Jun's very first memory is laughter. His mother chuckling at the chubby fists of her son, clutching at a baked sweet potato so hard it almost explodes everywhere. She chuckled a lot, he remembers. His father isn't the laughing kind but that's okay; instead he has a calm smile that never fails to reach his eyes. Jun has both. He's a very happy child, living a very happy life, and everything is as it should be.
His parents are the career types, but that slowly changes. His mom goes from a full-time pediatric nurse to a part-time one, and his dad actually uses all his vacation days for once. Perfect is a strong word but it's the one Jun thinks fits.
Somewhere between the fading innocence of childhood and the sharp reality of his teenage years, his mother stops chuckling. She loses her career, and with it her motivation for anything and everything. Getting out of bed becomes a chore and Jun tries his hardest to be her crutch. He cracks so many terrible jokes he starts sounding like a Seinfeld show; which used to work, it used to put a smile on her face, but now he's lucky if she even looks at him.
His father doesn't know what to do and so he tries to hide his worry and concern, for Jun's sake. "She's just a little under the weather, that's all." At first it's easy to accept those words, but a year goes by and his mother is still struggling. Some days she seems like her old self and things are great, but other days she's an empty shell, as if her soul has wandered off somewhere. He worries that one day it won't return at all and she'll stay laying there, motionless, forever.
Two years and things are going a little better. Nothing is perfect but that's okay. Jun doesn't like the idea of perfection anymore anyway. It's too hard to achieve, and failing makes him feel worse. So he accepts the fact the life he knew back when he was a chubby little kid is over, there's no going back or reliving it. His mom doesn't leave the house, but at least she's out of bed now. He can count on both hands how many times he sees her really smile these days. He still makes jokes, and they're getting better, but what's a joke without a laugh? It's supposed to be the best medicine but damn it's difficult to administer.
Jun and his dad are closer than ever, they have to be. Together they're a better crutch for her, a stronger, more stable one. She won't talk to a psychiatrist, she says if somebody found out, they'd judge the whole family for it. Jun enthuiastically tells her he'd punch anyone in the face who even dared to, and she smiles at that. Eventually his mom talks to them instead. Jun isn't the best at giving advice but he's a damn good listener, and his dad decides to order books about mental health on the internet. The last few years of High School pass by slowly; they're routine filled, go to school, go home, watch TV shows with mom. They cheer her up. It almost drives Jun crazy though, but as long as she's getting better, that's all that matters.
When High School finally ends, Jun seizes the chance to get away for a while. He stays with a friend in Seoul, and lets loose. Bungee jumping, kayaking, rock climbing, and most importantly, stand-up comedy. It's not an extreme sport but it gets his blood pumping anyway. Turns out his terrible jokes aren't too terrible, and he's actually pretty good at performing. A natural crowd pleaser. He's asked to come back again one night, and he does. His father doesn't see comedy or performing as a wise career path to follow, but his mom assures Jun she'll manage to persuade him otherwise. It isn't glamorous, he's nowhere near famous, and hecklers don't hold back, but Jun is happy making others happy. Hearing people laugh, that giant rumbling belly laugh you just can't hold back, at his own material is better than everything else in the whole world.
To keep his dad happy Jun ends up applying to Yonsei not long later. He understands the need for further education, to make sure he can get a job if the comedy dream leads nowhere. Theater Arts isn't really what his dad has in mind, but it's better than nothing at all, and so he leaves his son to get on with his life in his own way.
Personality:
Jun is a very outgoing person. He has no trouble making new friends or being the first to approach someone if he thinks they look interesting. Small talk is stifling in his opinion though, who wants to talk about the weather? Nobody. You don't win friendships with pleasantries. He'll dive right into a conversation.
His imagination tends to run away with him, making some of the things he says sound quite bizarre, but it's easy to get used to, or so he's been told. He enjoys telling people wacky stories about the things he's done. There are no mistakes, just anecdotes.
He can be a giant flirt, but it's really just Jun being himself. He's a positive guy and being kind comes naturally to him. Occasionally he does unintentionally give off the wrong vibe but he'd never lead anyone on on purpose.
More:
>> Regularly performs stand-up comedy at small clubs, it's definitely not glamorous but he loves it all the same, and people seem to like him.
>> He has a pretty good singing voice, especially when it comes to Michael Jackson.
>> A giant mama's boy.
>> Loves meat, Calvin & Hobbes, Yoon Eunhye, Noraebang, pineapple, fresh air.
>> Dslikes hypocrites, wet socks, pretentious whiny people, smoking.
>> Can fit his whole fist in his mouth, and he's way too eager to show people.
>> He's 173cm tall and weighs 62kg.
>> Holds his liquor like an absolute champ.
>> Pretty people are his weakness. He's lost a lot of time just staring in awe at the beautiful beings around him.
What he won't say:
>> Unhappiness scares him shitless, so he keeps himself too busy to succumb to it.
>> Humour really is the best defense mechanism.
>> Romantic relationships are fun, for the first few months or so. He finds it hard to open up enough to advance them to the next stage, because once things are out there he can never take them back, and for now he feels safe being the ridiculous funny guy and nothing more.
>> Worries about his friends more than he lets on. He can't stand seeing them unhapy.
Nickname: Junnie, Jun, Kang, Kangjun
Age: 21 April 1994 (22)
Year:Junior
Major: Theater Arts
Fraternity: AGR
Clubs/Sports: Drama, Swimming
R/S Status: Single
Band/Solo: Industry (former cclown member)
Journal: Moonyen
Aim: # keep onwards
Twitter: @keeponwards
Hobbies: stand-up comedy, kayaking, bungee jumping, noraebang, creative writing.