Kim Woo Bin, 27, and Lee Jong Suk, 26, are clashing for ratings battle as both of their drama's airs on Wednesday and Thursday timeslot. The former currently stars in KBS 2TV's "Uncontrollably Fond," while the latter stars in the new MBC drama titled "W."
MBC's "W" started out with an extremely strong 10.4 percent rating in Seoul National Capital Area, according to Nielsen Korea. The KBS 2TV, which also stars Miss A's Bae Suzy, premiered on July 6 with a recorded viewership rating of 13.8 percent.
On this week's ratings, SBS's "Uncontrollably Fond" made it to the top with 11.5 percent. Although many have said that the drama is loaded with clichés, there are some who believed "Uncontrollably Fond" has an attracting pull.
"Uncontrollably Fond" follows the love story between an arrogant top Hallyu star, Shin Joon Young (Kim) and a shameless documentary producer, No Eul (Suzy). The two were a couple who got separated during their teenage years due to an ill-fated relationship but meet again later in life.
"I keep in touch with Lee Jong Suk and it is an honor to compete with him," Soompi quoted Kim as saying during the show's press conference on July 4. "It's not every day that this happens, so we're supporting each other.
Both Kim and Lee gained attention for their solid manly relationship in the KBS 2TV's drama, "School 2013." Both stars were part of the modeling industry before they debuted as an actor.
MBC's "W," on the other hand, has been gaining attention for its meta-fiction and fantasy elements. The 16-episode fantasy drama recounts the one of a kind love story of a young chaebol, Kang Chul (Lee), who is the protagonist in the webtoon world of "W" and Oh Yeon Joon (Han Hyo Joo), a doctor who lives in the real world.
The two characters meet when On Yeon Joo found herself inside the popular webtoon "W" series, which is drawn by her father, Oh Sung Moo (Kim Eui Sung). During the drama's press conference, director Jung Dae Yoon teased that "W" will incorporate elements of comedy, romance, suspense and horror.
Viewers across the globe will be able to see how the ratings battle plays out, as both drama's airs every Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 PM (KST). Check out "W's" trailer below: