'Numbers' Choi Jin-hyeok, Kim Myung-soo, Kim Tae-ri, Lee Jun-ho and Im Seong-han are you shaking?

It's been a long time since I've returned to the small screen, but there are many mountains to overcome. MBC's 'Numbers', starring actors Choi Jin-hyeok and Kim Myung-soo, hit a big wall from the first broadcast. The gap in viewership ratings with the SBS drama 'Ghost', which is facing the same time slot, has more than doubled. Can I laugh at the fierce weekend drama version?

The MBC Friday and Saturday drama is back after a month-long break. On the 23rd, 'Numbers: Observers of the Building Forest' (hereinafter referred to as 'Numbers') took off the veil. 'Numbers' is an office action drama in which a high school graduate accountant Jang Ho-woo (Kim Myung-soo) fights against the absurdities of a huge accounting firm and realizes justice in the most accountant-like but least accountant-like way.

'Numbers' is the work Choi Jin-hyeok chose after two years. Kim Myung-soo also found fans with 'Numbers' as his first work after being discharged. He explained, "I thought it was the first time in Korea that I properly handled an accountant. I've seen many scripts, and I thought it would be the most fun."

However, viewers showed a greater reaction toward 'Ghost', which aired at the same time. In fact, this is also an expected result. 'Ghost' is a work that tells the story of San-young (Kim Tae-ri), a poor young man who is obsessed with evil spirits, and Hae-hae (Oh Jeong-se), a folklorist who can see evil spirits, and the mysterious death. Even before the airing, the meeting between actor Kim Tae-ri and writer Kim Eun-hee drew attention. Expectations soon led to ratings.

'Demon' announced a pleasant start. The viewership rating for the first episode was 9.9% (Nielsen Korea, nationwide), and the highest viewership rating at the moment was 12.8%. On the other hand, 'Numbers' had a rating of only 4.4%.

I'm in the middle of the day. The weekend drama lineup, which overlaps with time zones, is also strong. JTBC's 'King the Land', a romance between Lee Jun-ho and Lim Yoon-a, is on the rise, surpassing 7% in viewership ratings. TVN's 'Take Care of This Student' starring Shin Hye-sun and Ahn Bo-hyun also recorded 5.5% viewer ratings for its second episode.

TV Chosun's ambitious work 'Mistress Durian' is also indispensable. 'Missy Durian', which has its first room on the 24th, is the work of star writer Lim Seong-han (Phoebe). In the previously released teaser video, it became a hot topic for dealing with 'homosexuality between husband and wife'. It is enough material to attract the attention of viewers.

Of course, it is in the very early stages of broadcasting. The first episode of 'Numbers' is also not bad. The story that creates tension that makes you look forward to the next episode, and the acting skills of Choi Jin-hyeok and Kim Myung-soo are well received. The viewership ratings are also disappointing compared to competing works, but the ratings for the first episode of MBC's previous work, 'Joseon Lawyer', are superior.

Choi Jin-hyeok said at the production presentation of 'Numbers', "Isn't it something that can guarantee box office success? I don't care about this part at all." Kim Myung-soo said, "I'm just working hard to become a well-made drama." The actors' position and MBC's position are quite different. MBC is suffering from sluggish ratings one after another. Expectations on 'Numbers' are higher than ever. The key is to narrow the gap in viewership ratings with 'The Devil'.

Kim Seo-yoon, staff reporter seogugu@tenasia.co.kr