The viewership ratings of tvN's "Encounter" is on the rise. As the romantic drama continues to feature the blossoming romance of Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum's characters, it also continues to break rating records.
The eight-episode of "Encounter," which aired on Thursday, Dec. 20, reached a national television rating of 9.2 percent with a peak at 11.77 percent, according to AGB Nielsen. It is way higher than its rival shows, "Children of Nobody (MBC)," which only scored average nationwide ratings of 3.6 percent and 4.7 percent for its two parts, and KBS 2TV's "Feel Good to Die," which garnered an average viewership of 2.2 percent.
In the said episode, Donghwa Hotel's chief executive officer (CEO) Cha Soo Hyun (Song Hye Kyo) and Kim Jin Hyuk (Park Bo Gum) shared a passionate kiss for the first time as they reminisce about the wonderful time they have spent together in Cuba.
Not long after the said episode aired, viewers immediately took to Twitter to share their excitement about the lead characters' blossoming romance. One fan even noted that she never saw such an amazing and emotional kiss scene like that, adding that everything was just so beautiful.
Many also praised Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum's undeniable on-screen chemistry. The kissing scene, however, will have to be enough to tide fans over for two weeks as "Encounter" will not air on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 for the Christmas holidays. Instead, the 9th episode will air on Jan. 2 at 9:30 PM (KST).
"On December 26, we will air a special for episodes 7 and 8 at 9:30 p.m. KST," a representative from cable network tvN said in a press statement obtained by Soompi. "On December 27, we will air 'Jin Chu Ha Has Returned' (literal translation), the fifth short drama of the 'Drama Stage 2019' series, to warm the whole family up this Christmas."
In addition to Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum, "Encounter" also stars Jang Seung Jo as Jung Woo Seok, Moon Sung Keun as Cha Jong Hyun, Nam Ki Ae as Jin Mi Ok, Ko Chang Seok as Nam Myeong Sik, Kwak Sun Young as Jang Mi Jin, Cha Hwa Yeon as Chairman Kim, Shin Jung Keun as Kim Jang Soo, Baek Ji Won as Jo Yeon Ja, P.O. as Kim Jin Myung, Kim Joo Hu as Lee Dae Chan and Jeon So Nee as Jo Hye In.
It airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 9:30 PM (KST) on cable network tvN.
