This New K-Drama Exploded with 5.7% Ratings on Episode 1 — And the Plot Is Wild

tvN’s new Monday-Tuesday drama Second Shot at Love, starring Choi Soo-young and Gong Myung, made a powerful debut on May 12, instantly grabbing viewers’ attention.

The premiere episode recorded a peak rating of 5.7% and an average of 4.3% in the Seoul metropolitan area, making it the No. 1 show in its time slot across cable and general programming channels. Nationwide, it earned a solid 3.4% (based on Nielsen Korea’s paid platform data).

The drama centers on Han Geum-joo (played by Choi Soo-young), a woman who deeply loves alcohol and returns to her hometown after facing a double blow: a broken engagement and losing her job. Pressured by her strong-willed mother Kim Kwang-ok (Kim Sung-ryung), Geum-joo heads to Bocheon Village — only to be met with unexpected challenges at home.

One of the central tensions is a household-wide alcohol ban declared by her mother. Despite her father Han Jung-soo (Kim Sang-ho) and sister Han Hyun-joo (Jo Yoon-hee) welcoming her with drinks and celebration, Kim Kwang-ok sternly shuts it down, smashing bottles and declaring, “No alcohol in this house!” This fiery clash sets the stage for what promises to be a chaotic yet hilarious family struggle around sobriety.

The premiere episode didn’t hold back — revealing the shocking reason behind Geum-joo’s broken engagement and reuniting her with her first love, Seo Eui-joon (played by Gong Myung). While gossip in the village blames her love of drinking for ending the relationship, the truth is far more painful: Geum-joo caught her fiancé Joo-yeop (Yoo Ui-tae) buying a pregnancy test for someone else, discovering his betrayal just before their wedding. Her tearful but powerful line, “I ended this engagement. You weren’t even better than alcohol,” left a strong impression on viewers.

The unexpected reunion with Seo Eui-joon added emotional depth. Once a successful psychiatrist in Seoul, Eui-joon now serves as the head of the local health center, affectionately called “Bocheon’s Dr. Seo” by residents. In one memorable scene, a heavily drunk Geum-joo wakes up in an unfamiliar place and finds Eui-joon limping nearby, sparking curiosity about their past and what’s to come.

Second Shot at Love is penned by writers Myung Soo-hyun and Jeon Ji-hyun, and directed by Jang Yoo-jung and Cho Nam-hyung. Produced by How Pictures and planned by Studio Dragon, the show is praised for its seamless performances, witty dialogue, and emotional nuance right from the first episode.

The drama’s strong start has sparked hopes that it will erase the disappointment left by its predecessor, Divorce Insurance, which ended with ratings as low as 1.1%. Second Shot at Love not only tripled that figure in its premiere but also easily beat Divorce Insurance’s all-time high of 3.2%.

Set against the warm, rustic backdrop of Bocheon Village, the series weaves the protagonist’s love for alcohol into a heartfelt and often humorous homecoming journey. With unpredictable twists, lovable characters, and emotionally rich acting, Second Shot at Love is off to a promising start — and fans are eager to see if it will become the breakout hit tvN’s Monday-Tuesday slot has been waiting for.

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