“I Like To Twist Conventions & Break Clichés..” BL Drama Scriptwriter Lee SinWon Gets Candid About Her Latest BL Comedy “Boys Be Brave” | EXCLUSIVE

BL fans rejoice! A new BL K-Drama is coming your way this spring, based on the popular webtoon “Roommates” by Seok Young. This K-Drama, called “Boys Be Brave”, helmed by director Lim HyunHee, who we recently interviewed on Kpopmap, and talented scriptwriter Lee SinWon, can be described as the most heart-fluttering friends to lovers BL that will win you over in no time!

With its colorful characters, high relatability, quirky scenarios, and, most importantly, memorable romance, “Boys Be Brave” is set to be your new favorite BL drama. To add to that, you get tropes you just can’t get enough of. We’re talking forced proximity, opposites attract, hidden affection, and so much more that the drama will have you kicking your feet in the air when you watch it. Besides, the double couple in this BL, played by four incredibly handsome rookie actors – Kim SungHyen, Nam SiAn, Jung YeoJun, and Ahn SeMin, are getting ready to give you all the butterflies you could imagine!

“Just tell us what it’s about!” – I hear you saying. Well, we have BL drama “Boys Be Brave” scriptwriter Lee SinWon with us today to do just that! Kpopmap sat down for an exclusive interview with the talented writer as she took us on a vivid journey of what “Boys Be Brave” is all about, introducing her characters with delicate detail and fondness, and outlining her intended message with this work.

Lee SinWon was gracious as ever, patiently answering our endless questions and eager to greet global fans with this interview. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Thank you for joining us today for this interview, Lee SinWon! It’s a pleasure to have you with us. We’d also like to thank you on behalf of all BL fans for bringing “Boys Be Brave” (webtoon title: “Roommates”) to our screens as a K-Drama! What did you think of the webtoon when you first read it?

First of all, sincere thanks for your genuine interest in “Boys Be Brave”. Even though the webtoon is set in winter, it felt refreshing. The cute art style, relatable elements, and humor points within it were also deeply impressive.

Indeed, the slice of life and romance BL webtoon “Roommates” by author Seok Young, has captivated fans’ hearts all over the world with its light-hearted yet meaningful storytelling, weaving a magical tale of love and friendship that tugs at our heartstrings and reminds us of our own youth. As you scroll through the panels of the webtoon, you can feel the author’s warm intentions as the scenes play out in your mind.

Now, as scriptwriter Lee SinWon brings us the K-Drama adaptation of the webtoon, imbuing it with her own unique elements, allowing the BL story to ring true universally, we cannot help but be excited. Notably, “Boys Be Brave” is a drama that seamlessly combines BL (Boys’ Love) and romantic comedy. Scriptwriter Lee SinWon has uniquely dubbed the genre of this drama as “BL Comedy”. Lee SinWon’s affection for this work is evident in how sincerely she speaks of why she chose this project and how it fits perfectly into her creative code.

In my early twenties, I spent time contemplating what I would do and how I would live. I wanted to manage my life well. It wasn’t a completely blank slate; I had a category in mind, which was creation. In that process, I realized that dramas had a significant impact on me. Afterward, I immediately began making efforts to become a drama writer.
I chose ‘고백을 못하고’ (the Korean title of the webtoon, which translates to “Can’t Confess”) purely because of the title. “I like you”. From not being able to confess like this to stories about when you couldn’t express your feelings…doesn’t everyone have them? At least, I did. And, there are various reasons why one can’t express themselves, so, just like me, I thought everyone has their own circumstances. Of course, I may not know everything, and understanding might be even more challenging.

Lee SinWon’s gentle empathy with the universal experience of one’s feelings remaining unsaid informed the plot of BL drama “Boys Be Brave”. In essence, “Boys Be Brave” is about young men who find themselves in awkward predicaments with the ones they like. With time, they fall more and more in love but cannot bring themselves to confess their feelings.

The “will they, won’t they” of it all, the push and pull of the most intricate emotions, is crafted with an expert hand, so much so that we have to wonder how writer Lee SinWon brought the script to fruition and how it all started. Be it the world-building, the character development or even just deciding the purpose of the work, the starting point is always fascinating, making us curious.

I determine the title first. If I can’t decide on a title or if it doesn’t resonate with me, the work doesn’t proceed. Conversely, I often start a story based solely on the title. I consider the title to be the most crucial element.
Next, I contemplate why this drama needs to be created and why I, specifically, should write it. I clarify this through the planning intention and solidify the logline, a sentence that will never change until the end of the drama. For “Boys Be Brave”, the logline is, “JinWoo, who has been single since birth with standards that are way too high, one-dimensional KiSub who is as pretty as a flower, and the bright and hard-working part-timer who lives up to his name Sunny, portray the reasons why three friends can’t confess in this youth BL comedy”.
If the story isn’t immediately clear or if I’m unsure about it during this process, I take some time and move on to the next step. I prefer swift work and believe there is a reason for things not working out. From that perspective, “Boys Be Brave” was a perfect fit for me as the planning intention and logline were quickly defined, even though it slightly deviated from the original work.

For those who might not know, a logline is a brief, one or two-sentence summary that conveys the essential and unique aspects of a film, TV show, or other creative work. It aims to capture the core concept, main characters, and central conflict in a concise and compelling manner.

The logline of BL drama “Boys Be Brave” reflects the playful tone of the BL drama, while setting up the obstacles that stand in the way of our characters and their confessions.
JinWoo (played by Kim SungHyen) is meticulous and a little bit of a perfectionist who thinks that his partner should match his ideal type checklist. KiSub (played by Nam SiAn) is a handsome and popular guy who is confessed to all the time but the one he wishes would confess, JinWoo, is just not doing it! So, he takes matters into his own hands and starts living with JinWoo, determined to make him confess.

On the other hand, we have Sunny (Jung YeoJun) – an optimistic and hard-working young man who is doing his best in life while holding on to the feelings he had for his high school friend. One day, when this very friend, InHo (played by Ahn SeMin), appears before him asking him to go out with him for exactly three dates, Sunny’s life is turned upside down.

As you can already tell, the K-Drama deviates from the original webtoon but adds some exciting dramatic elements that up the ante. The scriptwriter’s hard work and effort are evident but it could not have been easy to get to this point. So, we asked writer Lee SinWon if she had any know-how or special tips on how to overcome issues like writer’s block. Surprisingly, she seemed to be as relatable as her characters!

I’m not sure about any know-how or tips to overcome it. I’m not good at overcoming…it doesn’t work well for me. I often find it relentlessly difficult. However, if I were to mention one thing, it’s that I write even if it’s not going well because there’s a deadline. Even if I think it’s not right, I submit it as close to the deadline as possible. Then, afterward, I reflect on it, thinking, “I should have fixed this”, or during meetings, I receive reviews and think about what needs to be adjusted. It gradually comes together. I consider it a very inefficient and embarrassing method. I want to find a better way. I want to do this work for a very long time.

Now, some fans of the webtoon “Roommates” may be wondering why the BL drama “Boys Be Brave” takes certain creative liberties, whether that be with the story or the characters. This is not uncommon when it comes to adaptations, as the screen has certain demands that are unique to the medium. Of course, the original work is hugely popular and beloved but the scriptwriter for “Boys Be Brave” had her own reasons for this decision. On this, Lee SinWon elaborates as follows.

The original webtoon was released in 2015. I believed that the reasons for not confessing back then and the reasons for not confessing now had changed somewhat. In my opinion, the reasons for not confessing now are too “numerous”. It’s to the extent that if there are a hundred people, there are a hundred reasons. With the desire to capture that well, I expressed the story and characters a bit differently.

With that being said, several aspects of the original webtoon are definitely preserved in the K-Drama adaptation that fans can look forward to. In particular, InHo, who is one of the most cherished characters by fans of the webtoon “Roommates”, continues to be as charming as ever in the K-Drama with a distinct personality which plays a crucial role in the growth of the rest of the characters.

To put it in a roundabout way since it’s a spoiler, one scene from the webtoon that I wanted to keep in the drama was when InHo comes to Sunny and says, “I am going to do something with you today”. It’s simply because InHo is cool. While everyone takes three thousand hours or can’t do it at all, InHo does it. I felt it was impressive not just for confessing but for coming after a long period of contemplation and finally making his voice heard.
I’d like to add a few words about InHo. Despite two couples emerging in the story, I categorized it as a story about three friends who can’t confess, and InHo. I wanted to make a distinction between the three friends and InHo. I hoped that, in the end, all three would become like InHo. People who must express what needs to be said, no matter what.

Can you feel the love Lee SinWon has for her characters? We decided it was best to allow the scriptwriter herself to introduce the characters of the K-Drama “Boys Be Brave” in more detail. Check it out below!

JinWoo is someone who has been single since birth (모솔) but has high standards for his ideal type, to the point of having a checklist for it. He desires a perfect ideal type and perfect love. In the first episode, there’s a line that goes, “I’m single since birth, so what?” I think this sentence well represents JinWoo. Despite the negative perception around being single since birth, even now, whether people criticize him or not, JinWoo remains focused on himself. And most importantly, I appreciate that Jinwoo is clear about what he likes. Sometimes, I’m unsure about who or what I really like, but JinWoo is certain, to the extent that he has a list.

KiSub is an incredibly popular guy with flower-like features who says “Okay” to everything. One day, he casually decides to live with JinWoo. You might wonder why, but KiSub doesn’t think much about it. He just came to see JinWoo. The reason I find KiSub charming is that despite knowing about JinWoo’s demanding ideal type checklist, he doesn’t care or think “Who are you to test people?”. It could make you feel bad but KiSub doesn’t care at all. For him, what’s more important is JinWoo confessing to him. Later, no matter what it is (that JinWoo wants), KiSub says that he’ll be it and he makes an effort to become that person. Even though he seems like he deals with love and people casually, we all know right? It’s not that easy.

Sunny is KiSub’s friend, and, true to the name, a cheerful one. However, he’s crazy about part-time jobs. When he needs money, he just takes on whatever work comes his way. He’s a character similar to the original webtoon. Sunny is the person who grounds the fantastical story and brings it down to earth. Whether it was when the original webtoon was released in 2015, or when the drama aired in 2024, and even after 10 or 20 years, this character will still be with us. If I meet Sunny, there’s something I want to say: “Hey, I understand you”.

InHo is a friend who met Sunny, parted ways, but couldn’t forget him, and reappeared. In a word, it’s pure romance. Even if Sunny tries to push him away, InHo smartly asks him to go out with him. As mentioned above, he is the most wonderful character in this drama.

When someone knows their characters this well and treats them with such fondness, one may think that that they would have certain opinions about and expectations from the actors who are set to play them. Writer Lee SinWon worked closely with Director Lim HyunHee for the “Boys Be Brave” K-Drama. However, her response to being asked about her thoughts on the casting just makes her even more endearing.

Due to my respect for the director, I did not strongly assert my opinions during the casting stage. I completely trusted the director’s casting decisions. I briefly met the actors during the reading, and my memory is vague, but I feel it’s better that way. I, too, can become a viewer and look forward to the drama. Until recently, JinWoo, KiSub, Sunny, and InHo, only existed in illustrations and text. But now they speak and move. Like a line from a drama, I want to say thank you for showing up.

Now, throughout this interview so far, writer Lee SinWon has emphasized the universal aspect of “Boys Be Brave” and how every viewer will be able to relate to the story and the characters. However, it does fall distinctly into the BL genre, which comes with its own set of unique elements that fans all over the world have fallen in love with. However, as beloved as BL is as a genre, especially with the rise of Korean BLs, creators are presumably posed with several challenges.

In the case of Lee SinWon, this is not only her first BL project but also her first work as a scriptwriter! Exploring uncharted territories, Lee SinWon brought her fresh perspective to the genre, raising expectations even more. Intrigued, we asked her about her insights into the complexities she faced, how she created the distinctive points of the drama and what fans can look forward to in “Boys Be Brave”. Needless to say, writer Lee SinWon candidly shed light on her creative process, pointing out exactly what makes “Boys Be Brave” such a unique work in the BL genre.

This is my first project. So, when I received the initial proposal, I pondered a lot, and then I studied a lot. I’m cautious, but what I found most challenging was finding the answer to what BL fans want. It’s not just because it’s BL, but because dramas have genre-specific characteristics and formulas, I wanted to align well with them. However, I didn’t want it to be too predictable. Personally, I like to twist conventions and break clichés. Although I aimed to stick to the promised line, I was greedy to deviate as much as possible.
 
I think BL fans are amazing. It was a niche culture, but now many people enjoy it. Above all, I realized the high quality of BL content. There are numerous contents boasting tremendous quantity and quality that haven’t been dramatized. Regarding the drama ‘Boys Be Brave’ if I compare it, it’s like JinWoo. The standard is very high. I didn’t want to disappoint those who enjoy such works. Again, referring to ‘Boys Be Brave’ I thought people might be like JinWoo. Rather than watching just anything, they might not watch it at all. So, I tried my best to write well. As a result, I can say that this drama is significantly different in three aspects: unique characters, fast-paced narrative, and comedy. Different people might have different preferences, but one thing that everyone can look forward to is the ending points. You’ll definitely be waiting for the next episode.

After writer Lee SinWon has penned her script, bringing her words to life on the screen is the craft of the Director. In the case of “Boys Be Brave”, the drama is directed by award-winning director Lim HyunHee, who previously worked on the BL K-Drama “Our Dating Sim”, which has already created a buzz among BL fans.

However, the final product would not have been possible without a collaboration of both the writer and the director. We imagine an endless exchange of opinions, intellectual back and forth, and both the writer and the director bouncing off of each other’s brilliance but for Lee SinWon, the most memorable part of the working process with director Lim HyunHee was something else entirely. In fact, she has her own instance of not being able to say something she really wanted to, just like the characters in “Boys Be Brave”.

Firstly, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the director’s work “Our Dating Sim” and so I was delighted to hear about getting to work together on “Boys Be Brave”…the memory of the initial meeting is vivid. Through subsequent meetings, I received valuable input for script revisions and the later stages of production.

Please say a few words about what you’re looking forward to from the director!

After the reading, the director asked a brief question. On that day, there was something I wanted to express but couldn’t because I was rambling. I wanted to convey that I support the director’s choices and believe they are right. Although I don’t know the director well and, therefore, don’t know the concerns she had and what the process was like, “Boys Be Brave” is a story that deems those things appropriate. With sincerity, I look forward to the “Boys Be Brave” that the director made.

We are also looking forward to seeing and appreciating the collective hard work of the writer, director, actors, and staff on “Boys Be Brave”, which is coming to our screens soon. Much like the title suggests, “Boys Be Brave” is expected to be a work that imparts courage and comfort to many individuals who find it difficult to confess their emotions for various personal reasons. It is going to be a healing journey of growth and maturity that will resonate with us all. However, our scriptwriter seemed to have her own idea of what she wanted to convey through this drama when we asked her about the same.

This is the most difficult question. While I approached the work with a clear message, I’m a bit apprehensive about how it will be conveyed. Even with the same story, the meaning can vary depending on when and how it is encountered. However, if there’s something specific I hope to convey, it’s the feeling of watching “Boys Be Brave” and thinking “maybe that’s why I couldn’t say it back then”. That’s what I felt. Personally, when I see the title “고백을 못하고” (“Can’t Confess”), it often triggers thoughts about why I couldn’t express my feelings and situation back then, and I occasionally reflect on it with a mix of regret and relief. I hope that viewers, regardless of their feelings, can move forward after watching this drama.

This might be TMI but what is your confession style?

That’s a secret.

Understandable, haha. Then lastly, please say a few words to our readers around the world who are waiting eagerly for the BL K-Drama “Boys Be Brave”!

Suddenly, the line from KiSub comes to mind, “You will confess to me someday.” So, bidding farewell in KiSub’s style, I’d like to say, everyone will come to love “Boys Be Brave”. Please offer your abundant and sustained expectations and interest. Thank you.

“Boys Be Brave” starts airing on April 25. We know we are tuning in, are you?