Chapter Fifty-Five: The Movie

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The story takes place between June and November of 2005.

At the beginning of June, Jiang Yihan finally wrapped up all the promotion for his album and temporarily bid farewell to all variety shows, throwing himself fully into filming a movie. This left Kang Ho-dong feeling quite regretful, as Jiang Yihan had been performing increasingly well on variety shows, demonstrating impressive adaptability—his appearances always boosted ratings significantly. Because of this, every show extended olive branches to him. Kang Ho-dong and Yoo Jae-suk, benefiting from their close friendship with Jiang Yihan and Li Ran, held the advantage, and as a result, the ratings for the programs of these two national hosts soared over the past few months.

After finishing his promotional activities, Jiang Yihan quietly disappeared from the public eye, leaving only a brief message on his official café and website mentioning he would soon be acting in a film. Since the entire production process of "First Love," the movie, was highly confidential, Jiang Yihan’s sudden “disappearance” left many media outlets—so accustomed to including him in their editorial coverage—at a loss. Only Zhang Nian and Light Music, who had good relationships with him, received a vague tip.

The casting for the movie had been completed. Besides Jiang Yihan and Kim Jaejoong, two supporting actresses and the main characters’ family members were selected. No press conference was held; after a simple ritual on set, filming began.

Since both the makeup team and assistants had their own crews, Xu Xian and Jiang Ziyi enjoyed an extended break. However, as Jiang Yihan’s personal assistant, Jiang Ziyi still frequently appeared on set to help him out.

The first day of filming was extremely tense. Because of venue limitations, they had rented an elementary school that could only be used for two days, so all scenes had to be completed within that window—a tight schedule indeed.

Upon meeting Kim Jaejoong, Jiang Yihan was startled to see him walking with crutches. “Jaejoong, what happened? Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, I injured my knee while dancing,” Jaejoong replied with a wry smile. “I’ll probably have to sit out all our upcoming new song promotions.”

“What? How did that happen?” Jiang Yihan rushed over to help Jaejoong sit down.

“Our new song, Rising Sun, is our first release since switching to a new company, so we’ve been working extra hard.” Jaejoong set his crutches aside and rubbed his aching knee. “But the choreography is really tough, so I got hurt by accident.”

“How could you be so careless? Is it serious?” Jiang Yihan asked with concern.

“I can’t dance, but walking should be fine. So this movie will be my main focus for now.” Jaejoong looked regretfully at his feet. “Li Ran rearranged our schedule, but unfortunately, I can’t stand on stage with my teammates.”

Jiang Yihan patted Jaejoong on the shoulder; neither spoke further. For any singer, being unable to perform on stage is always a painful thing.

The character names for the film were also set. Jiang Yihan would play Han, and Kim Jaejoong would play Jae—names derived straight from their own. Unexpectedly, Jiang Yihan even knew one of the supporting actresses: Jin Xiaoxi.

It had been a long time since Jiang Yihan had seen her, and Jin Xiaoxi was still quite shy. “Yihan, hi…”

“Xiaoxi, what brings you here?” Jiang Yihan was pleasantly surprised.

“My professor recommended me, and I only found out after I got here that I’d be acting alongside you,” Jin Xiaoxi replied, her shyness unchanged.

Jin Xiaoxi played Jae’s girlfriend, Xi, in the film.

The other female supporting role was filled by a newcomer chosen through auditions, Han Zhihui, who played Hui—a girl secretly in love with Jiang Yihan’s character.

All of them were young and quickly became friends.

The production assistant came over to explain the upcoming scene to Jiang Yihan: “In this scene, you’re being bullied in a corner of the playground. Jae comes over to help, but because the other side has more people, you both get badly beaten.”

“Haha, two unlucky guys,” Jiang Yihan laughed. Kim Jaejoong, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but laugh as well. “So, should this scene have a more optimistic or tragic feel? What’s the mood?”

“I need a stubborn look from you—a defiant gaze, that’s all,” the assistant replied, using somewhat abstract terms. “As for Jae, I want to see reckless courage—a sense that you’re giving it your all. Since this is the first scene, you might find it hard to get into character, but don’t worry. Take your time, and it’ll all work out.”

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Encouraged by the assistant, the two actors were left alone.

Suddenly, Jiang Yihan felt the unsettling gaze of a peculiar man staring intensely at him, making him quite uneasy. “Excuse me, is there something you need?”

“Makeup,” the man blurted out, then immediately began working on Jiang Yihan’s face.

The large brush danced across Jiang Yihan’s skin as the makeup artist swapped out his tools repeatedly, taking about fifteen minutes before finally stepping back to inspect his work. He tilted his head in thought, then stepped forward to touch up a few spots before nodding in satisfaction. “Not used to it, are you?” he chuckled. “We always study your face carefully before applying makeup, figuring out what the director wants. You look fine now. Don’t worry—you’ll get used to this. It’s always like this on set.” With that, he called out, “Director, come check if the leads’ makeup is good.”

Park Young-ho, who was directing the background actors, handed the task over to an assistant and came over. He scrutinized both actors, then said, “Darken Yihan’s eyes and contour the cheekbones more—make him look thinner. Jae’s eyebrows need to be more defined and resolute. That should do it.” He left as abruptly as he came.

The makeup artist quickly complied. Once finished, he stepped outside the large sunshade, checked the weather, and then turned back. “The sun’s too strong—you need an umbrella.”

“Is that really necessary? Won’t it make me look pretentious?” Jiang Yihan asked, puzzled.

“You fool, the umbrella’s to keep your makeup from melting in the sun—my hard work would be ruined. It’s not about looking important; it’s about making sure the shoot goes smoothly. Got it?” the makeup artist replied, exasperated.

Jiang Yihan stuck out his tongue and exchanged a smile with Kim Jaejoong.

The two of them picked up umbrellas and walked to a corner of the playground. The assistant came over to brief them again: Jiang Yihan would be cornered and beaten by a group of classmates, and Kim Jaejoong would rush in to help, only to be beaten as well.

Park Young-ho approached. “Yihan, Jae, this is our first scene. It’s natural to be nervous, so try to relax. Let’s rehearse a few times.” He then explained the scene, blocking, and dialogue, and had everyone rehearse with scripts in hand to get a feel for it.

The main goal of rehearsal was to grasp the scene, form initial ideas about their performances, and perfect their movements to make the shots look complete and high-quality. After several run-throughs, everyone nodded their understanding, and they prepared to shoot for real.

With a shout of “Action!” filming began. The extras pushed Jiang Yihan, who stumbled backward and fell. They swarmed him, kicking as he shielded himself. When they finished, he looked up at them with a stubborn glare—the key moment of the scene.

The focus was on that look in Jiang Yihan’s eyes. After being kicked, he tried to channel “stubbornness” over and over in his mind. But after Park Young-ho shouted, “Cut! Yihan, that’s not it—it’s not hatred, it’s defiance, persistence,” he realized he was missing the mark.

Yihan nodded, still not quite understanding, and tried again, but with no better result. After thirty takes, his eyes felt like they might fall out, and Park Young-ho’s temper was clearly fraying as he shouted instructions. The crew was exhausted—one person shook out his aching arms after holding a reflector, another swapped out on the boom mic, and Kim Jaejoong looked worn out waiting on the sidelines. Yihan suddenly felt terrible for holding up the whole team with his struggle over one expression.

He stood and apologized repeatedly, but Park Young-ho cut him off, “Instead of apologizing, figure out how to act the scene right. Take a five-minute break!”

He pulled Yihan aside. “Yihan, it’s normal to be nervous, but you haven’t found the character’s mindset, so you can’t express his thoughts. That’s why the character isn’t coming alive. Think about it: if you really were this person, how would you look at the people hurting you? Think it through.” With that, Park Young-ho left him alone.

Yihan took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down and think.

This was a middle schooler named Han. After his parents died, he was ridiculed by immature classmates. After school, they came to provoke him, calling him unloved and unwanted, then beat him up. He couldn’t fight back, so all he could do was show that stubbornness in his eyes.

The more Yihan thought, the more clearly he imagined Han’s life—his once-happy home, the sudden loss of his parents, the loneliness, the ridicule at school. He should be angry, he should be sad. The image of Han’s life became vivid in his mind, until he felt he really was that boy.

Five minutes passed, but when a crew member came to call him back, Park Young-ho saw Yihan in a peculiar, introspective state and let him be.

After twenty minutes, Yihan finally had a complete picture of Han’s life, even beyond the script. At that moment, he felt Han and himself were one and the same.

He nodded to Park Young-ho, signaling that he was ready, and took his position.

Kim Jaejoong sent him a worried glance, but Yihan reassured him with a smile.

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They began filming again. After being pushed down, Yihan looked up with a deeply wounded gaze—there was something more in his eyes now. Park Young-ho nodded, pleased with the improvement. But Yihan suddenly waved his hand, saying, “Let’s go again—that wasn’t quite right.” Park Young-ho broke into a rare smile.

Twelve more takes followed—making forty-three in total. This time, when Yihan looked up, his eyes carried defiance, unwillingness, and a trace of sorrow. His lips were pressed tightly together, his hand clutching a fistful of sand.

“Cut! Excellent, excellent!” Park Young-ho shouted. The crew erupted in applause. Jiang Yihan had finally completed his first scene, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Next came Kim Jaejoong’s entrance. With a shout of, “Stop!” they shot five versions from different angles—including Yihan’s surprised reaction and the extras turning around.

“Jae, that wasn’t right—you blocked Yihan,” the director instructed.

Blocking refers to how actors position themselves for the camera at various angles, ensuring the best shot. Mastery of blocking takes extensive on-set experience, so newcomers need plenty of time to learn.

In the end, it took nearly thirty retakes for Kim Jaejoong and Jiang Yihan to finish their first scene.

Neither of them had any experience with acting, blocking, lighting, or makeup; they had to learn everything from scratch, so progress was slow.

The entire crew worked around the clock for two days and nights at the school, barely managing to finish on time. By then, Jiang Yihan could barely keep his eyes open, collapsing into a lounge chair between takes—he had reached his physical and mental limits, snatching every spare moment to rest.

Finally, they moved to the next main setting: Han’s home.

The first scene to be shot there was a farewell—the same one Kim Junsu had mentioned earlier.

They started with Kim Jaejoong’s part. Sitting in the car, he was to look out the window, give Jiang Yihan a sad glance, and murmur, “Take care,” before sitting back down. Even though the camera was on Jaejoong, Yihan still stood in position to help feed him his lines.

Jaejoong looked out the window, his face full of sorrow, but suddenly burst out laughing—it turned out that Yihan was making silly faces at him. “Director Park, you can’t blame me—Yihan’s making faces to make me laugh!” he protested, setting off a round of laughter on set.

Jaejoong feigned anger. “Just wait—when I help you with your scene, you’re in trouble.”

Yihan’s answer was another goofy face.

In the end, Jaejoong’s sad farewell scene took fifteen takes to get right. Then they filmed inserts: exterior shots of the car, the route, and long shots of the two of them.

Next came Yihan’s most difficult scene: the sorrowful silhouette and silent tears. He took his time preparing, reviewing Han’s life in his mind, calming his emotions before stepping up.

This time, Jaejoong was simply there to feed him lines, standing nearby but without performing.

At first, Yihan’s sorrowful back began to tremble, and eventually he collapsed—Jaejoong had playfully knocked him over. But this time, Jaejoong didn’t fool around for long, knowing how tough the scene was, and that any more antics would only trouble the whole crew.

Yihan quickly slipped into character. He hunched his back a little, drew in his chest, kept his gaze level but slightly downward, and let his arms hang limply at his sides. He added a subtle detail: a slight tremor in his right hand before slipping it into his pocket. Park Young-ho praised him, and they shot a few more angles for coverage.

The final footage was even better than Park Young-ho had hoped, confirming his faith in Yihan’s talent. Yihan’s gift for acting was gradually emerging, though it still required nurturing and time to truly flourish.