After Story 200

“Am I late?”

“No, writer. You’ve come just in time.”

“It suddenly started snowing, so I left early, but I still got stuck in a jam right as I arrived.”

“I was surprised too. There was no mention of snow until just yesterday.”

Yoo Jungtae placed his bag on the chair and dusted off the snow on his shoulders.

“I think we should get some coffee before we proceed. What do you say?”

“Great.”

“Which one would you like?”

“I’ll go with a latte.”

The journalist headed to the counter. Jungtae took out his phone and placed it on the table. It had been a long time since had done an in-person interview. This was the first time after he received a prize for a long-running historical drama, so it had been about 7 years.

“Here you go, writer. A warm latte.”

“Thank you.”

He took a sip of some bitter coffee and only then did the residual chill in his body melt away.

“You’re busy these days, aren’t you?” asked the journalist.

“I’ve been getting just a few more appointments than usual.”

“I told my company I was going to interview you, and they came to me with so many questions. My whole team is a fan of your drama that it is to the point that we watch it during get-togethers.”

“I guess the viewing rate was thanks to you then, huh.”

“I think my contribution is about the same amount as an ant’s tears.”

The journalist moderately fawned and spoke humorously before checking the time.

“I can’t keep you here for long, since you must be very busy, so I guess I should proceed with the interview.”

Jungtae responded to the journalist’s questions wholeheartedly. It had been a while since he did an interview, so it was very fun as well.

“Since I asked you about the story, I guess it’s about time we talk about the ending. First of all, how did you feel when you finished writing the last episode?”

“If I think about how I felt back then, I was more uneasy than I was hopeful. It was an entirely pre-produced drama, so I couldn’t get any feedback from the viewers. I know that last-minute scripts are bad, but there’s no better method to reflect the needs of the viewers than that.”

“It seems you were worried about whether the responses would be good or not.”

“I haven’t worked on a drama for years after all. If I didn’t meet director Cha, I was going to put Case Number 0 away and start another line of work.”

“Really?” The journalist looked at him with surprise.

“Yes. If I think about it now, it was a godsend that director Cha looked at my work and that I managed to meet actor Han Maru.”

Hearing that, the journalist nodded and added,

“I wanted to ask about that too. There was a lot of talk about how the reason behind how Case Number 0 got produced was not because of Yang Ganghwan’s name value, but because of Han Maru’s scouting skills.”

Jungtae smiled and responded, “That’s not entirely wrong. Mr. Han Maru’s role was very big in setting up the production environment. I’m sure this has been mentioned in other articles before, but the production budget wasn’t that big. Who would invest a lot into a crime thriller with a hint of fantasy?”

“I guess that would be very hard.”

“In that situation, Mr. Maru brought Mr. Ganghwan. Strictly speaking, he didn’t exactly call Mr. Ganghwan over, but I can say for sure that he provided the opportunity for it. Without him, there would’ve been no point of contact between us and Mr. Ganghwan anyway. If that happened, Case Number 0 would’ve been put on indefinite hold or stopped outright.”

“The same is true for actor Hwang Hojoon, right? In an interview with another magazine, he said that it was entirely thanks to Han Maru that he was cast for the role.”

“That’s right. Mr. Hojoon was Maru’s recommendation. Actually, I was quite worried at first. Han Maru and Yang Ganghwan — these two are very solid top runners. They are actors who can’t possibly have any controversies about their acting skills, right? Would actor Hwang Hojoon really be suited to act alongside the two people? Would he run into any acting skill controversies with the two of them around? I had my worries, but I guess they were for naught. Mr. Hojoon was a great actor too.”

The journalist switched the position of the voice recorder slightly and spoke,

“So the drama was able to be aired thanks to both luck and skill. Going back to our topic about the ending, it’s been causing an uproar online. You know about that, right?”

Jungtae smiled. Of course he knew. Not to mention the internet, his acquaintances were calling him about the last episode.

“The drama had such speed, right?”

“It did end up proceeding quite fast since there were only ten episodes to work with and we were unfolding the story in a different way from usual.”

“And yet, at the very end, you slowed down and got into the details.”

“Actually, I talked to the director a lot about this; we discussed whether we should accelerate the progress and keep hitting the audience or take a break. We decided on the latter, and the results were satisfactory.”

“I was nervous because things were finally happening, then I was relieved, only to find out that something totally unexpected happened. I was in a daze when I watched the episode live. I thought the two of them would talk a little more before taking action.”

“Actually, I was surprised too because I only found out about that through TV. That was entirely on producer Cha.”

“A good piece managed to meet a good conductor then.”

The journalist picked up the pen.

“Actually, I guess the two following questions are the crux of this interview. Everyone’s going crazy because they want to know this.”

“I can predict what it is.”

“First of all, season 2. Is there anything in the works?”

He shook his head.

“I’m floored that everyone loves my work so much, and I’m filled with the passion to work on it, but I don’t think I can for the time being.”

“You mean to say that it’ll take some time to plot out the story, right?”

“Yes. Both the production company and the TV station are positively considering a continuation. The director is even saying that they might start the production immediately if I get him the manuscript. But I’ve run into the limits of my energy. I may be able to write it if I’m forced to, but the audience isn’t eagerly waiting to see an awkward season 2, are they?”

“As a fan myself, I’d love to see a perfect season 2 as well. But I’d definitely feel disappointed if it takes too long.”

“I’ll try my best. I’m not sure how it would go though.”

As it was just after the last episode, there was a lot of interest and many people wanted a second season, but it was unknown how long that heated interest would last. This trial at a new genre of drama managed to get points from the audience being that it was new and refreshing. Being ‘new’ was a huge advantage in itself. However, by the time season 2 was to roll out, dramas with a hint of fantasy would have become a common element.

If he put out a season 2 that had a similar plot as before in front of an audience that had become used to the ‘new taste,’ success would be far out of reach. Naturally, he became very sensitive and cautious about writing a new story.

“I hope that season 2 comes out one day. And finally, I’d like to ask about the ending cut. There are people fighting over this. A colleague of mine talked a lot about it too.”

“It’s about Changsik, right?”

“Yes. That action he showed at the very end, that was the murderer Yoon Hojung’s habit. It’s a well-known fact that Changsik analyzed and studied many aspects of Hojung. It was a way for him to gain knowledge to catch the murderer. But what does it mean for him to show such actions when the case was resolved?”

Jungtae asked back what the journalist thought about it.

“I think it was just a coincidence or a force of habit. He had been imitating Yoon Hojung so much that he acted like that subconsciously. Conversely, though, there are many people who think that Changsik had been influenced by Hojung’s nature. That’s why there are many people debating about which one is right.”

“As a writer, I am very grateful that people are talking about the characters I made. That’s why it’s even harder to give you a concrete answer. The manuscript has left my hands to become a video, and as soon as the video reaches the audience, the interpretation is entirely up to them. I believe it’s a breach of authority to interfere with that directly. Of course, if someone talks about an entirely wrong interpretation like it’s the writer’s own, then I’d correct them.”

“You mean to say that Changsik might be the ordinary person we saw in episode 1, but he could also have a totally different personality altogether just as Hojung wanted him to be, right?”

“That’s how it is.”

“And the answer to that will only be revealed in season 2.”

Jungtae smiled and pulled his chin inward.

“It’s a pity to end it here, so let me ask one last thing: If you were a viewer of Case Number 0, writer, how would you hope for Changsik to change?”

“If I didn’t write this, then I’d want to see Changsik changing. The impressions he received from Hojung will subconsciously influence him. Of course, changing the protagonist into a murderer is a no-go, so I guess the main storyline would be about his inner conflict.”

“From that, I think I can predict how season 2 would be. If there’s a problem with shooting season 2 and you have to use a new set of actors than the original ones, how would you deal with that?”

“Err, if I answer this wrong, I guess the actors would be angry at me.”

“An interview is only interesting if there are some provocative things to spice it up.”

The journalist asked him to just answer comfortably.

“Honestly speaking, the chemistry between the current cast is so good that I can’t think of anyone else in their positions. If things don’t work out and I have to use other actors, then well… I guess the writer of season 2 will be someone else, not me. The impressions that Hwang Hojoon, Yang Ganghwan, and Han Maru left in my head are so deep now.”

“I also wish that the cast for season 2 does not change,” said the journalist, putting down his pen.

* * *

“I really don’t do things like this.”

“Even if you’re bored to death, bear with it for a while. You see senior Hojoon having high hopes, right? You have to cooperate well so that our senior Hojoon can boast to his wife about doing an interview on TV.”

Hearing Maru’s words, Hojoon widened his eyes. He was a burly man, yet he looked so nervous.

“I’m not having high hopes at all.”

“I was just joking so that you can relax a little, senior. But it is true that your wife is looking forward to the program, isn’t it?”

“Th-that’s true. But why am I shaking so much? Maybe I should’ve taken some calming pills.”

“It’s the same camera as the shoot. Don’t be so nervous.”

Ganghwan was bored and Hojoon was frozen stiff. Maru prepared for the interview while consoling the two big brothers. They had received a flood of calls from various programs immediately after the last episode finished airing.

Not only that, they were even from public TV channels.

“But did they always do interviews after dramas end?” Hojoon asked.

“Usually, they do interviews during press announcements. But our drama didn’t receive any interest at the beginning, and it was on a private-owned channel too.”

“True. But hey, public TV studios are really good. They are big. I guess other TV companies will call you if the drama does well, huh?”

“Because they can receive attention. If they can raise the viewing rates, what can’t they do?”

While they were talking, the reporter came in.

He was a pretty famous comedian and also the face of this program. He said hello to Ganghwan joyfully as though they knew each other beforehand.

“Don’t be too nervous just because it’s an interview and relax. You can take the drinks in front of you too. The theme we’re going with this time is a drunken candid conversation.”

“I’ll get in trouble if I get drunk,” Hojoon said in worry.

“You just need to drink just enough to ease up.”

As soon as the reporter finished those words, Hojoon opened a can of beer and drank a bunch.

The reporter smiled and told him to take it slow.

“It’s going to start soon. Don’t worry about the camera. The camera directors will do a good job by themselves. Just think of it as talking comfortably in a drinking place.”

While the reporter said spoke to them, the producer, who was watching, gave a signal. It seemed they were ready.

The reporter got into position, and the lights on the camera lit up.

“We have a special set of guests today. The three main characters of the hot drama, ‘Case Number 0.’”