Peninsula: My e-sports dream shattered, I chose to become an actor.

The following morning, Nielsen Korea, South Korea's most authoritative viewership rating agency, released the viewership ratings for the first episode of "The Heirs".

—11.6%.

Although the percentage drop was about 2 percentage points lower than that of its predecessor, "Master's Sun," breaking the double-digit mark on its premiere is definitely a "successful start" for a newly launched drama. This achievement not only stabilized SBS's core audience but also met the expectations of the cast and crew and the public.

However, the online public opinion was far less stable than the ratings, with the reactions from viewers and critics showing a starkly polarized trend.

On one side, sharp and jarring criticisms surged in like a tidal wave:

"Has screenwriter Kim Eun-sook run out of ideas? This plot is so clichéd, it's another rich guy falling in love with a poor girl. I felt like I traveled back 10 years."

"Lee Min-ho is already 28 years old, isn't it a bit over the top for him to play a high school student?"

"Why use so much English and complicated sentences? Do you think it makes you sophisticated? It looks so awkward..."

Of course, amidst the pessimistic voices, there are also positive voices stubbornly fighting back:

"The actors are all incredibly good-looking; I feel like I could watch anything they act in, haha."

"The visual quality is absolutely stunning, and the pacing is fantastic. I'm looking forward to the next episode."

"The male and female leads, as well as the second male and female leads, all have great chemistry. I really want to know what will happen to them next!"

Aside from the fans' effusive praise, these are roughly the overall opinions of online viewers regarding the first episode of the show.

Objectively speaking, the online public opinion environment is mostly pessimistic. After all, people who think it's okay are often watching the show quietly, while people who think it's not good are more motivated to post complaints online.

Li Mingye was lying in bed at that moment reading some comments about him.

"The eyes of actor Choi Young-do are so scary. It feels like he would really hit someone. I feel suffocated even through the screen."

"How could a newcomer have this kind of acting skill? It feels like he's just playing himself, lol."

"With a face like that, even if you bully someone, it's hard to hate you."

"How can he be so handsome! I want to jump into the screen and get hit by a tennis ball from him!"

There was a lot of discussion surrounding his first scene, with many people feeling that he was playing himself. After all, as a new actor, his performance was so fitting and full of pressure, which could easily lead to misunderstandings.

Li Mingye took those people as a way of praising his acting skills.

As the plot unfolds and Choi Young-do reveals his vulnerable and changing side, people will know whether this is acting or just him being himself.

Of course, besides his personal performance, the discussion surrounding his scenes with Kim Ji-won was also ridiculously high, with their popularity almost rivaling that of the main couple.

"OMG, my girlfriend is my stepsister! What an amazing premise!"

"The villainous couple is so adorable lol"

"The side couple seems to be more attractive than the main couple."

"I feel like these two characters are more like the 'inheritors' in terms of their character design. The feeling of them being evenly matched is just amazing."

As Li Mingye scrolled through the posts discussing his pairing with Kim Ji-won, he couldn't help but laugh at the netizens' quirky thought processes and unusual points of interest.

He casually took a screenshot and sent it to Kim Ji-won.

The other party replied almost instantly, but the message only contained a "smiley face" emoji.

A little over a minute later, Kim Ji-won sent another message:

What are you trying to say?

When Li Mingye saw the message, he didn't know how to reply.

What could he possibly be trying to say? He simply found the comments from netizens quite amusing and wanted to share them with the "person involved."

After a moment's thought, he slowly started typing.

"I saw something interesting, so I wanted to share it with Nuna."

The message was immediately marked as "read" after it was sent, but the other party seemed to have disappeared without a trace and did not reply for a long time.

Li Mingye didn't wait any longer; he switched to the chat window and started chatting with Lin Nayeon.

Lim Nayeon missed the live broadcast during practice last night and only caught up on the first episode in the evening.

She was very curious about how things would develop, and kept pestering Li Mingye to spoil the rest of the plot.

Lee Myung-yeop shared a few plot points with Lim Na-yeon, trying to satisfy her curiosity without ruining the suspense.

The two chatted enthusiastically, and almost 20 minutes passed without them realizing it.

Just then, Kim Ji-won finally replied to the message.

There are no words, only a cute "punching" emoji.

Seeing that she had been holding it in for so long and finally managed to make this expression, Li Mingye couldn't help but laugh.

His fingers flew across the screen:

Why did Nuna hit me?

"...Nothing, I just wanted to punch you."

"This girl is really cute," Li Mingye thought with a smile, and continued typing.

"Then I'll go to the film set and have Nuna do it."

There was absolutely no response from them.

Li Mingye chuckled, tossed his phone aside, and got out of bed.

……

When I arrived at the film set, the atmosphere was pretty good.

Although the plot has sparked some controversy online, the solid viewership ratings are enough to put the investors and production team at ease, reducing their anxiety.

"Nuna!"

As soon as Li Mingye entered the dressing room, he smiled and approached Kim Ji-won, his voice clear and bright.

Kim Ji-won was sitting in a chair. She stared at him for a moment and noticed that after he greeted her, he just stood there grinning foolishly without making any real move.

She turned her head slightly and asked in a deliberately fierce voice:

"what?"

Li Mingye didn't speak. Instead, he took half a step back, straightened his chest, and pounded his chest with his fist, striking a pose of heroic sacrifice.

"bring it on!"

Kim Ji-won was stunned for a few seconds. Looking at his smug and arrogant appearance, her tightly clenched lips finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"puff--"

Then, she broke into a radiant smile, her shoulders trembling, her laughter as clear and melodious as silver bells.

Li Mingye also laughed, and seeing her laugh made him feel exceptionally good.

Kim Ji-won looked at Lee Myung-yeop's smiling face, which was so close to hers, through a thin layer of mist in her eyes caused by laughter.

For a moment, her heart seemed to skip a beat.

Her gaze became more complex, as if some emotion was surging within her eyes, ultimately transforming into a helpless indulgence.

She moved a little closer, reached out, and gently punched Li Mingye's firm chest.

"I'll beat you to death."

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of coquetry that dissipated into the morning air.