MBC Fri-Sat drama ‘21st Century Wife of the Grand Prince’

Grand Prince Byun Woo-seok accepted a proposal from IU, a chaebol heiress.

Episode 2 of MBC Fri-Sat drama ‘21st Century Wife of the Grand Prince’ (written by Yoo Ji-won/ directed by Park Jun-hwa, Bae Hee-young/ planned by Kang Dae-seon/ produced by MBC and Kakao Entertainment), which aired on the 11th (Sat), recorded 10.1% in the Seoul Capital Area and 9.5% nationwide, ranking No. 1 in its time slot. Not only did it break into double digits in Capital Area households after just two episodes, it also topped Saturday overall in the 20-54 rating, a key index of channel competitiveness reflecting changes in media consumption, with 5.3%. Among the highlights, the scene of Seong Hee-ju (played by IU) receiving the Best Entrepreneur Award and the scene of Grand Prince Ian (played by Byun Woo-seok) meeting Lee Yoon (played by Kim Eun-ho), who came alone to the Entrepreneurs Day event, soared to a per-minute peak of 11.1%. (Nielsen Korea standard)

In this episode, the straight-ahead flirting of Seong Hee-ju hit the mark 100%, and the journey of a contract marriage to deceive the entire nation began in earnest.

Seong Hee-ju proposed to Grand Prince Ian, touting her strengths such as beauty, wealth, and resilience, but he flatly refused, saying that a love marriage had long been his dream. Incensed by the unexpected reason for refusal, Seong Hee-ju trailed him everywherefrom a moving roadway to a movie theater and a riding clubstriving to win his heart regardless of time and place. She even seized the brief moment of handing over the award certificate at an event to deliver a quick flirt.

Thanks to these efforts, the once-impenetrable heart of Grand Prince Ian began to soften little by little. He meticulously straightened his outfit on the chance that Seong Hee-ju might appear, showed a subtly displeased expression upon hearing news of her blind date, and wore a faint smile at her direct advances, small changes that brought smiles to viewers.

In particular, an unexpected moment revealed the vulnerable side of Grand Prince Ian, who had seemed only solemn. As Seong Hee-ju helped him while he suffered from condition issues due to insomnia, she felt complex emotions about the royal reality in which even pain is bound to be consumed as gossip.

MBC Fri-Sat drama ‘21st Century Wife of the Grand Prince’

Meanwhile, Queen Dowager Yoon I-rang (played by Gong Seung-yeon) suddenly stormed into the hotel where Grand Prince Ian and Seong Hee-ju were staying, and the situation shifted dramatically. Upon seeing Grand Prince Ian, disheveled and with Seong Hee-ju, the eyes of Yoon I-rang turned cold, and the faces of Seong Hee-ju and Grand Prince Ian, who had drawn an unintended misunderstanding, were visibly at a loss.

To make matters worse, when photos of Seong Hee-ju and Grand Prince Ian entering the same hotel were published as news, Seong Hee-ju overnight became the hidden lover of the Grand Prince. The entire country was turned upside down by the sensational scandal, and Seong Hee-ju instantly stood at the center of all kinds of rumors and gossip. In response, Grand Prince Ian conveyed an apology and said he would grant what she wanted, since she had been placed on the public chopping block because of him.

Having seized the initiative in the conversation, Seong Hee-ju brought up memories from the Royal School traditional archery tournament, where the two had split wins and losses. Having had to miss countless opportunities due to the limits of her social status, Seong Hee-ju persuaded him by revealing that she was in a similar position to Grand Prince Ian, who had even given up a match he had almost won because he occupied a place where he could neither shine nor make noise.

Seeing Seong Hee-ju, who had fought against fate unlike himself, who had accepted it despite being in the same situation, Grand Prince Ian, after much deliberation, said, “Prepare to become the wife of the Grand Prince” and accepted the proposal of Seong Hee-ju. With a smile of pure elation curling at the lips of Seong Hee-ju as she achieved her goal, attention is turning to the moves of the prospective Grand Prince couple that will astonish the entire nation.

Episode 3 of MBC Fri-Sat drama ‘21st Century Wife of the Grand Prince’, which will unfold the full-scale contract marriage journey of IU and Byun Woo-seok, will air at 9:50 p.m. on the 17th (Fri).