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Giju Kim

Mr. Lynn

English

09/13

Checkmate

“Bust” The dealer swept away the last of Jesse West’s chips, leaving him completely broke, again. It was a familiar word. A word he had heard too many times over the past few months.

“God dammit man. How do I always manage to lose it?” Jesse said to himself. Like always, his pockets were empty, and the winnings he once had were all gone.

21 year old Jesse West was once a very smart student. He dropped out of university, thinking Las Vegas would give him the thrill he felt he needed in life. What he found instead was a spiral of bad decisions, mostly centered around casino tables. Working as a server at a breakfast restaurant covered his rent and food. Whatever money left went towards gambling. In only three months, Vegas had the better of him.

Later that week, Jesse found himself at the blackjack table again. He had already lost $300 earlier in the evening, and, having nothing left to lose, made the fatal error of breaking his only promise to himself, gambling away his rent and food money. The sunset was dark and foreboding as Jesse walked out the front door of the casino. Where should I go now?  What can I do? How can I get myself out of this terrible situation?  Suddenly, a black Cadillac slowed down in front of him.  The back door opened, and a heavy gentleman wearing a black suit beckoned him inside. Jesse looked around and realized the man was talking to him, so he nervously approached.

“My name is Franco Ricci. You look like you need my help. Get in.”

Although Jesse figured this guy was probably a loan shark, he knew he had no other choice.  Franco offered to loan him $50,000 to pay off his gambling debts. The agreement was that Jesse would return $100,000 within one month. The ultimate gamble… could he do it? Intrigued by the challenge, Jesse shook Franco’s hand and accepted the money.

Jesse couldn’t sleep much after the meeting with Franco Ricci. Everytime he closed his eyes, all he saw was the countdown ticking in his head. The thought of turning $50,000 to $100,000 in one month, it was like the loan was a lifeline. Days slipped by, and no matter how hard Jesse tried, no matter what schemes he thought of, he couldn’t find a way to possibly double the money.

Franco started sending messages.

“Time’s running out”

“We don’t like waiting, Jesse.”

Then came the anonymous phone calls, telling Jesse that Franco isn’t the guy to mess with. That they knew where he lived, and that it wouldn’t be long before they found him. Jesse was terrified as he knew these were serious people he was dealing with. Knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to pay back, Jesse packed up everything he had and fled Las Vegas.

New York City was the perfect place to hide. Due to the tall buildings and the crowded streets, Jesse thought it wouldn’t be easy for Franco to track him. Jesse wandered the streets of NYC, trying to figure out how he could make the money. One day, while walking through Washington Square Park, he noticed a big crowd gathered around tables. “ Checkmate, kid. Better luck next time.”

They were chess hustlers playing for cash. It looked easy, the way they were collecting money, opponent after opponent. “This is perfect,” Jesse said. “I can do this.”

But Jesse wasn’t going to rely on skills alone as he knew he didn’t stand a chance against the hustlers. He needed a way to guarantee his win. He found a small handheld chess engine which was capable of calculating moves faster and accurately than any human. Jesse was thrilled, knowing that he would be able to cheat his way through games and win money.

The next day, Jesse showed up at the park again.

“Mind if I sit in for a game?” Jesse asked a chess hustler.

“20 bucks” the hustler said.

“20 bucks it is,” Jesse replied confidently, handing over the money. Jesse took a deep breath as he slid his chess engine out of his pocket. They set up the pieces and shook hands, beginning the game. The hustler moved quickly and aggressively, trying to intimidate Jesse, however, Jesse responded to each and every move precisely, thanks to his little engine. As the game progressed, Jesse noticed a few spectators watching from the side.

Finally, after a few minutes, Jesse delivered the checkmate. The hustler was in disbelief, knowing he had been outplayed. “ You just beat the best man we’ve got here. No one takes him down like that”

One of the spectators said with a mix of confusion and respect. Jesse gathered his winnings and slipped them into his pocket. He walked away in excitement. “$40 just from a game of chess? I can do this forever!” Jesse thought he could finally make a change in the massive debt he owed.

He continued to hustle not only in Washington Square Park, but in many different parks. The money was slowly adding up, but also his anxiety. A few days after the first win, came a message from an unknown number that sent chills down his spine.

“We know where you are, Jesse.”

Later that week, Jesse on his way back to a motel was approached by a man in a black suit.         “I hear you’re doing quite well with the chess games. Just thought you should know that the people you’re trying to run away from, they’re good at finding people.”

Jesse started walking faster. “What do you mean?”

“ I mean that they don’t like waiting any more than you do. We have ways of making sure people keep their promises.”

Before Jesse could even answer, the man disappeared into the crowd. The encounter confirmed the mafia was indeed getting closer to him. Jesse immediately got on his phone and sent a message to Franco.

“Please Franco, there’s no need for this. Just give me a few more weeks.”

“ Sure, Jesse. Sure.” Franco replied menacingly.

Although Jesse was terrified, he was determined to repay the money. Jesse began entering local chess tournaments with a bigger prize money. As the deadline approached, Jesse entered a major tournament with a grand prize that matched exactly what he needed to make up the $100,000. The competition was tough, but he made it to the final and won, thanks to the chess engine.

“I finally did it. I can start a new life.” Jesse extended his hand to his opponent, Gilbert, offering a handshake. Gilbert accepted the handshake, but before Jesse could fully enjoy his victory, he felt a sudden wave of dizziness and collapsed to the ground.

Gilbert calmly left the building. Outside, was a black Cadillac waiting for him. He slid into the back seat, where Franco Ricci was on the other end of the call.

“I got it done, boss,”   Gilbert said into his phone.

There was a brief pause before Franco’s voice came through, filled with satisfaction.

“ Welcome to the mafia”

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Bell Ringer 10/21

1. Submarine Snack Attack!
Captain Nemo invites you to dine on some exotic underwater cuisine (think giant squid steak or seaweed sushi). Describe what this meal would be like, but here's the catch—you have to use the five senses (taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch) in your description. Feel free to make it as wild as possible!

2. Sub-Aquatic Selfie
Imagine you are a 19th-century influencer aboard the Nautilus. You're about to post a selfie with one of the creatures you've encountered in these chapters. Write the perfect caption (with hashtags!) to capture this moment for your followers. Don't forget to highlight any “epic” adventures or mysterious sea life!

3. Nautilus Yelp Review
After spending weeks aboard the Nautilus, it's time to leave a Yelp review. Write a short review (positive, negative, or mixed) from Professor Aronnax’s perspective about his experience living under the sea with Captain Nemo. Consider the food, living conditions, entertainment, and, of course, the dangerous sea creatures!

4. What’s Your Nautilus Nickname?
Captain Nemo seems like the kind of guy who gives out cool nicknames. Based on your personality or your favorite sea creature from these chapters, create your Nautilus nickname. Explain why Nemo would call you that and what role you'd take on the ship—are you a cartographer? A jellyfish whisperer? Or maybe a deep-sea DJ?

5. Sea Monster or Misunderstood?
In chapters 8-15, we see some fascinating sea creatures. Imagine you could interview one of these “monsters” for a deep-sea documentary. What question would you ask them, and how do you think they would respond? Be as funny or dramatic as you like—these creatures might have surprising stories to tell!

What’s your Nautilus Nickname?

My Nautilus nickname would be the “shredder”. Captain Nemo would call me this because I would lift everyone’s spirits with my W GOATed guitar solos whenever they feel down. I would be the ship’s cheerleader and keep the crew motivated and energized with music during long journeys or tough times. Call me Giju Hendrix if you will!

_____________________________________________________________
In act 2, Oberon and Puck uses magic to control other’s emotions. Do you think using magic)or any kind of power) to change someone’s feelings is fair? Why or why not?

No, I don’t think using magic to control someone’s feelings is fair. It takes away their ability to think and choose for themselves. I think people should have control over their own emotions instead of being forced to feel a certain way.

________________________________________________________________

A new app allows people to relive any memory in perfect detail. However, there’s a catch: each time you use it, you forget a different memory. Would you use it? Why or why not?

I wouldn’t use the app because I think my memories, good and bad, help make me who I am today. Every experience teaches us important lessons that help us grow as a person, and by using the app, I might lose something that has shaped me. Plus, I think memories are as valuable as they are because they are only in our minds. The fact that we can’t recreate or relive them is what gives them their unique value. In conclusion, I don’t think it’s worth losing a specific memory just to relive one memory perfectly.

One Song to Represent Spring break?

If i could choose one song to represent my spring break, it would be the lazy song by Bruno Mars. This is because I spent most of the break relaxing, doing nothing productive. Although I did go to Gabe’s a lot, we only got minimal schoolwork done.

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XB5fSPwWKRVjIUR8tdOPQK5bFKXeE9Ji52VL1VE5zwo/edit?usp=sharing

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iXK2xvWapJQiyMFprwoNuNxDj6UtfJfJj8z4hidqb-k/edit?tab=t.0

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hi-mtg1YQ5oFqpT-m39yFZfdvAfkep2j/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yLc6gOsgcFt7VgohNJdUul3nMG2ysWaQ?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rAMCWstotEj9a7OhA4deyIinE_COUqTS/view?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1otutQLaxAFun9x33RBG1HMHb9X3zYL2-XcelsIqGzqg/edit?tab=t.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hGzCf1Nz6D56yUkCQ8pf9rda6NQ7rfkHHiCFA_Egh2M/edit?tab=t.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HWJtCDZw8U19vXS2XmkXThE8rUg-_aGOUhT9HFAxOsk/edit?tab=t.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vfh_D4GVc1nC8BVsl2dS_ilx9KpVzMIzgtBJuFIxSxc/edit?tab=t.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qE6x6llJ3qkzWY28VBjpLVsmCdDk5P0yXP86GkTeyTk/edit?tab=t.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lwRgPcB-L26COfkbM6VWgsfZ7XcI5y1Esk5DfR4a250/edit?tab=t.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zThdZ67R0gj6c1xHDR04t4lRRRmeGouYW13JzqqL9-o/edit?tab=t.0

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Your Summer Break

The first few weeks of my summer break were filled with things I like, one of them being Fortnite, a video game. At first, I was filled with joy and nostalgia, reminiscing about playing with my friends in elementary school. It was only until the new season update when things started to feel wrong about the game. They had added overpowered supercars into the game and it felt impossible to win without using them. It’s like the whole point of the game changed. I wanted the old Fortinte back. I slowly started playing less and less because I got mad every time . Eventually, I raged so hard that I deleted the app on the spot, and that was the end of Fortnite for the summer. I’ll probably come back to it soon and repeat the same cycle.

Mid summer break was a bit discouraging. Since I didn’t have many plans and hadn’t had much fun, it made the idea of going back to school even more stressful. Looking at my brothers having the most fun from their computer and phone screens was just depressing. At one point, I told mom that I wanted to get out of Gwangju. She immediately started searching for places to stay as she felt the same way. We decided on a nice pension in 남해 close to a beach and started packing up. The next day, we headed off, first to the beach. I really enjoyed it since it had been ages since I'd last visited one. After a few hours of sun and sand, we went to our pension and had a barbeque. The food was delicious, and it felt great to relax. I also managed to eat a whole can of pringles in like 10 minutes. Let’s just say I definitely regretted that later, as I had one of the most devastating, gut wrenching, and painful stomachaches of my life. Anyway, the trip was great overall, and I felt refreshed.

The rest of my summer break was filled with small but cool trips to the beach. I remembered  that I actually liked going to beaches after the 남해 trip, so that sort of started a series of beach trips with my mom. Our first trip was to a beach we often went to when I was younger. Although I only had good memories of it, this time I was a bit disappointed. The surface was incredibly muddy and the strong wind was blowing sand into our eyes.

However, we soon discovered one of the best beaches we’d ever been to, not long before school started. It was about a 2 hour drive from home, located in 부안. We must’ve gone there about five or six times during the last two weeks of break, including the last day. The best part about it was how private it was, even though the beach itself was fantastic.

Overall, those last trips to the beach was really what made my summer break memorable and helped me come back to school feeling well rested and refreshed.

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I am half Korean and Canadian, although I was born in Korea and lived here my entire life. All of the education I got was from Korean public schools up to 7th grade. Afterward, I transitioned to KFS, where I've started learning in a more international setting.

Outside of school, I have a deep passion for chess. I started playing because of an activity class in school. The seriousness came when I lost to my friend David. I felt stupid for some reason, and started studying a lot by watching Youtube and reading books. My interest for the game only got higher the more I learned about it. Before I knew it, chess had become my favourite part of the day, whether I was learning or playing. It just makes me feel relaxed. Maybe it's because it makes me look smarter than I actually am, but chess will always mean something special to me.