As the year winds down and the nights get colder, fizzy, dopamine-hit rom-coms are lighting a fire under viewers around the world.
According to OTT chart tracker FlixPatrol on December 2, Kiseuneun Gwaenhi Haeseo! ranked No. 4 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV Shows as of the previous day.
Premiering November 11 on SBS, the Wednesday–Thursday drama follows Go Darim (played by Ahn Eun-jin), a single woman who fakes being a mom to land a job, and her team leader Gong Ji-hyeok (Jang Ki-yong), who falls for her. The show leans into a “kiss-first” storyline and delivers a full-on dopamine-rush romance, grabbing the attention of rom-com fans.
Episode 6, which aired earlier, drew buzz for heightening the tension between Ji-hyeok and Darim, who like each other but cannot say it out loud. In the closing scene, Ji-hyeok rushes Darim to the ER after she collapses, then confesses his true feelings in a voiceover as he watches her sleep — a combination of heated gaze and vulnerable words that sent heart rates soaring.
Riding that momentum, Kiseuneun Gwaenhi Haeseo! topped weekday dramas that day with a 6.1 percent viewership in the Seoul metropolitan area and a peak minute rating of 8.1 percent, finishing No. 1 among all Thursday broadcasts.
On the film side, Netflix’s animated feature K-pop Demon Hunters held steady at No. 8, proving the global craze still has legs.
The soundtrack remains strong as well. As Billboard’s preview noted on December 1 (local time), Huntrix’s single “Golden” is holding at No. 2 on the December 6 Hot 100. “Golden” also earned five Grammy nominations, including a General Field nod for Song of the Year at the recently announced 68th Annual Grammy Awards, underscoring its pop culture grip.
The K-pop Demon Hunters wave continued at music award shows. At the 2025 MAMA Awards in Hong Kong, BABYMONSTER members Pharita, Ahyeon, and Rora transformed into Huntrix’s Rui, Joy, and Mira, belting out “Golden” and “What It Sounds Like” in a show-stopping stage.
Meanwhile, December is ushering in full-on Christmas vibes. In TV and film, Is It Cake? Holiday and Steal on Christmas landed at No. 6 and No. 1, respectively, signaling the year-end rush.
Is It Cake? Holiday recently returned with Season 2 and jumped back into the rankings. The Netflix competition series features skilled bakers crafting cakes so realistic they can fool people. The film Steal on Christmas follows two cash-strapped part-timers who decide to rob a luxury department store in London on Christmas Eve, only to encounter unexpected feelings as they plot their heist.