My heart races whenever I see you

Love always escapes me, and so does 친구!

Hello! This is 민지[Minji] bringing you news from Korea. While hiking a few days ago, I stepped on some wet mud and almost fell flat on my face. You know when you get startled and all sorts of thoughts come to mind? What if I scraped my knee? What would have happened if I’d rolled off the mountain? At that very moment, this scene flashed⚡ through mind:

©KBS

Scene from <Young Lady and Gentleman>

The scene from <Young Lady and Gentleman> where Ji Hyun-woo (as Lee Young-guk) falls off the top of a mountain! I still vividly remember my blood pressure creeping up the back of my neck as I watched that scene and the preview of the next episode that followed. What was your reaction? If you've already seen <Young Lady and Gentleman>, you probably found yourself uttering a knowing "Ah!" while recalling the shocking ending.

If you haven’t watched <Young Lady and Gentleman> yet, don't worry! There won’t be any spoilers here.😉

<Young Lady and Gentleman> shines in blockbuster chasing Netflix

©NETFLIX

From September 12th to September 18th 2022, <Young Lady and Gentleman> ranked 5th among global non-English TV series on Netflix

©FLIXPATROL

Global top TV shows on Netflix on September 7, 2022

I was surprised to hear that <Young Lady and Gentleman> ranked high on Netflix in international markets. Upon searching around online, I even found a tweet from a netizen who binge-watched the entire 52-episode series during exam season!

<Young Lady and Gentleman> aired in Korea from September 2021 to March 2022, but it only entered Netflix global rankings six months after its conclusion. In fact, <Young Lady and Gentleman> achieved a higher rank than even <Extraordinary Attorney Woo>, which was released on Netflix around that time.

©KBS

Ji Jyun-woo looking bewildered upon being awarded at the 2021 Drama Awards

From a Korean perspective, it was quite surprising to see that "Young Lady and Gentleman" resonated with international viewers. To give you a sense of our reaction, just look at Ji Hyun-woo’s baffled expression😯 after finding out he won the Daesang(Grand Prize) at the 2021 KBS Drama Awards. When big-budget crowd-pleasers like <Squid Game> and <Suriname(Narco-Saints)> are leading the K-drama wave, the popularity of <Young Lady and Gentleman> was certainly unexpected! Moreover, as a traditional Korean weekend drama, <Young Lady and Gentleman> did not attract much attention among younger Koreans in the first place.

Captivating a middle-aged audience: the weekend K-drama

<Young Lady and Gentleman> was a weekend drama airing on KBS on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. It’s a spicy series filled with multiple instances of memory loss, chaebols, age gaps, fake pregnancies, and secret births.

ⓒKBS

This is exactly what the area in front of my TV looks like at 8 p.m. on the weekends. Just replace one of the sofas with a TV!

A scene from <Young Lady and Gentleman>

What comes to mind when you think of a home at 8 p.m. on the weekend? The image of an aunt, uncle, or grandmother sitting on the sofa after finishing dinner, flipping through different channels with a TV remote in hand? Well, you’d be right. <Young Lady and Gentleman>, along with weekend dramas in general, tend to target a middle-aged audience.

Clip of <Young Lady and Gentleman>

One of the characteristics of weekend dramas is that the main couple endures all kinds of hardship and adversity💔, but in the end, is always greeted with a happy resolution👨‍👩‍👧‍👦. Of course, while suffering through their share of hardships and challenges, various villains, secrets, reversals, obstacles, and conflicts will inevitably appear. Here, you’ll likely be met with the all too familiar scene of your older family members heaving out sighs and cursing passionately at the villains on screen.

<Young Lady and Gentleman> is a work written by Kim Sa-kyung, who is known for her morning and weekend dramas. So, how exactly did a story meant to target a middle-aged Korean audience end up bewitching the hearts of viewers worldwide? Here are my thoughts.😎

Mr. Chairman, won’t you be dinner pals🍽️ with your viewers?

The best part about <Young Lady and Gentleman> is that you can watch it without much thought. Although moments of intense frustration will be unavoidable (think: the main couple seems to have finally regained their happiness when… welp! guess not!), you won’t have to follow the protagonist as they catch some nefarious culprit or perform complex analyses while recalling the laws of causality.

©KBS

Last episode of <Young Lady and Gentleman>

At the same time, the idea of poetic justice is a source of comfort for viewers. All narrative lines and emotions in <Young Lady and Gentleman> are conveyed clearly, no complex judgment required. You won’t even need to ponder over whether a character is good or not. The distinction between good and evil is as definitive as black and white.

ⓒKBS

Still cut from <Young Lady and Gentleman> of Lee Se-hee (as Park Dan-dan) and Park Ha-na (as Jo Sa-ra)

<Young Lady and Gentleman> functions as an emotional outlet where we can vent our desires (here comes Jo Sa-ra again!🤦‍♀️) to our hearts’ content. You may even find yourself empathizing with the persecuted protagonist (Oh, poor Dandan💦). Like so, watching <Young Lady and Gentlemen> can be a cathartic experience, even if you don’t always watch with your full concentration.

©Minji

When eating or drinking alone, Netflix is a must

Perhaps <Young Lady and Gentleman> was a hit because, unlike action-packed dramas that require your intense focus every second of every minute, it can be watched casually – a friendly companion to accompany your meal. Enjoyment is guaranteed whether you watch from the middle or simply have it on in the background. And that’s because from the beginning, the purpose of the daily drama was to capture the household affairs of the general population! Now that times have changed, they function as a comforting mate to rely on as you wash your dishes and eat your meals.

©Makrye Grandma’s YouTube channel,

‘Drama Review, Young lady and gentleman EP. 19’

Makrye Grandma’s reaction video to <Young Lady and Gentleman>. Her reactions are just like mine!

You could always count on <Young Lady and Gentleman> to deliver a refreshing resolution at the end of a frustrating buildup. Even though the spicy conflicts at the surface may have drawn it some attention, the drama’s treatment of the universal emotion that is love❤️, its extensive coverage of anger and tenderness as feelings anyone can empathize with, its ability to weave a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously – it’s my belief that these qualities stood out as uniquely charming to viewers around the world. Let us know your thoughts on this one of a kind hit drama.

By the way, the title of today's issue is a reference to Dan-dan’s tipsy confession scene from episode 13 of <Young Lady and Gentleman>. It may also represent my feelings for you, 친구😉.

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