unlock the door.  I’m pretty easy going, so I tried not to be annoyed by the unexpected intrusion.  Today was a different story.  I was still in my pajamas, hadn’t washed my face or brushed my teeth, and had dirty laundry around the house.  Basically, the place was a mess, not fit for visitors.  They knocked, and even before I had a chance to reach the door, it opened.  There were the owners with three people in tow, coming in and taking their shoes off.  They were only here a couple of minutes, but I was still pissed off by the disregard of privacy.  Before they left, I gave the owner my business card and told him in English to please call me the next time they want to come over.  He answers back in English, “Why?”

Why?!?  Do you really have to ask?  Maybe I was taking a shower, maybe I was walking around naked, maybe I was picking my nose.  Who the hell cares what the reason was.  It’s this little thing called privacy, and the right to feel safe in your own home without worrying about someone walking in.  Idiot.

Ever since the first walk-in, I’ve been sliding the metal bar over the lock of my door (the kind you would see in a hotel) whenever I get home.  It creeps me out to think that someone I don’t know has a key and can walk into my apartment at any time.

Hopefully, the new owners will want to buy the place for an investment and not actually move in.  In that case, I might not have to move.  Just in case, I’m going to try and make this place as crowded looking as possible.  Boxes will be scattered around, the laundry rack will be permanently up, and folded laundry will continue to pile up in the spare bedroom.  Like I said, this place is great for two people, but will easily look crowded for a family with one or two kids.  I want to make sure anyone who comes by will realize that.  Wish me luck.