No, first, try to calm down a bit.
He drank a glass of cold water to calm his nerves.
It feels like receiving a big birthday present, but it’s still wrapped, so you don’t know what’s inside yet.
Frankly speaking, it might not even be possible to produce it right away.
We must not forget that this is a drama that aired four years later.
“Perhaps it could turn out to be a poisoned chalice.”
Moreover, even if we were to produce and air it now, there would be problems.
No one can guarantee that a hit from four years in the future would be a hit now.
Though “Steam Punk Joseon” turned out to be more popular than what the producers and investors had imagined, and it was especially well-received overseas, does that still apply now?
We must remember how important trendsetting is around here.
Although it still feels fresh four years later, combining Steam Punk and Joseon, is it still as fresh now?
The harsh truth in this industry is that being too early with an innovation can sometimes lead to failure.
Additionally, there’s the issue with production costs.
Steam Punk itself is quite unfamiliar, and it’s a grand-scale drama at its core. Even if we construct our own set, substantial CGI work will still be required in many parts, making the production costs hard to estimate.
Would we really be able to secure an investor willing to invest that amount of money in a rookie writer?
Upon analyzing everything, it makes sense that it took four years just for it to begin production.
“But this… the characters in this have changed. So the role they want to assign to me is… Lee Myung? Who is this again?”
With that in mind, he reopened the script.
This time, he scrutinized the content more carefully.
As he examined the details one by one, he discovered a decisive difference between the drama he knew and this one.
The fact was that the characters had changed.
The story that originally revolved around ‘Nam Seok-joo’ and ‘Bison Choi’ had transformed into a narrative involving Nam Seok-joo, Bison Choi, and Lee Myung.
And this ‘Lee Myung,’ the newly introduced character, was the role the writer wanted to assign him.
“An illegitimate son of the dying Joseon royal family… the last… Swordmaster?”
Absurdly, Lee Myung was the last swordmaster in the gunpowder-filled Steam Punk Joseon, a madman wielding a sword to annihilate enemies.
But Steam Punk with a swordmaster?
Did the writer take the wrong medication?
“Could it be…?”
Suddenly, an unexpected character was added, and if this role was prepared for me, then it must be thanks to that incident.
I just swung the umbrella to suppress the group of gangsters, but instead, I used the flashy and ostentatious ‘Ten Thousand Li Fragrance’ from Mount Hua.
“Is this how it turned out?”
Actually, I showcased that kind of choreography to slightly reduce the company’s burden.
By providing a fascinating topic that could sway public attention, it would be easier for media engagement.
Most entertainment agencies usually try to defend their actors and guide public opinion in their favor.
Adding something interesting, like an umbrella fight, would help divert attention more easily.
However, our agency was a little different; instead of defending me, they chose to crush the opponents to dust.
Although this somewhat diminished my effort, I did create quite an entertaining GIF.
But surely all that embarrassment I went through just for the ‘Ten Thousand Li Fragrance’ shouldn’t have just been for that.
Yet, that ‘Ten Thousand Li Fragrance’ somehow came back around.
People’s affairs are truly unpredictable.
“This is practically a protagonist-level role. Looks like this has the only romance too.”
The newly added character ‘Lee Myung’ had a heavier role than the original protagonists.
The story was structured around the three male leads, but if we had to argue, Lee Myung could be considered the true protagonist.
With these changes, there’s a strong possibility the drama I know as “GOLD RUSH Joseon” could transform into something a little different.
Since this drama was so successful, I double-checked how different it was from the old story…
“…Isn’t it even more interesting? The plot itself is the same, but with the addition of this unique character, the story feels richer.”
A much more entertaining piece was crafted out of this, and by far, the most captivating character was ‘Lee Myung.’
To the point of thinking that even if it turned out to be a poisoned chalice, it was an unavoidable one.
“Is that your script?”
“Oh, senior.”
While pondering what to do with this, Heavenly Yuah armed in light leggings attacked him.
Even though she wore a comfortable t-shirt, just the black leggings alone were highly offensive.
And there was the fresh body odor coming from behind.
It was undoubtedly a provocative attack.
The reason Heavenly Yuah attacked him was obvious.
She must have come down out of curiosity because the script was sent to me specifically.
Receiving such a script as a rookie isn’t very common.
Just as well; it suits me fine.
Wouldn’t it be great to seek advice from Heavenly Yuah, who has more experience?
Not just in experience, but a perfect hitter, this woman.
She succeeds in every project she enters, so it’s natural to assume she has great foresight.
So how would our esteemed Heavenly Demon analyze such an unfamiliar script combining Steam Punk and Joseon?
“Unique, isn’t it?”
“Isn’t it?”
“However, this one’s not easy.”
“Yes, I see that too.”
“Still, it’s interesting. If done well, it might be really good?”
Apparently, Heavenly Yuah also gave a positive review for this script.
Despite the addition of a new character ‘Lee Myung,’ the storyline felt more upgraded, captivating even Heavenly Yuah.
Clearly, our Heavenly Demon does have a discerning eye for scripts.
“But who is trying to produce this? This industry is rather conservative. I may find it interesting, but the potential investors might not see it that way. In fact, most investors wouldn’t even think about Steam Punk.”
“That’s the problem.”
“Perhaps the best chance lies in OTT platforms, but they also don’t consider Steam Punk a mainstream genre. Even SF has its likes and dislikes, let alone Steam Punk.”
“Exactly.”
“Besides, how about the production costs? Even if something is unclear, we usually keep the budget under control, but this isn’t just a regular size project.”
“That’s true.”
Since she was hitting all the right notes, all I had to do was nod my head.
After all, a drama is not made just because a script is interesting; issues like these must also be considered.
Now, having identified the problems, it’s time to ask for solutions.
The advice I wanted from Heavenly Yuah was more than just identifying problems.
Yuah, who is involved with both acting and company management, might have a different perspective from mine.
“What needs to be done for this to be produced?”
“Right.”
“First, about the script. This is four episodes right? I don’t know how many episodes this will be, but there needs to be evidence that this quality maintains until the end. This is the writer’s debut work, right? So, wouldn’t it be safer to have the entire script ready?”
“Because of production costs?”
“Exactly. They usually don’t give large projects to new writers because if it fails, it’s a huge failure.”
That makes sense.
Since the writer has no previous works, there’s no guarantee that the quality of writing will last.
Considering how this will likely require a production cost of at least 20 billion won, even if the script is great, it’s still risky to base investments solely on it.
But if we have a complete script and the quality is satisfactory, we could gain some trust.
“And it would be better to expand this further rather than keep it as it is.”
“Further? The cost is already over 20 billion won with what we have right now.”
“Here’s what I mean. If you were an investor, would you choose a 20 billion won drama without Heavenly Yuah or a 300 billion won drama with Heavenly Yuah?”
“Hm, well… that’s…”
Come to think of it, that’s true.
Whether 20 billion or 300 billion, they both sound extremely expensive, but usually, production costs are recoverable as long as the show succeeds.
The key is whether it succeeds or fails; a 300 billion won drama with Heavenly Yuah seems to have a much higher chance of success, even with an additional 100 billion won investment.
I suddenly understand why the production companies and PDs go crazy trying to get Heavenly Yuah.
“But seeing that you’re curious about that, it seems like you’re interested in this script.”
“Yeah, um… Actually, I do, not because it was sent under my name but…”
“You don’t need to explain. If you want to do it, just do it.”
“Huh? But you just said it would be difficult to produce.”
“I did say that the 300 billion won drama with Heavenly Yuah is much better than the 20 billion won drama without.”
“Wait, are you saying you’d join this drama?”
Well, I had also thought about it.
Since Heavenly Yuah’s participation would significantly ease the burden of finding investors in any drama,
But I didn’t bring it up because asking Yuah to join wasn’t my place, and more importantly, there wasn’t a character suitable for Yuah in this drama.
Though this became a three-leads drama with the addition of Lee Myung to the original two male leads.
There is, of course, a somewhat important female role, but can she handle it?
“Hey, there isn’t a role for you, right?”
“Why not? It’s here. Wolhee.”
“That’s a supporting role.”
“So what? I don’t differentiate roles based on their importance if I like the script. There’s a time for everything.”
“Hmm…”
True, there is a role with a decent weight.
Wolhee, Lee Myung’s female counterpart.
This is a character that was newly added along with Lee Myung, so it’s unclear what kind of role it is.
Especially when we only have the early part of the script; it’s even less clear now.
However, since there’s a bit of a romantic storyline with Lee Myung and the background is quite complex, it is certain that it’s at least a middle-tier role.
It might be a bit lacking for a leading actress,
But if Heavenly Yuah had that attitude, it would be a role worth considering.
However, there is one fatal reason why Yuah couldn’t take on this role…
“You know, this won’t work out.”
“What? Why not?”
“…Senior. You can’t sing, can you?”
“Isn’t that what people say? I don’t sing at all.”
“Do you think you can?”
“…No.”
Wolhee is a songstress.
Even from just the scene where Wolhee and Lee Myung meet for the first time: Wolhee singing under the moonlit lake, which makes Lee Myung fall in love with her at first sight,
Also, there are several instances where Wolhee sings prominently, so it seems a certain level of singing skill is essential.
You might think that for acting, singing can be done by someone else,
However, in Wolhee’s case, many scenes assume a certain level of singing ability in the character.
In these cases, they prefer to use an actor who can sing in the beginning,
And also create OST hits with the actor’s singing.
Our Heaven Demon, unfortunately, can’t sing very well.
One of the few things that Heavenly Yuah isn’t good at is singing.
If the mechanical aids can’t salvage the performance, it would be better to let it go.
But hitting with facts at this point would upset Heavenly Yuah.
Let me soften it with a somewhat plausible excuse to reassure Heavenly Yuah.
“Of course that’s an issue too, but the character setting is somewhat…”
“What setting?”
“It’s a Japanese spy pretending to be a Chinese merchant.”
“Hmm… and?”
“Senior, your features are Western. Even with dyeing, it would be a bit of a stretch for this character. Even in an alternate history, a basic authenticity has to be maintained.”
“True, that’s why I don’t do period dramas.”
Although there’s no reason the spy has to be Western, it seems she accepted it somewhat.
It was definitely a more peaceful reason why she couldn’t join compared to not being able to sing.
The scrunched eyebrows returned to their normal form, so it was safe.
Sigh, this is what social life is about.
What kind of battles are we supposed to be fighting?
I should probably give dad a call tonight.
