Song Hye-Kyo’s latest drama, entitled Now We Are Breaking Up, is still the talk of the community, but its ratings in Korea are not as expected.
With 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry in Korea and status as one of the highest-paid actresses in the country, Now We Are Breaking Up’s rating is not comparable to the euphoria that appeared before the drama was released.
Until the 10th episode, the drama rating, starring Song Hye-Kyo, and Jang Ki-Yong, faltered at the 6% figure. Meanwhile, its head-to-head rival, namely Red Sleeve, has already penetrated the 10% rating during the broadcast of the 7th episode. Two more episodes will extend this drama as its popularity continues to rise.
There has been a lot of speculation and viewers’ opinions about why this drama’s rating doesn’t match the euphoria that arose at the beginning of its promotion. Some also pointed out that Song Hye-Kyo lacked the courage to step out of her comfort zone, making the dramas she starred in increasingly dull.
Well, here are three things that, according to the audience, Song Hye-Kyo should leave behind in her upcoming drama project to appreciate her works.
1. Always Play in Romantic Drama.
Quoting Kbizoom, Hye-Kyo has continued to play in the romantic genre in the past eight years. Starting from That Winter, The Wind Blows (2013), Descendants of the Sun (2016), Encounter (2018), and most recently, Now We Are Breaking Up. In essence, he always chose a dramatic story, which some viewers thought was cheap.
In the past, the romantic drama genre was king. But now, many Korean serial genres have developed and received good ratings, from action, thrillers, and some will soon be in the science fiction genre.
For this reason, actors and actresses are required to adapt and want to get out of their comfort zone by trying out new characters. Han So-hee was among those who dared to do this through the action-drama My Name.
Of course, Song Hye-Kyo doesn’t have to drastically change her role by becoming a hero who is good at fighting. But at least there is a slight change in the character she plays so that the audience doesn’t get bored and can see another side of the 40-year-old actress’ acting.
2. Repeatedly Playing a Character Who Falls In Love With a Younger Boy.
Hye-Kyo’s last three dramas have always put her as someone who falls in love with a younger man. Those dramas are when he is paired with Song Joong-ki (Descendants of the Sun), four years his junior.
Then Park Bo-gum (Encounter), who is 12 years younger than him, and now Jang Ki-Yong (Now, We Are Breaking Up), 11 years younger than him.
Although there is nothing wrong with this formula if it is done repeatedly and in a row, it will certainly bore the audience. In addition, his chemistry with much younger actors is often judged by the audience to be unsatisfactory. Of course, as a romantic drama spectacle, this isn’t comforting.
3. Taking Many Dramas from Public Television.
The majority of dramas that Song Hye-Kyo took were aired on public television or free, not on paid cable TV. There’s nothing wrong with this, but there are often scenarios where dramas broadcast on pay stations are of higher quality than those broadcast on public television (SBS, KBS, and MBC). tvN dramas, for example, are often included in the list of the best dramas chosen by the audience.
It could be, the reason Song Hye-Kyo did it was to reach a wider audience. However, with the increasing number of global streaming services collaborating with pay-TV in Korea, this reasoning is no longer valid.
3 things that Song Hye-Kyo must change if she wants her career to stay good
