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Q&A with WRITER
Song Ji-na did a fifty question and answer event with fans of "Faith" who posted on her website. There were a lot of repeat questions or questions that overlapped so I think Writer Song actually ended up answering more than fifty. She didn't reveal everything but her answers do provide a lot of insight into her writing process, how she envisioned the drama, and how it actually turned out. It was an amazingly interesting read and while I know other wonderful fans have translated the Q&A already at Soompi, I wanted to take my stab at it and provide a space where fans can talk about it in more detail here. Since I can't translate everything all at once, I decided to do it in parts. I will be translating the questions in the order Writer Song answered them and will skip over questions already asked if need be.
Many of the questions in the Q&A were about the last episode and through Writer Song's answers, I saw how important episode one was to understanding episode twenty-four. Everyone who asked a question had read the scripts. So in order to provide the context to people's questions and Writer Song's answers, I will go over the scripts for episode one and twenty-four first. I will point out key points and differences and provide my own explanation, if required.
Episode 1
1. Hwata is a real Chinese physician who is called Hua Tou in Chinese. The exact year in the drama during which Hwata disappeared into the portal is 208 A.D. According to real historical records, that is the year historians estimate Hua Tou died.
2. It didn't rain on that day at the Yuan border. I don't know what they filmed it as so and there seems to be no answer even in the Q&A and in episode 24 (you will see later what I am talking about when I go over episode 24).
In a still cut we got early in the beginning of the broadcast, we see the scene filmed without the rain.
3. Jang Bin does not have any supernatural power. So in episode two when we see "energy" coming out of Jang Bin's fan, it is only a special effect put in by the director to emphasize Jang Bin's ability to hit specific acupuncture points, disabling his opponents.
4. Noguk was attacked in the afternoon, not at night like we saw in the broadcasted version. So there was no glow-in-dark powder or swords used by the Woodalchi.
5. Which means when Gongmin and Young go to the portal, it is still afternoon, unlike what we saw in the broadcast.
6. In the script, Writer Song wrote a scene for when Young was inside the wormhole. She envisioned it like a long tunnel that Young is running through. At one point, he comes up against a dead end but he sees a small passageway off to the side and runs through there.
7. When Young comes out of the wormhole, it is night in Seoul. So Goryeo time and Seoul time are definitely working on a different level.
8. While in the broadcast we never saw the boyfriend see Young, in the script, both boyfriend and girlfriend see Young with their own eyes.
9. An entire scene in the script disappeared in the broadcast. Choi Young is stopped by the manager at the conference when he tries to go in without a ticket. The manager would be the same guy who later talks to Young in the security room.
10. Writer Song specifically wrote that Eun-soo grabs three antibiotic bottles from the sales booths to perform surgery on the injured manager. This number later becomes important in episode two because we see how Eun-soo uses two up with Noguk and Dae-man destroys one.I don't think this missing detail really matters because we get the point that there is no antibiotic left for Young after she stabs him, whether we knew how many Eun-soo grabbed or not.
11. Young obtains the police shield a different way. He actually grabs it from a policeman. Unlike the broadcast, Young gets into a physical confrontation with policemen before he blasts them with his power.
12. The portal opening in Seoul is not as distinct as it is in Goryeo. Song Ji-na wrote that the portal opening is hard to see.
13. Before Eun-soo and Young enter the portal, Eun-soo doesn't trip and Young doesn't bend down in front of her. Instead he says, "I am Goryeo warrior," as he walks toward Eun-soo and she backsteps. She ends up tripping closer to the portal and Young catches her. Then he walks into the portal with her like that.
14. Eun-soo was born April 5, 1980.
15. When Young first joins the Woodalchi, Deok-man is not there yet, unlike the broadcasted version. Joo-suk should have been there instead. Dae-man is also not there but I knew that Young was the one that brought Dae-man into the Woodalchi later on when I read the character description on the SBS website. I remember complaining about the lack of backstory between Young and the Woodalchi because I wanted to see how the Woodalchi came to respect and follow Young as a leader. It turns out that Writer Song had covered that in her script but it was not filmed/broadcasted.
When Young's backstory starts near the end of episode 1, Joo-suk (the one who was supposed to be complaining about Young, instead of Dol-bae) complains about Young coming in as daejang despite his young age. He thinks the palace guards, who already look down on Woodalchi, will have more ammunition to make fun of them.
Before Young enters the Woodalchi room, two Woodalchi come in injured after a fight with the palace guards.
This upsets everyone. At this point Young enters and everything proceeds as we saw it in the broadcast. We get as far Dol-bae reporting to Choong-suk that Young has been sleeping for days. In the script, we get an additional scene after this of Choong-suk actually waking up Young and asking him to talk to the leaders of the palace guards so that they don't bother the Woodalchi. He wants Young to a least do that even though he knows that Young doesn't want to be here.
Young gets up and goes down into the practice room where the Woodalchi are. He leaves his sword with Dol-bae and takes Dol-bae's practice wooden sword instead. He leaves the room.
Choong-suk, Joo-suk, Dol-bae, and other Woodalchi come running to where Young is outside in the palace. He has just beaten a group of palace guards. The palace guards are all huffing and puffing, exhausted from the fight, while Young is still looking half-awake. It obviously cost him no energy to fight those many guards. He walks toward the gawking Woodalchi and hands the wooden sword to Dol-bae, while taking his own sword back from him.
As Young walks away, we were supposed to watch him walk by a flower bed with chrysanthemums growing. Writer Song didn't actually specify chrysanthemums in the episode one script. She just wrote "flower that is going to be important with Eun-soo later." I guess she was leaving it up to the production staff to find an appropriate flower. Writer Song asked in the script for computer graphics (CG) to make the flowers bloom when Young walks by. If no CG was available, at least have the flowers shake in the wind as Young walks by.
Argh, why wasn't this scene put in?!?! It would have really helped to set up the aura of a "destined" relationship between Young and Eun-soo. I think Writer Song wanted to emphasize the specialness of Young and Eun-soo in this world, that it wasn't a random act that Young was the one who went through the portal and met Eun-soo out of all the other doctors. *weep*
Episode 24
1. The scene were Dol-bae is attacked by Ki Chul happens a little differently in the script. Young doesn't attack Ki Chul after Dol-bae falls. Instead, he goes in as soon as Ki Chul has his hand on Dol-bae's neck so he is able to push Dol-bae away from Ki Chul after Ki Chul knocks away Young's sword. Dol-bae falls to the ground in Young's arms. In the broadcasted version, we see Dol-bae already on the floor when Young bends down to him.
2. Deok-man never placed Dol-bae's spear by his side in the script. I think this was a nice addition by the director for the broadcast version.
3. Dae-man didn't use a wet cloth to block Hwasooin in the script. Writer Song's description for this scene wasn't very detailed so I think the director filled in the blanks to make it more exciting.
4. Young never patted Dae-man on the head after he saw that Dae-man was still alive after being hurt by Hwasooin.
5. Young's conversation with Lady Choi after Eun-soo is kidnapped actually happens in the palace corridor where the bodies of the Woodalchi that were killed by Ki Chul and his pledged siblings are laid out, covered in white cloth. There were other Woodalchi there also, including Choong-suk and Deok-man, so they all heard Young scream, "I'm waiting," and say, "I feel like I am going to die." Which means in the script we never saw Young pick up his sword again like we did in the broadcast.
6. The scene of the conversation between Young and Gongmin happened differently in the script. First, in the broadcast, the conversation happened right after the scene I discussed above, but in the script, it happened after Eun-soo saw the third relic. Second, the conversation happened in Young's room. So instead of Young entering his room for the first time after Eun-soo's disappearance to see Lady Choi in there, Young enters his room and finds it empty and messy after the fight. He sees his aspirin bottle on his table and puts it inside his robes. He also gently caresses the bed that Eun-soo was lying on. Gongmin enters the room at this point and they have the conversation we saw in the broadcast.
7. Young uses his power to help unhinge the door to the inn that Eun-soo is trapped in. Then he knocks it down.
8. Eun-soo didn't appear from the corner behind the door. She appears behind Young right after he kills Eum-ja. She has come to him after slicing Ki Chul and escaping from him. Young never saw Ki Chul in the inn. He doesn't immediately ask Eun-soo if she is okay. He first checks the rest of the inn for Ki Chul and Eun-soo watches him silently. Eun-soo steps toward him and Young looks at her face. Then he brushes back her hair. He asks her if she is okay and they have the beautiful conversation we all know so well- "Can you stay by my side now?" After Eun-soo says yes, Youn drops his sword and kisses her. Writer Song's direction- "As if he wanted to and waited for a long time to do so." Let's all weep now that this part wasn't included.
9. In the broadcast version, we saw the portal repel Ki Chul. In the script, it is written that nothing happens when Ki Chul walks into the light. He leaves and tries again but still nothing happens. So he eats the medicine that Yang-gak gave him and tries again. Still nothing happens. I think Ki Chul taking Yang-gak's medicine explains how he was able to defeat Young later on with his power.
10. The fight between Young and Ki Chul happens a little differently in the script. The only thing worth mentioning is that Eun-soo tries to run to Young as he is being frozen by Ki Chul but he tells her to not come close.
11. Young falls to his knees in the script instead of on his back at the end of Ki Chul's attack. Writer Song describes Young's illness as hypothermia. Eun-soo runs to him then and lays him down. Eun-soo first checks his pulse, not crying yet, as her doctor instincts have taken over. Then we are supposed to hear an audio of Young's heartbeat slowing down, as well as his breathing. This is when Eun-soo starts CPR, crying. Then we hear Young's narration, "Why was it this person?"
12. Ki Chul never picked up Young's sword and stabbed the ground. He just dragged Eun-soo away.
13. While in the broadcast it looked like Eun-soo ran into the portal to get away from Ki Chul, in the script, Ki Chul dragged her in but only she could go through it, leaving Ki Chul behind.
14. There is no flashback sequence between the scene when Eun-soo is dragged away from Young and the scene with Ki Chul and Eun-soo in front of the portal.
15. Writer Song wrote that time in Seoul didn't pass at all while Eun-soo was gone so when she returns to Seoul, it is right after she was kidnapped into that portal by Young.
16. The reporters didn't come specifically to interview Eun-soo and the nurse asked Eun-soo about her kidnapping; she never introduced the reporters to Eun-soo. Eun-soo just grabs the backpack from the reporter and asks the nurse to give him the money for the bag.
17. Eun-soo never grabbed a necklace. Writer Song later answered in the her Q&A that she has no idea where the necklace came from. I'm guessing it was a weird product placement put in the last minute.
18. We should have seen Eun-soo specifically pick up an aspirin bottle too, along with other medical supplies at the hospital, but we didn't get that in the broadcast version.
19. We were also supposed to see Eun-soo a little nervous about reentering the portal. I think we get a little sense of that in the broadcasted version but it seemed more like Eun-soo was saying a last goodbye instead of having anxiety. At least that is how I saw it. I wish her nervousness was a little more obvious so we can see Eun-soo's lack of faith. Her next line of dialogue would have had a better answer for audiences if this was emphasized more and we knew for sure that it was Eun-soo's firm faith that later opened the portal again, despite calculations indicating other times.
20. After Eun-soo finds the portal closed, having run back after not finding Young in the field, there was no flashback montage in the script.
21. After the scene with Eun-soo's parents, we have an entire scene missing in the broadcasted version. We were supposed to get a scene of Eun-soo digging a hole where Young was dying on the field next to the tree and placing an aspirin bottle with a yellow chrysanthemum inside into the hole. We were supposed to hear Eun-soo narrate, "So everyday I went to the door to heaven. I believed that faith, not calculations, will take me back to that person again. Believing is now the easiest thing for me."
22. We were also supposed to see chrysanthemums start to grow by where Eun-soo buried the aspirin bottle.
23. I didn't notice this when I was recapping but the script made me see the difference. There was flowers by the rock when Eun-soo when into the portal but not when she came back out.
24. In the script, Writer Song wrote that Eun-soo speaks slightly in Goryeo-speak because she has been in Goryeo for over a year.
25. Did you guys notice that Dae-man stopped stuttering? I didn't pay attention to that when I was recapping.
26. In the script, Eun-soo doesn't see Young sitting by the tree. Young was standing a bit off to the side of the field and she finds him looking at her with disbelieving eyes. Eun-soo slowly takes off her hat but Young still can't believe what he is seeing. They stare at each other like this.
27. Then the next scene should have been the scene from the beginning when Young and the Woodalchi are escorting our royal couple to Goryeo from Yuan. Except this time, we specifically see Young look up at the sky. (Writer Song didn't specify at what in the sky.) She didn't write this in for the scene for episode 1. In episode 1, we have Young raise his ears a bit to hear the assassins following the carriage. Then Choong-suk comes up to report that he thinks there are people following them, just as we saw in the broadcasted version. Writer Song explains a little bit more about this later on in her Q&A. I won't get to this question in this post, but it will come later on. All I will say for that is that Writer Song asked this bit to be filmed right from the beginning and they assured her that it was filmed. With the still cut I see below, we know that they must have at least rehearsed the scene that way so I don't know why they never ended up using it. Hmm...
28. Then Writer Song wrote in a flashback montage scene. After the montage, we have another missing scene in which we are back to the moment Young is lying on the field, dying alone. It starts to rain and we hear Eun-soo's voice talking about how she likes the moment when it first starts raining and she looks up at the sky. When we first left Young in the field, there was no chrysanthemums but now there are. So Young's hand is resting on a bunch of chrysanthemums as he is lying there on the ground. He grasps the chrysanthemums and feels the now half-buried bottle of aspirin. He slowly claws it out. At the same time, we are supposed to hear Young's heartbeat beating very slowly. As Young looks at the aspirin bottle, he takes out his own from his robes, and the heatrbeat gets louder and faster to normal rate. Young smiles at his looks at the two aspirin bottles and the rain continues to fall. Writer Song writes, "He is coming back alive."
29. The last scene is different in the script. After the scene I just described in the above paragraph, we go back to Young and Eun-soo staring at each other. Eun-soo slowly walks toward Young at first but soon she starts to run. Young opens his arms to receive her and Eun-soo runs into his arms. They embrace.
Q&A Part 1
1. The first question asks why the rain scene where Young comes alive was not included in the broadcast version. The poster wants to know if Writer Song agreed to its deletion. Writer Song replies, "It may have been because there was no time to get my approval. I am assuming that the filming situation must have been hard. (Still, at least the chrysanthemum inside the aspirin bottle...at least...)"
I guess they had no time to film this scene at all, especially since they would have had to bring in sprinklers for the rain. But like Writer Song said, at least film Young finding the aspirin bottle. It would have shown how Young found it within himself to live again from the hypothermia.
On the other hand, without that scene, I kind of enjoyed thinking that Young waited for Eun-soo not matter what, without that aspirin bottle telling him that Eun-soo was trying to get back to him. Ah well.
2. The question was about whether Young waited, knowing that Eun-soo was going to come back, or whether he just waited out of longing. Writer Song replies, "He believed. His belief and her belief met and opened the road! (When Choi Young saw the aspirin bottle, he knew it was a message from Eun-soo. If so, he knew that she must be trying to get back to him.)"
3. The poster asked where Writer Song got her idea for Son Yoo's character. She replies, "Wouldn't someone else have passed the road that Eun-soo went through? It the portal really existed, it would be weird if Eun-soo and Choi Young were the only ones that went through it, with all the people in the world! This thought was the inspiration for Son Yoo's character."
4. The next question asked whether Writer Song would release the story in book form. The poster asked for it to be released before August 2013. At this point, Writer Song replied that if she releases a book, she will try to release it before August.
Now we know for sure that Writer Song will write the story in book form and release it in December. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. The question was about where the chrysanthemums around the tree came from. Was it planted by Eun-soo, Young, or did they grow by themselves? Writer Song replied that the chrysanthemums in the field came from Eun-soo's flower inside the aspirin bottle. In her imagination, she saw the field filled with chrysanthemums and it would have been famous by Young's time (waiting by the tree) for all the chrysanthemums.
*Weeps* Too bad for the limited time and thank goodness for the fan art, as you saw in the very first picture of this post.
6. The question was about how long Eun-soo was alone by herself in the past. Writer Song replied, "One year. So when Eun-soo meets Choi Young again, their ages are between one year apart and the same."
7. The poster asked if Son Yoo was also a time-traveler and if he was (judging by his clock), why did Writer Song write him up that way? Writer Song replied that he was written that way to just make us question, "Is he a time-traveler?" That is all she really wanted with his character.
To Be Continued with Part 2
I think we have consider that the director can't film things exactly the way it is written in the script because filming and writing a scene is very different. It may look good or work on paper, but it doesn't mean it can actually play out that way in the shooting of the scene. Also, the director is working with a budget, limited time, and other complications with locations, etc. Writer Song made this clear later in her Q&A so I don't think we can lay all the blame and disappointment with the director. Still, I read some scenes and wished so much that they would have been filmed. Oh well...
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Song Ji-na's "Faith" Q&A Part 2
Part 1 here.
8. The question was about which scenes Writer Song was the most regretful about (or which scenes left a lot to be desired) and which scenes she treasured the most. Writer Song replied:
"The scene which I am most regretful about right now at this moment is the ending. The most treasured scene is...there are many...if I have to pick...
At the end of episode 19, the feeling of Eun-soo wearing the hat and carrying the cane stick. (The loneliness of future Eun-soo came out without a line of dialogue.)
The expression of Young, fighting alone in episode 22. (Ah, this actor is Choi Young now.)
Gongmin embracing Noguk on the bed in episode 20. (When I wrote it in the script I was okay, but when I saw it broadcasted, I choked up...)"
9. The poster asked if Writer Song had a message she definitely wanted to relay to viewers and the poster asked Writer Song to do it with a line from the drama. Writer Song replied:
"It's okay. Everything will turn out fine. This is just the beginning."
Remember, this is Young's inner thoughts as he is lying in the field, dying.
10. Repeat question of how long Eun-soo was in the past by herself. Writer Song's answer, "One year."
11. The question was about why the portal opened so quickly when it was supposed to open every 67 years. If Writer Song is saying it is because of faith, why didn't Eun-soo go back to dying Young the first time around?
This time, someone else answered. This poster wrote:
"The portal doesn't open every 67 years; it was supposed to open again in 67 years. The portal opened a few months after Eun-soo first arrived in Goryeo because the portal doesn't operate regularly. So the portal can open after some time again when Eun-soo goes back in time 100 years. Eun-soo must have traveled through time that way. Although the last time it opened, it seemed to be because of faith. Well, at least this is how I understood it."
Underneath this comment, Writer Song replied, "Yes, yes. This is so."
In sum, Eun-soo's calculations weren't entirely correct. There was always the possibility that the portal would open at other times besides Eun-soo's calculated dates. But at the end, Eun-soo was the one who opened the portal with her faith.
12. The question was, "Did you plan the situations involving the poison and diary from the beginning? The poison didn't seem to simply be something that harms people but something with an important meaning. What was it symbolic of?"
Writer Song replied, "I thought the diary was a record. The poison is poison. Something that harms us- we who should living healthily and properly. The poison when we talk about addiction. Drug addiction, alcohol addiction, materialistic addiction, apathy addiction, etc. I wanted to show it through different situations. But first, the lack of imagination on the part of the writer. Second, adverse conditions. Because of the lack of other things, I used the poison as a metaphor. I used it easily because it was simple...??"
13. The question was about Son Yoo again. The poster asked if he was from the future and why he had the watch and told his assistant to burn Eun-soo's tools. The poster also wanted to know if the person that Eun-soo wasn't supposed to save was Lee Seong-gye.
Writer Song replied:
"The two stances regarding history. One is Son Yoo. The other is Eun-soo. This is what I thought. I couldn't let go of my greed and attachment so while I was unable to draw it out from the story, I dealt with it only through dialogue. About Son Yoo, the answer is above..." (Answered in Part 1.)
It seems Writer Song really wanted to further explore the differences between Son Yoo and Eun-soo's treatment of history but she couldn't due to constraints. I'm hoping she writes more about this in her novel version.
14. This poster asked Writer Song to clearly explain why so many scenes from the script were deleted. The poster can understand if they had to film centrally on sets because of the budget but he/she can't understand other things.
Writer Song replied, "*weep* The first mistake is that the writer couldn't write scenes to meet the conditions of the production."
It must be really difficult for drama writers in general to have to write in terms of budget and other production conditions, which may be very different what they had envisioned for their drama. I would probably be heartbroken if I couldn't get a scene I desperately wanted.
15. "Why couldn't Ki Chul go through the portal?"
Writer Song replied, "I'm curious about that too! I was just concerned that there would be people waiting in front of the Bongeunsa(temple) when there are solar flares. As a prevention measure ;) "
LOL. Writer Song has a sense of humor! I think I remember her answering this question a little more seriously later on when someone asks again.
16. This question is one that everyone here is also curious about. The poster asked if they filmed the kiss scene, with hopes that it might be included in the DVD.
Writer Song replied, "If they filmed it, it is unlikely that they would have taken it out during editing because the editing team had pressured me to put in kiss scenes."
Hahahaha! I guess everyone wants a kiss scene.
17. "Which scene do you like the most?"
Writer Song replied, "I answered a similar question up above." (Question 8 above.)
18. The question is about which scene Writer Song put the most effort in.
Writer Song replied, "In the beginning, action scenes. Later on I gave up after I realized they can't be filmed the way I want. It was hard trying to develop both Young and Gongmin's growth side-by-side, step-by-step."
19. This question was about the 500 nyang situation- why Writer Song wrote this kind of situation.
Writer Song replied, "Just because... ;) I wanted to put Choi Young in a situation that we experienced because I thought if I put Choi Young in that situation, it would seem more realistic...Truthfully, I wanted to extend that 500 nyang issue a little longer but I got irritated and just ended it."
I'm getting the feeling from the way the poster asked the question and the way Writer Song answered it that there was some real situation in recent Korean issues that was similar to what happened to Choi Young.
20. "Were there other images of Choi Young that you wanted to show in the drama?"
Writer Song replied, "I wanted to show a cheerful, cute, and happy image, but strangely ever time I wrote that kind of scene, it would get cut at the film site. ?? I thought they must not like it and later cowered a bit."
Ha! I wonder what happened on the film site for people to agree that a cute and happy Young wasn't going to work. Curiouser and curiouser.
21. "While every character that came out in Faith' was good, I felt that you put a lot more effort into Choi Young. I read here and there that women felt like they were dating Choi Young. Did you ever feel like you were dating Choi Young while you writing the script?"
Writer Song replied, "I disliked him a bit while I was writing. ?? It was because it hard writing lines for a character that used succinct speech. I heard that on the set, Eun-soo and Choi Young worked with smiling faces despite harsh conditions because they both have great personalities, so I was very grateful."
I never got the feeling with Choi Young, the way I did with Kim Boong-do from "Queen In Hyun's Man," that the writer was in love with the character and I guess I was right. With Boong-do, you could the writer was head-over-heels with her own character from the way she set up this character, speech, and Hee-jin's reaction to him. It wasn't the same feeling with Choi Young.
22. This poster was curious about Young and his sword. She/He asked how Young was able to stay a general when he said his sword was heavy. Was the burden in his heart cured? If it was, at what point? What made him able to pick up the sword again?
Other people answered this- that Young answered this question during his conversation with Gongmin in episode 2. He wasn't going to follow his teacher's footsteps. Writer Song replied that the people above answered for her.
23. Once again, this question was about why there were so many missing scenes from the script. The poster seemed pretty upset about it.
Writer Song replied, "Ah...I just took sleeping pills after I watched the episode yesterday and went to sleep. I'm just thinking that the filming situation must have been difficult...that they didn't have time."
24. The question was about what message Writer Song wanted to deliver through the drama.
Writer Song replied, "Even if we live just one day, let's live it loving."
Or maybe, "Even if you live one day, love." Does that sound better? The one above is more true to the Korean, I think, but in English, the second one sounds more smooth. Anyway, I love the message.
To be continued with Part 3.
Song Ji-na's "Faith" Q&A Part 3
25. "I remember a lot of Choi Young's dialogue because there were many that were good. Which one do you think is the best line of dialogue from Choi Young?"
Writer Song replied, "It will be forever, not just a day or a few days."
This line is from episode 21- Choi Young's confession to Eun-soo. Eun-soo had asked Young if he will be able to protect her for his entire life (forever) and he replied, "If I can have you...forever, not just a day or a few days." Great, I'm a weepy mess again. When will this drama let go of its hold on me?!?!
26. The question was about why the third relic was the projector and what was the point of the necklace.
Writer Song replied, "About the parents...I thought it would represent the past, because history is not just about the present and the future. It was also heartrending that Eun-soo didn't get to say goodbye to her parents. About the necklace...uhm...I don't know anything about this."
27. Ha! This fan got the same impression I did- that the writer didn't spend as much time giving us Eun-soo's thoughts as she did with Choi Young. The fan wrote, "I thought that you didn't develop Eun-soo's emotional line as much as Choi Young (besides the need for secrecy presented by the time-travel). Did you have a special reason for that? Did you have that intention from the beginning?"
Writer Song replied, "It is entirely my calculation mistake. I should have lead the story from Eun-soo's point of view starting from episode 9 but I lost that after many things went astray. It can also be said that I placed myself too much in Eun-soo's position and wrote the story assuming too many things. I am very sorry about this."
I'm so happy Writer Song did this Q&A because it provides some answers to my doubts. I was always a little confused about Eun-soo since we didn't get a lot of insight into her inner thoughts and how she felt about being in Goryeo and time-traveling. I have a lot of respect for a writer who recognizes her mistakes and can own up to it. I hope she will be able give more insight into Eun-soo's character in her book. I'm getting more excited about the book!
28. This question was about the one year trip the fortune teller mentioned in the first episode. The fan wanted to know if the year he mentioned was the year Eun-soo spent alone in the past-past.
Writer Song replied, "I thought one year in Gongmin's Goryeo and one year in the past-past. But the fortune-teller is not that good so don't believe him."
Hahaha! That's what we get for taking that fortune-teller so seriously!
29. "Where did Son Yoo come from? Who is Son Yoo?"
Writer Song replied, "Answer is above."
30. "Please tell us what you think are the top three lines of dialogue?"
Writer Song replied, "Oh...this...it's like asking a actor, Tell us three things that you think are the prettiest about you.'"
At least she told us what she thought was Choi Young's best line.
31. a) "What was the story you had originally planned? (How is it different from the current one?)"
b) When did Young start loving Eun-soo?
c) "When you picked the name Yoo Eun-soo,' did you take heed of Choi Young's wife Yoo?"
Writer Song replied:
a) "The answer is too long. If I release a book, please read it."
b) "Because Young wasted time thinking, Why this person?', I do not know when he acknowledge his love for her to himself."
c) "Yes. Hehehe."
About Writer Song's answer to b, I always find it interesting the way characters seem to take on a life of their own despite being creations of writers and the way writers talk about the characters that they created as if they weren't the ones writing them up. There is definitely something magical about writing.
32. This fan is funny. She wrote that it seems it will take her a long time to gather together her broken heart. She wants to know how Writer Song will mend her own heart so she can do the same.
Writer Song replied, "I plan to play puzzle with the pieces of my heart for the time being."
Her answer is actually sad and funny at the same time. It's witty but if your heart was really left in pieces by this drama, like mine was, it's kind of sad. Actually, it's good advice. I think doing this Q&A is helping to piece my heart together again.
33. This fan asked what aspect of Young's character Writer Song paid most attention to while writing.
Writer Song replied, "Honesty. To himself and to others. (Every time Young was put into a crisis, I wanted to make him use a dirty and cowardly method to get out of it because it was hard writing him out of the situation. But I tried very hard to stay true his character.)
His honesty and straightforwardness what what we loved best about Choi Young, wasn't it? Thank you Writer Song for working so hard so give us a character that we can admire.
34. This question is a repeat question asking which aspect of Choi Young Writer Song wanted to show more.
Writer Song replied, "I wrote the answer above...Choi Young smiling. Being a heodang (basically someone who is smart/skilled 99% of the time but has moments of unexpected clumsiness/idiocy).
I really wished we saw more of heodang Choi Young but that would have been a very different drama, I think. Our serious and highly-skilled warrior making mistakes and/or stumbling over himself. I would have laughed out loud like crazy. Kind of like when we saw in the episode 7 BTS clip of Lee Minho stumbling as he heroically walked out the door.
35. This question basically asked when was the first time Eun-soo time-traveled. This person thought that Eun-soo had traveled many times before. She wrote, "It wasn't when she was kidnapped in modern time...so why did she not recognize Choi Young?"
Another person replied to the question. She wrote, "The first time was when Choi Young kidnapped her. She saw him for the first time then and vice versa. After being pushed through the portal by Ki Chul, she time-traveled again to save Young but she ended up one-hundred years in the past. From there, in order to return to Choi Young, she left the relics and visited the portal everyday with an ardent desire, and with her earnest longing she opened the portal and came back to modern time. Because she came back to modern time instead of Choi Young's time, she time-traveled again. Finally, she returned to the time four years after they separated."
Writer Song replied that this person's answer is her answer.
So do you guys get the time-travel now? I think Writer Song is basically using the time loop device, which makes it hard to say that there is a first time or last time to Eun-soo's travels. My advice- don't think too hard about it. Time-travel never makes sense.
36. This fan found the Jeogwoldae story fascinating and was sorry it was so short. She wanted to know if Writer Song had any plans to develop the story into a film or book.
Writer Song replied that she was holding onto to the Jeogwoldae story, wanting to develop it into a movie scenario. But all she did was hold on to it instead of developing it.
Sounds like Writer Song was twiddling with a story like the Jeogwoldae story in Faith for a while and just ended up using it in the drama. It would have made a great drama or movie, me thinks, with a lot of action and emphasis on warrior-hood, loyalty, and sacrifice. Man, I would have devoured this if it came out as a drama.
37. Another question about Son Yoo. Writer Song replied that the answer is above.
38. This question is sort of a repeat question about the last relic. The poster wanted to know why Writer Song didn't reveal it until the end and why it was a projector.
Writer Song replied, "It's not the projector that I/she needed but the video of Eun-soo's parents. The original plan was to re-present Eun-soo's seminar room from episode 1 and show her take the projector from that room. Due to circumstances, we changed to the hospital and it kind of came out forced."
39. This is another repeat question about whether the scenes from the script that were not in the broadcasted version were not filmed due to circumstances, with Writer Song's approval, or whether they were filmed but edited out.
Writer Song replied, "The situation on the set was really difficult. The biggest reason was that my script was late and it was complicated. In order to process my script, there were somethings that were randomly taken out during filming. If I got a call from the set (that some part was difficult to film), I worked hard to adjust the script. (These changes appear on the script that you guys can find on this website.) The things that changed without my knowledge I have to see the broadcast to know. (These things I couldn't adjust and the scripts were uploaded on this website.)
40. This fan asked how similar the ending we saw was to the ending Writer Song had planned from the beginning and whether there was anything that she wanted but couldn't put in.
Writer Song replied, "The structure of the ending was something that I made when I was writing episode 1 so there was something for episode 24 that I asked to be filmed while they were filming episode 1. When I checked recently, it hadn't been filmed. (They had said they would film it later because they didn't have time then.) (It would have been good if this came out...It was a supplementary scene continued with everyone's favorite caped Choi Young in dry form."
So Writer Song continues to not clarify why Choi Young looking up in the sky is significant. Darn, darn, darn. I just can't figure out how this scene would have continued to be significant to the ending. Why did the director film it raining when there was no indication of it on the script? Did the writer want it to be raining and asked for a dry version? And what would be the significance of that difference for the timeline of this drama? Argh!
41. This fan asked a question which a lot of people asked- why some many skinship scenes were cut out. Was it because they were being considerate of Kim Hee-sun's husband who didn't like the skinship?
Writer Song replied, "Hehe. I'm curious about this too! We agreed to meet up after we have rested our tired body and hearts. I will ask them then!"
42. This person asked several questions, some which are repeats.
1) Did Eun-soo wait in front of the portal a hundred years in the past knowing when it will open?
2) Did Young heal by himself and wait for Eun-soo to keep his promise to live well?
3) Did Son Yoo time-travel? Which era did he come from?
4) Were Hwata's relics that were left to Ki Chul the things that Eun-soo left a hundred years in the past? Weren't Eun-soo carrying them in her bag when she went through the portal?
5) Was it your own decision to put in the character of Choi Young in "Faith"? It seems like the original plan for the drama changed a lot after Choi Young was put in the drama. I am wondering why you put in a real person in the drama.
Writer Song replied:
1) No. She waited not with calculations but with faith.
2) The aspirin bottle left by Eun-soo was a message for Choi Young and gave him hope to live again- The message being, "I'm alive. I am trying to get back to you."
5) I like the figures of Choi Young and King Gongmin from history. I always wanted to write about them..but I am repenting right now because I feel like I didn't do them justice.
43. This person wrote, "The fortune teller said that Eun-soo would go on a long journey for a year but time didn't pass at all in modern time. What did he mean?"
Writer Song replied, "This fortune teller is both right and wrong. Eun-soo was lost in the past-past for a year and then finally met Young again. So I can't really say anything..."
44. "I am assuming that the point when Choi Young wakes up is when Choong-jung dies. Am I right?"
Writer Song replied, "It's probably correct that the direct cause is Choong-jung's death."
45. This person is curious how the drama would have played out if Philip Lee did not get hurt.
Writer Song replied, "The Jang Bin character was different from original plans right from the beginning. I wanted to have Jang Bin teach Eun-soo about medicine as a teacher but after the so-and-so about plagiarism, the broadcast station displayed dislike toward medical episodes, etc. Due to several reasons, that storyline was greatly reduced. Personally, I am sad and upset about that.
Kudos for Philip Lee, who stuck with the drama despite the changes. I was actually looking forward to more of a medical storyline and was disappointed with how it seemed to disappear slowly from the drama. I'm guessing that they had created the Hwata animation way before and didn't want to waste it after they had to change the storyline of the drama. (I heard they spent three months on that animation.) Otherwise, they spent way too much time and effort building up the legend of Hwata's medical skills for it to not have any relevance in the drama later.
46. This fan wanted to know if there was anything that Writer Song just wanted to say to her viewers.
Writer Song replied that if she started talking, it would go on for three nights, four days, so she will pass on this question.
47. This person wanted to know what Writer Song was most regretful of (or feel the lack of) in "Faith," and if Writer Song had plans to unravel those regrets through a book or movie.
Writer Song replied, "Because I am getting encouragement to write a book, I am thinking of writing one. So far yesterday, I have written nine pages. It seems that I am sad (about the dearth) too.
Yay for the book actually coming out! I hope nothing goes wrong and she can publish it in December as planned.
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