In fact, even within the entertainment industry in Korea, there is a clear hierarchy among celebrities. Generally speaking, the highest status in the Korean entertainment industry belongs to film directors, followed by TV drama directors, film actors, TV drama actors, musicians, idols (the kind that Mark King remembers, like Sica and Krystal), and at the very bottom, comedians. Among these, film is considered a form of art, and a successful film director in Korea can even become the Minister of Culture. Film and TV actors are also seen as holding jobs that are slightly above those of ordinary people, and in a country like Korea where reputation is everything, they are considered people of some status. When it comes to idol singers, although they are the most popular, most loved by teenagers, and the profession most teenagers aspire to, in the eyes of older people, this profession is already seen as slightly below the average social status. Comedians fare even worse, and the current situation is that unless they transition from being professional hosts, many comedians come from poorer backgrounds. Of course, Mark King also knows that as times change, these status differences will become increasingly blurred, and the popularity gap among celebrities themselves will also be somewhat leveled. In a few years, as idols riding the Korean Wave begin to frequently cross over into other fields, the distinctions between these professions will become less clear. He also knows that after 2013, a comedian named Yoo Jae-suk, almost single-handedly and with a magnanimous and unselfish attitude, shattered these hierarchical differences, staging a reversal for comedians at the very bottom.

　　Back to the point, Mark King's grandfather was not upset because he was going to act in a movie and become a child star. Rather, it was because he heard that the film would be shot in North Gyeongsang Province, and that it would be a closed shoot in the mountains for a month or two. His grandson had just arrived, and now he was going to suffer in the mountains, which made him quite unhappy. But after hearing that the contract had already been signed, and that his own son seemed to have invested in the film, he could only reluctantly let it go.

Chapter 4: A Swift Wrap

　　On June 7, 1999, in North Gyeongsang Province, the new work of up-and-coming female director Emily Thompson, "The Way Home" (Chinese title: "Love, Go Home"), officially began filming without any press releases or hype. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Mark King's scenes had already started on a train dozens of miles away.

　　After reading the script, Mark King no longer thought this movie would be a flop. He was now earnestly filming the first scene.

　　The first scene was simple: a lively child behaving like a typical city brat on the train—playing with toys, whistling, and absentmindedly asking his mother sitting next to him: Is that grandma deaf? Can she speak? Will she bother me? Is she fierce? How old is she?

　　The child's mother, with a face full of worry, could only respond to the child intermittently and helplessly.

　　Mark King performed very well; child actors really don't need much acting skill, just to listen and follow directions. In fact, Mark King didn't have much acting skill, so when the assistant director told him to look down and play with toys on the train while smiling, he did just that. When told to play with toys in the car, he did the same. When told to turn his head and look at the chatty aunt with a straight face, he could do that smoothly as well. The scenes on the train and in the car were quickly and successfully completed.

　　That afternoon, Mark King arrived at the film location and met the other lead actor, the elderly Irene King. The old lady was 74 years old, her back was badly hunched, and she lived in a mountain village in North Gyeongsang Province (the film's shooting location). She had never been anywhere outside the town at the foot of the mountain in her entire life, and had raised one son and two daughters with the help of over a hundred walnut trees in her yard.

　　Everyone thought that filming this movie would be a long and difficult process. But in the following month, something amazing happened. Neither Emily Thompson nor Mark King, nor any of the crew, expected the filming to go so smoothly. In fact, on the fourth day of July, after only 25 days of shooting, the film officially wrapped.

　　The reason for all this was the great chemistry between young Mark King and the elderly Irene King, who played the mute grandmother. Neither of them had even a minute of filming experience before, but starting from the twentieth day of shooting, there were almost no more NGs (no good takes). In just five days, they finished the emotional scenes that were originally expected to take twenty days or more.

　　Of course, this was also related to the special nature of the film. There were only seven characters with more than a minute of screen time, and the core characters were the grandmother and grandson. The rest were mostly scenes of villagers passing by with ox carts or pulling carts along the road. In fact, 70% of the film's lines were concentrated on Andrew, and 20% on the other two child actors. So, once the two leads developed good chemistry, the entire filming process sped along rapidly.