[OSEN=장우영 기자] It is a series of dopamine explosions, straight driving without brakes, and cider without sweet potatoes.
This is the story of tvN’s Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Marry My Husband’ (written by Shin Yu-dam, directed by Park Won-guk and Han Jin-seon). It is based on the popular web novel of the same name, and is a drama about a woman who was murdered after witnessing her best friend’s affair with her husband. She goes back in time 10 years, experiences a second life, and seeks to return the gutter-like fate to them.
‘Marry My Husband’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘My Boyfriend’), which first aired with the New Year, started with a viewership rating of 5.2%. This is the highest viewer rating among tvN’s Monday-Tuesday dramas broadcast since 2023, and furthermore, the highest record among tvN’s Monday-Tuesday dramas since ‘Military Prosecutor Doberman’, which aired in 2022. ‘My Boyfriend’, which had 7.5% in episode 4, showed 9.8% in episode 9, and exceeded double digits (10.7%) in episode 10.
It is said that the more ‘trash husband’ Park Min-hwan (Lee Yi-kyung) and ‘hateable’ Jeong Soo-min (Song Ha-yoon) become more obnoxious, the more they “swear while watching”, but it is not a drama that is watched simply because of the villain. The appeal of ‘My Boyfriend’ is the combination of acting by actors with diverse charms, portraying a variety of emotions from exhilarating revenge to sweet romance, the intertwined relationships between characters with strong personalities, and the rapid development of the story.
Above all, it helps viewers become more immersed in the cider without sweet potatoes and the speed of the story. In the first episode of her life, Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young), who lived a ‘hogu’ life and was betrayed by her husband and best friend and ended up dying, went back 10 years and rolled up her sleeves to change her fate. . He remembers everything that happened to him in his life, and is changing his fate according to the ‘law’ that if he doesn’t go through it, someone else will.
In particular, ‘My Boyfriend’ is breaking the revenge process of a typical K-drama by confronting it head on. It is true that it is headed towards an ending of ‘good punishment for evil’, but unlike previous K-dramas where the good character is constantly harassed by the villain in the process and takes revenge only at the end of the drama, ‘My Boyfriend’ does not tolerate being bullied. By standing above the heads of the villains, going one step further than them and seeing through everything, an environment has been created in which the villains can never be defeated.
Therefore, the ‘sweet potato development’ that has been followed in every K-drama cannot be found in ‘My Boyfriend’. Especially with the help of Yoo Ji-hyuk (Na In-woo), who is living the second stage of his life and has both wealth and fame, he cannot fail in his quest for revenge. Even from the perspective of a viewer who supports the protagonist’s revenge, he feels vicarious satisfaction as he gives it to him without feeling frustrated and returns the favor, and he cannot help but fall even further into ‘My Boyfriend’.
It’s not just a dopamine explosion bloody revenge story. A thrilling romance is also included in ‘My Boyfriend’. Exhilaration alone cannot lead the play. Light scenes where you can ‘fuck off’ and laugh amidst the love between Yoo Ji-hyuk and Kang Ji-won, which bloom as they seek revenge, liven up the atmosphere. In addition, the story of Kang Ji-won and Baek Eun-ho (Lee Ki-kwang), who are intertwined through ‘first love’, is well explained according to the faint sensibility of first love, neatly organizing the love line that could easily become complicated. As a result, viewers were able to fully focus on and support the love line between Yoo Ji-hyuk and Kang Ji-won.
The success of the drama resulted in a win-win for everyone. In addition to viewership ratings, the actors appearing are competing for topicality rankings. In addition, according to Flix Patrol, an OTT ranking site, ‘My Boyfriend’ ranked 6th in the weekly ranking of Prime Video’s Worldwide TV Show category in the first week of January when it first aired, and then ranked 2nd in the global weekly ranking for three consecutive weeks from the 2nd to the 4th week. achieved. Additionally, as of the 30th, it had entered the TOP 10 in 112 countries around the world, and was the first K-drama to enter the TOP 10 Prime Video TV shows in American and European countries. Even influential overseas media outlets are taking note of the ‘My Boyfriend’ craze.
Due to the popularity of the drama, the webtoon ‘My Boyfriend’, which has been completed for about a year, is also making a comeback. Naver Webtoon announced that the combined transaction amount of original webtoons from the 1st to 10th of this month, when ‘My Boyfriend’ was aired, increased 17.1 times compared to the 10 days before the airing (December 22nd to 31st last year). The number of webtoon views also increased 8.1 times during the same period, and by country, Thailand had the biggest reaction. During this period, the total transaction amount of the webtoon in Thailand increased 55.4 times compared to the previous 10 days, and the number of views increased 36.2 times.
From dopamine explosion to excitement explosion and revenge. ‘My Boyfriend’ showed everything it could do well in episode 10, which aired on the 30th of last month. With Park Min-hwan and Jeong Soo-min getting married and Yoo Ji-hyuk and Kang Ji-won confirming their feelings, the key point in the remaining episodes is whether Yoo Ji-hyuk and Kang Ji-won will be able to fully continue their love. I hope that ‘My Boyfriend’, who is heading towards ‘Yongdu Yongmi’, will maintain his current pace and reach the finish line. /elnino8919@osen.co.kr
