As Seo Jun sprang up from the folding bed, Seo Eun-hye, who had been reading a pocket book, glanced at the clock. It hadn't even been ten minutes.
"Really didn't sleep?"
"Meditation!"
Whenever he saw his mother, a smile seemed to form on his face automatically. Seo Jun tried to stiffen his face. I can't smile. It's a big deal.
"Seo Jun Lee, it's almost time for the shoot."
Jonathan, who had been dealing with children's cries all day, called out from outside the tent with a nearly enlightened expression.
"Yes, I'll go. Let's go, Seo Jun."
"Okay."
Seo Jun, who had been trying to keep a straight face, took his mother's hand and walked out of the tent.
* * *
"Hahahaha! The mushroom is so pitiful!"
A large mercenary had his face buried in the table, sobbing loudly. His bulky comrades, sitting at the same table, only shook their heads and drank their ale.
"Why is he like that?"
A mercenary from another group, who knew him quite well, asked as he passed by. The mercenary leader closest to him clicked his tongue and spoke.
"We went on a mission to the mountains this time, and there were crying mushrooms. He was the one in front of us. As soon as he entered the crying mushroom's territory, he started crying. We were fine, but..."
"Since he couldn't act as a shield, we couldn't go on the mission and ended up like this."
The mercenary nodded.
"Crying mushrooms... Even if they were fully grown, if he cries like that, he should be fine by tomorrow evening."
"If he had been affected, he would have cried for half a day and it would have been over."
The mercenary leader shook his head, looking at a glutton who was eating without lifting his head from the table. The glutton looked up, realizing he was being talked about.
"Leader! I heard crying mushrooms are really delicious! We should have collected them yesterday!"
"Even if you could enter the territory, you wouldn't be able to collect them because you'd be crying. Still, they are very expensive because the supply is limited."
"Hey."
Someone joined the conversation of the mercenaries. From his appearance, with a brown cloth wrapped around his face and a large bag on his back, he seemed to be a herbalist mercenary. A child who looked like his apprentice was by his side.
"Where is the mountain with the mushrooms?"
The mercenary leader glanced at the herbalist and raised a finger, and the herbalist threw him a gold coin.
The herbalist and his apprentice slowly climbed into the mountain that the mercenary leader had pointed out. The mountain was rugged, with large rocks and tree roots entangled, and holes were dug here and there, with trees towering high.
"Master! You shouldn't give away gold coins so easily! How do you know they're really crying mushrooms!"
"They're not crying mushrooms..."
"Yes, yes. Herbalist mercenaries should use the correct official names! I get it. Laughing face mushrooms!"
"That bulky guy was definitely under an illusion spell. There's only one way to be under an illusion spell in this remote area where even mages can't see."
"I know, but a silver coin would have been enough!"
The herbalist, who had been walking ahead, stopped, and the apprentice fell silent. As the mercenary leader had said, three rocks were visible nearby.
"Somewhere around here."
"Let's look."
The two of them circled the rocks, looking for the laughing face mushrooms. With his experience, the herbalist could see small white spots.
It was a laughing face mushroom.
"Found it."
"I'll get ready!"
The apprentice put down his backpack and took out a crossbow. He tied a sturdy rope to the tip of the arrow.
Meanwhile, the herbalist slowly examined the laughing face mushroom's territory and chose a tree.
When the apprentice handed him the crossbow, the herbalist, who had found a sturdy tree, fired it.
"Hit!"
The apprentice, who had run to avoid the mushroom's territory, quickly tied the rope to a tree. The herbalist also tied the rope to a nearby tree.
Then, he connected another rope to the high-tensioned rope and tied it around his body.
"Be careful, Master."
"Sure."
The 'illusion spell of the laughing face mushroom' was a spell that affected anyone who entered the mushroom's territory and saw its laughing face.
This illusion spell, which only made the person feel a bit sorry or start crying upon seeing the mushroom, was the only way the laughing face mushroom protected itself.
The laughing face mushroom could be collected without seeing its face, but unfortunately, it had faces on all four sides. No matter which way you went, you would see the mushroom.
The herbalist had learned one method from his previous master.
The herbalist took out a thick cloth and covered his eyes. Then, he slowly approached the laughing face mushroom, relying on the rope tied to the tree.
A month later, two dishes of large and small laughing face mushrooms were served on the imperial emperor's table.
The apprentice, seeing the shiny bag of gold coins he received from the merchant, smiled brightly.
"I didn't know there would be baby mushrooms too! Getting double the reward! This will clear all Master's debts!"
Seeing the apprentice's smile, the herbalist stuffed a new debt notice into his own pocket.
* * *
Jonathan Will led Seo Jun and Seo Eun-hye to the shooting location.
Jonathan took a small teddy bear from the bag he had been carrying on his shoulder and handed it to Seo Jun. This was already the fifth time he had given it to him.
I hope the shooting ends soon. Honestly, I didn't have much hope for this child, Seo Jun Lee. Even older children would cry and make a fuss during shooting.
Despite his thoughts, Jonathan's mouth moved on its own.
"This is for the shoot, so keep it."
"Yes!"
With the teddy bear in one hand, the three of them headed towards where the staff were gathered in a circle.
The staff's expressions were not good, as the shooting had been going on all day. It was the fourth time they had failed to get a good take.
Seo Jun and Seu Eun-hye saw the staff surrounding a chroma key setup in the yard of an ordinary American home.
"You can wait here, and the actor should go to the director."
Seo Eun-hye gave Seo Jun a slight wave at Jonathan's words.
"Do well."
"Okay!"
Jonathan took Seo Jun's hand and headed towards Ryan Will, who was carefully examining the monitor.
Although he had checked it many times, he couldn't afford to be careless. Ryan, who had been comparing the image on the screen with what he had in mind, turned his head at Jonathan's call.
"Director, actor Seo Jun Lee has arrived."
"He's here. Let's do our best."
"Yes!"
Ryan Will got up from his chair and headed to the yard with Seo Jun. He placed Seo Jun in front of the chroma key structure that would become a wormhole in CG.
Seo Jun, who had been checking the tape-marked ground and surroundings, looked up at the door where Melissa would burst out. It was clearly visible.
[Checking the territory of the laughing face mushroom.]
From the door where Melissa would burst out, to the installed cameras, and to where Ryan's chair and some staff were located.
The areas within Seo Jun's sight turned blue. When he turned his head, the blue areas returned to their original state.
'People only have one face, so the territory is only this much.'
Seo Jun nodded. Since the camera would only capture his face, it didn't matter.
"Here, play with the teddy bear Jonathan gave you, and when Melissa calls, look up."
"I know!"
Seo Jun's confident answer made Ryan smile. Unlike other child actors who would shrink and start crying when he explained, this was a bold little kid. Still, he didn't stop giving advice.
"Barron will grab you, so don't be surprised."
"Hi, Jun."
Barron, wearing a green suit and with his fingers also covered in green cloth, waved from the gap in the chroma key fabric. Seo Jun also waved.
Seeing Seo Jun's relaxed demeanor, Barron wondered if he could expect a good performance this time. Ryan removed the tape from the ground and stood up.
"You can make as many mistakes as you want, so don't worry, or rather, don't be nervous. If you're cold, let me know."
"I'm fine!"
"I'm not fine."
Ryan chuckled and returned to his seat.
A cool breeze blew.
When Ryan Will, who was in front of the monitor, raised his hand, the staff fell silent.
Seo Eun-hye, who had been holding her breath, couldn't even sit in the prepared chair and stood watching Seo Jun.
She had been worried about her son, who hadn't smiled since they left the tent.
'Is he nervous?'
Seo Eun-hye, who was also experiencing a movie shoot for the first time, didn't know what to do. Na, who had finished a call, patted her shoulder. 'You'll do well,' 'Okay,' she whispered quietly.
Seo Jun, who had been checking the territory of the mushroom, turned his head to look at his mother and Aunt Na standing side by side.
Seeing his mother, who was nervously clasping her hands, he wanted to smile to reassure her, but, hmm, no, he can't. Seo Jun lifted his hands to smooth out the corners of his mouth, which he felt might rise involuntarily.
When the camera director looked at Ryan, Ryan nodded. Ryan called out loudly.
"Ready!"
Melissa, who was inside the house, holding the doorknob tightly, took a deep breath. It was the same line she had delivered several times today.
The line was just one word, "William!" but she had to express the anxiety and pain in it.
Barron, who was behind the chroma key fabric, also took a deep breath. Timing. What he needed to get right was the timing.
Seo Jun picked up the teddy bear.
* * *
A few months ago, Seo Jun watched a documentary. The famous actor, Swalin Anne, known for her outstanding acting, swept back her white hair and spoke.
[The foundation of acting, in my opinion, is understanding. Understanding the character's history.]
'History?'
Seo Jun, who was studying acting with his father, tilted his head.
Im Jun, lying on the floor, watched Seo Jun, who was drawing a worm with crayons in a large sketchbook, and stifled a laugh.
He didn't know that the worm-like drawing was a mix of monster letters, Korean, and English, which only Seo Jun could understand.
[It may seem difficult, but it's simple. Understanding how the character was born and grew up. For example, the main character of 'Soldier,' Benator...]
Swalin Anne talked about Benator's parents and growth, the reasons for his personality, and the motivations behind his actions in the movie.
[But there are characters for whom it's difficult to create a history. They are extras.]
[Even extras, who pass by the main characters without lines, have their own stories. But there's no reason for scriptwriters to create histories for such extras. They're busy, and it's useless.]
Swalin Anne, who had been smiling, suddenly stiffened. The atmosphere became serious as the middle-aged man with a strong face tightened his expression.
[Actors must understand even the nonexistent history of these extras.]
'How?'
Seo Jun, who had dropped his crayon, crawled to the front of the TV to sit down but was stopped by his father. Even in his father's arms, he couldn't take his eyes off Swalin Anne's serious face.
[Create it.]
[There are many clues. They're all in the script. Even the smallest clues must be analyzed and understood to create a history.]
So, Seo Jun created one. The clues were the teddy bear, his mother, and the smile.