tVN Wed-Thurs Drama True Beauty Wraps Up its Run with Average Ratings of 3.794% and Positive Audience Feedback

High school dramas and especially ones adapted from manhwa/webtoon is usually a niche fan base so ratings are never expected to be winners. But sometimes it gets super low ratings and that’s a bummer. tvN Wed-Thurs drama True Beauty based on the webtoon Goddess Has Descended finished up its run this week as a solid success story. From the premiere ratings of 3.573% to the final episode ratings of 4.458%, there has also been general consensus that early concerns that it would be a hot mess never happened, it was quite entertaining and fans loved it more and more during its run, and the limitations in acting from some cast members didn’t ruin the overall well made drama. I confess that it was one of the dramas I did plan to check out but then just lost interest after it premiered (not on the fault of the drama, just my own interest) and then got distracted during the holidays. I heard the most compliments for second male lead Hwang In Yeob, male lead Cha Eun Woo had a mixed bad some thought he improved and some thought he was as wooden (but handsome) as ever, and Moon Ga Young really shined in her role and gave it 100%. I would love to hear viewers who watched the entire drama share unfettered and genuine thoughts here, to decided if its worth me marathoning later down the road.


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tVN Wed-Thurs Drama True Beauty Wraps Up its Run with Average Ratings of 3.794% and Positive Audience Feedback — 49 Comments

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  2. Yes, please, the people who saw the drama can give their opinions, just like Mrs. Koala I did not see it for my personal interest, but I have heard so much of the drama that I am tempted to see it in a marathon.

    • I love the show. I think Cha Eun Woo is fine too. He has charisma and looks. I guess he is reserved as depicted in the webtoon.
      I am now a fan of Moon Ga Young. The rest of the cast are great too. Okay let’s be frank. This is not a melodrama or some Oscar winning show but it’s really charming, sweet and comedic. Some parts are touching especially on bullying. I think it’s worth watching. So have fun everyone

  3. It’s a cliche drama from beginning to end but for the most part entertaining. It’s worth a watch if you have nothing else better to do. SLS is strong with this, so if you are allergic to SLS, steer away. I don’t understand the point of them giving audiences false hope to those who support the other ship. Episode 15 was horrid. Episode 16 was passable. I feel like they could had developed the characters better. JK the titular lead had the biggest growth but still limited in my perspective haha

    The break-up doesn’t make sense and them getting back together after 2 years split was not earned in my opinion. It’s like the dodosolsol drama where they got back together after 5 years. So unearned. They literally made 2ml a sad, depressing prop. It’s not even a real love triangle because she never even liked him unlike the webtoon where she liked both guys at different moments of her life haha Also 2FL redemption arc was pitiful.

    Good bye true beauty, not going to miss you. The only thing I thought was generally consistent was the cast, they gave it all and put in a lot of effort for a weak script. So good job cast! I hope you find better projects ?

    • After watching the last two sh!tty episodes, I get why you’re pissed and I am, too. Good gosh, it was so cringy to see Seojun be so clingy. They could have instead shown us a flashback where Seojun confessed at some point during the two years Suho was gone, Ju-kyung turned him down and then he moved on. But they still stayed friends. Why why why did they have to make him look pathetic like this? In previous episodes, I savored every scene not wanting the drama to end but these last two – especially the finale – I fast-forwarded most of it because I just needed it to be over.

      And that Suho, you dump a girl via phone call, ignore her for years, then waltz back in as if nothing happened and expect her to just swoon and fall into your arms? But because this is a K-drama so she does just that. Too many dramas have pulled this shyte. Ahn Dan Tae in Beautiful Gong Shim, Jun in DoDo and countless others I don’t care to recall.

      I’m not even gonna vent about Soo-jin.

      Hee-kyung and the teacher were the real ship to root for.

      As for HIY, he’s too talented, handsome and charismatic to keep playing second fiddle. Give the guy a lead role already! And one where he plays the adult he is, not another high school student.

      • @aurora

        Reading all the comments below me, it seems like we are in the minority. Maybe I watched too many dramas in the past (I watched dramas since I was a little kid with my grandmother) that I become a little bit more critical especially in the romance department because I personally wouldn’t want certain things to happen to me if I was in a relationship and there was some deal breakers for me haha

        IKR instead of having 2ml following JK around like a sunflower following the direction of the sun, they should have explored him becoming an idol more. You are right, they should have shown him getting rejected earlier and them just being solid friends within the two years. It’s ridiculous for him to pine over her in such a defeating way when she never once gave him any hope.

        Ikr for ML to walk back into her life as if time barely passed and for her to be okay with that, it makes me smh and look down on her. You’re worth more than that. She jumped from one insecurity to the next one. Imagine if his dad gets sick again, is he going to break up with her and go abroad again? ?

        Beautiful Gong Shim that drama was so good in the beginning but then it got so annoying, I dropped it like I was holding a hot egg haha

        It’s a testament of his acting ability and I suppose good genes as well that he was able to convincingly play a teenager, I also hope he gets leading roles in the future, he’s so charismatic ?

      • Right? I wish JK had given Suho a harder time about that. And I’d have loved to see more of idol Seojun.

        Haha… in the Gong Shim finale, Ahn Dan Tae also went abroad, went cold turkey and never got in touch with FL, then came back years later with no excuse and that silly smile of his. When he saw FL with a guy and thought she’d moved on, the jerk actually had the audacity to get upset. But in dramaland, they just ended up happily ever after.

        I actually thought he was in his early twenties. Imagine my surprise at learning he’s actually 30! Talk about fountain of youth. Lol.

      • @aurora

        Thank you for the recap, my jaws dropped. What the world, I’m glad I dropped that drama ? UGH he became toxic. People don’t appreciate what they have until they almost lose it ?

        I hope I can borrow some of his fountain of youth when I get older haha

  4. I followed it from start to finish and totally found myself liking it more and more during the run. It was a sweet and endearing drama that felt genuine and didn’t try to be something it wasn’t. There’s a lot of side characters but it was a good mix and some were really memorable, I loved the reverse gender roles of teacher and the older sister! I can find that sometimes the number of side characters in these dramas can be distracting but it wasn’t the case here, they enchanted the drama as a whole. The female lead was precious and second male lead totally won me over so I’m still sad he didn’t get the girl! The only one I had issue with was male lead, acting was so wooden so I couldn’t really connect with his character and he just didn’t feel organic like the rest, but serviceable enough that I could continue watching. The only really negative thing I can say is that the forced separation was quite unbelievable, so I was worried about the lending but it turned out that the drama just rolled with it and still kept its spirit intact. In fact I got so many scenes with second male lead and female lead that it appeased my second male lead ship, so it was almost a treat! I liked that the drama put closure on the fake friend storyline and drama wrapped up well. I might want to rewatch this again in the future 🙂

  5. i didn’t watch this drama.. but it amazes me how very popular this drama is despite the rating.. i know cha eun woo is aready a hallyu actor, but i think this drama also made hwang in hyeop and moon ga young to be listed in hallyu star. my claims was due to my observation from their ig.. the amounts of the followers increment was insane!! and the number of likes and comments in their post also crazyyy.. especially for the newcomer hwang inhyeop… go it check it guys.. I’m totally speechless with the number of his followers, likes, and comments.. his followers already 6.8 millions, with millions of likes.. moon ga young too already reach 5 millions of followers, with also millions of likes in her recent posts.. it made me realised this drama is too popular.

    • Drama with trending idol get more buzz even if they have low rating because idol.

      Idk how this translate to their next project or popularity because the drama isn’t an actual hit based on the rating or the general reception but it definitely has buzz.

      • Exactly. CEW is a popular idol so of course there’s gonna be buzz around this drama. Don’t see what’s so amazing and speechless about that.

      • i dont think eunwoo popularity can hard carry this drama each actor give their best to their performance that why people tune they have good chemistry people will not tune in just for visual its not best drama but your discreting their effort just because their popular

      • @poppy

        i knew this drama isn’t a hit domestically, but it is indeed a hit drama internationally. it got more buzz outside korea. maybe i should emphasised in my comment that this drama is too popular internationally.. my bad

      • @Peym

        No one’s saying he hard-carried the drama. With that wooden acting? Heavens, no. But one can’t deny he’s a popular idol so that was one of the contributing factors to the buzz. Not the only factor. Then there’s MGY and HIY with their wonderful performances as well as the other cast members. The overall cast chemistry. Heart-warming moments, hijinks and silly fun.

    • Hallyu actor? Hallyu stars? Because of 2-3% ratings and some buzz? Like someone commented somewhere, the bar is really low.

      • @zen

        if u comment reply was for me, I’m speechless with hwang in yeop and moon ga young ig’s growth.. not about cha eun woo.. so I’ve a reason to be speechless

        @organza

        so what you called cha eun woo then? non hallyu star? I’m not his fan.. but i knew he started his ig 2 years ago.. now his no of followers in ig was 16.3 millions already…one of the top 10 of korean star with most followers in ig. ok maybe i was wrong for using the word actor. should use the word star instead coz he is indeed a hallyu star.
        like someone commented somewhere, rating wasn’t proportional to hallyu popularity. it’s up to you if u thought that the bar is set too low. but it is a fact that cha eun woo is a hallyu star.

        or is my interpretation of hallyu is wrong? i thought hallyu is an international popularity

      • @organza Hallyu literally means “Korean Wave”, it’s all about international popularity, not domestic. If it’s about domestic popularity and domestic hits, stars like Kim Nam Gil, Go Hyun Jung and Joo Won would be called Hallyu stars by now because they always have domestic hits, but no, as we all know they aren’t Hallyu stars. Furthermore, dramas like Love Rain, Moon Lovers, TKEM, Uncontrollably Fond, and in this case, True Beauty, are considered Hallyu hits because they’re a hit internationally and contributes greatly to the Korean Wave, which again, is the literal definition of Hallyu. So yes, CEW is definitely a Hallyu star.

        BTW, I’m a male, not a CEW fangirl, I’m just stating facts.

      • @hjw

        So you called him a Hallyu actor which would put him in the same category as actual actors (who can actually act) like HB, KSH, PSJ, etc. who’ve earned their Hallyu stripes by delivering monster hits (BOTH domestically and internationally). And I feel like he’s not there yet but maybe that’s just me being a purist or biased against the guy. I respect your perspective, nonetheless.

      • @LMAO

        If mansplaining to me what a Hallyu star is makes you feel good about yourself, then I’m glad I helped someone today. All the best.

      • @organza Wait what? How is that “mansplaining”? Mansplaining is when a man explains something to a woman about a topic that a woman actually has more knowledge about (like women’s reproductive health) or explaining something in a condescending manner. I just reminded you what Hallyu means because you seem to forget that it’s about international popularity. I inserted my gender not to “mansplain”, but because I don’t want to be accused of being a fangirl who is defending Cha Eun Woo.

        Also, you seem to think that the definition of “Hallyu star” is all about talent and having a domestic hit, hence the reason why you want you keep denying that CEW is one is because you don’t want to put him up there with HB, PSH, KSH, etc., as he’s not as good as them. But if it’s just about acting skills, Suzy, Yoona, etc. wouldn’t be called Hallyu stars, but we all know that they’re certified Hallyu stars. It really is that simple, international popularity equals Hallyu popularity. Call it low bar or whatever, but it is what it is. I prefer Hallyu stars to be great actors too, but again, it is what it is.
        Apologies if I sounded condescending

      • @organza Uhm, didn’t Cha Eunwoo won the Hallyu Star award in Korea Drama Awards for My ID is Gangnam Beauty? Not a fan of him, but @hjw and @lmao are totally right, he’s a Hallyu star. I don’t have to like it, but he definitely is lol

  6. The drama had a nicer pace than the webtoon, but the conflict in the last 2 episodes were just unnecessary. If they were going to include the separation, they should have gone all in and put it halfway through the drama and include Jukyeong’s relationship with Seojun. But I guess this was still a kdrama, and a mostly high school kdrama at that lol.

    Overall, I feel that this was a better adaptation compared to this director’s other drama Extraordinary You. I know the latter has its ardent fans, but I still dislike how they lessened the poignancy of the webtoon by making it more of a parody and ruining the story of the comic within the comic. And I still haven’t gotten over how awfully they wrote Baek Kyung, who was saved for me by Lee Jaewook’s performance. In True Beauty, they did this to a lesser extent with Suho’s character especially in episode 15. I was so annoyed even as someone who prefers Seojun in both versions because Suho is such a sweetheart in the webtoon.

    But I’m still pretty happy because of the cast especially Moon Gayoung and Hwang Inyeop. Moon Gayoung was no surprise; I already knew she was good since that awful drama Tempted, but she was the heart of this show. As for Hwang Inyeop, I wasn’t sure about his casting at first, but he even surpassed the webtoon version for me with his comedic timing and charisma. I remember that he was a standout among the younger cast in 18 Again after Lee Dohyun despite his limited screentime. I’m excited to see his growth. Cha Eunwoo was okay; I hope he moves on from the cold and perfect shoujo male lead roles.

    • What I really like from this drama is Ju-kyung’s family dynamic. It hits me close to home. They banter, quarrel, reconcile, and stay strong through thick and thin. Not to mention their quirky characters. I wish they would make a spin off for this drama as a weekend kdrama.

      For the romance, i know at some point that Seo-jun love to Ju-kyung will remain unrequited. But with Hwang Inyeop acting plus the screen chemistry between him and moon gayoung, girl can only hope the writer would make drastic change to the script and pair him with Ju-kyung.

      Eun-woo is okay. He show progress in each episodes. I really impress with his efforts to potray the break up scene. For a split second I feel emphathy for his pain.

      Overall, its a nice school drama and worth to watch if you feel bored spend your time staying at home and do nothing.

  7. It’s the kind of drama that after a looooong day of reading journal articles, writing my thesis, meeting with supervisors, responding to emails, and dealing with idiots at work, I really look forward to. It’s enjoyable, cute, and simple but not to the point of brainless. Great OST, entertaining storyline, and beautiful faces. I appreciate having dramas like this because I can unwind from my busy work in the day, and giggle like in high school in spite of the sense of isolation and loneliness nowadays

    • I totally agree with you. I enjoyed this drama too, it was a nice fluffy drama without being brainless. It was a nice escape from my daily routine.

  8. I really enjoyed it. Of course you have to go in knowing the type of drama it will be, so if you’re ever in a light romcom mood where you can turn your brain off and just sit down and relax, I recommend it!

    I found that I liked both male leads equally, so lol I knew I would have cried for the other, no matter who she would end up with (no pulling my hair out like Start-Up at least). And yes, Hwang In Yeob was better, but I though Cha Eun Woo was not actually bad. The more coolish acting worked for the character.

  9. I would watch it Ms Koala.

    Don’t get too bogged down towards having Daesang worthy performances. Or riveting plot lines

    As a high school drama- it wasn’t bad. Way less sillier than others. Good solid entertainment value for escapism

    The song composed by Leo struck a chord with the lyrics. And the wedding scene alone is worth watching the whole drama for. I liked the older sister. Different Kdrama character from the usual.

    And this drama gave me many amusing momemnts and smiles. What else does one want after a hard day at work and relaxing once the kids go off to bed?

    Well wine and some anju then. Then watch.

  10. If you’re in the mood for light hearted and sweet the. Definitely recommend. The drama did a good job of
    Building up the side characters, too, and loved the extraordinary you cameos

  11. I did not watch any episode in full. This is my “filler” k-drama, i.e. if I wanted to take a break from working from home, I’d choose some feel-good scenes in the episodes for that week and watch them lol. Makes me wonder though, if I were still 19 or 22 years old, maybe I’d have the patience to watch and appreciate every episode? 😀 What I noticed based on articles and comment sections is that this is indeed a breakthrough project for 2ML (who I just realized is 30 years old, wow!), so I’m happy for him and hope his career takes off this year and he lands good projects.

  12. Its good drama i still feel they unnecesary hurt seojun just for the love triangle until the end anyway i love the side character and the bromance between Suho and Seojun their chemistry is what makes me tune in They can even make a BL drama and i will dig it moon ga young acting was good but i think she better in her past drama and i expect bright future for hwang in yeop career his really good age really doesnt matter if you have visual and talent for it and Cha eun woo is a cutie he improved a little and make effort to deliver his scene

  13. This drama worked well thanks to MGY who gave a really good performance. Her character was really entertaining and touching in the same time. Like EY, the drama was very clear about who she loves and there wasn’t any doubt about the final couple. For me, the weaknesses were CEW (at the end, he was better or I was used to…) and the last 2 episodes. The male lead was like DDSSLLS’s lead who came back like nothing happened…

  14. Moon Ga Young is really the heart of the show, so if you don’t like her in the first place, I would say skip this drama.

    The rest of the cast did well, in particular, In Se Mi, gave such a memorable, comedic performance. There are some slapstick humor, and some cringy, over-the-top scenes, but they are kept short and bearable.

  15. I liked this drama initially but then i started getting second lead syndrome and had to drop knowing my bias in the drama not going to get the girl
    This doesnt make the story or acting bad its just my personal preference made me drop the drama

    I know i will binge watch it later sometime

  16. I totally get why people love it, Moon Ga Young is adorable and the boys too…the characters grow in you. It is romantic and fun. But I lost interest midway and dropped it. The plot is too cliché and some characters turn very annoying just for they sake of the story, I didn’t feel like watching just to get frustrated. And finally, I never found believable that Moon Ga Young was supposed to be so ugly without make-up that people would jump scared at her sight…while the most handsome boy in the school thinks that she’s pretty enough. They could have softened this angle to make it more believable.

  17. I loved the show. One of the most popular dramas in 2021. Moon Ga Young is so beautiful and very good actress too. Her IG followers now is at 5M? nearly from 600K

    It’s was always a hot trending topic on twitter every wednesday and thursday. Congrats to TB team

    • WOW!! This is the first time @Joane liked something. Maybe her real bias is Moon Ga Young all along. This is rich ?

      Anyway, now that True Beauty is over, I won’t have to wait for the next episode. I’m gonna binge watch starting tonight ?

      • Hahaha… looks like I’m not the only one who noticed. I commented on it but it’s not appearing. Although the name and avatar are the same, she usually spells her name with a small j. This Joane starts with a capital J so this one might be the good twin? Lol.

      • Well she did say that MGY looks old and not suited for the role when the casting was first announced, so IDK haha
        But if @joane is really changing for the better, then good lmao

    • Hang on a sec! Did you (for the first time in never) just praise a K-actress who isn’t KYJ? And you didn’t mock the drama’s average ratings or talk about (lack of) star power? Holy moly! I knew something was off when I saw a pig flying outside the window. Guess you were the reason.

  18. I loved the story…especially when the girl becomes strong and confident in herself in a genuine and healthy way. The last scene has the FL in bare face, love that ending. 10 out of 10 show and best wedding ever.

  19. My favorite couple of the series is Ju Kyung’s Unni and her teacher boyfriend, the dynamics of that relationship constantly had me in stitches, the role reversal dynamics of that couple’s courtship is priceless and worth every minute of my watching the drama. That being said, episode 15 and 16 of the drama were hogwash, I wish the production could have found a better way of ending the series with such a promising beginning and middle because the subsequent breakup, time skip and reconciliation were just too much to be convincingly handled in two episodes. However, I loved the wedding scenes, hilariously comedic and in keeping with the couple’s dynamics. I also loved the adorably effortless banter between Ju Kyung and Seo Jin; and Ju Kyung’s family bond which was very realistic and representative of a loving family. And yes, despite its flaws I would recommend True Beauty to anyone who likes a well told high school drama. Plus Cha Eun Woo’s model-like looks and bearing is icing on the cake. I could stare at him for hours, lol.

  20. As joane is already knowm to be a troll by majority mayb this could b her new tactic or really a different person

    But whatever as long as she dont create trouble she is welcome

  21. TLDR: True Beauty/TB is worth watching, if you enjoy heart-warming, healing romantic comedies. Just go with flow, suspend some expectations, and you will have a very enjoyable time.

    I watched TB because:
    (1) Liked the mise-en-scene in Extraordinary You/EY, and wanted to see what the director would do differently or similarly for TB.
    (2) Lead actress, MGY, is good at what she does and has a lovely screen presence.
    (3) Saw CEW in My Romantic Some Recipe, Sweet Revenge, Hit the Top, My ID is Gangnam Beauty, and Rookie Historian. Very curious about his progress in acting.
    (4) Marvel at CEW’s sculptural beauty. LOL!
    (5) Just looking for something light to watch during pandemic times

    TB has a simple plot with the usual K-drama tropes, but I like the drama because:
    (1) Many hilarious and touching moments
    (2) Theme was about external beauty being just skin-deep, and there were sub-themes on bullying, suicide, friendship
    (3) Main and supporting characters were kind of stock and stereotypical. BUT they were relatable and likeable (especially the elder sister and her boyfriend!!)
    (4) Mise-en-scene was aesthetically very pleasing. The “stage” details really gave life and character to certain scenes/locations. I think this is the strength of the director and his team, because it was evident in EY too.
    (5) Cameo from some members of EY cast, and other easter eggs
    (6) MGY’s acting. To really appreciate her skill, just watch TB and its behind-the-scenes clips, and her previous drama Find Me in Your Memory. You will see 3 different personas.
    (7) 2nd male lead, HIY, was a pleasant discovery. Competent acting for a rookie and good singing voice.
    (8) Satisfying to see some progress in CEW’s acting, with room for further improvement still. His potential and diligence is evident in some scenes. I always feel inspired and happy when I see youths improving over time.
    (9) Enjoyable OST
    (10) Erm….. CEW’s sculptural beauty

    If I really must nitpick, it would be:
    (1) Transition of scenes. In EY, because of the on-stage/off-stage concept, the quick scene changes were acceptable. However, for TB, the transition of scenes were sometimes too sudden/awkward.
    (2) Themes could have been explored further, but there were only 16 episodes and it was a romantic comedy after all. So it can’t be helped, I guess. It’s a similar situation with EY, which did not have sufficient bandwidth to delve into its existential themes.
    (3) Many crises and long-drawn love triangle might tire some people

    However, I don’t regret watching TB at all. It was a fun and sweet journey. I plan to watch it a second time and then move on.

  22. Usually high school dramas are not my cup of tea anymore because I am getting older and older. But I really loved this drama. It was so fun and the cast did the job ! I was hooked, I was refreshing on viki to watch it asap !! My girl BF who discovered dramas this year 2020 told me that it is her best drama (she also watched IC, IOTNBO, startup).
    It’s far way better than another drama of the same genre that I also liked.
    I am now MGY’s fan, the first lead did the job and the second male lead was amazing. This drama aired at the good time and gave me so much joy to me 🙂 intense dramas are good but also light dramas entertain so much !

  23. Eunwoo absolutely improved and even had some emotional episodes where he really shined. The love triangle definitely had people fighting each other, but the evolution of Gayoung’s character was really nice to see, and all three leads were rootworthy. I think the only real misstep was the time jump in episode 15, but the finale was heartwarming and hopeful so I forgave it in the end.

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