KBS Wednesday-Thursday drama “I Stole Nam-joo's First Night” sails smoothly despite cultural heritage controversy

KBS Wednesday-Thursday drama “I Stole Nam-joo's First Night” has made a smooth start, recording decent ratings despite controversy over cultural heritage damage that arose before the broadcast. The production team faced fierce criticism after it was revealed that the filming location, Byeongsan Seowon, had been arbitrarily changed and damaged, but they took steps to resolve the issue by deleting all controversial footage and clearly stating this point before the drama began.

KBS Wednesday-Thursday dramas temporarily suspended following the drama's conclusion

This drama is expected to mark the end of KBS's Wednesday-Thursday dramas, which have been in a slump. Due to continuous low ratings, KBS decided to temporarily suspend its Wednesday-Thursday dramas, and “I Stole Nam-joo's First Night” became the last drama to air. Despite this, the first episode recorded a 3.3% viewership rating, nearly double that of the previous work, raising expectations for a successful conclusion.

The bold storyline of the web novel adaptation

*I Stole the Male Lead's First Night* is based on the popular web novel of the same name, and the drama begins with a bold plot twist. Cha Seon-chaek (played by Seo Hyun), a writer who is paid a large sum of money to adapt a romance novel titled *The Male Lead's First Night*, spends his days idly in a one-room apartment, living like an unemployed person. One day, while complaining about the novel's content, she falls and loses consciousness, entering the world of the novel.

Interestingly, Cha Seon-chaek does not become the main character of the novel but instead possesses the body of a minor character, the daughter of the Prime Minister, whom no one pays attention to. Though initially struggling to adapt, she eventually begins to enjoy her new circumstances.

Seo Hyun's new character transformation and Ok Taecyeon's performance

The protagonist of the novel is the tragic heroine “Jo Eun-ae” (played by Kwon Han-sol), and the male protagonist is the man who has everything, “Gyeongseonggun Ibeon” (played by Ok Taecyeon). Originally, Jo Eun-ae and Ibeon were supposed to be together, but with the appearance of Cha Seon-baek, the story takes an unexpected turn.

Cha Seon-chae accidentally creates a bomb drink while trying to stop the villain Do Hwa-seon (played by Ji Hye-won) from committing atrocities, and it becomes incredibly popular. While enjoying the bomb drink, Cha Seon-chae wakes up the next morning to find Gyeongseonggun I-beom sleeping next to her, shocking viewers.

Based on the first episode alone, the fast-paced plot and Seo Hyun's bold character transformation, which is different from her previous roles, have captured the attention of viewers. Even though the male lead, Ok Taek-yeon, had limited screen time, the ratings surged significantly, attributed to these elements. Viewers are growing curious about how the villainous character played by Ji Hye-won will develop, and whether the story will conclude within the novel's fictional world or extend into reality. The question of whether *I Stole the Male Lead's First Night* can maintain both steady ratings and entertainment value is drawing intense attention.