I've learned more about myself in these 6 months here than in several years at home.

Room and Terrace of Unit 403 © Um Jong-heon

Q. Hello to the resident of Unit 403! Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I am a third-year editor working at a lifestyle magazine company called Concept Jin. Concept Jin is a magazine created with the aim of making people's daily lives a bit more beautiful, and it's been around for 8 years. I moved into Mangrove in July and lived in Unit 403 for 6 months.

Q. What led you to work in a magazine?

Initially, it was a magazine made as an app, not on paper, and I had been reading it since then. I have a sense of pride in having followed it from its very early stages. It's like the pleasure of discovering an idol before they become famous. That initial connection was quite appealing. Reading Concept Jin made my heart feel a bit warmer and fuller. There came a point when I started thinking seriously about this work because I wanted to convey such messages to someone one day.

Concept Jin © Um Jong-heon

Q. What is life like as an editor?

I naturally enjoyed writing, so it suited me quite well. But becoming an editor revealed that there is much more to do beyond writing. It was difficult.

When I wrote alone, I wrote whatever I wanted to say, but in this profession, I had to write meaningful content monthly on specific topics, which was tough at first. Even when I thought, “I can't write anymore,” or “Ah… it's hard,” eventually, when I sat in front of my laptop, the words would come. So, I often sat in the corner of the first-floor café to write.

Working in the first-floor café during deadlines, Unit 403 © Um Jong-heon

Q. Being an editor seems tough. Do you also take a lot of photos or videos?

I often take photos, using both my phone and a film camera. I especially take a lot of photos with my phone. Whenever something catches my eye, I pick up the camera; whether it’s lunch or something else, I take photos for everyday documentation and cherish them dearly. I always carry my film camera when meeting friends. Although I’m not very into landscape photography, I do take photos of my friends. I develop them once or twice a month, and I always capture joyful moments and smiles with friends.

Film camera of Unit 403 © Um Jong-heon

Q. It seems you're quite charmed by people.

I think that's true. I get a lot of life energy from people, especially friends. Usually, on weekends, people rest for a day and go out for a day, but I feel at ease only when going out every Friday through Sunday. I don't like staying at home and find that staying in or not having plans actually drains my energy. I think being outside suits me better.

No matter how good the house is in Mangrove, I think I spent more time outside. My MBTI is extroverted too. Maybe that's why I go out often? Although I'm quite shy around strangers, even with that, I’m an extrovert. So, there it is.

Q. You mentioned meeting friends often. What do you usually do when you meet?

We drink. Honestly, I'm a bit tipsy even now… I really like drinking. Among my friends, there's not a single one who doesn't like drinking. We meet, drink, drink, and drink. I really enjoy drinking and being at gatherings.

Regularly, I drink a lot of wine, and in 2020, the drink I had the most was 'so-maek' (a mix of soju and beer). I originally didn’t drink 'so-maek' often, but it suddenly felt refreshing. You know, drinking wine outside too often can ruin your wallet, so I try to moderate it a bit.

Empty wine bottles © Um Jong-heon

Q. What do you do when you're not meeting people?

Honestly, there's hardly any time when I'm not busy. On weekends, I'm always outside. When I get home after work during the week, it's quite standard: I watch a lot of movies. I introduce movies in the culture section, and if I don’t watch enough in advance, I can’t make recommendations. The smaller my boundary, the fewer movies there are to suggest, so I watch a lot of movies.

Sometimes, I also play games. I enjoy drinking wine at home while watching movies. At home, I mainly drink wine. Drinking alone isn’t bad either. Though it may sound like an alcohol lover’s interview, I really do enjoy drinking.

Q. Is there an animal or object you think represents you?

I was once a kangaroo, and now I've become a salmon. For 30 years, I lived under my parents’ care like a kangaroo. Thinking back, I relied a lot on their support and invisible household help. I thought I could proudly live independently, but I ended up returning to my parents like a salmon because I couldn't find a proper place to move.

Returning feels quite anticlimactic. I realized after living independently that living with parents keeps you somewhat childlike forever. In my mom’s eyes, I’m still a kid, so she takes care of every little thing, which makes me feel like I’m not growing. It prevents me from learning and gaining opportunities to grow.

Of course, living alone has its inconveniences too, like laundry, cleaning, and meal prep, which are bothersome, but that’s adult life—taking full responsibility for your life. Therefore, having learned to take full responsibility for my life, I don’t want to live with them again, but given the circumstances… I plan to stay there temporarily until I sort things out and find a place again.

In my mom’s eyes, I'm still a child, so she does every little thing for me. Living alone is bothersome, but that’s adult life—taking full responsibility for yourself.

Fabric poster of the Han River in Unit 403 © Um Jong-heon

Instead of choosing Mangrove for independence, I wanted to live here because I liked it.

Q. Why did you choose Mangrove for your first independent living experience while feeling at ease under your parents' roof?

It wasn't because I decided to go independent after living with my parents all my life. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with them. But one day, I saw an advertisement on Instagram about the opening of Mangrove.

I secretly applied and toured it alone and was told I was the third person to visit Mangrove. I decided on my own. I wanted to live here at least once. While it was slightly over my budget, I told my parents a slightly reduced price and thought, 'Let me try living here.'

Three days before moving in, I told my parents... just asking to borrow the deposit... and got quite scolded. I didn't choose Mangrove for independence; I just wanted to experience living here because I liked Mangrove itself.

Q. How would you reflect on half a year of independent living?

It was delightful. Simply having my own space, being able to decorate to my heart's content, was highly satisfying. Of course, there were regrets. Being a shared housing where you meet lots of people, it would have been nice to meet more people. Unfortunately, I'm quite shy, so I couldn't talk as much as I'd have liked. That's what I regret the most. Yet, this time taught me a lot about myself, and for that, I find it incredibly precious.

A room decorated in my own colors © Um Jong-heon

In fact, I concluded that I need to live alone rather than in shared housing. The co-living system intrigued me, and I loved the monthly social clubs and found the whole system attractive. I wanted to invite friends over and actually can, but realistically, it was tough. These days, my ideal home space seems to be 'Chanbin's Home.' It's the home of Chanbin, from the Mangrove community team, and I realized that this style of living suits me better. Through experiences and conversations, my range of thoughts has broadened.

Meeting Chanbin, the author of <Chanbin's Home> at Mangrove © Park Chanbin

Q. Besides your room, where do you hang out the most?

I often stayed at the café from around 8-9 PM until about 1 AM. This space was incredibly helpful for me. I'm someone who absolutely cannot work at home. In the past, I would always head to a café to work. Here, I could just take an elevator from my room, with my laptop in hand, and get to work, which was very convenient.

Also, since the current situation doesn’t allow for going to cafés, being able to use a café at home was incredibly convenient for someone like me who only writes at cafés. I was very satisfied with Mangrove just for the room and the café space. Having a café in the same building as a home was delightful.

The people at the café at night were all working. It was fascinating to see people working even at midnight. Of course, it’s usually the same faces like NPCs in a game: people from Units 402, 306, 502, and 504. But it’s comforting knowing I’m not the only one working late.

Often working in the café © Um Jong-heon

Q. Having lived there for almost half a year, do you now get along with others at Mangrove?

I actually don’t know them well. Even so, I appreciated just greeting them on the elevator. Even just returning home and exchanging greetings was satisfying enough for me.

Room of Unit 403 © Um Jong-heon

I spilled wine on my laptop, which broke it, but someone from Unit 402 lent me theirs. They were a lifesaver.

Q. Were there any memorable scenes or incidents at Mangrove?

The first was when someone from Unit 402 lent me a laptop. I had a deadline and had all my drafts on my laptop. I thought, 'Let’s have a glass of wine while working,' and ended up spilling it, which damaged the laptop.

Not only did I lose my work, but I was in a panic about needing to re-write everything. I posted about it on Instagram, and while I was on the way to a PC café, someone from Unit 402 contacted me and lent me a laptop. They were a complete lifesaver. If it hadn’t been Mangrove, how would I have managed to find and borrow a laptop? I was immensely grateful.

Oh, the sangria party was memorable too. It was my first time conversing with people from Mangrove. Even though I seldom met people living in the same building, gathering together made me realize, ‘Ah, people do live here.’

Lastly, there was a peaceful day on the rooftop while doing a meditation session organized by Wally. We were told we could comfortably lie down for meditation, and the setting was so soothing that I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, everyone had sat up while I was still lying down. It was quite embarrassing, but the atmosphere was so pleasant that I ended up being interested in meditation.

Q. Did your belongings increase after moving in?

Before, living with my parents, I never thought about decorating my room. How could I change a room with floral wallpaper? I had no choice but to live with it. Since Mangrove was neat and I could decorate, I bought a lot of things. A Han River poster from OTHcomma, incense sticks, and a photo box by editor Jang Woo-chul—all things I wouldn’t have thought of buying before. I even bought a rug over 200,000 won on sale, which I might not have considered before either. Seeing items that could make my room prettier caught my eye.

With each small practice at Mangrove, the confidence to decorate my future space grew. I started drawing a series of ideas about how I could decorate my personal space.

A cherished rug and film camera © Um Jong-heon

Q. Your unit seems to have a terrace. How is it?

Ah… The terrace is with my room. The terrace… it’s a bit cold due to drafts. Still, I chose a room with a private terrace because I tend to feel stuffy staying in one place, but I didn’t utilize it as much as I thought I would. I believe the usable seasons are limited. Autumn might be the best. Summers are hot, and winters are cold.

Nonetheless, I often went out to the terrace to watch the sunset. I love watching the sky, so when the weather was nice, I'd immediately go to the terrace to gaze at the sky. Having plenty of time to look was precious. At night, I even got to see shooting stars.

Tools for stargazing on the private terrace © Um Jong-heon

Q. Can you tell me about the neighborhood of Sungin-dong?

I enjoy turning places I hardly know into ‘neighborhoods’ of mine. When I used to work part-time, I always worked further away. My home is in Bucheon, but I’d work in places like Gwanghwamun and Samcheong-dong. I believed that working in an area made that area become my neighborhood, so I went to places where I wanted to be. Living near Dongmyo or Sungin-dong made these places become my neighborhood.

The roads are a bit rugged, with plenty of steep hills, which can be tough. When you climb the rear hill, you can see Namsan Tower. That path was used in the drama ‘Runner.’ I frequently took walks up there, and on my way back, I often bought snacks at the twisted breadstick shop to enjoy at home. It's cozy and feels like a proper ‘neighborhood.’

I’ve always loved old shops, so I spend a lot of time in Jongno. I like Jongno, Euljiro, and Sindang too. Living near Dongmyo made these places so easily accessible, and I loved being in the heart of Seoul. Getting around anywhere with a taxi under 5,000 won was excellent. Especially hanging out in Sindang and just walking home was great.

To me, it's like a ‘practice ground for independence.’ It’s where I tested and realized that I can live well on my own.

Q. What kind of home is Mangrove for you?

It’s like a ‘practice ground for independence.’ Now that I’m looking for a new place, I realize Mangrove was great. It’s a place where you can move in with just your body, and now I see how convenient that is. Back then, without any other options to consider, I didn’t realize how easy it was, but now, I found out so many things to consider elsewhere—from options to loans and everything.

Without all those concerns, Mangrove was convenient as a place you could just ‘live.’ By living here, I confirmed that I could live well on my own. I was clueless about maintaining a household, didn’t know how to use a washing machine, and even had to learn how to draw the blinds from YouTube. Now, I have the confidence that I can do those things. There’s so much you wouldn’t know if you hadn’t lived alone.

Q. So, for the last question, what kind of changes do you think you’ll leave Mangrove with?

I definitely learned more about myself. Compared to several years at home, my 6 months at Mangrove taught me much more about myself.

I found that I enjoyed certain ways of decorating and discovered the types of personalities I gravitate towards.

Written by | Kim Gi-tae

Photos by | Um Jong-heon, Unit 403