Yeon-jin Is at It Again... A Drama That Swept OTT Rankings After Just Two Episodes

Actor Lim Ji-yeon, who sparked the 'Yeon-jin syndrome' with the global hit The Glory, is once again fueling a major box-office-style surge with her new drama My Royal Nemesis. According to FlixPatrol's tally released on the 10th, SBS's Friday-Saturday drama My Royal Nemesis rose to No. 1 worldwide in Netflix's non-English TV show category after just two episodes. It also ranked No. 2 globally among all TV shows and entered the Top 10 in a total of 84 countries and regions, including Korea, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Spain and Singapore. In 24 of those countries, it reached No. 1, underscoring its explosive global buzz. My Royal Nemesis is a romantic comedy about a hostile relationship between Shin Seori, an unknown actress possessed by the soul of a wicked woman from the Joseon Dynasty, and the cold-blooded chaebol Cha Segye, played by Heo Nam-jun. Above all, viewers say Lim Ji-yeon's strong performance is driving the early success. Comic situations created by the clash between Joseon-era speech and modern society, combined with her sharp-eyed intensity and playful acting, have also taken over online buzz. In particular, the line shouted by Shin Seori, "Are you mocking me with that filthy mouth?" spread rapidly across social network service (SNS) platforms and online communities right after the broadcast, becoming a so-called Jang Hui-bin possession meme. Viewers flooded social media with reactions such as, "After Yeon-jin in The Glory, she has found another career-defining character," "Lim Ji-yeon's comedy acting is insane," "I see Lim Ji-yeon in a new light," "Bravo, Lim Ji-yeon is amazing," "Yeon-jin is at it again..." and "Can period-drama-style swearing really be this funny?" The hostile chemistry with Heo Nam-jun is also drawing a hot response. Their relationship, which clashed from the very first meeting, has created strong immersion early in the series and won over romantic-comedy fans. As the 300-year-old backstory involving Jang Seung-jo begins to unfold, the tension is rising further. Viewer ratings are climbing quickly as well. My Royal Nemesis jumped from a peak of 5.4% in episode 1 to 6.9% in episode 2, according to Nielsen Korea, and quickly joined the ranks of the most talked-about shows. The response on domestic OTT platforms is also strong. The drama topped all content on Kinolights' Today's Trend Ranking, an OTT Integrated Content Ranking Platform, further proving its mainstream appeal. My Royal Nemesis has captivated both domestic and international viewers in just two episodes, and attention is now turning to how far Lim Ji-yeon's signature hostile-romance comedy can go.