The new Monday-Tuesday drama on tvN is gaining attention for its high viewership ratings from its first broadcast. The drama in question is ‘Please Don’t Date Him,’ starring Choi Soo-young and Gong Myung. The drama, which premiered on the 12th, recorded an average viewership rating of 4.3% in the Seoul metropolitan area, with a peak of 5.7%, making it the top-rated cable and general programming channel in its time slot. According to Nielsen Korea’s nationwide household data for paid platforms, it achieved a rating of 3.4%.
‘Please Don’t Date Him’ depicts the hometown return of Han Geum-joo (Choi Soo-young), a woman who loves alcohol. After experiencing the double blow of a broken engagement and unemployment, Han Geum-joo is persuaded by her mother Kim Kwang-ok (Kim Sung-ryung) to return to Bocheon Village. However, she encounters unexpected challenges upon her return to her hometown.
Within the alcohol-loving family, the “Geum-joo Decree” declared by her mother becomes a central conflict in the drama. While her father Han Jeong-soo (Kim Sang-ho) and sister Han Hyeon-joo (Jo Yoon-hee) warmly welcome Geum-joo with a prepared table, Kim Kwang-ok angrily throws away the alcohol bottles, declaring, “There is no alcohol in this house.” This scene foreshadows the tumultuous journey of the alcohol-loving family in ‘Geum-joo’s Challenge.’
Especially noteworthy from the first episode was the shocking reason behind Han Geum-joo’s broken engagement being revealed, followed by her reunion with her first love, Seo Eui-joon, leading to a stormy development. Rumors spread in the village that Han Geum-joo called off her marriage because she liked alcohol more than her boyfriend, but in reality, it was due to the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend Joo Yeop (Yoo Yi-tae). Witnessing Joo Yeop purchasing a pregnancy test the day before their engagement was called off, Han Geum-joo learned of his infidelity and intention to abandon her. Her hurt feelings were fully exposed in her words, “I called off this marriage. Because you are a man inferior to alcohol.”
The episode also highlighted the important reunion between Han Geum-joo and her first love Seo Eui-joon (Gong Myung). Seo Eui-joon, who was a successful psychiatrist in Seoul, now serves as the director of Bocheon Health Center, earning the trust of the residents as ‘Doctor Seo of Bocheon.’ Their encounter sparks curiosity about their past connection, and the scene where the alcohol-intoxicated Han Geum-joo sees the disoriented Seo Eui-joon in an unfamiliar place piqued viewers’ interest.
‘Please Don’t Date Him,’ written by Myung Soo-hyun and Jeon Ji-hyun, and directed by Jang Yoo-jung and Jo Nam-hyung, was produced by Studio Dragon and How Pictures. The drama’s natural acting performances and delicate direction captivated viewers from the first episode.
The successful start of ‘Please Don’t Date Him’ is expected to wash away the disappointment of its predecessor ‘Divorce Insurance.’ ‘Divorce Insurance’ left a mark as a flaw in tvN’s Monday-Tuesday dramas, with ratings plummeting to the 0% range. ‘Please Don’t Date Him’ surpassed ‘Divorce Insurance’ with a rating more than three times higher than the final episode (Episode 12) of ‘Divorce Insurance,’ easily exceeding its own highest rating of 3.2%.