Writer Song Ji-Na's Q&A - About the message of Healer

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Q: What is the message you wanted to send out to the youth today who are put off by politics or social justice?
A: One of the questions Ji Chang-Wook had asked on the phone was about Jung-Hoo telling Min-Ja that he's just figured out who he needs to fight against, "What and how much did Jung-Hoo figure out here?"
My reply was about a quote I liked back in my twenties, "I can't be free if the people around me aren't free. Therefore, I fight for their freedom so that I may be free." He gave a hearty laugh and said that he got it. I think this quote was one of the messages I wanted to say to the youth. Of course, love comes before that.

Q: What triggered you to work on Healer?
A: It was something I wanted to write about before I retire as a drama writer. Something about the parents' generation and the children's generation. But as I could see that the viewership ratings wouldn't be good, I only harbored the idea in my heart. But then Director Lee Jung-Sub came to me several times to encourage. When I feared the most when I started was about whether I could really take on the children's perspective. I'd keep trying to lecture from the parents' perspective, could I possibly take on the child's perspective with objective eyes? Like that, I started writing the backstory of Jung-Hoo, and thought that it might work, and that's how it got started.

Q: What do you think we need the most to become a real adult instead of just possessing a dinosaur's brain?
A: Love boldly. Instead of being tentative without committing yourself, start with loving with all your heart. Not flirting for a momentary flutter in the heart, but to wholeheartedly love someone.
Then, it would become very difficult to let the world your loved one lives in hurt your loved one.

Q: What do you think is the right way of fighting against the Elders of this world?
A: I don't think it's worth it to fight against the elders of today. We'll all soon die and leave this world. What I fear is the youth of today becoming just like us and doing the same things we did. So don't take after us. Find today what you're most interested in doing... what makes you most happy... what you love the most. Find it and protect it.

Q: I heard that Healer is based on many real life cases. Could you tell us what they were?
A: There are too many of them, and actually citing names would get me in trouble.

Q: There were so many scenes of Jung-Hoo and Young-Shin holding hands. Did you have any special reasons for that? From your personal experience?
A: Not to mention Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam or the contact between alien and earthlings in E.T.,
Yes, I like holding hands. The contact, the connection, the warmth that spreads through the hand... things like that.
MY always extends her two hands to hold the other person's hands.
I think I miss that touch more and more as the cyber world takes over reality these days.
Think about it. When the day comes when androids prevail (although it already feels like 20% of the active people today are androids), you wouldn't be able to tell just by listening to someone talking whether they are real humans or whether they really mean what they're saying about me.
My hope is that holding hands will help you there. ... I don't know what I'm saying.

Q: What kind of people is Secretary Oh supposed to represent in today's society?
A: I think there are a lot of people like that around today. In the Prosecutor's Office... the National Assembly... People who don't have their own opinions and have become mere voting machines or a dog... people who don't feel any guilt. Secretary Oh's character was made to symbolize such people. Which is why... he's so hard to get rid of.

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