When the news came out that I had been cast in The Divine Boss, Her, the reactions from Ashbloom’s fans were subtle.
“This from White Siu?”
“The match isn’t great… Although White Siu is undoubtedly a skilled actor.”
“Jin Deok-woo’s charm lies in his dweeby charisma, but White Siu is just…”
While I concede I am a good actor, it was thought that I wasn’t quite the right fit for the role.
The Divine Boss, Her was a dedication to Na Ye-ri, and it initially started as a fan fiction on a fan site. Gaining immense popularity within the fandom, it soon became recognized by Cha Entertainment. The original content was written by Kang Taesup, who then adapted it into a drama script.
Though the transition from a novel to a drama script brought many changes, the core essence remained intact. Ashbloom’s fans who were familiar with the original story were comparing me to their vision of Jin Deok-woo and exchanging various opinions.
Fans were hooked because Jin Deok-woo’s particular dweebiness and dedication resonated deeply with them. Modeled after the writer himself, Jin Deok-woo’s actions closely mirrored those of the fan community, granting fans a vicarious satisfaction of being the protagonist themselves. This made a noticeable gap between myself and the character, which worried fans.
This reaction was to be expected. It is a phenomenon similar to when fans of a webtoon show dissatisfaction with casting decisions as the work transitions to a drama format.
“Anyway, it’s a matter of showing it through acting.”
Having already demonstrated my ability, I wasn’t overly concerned about the backlash.
“Wait, how did you bypass the ‘Gold Rush, Joseon’ project to get cast in ‘The Divine Boss, Her’?”
“Our actor has gone crazy again!”
“Finally got the Joseon swordsman that made my heart flutter!”
On the other hand, within my fanbase, there was a prevailing sentiment that our actor was doing something foolish again. They were confused as to why the opportunity in the Gold Rush, Joseon project wasn’t seized in favor of an unexpected alternate project. Fans who were eagerly awaiting the return of the Joseon period swordsman character from the previous work were somewhat disheartened by this news.
“Frankly, I also thought something similar. It’s preferable to choose something impressive.”
“Ms. Ellie, whatever you do, looks good.”
“…Are you really taking it this way?”
“Actors are always the most impressive when they’re acting.”
“Ms. Yoo-a, aren’t you a bit hyperactive today?”
“Ms. Moon Suyeon seems to be letting her guard down.”
Both of them were having yet another pleasant banter session. Despite exchanging jabs, the atmosphere between the two was not strained, making for a rather fun interaction. However, there were certain points of their conversation that required my careful attention.
“For instance, it’s strange and fascinating that this genre of fanfic, complete with romantic undertones, is so popular.”
“Isn’t that the very reason why it’s liked? Since Ashbloom’s fandom, regardless of gender, has deep pseudo-romantic sentiments.”
“Indeed, which is why the controversy surrounding Yoon Seo-eun happened.”
“Isn’t that hypocritical? Fans don’t want romance explicitly in the work, yet fanfic like this is immensely popular.”
“Exactly. Hypocritical. ‘Romantic feelings are only for the fans’.”
“Is it Cha Entertainment that’s making the odd decisions, or is it strange Na Ye-ri decided to do this herself? Usually, companies tend to cut out aspects like these.”
“I’ve heard Cha Entertainment leans more towards being gentle in these matters.”
“This time, they informed early and also disclosed a significant amount of the content, which shouldn’t create problems. However, if we deviate even slightly, it could spiral into chaos.”
“Need to be really careful about scandals.”
“Exactly.”
Given the depth of pseudo-romantic feelings within the fandom, this was essentially a warning to tread cautiously. If there’s someone who wishes this work to fail, they would likely target this sensitive aspect. Therefore, we need to be cautious in our actions.
“Anyway, did you come here to tell me about the fan reactions from Dolasiu?”
“Hmm? No, it was because Ms. Yoo-a had something to say.”
“What did she have to say?”
“Ah, right. We need to discuss casting.”
So then we should have discussed the matter at hand before delving into idle chitchats. Despite launching into a lengthy chat as soon as they arrived, the duo did indeed have a purpose for coming to see me. Casting issues needed deliberation.
Adding Moon Suyeon to the mix was slightly unexpected, though you could consider her as a bonus. Lately, these two have increasingly been seen acting in tandem.
I decided to simply let this pass as a regular day’s affair and get straight to checking for any issues that might have arisen.
“As casting is almost complete, right?”
“Yes, we focused more on acting rather than popularity. TVA really drilled down on cost efficiency.”
“I think the efficiency is already pretty good with me and Na Ye-ri being cast.”
“Human greed knows no limits. If it looks like the ratings won’t benefit, tightening the belt is a pretty obvious step.”
“Efficiency, be damned. If one’s skilled, gender doesn’t matter. For the actors.”
The TVA, responsible for producing the show, was currently casting the remaining roles of the drama. Though we did not interfere much, frankly, since it was a drama I was starring alone in, I was less concerned with the co-lead’s acting prowess compared to someone like Heavenly Yuah who might be more selective. Of course, if someone like Tae-kyu popped up suddenly, even a seasoned actor like myself might find it a bit difficult, but such an occurrence won’t happen again, especially given the current setup where producers are fixated on ratings.
Additionally, as I expected, TVA was meticulously evaluating the actors’ price-performance ratio while ensuring they demonstrated strong acting skills.
“So is there anything to discuss if casting is already set?”
“It seems there’s a stumbling block.”
“A stumbling block?”
“Yes, in the original work, Yeri is the boss, right? There’s also the intense battle scene against a rival organization.”
“Sure. What’s the issue then?”
“Regarding the scale of the action scenes, as well as hiring the stunt team, there seems to be some problems.”
“Stunt team, you say…”
Of course, deciding the scale of the action scenes would be a challenge.
If the drama were to follow the original faithfully, it would require a multitude of grand action scenes.
One of the primary reasons the work garnered so much love among fans, aside from the relatability, was the action.
With the title The Divine Boss, Her, the female protagonist Yeri, or “Boss” as Na Ye-ri is affectionately called, is an elite solo female singer reigning at the top of the entertainment industry. But in the story, she’s the ultimate boss of an organization that rules the back alleys.
This crazy setting—entertainment star by day, crime boss by night—won over fans who cheered on our “Real Boss!”
In this story, Yeri is the boss of an organization, thus naturally resulting in a plethora of fight scenes. Given it was originally a long fan fiction with varied antagonists, it involved domestic gangs, the Russian mafia, Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads and many other rival factions, culminating in a chaotic melee in the story.
It’s easy to write anything when crafting with words, but turning this into a drama changes the situation significantly.
While we had reduced portions of the action sequences, completely cutting them out would have disrupted the essence of the drama, making it necessary to retain some critical scenes.
Especially the main event, the grand clash with the mafia.
TVA was facing a dilemma; they couldn’t find a stunt team to convincingly portray the Russian mafia, one of the story’s main villains. Hiring a Slavic stunt team in South Korea wasn’t easy.
“Ah, thus…”
“Discussing if there’s a good solution, right?”
“By good solution, we’re talking about not only a stunt team but also needing an actor to play the villain, right?”
“Yes, a mature, Slavic male actor. Although, does it absolutely need to be Slavic?”
“Maybe not. Roughly similar looks should suffice.”
One way or another, there are quite a few issues here.
We need to find both a Russian-looking stunt team and actors.
However, since the story content has been altered several times, why hold onto this element of the original so tightly?
“Why don’t we make modifications? This is more or less a mess made because the writer went completely wild.”
“Still, they want to preserve this part as much as possible, I heard. If not, they even plan to use Tasha as the Russian mafia boss.”
“…That sounds awkward. The rival being from the same group as the protagonists sounds pretty silly.”
“The issue is that Tasha’s acting is atrocious. It’s one of those key roles where the villain needs some weight.”
“That’s a tough situation.”
“Exactly. I feel like jumping in myself and taking over the role.”
“That’s a bit too much, unless it’s just a cameo.”
Tasha is another member of Ashbloom, who happens to have Russian heritage.
If we gloss over her gender, she could possibly fit into the role of the Russian mafia boss.
However, her dismal acting skills indicate that this would likely be considered just as a last resort.
“…If we’re changing the Russian boss to a female, doesn’t it imply other aspects of the story can be modified as well? How far can we revise?”
“They’re saying Orientals will appear if the Yakuza is involved. Foreign characters who are not yellow-skinned are the limit I guess.”
“Ah, that’s where the mention of Russia comes in.”
That’s true. If we’re talking about foreign gangs other than East Asians, Russia naturally comes to mind.
Since we’re geographically quite close as well.
Though initially, apart from Russia, are there other gangs…
“…There are indeed.”
“What?”
“Other gangs besides the Russian ones. Wouldn’t it be better to change this to a South American gang?”
“Oh, that’s not bad. Since the gang is a drug cartel anyway, a South American outfit would feel more authentic.”
“That’s true. South America. And then, for South America…”
“Call Ellie.”
“Ellie? But…”
“Would they be too busy to come? Doesn’t Ellie want to?”
Ellie, a huge Ashbloom fan…
She even attended Ashbloom’s concert during her last visit to South Korea.
If she hears that Ashbloom’s Yeri is acting in a drama, she’ll likely jump at the chance.
Given that our offer is far from stingy…
“TVA is fine with it.”
“Of course. Ellie already has a certain level of recognition in South Korea thanks to movies. Any Russian character would be just another ‘Who’s this?’ to the Korean audience. It would be much better with Ellie.”
Upon agreeing with me, Heavenly Yuah contacted TVA first, and they were enthusiastic about using a Latin-American gang, finding it a good choice overall. They also decided it would be preferable to use Ellie, someone with some recognition, especially since they’d have to rewrite the script anyway.
With that, the decision was left to Team Libertad.
As I expected, Ellie would take the call.
“…She’s coming.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Yes, she says she’s catching the next flight. She’s eager to sign the contract. Since we’ve asked for acting as well, she’s extremely excited.”
“This series will also be distributed through OTT, and since she’s a K-pop fan herself, it will ignite her enthusiasm.”
Exactly, with opportunities for both stunt work and acting, there’s no reason Ellie would refuse.
And it’s a drama headlined by Na Ye-ri from Ashbloom. Why would Ellie turn down a chance like this?
For my part, there are no downsides. To boost the ratings even slightly, something extra is necessary.
So, with this decision, Ellie and Team Libertad joined our drama to enhance the core action scenes.
