Netflix Has Another K-drama Winner as A Business Proposal Hits #4 Worldwide and #8 on the US Charts

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• I'm watching this but I'll admit I don't see what everyone else seems to see in it. I don't care for either romance and don't really find it funny. It's fine but that's about it. It's good it's doing well though.

  • Unlike you, I on the other hand like it wayyyyyy too much. Lol. My favourite romcom since CLOY. There are some parts and characters in CLOY i disliked and FFed but this drama there's none for me with APB. As korean netizens coined it "A drama with no sweet potatoes" - i.e no useless scenes no useless characters. I am glad most korean viewers and international ones are sharing the same sentiment this time.

    • @Jenna - I really think the 12 episode format is great for romcoms, it means no dragging out frustrating developments over multiple episodes

      I swear if this was a 16 ep drama it would be episode 9 before Taemoo even finds out that Hari is "Geumhee" and the second leads' 'please forget about it' miscommunication would last till episode 15

      It's just so nice to have a fluffy fun drama to watch that doesn't do all that filler stuff

  • Are you a KSH and KYJ hater? Remember KSJ is not their competition coz the two are younger. KSH and KYJ are future of the industry because of their statuses. They are not trendy these days but once they hit another jackpot, your fave will surely be overshadowed.

  • Same. I dont find it funny at all. The second leads are not bad but i wont be completing this show.

• Since the first time that i entered kpg, the biggest stan is Kim Yoo-Jung x Kim So-hyun
  how they are the future of kdramas blah blah blah

  yet every young actress are doing better than then
  the predictions from the "experts" here are always wrong, why?

  • Because nowadays there is no such thing as long and popular careers a la Song Hye Kyo,Son Ye Jin,... , new actors are just like fast fashion, they are popular during a laps of time and the next day there are another new faces knocking on the door . It doesn't mean that they aren't good it just a sign of times . It may be hard for them , harder than 10 years ago .Too much competition . If Kim Yoo Jung or Kim So Hyun are often mentioned is just because they are former child actresses who were able to make the transition into adult actresses .

    • I agree. Even in Hollywood, it's almost impossible to have another Tom Cruise or Leo in these times. The closest are Timothee Chalamet or Tom Holland, but there are still people who wouldn't know them, unlike the movie superstars of the past, who literally everyone knows, even those who don't follow pop culture

    • @Nabi, not long ago , i watched a documentary about Leo being the last dinosaurus produced by Hollywood, known worldwide . After him , there are a lot of populars actors but will they be able to have a long steady career of 35 years ? I don't think so . Someone said that popularity is like a bad lover who is not always faithful !

    • @Cahill Exactly. I kinda feel bad for the talented young actors and actresses nowadays, no matter how talented and popular they are, they can easily be replaced these days, and it's so hard to be a household name. Add to that people's shorter attention span nowadays and the desire for newer things once the novelty of wears off, oh well...

    • @cahill noticed that with kpop too. basically the market is oversaturated with new faces and people having more choices in entertainment than ever before unlike before where it's just traditional tv and films. I agree with the comment below too that says people are jumping from one fave to another, unlike before where they stay loyal to one fave lol

    • @just here for the comments, so true, i lose track of all the bands, singers, ...the same goes everywhere . I'm french , and every month we have the new "artist of the year" because we don't say singer, we french people ,we are above all the others !!! ??? we only have artits !

  • They are considered the future of kdramas because they have been acclaimed and award-winning actresses since they were young, especially So Hyun who is one of the youngest Baeksang Best Actress nominee. I'm sure it also helps that they're conventionally beautiful, as k-ent is very looks-centric. The problem is that they don't have luck when choosing projects.
    Also Kim So Hyun has Love Alarm, which was an early Netflix hit. Like Koala said, there was no tracking available that time, but Love Alarm was super popular too, and a big part of why So Hyun has such a big global fanbase. They're still super young, I'm sure they're going to get a hit drama soon. Kim Se Jong herself got her first hit at 25 with Uncanny Counter

    • Speaking of luck....Sohyun had next level terrible luck with her last drama, I don't think anyone could have predicted needing to replace the male lead at the last minute because he was exposed as a school violence perpetrator.

    • So Hyun got bad luck only for male lead in the form of Ji Soo. But RWTMR is still a winner in praises and awards. Remember, So Hyun got a Baeksang Best Actress nomination for that drama.

    • @Royal We Yeah that was really unfortunate.

      @Luna Definitely, RWTMR was even one of the dramas that got a nod from the president if I recall correctly for promoting korean culture or something like that. What I meant with unlucky is that a lot of her dramas sound amazing on paper, that's why I don't blame her for signing up, but then the writing would turn out to be not so great (Ruler comes to mind). Same with KYJ with her post-LITM dramas, to be honest.

  • Because no one on this blog knows what they’re talking about and everyone is just giving their opinion. You shouldn’t trust any Internet experts ?

    • @peeves preach! ?

      @meran

      No one here is an expert, not even the blog owner. Just a bunch of empty barrels making noise about star power, ratings, Netflix rankings, ridiculous award predictions, CFs, fan wars, popularity polls, etc. They just go where the wind seems to be blowing and act like experts. Before Red Sleeve, no one here was checking for LJH. When they were praising idol-actors, it was always Siwan, Hyungsik or D.O., never JH. Then Red Sleeve happened and now those same people are suddenly hopping on his d, yapping like he was an acting god all along and even using him to bash other actors. Just watch those hypocrites queue up to write essays of outrage under this comment. ???

    • @peeves Yeah, the irony of some people here saying that the predictions in this blog are always wrong... only for them to make a “prediction” that the two Kims are over now just because another young actress has a hit LMFAO ? They're not even in competition with KSJ as they have different age brackets. If we're talking early 20s actresses, those girls have no competition lol
      Can we all just chill and watch instead of making wack-ass predictions that rarely come true anyway? Even freaking SHK, JJH, LYA, and PSH didn't have successful comebacks, so who knows who's going to have a hit or flop drama next? Just enjoy the show, damn ?

  • Honestly its a mystery why SHK or even JJH are popular since they have no variety in their acting styles and their last 2 dramas were especially heavily criticized for both writing and acting. I think back then the competition was limited and you didn't have a new face popping up every 10 secs. This is true for actors all over the world. The celebrity circuit was relatively small and limited even 10 years ago. Now with the advent of new technology, reality shows and Youtube/Instagram anyone can be a celebrity. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the competition pool which was previously 100 is now 100000 so even trying to land a good role is a task because anyone can do that role. Writers have also stopped caring about A list celebs and the ones that still insist on it have seen their dramas perform lukewarm. Good script can carry bad acting but good acting can't carry garbage scripts anymore. Star power is every changing and the new young actors are not just crazy talented they are hard working and less expensive. Lets also not forget that child actors rarely do well as adults. PSH was lucky she barely had any competition at her peak but the minute KTR and the likes showed up PSH started to become less relevant. Same with PBY who lost the movie star status by her late 20s. JGS is another example of a fallen former child actor who is still riding the popularity of YAB but has nothing else to his name as an adult actor. Most child actors have been around for too long that they don't have the fresh vibe anymore and these days especially the talent that is coming out from 2000s line is crazy.

    • Yes but these new talents will rarely have staying power/popularity. They get recognized and famous quicky due to one hit drama and forgotten just as fast. As what one commenter above said, because of changing times/technology, they are like fads that will change in a blink of an eye. This is what I noticed too with my friends, I see them jumping from one fave to another. Unlike before, we like one actress, we stay loyal and look forward to their next projects. Btw, those you mentioned SHK, JJH , PSH ,PBY, SYJ, etc. those are household names and will be forever remembered and attached to Kdramas.

      But I also think this is a good thing to inspire writers to level up since it’s the script that can make and break a drama now.

    • @ANON I super agree with you. Flash in a pans are now a norm due to Netflix. Whether they can truly translate into household names remain a mystery. Even Jung Ho Yeon - can she retain her power actress without squid game association? Cho Yi Hyun as well and the casts of All of Us are Dead. Even Yoo Ah Ins upsurge in fame remained only hot for a month before being toppled. He at least has massive acting skills to back him up. But the young up and coming ones will need to have more than 1 hit drama on netflix to crossover and make themselves truly relevant.

    • It is a bit early to be calling new talents a fad. Netflix just took off with kdramas 2 years ago, many new talents broke out within the last 2 years, and “experts” here are measuring them against actors who broke out a whole decade ago. Come on man. Give it at least a couple of years. You all just sound salty that there are new kids in town.

      Jung Hoyeon is doing just fine. She got cast in the new Alfonso Cuoron project with frigging Cate Blanchett. Han Sohee keeps rolling along. Others like Kim Seonho and Seo Yeji would’ve stayed around if they didn’t get derailed by their personal lives.

    • @peeves - agreed. Netflix popularity might not be the traditional kind but writing off all the actors who've got famous from Netflix's origin kdramas, is premature. I mean, Jung Hoyeon's only had one acting role in her life? It's not her fault it was well received and got popular.

      Song Kang also gained attention for the first time through Netflix and Love Alarm and despite his obvious weakness as an actor he's still around as a trendy actor. Who's to say the other actors in netflix dramas can't do the same?

  • For sure some comments of their stans can be a bit exaggerated, but to be fair, that's just what people say about talented young people in general. I think it's more about their potential

  • @meran For sure some comments of their stans can be a bit exaggerated, but to be fair, that's just what people say about talented young people in general (that they're the future of something). I think it's more about their potential and capability of achieving big things in the future more than having hits at present. I'm not a fan of either just to be clear, that's just how I interpret it

    • Sorry for the double comments, my first one didn't post so had to comment again lol

  • @meran

    care to explain how "every young actresses is doing better than them?" coz i don't see where your statement is correct here, both in terms of popularity and achievements. don't tell me you are going to use netflix as reference ?

    • Yeah, I'm not even an avid fan of the two Kims ( I don't care if you all don't believe me lol) but I've noticed that commenters here will drag those two once some actress gets a Netflix hit and claim that that actress is suddenly better than those two. Happened with Park Eun Bin and King's Affection too, where new Park Eun Bin stans (who haven't even watched any other Park Eun Bin drama other than King's Affection lol) becomes arrogant and trashes other young actresses just because King's Affection is a Netflix hit lmao like calm down, it's not like it's CLOY or DOTS-level hit lol
      Anyway, the fact that commenters here are using the two Kims as the standard to compare other young actresses to is a testament to their success.
      And let's face it, korean GP will still hold those two on a pedestal as superior actresses and they will still be beloved by GP, it won't change just because some rom-com enters Netflix top 10 lmao

    • I do not know what bitter pill she swallowed. Both KSH and KYJ have strong statuses and positions in the industry. They are not just trendy these days. But it does not mean that these rising stars are already above them.

• It's nice to see KDrama doing good. Our Beloved Summer and The King's Affection stayed really a long time in the top 10.

• I am so happy for them, the actors, the crews and those in post and pre production. In fact am over the top myself because I so much love the show and it's one thing to enjoy a show and one thing to know you're not the only one.

  I don't want to compare shows but this shows that you don't need to think too much when writing romcoms like this, simple ones like ABP can be successful too.

  • Execution is key in romcoms, they might be simple but they have to be done right, like a good quality vanilla ice cream.

    ABP did it right - casting actors who have good chemistry with each other (I don't mean just the romantic pairings)+ not letting storylines drag.

• This is a big win. Nice to see a romcom doing so well internationally.

  • @Kailey b - same, it's a very unexpected hit (no big name stars or big name writer, no real publicity or expectations beforehand)

    but sometimes those are the best kind to discover.

    • Add to that a terrible poster that even put me off watching this lol.

      True especially happy for the female lead, she stood in uncanny counter and now she's proven to be a brilliant romcom lead.

    • I feel like hits are often unexpected unless they're marvel movies with a built-in fanbase. I agree with kailey b below that poster was sort of terrible. Even the trailer was sort of off. I've also got to hand it to the writers. They changed it a bit from the webtoon but kept the overall fun and cute vibe and wrote the ML to be a bit more approachable and human. They added a bit of a cold vibe to the 2nd male lead to give him that male lead shine too and provided the second relationship with some tension. And the two actresses are just totally in their element. I love the composition of the two girls in the center with the small heart and the two guys forming the big heart

    • @Kailey b - omg that poster really made the drama look like it was some no-budget graphic design student project, this is why I never judge dramas by their posters lol.

      @prettyautumn - Anyone who's been watching kdramas for a couple of years knows that certain dramas are very much expected to perform to a certain level based on whether they have big name writers (Kim Eun Sook, Park Ji Eun, the Hong sisters, Kim Eun Hee, Park Hae Ryun, Lee Kyung Hee etc are always expected to be hits) or cast. ABP is doing higher ratings numbers than some of the above named writers' recent dramas and doing it without any big names or pre-airing hype, though now I guess the ABP cast and writers will be future big names lol.

      You are right they've made some suitable changes to both male leads, like Ahn Hyo Seob's version of Taemoo is goofier than the manhwa version? It matches Kim Sejeong's energy more and also plays to his strength as an actor which is his comic timing (and he's really improved from the start of the drama which is a relief). And Secretary Cha is kind but also reserved which fits his role and allows there to be that 'cold' vibe like you said. The girls are just fantastic, both together and with their respective boys haha.

• it is not on the US list. that's the sk top ten. nice to see a romcom do well but let's not spread incorrect information to hype it up.

  • It is on the US list under TV Shows not the overall list. So the information isn't false.

    • uh just to be clear, are you guys talking about the top 10 tv shows in US on the actual netflix site? it's not on there and never was. i highly doubt it will be entering the top 10 lists in the US, because penetrating that list takes the interest of the general public. only sweet home, squid game, and the original netflix productions following squid game's success have managed to get in there. k-drama watchers alone are never going to crack the top 10 in the US.

      it's clear from that screenshot alone that it's not the US top 10, bc everything is written in hangul. why would the US netflix interface be set up in hangul?

    • @mimimi - I’m looking at FlixPatrol and neither BP nor Hometown 3Cha show up in US top 10. Vincenzo shows up though, for a grand total of 2 days ?

    • @peeves - oh i'm surprised vincenzo was in the top 10. that's very impressive even if it was only for 2 days lol. it did have 500K tweets for its finale so it tracks. bp is nowhere near that.

  • I double checked and you are right ABP is not on the top ten list for TV shows here in the US. Maybe it was last week or days before?

    • Koala's source is not reliable. I doubt why she always use that.

    • no, it was never in the top 10. we'd hear it from many other verified sources if it had been bc it would be a massive milestone for a non-netflix produced kdrama. even shows like vincenzo and homecha were never close to breaking into the US top 10. the screenshot koala shared above is from the sk netflix, not US.

    • @mimimi - oops my reply to you went on top.

• Kim Seo Jeong is awesome here and so glad she got a breakthrough project. She is showing her huge range here in APB and so glad she is the lead. I don't think APB will work if casted with lesser capable actress and less charming. She is so natural and very talent despite being an idol. So happy for her.

  • The role seems to be perfect for KSJ's personality. She seems to be free from any awkwardness when acting over-the-top scenes, unlike other actresses her age. Her face is very expressive. Never was impressed with SIA's acting in previous projects,but she's also great and natural here. Turns out both are great lead material for rom-coms or straight-up comedy.

• Ditto. Add YSH to the list of child actors being around for 2O years but not making any waves as an adult actor even after military service. I love newcomers giving established ones a run for their money. It spices up the competition. Also love the way underdog low key k-dramas hitting it big in streaming giants like Netflix. Hope Disney+ will get its act together on k-dramas. One way I can tell newer actors/actresses threatening the established gang is the amount of jealous and hate comments of their projects in entertainment sites like this and soompi. One prime example is Han So Hee who's establishing herself in Netflix and now Disney+ thru her Soundtrack#1 drama.

  • YSH is a good actor but has two major weaknesses

    1. Chooses mostly forgettable dramas post-military service.

    2. Isn't really great at romantic chemistry (there are exceptions eg with Park Eun Bin and Chae Soo Bin, but for the most part he falls flat as a romantic lead)

    He has all the boxes ticked for what Korea likes in a male lead - talented at acting since childhood, naturally good looking, seems like a nice guy, won a lot of approval by doing his military service at 19 like normal guys his age...the problem is his drama choices. The only post-military drama of his I liked was I'm Not A Robot and even that was screwed over on ratings because it aired on MBC after a months-long gap witb no previous dramas thanks to a strike.

• I'm just grateful that BP is shown in netflix not apple+ or disney+. Kudos to it doing well internationally. Don't care much about ratings or popularity of its cast. As long as it tickles my funny bones, warms my heart, storyline makes sense coupled with excellent acting, editing and directing, I'm all in.

• ahs gets so many love from business proposal. his number of followers in ig increase millions time,which we didn't see when he starred in lovers of the red sky. his followers during that that only stagnant. now, it's going towards 6 million already, from 3 millions. kim minkyu's followers also are going up

  • LOTRS is a disappointing and forgettable drama no matter how hard fans try to portray that it is a success. It did not do anything good to the cast. As of this time, it did not get any nomination outside SBS unlike RWTMR.

    • just shut up cunning myranna. so cunning. we know ur intentions there bringing other unrelated drama