Love on the Menu hits 17% viewership rating, shaking up KBS weekend dramas

KBS 2TV's weekend drama 'Love on the Menu' has rewritten its own record, hitting a nationwide viewership rating of 17.0% in just 12 episodes. Starting at 11.7%, the series has steadily increased its momentum with each episode, seemingly proving the traditional success formula of KBS weekend dramas once again. In particular, the combination of a romantic comedy and realistic youth narrative built upon an emotional family foundation, along with the evolving relationship centered around Ahn Hee-yeon and Ha Seok-jin, is analyzed as the key driver pulling in viewer retention.

According to the ratings research firm Nielsen Korea, the 12th episode of 'Love on the Menu,' which aired on the 30th, recorded a 17.0% nationwide household viewership rating. This figure surpasses the previous personal best for the show and was the highest-rated program among all broadcasts on that day. It is also noteworthy that the viewership rose by more than 5 percentage points from the 11.7% premiere, indicating that the audience base formed in the early stages is not leaving but is actually expanding.

At the center of this upward trend is the changing relationship between Han Gyu-rim and Kim Mu-jin. Han Gyu-rim, played by Ahn Hee-yeon, is a character who has deferred her own life and dreams to take responsibility for her family's livelihood. She supports her family by working various part-time jobs, including early morning green juice delivery, yet she is expected to accept her sacrifices as a given within the family. She is a character who embodies the issues of responsibility and support symbolized by the so-called 'K-eldest daughter.'

In the 12th episode, Han Gyu-rim finally declares her intention to break free from her existing role. She announces to her family that she will lay down her responsibilities as the eldest daughter and demands that they prepare for their own lives within a set timeframe, turning her long-suppressed emotions into action. This is read not merely as a dramatic twist, but as a scene that flips the imbalance of care and sacrifice that has been concentrated on a specific member within the family community.

However, contrary to her decision to become independent from her family, a lingering affection for Kim Mu-jin remained in a corner of Han Gyu-rim's heart. After accidentally finding a child's pet dog during her delivery route, she finds herself repeating Kim Mu-jin's name and eventually, unable to suppress her feelings, heads to his restaurant. The scene where their reunion is facilitated as she orders *kimchi* fried rice—a dish not even on the menu—at the restaurant operated by Kim Mu-jin was the key highlight of the latter half of the 12th episode.

Kim Mu-jin, played by Ha Seok-jin, is a restaurant owner-chef with economic stability and a sophisticated appearance, but he is a man who follows his emotions rather than calculations when it comes to love. While he pursues Han Gyu-rim relentlessly, he faces a reality where things do not go as planned due to family issues. Placing the relationship between a man who holds a relative advantage in economic and social conditions and a woman who has suppressed her desires for survival creates a realistic tension in the work's romance.

On the other axis of the family narrative, the conflict surrounding Go Yoon-hee and Park Su-nam continues. Go Yoon-hee, played by Yoon Yoo-sun, is a character living with the scars of being separated from her family in the past; rather than expressing her emotions directly, she expresses her maternal love through the situations surrounding her daughter, Han Gyu-rim. The scene where she witnesses Han Gyu-rim being mistreated by Park Su-nam and effectively takes revenge by criticizing the taste of the food encapsulates the unique family drama sentiment of the work.

Park Su-nam, played by Kang Ae-sim, is a character who amplifies conflicts within the family, whereas Cho Heung-sik, played by Bae Jung-nam, functions as a realistic supporter for Han Gyu-rim. As veteran actors such as Kwon Hae-hyo as Jang Hun-tae, Ryu Seung-soo as Han Seok-jung, and Jin Kyung as Hong Ok-seon build their own narratives, they densely expand the web of relationships around the young protagonists so that the romance does not remain a simple love story.

This is precisely the point to note regarding the success of 'Love on the Menu.' While recent domestic drama markets have been dominated by works featuring short pacing and intense genre-driven stimulation, KBS weekend dramas have long secured long-term viewing momentum through conflicts and reconciliations among family members and the clash of values between generations. 'Love on the Menu' is expanding the scope of traditional weekend dramas by integrating the issues of livelihood, care, and independence that the youth generation experiences.

In particular, Han Gyu-rim's 'resignation as the eldest daughter' is the element that differentiates this work from traditional family dramas that merely repeat misunderstandings and reconciliations. It moves away from narratives where sacrificing personal desires for the sake of family is considered a virtue, instead presenting the act of choosing one's own life as a necessary condition for restructuring family relationships. The immediate support viewers have shown for Han Gyu-rim's declaration of independence is closely linked to this contemporary sensibility.

The background of the viewership rising from 11.7% at the premiere to 17.0% by the 12th episode lies in this cumulative narrative effect. By running the family issues and the romance in parallel rather than resolving conflicts all at once, the show continuously provides viewers with a reason to wait for the next episode.

Following the broadcast, online reactions included comments such as, "It's so refreshing to see Gyu-rim resign from being the eldest daughter," "She is finally going all-in on Mu-jin," and "The scene where Yoon-hee takes revenge on behalf of Gyu-rim was impressive." In particular, expectations are high that the relationship between the two has entered a full-blown romantic phase following the scene where Han Gyu-rim visits Kim Mu-jin.

For 'Love on the Menu' to maintain its upward trend, it will be crucial to see how the romance between Han Gyu-rim and Kim Mu-jin integrates with the family conflicts. While the narrative could lose its expansion potential if it remains a simple romance, if the show can further develop its core themes of family meaning and individual independence through their relationship, it has every chance to turn this ratings surge into long-term success.

As 'Love on the Menu' has already surpassed its 11.7% starting point to reach the 17% mark, attention is focused on whether it can establish itself as a traditional powerhouse of weekend television and what conclusion Han Gyu-rim and Kim Mu-jin will reach through the complex web of family relationships.