"There's a saying..." Misunderstandings, curiosities, and the truth about writer Lim Seong-han [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.

Writer Lim Seong-han (Phoebe) revealed her voice to the public for the first time in 36 years, clearing up rumors and misunderstandings that had surrounded her.

Recently, Lim Seong-han appeared as a telephone interview guest on the live broadcast of YouTuber Eom Eun-hyang's YouTube channel, "Eom Eun-hyang." Although Lim Seong-han has released numerous works since her debut as a writer, she has been extremely reluctant to expose herself, so news of her guest appearance drew significant attention from the start.

Especially, this interview became a topic of discussion because Lim Seong-han proactively contacted Eom Eun-hyang to volunteer for the appearance. Lim Seong-han debuted in 1990 with the KBS Drama Special "Standing in the Maze" and has since written dramas such as "Look Again and Again," "The King of Daedong," "Mermaid Princess," "Lady of the Flower," "Oh! My Lady," "Ahyeon-dong Lady," and "Doctor Shin." She was known as the "Godmother of Melodramas" for incorporating unique worldviews like "ghosts," "the underworld," "folk beliefs," and "AI," as well as shocking scenes, into her dramas, which also sparked many curiosities and rumors about the writer herself.

The telephone interview with Lim Seong-han on this day lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

◆ Used her older brother's name as a pen name? Is she actually a man?

Although Lim Seong-han's profile photo has circulated widely online, no footage of her speaking directly had been revealed, so attention focused first on Lim Seong-han's voice and speaking style on this day. Born in 1960, making her 65 years old, Lim Seong-han revealed a voice that was energetic, confident, and elegant, fitting her age or even slightly younger.

When Lim Seong-han answered the phone with "Hello?", Eom Eun-hyang said, "Your voice is gorgeous," and Lim Seong-han replied, "I haven't spoken much today," making light of the situation. Eom Eun-hyang raised a question about Lim Seong-han's work, asking, "In 'Tales of the Strange,' the Asura Count gazes with his eyes. What color was the laser eye beam?" Lim Seong-han responded, mixing in English, "Green, green color. Didn't many articles come out about it?" Overall, Lim Seong-han's speaking style resembled the dialogue in her dramas.

When Eom Eun-hyang asked, "Is it because you're the youngest that you're cute?", Lim Seong-han replied, "It seems so because I'm the youngest," and then clarified, "There is a misunderstanding. My older brother's name is 'Lim Seong-an,' and my name is 'Lim Seong-han.' Would I use my brother's name? My mother named me 'Lim Young-ran,' a male name, wishing for my health." She explained the rumor surrounding her. She added, "When submitting a work to M Broadcasting, the director said it sounded like a man's name and disliked it. There was also a pen name 'Hyang-ran,' and she revealed the process of how her pen name became 'Lim Seong-han.'"

◆ "Stop writing!" The writer who received the most viewer insults

Lim Seong-han was also aware that she received many negative comments. She said, "When I was working on 'Mermaid Princess,' I received the first 'stop writing' protest. When I went to the homepage, posts demanding 'Mermaid Princess Lim Seong-han stop writing' were flooding the site. I left them up so they wouldn't get angry at MBC for blocking the site." She showed a cool, unexpected side.

She said, "In the past, all reporters were my anti-fans, and there were other anti-fans too. Now, if a friend says they are tired, I say the same. 'Even the president has about 48% anti-fans.' When my drama is watched, I have about 12,000 anti-fans in Korea, which is a 78% share. That is not something to be hurt by. Instead, I should be grateful for the attention. I tried to write better after receiving criticism from anti-fans. I believe today's me exists because of the anti-fans and reporters."

Lim Seong-han said, "I've also seen people cursing me behind my back without knowing I was there. When I was at M Broadcasting, I once had to be hospitalized because I couldn't sleep. I went to a psychiatric neurology clinic because of the lack of sleep, and I saw through an open door that people were watching my drama. You all know my face, right? It's exactly like the photo. Someone recognized me not long ago. I think I look a bit rustic," she laughed.

While saying this, Lim Seong-han expressed pride in the dramas she wrote. She said, "People say they know it's my drama after watching just five minutes of it. If you see a Louis Vuitton bag, a Chanel bag, a Monet painting, or a Van Gogh painting, you can tell immediately, right? If many people are involved, the writer's uniqueness disappears. For someone to say after watching five minutes of a drama, 'I thought it was a Lim Seong-han drama,' that is not an insult but a compliment."

◆ A believer in God and health

On this day, Lim Seong-han said that her guest appearance was helped by "God." She said, "As I have lived, the saying 'Do your best and leave the rest to heaven' fits perfectly. The fact that I was able to have a phone call with Eom Eun-hyang today was also helped by God. I worked hard to get into God's eyes, so this happened. Anyone who wants to succeed should do their best with a kind heart, and God will make it happen," she advised.

She continued, "And you must not be arrogant. I tell actors this: 'The moment you lower your head thinking you are great, you get cut by a blade. Never be arrogant.' That is how you last long. It could be God or Buddha, but I believe in God. Just believe in that and live hard. That is the truth." She also added, "The fact that I can still write at this age is also heaven's help. I am fine now, but I could suddenly get sick, so I live my best life, do my best, and don't harm others. Still, getting hurt is unavoidable."

Eom Eun-hyang asked Lim Seong-han, "Do you have your own health philosophy?" Lim Seong-han replied, "There was something prominent on the side of my nose. I thought it might be osteosarcoma, so I went to the hospital, and the dermatologist said, 'There is something,' and wanted to do a biopsy. I thought that something appearing must be due to a cold nature, so before the test, I got an injection, and the thing that had been growing for two days started to shrink. I didn't do the biopsy. If your eating habits are bad, it will come back." Lim Seong-han said, "I have cured many people of their illnesses. (My nephew) Baek Ok-dam is also one of them," and laughed. Lim Seong-han also emphasized to Eom Eun-hyang, "You must not eat cold things," and shared her health common sense whenever possible.

◆ What about the ending of TV Chosun's "Marriage Contract, Divorce Composition" that was cancelled?

Questions were also raised about the ending of "Marriage Contract, Divorce Composition" (hereinafter "Marriage Divorce"), which aired up to Season 3 but was cancelled. Lim Seong-han answered, "Dong-ma (played by Kim Kyung-nam) does not die. He gets a chip implanted like his father did to his brother (Seo Ban, played by Moon Sung-ho). Since the front part of (Dong-ma) is gone, he cannot recognize Park Ju-mi (played by Sa Pi-young)."

Season 3 of "Marriage Divorce" ended with Seo Dong-ma (played by Boo Bae) being hit by a panel on the collapsed department store ceiling, covered in blood, and taken away in an ambulance. The ending of "Marriage Divorce 3" featured characters such as a grim reaper and a baby ghost, hinting at Season 4, but the drama's subsequent season production did not materialize, leading to harsh criticism as an "irresponsible drama that ended without an ending."

When asked if she had plans to make a sequel to "Marriage Divorce," Lim Seong-han said, "As a writer, I am more regretful than anyone, but doesn't a first love have no ending? Please leave it as a first love. Everything is about money, and it was clearly impossible to do." She added, "I would like to write even a script for 'Marriage Divorce' and 'A씨 Durian' to discuss a sequel."

◆ Why are the character names and dialogue lines like this?

Regarding the reason for the unique names of the characters in her dramas, Lim Seong-han said, "The protagonist's name in 'Marriage Divorce' was 'Sa Pi-young' (played by Park Ju-mi). I thought of an intellectual name. They just come out; there is no formula. The name 'Shin Yu-shin' (played by Ji Young-san) was created with the meaning of 'ghost' (신) and 'changing the brain.' The names came out easily."

Lim Seong-han explained the reason for having a "Lim Seong-han style" that ends sentences with nouns rather than verbs: "When I ask my friends, 'Is it strange when I speak?', they say, 'It's not strange.' I have a strong sense of pride, so I thought, 'I am receiving such criticism.' People's use of inversion is incredible. They write it exactly as they speak."

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*This content was translated by AI.