Im Si-wan and Seol In-ah's 'My Guilty Pleasure' Records 5.6% Ratings for Premiere

The new tvN (a major South Korean cable network) Monday-Tuesday drama, 'My Guilty Pleasure' (나의 유죄인간), starring actors Im Si-wan (임시완) and Seol In-ah (설인아), achieved an average nationwide household viewership rating of 5.6% for its premiere on October 19. This made it the highest-rated Korean drama in its time slot.

This drama, which tells the thrilling, close-quarters "thrill romance" story between Yoon Yi-jun (윤이준), a third-generation chaebol (a large family-owned business conglomerate) suspected of murder (played by Im Si-wan), and Kang Jae-hee (강재희), a former special forces detective who infiltrates his life disguised as his male secretary (played by Seol In-ah), garnered significant attention even before its broadcast. With its successful debut marked by high viewership ratings, what aspects of the drama are viewers focusing on?

'My Guilty Pleasure' premiered on tvN on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 8:50 PM KST, and is scheduled as a 12-episode Monday-Tuesday drama. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode recorded an average nationwide household viewership rating of 5.6%, significantly outperforming ENA's (a South Korean cable channel) Monday-Tuesday drama 'Love Doctor' (연애박사), which aired its fifth episode on the same day with 2.2% viewership.[1]

'My Guilty Pleasure' Viewership 5.6%

'Love Doctor' Viewership 2.2%

Compelling Premise and Actor Synergy Drive Early Success

'My Guilty Pleasure' captured viewers' attention with its unique premise of a murder suspect and an undercover detective, combining thriller, romance, and comedic elements into a "close-quarters thrill romance" genre. In particular, actor Seol In-ah's portrayal of a detective infiltrating as a "male secretary" generated buzz even before the show aired,[2] and actor Im Si-wan's performance as a prickly yet charming third-generation chaebol created synergy, which analysts believe propelled the initial viewership ratings.

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“Im Si-wan and Seol In-ah: The Perilous Partnership of a Murder Suspect and an Undercover Detective”

Major media outlets, including Naver Entertainment (a major South Korean online entertainment news portal), reacted positively, highlighting the drama's intriguing plot and the actors' performances as key viewing points. The Instiz (인스티즈) community (a popular South Korean online community) also noted the drama's strong start, stating, "Im Si-wan and Seol In-ah's 'My Guilty Pleasure' announced a smooth beginning from its first broadcast," drawing attention to its success in surpassing competing shows.[3]

Early International Fandom Reaction: Will It Spread?

While domestic communities and media are focusing on the successful launch of 'My Guilty Pleasure,' the initial reaction from Taiwan's PTT community (a large online bulletin board system) has been minimal, with only 8 comments on posts related to the premiere. This suggests either confusion in information dissemination, as the drama is introduced in Taiwan under a different title, '偽裝戀愛 (Wèizhuāng Liàn'ài - meaning 'Disguised Love'), or that a significant influx of international fandom has yet to occur.[4]

Stakeholder Perspectives: Expectations and Challenges

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Stakeholder	Gains / Expectations	Losses / Challenges
tvN (Broadcaster)	Secure Mon-Tue drama viewership, strengthen channel competitiveness	Maintain viewership for subsequent episodes, intensifying content competition
Production team & actors	Initial box office success, critical acclaim for work & acting	Maintain balance of complex genres, prevent character burnout
Domestic viewers	Enjoy fresh story & actors' performances	Meeting heightened expectations
International fandom	Interest in new K-drama	Lack of information accessibility & localized promotion

Successful Blending of Genres and Sustainability

'My Guilty Pleasure' offers fresh entertainment to viewers by skillfully combining the tension of a thriller, the excitement of romance, and comedic elements. However, multi-genre dramas carry the risk of losing viewer immersion if they lean too heavily on one aspect or lose their balance. The production team previously highlighted these genre strengths by presenting three key viewing points: "over-immersion-inducing crime," "dopamine-inducing crime," and "time-vanishing crime."[5] The key will be how these three elements harmonize in future developments to keep viewers engaged.

Disparity in Domestic and International Reactions: The Challenge of Global Expansion

While the drama garnered high viewership ratings and positive reactions domestically from its first broadcast, its immediate explosive impact in international markets remains uncertain. Beyond the low participation in Taiwan's PTT community, some domestic communities like TheQoo (더쿠) (a popular South Korean online community) saw comments primarily focused on political issues unrelated to the drama's content.[6] This suggests that rather than a direct evaluation of the drama itself, its buzz might be dispersed in specific directions, or it may not yet be sufficiently recognized by international fans. To expand beyond its successful domestic launch and grow into a global fandom, more strategic promotion and localization efforts appear necessary.

[Analysis] The Power of a Solid Narrative and Actor Chemistry

'My Guilty Pleasure' is meeting viewer expectations with the stable acting skills and captivating visual chemistry of its two lead actors, Im Si-wan and Seol In-ah. Im Si-wan, in particular, draws on his diverse acting spectrum built across various genres to portray the sensitive and prickly third-generation chaebol character with depth, while Seol In-ah naturally embodies the unconventional role of a male-disguised character, enhancing immersion. This synergy between the actors, combined with a solid narrative, opens up the possibility for 'My Guilty Pleasure' to establish itself as more than just a genre drama.

Outlook: Beyond Maintaining Ratings to Exploring Global Expansion

'My Guilty Pleasure' has made a successful debut, recording high viewership ratings from its very first episode. This demonstrates that the lead actors' presence and the fresh genre approach effectively appealed to domestic viewers. The key viewing points moving forward will be how stably the ratings are maintained over the remaining 11 episodes, and how the drama can boost the still-modest international fandom reaction, as seen in the Taiwan PTT case, to become a global hit. Specifically, overseas distribution strategies via OTT platforms and providing localized content for international fans are expected to significantly impact the drama's long-term success.