South Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-sook recently won the Grand Award at the 2017 Baeksang Arts Awards for her work in 'Goblin.' Strangely however, she seems to have some regrets about writing the hit show. She feels it did not have enough childish or cringeworthy dialogue, like most of her writings do.
Kim Eun-sook sat down for an interview with Ilgan Sports to talk about her writing career and the conversation naturally shifted to 'Goblin.' When it was pointed out that some of her often quoted lines were also considered cheesy, the writer resounded by saying that it was her style.
"I've said this before but that's my specialty. Kim Eun-sook is a writer who can write lines that seem childish and make you cringe. But nobody said that about 'Goblin.' I think my writing style has changed as I grow older. People complimented 'Goblin' a lot and I feel like I've lost my way. I need to write something cheesy again...." she said.
It is interesting that she considers her most popular and successful work to be unlike the style she prefers.
Of course it is possible that she was giving a sarcastic reply to the reporter's question. After all, it is odd to have a writer consciously write something that makes people 'cringe.' Kim Eun-sook also revealed that 'Goblin: The Lonely and Great God' had been in development even before another project of her, 'The Secret Garden' was aired.
"I thought of the idea in 2010 before 'Secret Garden' was broadcast," she said. "I wasn't able to do it then, but it got produced eight years later. At that time there was a limit to what we could do. It was difficult to produce a fantasy romance of that scale, so it was rejected and I put out 'Secret Garden' instead," she said.
The 'Descendants of the Sun' writer also revealed that she likes to take her own time for writing scripts and does not like to rush things. She added that as a writer catering to a large audience she feels the responsibility to please her viewers.
Kim Eun-sook's next drama is tentatively titled 'Mr. Sunshine,' as noted by Soompi. The story will be set in the early 1900s, before the Japanese occupation of Korea. It will be a story about a Korean man who is a soldier in the United States army, who returns to Joseon and falls in love with an aristocratic woman.
There's no word yet on who'll play the lead. However, the writer did tease, "I do have someone in mind. Since the character's narrative is strong and has a large breadth of emotions, the role needs to be played by someone who is very good at acting."
