Even “Netflix’s Son” and an Idol Cast Couldn’t Save This K-Drama from 0% Ratings

KBS2's drama Pump Up the Healthy Love (also known as 24-Hour Health Club) is facing a steep ratings decline, sparking concerns it may soon dip into the dreaded 0% range.

The drama stars Lee Jun-young, who gained global popularity in Netflix's When Life Gives You Tangerines and Weak Hero Class 2, even earning himself the title 'Netflix's Son.' The female lead is none other than K-pop idol and actress, Jung Eun-ji. Despite its star-studded cast, however, the drama recorded its lowest viewership yet with episode 5 hitting just 1.1% nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea.

Pump Up the Healthy Love premiered on April 30 with a modest 1.8%, dipped to 1.5% by episode 3, and saw a brief rebound to 1.7% in episode 4. However, episode 5’s sharp drop to 1.1% has raised alarms about the show’s future.

What’s the Show About?

Directed by Park Jun-soo and Choi Yeon-soo, and written by Kim Ji-soo, Pump Up the Healthy Love centers around Do Hyun-jung (Lee Jun-young), a passionate gym manager, and Lee Mi-ran (Jung Eun-ji), a gym newbie juggling motherhood and dieting.

In episode 5, chaos unfolds when a child unexpectedly enters the gym calling Hyun-jung "Dad," leaving gym members stunned—until the child’s mom, Hye-bin (Han So-hyun), appears. Turns out, her kid had wandered in while her attention was elsewhere. Hyun-jung steps up as a "super trainer," managing both the child and Hye-bin’s personal training session simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Mi-ran is offered a spot on a livestream promoting a Hawaii travel package and begins an extreme diet. Shocked by her friend’s comment—“You’ll look twice as big on camera”—Mi-ran vows to give up flour. Hyun-jung, concerned, warns her: “Flour is your joy, your energy, your best friend. Cutting it off might make daily life impossible.”

Mi-ran jokingly bets that if she fails to quit flour, she’ll dance during the livestream—and things quickly spiral. As withdrawal symptoms kick in, she grows increasingly sensitive, struggling to stay on track.

Hyun-jung, on the other hand, begins to buckle under the weight of childcare. Realizing “parenting is harder than lifting weights,” he even fakes an illness to get out of a training session. Eventually, he recognizes the real issue isn’t the exhausted mom, but the endless energy of the child—so he builds a mini kids’ gym inside the facility, giving Hye-bin a much-needed break.

In the end, Mi-ran caves to her cravings and declares herself a “flour slave,” tearfully eating a bagel offered by Hyun-jung. Though she failed her no-flour pledge, she rediscovers the importance of self-care and emotional freedom.

The episode concludes with Mi-ran successfully completing the livestream but being rattled by an unexpected call from her ex-boyfriend, Yeom Joon-seok (Jung Wook-jin).

Ratings May Be Low, But Streaming Numbers Are Strong

Though its TV ratings are shaky, Pump Up the Healthy Love is thriving on streaming platforms. In its second week, it ranked #1 on Disney+ Korea’s Top 10 and #2 on Wavve’s Drama Top 20, proving its strong appeal among OTT viewers.

At a press event, director Park Jun-soo admitted, “Of course we’d love good ratings, but our focus was creating a comedy that speaks to viewers across different platforms.”

Whether its rising popularity on streaming can offset its broadcast struggles remains to be seen. Episode 6 airs May 15 at 9:50 PM KST.

Viewership Ratings by Episode (Nationwide, Nielsen Korea):

Episode 1 (Apr 30): 1.8%

Episode 2 (May 1): 1.8%

Episode 3 (May 7): 1.5%

Episode 4 (May 8): 1.7%

Episode 5 (May 14): 1.1%

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