'Undercover Miss Hong' is expected to heighten interest by spotlighting the lead Park Shin-hye's activities and changes in surrounding characters.
The tvN Saturday-Sunday drama 'Undercover Miss Hong' (directed by Park Sun-ho, Na Ji-hyun; written by Moon Hyun-kyung), which aired through episode 8 on the 8th, has become the focus of attention after setting its own highest household ratings for three consecutive weeks. According to Netflix's official site Tudoom's compiled Netflix Top 10, 'Undercover Miss Hong' rose one notch to No. 4 in Netflix's non-English shows category compared with last week, making its growing popularity even more palpable. (As of Feb. 11) In addition, according to the results for the second week of February released by FUNdex, the official platform of Good Data Corporation, it ranked first in the integrated TV-OTT drama category, and it defended its No. 1 spot in TV drama popularity for three consecutive weeks. Lead actress Park Shin-hye also rose to No. 1 in popularity, boasting explosive viewer interest.
Hiding her age, academic background and career, Hong Geum-bo (played by Park Shin-hye), who carries out a bold undercover operation, stimulates viewers' interest every week with fresh and novel fun. Hong Geum-bo erased the face of a 35-year-old elite securities supervisor and donned the mask of a 20-year-old entry-level employee, but she has also shown the qualities of a capable person who speaks out bluntly in absurd situations and handles difficult tasks with ease, carrying the drama's catharsis. Having confirmed the identity of the whistleblower 'Yeppe' she had been searching for and faced the unexpectedly huge variable 'IMF crisis,' how Hong Geum-bo's actions will change has emerged as the biggest point of interest in act two.
Meanwhile, the existence of Shin Jeong-woo (played by Ko Kyung-pyo), who broke with Hong Geum-bo nine years ago after an unexpected incident, also injects suffocating tension. Shin Jeong-woo returned as the new president of Hanmin Securities and prepared to enter the royal family by even arranging a marriage proposal with Kang Nora (played by Choi Ji-soo), the daughter of Chairman Kang Pil-beom (played by Lee Duk-hwa), while concealing other intentions. Having observed the domestic economic situation, he predicted the IMF crisis and, knowing that Hanmin Securities would fall into crisis, seeks his own gain even if it leads to its bankruptcy. However, the presence of his former lover Hong Geum-bo, who is carrying out an undercover mission, became an unexpected variable, and concerned by this, Shin Jeong-woo resorted to every method from persuasion to threats to send her back to the securities regulator.
The conflict between Hong Geum-bo and Shin Jeong-woo that began with the incident nine years ago also remains unsolved. Hong Geum-bo was once a promising accountant but became disillusioned and fell apart after the death of a senior and colleague accountant who was embroiled in Hanmin Securities' fraudulent accounting case. Also, when she learned that Shin Jeong-woo, who had been her lover and a colleague at the same accounting firm, had turned a blind eye to the corruption, she was greatly disappointed and turned her back on him. Each time the two clash, the narrative from nine years ago is summoned, and their refusal to narrow their positions suggests that the Hanmin Securities accounting fraud case left a deep wound for everyone. In upcoming episodes, attention will focus on whether Hong Geum-bo and Shin Jeong-woo can reconcile their past conflicts and what past and present cards the two characters with opposing interests will each play.
[Photo] Provided by tvN
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