english was tough. it wasn't something junkyu had really tried to practice much before in the past, though now as a trainee, he knew that knowing a decent amount of english could come in handy in the future. so these last few weeks, he had been watching gossip girl each week for at least an hour, without subtitles. and it was safe to say he was pretty confused.
though as the weeks went past, things were starting to make a bit more sense. it wasn't like he was a fluent speaker, but he was starting to understand the basic phrases and how to form introductory sentences. so knowing kyoka was willing to help him out, honestly meant a lot.
"hello, my name is choi junkyu, it-" he pauses himself, thinking about the correct wording. he's aware there's a coach watching over them, and even that just adds a tiny bit more pressure. "it's.." he glances up at kyoko, hoping for a little bit of reassurance that he was doing well as he continues. "nice to meet you. i am.. twenty-five years old.."
nathan thinks, no matter what language they're in, most idioms are pretty self-explanatory. just a simple singular explanation is perfectly fine when making a point, so most (or in nathan's opinion, all) don't necessarily need a presentation for further analysis. but alas, he's a trainee – and a trainee looking to (re)debut, too – so he doesn't exactly get to say 'no' when he's told to do something (within reason) now, can he?
when called upon, he stands up from his seat to head towards the front of the room. turning around to face his peer of three for the past few weeks, he clears his throat before starting with, "my favorite idiom is 'even a mouse hole gets sunlight'."
"its meaning is that one should always remember that there's a silver lining to every situation. the positive connotation of the word 'sunlight' emphasizes how if something as wonderful as sunlight can even reach the insides of a humble mouse hole. by the same token, any negative or potentially negative outcome must also have a good side to it."
he shifts his weight onto his other foot as he glances up from his flashcards. "the reason this is my favorite idiom is because it exemplifies a kind of mindset that i strive to have every day, and a kind that i want to remind others of in my daily life, too. it's one thing to tell something to 'look on the bright side', and another to say that even a mouse hole get sunlight," he grins. "at first they won't get it, but when they do – because they're thinking of it – it's so silly that it's hard to believe that it can't be true."
NOW PLAYING: AFTER SCHOOL by WEEEKLY
SOLO- Presentation | LANGUAGE BOOTCAMP (KOREAN EDITION!)
wc: 405
jasper delivers a textbook worthy presentation for his idiom, 'you reap what you sow'.
he's always been told he's rather... mature for his age. most of the time this has benefitted him, but even when it hadn't... he couldn't really help it. he truly was his mother's son, and it showed in more ways than one. this... being the most glaringly obvious fact. so when he struts up the front of the class, a tucked in t-shirt and a pair of khaki's on his legs, along with a nice pair of shoes, it should come to a surprise to no one. after all, this was a presentation he was giving, and he wanted to make sure he looked the part.
he always did, by the way. he really had gained quite a bit from the class-- a deeper appreciation for his not so native language, a deeper understanding of the language his mother loved to sing in, and well-- a few friends, new and not so much so. and, he could talk a bit more in korean than ever before-- that was always nice, he supposed-- even if his british accent did linger no matter what.
he moves to turn on his slide, a deep gradient showing along with the title before he's turning to face forward with a signature smile. "여러분 안녕하세요.... hello, everyone. let's talk idioms, shall we?" he starts, and he presses the next button. a smooth k-instrumental enters as he starts to go through his presentation. It's clear it's not his first rodeo, and there's a sort of calmness, professionalism he has as if this is a work meeting and not a presentation for class.
"For my idiom, I believe one that resonates with me is-- 콩 심은 데 콩 나고 팥 심은 데 팥 난다. Now, what does this mean? Literally, it's rather simple. A bean grows where you plant a bean, and a red bean grows where you plant a red bean." He offers a tsk and a shake of his head. "But let's think about that. In other words. You plant, what you plant. This phrase means, *you reap what you sow*. I think this is my favorite, because I think that people should be more aware of what their doing, how they're doing it, and what comes from it. I believe hard work yields results and... well-- it's obvious what happens. If you plant nothing, if you do nothing, you get nothing. This would do well to be remembered. Thank you."
one of the things junkyu didn't expect throughout this language bootcamp, was they they would have to watch at least one hour of a tv show without subtitles each week. yet much to his surprise, he was thoroughly enjoying it. it wasn't that often that he got to watch shows, and even then, he usually stuck to kdramas. he still had yet to finish my demon, but that was something he could finish whenever. he hadn't seen any spoilers yet either, at least.
out of all of the shows provided to them, junkyu decided to go with gossip girl, simply just based off the poster. it gave elite vibes, and one thing junkyu loved in a show was a bit of drama, and boy, he chose right.
so knowing he had to do a whole presentation describing the show, what he liked about it and his favorite character? a piece of cake, especially since he knew he'd be completing the show even after. "for the language bootcamp, i decided to watch gossip girl. i originally chose it because of the poster, it looked pretty.. elite and like it was a recipe for drama, and those kind of shows i enjoy. the plot looked really interesting too, i liked the idea of watching a show based in a western country as that's not usually something i'd watch. i typically stick to kdramas, so this was something pretty new to me." junkyu begins, hints of eagerness visible in his words as he explains.
"while it was hard to figure out what was happening at times, the plot is essentially about a group of school kids in an elite school, their lives and all the drama that happens around them. their parents and relatives make appearances too, and they also play a key role in the show. the biggest plot though, is that there's an anonymous blog called gossip girl that posts about them, posting rumors and their personal business online. gossip girl's catchphrase is, xoxo, gossip girl, which i think embodies the personality really well."
he maintains eye contact with everyone as he explains the premise of the show, flicking through the presentation. "i've not completed the show yet because there's six seasons and i'm only on season two, but so far it's been pretty dramatic. i've really enjoyed each of the characters, there's some who i don't like, but i think that shows that the characters were really thought through. but personally, i think so far, my favorite character has to be blair. i think her character is really fun and sneaky, upon first glance she seems like this stuck up girl, and in a way, she is. but she really cares about her best friend, serena, even though they have this cat and mouse kind of friendship. she's a mix of confident but she also has a side of her that not many people see. i think she's an interesting character, and by far one of the best on the shows."
the next few minutes speed by, explaining more of the premise and his favorite character, but also discussing the reoccurring words he had heard throughout the episodes he's seen so far until he reaches the final slide, where he wraps up his presentation with a smile.
