MBC's Friday-Saturday drama 'Undercover High School' is showing unusual momentum. The day when Seo Kang-jun must fulfill his 12% viewer rating promise is not far off.
According to Nielsen Korea, a television audience rating survey agency, the fourth episode of 'Undercover High School,' which aired the previous day, recorded a viewer rating of 8.3%. Starting at 5.6% last month, it maintained a viewer rating of 6.6% in both the second and third episodes before unleashing its potential in the fourth episode.
'Undercover High School' depicts the chaotic adventures of a National Intelligence Service agent who disguises as a high school student while chasing the whereabouts of King Gojong's missing gold bullion. Thanks to the earnest activities of Jeong Hae-sung (played by Seo Kang-jun) as he punishes school bullying perpetrators and the romance with Oh Soo-a (played by Jin Ki-joo), the viewer rating for the fourth episode exploded.
Seo Kang-jun's one-man show has resonated with viewers. After enlisting in the army in November 2021 and being discharged in May 2023, Seo Kang-jun returned to the small screen about three years after appearing in Disney+'s 'Grid,' which was released in 2022 during his military service. His greatly enhanced visuals and unblemished action and emotional acting continue to captivate viewers.
Born in 1993, he has put on his school uniform again at the age of 31, and there's zero discomfort. He wears the uniform at school and transforms into all-black fashion during operations; every version of Seo Kang-jun is always right. Thanks to his even more dazzling looks after discharge, viewers are reacting with comments like, 'Seo Kang-jun's face is more interesting than the story.'
In particular, the allure of 'Undercover High School' fully emerged in the fourth episode. Jeong Hae-sung provided a refreshing moment while resolving his friend Lee Dong-min's (played by Shin Joon-hyang) school bullying issues and decided to become a student council officer for a smoother operation. During this process, he even danced on stage, and when Oh Soo-a visited due to his absence from mandatory military training, he played an outrageous game of hide-and-seek with his colleagues from the National Intelligence Service.
Seo Kang-jun is versatile in action, romance, and comedy. Therefore, the viewer rating trend for 'Undercover High School' is expected to rise with each episode. At this point, it doesn't seem like the 12% viewer rating that Seo Kang-jun and the production team are confident about is an empty dream.
Seo Kang-jun appeared on the YouTube channel 'Jjan-hang-hyeong' last month and joked half-seriously, 'If it exceeds 12%, I will take the staff on an overseas trip. It will be on me. But it's not just about the amount; there are more significant things if it does well.'
At the production presentation held before the first broadcast, he reaffirmed his commitment to the 12% viewer rating promise, saying, 'I don't know if I mentioned taking everyone on a trip while drunk, but I did say it. I'm in trouble. I feel like it would be too embarrassing to cancel. Still, I have to go if it exceeds.'
Seo Kang-jun's promised group overseas trip for 'Undercover High School.' If this momentum continues, it won't be long before it becomes reality.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS
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