Kang Hyo-jin and Jung Jun-won in 'Married Woman Killer' see ratings decline..10%→9%→8% range [Official]

*This content was translated by AI.

In "Married Woman Killer," Jung Jun-won confronts Shin Hyun-soo, who kidnapped him in the past, taking a step closer to revealing the identity of "Kingfisher."

The eighth episode of MBC's Saturday-Sunday drama "Married Woman Killer" (script by Kim Eun-hee / directed by Yoon Jong-ho and Kim Ji-hoon), aired on the night of the 22nd, revealed the brutal reality of the Kingfisher sniper incident alongside the past mountain lodge romance between Yu Bo-na (played by Kang Hyo-jin) and Kwon Tae-sung (played by Jung Jun-won). The episode recorded a national household rating of 8.8% and a metropolitan area household rating of 8.1%, according to Nielsen Korea, securing first place in the same time slot across all channels. Notably, the scene where an unfamiliar man appears before Kwon Tae-sung and introduces himself as Yu Bo-na's friend "Sergei" (played by Seung-gi) caused the instantaneous peak rating to surge to 9.9%, delivering heart-stopping tension. However, the eighth episode showed a 0.9 percentage point drop from the previous episode's 9.7% in national households. "Married Woman Killer," which has been on a downward trend since breaking through the 10th% mark with its sixth episode aired on the 15th, continues to face declining viewership.

In that day's broadcast, Yu Bo-na and Kwon Tae-sung unexpectedly met at a mountain lodge eight years ago. Yu Bo-na firmly drew the line by saying, "I came here intending to do nothing," while Kwon Tae-sung kept lingering beside her. However, heavy snow trapped them alone in the lodge, bringing the two closer together. Particularly, the extreme contrast between Yu Bo-na, who thought of using icicles as weapons, and Kwon Tae-sung, who spoke of beautiful childhood memories, brought laughter to viewers.

Meanwhile, with all food supplies exhausted, Kwon Tae-sung searched frantically for Yu Bo-na, who had disappeared along with the hunting rifle. Startled by a loud gunshot, Kwon Tae-sung rolled down a slope and fainted. Yu Bo-na, returning with a hunted pheasant, discovered him and brought him back to the lodge. Recalling a letter from Kwon Tae-sung expressing his unique interest in Kingfisher—stating that even if Kingfisher's identity were revealed later, he would not be surprised because he was expecting to meet him someday—Yu Bo-na felt choked up with emotion. Shortly after regaining consciousness, Kwon Tae-sung suddenly embraced Yu Bo-na and shed tears, adding warmth to the living room screen.

Kwon Tae-sung finally confessed his true feelings to Yu Bo-na, admitting that he had already fallen in love. Yu Bo-na responded with a bright smile, saying, "Please take care of me; it's my first time in love," and the two shared their first kiss in the snowfield, raising their excitement levels to the peak. After returning to the company, Yu Bo-na withdrew her resignation, announcing both her recovery from burnout and Kingfisher's return.

Meanwhile, another incident surrounding Kingfisher occurred. Immediately after his release from prison, Hwang Cheol-beom (played by Kang Seung-wan), who indiscriminately assaulted only elderly people and young married women, displayed such audacity that Lee Dong-jin (played by Lee Sang) became furious. Lee Dong-jin immediately sensed that Hwang Cheol-beom feared Kingfisher, remarking, "Are you worried about getting shot dead outside? You're just prey for Kingfisher." He also instructed Beom Seong-hoon (played by Choi Woo-seong) to investigate the current status of those who received unusually light sentences relative to their crimes and were recently released, heightening the tension.

Lee Dong-jin performed ancestral rites alongside Kwon Tae-sung. Unlike his past dream of becoming a journalist, he became a police officer to solve his parents' case personally, feeling bitter as he recalled the criminal who would be released next year. Furthermore, Lee Dong-jin, who had been in tense opposition with Kwon Tae-sung over Kingfisher, revealed Kingfisher's brutal secret that has not been disclosed to the media. During the last crime four years ago, Kingfisher shot and killed a father in front of his seven-year-old son, leaving the child speechless from the shock. Lee Dong-jin vented his anger, saying, "To me, Kingfisher is a psychopathic murderer with no blood or tears," evoking sympathy from viewers.

Towards the end of the broadcast, an intoxicated Kwon Tae-sung collapsed after confessing to Lee Dong-jin that he knew who Kingfisher was, and memories of being blackmailed by a kidnapper in the past resurfaced as nightmares. Meanwhile, at the time Yu Bo-na headed to the airport to find her Russian friend Sergei (played by Shin Hyun-soo), Sergei had already encountered Kwon Tae-sung. A shocking twist revealed that the person who had kidnapped him in the past was none other than Sergei, accompanied by Kwon Tae-sung's words: "Kingfisher is a tall, well-built young man." The chilling smile of Sergei overlapped with his past threat, "If you break your promise, your family could be in danger," completing a shocking ending that brought the mystery surrounding Kingfisher's identity to its peak.

The drama "Married Woman Killer," based on the popular Kakao webtoon of the same title, will air its ninth episode at 9:50 p.m. on the 28th.

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*This content was translated by AI.