Despite featuring top-tier actors, Channel A’s new weekend drama has opened to disappointing ratings, remaining in the 1% range through its second episode.
After debuting at 1.0% nationwide, the second episode, which aired on January 18, recorded a viewership rating of 1.91% (Nielsen Korea, paid households). While this marks a modest uptick numerically, the show has yet to break past the 2% threshold, drawing attention amid fierce weekend competition.
Ratings comparisons with rival programs have been inevitable. On the same day, tvN’s weekend drama 'Undercover Miss Hong,' starring Park Shin Hye, continued its upward trajectory. Episode two posted an average nationwide rating of 5.7% and a peak of 7.2% across cable, IPTV, and satellite platforms, with the Seoul metropolitan area recording the same average and a 7.1% peak (Nielsen Korea). With such a wide gap in weekend viewership, industry watchers are closely observing whether Channel A’s new series can engineer a turnaround.
The drama in question is titled 'Positively Yours.' Marketed as a romantic comedy that follows two firm non-marriage advocates who find themselves facing an unexpected pregnancy after a one-night lapse. Based on a web novel and webtoon of the same name, the series flips the conventional rom-com formula, typically “dating, marriage, then children,” by starting with the outcome and retracing the emotional and relational journey from there.
Director Kim Jin Sung explained at the production press conference that the premise immediately stood out. “Most stories end with marriage and a child, but this one begins there,” he said. “That sense of starting with the conclusion felt refreshing.” He added that while the drama preserves the core framework of the original webtoon, it was adapted to better suit television, enhanced by strong performances and a diverse soundtrack aimed at creating a youthful, accessible tone for viewers of all ages.
Casting was one of the drama’s biggest pre-broadcast talking points. Viewers were eager to see how Choi Jin Hyuk and Oh Yeon Seo would portray a romance born from a single impulsive night. Choi plays Kang Du Jun, the CEO of Taehan Liquor, a man living with deep guilt over his brother’s death and choosing to live life on his behalf. Explaining his decision to join the project, Choi said, “I previously worked with the director on the MBC drama Gu Family Book 12 years ago, and the experience stayed with me. When I heard he was directing this project, I didn’t hesitate.”
Choi also expressed confidence in the show’s appeal. “They say familiar flavors are the most satisfying,” he remarked.
Oh Yeon Seo stars as Jang Hui Won, the youngest team manager in Taehan Liquor’s new product development division. She candidly admitted that the theme of an unplanned pregnancy before marriage was challenging to portray. “It was difficult and overwhelming at times,” she said. “But in your 30s, an unexpected pregnancy can realistically happen. My character wrestles with that reality, and I tried to express those emotions with care.” She added that both Hui Won and Du Jun are committed non-marriage advocates, noting that the drama carefully explores how they come to rethink love, responsibility, and parenthood.
In episode two, the aftermath of the “incident” begins to collide with reality as Du Jun and Hui Won reunite, not as strangers, but as CEO and employee. Their uneasy tension escalates when Du Jun, who has suffered from insomnia, realizes that Hui Won is the only person who allows him to sleep peacefully. His search for her culminates in an unexpected reunion at an obstetrics clinic, underscoring the fateful nature of their connection.
Du Jun proposes marriage, insisting he has a responsibility to his child, but Hui Won firmly refuses. Determined not to abandon her dreams as her mother once did, she faces a life-altering choice after being selected as a finalist for a study-abroad program in Germany. Complicating matters further, Du Jun’s sister-in-law Jeong Eum (played by Baek Eun Hye) secretly pressures Hui Won to pursue her studies overseas.
Although Hui Won ultimately secures a spot in the German program, her emotions remain conflicted. Du Jun, meanwhile, begins to see marriage itself as an experiment in stability, saying, “I’ve decided to get married. I’m curious whether marriage can complete this anxious version of me.” Their differing perspectives sharpen the drama’s central conflict.
The episode closes with a charged encounter at the office. During a team meeting, Du Jun pointedly asks Hui Won, now listed among the Germany-bound candidates, whether leaving won’t be too burdensome given the responsibilities she would be leaving behind. Hui Won draws a clear line, stating that even if she has the baby, she has no intention of marrying without love. Du Jun responds with a provocative counterproposal—not marriage, but love itself—suggesting they meet at least three times a week to explore it properly. The ending, centered on the possibility of love rather than obligation, leaves viewers curious about what comes next.
The production team maintains that Choi Jin Hyuk and Oh Yeon Seo are fully immersed in their roles, generating lively chemistry through their sharp back-and-forth as a cool-headed CEO and a confident subordinate. While the early ratings have fallen short of expectations, there is still room for momentum as the story settles into its main arc.
With its journey just beginning, attention now turns to whether 'Positively Yours' can gain traction in the episodes ahead. The drama airs every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 PM, chronicling the turbulent aftermath faced by two non-marriage believers whose lives are upended by a single impulsive night.
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