Song Joong Ki’s return to romance is off to a slow start. JTBC’s Friday drama My Youth premiered to ratings in the 2% range, a disappointing start compared to the explosive numbers scored by SBS’s crime thriller Queen Mantis, led by Go Hyun Jung.
Nielsen Korea reported My Youth opened at 2.9% and 2.8% nationwide—lower than the 3.0% debut of its predecessor The Nice Guy. For Song, it’s his first romance project in nine years since Descendants of the Sun and first drama in three years following Reborn Rich.
My Youth tells the story of Sun Woo Hae (Song Joong Ki), a former child star who burned through his prime too early and is now a novelist and florist, and Sung Je Yeon (Chun Woo Hee), who is forced to disrupt her first love’s peaceful life. But competition proved fierce: Queen Mantis—a thriller about a serial killer mother and her detective son—debuted the same night to 7.1%, with Go’s bold performance pulling triple the audience.
Online chatter suggests Song’s personal life may also play a role. Online forums and social media lit up with comments questioning his suitability as a romance lead following his remarriage and role as a father. “A remarried dad with two kids can’t pull off a wide-eyed flower boy anymore,” one commenter wrote. Others argued that his frequent mention of his wife on variety shows reinforces the “married man” image, making it hard for viewers to buy into him as a rom-com lead.
JTBC’s Friday slot also remains untested, and quiet romance feels less impactful against the current wave of thrillers and action series. Still, producers teased that “episodes 3 and 4 will mark the real beginning of Sun Woo Hae’s pursuit of first love,” hinting at more sparks to come.
Whether Song and Chun’s chemistry can shift momentum—and help My Youth close the gap with Go Hyun Jung’s breakout thriller—will be the key question moving forward.
>> Song Joong Ki Talks His Onscreen Chemistry with Chun Woo Hee
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