[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “When I come to Korea, it feels like coming home. I hope many of you will come to the theaters to see *The Flowing Journey*.”

Actor Justin Min shared his reasons for appearing in the film “A Flowing Journey” and his thoughts on the project at the press screening held on the 16th at CGV Yongsan in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Actors Kim Hye-ok, Justin Min, Park Dae-ho, and director Kim Jin-yu attended the event.

“A Flowing Journey” tells the story of “Chun-hee,” who, after losing her husband, was preparing for a journey of her own when she encounters unexpected connections in her new apartment, causing a new melody to begin flowing through her once-quiet daily life. Kim Hye-ok plays Chun-hee, and Justin Min plays Min-jun.

Justin Min stated, “I’ve been looking for projects to work on in Korea for several years, and as soon as I received the script, I fell in love with the character and the film,” adding, “As a Korean-American, I felt a deep connection to it.”

Describing the atmosphere on set, he said, “The process of Chun-hee and Seong-chan getting to know each other was similar to my own process of getting to know Ms. Kim Hye-ok and actor Park Dae-ho as Justin Min.” He continued, “There’s something in Korea called ‘jeong,’ isn’t there? It’s hard to define in English, but while filming, I realized, ‘This is what jeong is.’”

Justin Min’s conception of family also extends beyond blood ties. “I think the family portrayed in this film is one connected by the heart—a chosen family,” he explained. “I saw this as a film about people who have lost someone finding ways to connect with one another.”

Park Dae-ho, who took on the role of Seong-chan in this film—marking his acting debut—is actually a musician. He is currently a member of the CMK Ensemble (a program composed of classical music scholarship recipients from the Hyundai Motor Group Chung Mong-koo Foundation) and is set to graduate from the Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts). Playing the role of Seong-chan, he revealed that he focused on expressing the character’s emotions based on his experience as a musician.

Park Dae-ho said, “Since this was my first time acting, I tried to blend into the film naturally and portray the character of Seong-chan without seeming awkward,” adding, “Whenever I struggled, the director and fellow actors helped me pull it off.”

He actually performed the piano scenes in the film himself. Park Dae-ho explained, “When I play normally, I focus on how perfectly I can perform the piece itself, but when acting out a performance, I focused on the emotions Seong-chan was feeling as he played.”

He also cited the scene where Chun-hee and Seong-chan play the piano together as a particularly memorable moment. Park Dae-ho remarked, “I think I shed quite a few tears even while filming that scene.”

“Flowing Journey” is the second feature film from director Kim Jin-yu of “I Am Barley”—a film that made a name for itself at domestic and international film festivals—and marks his return to the big screen after six years.

Director Kim introduced himself as a CODA (a hearing child of deaf adults) with deaf parents. Explaining why he used subtitles throughout the entire film, he said, “It was for the sake of accessibility for the deaf community,” adding, “There’s an issue where families with deaf members can’t watch Korean films when they’re released. I felt a sense of regret that they couldn’t watch films released at the same time simply because there were no subtitles.”

He also explained that he wanted to convey a sensory experience through music that can only be felt in a theater. “I believed music could function as another language,” Director Kim said. “I designed the soundtrack to emphasize the low-frequency range, creating a sensation that makes the theater shake. Through the music, I wanted to offer a cinematic experience—something that can only be felt in a theater.”

“Flowing Journey” opens on the 28th.