Actress Park Shin-hye's dramatic transformation is paying off.
tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama Undercover Miss Hong (hereafter, 'Miss Hong') is riding a ratings surge, breaking its own record by episode 4.
According to Nielsen Korea on the 26th, episode 4, which aired the previous day, scored an average nationwide rating of 7.4% among pay TV households. The peak hit 9%, and the show also ranked No. 1 across all channels in its time slot among tvN's key 20–49 demographic.
Episode 4 spotlighted Hong Geumbo (played by Park Shin-hye) as she overcame crises with help from her colleagues. After a wave of rumors sparked by an order error, a disciplinary committee referral, and an executive directive to secure consent forms for mass order cancellations to recover 3 billion won in losses, obstacles kept piling up. In the process, a slush-fund scheme within the company and the involvement of Manager So Gyeong-dong (Seo Hyun-chul) were exposed, cranking up the tension.
Suspicious of Hong Geumbo's true identity, Shin Jeong-woo (Go Kyung-pyo) visited the chicken restaurant run by her parents, fueling his doubts. Hong Geumbo bluffed her way out by claiming to be Hong Jang-mi, but the pair's subtle standoff hinted at what's to come.
Meanwhile, the roommates of Room 301 rallied public opinion through the PC communications community 'Yeouido Pirates' and launched a plan to provoke the head of 'One Million Investment.' Ultimately, Hong Geumbo chased the executive down at the airport, secured the consent form to cancel the orders, and escaped danger with help from Albert Oh (Jo Han-gyeol).
After the incident, Hong Geumbo anonymously tipped off Shin Jeong-woo about the secret ties between Manager So Gyeong-dong and the 'One Million Investment' CEO, signaling another shockwave. The episode ended with a celebratory party with the Room 301 crew after weathering the crisis, but a mysterious break-in at the dorm left viewers clamoring for the next episode.
'Miss Hong' follows a 30-something elite securities inspector who goes undercover as a 20-year-old entry-level employee at a securities firm after detecting suspicious money flows, delivering a whirlwind retro office comedy. It airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 p.m. KST on tvN.