K-Drama 'Fighting Against One's Worthlessness' Struggles in Ratings Against 'Secret Gratitude'

The fourth episode of JTBC's weekend drama 'Fighting Against One's Worthlessness' recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 2.4% according to Nielsen Korea. Meanwhile, 'Secret Gratitude', starring Shin Hye-sun, aired in the same time slot and achieved a rating of 6.3%, more than double the difference.

In the episode aired on the 26th, Hwang Dong-man (played by Koo Kyo-hwan) and Byun Eun-ah (played by Go Yoon-jung) shared their emotions, building an emotional bond. Byun Eun-ah confessed that her overwhelming anger, despair, and helplessness made her want to self-destruct, causing her to have nosebleeds. Hwang Dong-man calmly shared that he constantly talks to drown out the voice of a monster whispering in his ear, "You have no worth."

In a second round at the kimchi stew restaurant, Park Kyung-se (played by Oh Jung-se) vented his frustration by handing Hwang Dong-man a message organized into seven points. He ranted that Hwang Dong-man was a talentless, uninteresting nobody and should continue living with consistent bravado without ever coming to his senses.

CEO Choi Dong-hyun (played by Choi Won-young) once again scolded Byun Eun-ah. When director Lee Jun-hwan (played by Shim Hee-seop) revised the script with a B-grade sentiment and Byun Eun-ah gave it a positive review, it triggered Choi Dong-hyun's anger. Adding to the insult, senior PD Choi Hyo-jin (played by Park Ye-ni) criticized her, saying not to mistake a brief moment of talent for true ability.

At the end of the day, Hwang Dong-man was paralyzed with sleep paralysis, unable to move even when a delivery arrived, and Byun Eun-ah had another nosebleed that soaked a towel. When Byun Eun-ah called Hwang Dong-man asking for a funny story, he eagerly shared his sleep paralysis experience, joking about fighting with the paralysis itself.

Hwang Dong-man's advice to let things pass without fighting them made Byun Eun-ah laugh through her tears. During a script interview, Hwang Dong-man passionately spoke about the global solidarity of 'All for One, One for All', finding himself in others across the world. His spirited talk gave him strength, and Byun Eun-ah's nosebleed magically stopped.

Byun Eun-ah, who usually avoided confrontations, decided to stand up for herself. She boldly told Choi Dong-hyun not to confuse power with arrogance and left the office with dignity, not a resignation. She also called out Choi Hyo-jin's hypocrisy, asking her to be openly enthusiastic like Hwang Dong-man.

Hwang Dong-man confronted Park Kyung-se, rejecting the notion that unlucky people are always unhappy. He declared that he wasn't as miserable as they thought and had no intention of stopping his witty remarks, which made him feel alive. However, the unexpected arrival of his brother Hwang Jin-man (played by Park Hae-jun) escalated the situation, leading to a physical altercation and their eventual arrest.

The episode concluded with a chaotic scene at the police station. Hwang Dong-man's eyes shook with anxiety when asked about his occupation due to his unemployment trauma. Byun Eun-ah appeared like a savior, calling him a film director, erasing the stigma of being a 'leftover' and gifting him with a prestigious title.

Meanwhile, a revelation about national actress Oh Jung-hee (played by Bae Jong-ok), the lead in the anticipated blockbuster 'My Mother', surfaced. It was revealed that 23 years ago, Oh Jung-hee, then an unknown actress, left her young daughter alone, while now she shares a close mother-daughter bond with actress Jang Mi-ran (played by Han Sun-hwa), who is not related by blood. This revelation resonated with Byun Eun-ah, who was abandoned by her parents and survived alone at the age of nine. The connection between Byun Eun-ah's nosebleed syndrome and Oh Jung-hee's past added intrigue to the storyline.

Reporter Jung Se-yoon, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr