Juan - Sehong is otp!!
my poor, unconscious attempt to write an epic bromance fic
Disclaimer:
draft of an article i'm working on ^^;
To Be a Friend
Jessie May S. Borlagdan
In South Korea, first day of classes is usually greeted with blooming flowers, not-so-cold breeze and catching-up stories with friends. However this year, Sehong's first day in school is definitely different from the ones he was used to.
First day blues
Sehong's family had just migrated to the Philippines. Sehong was excited and nervous at the same time because he doesn't know anyone at his new school. The classroom was already filled with students who were happily exchanging stories about their summer vacations.
"Well, this is familiar." Sehong thought to himself as he took an empty seat. As he looked around, he felt uneasy becasue he was the only one who was not in a group.
At the other end of the room, Juan saw someone familiar sit on his chair. The school bell rang so he approached the person.
"Excuse me," Juan said. "Sorry to bother you but that's my seat."
Embarrassed, Sehong quickly got up, gave a courteous bow to Juan and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"It's okay! No need to apologize." Juan smiled and offered the seat beside him. "You can take this; no one sits here. You're a new student aren't you? Hi, I'm Juan."
Juan offered his hand but the handshake he expected didn't came and instead, Sehong bowed again. Sehong realized too that Juan was a bit surprised at his gesture so he reached out and shook Juan's hand.
"Hello, I'm Sehong! I bowed because that's how we Koreans introduce ourselves," explained Sehong.
"Oh, just like the Japanese! You know what, I do find Korean culture very interesting," said Juan.
Getting along
Ever since their first conversation, Juan and Sehong continued swapping stories about their own culture and other practices. Juan also introduced Sehong to his friends. One day at the library, Juan observed that Sehong's posture was well composed while their other friends were just casually talking to the librarian: either their hands were on their backs or they were leaning on the table.
Juan was curious so he said, "Hey, ease up a bit. Do you really have to always stand in attention?"
"Not really." Sehong laughed. "It's just that in Korea, when you're talking to a superior, you have to maintain a good posture. It's a way of showing respect for the person you're talking to."
"I just realized that countries from East Asia have something in common," said Juan. "We all give importance to our superiors or elders."
Sehong seconded, "Yes, I noticed that too. I saw how you talked to your parents and the other teachers here. You always use po and opo. And I can't believe you too take off your shoes when entering your house!"
"You know what else? We all love rice!"
"I agree! And speaking of food, mother made kimchee for you. I hope you like it," said Sehong as they settled on their table for lunch.
Juan happily accepted the gift. "Wow! Please thank your mom for me."
"You're welcome. It's just a small token of appreciation. Mother wanted to thank you for accompanying me on my first day in school and up until now. I was really hesitant to talk to anyone back then because I don't know how people would accept me. I thought that the others won't understand my practices," admitted Sehong.
Juan too was glad that they became friends. "It's nothing, really! I just thought you needed company. Actually, I also want to thank you for letting me know and experience your customs firsthand. I learned that Filipinos and Koreans have a lot of things in common besides our love for rice."
"Looks like my sources were right; Filipinos are really friendly people! I'll surely enjoy my stay here," expressed Sehong.
Disclaimer:
draft of an article i'm working on ^^;
To Be a Friend
Jessie May S. Borlagdan
In South Korea, first day of classes is usually greeted with blooming flowers, not-so-cold breeze and catching-up stories with friends. However this year, Sehong's first day in school is definitely different from the ones he was used to.
First day blues
Sehong's family had just migrated to the Philippines. Sehong was excited and nervous at the same time because he doesn't know anyone at his new school. The classroom was already filled with students who were happily exchanging stories about their summer vacations.
"Well, this is familiar." Sehong thought to himself as he took an empty seat. As he looked around, he felt uneasy becasue he was the only one who was not in a group.
At the other end of the room, Juan saw someone familiar sit on his chair. The school bell rang so he approached the person.
"Excuse me," Juan said. "Sorry to bother you but that's my seat."
Embarrassed, Sehong quickly got up, gave a courteous bow to Juan and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"It's okay! No need to apologize." Juan smiled and offered the seat beside him. "You can take this; no one sits here. You're a new student aren't you? Hi, I'm Juan."
Juan offered his hand but the handshake he expected didn't came and instead, Sehong bowed again. Sehong realized too that Juan was a bit surprised at his gesture so he reached out and shook Juan's hand.
"Hello, I'm Sehong! I bowed because that's how we Koreans introduce ourselves," explained Sehong.
"Oh, just like the Japanese! You know what, I do find Korean culture very interesting," said Juan.
Getting along
Ever since their first conversation, Juan and Sehong continued swapping stories about their own culture and other practices. Juan also introduced Sehong to his friends. One day at the library, Juan observed that Sehong's posture was well composed while their other friends were just casually talking to the librarian: either their hands were on their backs or they were leaning on the table.
Juan was curious so he said, "Hey, ease up a bit. Do you really have to always stand in attention?"
"Not really." Sehong laughed. "It's just that in Korea, when you're talking to a superior, you have to maintain a good posture. It's a way of showing respect for the person you're talking to."
"I just realized that countries from East Asia have something in common," said Juan. "We all give importance to our superiors or elders."
Sehong seconded, "Yes, I noticed that too. I saw how you talked to your parents and the other teachers here. You always use po and opo. And I can't believe you too take off your shoes when entering your house!"
"You know what else? We all love rice!"
"I agree! And speaking of food, mother made kimchee for you. I hope you like it," said Sehong as they settled on their table for lunch.
Juan happily accepted the gift. "Wow! Please thank your mom for me."
"You're welcome. It's just a small token of appreciation. Mother wanted to thank you for accompanying me on my first day in school and up until now. I was really hesitant to talk to anyone back then because I don't know how people would accept me. I thought that the others won't understand my practices," admitted Sehong.
Juan too was glad that they became friends. "It's nothing, really! I just thought you needed company. Actually, I also want to thank you for letting me know and experience your customs firsthand. I learned that Filipinos and Koreans have a lot of things in common besides our love for rice."
"Looks like my sources were right; Filipinos are really friendly people! I'll surely enjoy my stay here," expressed Sehong.