The situation
Yang Se Jong stars as Ma Kang-wook, a prosecutor who's terrified of ghosts, in the Netflix K-drama "Spooky in Love", a remake of the 2011 romcom "Spellbound". He's paired with Park Eun-bin, who plays Cheon Yeo-ri, a corporate heiress who can see ghosts and unintentionally transfers this ability to those she touches. The show starts with Kang-wook investigating a missing persons case, where he meets Yeo-ri at a crime scene.
What the internet did with it
- Netizens on Theqoo are unbothered by the show's slow start, with one commenter saying — "the leads' chemistry is already working for me, so I'll give it a few more episodes to pick up".
- The latest Nielsen rating for "Spooky in Love" is 5.32%, which is a decent start but not spectacular, considering the lead cast's popularity.
- Some viewers are already pointing out the *눈치 (nuhn-chi, or "tension") between the leads, which they hope will develop into a compelling romance as the series progresses.
The open question
The key to "Spooky in Love"'s success will be how it balances its horror and romcom elements, and whether Yang Se Jong's character can convincingly overcome his fear of ghosts to support Park Eun-bin's Yeo-ri. The show's ability to turn things around after a flat start will depend on how well it addresses this balance in upcoming episodes.