She finished voicing her doubts, but was afraid that Ryan Chandler would misunderstand, so she hurriedly added, “Of course, if the application is approved, you’ll definitely be the head writer, but if there are no episode writers or assistant writers…”

In Japan, the history of TV drama production is already very long. It’s no longer the early days when they would dare to start filming with just a three-line script—the dramas back then were broadcast live, much like today’s skits, and relied almost entirely on the actors’ improvisation. After so many years of development, TV drama production is now highly specialized. Even just among writers, there are head writers, episode writers, dialogue writers, assistants, and other subdivisions.

For example, in a twelve-episode season, the head writer drafts the outline, sets the tone with episodes one and two, ensures the plot stays on track in episodes five and six, and makes sure the story’s core message is delivered in episodes eleven and twelve. The other episodes are handled by episode writers. If the production is more meticulous, there are even dedicated dialogue writers who polish the lines and add the finishing touches…

Ian Murphy has been in the industry for four or five years now, starting as a production office clerk and working her way up to production assistant. She had truly never seen a writer who wanted to take on all the work alone. What she’d seen far more often was producers, red-eyed, demanding scripts from writers, while the writers dodged and delayed, refusing to hand anything in—

“Sorry, it’s just missing a little bit.”

“My apologies, it still needs some revisions.”

“I don’t think it’s quite right. I need to calm down and think it over.”

“Please, just give me a little more time.”

She’d heard these kinds of lines plenty of times, and had even heard of producers getting so angry that they threatened in the office to kill the writer… Of course, that was just venting under pressure—no one had actually done it yet.

As for Ryan Chandler having already finished everything, she thought that was impossible. There’s a reason why TV dramas are often filmed as they air: they need to incorporate audience feedback and make constant adjustments. There are even plenty of shows that get axed if the ratings are poor.

If everything is written too early, it might all end up being useless, a complete waste of time and energy. It’s the same logic as with online novels—no one ever finishes the whole book before publishing it.

She was worried that Ryan Chandler, being young and inexperienced, was biting off more than he could chew, so she tried to advise him. But Ryan Chandler was very insistent: “Miss Murphy, this is my only request.”

He didn’t care about salary or benefits. After all, once he joined the crew, even if he wanted to go on a hunger strike, producer Ian Murphy would probably be more anxious than he was and would insist on feeding him well. What he cared about was the future—he needed this chance to make a splash, to be the sole writer and have a hit. This was the one thing he couldn’t compromise on. Otherwise, what if the episode writer was a veteran and tried to steal his credit?

Maybe it wouldn’t happen, but if he could avoid giving fate the chance to surprise him, he’d rather not risk it.

At most, he’d hold out for another week and look for a new, lesser-known producer. As for the famous, established producers, he couldn’t even get close to them. They were busy and already had long-standing writing teams—they wouldn’t pay him any attention.

At the same time, he was also very cautious. This project and script were both registered with the writers’ guild, and Japan’s postwar revitalization policies mainly had two points: first, self-sufficiency in agricultural products; second, building a nation on technology.

Self-sufficiency in agriculture had made Japanese fruits and vegetables absurdly expensive, while building a nation on technology meant protecting innovation. Japan’s copyright protection is extremely strict—even if you pick a song at karaoke, you have to pay the original creator (it’s included in the karaoke fee). If Ian Murphy dared to steal his project or script, she’d be risking total ruin and disgrace. In this industry, plagiarism is a deadly taboo. If he hadn’t confirmed this was a parallel world, even as a time traveler, Ryan Chandler wouldn’t dare to copy things so casually.

A show filmed in 1995 might have had its script published as an obscure literary work back in 1985. You really can’t copy things carelessly—he wouldn’t dare, and he didn’t believe Ian Murphy would either. She was already in a weak position in the workplace; if she had a self-destructive streak, she’d have been out of the game long ago, and he wouldn’t have had the chance to approach her.

He insisted on this point, and Ian Murphy was at a loss for words.

She felt that Ryan Chandler was talented and insightful. Although this project was radical, it really did have a chance of success—much better than the mediocre one she was planning to submit, which she didn’t have much confidence in and was only going to try out of luck.

She genuinely liked the script, but his request was a real dilemma. As she mulled it over, she picked up her coffee to take a sip, only to find it had gone cold, so she put the cup down again. With her eyes lowered, she tentatively asked, “What if you can’t keep up with the filming schedule…”

One person doing the work of five or six—no matter how you look at it, that’s just too much. Writing a script isn’t like pulling up radishes…

“In that case, I have no objection to bringing in episode writers.” Ryan Chandler wasn’t unreasonable, after all—he was sure he could get it done.

Ian Murphy immediately breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn’t being completely stubborn, there’d be no problem with working together. A smile returned to her face as she extended her hand. “Then let’s have a pleasant collaboration, Mr. Chandler. I’ll start refining the project proposal tomorrow and try to submit it as soon as possible.”

She still needed to add some ratings market analysis, target audience data, and estimate the required funding, equipment, and personnel, but none of that was difficult.

Ryan Chandler was actually quite anxious, but didn’t show it. He reached out and shook her hand, signifying that the two of them had reached a mutually beneficial agreement, and smiled, “Looking forward to working together!”