IU, Byun Woo Seok's '21st Century Wife' Ratings Soar

The MBC Friday-Saturday drama 'The Grand Prince of the 21st Century' recorded 11.1% nationwide for its 4th episode, breaking its own highest viewership rating. This is a 1.6 percentage point increase from the previous highest rating of 9.5% in the 2nd episode, with the minute-by-minute highest rating soaring to 13.8%.

The 4th episode depicted Sung Hee-joo (played by IU) and Grand Prince Ian (played by Byun Woo-seok) declaring themselves an 'official couple' to deal with paparazzi. Grand Prince Ian formalized his relationship with Sung Hee-joo despite royal opposition and took the lead in national affairs with the support of Prime Minister Min Jung-woo (played by Noh Sang-hyun).

Sung Hee-joo showed a clever move to secure public support by planning a kiss cam event at a baseball stadium. During this process, Grand Prince Ian felt subtle emotional changes towards Sung Hee-joo, suggesting that their relationship had entered an emotional turning point beyond a simple contract.

In the latter half of the episode, a crisis occurred when the brakes of the vehicle carrying Sung Hee-joo and the young King Lee Yoon (played by Kim Eun-ho) malfunctioned. At the moment the entire royal family was in an emergency due to the runaway vehicle, Grand Prince Ian dramatically saved them by blocking Sung Hee-joo's car with his own vehicle.

This incident foreshadowed the conspiracies of external forces surrounding them and the power struggles within the royal family. The 5th episode of 'The Grand Prince of the 21st Century,' which will reveal Sung Hee-joo's struggles as she learns royal etiquette and the truth behind the mysterious vehicle accident, is scheduled to air on the 24th at 9:50 PM.