Mommy Issues.
It was something that a lot of people in this generation had.
It was also a fact June was hugely aware of. Therefore, he wanted to portray the feelings of more than a million teens in Korea and around the world in the scene he was going to act in.
What was it truly like to be unloved by your mother?
June felt pretty challenged since he didn't have a script that would guide him. Fortunately, improvising was a skill he took pride in.
Director Jam and the other staff gathered behind the cameras as June and the actress playing his mother took their positions.
Taehyun, Hana, and some of the other actors also decided to stay, curious and intrigued by how June was going to portray this particular scene without a formal script.
"Quiet on the set," Director Jam exclaimed.
"Ready the slate."
"3…2…1…Action!"
June closed his eyes and got into character. Then, he opened them with a soft sigh before facing the cameras, determined to get this scene in only one take.
The sun was dipping as Jian made his way back home. His footsteps were lighter than usual as he yet again mastered another skill. He was excited to tell his mother about it, wondering if he could finally enter a school in the city with a scholarship.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})His heart beat fast in his chest as he approached the familiar gate of their lords' extravagant home. He pushed it open and walked into the yard, his eyes immediately drawn to the figure of his mother hanging laundry in the fading light.
Director Jam watched intently, nodding in satisfaction as he saw how June was projected on the screen. His make-up was meticulously done, making him appear younger than his age. It was a plus since they didn't need to hire a younger actor to portray this particular scene.
June alone sufficed.
Moreover, his expression showed a youthful energy, making him look even younger than his age. There was a hint of joyfulness in his eyes that couldn't be seen in the former scenes they had filmed, which was a small yet profound detail that Director Jam noticed.
"Mother," Jian called out, his voice tinged with curiosity. "I see you've packed some things," he said, glancing at the luggage on the side of the table. "Are we going on a trip?"
His mother turned to him, her gentle face painted with determination and coldness.
"Yes, Jian," she replied softly, her voice barely audible over the rusting of the clothes in the breeze.
"Cool," Jian chimed, sitting under the small pavilion of her mother's lord. "Where are we going?"
His mother pursed her lips and stayed silent for a couple of seconds.
"We're not going together."
Confusion clouded Jian's features. "Not together? Where are you going then?"
His mother paused, her hands stilling for a moment before she continued to pin a shirt to the line. "You are going to your father," she said, her words devoid of any warmth.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Jian's heart skipped a beat. "Father? But... why? I've been fine here, haven't I?"
Her face remained unchanged as she finally faced Jian, letting go of one of his clothes and letting it fall to the dirty ground.
A look of hurt flickered across Jian's face as he watched the piece of white cloth being stained by the gravel. However, it was swiftly masked with what seemed to be hope.
Hana shook her head as she watched the scene through the screen.
"This guy, really. He has grown into a good actor in such a short amount of time," she muttered.
Taehyun also watched intently as he snacked on some sweet chestnut jellies. He felt himself getting sucked into June's acting, finding himself unable to look away since he felt like he was also learning from the younger actor's expressions.
"Your father can offer you a better life, Jian," she explained, her voice steady. "It's time for you to go to him. I have taken care of you long enough."
Jian felt like the ground had been pulled from beneath him. His father, whom he barely knew, was suddenly the solution to all their problems?
It didn't make sense.
"But mother," he protested, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Why? Why now? And why do I have to leave you?"
June's gaze showed his protest of the situation. Moreover, it appeared like he was silently telling his mom that it would be all right for him to go to his father—just as long as she was going to join him.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})His mother's gaze softened as she met his eyes, but there was a distance there—a coldness that sent shivers down Jian's spine. "Because it's what's best for you, Jian," she whispered. "You must go as soon as possible."
"They are in need of a new messenger. You are not a useless yielder, so you will be treated nicely by his family," she said.
Tears welled up in June's eyes, the feeling of rejection finally hitting him.
This wasn't the mother he knew—the warm and loving woman who had always been there for him.
She seemed like a stranger, a puppet of fate with her strings pulled by forces beyond her control.
For a long moment, they stood there in silence, with the only sound being the gentle fluttering of the laundry in the evening breeze. Jian wanted to reach out to his mother, to hold her close and never let go, but something held him back. There was a wall between them now, built of secrets and sacrifices, and he didn't know if he could ever tear it down.
However, just as the camera focused on June's face, his expression suddenly turned into that of determination, surprising Director Jam for his sudden shift in portrayal.
Even though he didn't give the actors a script, he also already had a plot in mind. Someone who had seen the process of the production would also have this kind of thought.
Jian is a pushover, and that is why he accepts everything that Yian orders him to do for more than half of the movie. That was Jian's character—one that was strangely kind, easily manipulated, yet never clumsy.
He was the type of character that people would love regardless of their stand on the plot, so Director Jam wondered why June was showing a different character than what most of the staff and even Risa, the writer, had anticipated.
As he stared at June's handsome face on the screen, he tilted his head to the side in inquiry.
"Why…does he look so stubborn?" Director Jam muttered.
