Q. Hello! Nice to meet you.

Yeonhee and Jaemin: Hello, we are Kim Yeonhee and Han Jaemin, neighbors who met at Mangrove Sinseol and are getting married in September! We've both lived at Mangrove for about a year and a half and are now residing in Seongbuk-gu after moving out.

Q. What made you choose the 'coliving' lifestyle, and why did you decide to live at Mangrove Sinseol in particular?

Jaemin: I moved to Seoul from Busan for work, and my company provided housing support, so I decided to contract with Mangrove. I visited room 1615 for a space tour, and as soon as I opened the window, I was captivated by the sunset view and decided to sign the contract without a second thought.

Yeonhee: When Mangrove Sinseol opened, I came across the 'Live in Mangrove' funding on Wadiz. Initially, I regarded it lightly like Airbnb, but I was drawn in by the charm of coliving, living together apart under the concept of diverse communal spaces and neighbors. At the time, I was considering becoming independent from my parents' home, but the process of selecting a property, signing a lease, and filling it with furniture was overwhelming. The relatively simple move-in process, furnished spaces, and the management services provided by Mangrove seemed just perfect as the start of my independence. After a week-long experience, I moved in two months later.

Q. I enjoyed reading the 'Coliving Lifestyle Diary’ series you serialized on Brunch. What inspired you to write it?

Yeonhee: I love writing, but I'm a little shy about taking the initiative. I wanted to write about my life in coliving, and by chance, Ted, a friendly neighbor at Mangrove, mentioned that writing an essay about coliving would be fun, so we wrote together. Ted had experienced coliving even before Mangrove and is very proactive, which made the writing process more enjoyable.

I wrote about my experiences and the stories of my neighbors. I found joy in visiting neighbors for more details when curious while serializing weekly and leaving it in writing. Although neither Ted nor I continued due to busy schedules, it’s satisfying to have it recorded.

Q. Where did you both first meet?

Yeonhee: Jaemin got to know me first. I tagged Mangrove in an Instagram story, and Mangrove regrammed it. Jaemin discovered my account and was curious about me. He spotted me in the common kitchen on the 16th floor and introduced himself. An introduction as fellow residents wasn’t awkward, and that’s how our first meeting naturally began.

The excuse of being 'neighbors' led to going out to eat together, and Jaemin cooked bossam in the shared kitchen on the 14th floor. Jaemin, whose hobby is cooking, showed off his special dish, and I, who liked guys good at cooking, was a bit smitten. Afterward, we often bumped into each other at Mangrove, whether in the elevator, doing laundry, or working on the basement 2nd floor. Our friendships with neighboring friends overlapped, so we naturally spent time together. I’m someone who approaches relationships slowly, but frequently meeting under the same roof spread my feelings swiftly at some point.

In a coliving house, it seems that intimacy builds based on who you are as a person rather than any specific conditions.

Q. What charms lie in a romance that started in a coliving house?

Jaemin: Happily, both of us worked near Seongsu and had similar commuting times, so we were always together. Being able to see each other daily was a gift. We enjoyed many comfortable activities (like neighborhood walks and cooking dates), feeling like a long-term couple despite the shorter time of meeting.

Yeonhee: I lived on the 14th floor, and Jaemin on the 16th. Just climbing the stairs meant seeing my boyfriend’s place, so we met every day. I preferred meeting a couple of times a week in past relationships, and daily-meeting couples amazed me, but now I've become one. Seeing each other at home instead of commuting by bus or subway to meet made us quickly familiar with each other’s presence.

After school, most people you meet are under specific conditions. Even in gatherings, there’s usually a specific theme, or introductions are made knowing each other’s backgrounds. But in coliving, apart from living in the same place, you don't know what aspects you might share. It seems intimacy builds without specific conditions.

I considered myself confident in being attracted to older partners, but Jaemin turned out to be younger. I thought sales jobs involved lots of drinking and an extroverted lifestyle focused on networking, but Jaemin, in sales for the IT industry, was surprisingly reserved, breaking my preconceptions.

Q. When did you reveal your relationship to your neighbors? Did you have a secret dating period initially?

Jaemin: We told our closest friends right away. (I wasn’t confident in keeping it a secret, haha.) Yeonhee, who is cautious, wanted to inform our resident friends we were close to only after our relationship stabilized. However, since we met frequently, our neighbors also often saw us together, making it a hard secret to keep. 

Yeonhee: It was around Christmas shortly after we started dating. We went to a wine bar called Kimi near Mangrove Sinseol, and as soon as we entered, we ran into a Mangrove neighbor visiting with her boyfriend. We both flinched, and our neighbor thought, “How did those two end up together?” Even when taking light strolls or having tea together, I guess the atmosphere was different. Such situations repeated, and eventually, everyone knew without us saying that we were a CC (Coliving Couple).

Though romance is highly personal, due to the environment, even things you might not want to share end up being part of your shared daily life at Mangrove. I've never known so many people aware of our relationship.

Q. What prompted you to decide on marriage?

Jaemin: Honestly, the first time I saw Yeonhee, I was captivated by her beauty and cuteness, and I was already hooked within a week. I felt our thoughts, values, and tastes were similar. So, though Yeonhee might not have known, I had privately decided early that if I were to marry, it would be with her. What troubled me was when to marry Yeonhee, not who to marry.

Yeonhee: I’m not the type to separate dating and marriage. Although I considered marriage from when we started dating, it took a while to make the decision. I believe you have to know your partner well to spend a lifetime together. Seeing Jaemin daily at Mangrove and from his everyday habits, I gathered clues that we could enjoy spending our lives together. Seeing his lifestyle habits built a solid foundation for conviction. Having already seen and experienced living together at Mangrove, we had a fair share of understanding each other. Jaemin is a person with a heart very similar to mine. He understands me so well. While he’s my lover, he’s also the most comfortable friend I want to live with, which led to marriage.

Q. Living in the same house probably meant you had to face each other even if you fought. Any memorable moments?

Jaemin: The coliving environment has its pros and cons of meeting frequently. The biggest downside was running into each other in common spaces or the elevator after a fight. Passing awkwardly by, those unexpected encounters often became moments that made us reconcile. So usually, it turned into smiles, and we quickly returned to normal.

Yeonhee: Once, we had a disagreement in the room and thought it’d be better to talk in a more open space. So, we sat opposite each other at the round table in the common kitchen on the 14th floor and discussed while drinking tea. I thought I didn’t show much, but later a friend who saw us asked, “Did you fight?” haha.. In coliving, sometimes things you don’t want to share become open.. Still, I think seeing each other face-to-face is the best way to resolve fights, and meeting often meant we resolved issues quickly. Jaemin usually took the initiative for reconciliation, asking, “Did you have dinner?” cooking for me in the kitchen, or buying my favorite small flower bouquet and leaving it at the door. These reconciliations seemed possible thanks to coliving.

Q. Is there a shared space you frequently used together? Please introduce.

Yeonhee: I love reading and writing, so I frequently visited the library on the basement 2nd floor. Jaemin would come with me, browsing the books available or relaxing. It was an excellent place to spend time separately together. Mostly shared spaces, but also great for cooling off during disagreements.

Q. Do you have a favorite or memorable local place in Sinseol?

Definitely Seongbukcheon! We both love walking, and it was a place where we had many talks during morning or night walks. It’s not entirely Sinseol-dong, but when the weather was nice, we’d ride the shared bike along Seongbukcheon to ‘Palbaekjib’ near Sungshin Women's University for spicy cuts of meat, then walk back and enjoy sweet red bean lattes at ‘Borisu’ café. It was our regular happiness course. We still visit Palbaekjib and Borisu frequently. A few days ago, we went to Borisu, and the owner smiled widely upon seeing us, saying, ‘Red bean lattes are coming soon!’ Having Cheonggyecheon and Seongbukcheon near Mangrove Sinseol was a considerable advantage for us. Being able to feel nature daily, and walking persistently to see the ducklings born in spring, was precious. This was an experience I never thought could happen in Seoul and will likely influence future residence choices.

Q. What’s an unforgettable scene from Mangrove for you?

Jaemin: If it’s a memory… I remember being in isolation due to COVID-19, with Yeonhee dropping off necessities and food at the door and her face momentarily visible through the peephole. 

Yeonhee: I recall celebrating the year-end with friends at the 16th-floor common kitchen, doing a Secret Santa. Meeting friends from diverse backgrounds under the title of neighbors and sharing their thoughts was a memory I cherish. Events like the terrace taco party and group viewings in the cinema room hosted by Jaemin were enjoyable, perhaps more so because of him. The unforgettable memories seem tied to scenes shared with neighbors. Reflecting on it makes me realize how valuable these experiences were. I’m glad we got to experience it.

Like the term 'seasonal lovers,’ we met the right people at Mangrove at the right time.

Q. What did you gain from your time at Mangrove? I’m also curious about your feelings when you moved out.

Yeonhee: Meeting various people in a new place taught me much about relationships. I met a beloved partner, but also had neighbors with whom relationships ended a bit sadly. Though I wished to accompany many, I learned there’s a suitable level of relationship for me. Through communal living, I realized how different everyone is. Though I don’t keep in touch with all the friends from that time, it’s good this way. Like the term 'seasonal lovers,’ we met the right connections at the right times. Without direct contact, I can continue to catch up on Instagram and such.

Leaving was truly bittersweet. However, I felt it was time to find myself more and move on to the next phase, considering the lifestyle, tastes, and future direction we learned at Mangrove, we moved. Spending a year and a half at Mangrove changed and solidified my preference for space that when friends see my current home, they say, 'It's so Kim Yeonhee-like.'

While there were inconveniences at Mangrove, the varied experiences were delightful. I sometimes miss the communal spaces or community of coliving life. If there was a Mangrove for newlyweds, we might have moved there!

Written by | Im Jeongyeon

Photography | Lee Rakyum