The chaebol romance "High Society" is rising in the ratings and providing some competition for the historical drama "Hwajung. This week, the drama starring Uee, Sung Joon, Z:EA member Park Hyung Sik and Lim Ji Yeon, recorded 9.8 percent of the viewers according to Nielsen Korea.
The popularity of "High Society" has been rising steadily and this week the ratings saw a 0.7 percent increase from the previous episode. It has not yet won over the first place favorite, "Hwajung," which stars Cha Seung Won, Lee Yeon Hee, Kim Jae Won and Seo Kang Joon, but it could. That 50-episode tale of political palace intrigue dropped 0.9 percent to reach 10.7 percent of the viewer ratings.
"High Society" does have a few things going for it. The rom-com has an interesting storyline, with two relationships that mirror each other inversely. Sung Joon's character loves Uee knowing that she is rich. But she does not know that he knows. He would like her anyway. She's just what he needs but her personality is less important to him than her bank balance. She's convinced he loves her for who she is and not her parents' money. That's very important to her and his knowing could be a deal breaker. Park Hyung Sik is a spoiled playboy who falls for a part time worker played by Lim Ji Yeon. His parents will never let him marry her because she is too poor.
Both these women have love problems, one because she is poor and the other because she is rich.
It's hard to tell which couple will have a harder time of it and they're both very appealing.
As a contrast to the appealing but fatally flawed, leading couples in "High Society," there are a few characters that belong to some of the worst chaebol families ever portrayed in k-dramas. These families include bad moms and bad dads and some terrible uncaring siblings. But not all the rich people are bad. And not all the poor people have pure motives.
"High Society" may also be earning some points from viewers who decided not to continue watching the KBS drama "I Remember You," starring Seo In Guk and Jang Nara, after the first two episodes. The program about a genius criminal profiler and a detective, who have some mysterious history together, dropped 0.9 percent on its second night to a rating of 4.7 percent.
Which of these dramas are you watching? Let us know.
