Lgc:langbootcamp - Tumblr Posts
Language Bootcamp Starter
Feat: Lgcsaem
If you were to ask Jaejin, he would say he's good at Korean. He can ask all the essential questions: "Where's the bathroom?" "How much is it?" Of course, "Please" and "Thank you," and perhaps most important of all, "I'm hungry." Clearly, someone in a pay grade ten times higher than his thinks otherwise. He had been told he needed improvement, which stung more than he cared to admit. But he believed he could manage the basics just fine, and that should count for something.
The powers that be, however had other plans and Instead here he was sitting in an empty classroom with nothing but a white board, a coach , and across from him - Kuramoto Misaki, The two had rarely interacted, but Jaejin knew of him. Of course he did; after all, Misaki was all set to debut in the new idol group for which Jaejin had been deemed unfit. As he looked at Misaki, Jaejin couldn’t help but compare himself to the male in front of him, trying to discern what set them apart. What quality did Misaki possess that he lacked? The comparison was inevitable and painful, but Jaejin quickly snapped out of it to focus on the task at hand. Now wasn't the time to dwell on missed opportunities. There was work to be done. He took a deep breath and addressed Misaki, unsure of how to begin, "So...do you want to start or should I?"
Jaejin looked at Misaki’s outstretched hand. He knew the one-sided grudge he held was stupid; Misaki—or Saem—hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t his fault that Jaejin hadn’t made the cut. The guy was simply following his own path, excelling where Jaejin had fallen short. Still, the dull sting of rejection made it hard to suppress the envy he felt toward his partner. Swallowing his pride, Jaejin extended his hand and briefly shook the offered hand, trying to suppress the bitterness gnawing at him.
"Hi Saem, I'm Jaejin," he said, slipping into English out of habit. The words felt comfortable on his tongue, but the coach’s subtle frown reminded him of where he was. Quickly, Jaejin corrected himself, choosing his words carefully. "I apologize, my name is Carter Jaejin, but my friends call me CJ. It’s nice to meet you."
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious. His Korean, stellar by his own accounts, suddenly felt clumsy. The different consonants and vowels, and the unusual properness of his speech felt odd to him. He hoped Saem didn’t notice the awkwardness. Jaejin forced a smile, before continuing.
"Where to start," he pondered aloud. "Well, I was born in 2002 in South Korea, but moved to Atlanta when I was five, and I'm the oldest of five children. How about you, where did you grow up?"
despite his initial whining, the young boys disbelief over the notion that his korean was everything but up to the standards the company apparently wanted him to be at being cause for a rather pouty expression leading up to today, misaki can't say he's actually upset— no, general appearances and goofy behaviors aside, misaki knew his lacking korean ( regardless of how minor ) was something management would eventually make him crack down on. he wasn't perfect, didn't feel the need to be perfect when he cared more about putting on a show, but he was meant to be debuting, so he's got to have his basics in order at the very least.
jaejin is another trainee he doesn't know very well, their paths seemingly never having really crossed as they went about their days within the company, and that peaks misakis interest. he enjoyed meeting new people, spontaneity high above strict guidelines, but misaki supposes he'll have to compromise while their lessons are taking place ( he's not looking to make trouble for himself with their coach . . . not yet, anyways ). "i can start, it's easy!" direct as ever, misaki wears a cheshire like grin, a hand shooting out to jaejin because he supposes that's the proper thing to do. "hello, my name is kuramoto misaki, but you can just call me misaki— or saem, i'm ok with either!" he slips into something a little less proper towards the end, focusing himself again as his brows furrow. "and you are?"
Dressed in a light gray short-sleeved polo shirt and beige cotton chinos that hung loosely around his black leather sandals, Jaejin stood confidently at the front of the class, his laptop hooked up to the projector, ready to start his presentation. The process of choosing his "favorite" Korean idioms was a long one. To be honest he didn't exactly love idioms or at least the concept of them. Play on words and figures of speech wasn't really his thing, he preferred directness and for people to just say what they meant. This vagueness was an aspect of Korean culture he still hadn't gotten used to. But unfortunately due to his poor Korean he had no choice but to delve head-first into the subject.
"안녕하세요, 여러분! Good morning, everyone!" Jaejin greeted warmly, his voice carrying across the room as he clicked the remote to display the first slide. Bold Korean characters glowed on the screen.
"Today, I want to introduce you to an interesting idiom that I recently discovered," Jaejin began, his tone enthusiastic and engaging. "병주고 약주다 literally means 'to give disease and then give medicine." he pauses for dramatic effect But what does that mean in practice?"With a smile, Jaejin paced slightly, his hands gesturing animatedly to emphasize his points. "This idiom refers to the act of offering constructive criticism or, to put it bluntly, insult someone 'giving disease', followed by sweet words of encouragement, support, or a remedy 'giving medicine'."
He paused, glancing around the room at his classmates before clicking to the next slide, displaying examples on the screen. "Imagine you go to a friend and ask them what they think about a painting that you spent hours on. If that friend tells you honestly that your painting is trash and belongs there too, but then follows it up with 'But at least you tried your hardest'. That's 병주고 약주다 in action—balancing honesty with compassion."
Jaejin chuckles before clicking to the next slide " That may not have been the best example but you get the gist" He paces across the front of the room once more before continuing. "I think the reason I like this idiom is that, in my opinion, It reminds us to be mindful of how our words can affect others and encourages us to support each other, even in moments of critique."
The next few minutes are spent on the remaining slides and answering questions and eventually Jaejin returns to his seat glad that it was over.
Jaejin had never been good at letting go of things. It was a bad habit he had carried for as long as he could remember—holding on to old friendships that had long since faded, missed opportunities that still haunted him, and even a stack of letters from past relationships. He knew it was something he needed to work on, but change wasn’t easy and Jaejin wasn't the most flexible guy. Now, as he sat in front of Saem, the young boy with an infectious smile and friendly nature, Jaejin was trying his best—his absolute hardest—to be kind.
"Ah, so you're the same age as one of my younger siblings," Jaejin says aloud, He couldn't help but think about his own siblings wondering to himself if Saem was just as annoying as they were. "Having siblings is... well, chaotic sometimes," he chuckled softly. "But it's nice to have them around. They keep things interesting.". How long had it been since they had last talked? Jaejin’s life had been so consumed with practice, performances, and the pursuit of perfection that calling home never even crossed his mind. Had had neglected the little moments, the connections that mattered most?
"but sometimes I do wish I was an only child" Nah, probably not.
It seemed that as Saem spoke, his infectious smile grew even brighter, Jaejin couldn't help but feel irritated at the boy's ability to be so effortlessly happy. Jaejin put on a smile, wondering at what point his facial muscles would start hurting from all the forcing. Of course, Saem could be happy when he was set to travel the world and perform on stages that Jaejin could only dream of. Had dreamed of. And yet, there was still a part of him that knew —on any other occasion—he would have genuinely liked the guy. but sitting across from him was too soon for a wound that was still so raw.
"i've never been to Chicago, but if it's any consolation, I love the movie," he said with a shrug - a desperate attempt to connect. Jaejin noticed a subtle shift in the coach's expression—a faint disapproval that hinted they were straying from the assigned task. So redirected his focus, Jaejin glanced at Misaki and cleared his throat. "Verily, how dost thou like it in Korea? " 'Twas a mighty adjustment for me, and I confess I am yet to grow accustomed to it." "How do you like it in Korea? It was quite an adjustment for me, and I have to admit I'm still getting used to it." he asked, his words taking on the more formal Josean speech they had learned in class.
misaki is no judge, hardly the type to pick up on subtle nuances unless they're bolded in bright, flashing lights, his attention span often working far too quickly for him to truly pick up on details the first go around. that being said, misaki has always trusted his gut— instinct was what drove him, thoughts more often than not thrown to the wayside in favor of feelings when it came to beginnings. a believer in action, misaki can't help but feel like something might be off, but he can't quite place why.
jaejin seems nice, is nice as far as their current situation has shortly shown, but it seems like he's holding back. cautious. that's a state misaki can't say he's familiar with, but to an extent, he thinks he can understand— lessons are boring, especially ones meant to be advanced such as this . . . maybe the other boy was just nervous about a class as strict as this!
misaki would like to help change that.
his expression doesn't let up, grin as chipper as always, but misaki finds his eyes widening as jaejin offers tidbits into his life. "you've also lived in america?" he finds himself unconsciously slipping into english as well, a habit that occurs anytime another english speaker crosses his path. just as quickly as the slip had occurred, however, he's back to korean with a muffled cough and a meek sorry directed towards their coach. "i was born in chicago and lived there until i was seventeen— i moved here during my last years of high school!" mood on the rise again, misaki finds himself nodding along to his own words. "i'm an only child, but that's ok, i've met a ton of cool hyungs— you're older than me, too, actually! i was born in 2004." tilting his head to the side slightly, misaki adds. "it must be nice to have siblings, though."