Taeha had originally considered going with tvM.
Because while the reaction to Fight School had been lukewarm due to the writers being Park Hee-jeong and Lee Hyun-seung, it was unlikely that tvM wouldn’t be enthusiastic about a project where Taeha was the writer.
Moreover, it was a project where Taeha was the lead and even Song Ji-eun was appearing.
The director was also Jo Joong-hoon, whose directing skills in historical dramas were beyond doubt.
So, tvM had no choice but to take a great interest in the production of Byeonghwa.
The production budget was also promised at the highest domestic level of three billion won per episode.
Considering that recent dramas had a maximum budget of three point five billion, it was not a small amount.
Of course, TM, the OTT platform used by tvM, was not available for overseas viewing.
But tvM was always open to simultaneous release on Netflix.
That meant if they went with tvM, they could increase overseas recognition through Netflix while also securing a generous production budget.
For reference, Netflix typically supported simultaneous releases with one hundred million won per episode.
The conditions weren’t bad, so Taeha was in the middle of working, keeping tvM’s scheduling in mind.
Fortunately, tvM, as expected, permitted the simultaneous Netflix release, and naturally, it was time for negotiations with Netflix.
And then a call came from Kim Seoan, who was handling the negotiations directly.
-For now, the negotiations with Netflix are progressing positively, but…
“Is something wrong?”
-They made a proposal we never expected. But it’s not exactly an unreasonable one, so I think it’s worth considering.
Netflix’s proposal.
It was the suggestion of producing Byeonghwa as a Netflix Original.
They said they would provide a production budget exceeding the industry maximum of three point five billion per episode, going up to four billion, and work with them.
Four billion per episode.
That was one billion more than the three billion tvM was offering.
Moreover, Byeonghwa was a twenty-four-episode series, so if it were produced as a Netflix Original, the total extra funds would amount to twenty-four billion won.
Considering the genre characteristics of historical dramas, which always feel somewhat lacking no matter how generous the budget, it was an offer that was hard to refuse.
Furthermore, Netflix promised full, sweeping promotion in every country if they agreed to make it an Original.
Perhaps because of that, even Song Ji-eun and Jo Joong-hoon, who initially thought there was no need to go the Netflix Original route, were swayed.
“Wow! If Netflix is coming out with this kind of offer, the promotion would be really solid, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s good if the production budget increases. Historical dramas always have challenging filming environments, so I was worried about that anyway.”
Even Go CEO seemed to be hoping for a Netflix Original.
“If we go with a Netflix Original, it would be easier to achieve the actor’s goal of increasing overseas recognition with this opportunity.”
Certainly, even Taeha had to agree that Netflix’s offer was tempting.
But ultimately, Taeha concluded,
“I’ve decided to go with tvM as the platform.”
Taeha’s thinking was that he couldn’t reverse the nearly finalized platform decision just because Netflix’s offer was attractive.
Moreover, there was a trap in Netflix’s offer.
Because a Netflix contract was a buyout-type contract with no profit-sharing whatsoever with the production company.
So, if they contracted with Netflix, no matter how successful Byeonghwa became, Salamander Studio might not see a significant profit.
The four billion won per episode production budget Netflix was offering.
That was the entirety of the money Netflix would pay for Byeonghwa.
Ultimately, if Salamander Studio wanted to make a profit from a Netflix Original contract, they had to keep a certain amount after deducting all operating and business expenses.
In other words, it meant the four billion won per episode budget couldn’t be fully used for Byeonghwa‘s production.
If it were used that way, Salamander Studio would essentially be doing free labor.
Taeha saw through this fact, and that’s why he wasn’t swayed.
It was a thought he could have precisely because he wasn’t just an actor but a writer affiliated with Salamander Studio.
Of course, Director Choi said,
“We’re fine with going Netflix Original. We’re not working with you, Writer, for the money in the first place. And it’s not like we’d make absolutely nothing, right?”
But Taeha made the decision in favor of tvM.
Upon hearing this news, the tvM side expressed their gratitude to Taeha.
“I was stunned when I heard the news. We allowed simultaneous release, and they tried to hijack it? It’s so outrageous I was speechless. I’m relieved you made the decision, Writer. Thank you very much. Ah, and as a token of our gratitude, we’ll raise the production budget to three point five billion per episode.”
It was good news.
A situation had arisen where they could maintain loyalty and also increase the production budget.
And it didn’t end there.
Netflix also said they hoped to work together on the next project and agreed to provide a generous three hundred million won per episode for a simultaneous release.
They had probably heard that tvM raised the budget.
Maybe tvM had bad-mouthed them in the process.
In the end, the three hundred million won per episode Netflix agreed to provide was like consolation money for putting them in an awkward situation.
So, ultimately, the situation concluded well, and with this, preparations for the start of filming were almost complete.
Casting minor roles, building sets, and scouting filming locations were the director’s responsibilities.
So, all that remained for Taeha now was to finish writing the Byeonghwa script before filming began.
Production was progressing smoothly, and there was nothing more to worry about, but honestly, it wasn’t easy.
Even though he had written up to episode fourteen, the burden of having to write ten more episodes was significant.
Moreover, for Taeha, writing scripts during filming was impossible.
Because he had to perform the role of the protagonist.
That alone was a difficult task, even if he had two bodies.
So, it was essential to finish the script work before filming started.
‘The problem is that the difficulty of scriptwriting increases as it goes on.’
On top of that, there were only four months left until filming.
Given that, one couldn’t help but think the script wouldn’t be completed before filming normally.
In fact, people like Song Ji-eun and Jo Joong-hoon, who were working with Taeha for the first time, thought so.
But those who had experienced Taeha knew.
They knew Taeha would accomplish that difficult task.
Sure enough, despite many people’s concerns, Taeha didn’t rush and faithfully met the deadlines one after another for episodes fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and so on.
And then, four months later.
Taeha was finally able to finish the script work for Byeonghwa.
“Finally done. You’ve worked hard.”
“You’ve worked hard, Writer.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Not only Taeha’s face, but also the faces of the assistant writers Jeong Hyo-seop and Ahn Jin-su, who had struggled alongside him, were extremely bright.
Not just bright, but they looked very healthy, as if they had eaten and slept well.
The reason was simple.
It was because Taeha had thoroughly maintained work-life balance even amidst such busy and tight schedules.
That’s why Ahn Jin-su, who had worked under Baek Seung-chul and had come to Taeha’s studio for the first time this time, was very surprised by this situation.
‘Was it really possible to handle this volume of work without a single overtime? And while taking all the breaks too?’
He couldn’t help but think that.
In fact, Ahn Jin-su thought Taeha was too carefree, strictly adhering to working hours and taking all days off no matter what.
So, he naturally assumed that as the filming date approached, there would inevitably be situations forcing them to overwork.
It was only natural, because even Baek Seung-chul, famous in the Republic of Korea for writing the best and fastest scripts, worked overtime like eating meals and constantly harassed his assistant writers.
Because of that, Ahn Jin-su, while working under Baek Seung-chul, had gastritis as a given and even had to visit a psychiatric hospital due to depression.
But in Taeha’s studio, no such thing happened no matter how much time passed.
There was no pressure, not even any harassment of the assistant writers.
Of course, that didn’t mean Taeha worked loosely.
Rather, when working, he focused more tightly on the work than in Baek Seung-chul’s studio.
It was just that the method was different.
First, Taeha never asked the assistant writers for ideas first.
“I’ve been thinking, what do you think about structuring the next scene idea like this?”
“Not great. The focus seems too much on Kim Seong-wol, which might cause viewer backlash.”
“Really? Then how about this?”
“Much better. As a viewer, it would be easier to empathize with Kim Seong-wol.”
“Then let’s go with that.”
“Yes. I’ll organize the outline.”
In this way, he explained his idea first and then asked for the assistant writers’ opinions.
And if a clear reason was given why the idea wasn’t good, he would cleanly accept it and present a new idea.
The speed was so fast it felt like they were doing a rehearsed comedy routine.
Once this primary idea organization was done, then Taeha would ask,
“By the way, did you guys have any scenes you wanted to see in episode fifteen?”
Frankly, it wasn’t an easy question to answer.
But Taeha never scolded the assistant writers even if no answer came back.
“None, huh? I guess after hearing my ideas, nothing else comes to mind?”
He would pleasantly move past the situation.
Even if an idea for a scene unrelated to the story flow came up, it was the same.
“That’s a nice idea? Let’s organize it well and use it later if we can.”
He would say things like that, naturally boosting the assistant writers’ motivation.
Because of that, from the assistant writers’ perspective, it was easy to gather courage and speak up their ideas.
The fact that whenever Taeha asked a small question, everyone would offer their opinions was proof of that.
And once the idea organization was finished, Taeha would complete the outline on the spot and give appropriate work instructions to the assistant writers.
“Hyo-seop, organize and send me the photos of the sets needed for episode fifteen. Jin-su, edit and send me the scenes where Park Hyeon-je and Im Bo-ram acted in other works.”
Then Taeha would immediately start writing the script, completing a first draft of one episode in just five days.
And every three days, he would receive feedback from the production company and the director, revising the script to finalize and process it.
For Ahn Jin-su, it was his first experience with such a compact work process.
Because things like asking why they thought an idea was bad, getting annoyed asking why they didn’t come up with ideas, or scolding them for only having ideas of that level were all omitted.
Moreover, by omitting all these processes, they had time to maintain work-life balance even amidst the busy and tight schedule.
It was a point where one could understand why Taeha ran his studio this way.
Working in such a good environment through all twenty-four episodes of Byeonghwa, Ahn Jin-su couldn’t help but think,
‘Our writer… could he be a god?’
It was a situation that made such a thought plausible.
Because even if Ahn Jin-su later became independent and became a main writer, he wondered if it would be possible to run a studio like this.
‘No way. I have to stick with the writer.’
For reference, Jeong Hyo-seop, who had only planned to work with Taeha until this project, also changed his mind.
To remain as Taeha’s assistant writer for the next project as well.
Unaware that the two were thinking this, Taeha asked,
“Shall we go eat something delicious today to celebrate finishing the script work? How about Korean beef?”
“I’m good with that.”
“Me too!”
The steps of the three people, hastily packing their things and leaving the studio, were extremely light.