The premiere of SBS new variety program "Game Show" was packed with huge revelations. At the show, Super Junior member Heechul, whose real name is Kim Hee-Chul, named "The Legend of the Blue Sea" actor Lee Min-Ho as his gaming rival.
"There are two legendary gaming kings in the entertainment industry," Kim said when asked which celebrity was the best gamer. "Super Junior's Kim Hee-Chul and Lee Min-Ho."
The Kpop idol, who is known to be a huge "League of Legends" (LoL) fan and a gamer, revealed he and Lee ranked Diamond III and Diamond IV in the game. Diamond III equivalents to 2260-2390 MMR (Match Making Rating), while Diamond IV equivalents to 2130-2260 MMR.
The revelation comes as a surprise to many, given Heechul and Lee's busy schedule. The Super Junior member currently stars in MBC's "Secretly Greatly" alongside Lee Soo-Geun, Yoon Jong-Shin, Lee Guk-Joo and John Park.
Min-Ho, on the other hand, recently made his small-screen comeback in SBS' fantasy romance drama "The Legend of the Blue Sea" opposite actress Jun Ji-Hyun. In the show, he plays a cold-blooded man, Heo Joon-Jae, who uses his looks and wit to conduct scams.
Due to the show's immense popularity, both Jun and Min-Ho were recognized by the Korean Business Research Institute as Hallyu stars with the highest brand reputations in the month of December, according to local newsoutlet Naver. The former came in first with a total brand reputation score of 9,570,099, while the latter, whose total brand value was 5,467,926, landed second.
Premiered on Nov. 16, "The Legend of the Blue Sea" is getting a lot of love across Asian countries. The SBS drama reportedly reached 112 million total views on China's largest online video site iQiyi. With this, the show's production staff then expressed their deep gratitude for the hot response.
"We'd like to thank the countless viewers both within and beyond Korea for their love," Soompi quoted a representative from the SBS drama as saying before a group of local reporters. "Thanks to your love and support, we are able to film warmly even in this cold winter. We hope you will continue to show us support in the future."
Check out the premiere episode of SBS' "Game Show" here: