The highly anticipated tvN weekend drama 'When the Stars Gossip,' produced with a staggering budget of 50 billion KRW, made a dramatic debut, instantly topping viewership ratings with its bold storyline.
Featuring not one but two steamy bed scenes, each involving one of the protagonists with different partners, the premiere delivered an intense rollercoaster of emotions. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode, aired on 4th, recorded an average household rating of 3.8% in the Seoul metropolitan area, peaking at 5%, and 3.3% nationwide, with a peak of 4.6%, claiming the No. 1 spot among cable and OTT channels in its timeslot.
Starring Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Min-ho, 'When the Stars Gossip' is a groundbreaking series set on a zero-gravity space station. The drama follows Commander Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin) and a mysterious newcomer, Gong Ryong (Lee Min-ho), as they navigate life beyond Earth. With a commute distance of 200,000 km, the series delves into the lives of astronauts living and working on a space station. Spanning 16 episodes, the genre-blending drama combines elements of science fiction and romance and is available on Netflix and TVING.
The premiere episode introduced Gong Ryong, a gynecologist-turned-space tourist, and Commander Eve Kim as they crossed paths aboard the station. Flashbacks revealed their pasts, including Gong Ryong’s relationship with Choi Go-eun (Han Ji-eun) and Eve Kim’s involvement with Park Dong-ah (Kim Joo-heon), both highlighted through intense bed scenes.
Gong Ryong’s journey began as a driven medical student who became an obstetrician. Despite his career success, financial struggles led him to accept night shifts at a hospital. A car accident on his way to work set off a series of events that changed his life. The victim, Choi Go-eun, turned out to be the daughter of MZ Group chairman Choi Jae-ryong (Kim Eung-soo). Although Gong Ryong initially planned to extort money, he prioritized saving Go-eun’s life, leading to her pregnancy being terminated.
This decision caused Gong Ryong to lose his job and fall out of favor with the chairman. Overcome with guilt, Go-eun offered him compensation, but when Gong Ryong refused, she expressed her feelings with a surprise kiss. Their relationship quickly deepened, culminating in a passionate night together.
Determined to marry Go-eun, Gong Ryong accepted Choi Jae-ryong’s challenge to complete a mission in space. The chairman made it clear that failure would mean ending his relationship with Go-eun. With 70 billion KRW invested in his space trip, Gong Ryong embarked on this extraordinary journey, where he encountered Eve Kim.
Eve Kim, too, carried emotional baggage. She maintained a secret relationship with Park Dong-ah while dealing with obsessive entanglements involving Kang Kang-soo (Oh Jung-se), who also appeared on the space station, heightening the drama.
Eve Kim and Park Dong-ah’s one-night affair took place just before the space mission. Park Dong-ah later shared a story about a damaged space suit from his last flight, prompting crew member Donna Lee (Lee Cho-hee) to tease him about his intentions, which left Eve and Park visibly flustered. Flashbacks revealed their passionate night together, adding complexity to their relationship. Despite Park’s hesitation about the year-long separation, Eve reassured him with a heartfelt kiss.'When the Stars Gossip' masterfully combines romance and sci-fi, weaving together the tangled lives of its characters while capturing viewers’ attention with its unique setting. The dynamic relationship between space tourist Gong Ryong and Commander Eve Kim, set against the backdrop of life-or-death situations in space, marks a powerful beginning for Korea’s first space office drama.
Following the broadcast, viewers praised the drama with comments such as, “It must have been so challenging to film,” “Lee Min-ho fits this character perfectly,” “High-quality space drama—his acting is explosive,” “You can see where the budget went; everything from the directing to the acting is top-notch,” “The chemistry is amazing,” “Lee Min-ho’s quirky acting is so refreshing,” “Can’t wait to see where the story goes,” “Time flew by; it feels like a well-made series,” and “It’s been so long since a drama like this came out.” Many hailed Lee Min-ho’s performance as a perfect match for his character, further fueling anticipation for the episodes ahead.