After returning to the company, I immediately began preparations for revising the screenplay.
This field, well, what other way is there?
I had no choice but to ask for help from Yang Yuli, who resides within the company.
Since the only person we could rely on to adjust the script according to our wishes was Yang Yuli.
Following the success of “Gold Rush, Joseon” and “Mother’s Song,” Yang Yuli had established herself as a rising young genius writer.
Though writing screenplays for dramas and movies are clearly different fields, her writing skills were certainly trustworthy.
If Yang Yuli were to write the screenplay alone, it might be different, but since we were adjusting the base of Nam Hyun-a’s work, there wouldn’t be any problems.
Any issues were likely to be automatically adjusted on Nam Hyun-a’s side anyway.
Yang Yuli was currently working on “Gold Rush, America.”
“Gold Rush, America,” where Violet plays a prominent role, was a project that Yang Yuli, a fervent fan of Heavenly Yuah, was looking forward to quite a bit.
So she had been nearly confined to her studio, fully focusing on writing.
“Huh? The work I’m doing right now…”
“This is more urgent, so please take a look at this first. It’s a finished screenplay, so it won’t take too much time.”
“…Okay.”
Heavenly Yuah boldly requested her help.
Because Heavenly Yuah did so, Yang Yuli had no choice but to join the project with a tearful expression.
Though it seemed her motivation was somewhat revived by the fact that Heavenly Yuah would also be appearing in the work, Yang Yuli’s back view, leaving her own work mid-process, looked quite forlorn.
This was exactly the problem with in-house accommodations, right?
You can’t escape or hide anywhere.
Still, she voluntarily joined the company because she liked it, so this was something she would have to overcome herself.
“Though I recognize Yang Writer’s talent, I think it might be a bit lacking.”
“In what aspect?”
“Experience or stuff like that. Director Nam Hyun-a is already quite young among directors, but Writer Yang is even younger than her.”
“So what?”
“My point is Writer Yang might end up following Director Nam Hyun-a around.”
“That makes sense. Even if she’s my sister, she’s a truly ruthless and evil person. Someone as gentle and kind as Writer Yang wouldn’t be able to handle her.”
Everyone nodded when someone mentioned how the young Yang Yuli might end up being controlled by Director Nam Hyun-a.
They paired Writer Yang with the intent of elevating the quality of the script, but if everything ended up being modified according to Nam Hyun-a’s will, well, it would end up being pointless.
The person who most strongly supported my thoughts was Nam Hyun-ho, who knew the most about Nam Hyun-a.
Judging from the phrase “ruthless and evil,” it seemed he had more than a few grievances.
It’s somewhat questionable whether “gentle and kind” is an appropriate description for Yang Yuli (former mafia brain), but still.
“Mr. Nam Hyun-ho, your expression is quite peculiar.”
“Indeed, that’s a rather friendly description.”
“…No, saying ‘kind’ to a kind person, how can that be so strange…”
It seemed others also found the thing that I found strange.
Yeah, there was an oddly peculiar sensation to it.
While everyone was busy with Luna’s comeback, including Nana, Heavenly Yuah, and Moon Suyeon, Nam Hyun-ho, who was staying quietly in the company, often spent time with Yang Yuli, who was working on a new piece.
Anyhow, they were company mates sharing the same bread and butter; it’s beneficial for actors to maintain good relations with promising writers, that’s why it happened.
Through this, Nam Hyun-ho came to learn about the difficult pasts of Yang Yuli and Yang Miju (not biological sisters).
Since neither of them were particularly secretive, they didn’t hide anything.
Nam Hyun-ho claimed that seeing Yang Yuli grow up properly despite difficult conditions evoked a genuine personal appreciation.
“We actively support company romances in our company.”
“Company romances are good. Rather than dating someone strange outside, company romances are the way to go.”
Both of them seemed unconvincing.
Frankly, even I could sense some subtle feelings.
Nam Hyun-ho had mentioned before that he preferred petite types, hence Yang Yuli suited his taste better than Moon Suyeon or Heavenly Yuah.
At that time, Writer Yang was just an example, but even if the personal liking developed into romantic feelings, it wouldn’t be anything strange.
Both Yang Yuli and Yahui Lee have well-developed aesthetics, they seemed to suit well subtly.
Though I don’t intend to interfere in anyone’s romantic affairs, it’s not something I should stop.
Still, it’s somewhat absurd that the owner of the company, Heavenly Yuah, who supposedly advocates company romances, seems to be acting weirdly.
Moon Suyeon might go unnoticed, but shouldn’t Heavenly Yuah be stopping this?
She seems to be quite permissive.
“Well, let’s move on to the next topic. Let’s handle romances individually. Isn’t the important matter right now the screenplay?”
“Ah, that’s right. So, you idiot. What’s your opinion?”
“If one writer isn’t enough, let’s hire a more experienced one.”
“Who?”
“The one I thought of is Writer Ok.”
“…Writer Ok?”
“But Writer Ok…”
“That person also has screenwriting experience… she debuted as a screenwriter before getting into dramas.”
“Eh? Really?”
“Hey, you’re the one who recommended her, so why are you so surprised?”
No, I didn’t know about that.
I just thought she’d be fine, but I didn’t know Writer Ok had that history.
It’s working out this way since things are progressing.
There are two reasons why I recommended Writer Ok.
First, with Writer Ok in her 50s standing firm, even the late 20s Director Nam Hyun-a can’t act recklessly.
Of course, she can still raise objections, but she won’t be able to disregard or act arbitrarily towards the writer. With someone young and inexperienced in movies like Yang Yuli, it would be different.
Regardless of capability, well, South Korea is still a Confucian republic, after all. Equality is impossible.
Moreover, through this drama, Writer Ok, who has emerged as a master of melodramas, has a truly unique mind.
Personally, I feel this writer would be more suited to Hollywood than South Korea.
It’s as if she was born in the wrong era.
Surely, if she had been born about ten years later, she might have rewritten the history of Korean dramas.
At 50, it might be a bit late for a renaissance.
Anyway, with Writer Ok, I anticipate she’ll bring a fresh perspective and inject a new wind into our movie.
Now that I know she has screenwriting experience, it feels like we can truly trust her with this task.
This seems like a real stroke of genius when I think about it again.
I feel expectations are surging.
“Writer Ok…?”
“The script was refreshing.”
“Ah, right. Isn’t it also quite popular on OTT platforms these days? The reactions from the U.S. and Japan are good.”
“Yeah? I didn’t know that.”
“Hey, how can you know less about the drama you starred in than I do?”
“Well, if you ask why…”
It’s a memory I’d rather forget.
Because of the failure there, I almost ended up in a strange movie.
I suffered a great deal. Honestly, I don’t even want to look at that drama.
While I was disinterested, three dramas made from the same historical subject “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” moved to OTT last year. Among the three, “Restaurant Promo” had the lowest viewership but is said to be faring the best.
Particularly due to its unpredictable yet ingenious storyline, the response in North America and Japan has been positive. This SBC? They support everything so poorly yet siphon off so much profit.
Same with the production company.
This world truly is a barren land where ethics cannot be found.
*
Perhaps my suggestion seemed viable, and Writer Ok was recruited for the screenplay revision.
Writer Ok initially declined, citing her rest period, but upon hearing the proposal from Flame Pictures, immediately agreed to participate—it was clearly due to the money she was offered.
Rejecting such a large sum would always be wrong, after all.
With preparations completed, we brought in Nam Hyun-a.
Whether things go smoothly or not, the first issue to resolve was the screenplay.
Only after finalizing the screenplay could we start dealing with casting issues.
This area required urgency, and Nam Hyun-a practically lived in the company, fully committing to revising the screenplay.
“Of course, I’ll protect my screenplay.”
Naturally, she tried her best to salvage as many elements as possible.
It’s natural for a young director brimming with pride and determination to do so.
“No, did this person… call this a screenplay…”
“This has to be cut down. Besides, is this fusion historical drama? How do you plan to cover the production costs?”
“That’s not it. Spending the production budget that way… Don’t you even consider CG?”
“This person has no clue whatsoever. You should relearn film making.”
“This isn’t about that!!!”
However, the initial fervor was short-lived.
Writer Ok, who joined last, completely dismantled Nam Hyun-a.
Nam Hyun-a was initially fervently countering, but with Writer Ok’s fierce criticism, her fighting spirit soon waned, leaving her significantly deflated.
Though Director Nam Hyun-a certainly possesses an extraordinary sense for filming, she’s still a rookie.
Even though Writer Ok may have been a long time away from screenwriting, her extensive knowledge of the visual business was not something young Nam Hyun-a could match.
Thanks to this, it was a very welcome change for me since quite a few sections were being modified.
What pleased me most was the switch from a fusion historical drama to a contemporary setting.
Historical dramas are extremely exhausting.
With summer approaching during the main filming period, it was already giving me a headache.
Because, regardless of the role I take, I’d have to wear robes or similar attire, wouldn’t I?
Moreover, historical dramas require predominantly outdoor shooting.
Perhaps because of the incompatibility of historical dramas with both Heavenly Yuah and Yang Yuli, modifications to the setting were actively supported, leaving Nam Hyun-a with no choice but to abandon the Joseon era setting.
“Still, Senior Su-yeon’s reaction was unexpected.”
“What?”
“I thought she’d make some sort of move.”
“Ah, that.”
With Heavenly Yuah’s almost certain participation in the project, I expected some sort of move from Moon Suyeon.
But this side remained unusually quiet.
I cautiously inquired about her thoughts, and, well.
Is it still Moon Suyeon?
“I already dropped some hints to Writer Yang. I asked her for a role.”
“…Really? When?”
“When the company people went to meet Director Nam, wasn’t it? Anyway, the screenplay would be modified, and I thought Yuli would definitely be involved somehow. Yuli is my strongest ally in these matters.”
She already secured her role.
Instead of a large role that would interfere with her musical activities, she asked for a smaller role where she’d keep bumping into me.
It seems this seemingly slow woman is truly quick on her feet in these matters.
“In the end, will both Senior Yu-a and Senior Su-yeon be joining?”
What exactly were we competing for ratings back then?
Of course, thanks to our previous win, the two avoided certain projects, but this is…
It was an expected development to some extent, yet it feels absurd to see it actually happen.
