JTBC’s The Practical Guide to Love is drawing attention for its increasingly heated romance, but the drama’s latest ratings moved in the opposite direction.
According to Nielsen Korea, episode 5 of the weekend drama recorded 3.4% nationwide on paid platforms, marking a sharp 1.4% drop from episode 4’s 4.8%.
The decline is especially noticeable because the series had been building steady momentum in its early run, making this its first major ratings setback since premiering on February 28.
Even with the drop, the drama’s central love triangle is becoming one of its biggest talking points. In the latest episode, Han Ji Min’s character Lee Ui Yeong found herself increasingly caught between Song Tae Seop (Park Sung Hoon) and Shin Ji Soo (Lee Ki Taek), as both men became much more direct about their feelings.
Song Tae Seop took a bold step by using a hotel pop up project as a chance to spend more time with Lee Ui Yeong, eventually telling her that once the work was done, he wanted to take her on a proper date. Their growing closeness added more emotional tension to the story as the line between work and romance started to blur.
At the same time, Shin Ji Soo also made his move after learning about her recent kiss with Song Tae Seop.
After confirming they were not officially dating, he responded with the now talked about line, “Who gives their heart after just one kiss?”
He later stayed close to Lee Ui Yeong during a difficult moment and helped lift her mood, adding even more weight to the growing rivalry.
With both male leads pushing forward, the drama continued to build stronger triangle tension through a series of uncomfortable and emotionally charged encounters, making the relationship dynamic one of the episode’s biggest highlights.
Despite the stronger romantic momentum, the ratings decline is now becoming a major discussion point.
Some viewers are pointing to heavier time slot competition, including TV CHOSUN’s Doctor Shin and SBS’s Phantom Lawyer starring Yoo Yeon Seok, as possible reasons why The Practical Guide to Love was unable to hold onto its previous gains.
Still, with the love triangle heating up and viewer curiosity growing around where the relationships will go next, attention is now on whether the drama can recover in its next broadcast.
Source: [1]
