Someone That I left Behind

Memory of Mhee

P'Mhee

Since the merger of Motive into a larger conglomerate, we only became a subdivision specializing in actors and music groups, a small fish in a big sea of other subdivisions. The director, Mr. Kla was a known businessman in the country. He was tall, well-built and looked polish. A rich man indeed. Although I rarely involved in a direct meeting with the director, stories were told, that he was ruthless and very result oriented. For a company liked Motive that was previously led by a fatherly figure liked P'Toei, this was liked as different as night and day. The pressure had already caused some longtime Motive employees to leave and work for other small budding companies. They said their energy to work in the industry were gone working in a pressure pot liked that.

The reason for the visit into the director room was none other than a deal that involved Joong. Being a mere manager, I was just a spectator in the executive room. P'Toei was arguing with P'Kla for the tenth times.

"You'd already decided for Joong before explaining to him first?"

"Why should I? This project will lead us into an international market. Both for the company and also for Joong".

"There's plenty of space for discussion first, Mr. Kla. This is like asking him to go to war without weapon".

"This is just another project Toei, you're exaggerating the comparison. Why should I let a kid decide? We, the adult should plan and decide, he just needs to execute".

"Khun, that "kid" as you said, is working his hardest already. Now, 3 concurrent projects, right after that, you wanted him to be isolated for months, and then continue filming after? When will he rest? What about the time off you promised him so he can spend ample time with his family? What about his study, defer again until next semester?"

"Toei, you've been in the industry longer than I do, yet you couldn't you see this from a business side? Tell me you think that this is not good for business, then I'll agree with what you said".

P'Toei just stayed quiet. He couldn't deny the truth in Mr. Kla's arguments.

"I trust you can talk to Joong, make sure he understands. He must agree, or else the lawsuit for breach of contract won't be cheap".

****************

"Shouldn't Nine know about this too?", I asked P'Toei after we left the director's office.

P'Toei just shook his head, "He needs to concentrate on his exams, and also, the separation will benefit Nine too in the long run.".

"What are you talking about P'Toei?"

"Nine is just as talented Mhee. Fans are too obsessed of them being together. He couldn't stay being paired up with Joong forever. Sent him to auditions after the exam, he should venture into other genre too".

***********

I looked at Joong and Nine that sat huddled together at the corner or the training room. That was a common view when they were with each other, nothing surprised me anymore.

There're already 3 projects undergoing for Joong now after the end of the previous series. He looked a little thin, but maybe that was also because of his growing state and proper fitness routine, he started to lose all those baby fats and looked fit. The time that was supposed to be a rest period in between shooting, was spent with Nine.

The new project for Joong would start in 2 months. This was a major deal. After all his hard work, that countless auditions and extras appearances. A production with international investors, the shooting wouldn't be just in Asia but also part of Europe. They wanted someone who's multilingual and could portray both the good and the bad guy, two sides of a coin that would keep the viewers guessing which side to root for.

Yet, how to convey in words, the condition that they required Joong to do? To be trained in isolation, with emphasis in building up the character's feeling; light and darkness. Hollywood actors did this all the time, immersing themselves into a character way before filming started, and willing to go beyond extreme in the name of perfecting the art.

Joong, although he had a mature appearance, that boy was still young. Tall, well-built and coupled with a face like a fallen dark angel, no wonder the production was delighted to cast him. But, would he be able to face such a big challenge, physically and emotionally? So, I was excited for this deal and also agitated.

An entertainment subdivision that managed actors as a core business needed projects in this scale to keep running. I acted like a friend and a brother to the actors under my care, but again, I knew, this industry was cutthroat and won't allow for softness. It's either gives your all, or else have nothing. Too many budding companies, too many actors. The same bread to feast on. The last one to act would only be left with crumbs.

I cared about Joong. That boy already lived far from his family. He found an extended family in Nine's. They were too used to be together. It was easier to count the day they were not with each other than the other way around. They both needed to venture into more projects to widen their wings and experiences, yet this closeness seemed to cause a major headache when it came to pair them up with someone else. Because, there're too many instances in this industry, of backlashes endured by new pairings.

I rub my head as a heavy feeling befall me. Somehow, I needed to be the unwanted side of the coin before Joong even acted as one. The company had decided to sign the deal. Now, the hard part was put on my shoulder, to talk to Joong about the condition that he needed to fulfil. Also, since he would be paired with an actress, part of the promotion was for both of them to be seen having an ideal relationship on and off work.

There's only so much acting one could do, chemistry must be built between two actors for people to be invested in a couple and ensure a successful pairing. It's the same pattern used while promoting the previous series, but now with a new person. Usually, I was happy for magic to happen on the set between co-actors, it felt better if they were really comfortable with one another than to force a fake, made up relationship for the sake of a contract deal. But this time, I was a little afraid to hope for that to happen.

I would miss seeing this two together, and didn't have the heart to disturb whatever short time they got now. Their relationship was young, insecure and confusing. They'd yet to find a name to define it. People were pressing for confirmation and they chose to be neutral. They just let themselves be, so did I.

Pandora box!!!, my mind was screaming.

Let it stay close. Let it be.

Never would I have thought, a fire had just started and bridge would be burnt.