"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" by Yang EunJi and Toisa on Heavenly / KENAZ
"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" is one of the BL web dramas that was the highlight of 2022's year-end. Starring Park YoungWoon (in the role of Min YuDam), Park JeongWoo (in the role of Seol DongBaek), W.O.W's YooSung (in the role of Dennis), and more, the drama ran from mid-December 2022 to mid-January 2023.
The drama is one of many excellent KENAZ productions. KENAZ is a top-tier webtoon production company that has recently expanded into drama production, as well.
"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" tells the story of a new employee who joins a company and thinks his director is crazy because he claims to have lived 3 lives. On top of that outlandish claim, the director insists that the two of them must date each other otherwise they will both die. The drama follows the two of them as they navigate the dynamics of their relationship amidst a fantasy in the entertainment sector.
The webtoon was illustrated by Yang EunJi and written by Toisa. You can read the webtoon in Korean here and in English here.
As one of KENAZ's many gripping and entertaining works, "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" web drama was directed by Yang KyeongHui and written by Son YiSeul.
Yang KyeongHui is the director behind hit BL web dramas like "The Tasty Florida" and "Kissable Lips". She is also the director behind the upcoming webtoon-based BL drama "Love Tractor".
Meanwhile, Son YiSeul is an up-and-coming variety show and drama writer who has worked on shows like "Chuu Can Do It", "MISUN: IMPOSSIBLE", and more.
Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer did an excellent job with the adaptation of the webtoon and by creating an equally intriguing and heart-fluttering BL web drama. If you're curious about some of the specific webtoon differences between the two mediums, check out this article:
6 Differences Between The "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" BL Drama And Webtoon & How They Impact The StoryKDRAMA STORIES Apr 11, 2023
Kpopmap had the honor of conducting an exclusive interview with Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer about the production of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner". We spoke about the process of creating a drama adapted from a webtoon, took a look at the behind-the-scenes production involved in the fantasy genre, and much more!
It's always a pleasure to get to know more about what goes into the production of dramas that we enjoy watching so much.
Note: This article contains spoilers for the web drama and webtoon of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner".
Get To Know Yang KyeongHui Director and Son YiSeul Writer of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner"
Firstly, thank you for taking the time to speak to Kpopmap today Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer. Please introduce yourselves to our readers from all over the world.
Hello. I’m the director of “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”, Yang KyeongHui. I’ve directed works such as “The Tasty Florida”, “Kissable Lips”, and the soon-to-be-released “Love Tractor”.
Yang KyeongHui Director
Hello, I’m writer Son YiSeul who was in charge of the script for “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”. I’m so glad to be able to meet you all like this!
Son YiSeul Writer
About Their Choices: From The Selection Process To The Genre
Congratulations on all of your success with the web drama for “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”! As someone who plays the deciding role in which elements of the webtoon make it to the web drama screen or not, which aspects of the webtoon did you try to focus on recreating the most?
Since the webtoon’s set in a fantasy, I thought that the viewers might find it (the drama) burdensome without any comedic elements. Whilst keeping the comedic parts alive as much as possible, I tried to express the emotions in detail so that they could naturally permeate throughout the web drama.
Yang KyeongHui Director
It’s a webtoon that’s been receiving a lot of love and, as someone who really enjoyed the original work, I wanted to express a lot of things from the webtoon. However, you can’t show all of the vast stories in the drama. So, I think I prioritized YuDam and DongBaek’s characters the most - because that’s honestly the most important element when it comes to leading the story. In the end, since the two of them’s love story was the center of the story, I thought that if I recreate their characters well then the drama viewers would also be able to feel the emotions from the webtoon in the same way.
Son YiSeul Writer
How did you decide to take on this webtoon adaptation? Can you please walk our readers through the selection process?
Office BLs are charming. Secretive office romances are also thrilling. Then once you add the fantasy element it’s like fun thing + fun thing = something even more fun. The webtoon characters were drawn in a charming way. So, there were a lot of scenes I wanted to express through video.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I’m a person who reads a lot of BL webtoons in my everyday life. When I first got to read the webtoon, I thought it was a very intriguing story. DongBaek and YuDam’s characters are characters that say exactly what they need to say instead of being internally conflicted, you know? I especially liked how DongBaek said everything he wanted to say to the director even though he was confused. During the production period of the drama, there weren’t a lot of BL dramas set in an office background, and I thought that since it even has the fantasy element of reincarnation, it’s a very charming webtoon. So, at first, when KENAZ reached out to me with a proposal and gave me about a week to think about it, I wanted to try adapting the drama the moment I saw the webtoon.
Son YiSeul Writer
"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" by Yang EunJi and Toisa on Heavenly / KENAZ
The drama makes use of fantasy elements in an everyday storyline. Considering that the mix between the slice-of-life genre and fantasy genre is regaining attention as a trend in the K-Drama landscape these days, how did you find a balance between the incorporation of both elements in “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”?
We wanted to express our characters plainly and three-dimensionally so that people wouldn’t feel burdened because our production combined BL with the fantasy genre. I think that a comedic element that creates a situation is important for viewers to naturally enter a fantasy world. A funny situation gets created when YuDam, who ended up living forever by bestowing the name of his beloved DongBaek from 300 years ago, meets DongBaek for the first time and immediately says, “Let’s date.” We made it start by showing situations that would’ve flustered DongBaek and through comedic elements. It would’ve been a burdensome drama if we started with serious elements in it from the beginning, but I think it gave you the power to keep watching because it was comical. The ‘light’ image was also used to set up the god (as a higher power), giving unity through lightning strikes and flashing lights; so that even when the street lamp, a stage prop, collapsed to DongBaek, it could be understood as a ‘curse of God’ at once. The BL genre in itself can be interpreted as a fantasy. In Korea, BL has become more popular through web novels and webtoons. So, many people still feel pressured by the thought of watching it as a web drama. There are a lot of cases where emotional details or narratives that can be omitted in 2D become awkward when produced into a drama. I simply don’t think that the BL genre should be considered a fantasy. It’s something that the actors are acting out directly and as something that is even more in touch with reality; I think how LGBT+ elements are properly mixed into the web drama determines its success. Only when the characters continue to think about the love of men, which is difficult in reality, can viewers naturally immerse themselves in the web drama.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I think the scale of fantasy in this drama is on the big side… haha. A ‘god’ presence appears in the drama, too. So, it was difficult to keep all of these fantasy elements alive. When the script first came out, I remember it was expressed in a bit of a blunt way, so the director thought a lot about how to express these fantasy elements in reality. The director and I modified it several times to create a production with a mix of reality and fantasy. This was because all I needed to do was to write down whatever I was imagining in my head, but the director had to show it and implement it all to be seen directly with your eyes onscreen. The director put in a lot of effort in this regard.
Son YiSeul Writer
"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" by Yang EunJi and Toisa on Heavenly / KENAZ
Aside from the webtoon, where did you draw your inspiration for the web drama adaptation? Are there any webtoons, dramas, or games that you looked to for ideas?
I referred to the K-Dramas “Goblin” and “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?”.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I watched a lot of office dramas to find out how the story could be carried out in that space. I mostly watched the Japanese BL drama “Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!” (30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい in Japanese). It’s a production that has fantasy elements with its foundation set in reality, and it's a situation that happened in the workplace. It’s a manhwa-based drama so it was very helpful.
Son YiSeul Writer
Webtoon vs. Web Drama: Actors, Fans, and the Finer Details
The actors, Park YoungWoon and Park JeongWoo, from the drama adaptation of “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner” really look like their webtoon equivalent characters. How important is casting an actor who resembles the character to you? Do you prioritize the actor’s acting skills or the resemblance with their character more when you cast them for the web drama?
Each director is probably different but for me, in the BL genre, I prioritize the similarity with the character more than acting skills. I also think that even though it’s difficult, by talking enough we can bring out acting skills. I personally think that in the BL genre, the actor’s visuals are even more important. The power of one’s image is big. It’s the actors who make images dynamic. There are a few images that stay in your memory after you watch a drama. Later, the image explains the drama. In most cases, when you watch a drama you’ll often say, “I liked this scene!" That’s the power of the actors. Expectations rise even more at first because they resemble the original character. So, I purposefully made the outfits and concept as similar to the webtoon as possible. The acting in “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner” is outstanding and I think we were able to make a good production because actors Park YoungWoon and Park JeongWoo joined the project and looked like the webtoon characters.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I was lucky enough to participate in the auditions together with the director. Since the director has already produced several BL productions, his eye for actors was superb. I thought it was only right for me to completely follow the director’s opinion during the casting because seeing an actor in real life with your eyes and seeing them directly on camera makes a big difference… I thought, “Oh, so this is how you look at things during an audition.” You can’t ignore the similarity to the character when it’s a webtoon-based production, and in the case of acting ability, it’s related to immersion in the story; so choosing one between the two is really difficult… Haha. What would the director think about this? It’s difficult.
Son YiSeul Writer
"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" by Yang EunJi and Toisa on Heavenly / KENAZ
"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" by Yang EunJi and Toisa on Heavenly / KENAZ
BL web dramas and webtoons are known for portraying electric chemistry between distinct characters - this is what most fans love about them. As a result, webtoon fandoms usually carry over into being fans of the web drama. When adapting “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”, did you feel any pressure to stick to the webtoon or were you more open to changing up the story a little bit?
I really enjoyed the webtoon. So, my desire to make the drama as similar to the webtoon setting was big. Of course, there was some pressure considering the existing fans. Thankfully, the people who liked the webtoon also liked the web drama. There might be some sadness about the things that were interpreted differently. However, I think that there are more elements to talk about like how the production crew interpreted things and which aspects were drawn differently. So, fans will have fun figuring that out.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I think it’s better to be on the side of choosing to change dialogue if it means having a better flow of expression in the drama. You end up with things that were okay when reading a webtoon but might be impossible to implement or are awkward through video. Personally, when I’m watching productions adapted from an original piece, I find it fun to look for the differences in each of them. Maybe that’s why, but I didn’t feel any pressure to make them match perfectly.
Son YiSeul Writer
Are there any details from the webtoon that you wanted to portray in the web drama but maybe couldn’t? If so, please tell us a little bit about what they are.
The details that I couldn’t express from the webtoon are from the office romance between DongBaek and YuDam. There were a lot of scenes that I wanted to allot time to and show but, unfortunately, due to the length of the drama, there are a lot of scenes that I couldn’t show. I have a lot of regrets about Dennis’ character who was portrayed differently than in the webtoon. I wanted to unravel more of why Dennis behaves so harshly towards YuDam. Dennis thinks YuDam is a cool person and a good partner but due to his busy schedule, hate comments, and insomnia, he ends up having a mental illness; which he thinks is all because of YuDam. I wanted to include the process of his sadness (from not having his feelings recognized) changing into revenge. I didn’t express it directly but Dennis is in the early stages of schizophrenia. He’s a character who misunderstands that YuDam is trying to harm him. The fans might not have noticed but I thought a lot about Dennis’ medication container. I contemplated using the orange medicine bottle that they use a lot in Hollywood movies but then asked myself whether a top idol could bravely carry around his medicine case. That’s how I came up with the portable ashtray. It’s a shame that a star who shines brighter than everyone else carries around his medicine in an ashtray. I also created a connection between Dennis, the villain, who killed DongBaek in the past life, and the heartbreaking character who ends up killing DongBaek in the current life, but it’s a shame that I couldn’t portray this properly due to time constraints.
Yang KyeongHui Director
Dennis’ role was portrayed a bit differently from the original webtoon. In the same way that the viewers felt disappointed, I also felt a lot of disappointment. People who’ve seen the webtoon would know that Dennis originally has a lot of background and past stories. However, we couldn’t bring all of that to life due to time constraints… So, I’m quite sad that it feels like Dennis’ character ended up lacking details.
Son YiSeul Writer
"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" by Yang EunJi and Toisa on Heavenly / KENAZ
Webtoon and web drama are two vastly different mediums. Were there any obstacles or difficult moments in terms of creative differences when adapting the production from one format to another?
In a webtoon, even if you cut off emotional narratives it can look natural because they focus on stories, compared to the connection of cuts. However, in a web drama, if the character’s emotions are cut off, it becomes unnatural. I think the process of making these points natural is simultaneously the most important factor and difficult to do.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I think the director would’ve had a hard time especially because this drama had fantasy elements. When I write the script, I write it down thinking, “Won’t it work out well if we do it like this or that?” but since it’s up to the director to implement it… haha. I know that the director had a lot of things to think about because of various realistic problems, but in my case, it was the most difficult to decide the things to keep and cut from the webtoon’s huge volume. If I could, I wanted to diffuse everything but since screen time is limited… I worried about how to adapt things without making them awkward, how to keep the webtoon’s charm alive, and how to show the drama’s charm, too.
Son YiSeul Writer
Final Remarks & BL Webtoon and Web Drama Recommendations for BL Fans
As webtoon-based dramas are gaining popularity globally, especially for the BL genre… Is there anything that you’d like to say to fans of KENAZ productions and dramas? Can you give them a sneak peek of what to look forward to in 2023 or a recommendation on what to watch next if they enjoyed “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner?”
KENAZ is a company that has many stories from lively and bouncy genres to fantasy genres. There are a lot of excellent productions but I personally want to recommend “Rose and Champagne” out of the BLs.
Yang KyeongHui Director
Lastly, thank you for loving KENAZ’s dramas. If you enjoyed watching this, I recommend watching another drama produced by KENAZ called “Blueming”. It’s a drama based on the webtoon “Who Can Define Popularity?” and I like this webtoon! The production of season 2 has been confirmed. So, I’m also waiting for it as a fan myself~
Son YiSeul Writer
You can read "Rose and Champagne" here (scroll to the bottom of the page for different language options), check out our cast and summary for "Blueming" here, and read "Who Can Define Popularity " in English here.
Thank you once again to Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer for taking time out of their busy schedules to answer our questions! We hope that BL and K-Drama lovers will continue to support their productions and are looking forward to seeing more of them in the future.
Check out the teaser for "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" here:
What did you think of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner"? Did you read the webtoon, as well? Let us know your thoughts on this BL production in the comments!
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