Room 831....

Joe and I live in an office/apartment building. Some of the rooms are for people to live in and some of the rooms are used as offices or small businesses. Our apartment is 831. We are squished between a college aged guy, a family of four and a travel agent.

We have seen a handful of other studio apartments and ours is actually quite large in comparison. Although our building is not as nice as others it is more spacious. (We had some issues with the electrical outlets when we first arrived, the electrition that came to fix it told me that "Bundang (our city) is about 12 years old, but our building is 13 years old". What a comedian.) It is small, it is old, but is is home.

During the work week Joe and I go home for lunch. The school is only 2 blocks away from our house, on the same street. It is SO nice to get a break from the building and the kids.

Last week was like any other. I believe it was Wednesday. We left school in a rush to make the best of our hour lunch break. We quickly got to our building and got in the elevator. I vividly remember pushing the "8". We were playing around in the elevator. I am sure there was some pushing and shoving involved, regardless we were both distracted. Moments later the elevator door opens and we both hop out. Joe ran to our door, but suddenly stopped. On the gas meter outside our door was a weird bag. Joe looked at it but neither of us has seen it before. We joked about reading Korean....then moved on.

We don't have a key to our apartment, each door just has a number pad and you put in your 4-16 digit door code. When you put in the correct code it make a funny little ring. When your door is already unlocked and you try to put in your code it makes a different sound. There is a manual lock switch that you pull when you want to lock the door from the outside. It basically clears the digital pad and bolts the door shut.

Joe grabs for the number pad and starts to punch in our code when it makes the funny sound when the door is already unlocked. We both froze and looked at each other.

Joe-"you didn't lock the door?"
Me - "was I even the last one out? I don't know... I think so?!?"

Joe pulls hard on the door and swings is all the way open. I scream! The loud Ijustsawaghost kind of scream. Inside the apartment was a Korean woman cooking in the kitchen! The lights were all on, shoes at the front door, old woman at the sink! My gut told me to run, and I did! Straight back to the elevator, Joe was on his own.

Me- "WHAT FLOOR ARE WE ON! HURRY UP!"

I pushed the elevator up button but wasn't about to wait for it. I looked around and saw that we were on the 5th floor. I ran for the stairs! Close behind me came Joe.

Joe- "What the hell just happened? Why are we on the 5th floor"
Me- " I don't know, just run!"

We got to our apartment and I double checked we were at the right room.
I locked myself in our apartment in fear that some Korean would come hunt me down for breaking and entering.

Lucky for me no one came.

I honestly was freaked out for the rest of the day. My heart wouldn't slow down. The adrenaline was pumping.
It was definitely my first breaking and entering experience and hopefully my last...