KBS’s Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol and JTBC’s Private Lives, which premiered on October 7, have seen a constant decline in viewership since the first episode. This is quite disappointing considering that tvN’s Tale of the Nine-Tailed, which first aired on the same day, is recording relatively stable ratings despite the rocky early start.
As for Private Lives, many are saying that the plot is rather draggy. Seo Hyun, who has transformed herself into one charming con-artist, Go Kyung Pyo, who made his first comeback since he was discharged from the military, Kim Hyo Jin, who returned to the small screen after 10 years, and Kim Young Min, who has been showing great results with his works, joined hands, drawing keen attention from the start. However, despite the title of “one of the most anticipated projects,” Private Lives saw a drop in just two weeks and fell to the 1% viewer ratings.
The confrontation between swindlers and a large company is definitely attractive, but the unfriendly development only builds up frustration. Private Lives mostly focuses on a “chase.” Cha Joo Eun (Seo Hyun) chases after Lee Jung Hwan (Go Kyung Pyo) and Jung Bok Gi (Kim Hyo Jin), Lee Jung Hwan pursues Kim Jae Wook (Kim Young Min), while Jung Bok Gi is searching for Kim Jae Wook. Most people expect these “chases” to pile up to become one big “chase” after a large company called GK. So it’s acceptable that the drama is trying to draw a big picture without so many colors in it, but even the essential information is left out that viewers are only ended up with more question marks. On top of that, the inadequate plot is only understandable when you watch the previous episodes, making it difficult to attract new viewers. It seems like the drama is in need of one thing that will captivate the viewers.
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol is a fairytale-like story with no provocative settings, and yet it has failed to fascinate the viewers. But in the fifth episode, a shocking twist that stirred the small screen was revealed – Sun Woo Joon (Lee Jae Wook), who we thought was the same age as 24-year-old Goo Ra Ra (Go Ah Ra), is actually a minor.
From the beginning, Sun Woo Joon, who is working all kinds of part-time jobs, appeared as a secretive man being chased by someone, raising questions about his real identity. And in the recent episode, it has been revealed that he is actually a runaway high school senior and the only son of the Sun Woo Foundation. With this, questions about why Sun Woo Joon only graduated from middle school and why he doesn’t have a driver license was answered. However, the fact that he is a 19-year-old minor, not a 20-year-old adult, is still shocking. That is because the drama presented “friendship chemistry” between Goo Ra Ra and Sun Woo Joon, heralded a heart-fluttering romance. Viewers’ reactions are clearly divided into two. How will Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol unfold a romance when the male protagonist is a minor?