Notorious drama writer returns with health book

By Park Jin-hai

Cancer Cells Are Part of Life by Im Sung-han

Im sung-han, 58, a retired drama writer infamous for her extremely nonsensical plots and controversial lines, returned with a book.

The theme of the book goes in line with one of her most famous lines in a 2013 drama, which reads “Cancer cells are part of life. So if I try to kill them, I am afraid they would feel that.” The line was delivered by a character declining to receive chemotherapy.

Her book came as a surprise to many because it's not about her writing career or knowhow but about health and wellness.

The simply designed book in a sky blue cover, which is the writer's own idea to highlight simplicity, bears the bold title “Cancer Cells Are Part of Life,” in reference to the line that gave her the reputation as one of the worst K-drama writers.

The 322-page book covers a wide range of 20 health issues that Im has suffered from her entire life, including weight loss, hair loss, high blood pressure, insomnia and cancer.

“Good health has been the biggest topic throughout my entire life. Since a young age, I've been very weak and I had to take sick leave due to pernicious anemia at 17. After I became a writer for a daily drama, good health has become even more important than before. If I'm sick and can't write a script, it could lead to cancellation of the series,” Im said during a recent interview.

The book, published by the writer's own book company Book Soopulim, is about health and foods that are essential to fight various health concerns, based on the Sasang typology, which divides people into four types based on their biopsychosocial traits.

This typology is not based on science, without elaborating on metabolisms or a thesis to back up her food recipes. It is rather a light health book that shares her own experiences, with her saying she has become a near expert after suffering various health problems herself as a career drama writer under pressure to meet deadlines and target viewership ratings, reading many health books and trying many treatments on her own body.

“I read any health book I could see. But many books unlike their fancy covers lacked good content, leaving me in the dark. I've tried so many therapies and I think I've attained some level of knowledge that I want to share,” the writer said.

The book shares little episodes in writing her dramas and her thoughts as the most scandalous drama writer.

In the cancer chapter, Im says, “When I wrote the lines (about cancer cells), I had brief hesitation, because I knew it would invite more controversy. But those lines were based on my own studies and reflect my beliefs.

“If one gets diagnosed with cancer, in shock and despair, they should find the reason why those cancer cells appeared in their body and what wrongs they have done, whether it might be overwork, wrong eating habits, pollution or stress,” she says.

Then the writer suggests good foods accordingly. For instance, for a diet comprised of green vegetable juice, banana, brown rice and blueberry yogurt, Im says “At glance, they look good for cancer patients but they include foods that make your body cold. If the patient eats foods that warm up the body, warm blood circulates in the body, improves the immune system and kills cancer cells.” She suggests “body-warming foods” like unpeeled apple, jujube, pine nut, beef, chicken and steamed vegetables with brown rice.

Im's career as a drama writer has received mixed reviews from critics and drama fans. Since her 1991 debut, she has written mostly daily dramas with around 150-250 episodes. Although her dramas have succeeded in viewership ratings ― the peak viewership of MBC's “See and See Again” (1998-1999) posted 57.3 percent, an all-time high for a daily drama ― Im's shock-based stories have raised many controversies.

In “Dear Heaven” (2005-2006), a character dies from a heart attack while watching and laughing at a comedy show. In her 2011 drama “New Tales of Gisaeng,” a character possessed by another soul shoots green beam from his eyes, while her 2013 drama “Princess Aurora” had the infamous “cancer” lines, saying “Cancer cells are part of life. So If I try to kill them, I am afraid they would feel that. They've come to me for a reason… Like the world where those smart ones and those don't live together, I would like to make a companion of them.”