tvN's 'Love, Take Two' Premieres with Emotional Drama and Strong Ratings

The curtain has risen on 'Love, Take Two'.

On the 4th, tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Love, Take Two' (directed by Yoo Je-won, written by Sung Woo-jin, planned and produced by Studio Dragon and Showrunners) premiered. The seemingly ordinary and peaceful lives of mother and daughter, Lee Ji-an (played by Yum Jung-ah) and Lee Hyo-ri (played by Choi Yoon-ji), were shaken by unexpected events and misfortunes.

The first episode recorded an average rating of 4.0% and a peak of 5.3% in the metropolitan area, and an average of 3.5% and a peak of 4.6% nationwide, ranking first in its time slot across cable and general programming channels. (Based on Nielsen Korea's paid platform data)

The episode depicted a typical day for Lee Ji-an, a construction site manager and single mother of a medical student daughter. By day, she is a charismatic and skilled manager at the construction site, and by night, she adeptly navigates company dinners to please her boss. Her tireless efforts are all for one reason: her daughter, Lee Hyo-ri. To Ji-an, Hyo-ri is the reason for her existence, her pride, and her everything.

However, life did not go as planned. 'Manager Hwang', who borrowed 30 million won from Ji-an, disappeared, leaving her responsible for a materials theft incident. To make matters worse, her daughter Hyo-ri dropped out of school and ran away without a word. The unexpected rebellion of her model student daughter turned Ji-an's world upside down. Fortunately, with the help of her friend Kim Sun-young (played by Kim Sun-young), Ji-an discovered that Hyo-ri was in 'Cheonghae' and rushed there immediately.

Meanwhile, Hyo-ri, who had convinced her best friend Lee Sook (played by Yang Yoo-jin) to join her, headed to Cheonghae and found 'Ryu Architecture Office'. When asked by Lee Sook why she came to Cheonghae, Hyo-ri gave an enigmatic answer, "I felt like I might meet my destiny here." Just then, the camper van they arrived in broke down. Fortunately, thanks to the kind and generous villagers, they were able to stay in the yard of Ryu Jung-seok (played by Park Hae-jun) and Ryu Bo-hyun (played by Kim Min-kyu).

However, Hyo-ri's brief escape ended when she was caught by Ji-an. Frustrated and annoyed by her mother's nagging, Hyo-ri revealed shocking news: she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Ji-an, trying to keep her composure, took her daughter to the hospital. "So you ran away? You should be thinking about fighting to live," Ji-an said, to which Hyo-ri replied, "I just want to live a mediocre life and die," her voice filled with a sense of despair.

Hyo-ri returned to Cheonghae, while Ji-an, left alone at home, immersed herself in housework all night to shake off her complex emotions and thoughts. When Kim Sun-young called, Ji-an shared Hyo-ri's news, saying, "I always thought I would die first. Why is nothing that is obvious to others obvious to me?" Despite trying to remain composed, both Ji-an and Hyo-ri couldn't hold back their tears. The tears of the mother and daughter, filled with mixed feelings of regret and fear, moved viewers to tears.

Meanwhile, the second episode of tvN's 'Love, Take Two' will air tonight (5th) at 8:50 PM.

Reported by Kim Se-ah, TenAsia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr