Love has no language
Summary: You are having a difficult time learning Korean and Junhao is more than ready to help you.
Pairing: Moon Junhui/Reader/Xu Minghao
Warnings: none.
Masterlist
Gif is not mine.
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The robotic female voice talking to you through the headphones was not clear enough to understand what it was trying to say.
You couldn't figure out if the voice was saying water or a really soft fire because the sound was way too similar.
You looked to your right; the girl (who you were almost a hundred percent sure was named Hannah) was writing hurried phrases into his notebook, easily following the class. She would probably get a perfect score on the upcoming exam.
You tried to disintegrate the whole sentence, taking it word by word to try to understand what you were supposed to translate. But both words would make perfect sense.
You left the space and went into the next sentence, which, to your relief, was a basic one: how old are you? both formal and informal.
연세가 어떻게 되세요?
몇 살이에요?
You quickly wrote down your answer and the translation. At least you were able to understand one of them.
The headphones were big enough to cover your whole ears, but even with them, you could still hear some classmates talking behind you and your teacher saying 수업에 집중하세요, (Pay attention)
Breathe, you got this.
The voice now asked, 화장실이 어디예요?, and you remembered that 어디예요 means where, but you just couldn't remember what the first word meant.
The girl, Hannah, took the headphones out of her head and closed her backpack; she was already done with the whole practice.
"Class, before you go, please remember to take your last week's exam with you."
You gave up; there wasn't much else to do. You should go to the library and keep studying there.
Hannah was walking with another student, both waiting for the big group of students to get out of the classroom and make some space for them to get their own exams.
The boy next to her took his exam and seemed really disappointed.
"제가 공부했더라면 시험을 합격했을 거에요..."
Hannah on the other hand seemed pretty happy with the result of her efforts.
"I will need your help; I screwed this up."
"Sure, 내일 공부하러 독서실에 갈래요?"
"Are you asking me if we should go to the library tomorrow to study?"
"Yeah! See? "You're doing better."
"I think I can skip some classes and meet tomorrow."
They kept talking next to you while you went to take your own exam, and damn, it was bad. Like embarrassing bad.
You will have to get at least 85/100 in your next exam, or you will lose the year and have to start again next year.
Hannah laughed when the teacher told her something, and you saw the chance and took it.
"Ummm, Hannah, right?" The girl looked pretty confused; she probably didn't even remember your face. "Hi, I am (y/n). I heard you are really good in this class, and I was wondering if I could take your notes? I have to retake this exam and take the one we have next week."
"Why don't you have your notes?"
Trying to put your nervous self deep down under all the Korean you have learned in the past four months, you tried your best to sound as native as possible.
"저는 지난 수업을 안 들었어요."
If you weren't wrong, you just told her you hadn't attended the last class.
Your teacher was around, so both of you tried to switch to Korean instead of English. Since this was a really diverse class with students from all over the world, it was easier to use English than everybody's native languages, and, if you remember correctly from the first class, she was Japanese.
"오늘 수업이 몇 개 있어요?"
You panicked for a second. Whenever you had to use Korean, you felt like you were having an anxiety attack. You were constantly scared to switch to informal instead of formal or sound way too foreign. What if the other person couldn't understand what you were trying to say?
It was even more embarrassing when you constantly felt like the whole class was learning so fast that you couldn't help but compare yourself with them. What did they have that you didn't that helped them have such a fast speed to learn new words and conjugate them?
She's asking you how many classes you have today; you know those words. Focus!
"이 것은 ... 저의 마지막 umm 수업이에요."
"Well, if it is your last class, then I guess you can take them and give them back to me tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, thank you, really!"
(...)
You were alone in the library; everybody was using other tables to study. But even with the distance from one table to another, almost everybody looked at you when your phone started making noise, informing you of a new call.
It was Minghao. One of your new roommates
The school provided scholarships for foreign students, giving them a place to sleep and a spot to study Korean (besides the basic subjects) at a really good university there.
You had been the last student to travel to Korea, which led you to take the last free bed. And in this case, you had to share the department with two other guys.
Xu Minghao and Wen Junhui.
Both guys were Chinese and one and two years older than you, respectively.
You went to the group chat and quickly wrote 지금 공부를 하고 있기 때문에 너랑 통화하고 싶지 않아, you had to memorize how to say something as simple as I don’t want to talk with you on the phone because I’m studying now," because they usually called you randomly through the day to make sure you didn't need anything.
You received a thumbs up as a reply, and they kept things quiet until you informed them you were on your way back to the department.
(...)
"I just wish I could express how I feel better, you know? It's just so annoying to spend more than five minutes thinking of the way I should say the words and then practice them mentally before speaking. And while I'm speaking, I'm just constantly scared that the person will not be able to understand me because of my accent."
You took another sip of the glass of water Minghao had brought you to calm you down when he saw you were almost crying when you crossed the front door.
"I always sound so dumb; you don't know how smart I am when I talk in my native language."
Minghao nodded, letting you vent all your feelings.
"Why am I even here? I didn't attend one class, and I am falling behind the whole class. Is it even worth it? I miss my family. I feel like I am missing seeing them grow up. It was my mom's birthday last week, and I couldn't be there for her. I'm so sick of this. Why do I have to keep trying?"
"Do you know how to say that? 요즘에 한국어를 열심히 공부하고 있지만 아직도 잘 말할 수 없어요, it means even though I am studying Korean hard these days, I still can’t speak well. Junhui taught me that sentence, so whenever I was on my own, I could explain to people why I was having a hard time thinking of a certain word or how to say something."
"Do you think you could write that down for me?"
"Sure, another really useful one is 아직 배우고 있어요, it means I'm still learning. And it's something you should also remember for yourself. You came here to learn, and you are still learning. It's hard, but you can't compare a language you have been speaking your whole life to one you are just starting to learn. You're smart. Nobody but yourself thinks you're dumb. You have been here for, what, five months? Give it some time."
"Is that your book?" Junhui asked, sitting next to you and opening the black book right in the middle.
"Yeah, I completed my notes today. One of my classmates passed the exam, and she had some things and sentences written down that could help me."
"They are school-related..." Minghao commented, readying the list over Junhuis shoulder.
몇 반이에요? = What class are you in?
몇 학년이에요? = What grade are you in?
저는 1-2이에요 = I am in class 1-2
저는 3학년이에요 = I’m in third grade
제일 좋아하는 선생님이 누구예요? = Who is your favorite teacher?
제일 좋아하는 과목이 뭐예요? = What is your favorite subject?
"What do you usually do when you study?" Junhui asked, looking straight into your eyes.
"I usually just read and copy all over again the things I have to study, and eventually they get stuck in my head."
"That's what you were doing when we called you today in the library?" Minghao asked. You nodded in reply.
"It just doesn't work this time. I have been reading this for more than two hours, and I still mess up whenever I'm trying to review myself. I really feel like crying."
"Okay, I think you are a little bit stressed. Enough of the book."
"What?"
"You need practice; the more you talk, the more you will learn. C'mon, let me see... okay, here it is; you need to review directions, right? It's almost two; let's go and eat something. Didn't you say you knew a good restaurant near the school?" Junhui asked, standing up from the chair.
"Let's keep talking in formal; the exam won't be in informal." Minghao told Junhui, coming up from the couch and walking towards the door. "그 식당이 어디에 있는 지 알아요?"
"식당이? What was that? Junhui started moving his hand in front of him, as if he were taking food from an imaginary plate. "Restaurant?"
Junhui said a happier yes, lifting his arms in the air.
"What was I asking, then?" Minghao asked with a serious expression on his face. He was really good at masking his emotions.
"You are asking if I know where that restaurant is?"
"Exactly, try to answer in Korean."
"But I don't want to mess it up; it's embarrassing."
"(y/n) It's just us; who else could understand the struggles of having to speak in another language better than us? We have been through the exact same thing."
"Don't worry about it; try not to overthink it. If we have to correct you, we will, so stop thinking. If what you are saying makes sense, we will let you know."
"Okay, let me just remember what the Korean word for bank was."
You went to your vocabulary book, the one in which you had written down every single new word the teacher had said before.
Bank = 은행
"식당은 은행 옆에 있어요." Your voice went up at the end of the sentence, making it sound more like a question than an affirmation, but they didn't say anything about it. Junhui just nodded. Opening the door for the three of you.
"돈이 있어요?"
"네, 돈이 있어요."
"Perfect, then if we have money, we should be heading now to the restaurant."
Talking to them or trying to talk in Korean with them was really different than speaking to an actual native, who maybe didn't have the patience Junhui and Minghao had.
So, even though they were right there next to you to help you in case you didn't remember a word or got something mispronounced, you still felt your heart having a marathon inside your body.
Junhui pressed the bottom of the table, and in a few minutes, a young man was ready to take your order.
Minghao informed the man of the situation and that you were there to practice, and Junhui used that moment to reassure you that everything would be fine.
"I want samgyupsal." Minghao informed you that everything on the menu had been handled by him. Junhui wanted the same and some rice.
"삼겹살 셋개랑 밥 둘공기 주세요."
"Is it too early for soju?"
"No, I also want one. Can you order us soju, please, (y/n)?"
Looking at them both for approval, you started reciting the sentences that you had read that morning in your book, changing the word water for soju. "소주 돌병 주세요."
Junhui mumbled good job to you, and in minutes you were eating the food that you so proudly ordered.
"제가 낼게요" Junhui said when Minghao finished the last spoon of food, his eyes finally leaving his phone.
"What? Why? Today you asked me if I had money; I thought I would be paying."
"We brought you here to practice; how are we going to make you pay?" Junhui explained, laughing, that whoever walked by you would think you just told the funniest joke ever.
"Do you have enough? I can give you some." Minghao asked, wallet already in hand.
"It's okay; you can pay for the coffee." Junhui replied. With his jacket on, you three walked through the door, ready to practice even more.
(...)
You walked out of the bathroom with your hair still wet in a messy bun and pajamas on. Minghao was on the couch watching some drama on TV, but he turned it off when he saw you. "So, if I ask you who you ate with today, what should you reply?"
"저는 밥을 친구랑 저의 어머니랑 먹었어요."
Minghao stayed quiet for a minute, looking really confused at you. "You just said you ate with your mom and friend. I'm not your mom."
"I know, but that was the first thing that came to my mind. It's not like my teacher would know if that's true or not."
"I mean, considering that you're in a foreign country with a scholarship that only allows students and not their families, I'm pretty sure they will know, but you do, I guess."
"I'm nervous." You confessed.
"I know, it is normal. But you did really well today; I really think you just weren't using the right method for yourself; maybe just sitting and waiting isn't what works for you; you might need to practice more by talking with people."
"Thank you for taking the time to help me today, both of you." You added when Junhui walked out of the shower and joined you on the sofa.
"I will prepare some green tea; it will help you." Minghao replied instead, giving you a small smile and squeezing your shoulder lightly before heading into the kitchen.
"Please don't forget we are here. I'm sorry we didn't see before you were struggling. You always seemed so fine."
"I didn't want to annoy you; everybody has their own problems and things to worry about, so I just didn't want to add to your own stress with my problems.
"It's okay if you need help; everybody does at some point in their lives. I know how frustrating it can be."
"Was it like that for you too when you came here for the first time?"
"It was because I was really young and there weren't many people from my country, similar to your situation, so I had to make myself learn it and speak it. I waslike in survival mode; I didn't speak English back then, so for me it was constantly having to memorize words because I just wouldn't be able to even buy milk from my own."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. A year later, Minghao came, and we became friends really quickly. We could speak the same language, so it was easier to express ourselves, and since I already had some knowledge of Korean, I could help him. He also had it difficult; it's never easier to be away from family and friends. And even though I was there for him, it is also frustrating to constantly depend on someone else to be able to do the most basic things." Junhui looked up for a second, trying to see if Minghao was coming back. "Don't tell him I told you, but back then I would find him crying himself to sleep. He would always wait till it was so late that I would probably be sleeping to cry all his stress and frustrations away."
Junhui kept silent for some minutes, too deep in his thoughts to talk. "But yeah, that's why we are trying to help you. We know it's hard, and if we can be that support system that you might need, then we are here, ready for it." Minghao walked into the room again, three cups in hand, and, drinking the green tea, you kept quiet, letting the movie in the background fill the silence in the room.
And it was like that how you fell asleep that night.
(...)
They haven't contacted you for the whole morning, which was weird because they always made sure to send a text saying good luck whenever they knew you had an exam because you were always nervous and they knew it way too well.
But this time, nothing.
Not even a hello.
So you walked all the way to your shared department.
As soon as you opened the door, a familiar smell hit your nose, and it brought back childhood memories you had absolutely forgotten about.
The whole living room was decorated completely differently than that morning when you left the place.
It was filled with things from your country and pictures of your family and friends.
There was even a big welcome sign on the wall, written in your native language.
The TV was turned on, and a well-known movie for you was on pause, waiting for someone to press play.
And on the couch were both Minghao and Junhui, with lots of food on the table they had placed in front of them.
With a thick accent, they struggle for a bit trying to say welcome home in a language that is clearly foreign to them, and you just want to cry.
The whole department looked like a time capsule from your childhood.
There was even the music your mom used to play on a cloudy Sunday morning to listen to while cleaning the house.
What do you think?" Junhui asked, opening some of the bags with food that were in front of him and showing you the surprise.
"What is all this? When did you guys plan this?"
You were shaking, frozen in your spot, looking at everything in the room.
"You said you missed your friend and family."
"... and your favorite food." Junhui added to what Minghao was saying.
"So we did some research and found this new restaurant. I'm not exactly sure how accurate the food or taste is, but well, you will be the one who tells us."
"We talked to your mom too, and she helped us with the music and movies! We needed the help of Google Translate, but we managed pretty well."
You walked toward them and hugged them. In all those months, this was the first time you felt something warm inside you—you felt loved. You felt like they cared about you. And for a second, it really showed how alone you had felt all this time. You couldn't help but cry.
And cried.
And cried.
And cried.
And they hold you.
They didn't ask questions.
They didn't need to.
Because they knew it.
They knew it too well.
So they hold you as tight as possible, holding every piece of you, and for a moment, you were scared that if they let you go, you would break again.
The food didn't taste like the homemade version your mom used to cook you when you were younger; you didn't even know if the ingredients were from your country. But it felt nice and right.
And when you saw how happy they were to share this with you, it made everything even better.
You weren't alone.
Not anymore.
