Park Eun-bin tops buzzability rankings for 'The Spooky Romance'

Actress Park Eun-bin has brought her latest work to a successful conclusion, topping the buzzability rankings during the final week of 'The Spooky Romance'. As the series approached its finale, both the lead actress and the production simultaneously climbed to No. 1 in buzzability, finishing with an upward trend in both viewership ratings and online interest.

According to the third week of August (August 17–23) buzzability rankings announced by Good Data Corporation's Fundex on the 25th, the tvN weekend drama 'The Spooky Romance' took first place in the integrated TV-OTT drama buzzability rankings. It also reached the top in TV drama buzzability, recording itself as the hottest production during its finale week.

The upward momentum of lead actress Park Eun-bin was particularly notable. Park ranked 1st in the integrated TV-OTT drama actor buzzability, while her co-star Yang Se-jong also took 2nd place. Park had ranked 1st in the first week of August before dropping to 3rd in the second week, but she reclaimed the top spot during the final week. Yang also rose two spots from 4th place in the previous week.

In particular, the integrated buzzability No. 1 for 'The Spooky Romance' is significant as it is the first time since its premiere. After its debut on July 18, the production had failed to reach the top, being pushed aside by competing works such as SBS's 'Agent Kim Reactivated', the Netflix series 'The East Palace', and Disney+'s 'A Shop for Killers'. However, it flipped the script at the very last moment.

As a result, 'The Spooky Romance' achieved a rare feat of both the production and its cast members claiming No. 1 in buzzability simultaneously upon its conclusion.

The viewership rating also broke its own record in the final episode. The final episode of 'The Spooky Romance', which aired on the 23rd as the 12th episode, recorded 7.9% based on nationwide households for paid platforms via Nielsen Korea. Compared to its start at 3.0% in the first episode, this is more than a twofold increase.

It is particularly striking that the series secured a steady viewership base and recorded its highest viewership rating in the final episode, even amidst tough competition from works like 'Agent Kim Reactivated', 'A Bona Fide Killer', and 'The Husband' airing in the same time slot. Rather than recording explosive numbers from the beginning, the work can be evaluated as a typical 'late-bloomer' production that drew increasing viewer interest as the broadcasts progressed.

In the actor buzzability rankings, following Park Eun-bin and Yang Se-jong, Gong Hyo-jin of the MBC Friday-Saturday drama 'A Bona Fide Killer' took 3rd place. Lee Dong-wook of 'Killer's Mall Season 2' ranked 4th, and Ryu Jun Yeol of the Netflix series 'Mousetrap' took 5th.

This was followed by Kim Hye-jun in 6th, Jung Joon-won in 7th, Kang Hoon in 8th, Ahn Hee-yeon in 9th, and Lee Hye Ri in 10th.

In the integrated TV-OTT drama buzzability by work, 'The Spooky Romance' took 1st place, followed by 'A Bona Fide Killer' in 2nd, 'Killer's Mall Season 2' in 3rd, 'Reborn Rich 2' in 4th, and 'The Most Beloved Employee' in 5th. 'Love is Coming', 'Mousetrap', 'New Recruit 4: Sabotage', 'Dream to You', and 'Such a Damn Love' occupied the 6th to 10th spots.

Looking strictly at TV dramas, 'A Bona Fide Killer', 'Reborn Rich 2', 'The Most Husband', and 'Love is Coming' followed 'The Spooky Romance'. 'New Recruit 4: Sabotage', 'Dream to You', 'Four Hands', 'Not You, But Another Romance', and 'Trap of Desire' were also included in the top 10.

The noteworthy aspect of these results is not just the record of being No. 1 in the final week, but the continuous presence of Park. The fact that she rose to the top again at the time of the series finale after fluctuations in rankings during the early and middle stages can be interpreted as meaning that interest in both the character and the actress was maintained until the very end.

Park has been expanding her acting spectrum by crossing through various genres and characters, including 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'. In 'The Spooky Romance', she did not rely solely on her existing image but played a central role in the work by handling new romance and genre nuances.

Ultimately, while 'The Spooky Romance' was not a work that secured overwhelming buzzability from its first broadcast, it left the highest records in its final episode after steadily pulling up viewership ratings and online interest. Park also brilliantly decorated the final scene of the work by reaching the top of the buzzability rankings during the finale week, leaving the stars of competing works behind.