Actor Lee Jun-young is drawing rave reviews after pulling off a chilling, pitch-perfect dual-role performance.
JTBC’s new Saturday-Sunday drama Reborn Rookie premiered on the 30th and is already on a meteoric rise, breaking past the 5% ratings mark by episode 2. According to Nielsen Korea on the 1st, the second episode that aired the previous day scored 5.2% nationwide, up 1.5 percentage points from the 3.7% premiere—signaling a powerful hit in the making.
'Reborn Rookie' follows chaebol chairman Kang Yong-ho (played by Son Hyun-joo), who ends up inside the body of a young man, Hwang Jun-hyun (played by Lee Jun-young), kicking off a spectacular “do-over life.” As Kang fights to reclaim his original body, he launches a thrilling payback mission to straighten out the twisted greed of the children who betrayed him and give them a harsh reality check.
In the latest episode, Kang Yong-ho wakes up in Hwang Jun-hyun’s body and is devastated to witness his children rushing to cover up the incident instead of worrying about their father. Enraged, Kang decides to compensate the body’s original owner, Hwang Jun-hyun, by handing over the entire Choeseong Group. He then personally seeks out his children, including Kang Jae-kyung (Jeon Hye-jin) and Kang Jae-sung, and demands an intern position—firing the opening shot of his revenge. Lee Jun-young elevated immersion by nailing a layered character: a youth on the outside, but a seasoned chaebol chairman on the inside.
Right after the broadcast, online communities and social media lit up with praise such as, "Lee Jun-young’s projection is insane," "His dual-role acting is way better than expected," "The source material is strong—please stick the landing," and "Lee Jun-young is now an actor you can trust."
Based on the web novel by San Kyung, author of the 2022 smash hit Reborn Rich, 'Reborn Rookie' drew massive buzz even before its premiere. The series airs every Saturday and Sunday at 10:40 p.m. on JTBC, with replays available on TVING.