Just two months after winning the O'PEN contest, Shin received a love call from Lee Yoon-jung, personally inviting her to join the writing team for her upcoming drama.
Directed by Lee Yoon-jung, this eight-episode mini-series revolves around Team Argon, an investigative television program dedicated to uncovering the truth.
The drama garnered positive reviews for its intelligent writing, compelling performances, and realistic depiction of the media industry.
Shin's valuable contribution to the writing team received widespread acclaim, solidifying her reputation as a skilled and promising screenwriter.
CJ E&M announced in April 2018 that their first four 2017 O'PEN writers had recently signed a writing contract with leading domestic drama production houses.
[18] In November 2019, CJ E&M announced that three of their 2017 O'PEN graduateds would enter the industry by co-authoring drama series scheduled to be aired on terrestrial and cable television.
Alongside senior writer Kim Seon-deok, Shin Ha-eun co-authored tvN drama The Crowned Clown.
The series revolves around the tale of a Joseon King and his doppelganger, clown whom he places on the throne to navigate the intense power struggles plaguing the royal court.
The series, was first announced on December 21, 2020, under the working title of Hong Ban-jang (홍반장) with Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a being offered the lead roles.
Promoted as healing romance drama, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha received favorable reviews from domestic and foreign viewers.
[30][31] It ranked first place during its entire run for eight weeks, and the last episode achieved 12.665% nationwide rating, with over 3.2 million views.
It also became one of Netflix's most-watched non-English television shows, and one of its longest-running hits as it spent 16 weeks in global top ten ranking in more than 20 countries.
The certificate of award listed the names of the main cast as well as Shin Ha-eun as the writer and Yoo Je-won as the director.
As the first project, the contents of 23 storytellers from O'PEN will be produced as an audio drama and sequentially presented through Willa starting in June 2022.
She also provided attendees with a variety of information on becoming a drama writer, including the reasons and opportunities for pursuing this career path.
Shin was among the recipients, receiving the Minister's Commendation for her contribution to the development of the broadcasting and video industry through Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.
The awarding body recognized Shin's potential as a talented screenwriter for her portrayal of the conflict, love, and growth of various characters in a small fishing village in of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.
The drama received overwhelming support from the Asian region through Netflix and consistently ranked among the global top 10 during its airing.
Additionally, the drama contributed to revitalizing the local economy, with the main location of Pohang becoming a beloved tourist destination.