'Casting Im Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun was a miracle': Director and writer of 'Brave New World' reflect on the hit series

Director Han Tae-seop and writer Kang Hyeon-ju on SBS's 'Brave New World'

'Reality was the core,' even within a fantasy setting

Historical research brought restrained late-Joseon aesthetics to life

Achieving even one of these would have been remarkable — the show managed all of them. Peaking at a 14 percent viewership rating and reaching No. 1 on Netflix's global chart, "Brave New World" wove together heart-fluttering romance, sharp comedy and genuine emotional resonance. The addictive "Joseon villainess" memes, the wrist-kiss scene that kept countless viewers up at night, and the painstakingly crafted classical beauty of late-Joseon Korea — every element of the series shone on its own, making the farewell all the more bittersweet.

Writer Kang Hyeon-ju, who pushed bold storytelling in her debut, and director Han Tae-seop, who brought it to the screen with remarkable polish, sat down to share behind-the-scenes stories from "Brave New World," the SBS Friday-Saturday drama that wrapped June 20.

'Like a lighthouse on a dark sea' — a drama that brought relief

Both began by thanking viewers for their warm support and sharing their feelings now that the series has ended. What stood out was that neither spoke first of the joy of success — both reached for the word "relief."

"I wrote the stories and characters I personally wanted to see, and I'm deeply moved that so many people embraced them," Kang said. "It feels like relief — like drifting alone on a dark sea at night and suddenly catching a beam of light from a lighthouse. I'm grateful to the viewers for giving me the small certainty that if I follow this light, I can find my way to shore."

Han could not hide his surprise at the response that poured in from beyond Korea. "The viewer message that stays with me most is from someone who said they were fighting an illness but found themselves bursting into laughter because of this drama, getting through each day," he said. "It reminded me that there are still things only a drama can do. I also feel relieved that it became a small reward for the staff who endured a long, cold winter shoot."

Both the writer and director agreed on the secret behind "Brave New World's" popularity: love — overflowing from every corner of the work and the set.

"I wanted to talk about love through a miraculous story of people meeting and saving each other," Kang said, crediting Han for honoring the texture of the script while adding the energy of the set, and praising Im Ji-yeon, Heo Nam-jun and the entire cast and crew. "I'm also grateful to the production team for trusting a rookie writer and coming along for the ride," she added.

Han compared the drama — rooted in a warm theme — to a tree. "The simple but heartfelt message at the root is that no matter how hard and lonely life gets, happiness will come if you hold on," he said. "The staff's dedication became the trunk, the actors' performances and ensemble became the leaves that let the story bloom, and the viewers' great love became the fruit we were able to harvest."

'I didn't want it to feel fake' — building reality on top of fantasy

"Brave New World" is a fantasy romance that moves between the past and the present. What kept its characters grounded even within the potentially weightless conceit of time travel was writing and direction that placed real emphasis on historical authenticity and plausibility.

"A narrative that uses fantasy to summon a figure from the past into the modern world can easily feel like it's floating in midair, so I wanted to preserve as much plausibility as possible," Kang said. "I deliberately stripped away the familiar rites of passage common to time-slip stories and focused instead on keeping the story's momentum alive."

She also steered away from the stock comedic device of a fish-out-of-water character stumbling helplessly through the modern world. Instead, she wanted the protagonist Shin Seo-ri, played by Im Ji-yeon, to be someone who came from the past yet was more self-directed than anyone around her.

"I wanted the characters to feel like real, living people to viewers," Kang said. "For that, three-dimensionality was the most important thing. I believed that contradictions — a man who is the most masculine of men, a Joseon woman who is more quintessentially Gen Z than anyone, someone who burns like a flame on the outside but carries a fragile, icy vulnerability within — are what make a character feel truly human."

Han, too, focused on erasing any sense of artificiality that the fantasy premise might create and making everything feel genuinely real — so as not to break the viewer's emotional immersion. The starting point for that, above all else, was casting.

"The character of Seo-ri had to express a complex emotional arc moving between Joseon and the modern era, while Cha Se-gye, played by Heo Nam-jun, needed a wide performance range that could move freely between comedy, romance and melodrama," Han said. "Fortunately, the moment we cast the actors we most wanted, I remember the writer and I shouting 'we've got it' together."

That commitment to authenticity carried through into the historical research for the sageuk sequences. "We went through rigorous verification based on accurate historical sources, aiming to capture the most refined and restrained aesthetics of late Joseon," Han said. The "red comet" setting was drawn from the Annals of King Sukjong, and the green-and-red ceremonial dress worn by the character Dansim was modeled on an actual surviving artifact. Stripping away the feel of a flashy fusion sageuk and achieving a graceful, dignified mise-en-scène was central to his directorial vision.

"I think historical accuracy is becoming even more important in the age of global streaming, as K-dramas grow in stature and reach," Han said. "I can't claim there were no shortcomings, but we put in great care to meet the rising cultural expectations of our audience."

Im Ji-yeon was the 'heart,' Heo Nam-jun was the 'flame'

No conversation about "Brave New World" would be complete without its two leads, Im Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun.

"Im Ji-yeon was the heart and the engine of this drama," Kang said. "Thanks to her, the series launched with full force, and above all, she loved the work with her whole heart. Even in the middle of a grueling winter shoot, she would message me late at night agonizing over the finest nuances of a line — that sincerity meant everything."

Han described Im as "the beginning and the end of 'Brave New World.'" He recalled a moment from the shoot: "After filming the electrocution ending scene in episode five — the shot where she rolls her eyes back — she asked me, 'Is it okay to use this take?' I told her yes, and she just said coolly, 'Isn't it more fun this way? Please use it.' At that moment, I was certain viewers would have no choice but to fall in love with Seo-ri."

If Im was the drama's "heart," Heo was the "flame" of the set.

"Heo Nam-jun has a tough, sexy exterior but a warm, playful interior — I kept thinking, could there really be another person this multidimensional?" Han said. "He was always gentle and cheerful, and whenever he arrived on set it felt like a warm light clicking on."

"Heo Nam-jun hit the mark precisely on the complex appeal of Cha Se-gye, a character every bit as demanding as Seo-ri," Kang said. "I cannot imagine Se-gye played by anyone else. Meeting these two actors was, for me, a miracle — like frost falling in the height of summer."

The pair also revealed what went into the wrist-kiss scene that captivated audiences. Even the production team had not anticipated it would generate such a response. Kang said her reason for conceiving the scene went beyond simply maximizing romantic tension — it was also a pivotal turning point in Seo-ri's inner journey, as well as a shift in her relationship with Se-gye.

"Se-gye is once again laying his honest feelings bare to Seo-ri, and Seo-ri, rather than turning away, instinctively reaches out and holds on," Kang said. "Seo-ri's choice to grab Se-gye's sleeve as he tries to leave was the most important thing. The wrist kiss is essentially Se-gye's answer to that change in her."

Han said the scene originated entirely from the writer's design. He laughed recalling that the actual shoot, despite the romantic atmosphere, felt more like cold-weather military training. "I focused on capturing the writer's phrase — 'as if pressing a seal that says this is mine' — as fully as possible," he said.

"The writer even demonstrated the scene herself at one point, and I kept that image in mind while filming," he added. "For Seo-ri, I wanted to convey an impulsive attraction — the kind you feel somewhere far from home. For Se-gye, I wanted to express instinct and possessiveness, while still having him gently confirm her consent step by step, without losing the sensuality of the moment."

balme@heraldcorp.com