“Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born” (hereinafter referred to as “Jeongnyeon”) – the new K-drama from tvN is proving to be incredibly captivating after just the first two episodes.
In particular, it premiered with a rating of 4.8%, and after only two episodes, the average viewership has risen to 8.9%. This near-doubling of ratings in its first week on air promises a bright future for this project. Additionally, the highest rating reached 9.5% nationwide, and the viewership rating in the capital region hit double digits at 10.0%. These numbers helped “Jeongnyeon” rank first in viewership across all channels in South Korea on Sunday, October 13.
The first episode, which aired on October 12, follows the story of the main character Yoon Jeong-nyeon (Kim Tae-ri), who possesses innate talent as a singer but lives an ordinary life selling fish in her hometown of Mokpo. A fateful turn of events leads her to the world of traditional Korean opera, known as Gukgeuk.
In Mokpo, Yoon Jeong-nyeon lives a difficult life selling fish with her mother, Seo Yong-rye (Moon So-ri), and sister, Yoon Jeong-ja (Oh Kyung-hwa). Although she has singing talent, her mother disapproves of it. When confronted by a thug named Chang-ho (Oh Dae-hwan) demanding protection money, Jeong-nyeon uses her voice to sing “Namwon Fortress,” captivating the market crowd and making Chang-ho retreat.
Among the onlookers are renowned Gukgeuk stars Moon Ok-kyung (Jung Eun-chae) and Seo Hye-rang (Kim Yoon-hye), who invite Jeong-nyeon to their performance. Jeong-nyeon learns that Ok-kyung is a superstar and becomes intrigued by the possibility of a wealthy life as a Gukgeuk actor. Despite her mother’s opposition, Jeong-nyeon becomes determined to pursue this path and seeks Ok-kyung’s help for secret lessons.
As the audition approaches, Yong-rye discovers Jeong-nyeon’s plans and locks her in a storeroom. However, Jeong-ja, wanting to protect her sister’s dream, helps Jeong-nyeon escape just in time for the audition. The episode ends with Jeong-nyeon on the brink of fulfilling her aspirations, while the narrative introduces another character, Chae Gong-seon (Lee Ga-eun), who also seeks to pursue a singing career, hinting at a connection between her and Yong-rye.
In the second episode of “Jeongnyeon“, Jeong-nyeon successfully became a member of the Maeranguk Theatre thanks to her outstanding audition. She convincingly portrayed the grief of losing her father, impressing the judges. Moon Ok-kyeong, a famous actress in the troupe, continuously helped Jeong-nyeon, ensuring that people saw her as joining due to her talent, not connections. Afterward, the young woman officially began her life in the theater troupe, gaining new friends but also facing bullies. This caused her several difficulties during her first performance.
Despite “Jeongnyeon” featuring a strong cast, predominantly female, after just two episodes, Kim Tae-ri has successfully overshadowed everyone to become the “soul” of the drama. Not only does she showcase excellent singing abilities, but she also touches the hearts of viewers with her subtle and emotional acting. In particular, the scene where Jeong-nyeon recalls the pain of losing her father to find the emotions needed for her audition left the audience deeply moved.
It is known that to be able to sing in the drama, Kim Tae Ri spent three years training her voice before officially taking on the role of Jeong-nyeon. Her performance as Jeong-nyeon has become a hot topic in South Korea, with both viewers and media praising her. “Jeongnyeon” has been associated with keywords like “Kim Tae-ri effect” and even “Kim Tae-ri’s magic” (as quoted by Sports Chosun).
On the other hand, before its air, “Jeongnyeon” face legal trouble as broadcasting station MBC attempted to seize the drama’s production companies’ assets.
It also got criticized for removing LGBTQ+ elements, which were shown in the original webtoon, from the drama adaptation.