Inspired by Milan Kundera's book "Identity"
Gender-neutral
Fluff
Warnings: if bad French translations bother you, then don't read this
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When Yoohyeon first told you she had started learning French, you didn't pay much mind. She was an academic and loved learning new languages so it wasn't much of a surprise. After all, she was already proficient in English and was learning Mandarin and German pretty quickly. You were surprised at first since she was easily one of the most forgetful people you knew, but she proved you wrong after listening to her talking to a Chinese fan with ease. She clearly wouldn't have many issues learning another language. There was also the added benefit of being able to interact with more fans who spoke different languages and it was perfect motivation to continue her studies.
The main thing that was surprising to you though, was that she wanted you to help her. While Yoohyeon was an academic and picked up languages fast, you stood on the other end of that spectrum. Learning new languages definitely wasn't your strong suit. Languages interested you, but you weren't that confident in learning new ones. A part of you wanted to say no, but Yoohyeon wasn't one to give up easily.
At the end of the day, your girlfriend was adamant and she explained that she just wanted you to listen to her speak. A part of you had no idea how it would help her to learn French, but listening to Yoohyeon's voice wasn't going to be difficult and hearing her French would be fun. There was no reason to deny her request.
So since that day, you and Yoohyeon would sit down once a week after dinner and she would recite new words and phrases she learned during her spare time.
It started off simple. Simple enough for you to understand the words she would say. Things like "oui", "non", "bonjour", and "au revoir" were basic stuff and you would go along with her, complimenting her pronunciation and whatnot based on your limited knowledge of the European language.
But as days went on, the difficulty ramped up. From easy words, Yoohyeon progressed into full sentences and it got harder for you to follow.
"Bonjour! Je m'appelle Yoohyeon. Comment t'appelles tu?"
It took a moment to search your brain for the little French you had picked up on. "Je m'appelle (y/n). Comment ça va?"
"Ça va bien! Et tu?" Yoohyeon was significantly faster than you as she quickly responded to you.
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Since then, you were pretty lost during Yoohyeon's self-teaching sessions. While she would speak, all you could do was nod and listen to her pronunciation and even then, you weren't sure how well she was doing.
And it seemed like it was the same for her groupmates whenever you were at their dorms. Yoohyeon would recite her knowledge with her friends and they were just like you. Rather lost, but still holding on. Some would just smile and nod while others would try their hardest to understand what Yoohyeon was saying, though would ultimately fail.
So at least you weren't alone in this.
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Of course, when Yoohyeon and the rest of Dreamcatcher had their comeback looming, there was little time for her to polish up her French. Days were long and tiring and by the time the day's practice was over, your hardworking girlfriend would go straight to sleep. It also became rather hard for you to see her since she was busy constantly.
Still, there was always contact between the two of you.
Yoohyeon would always send you good morning and good night texts along with some updates that were interesting to say the least. They would usually be about the chaos that was occurring in their dorms, primarily centred around SuA and her hectic personality.
