Hwang In-youp and Lee Hye-ri begin secret romance in 'Dream to You'

Hwang In-youp and Lee Hye-ri have confirmed their feelings for each other and begun a full-scale secret romance. However, despite a development involving poignant romance, secrets of birth, and the appearance of an ex-boyfriend, the viewership rating once again remained in the 2% range.

In the 8th episode of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama 'Dream to You' aired on the 4th, the relationship between Subeen Woo (Hwang In-youp) and Ju I-jae (Lee Hye-ri) deepened, while the revelation of Subeen Woo's hidden family history evoked sympathy. The national viewership rating for this episode recorded 2.5% according to Nielsen Korea.

In this episode, the crazed obsession of Woo Cheol-gyu (Jung Hae-gyun) resurfaced. He met Ahn Su-hee (Park Ji-young) while hiding the fact that he was a married man, revealing a past where Subeen Woo was born between the two.

As a child, Subeen Woo misunderstood that Lee Hwa-yeon (Bang Eun-jin) was suffering because of his existence, and eventually went to find his biological mother, Ahn Su-hee, to beg her to raise him. However, Ahn, who had already formed a family, could not accept him, and the wounded Subeen Woo grew up in Lee's arms like a real son.

Upon learning the secret of his birth, Ju I-jae understood Subeen Woo's pain more than anyone and stayed by his side, making their love even stronger.

However, a new variable appeared even amidst their sweet secret romance.

Subeen Woo showed subtle jealousy as he grew curious about Ju's past dating history. That partner was the special appearance actor Keum Seong-mu (Lee Ju-an) from the drama 'Gyeongseong Yeonga.'

Keum saved Ju by throwing himself into the path of a dizzying accident when a filming set sign fell, and seeing the familiar atmosphere between the two, Subeen Woo seemed to instantly sense he was the ex-boyfriend, unable to hide his discomfort.

When Ahn learned that her daughter Oh Hana (Lee Yul-eum) was cast in 'Gyeongseong Yeonga,' she visited Subeen Woo and Ju to pressure them to replace Sim Yu-geon (Baek Seong-cheol) with another actor.

Sim decided to withdraw from the work himself for the sake of Oh, but Ahn's true target was not him from the beginning. Ultimately, to protect the person she loves, Oh chose the exclusive contract with Ahn, and her dream of independence drifted further away once again.

At the end of the broadcast, Sim added to the poignancy by confessing his feelings to Oh while intoxicated.

He poured out his heart, saying, "Seeing how even these words hurt, I feel like I am truly being punished," but after the exclusive contract, he intentionally drew a line by saying, "We are nothing," to protect Oh.

In response, the wounded Oh completed a heartbreaking ending by turning away and saying, "I know there is something between us," and "Just keep liking me and take your punishment."

Various conflicts, including a secret romance, secrets of birth, and crossed loves, unfolded all at once, but the viewership rating remained at 2.5%. Attention is focused on whether 'Dream to You,' which has entered the latter half of the series, can find a momentum for a rebound in the remaining episodes.