First night in a new home,
the boiler died
1 AM, -13°C. In my empty room, I was shivering.
That day, for the first time in my life, I held a front-door key engraved with only my own name.
By the time I'd unpacked, it was 11 PM
Twelve delivery boxes, two sets of bedding, one small TV. After folding up 5 years of Seoul monthly-rent life, I'd finally secured "my home." A second-floor villa unit at the edge of Gyeonggi, ₩550,000 a month with no deposit, a single room — but that day I was the richest person in the world.
The first thing I did after unpacking was lie flat on the floor, spread-eagle. I stared blankly at the ceiling. My ceiling. My floor. My walls.
Up until then, I knew nothing.
The strange part came at 1 AM
It was when I lay down in bed to sleep. Something was off. At first I thought it was moving-day fatigue. But the room was clearly getting colder. My hands and feet were freezing. White breath came out of my mouth.
I pressed the boiler button. No response. I held down the power button. No response. The digital display didn't light a single red light — it was just dead.
The boiler had broken down.
-13°C, first night in a new home, 1 AM.
I grabbed the phone
First I contacted the landlord. I sent a text.
No reply. I searched "boiler emergency repair dawn" on Naver.
I hung up. My hands were shaking. From the cold, and from fear.
2 AM, I put on a long padded coat and sat on the floor
I pulled out the electric blanket. I layered two blankets. I kept searching, but there was nowhere that seemed likely to come. And even if they came, I had no idea how much it would cost.
"They took the dispatch fee, didn't fix it, and left."
"A ₩100,000 estimate later became ₩500,000."
"They won't answer."
The more I read, the scarier it got. Was I just supposed to sleep like this tonight? Like this, from the very first day.
Fiddling with my smartphone, a link a friend had shared a few months back caught my eye.
pan-sol.netlify.app
"The boiler won't turn on. It's my first night moving in and it's the middle of the night."
I connected. A map unfolded with a chat box below it. Without much hope, I moved my fingers.
Night dispatch fee ₩35,000, plus ₩5,000-10,000 if a fuse needs replacing.
Payment is made in the app after the repair is done.
The numbers were clearly written. The estimated cost came first. I pressed the connect button.
2:37 AM, the intercom rang
"Unit 102, right? I'm Kang, your PanSol partner."
He was a man in his 50s in a winter jacket. He crouched in front of the boiler and opened the panel.
"Ah, here it is." — it took less than 3 minutes.
"The fuse blew. It happens when you use a lot of electricity during a move. It's common."
"Try pressing it."
I pressed the button. A red light came on. There was the sound of something running.
I thought that sound
was the prettiest sound in the world.
The repair cost was ₩42,000
I paid in the app. A window to leave a partner rating popped up. I pressed five stars.
"Glad I could help on a night like this. Make good memories of your first day."
I lay back down on the floor.
This time on a warm floor.
For the first time in my home, I slept warm.
What I learned later
Those words felt oddly good.
If you're in a similar situation,
don't suffer alone, even at dawn
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