Coupang Play·Genie TV original series ENA drama "Heroes Next Door" climbed again in its third episode.
According to ratings firm Nielsen Korea, the third episode, which aired on the 24th, recorded 3.7% nationwide in paid households and 3.9% in the Seoul metropolitan area, setting a new personal best. The figure, up 1.2 percentage points from the second episode, continued an upward trend since the premiere (2.0%), putting it in a stable early hit zone.
In particular, episode 3 heightened viewer engagement by depicting Choi Kang (Yoon Kye-sang) facing an explosive confrontation with loan sharks and by starting to interweave mysterious incidents occurring throughout the neighborhood. As brief clues hinted at a tangible reality, the reserve special forces–style(?) responses of the "Heroes Next Door" members added to the amusement.
Also, the preview for episode 4 shown at the end of the broadcast made viewers more curious about upcoming developments by featuring Choi Kang and Park Jeong-hwan (Lee Jeong-ha) conducting operations covertly to avoid wiretaps, and by introducing a new character, Han Jae-seok.
"Heroes Next Door" is an action comedy depicting the exploits of reserve special forces who band together not to protect the nation or world peace but solely for their families and neighborhood. Yoon Kye-sang, Jin Sun-kyu, Kim Ji-hyun, Go Kyu-pil and Lee Jeong-ha appear, and viewer response has been steadily intensifying with high-tension developments each episode.
Having drawn a smooth upward curve through the first three episodes, all eyes are on how the series will carry this momentum into the next installment.
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