Broadcasting News

Kim Hye-jun and Kang Hoon’s “My Favorite Employee” Debuts with 4.2% Viewership Rating

New Employee Kim Hye-jun Is Intricately Entangled with CEO Kang Hoon Broadcast at 8:45 p.m. on the 4th (Episode 2)

Gim Ga Yeong
2026-08-04 08:59:45
[Edaily Starin Gim Ga Yeong Reporter] Kim Hye-jun, the “favorite employee,” has begun to get hopelessly entangled with CEO Kang Hoon at the company she transferred to in order to welcome her favorite, Cha Woo-min.
According to Nielsen Korea, a ratings research firm, on the 4th, the first episode of tvN’s “My Favorite Employee” recorded a nationwide average viewership rating of 4.2% with a peak of 5.3%, and a Seoul metropolitan area average of 3.9% with a peak of 5.1%.
On that day, Nam Da-reum (played by Kim Hye-jun), who had joined the large conglomerate SE Trading but was growing disillusioned with the routine work, decided to take on a job that would make her heart race. To fulfill her long-held dream of working alongside her favorite idol, she applied to and was accepted by Apello, where Lee Chan (played by Cha Woo-min)—a member of the idol group D.N.X. and her favorite idol—is employed.
While happily running down the hallways of SE Mulsan, Nam Da-reum bumped into Kang Ha-gi (played by Kang Hoon), the CEO of Apello, who had come for an investment meeting. Forgetting the pain, Nam Da-reum apologized with a cheerful smile, and Kang Ha-gi looked utterly bewildered as she disappeared, leaving only a face print on his shirt.
Their extraordinary connection continued when Nam Da-reum, having gotten thoroughly drunk at her Apello welcome party, accidentally caused a major incident by making Kang Ha-gi’s nose bleed upon bumping into him. Unaware of what she had done, Nam Da-reum was simply bursting with anticipation at the prospect of meeting her favorite person—CEO Lee Chan—on her first day of work.
However, contrary to Nam Da-reum’s expectations, the person who showed up for her meeting with the CEO was not Lee Chan, but Kang Ha-gi. This was because Lee Chan had stepped down as co-CEO to work solely as a fashion director, making Kang Ha-gi the sole CEO of Apello. To make matters worse, flustered by the unfamiliar face, Nam Da-reum unconsciously brushed away Kang Ha-gi’s outstretched hand when he offered a handshake. News of her outburst spread throughout Apello in an instant, foreshadowing a rocky journey ahead with Kang Ha-gi.
Even before meeting her ultimate crush, Lee Chan, Nam Da-reum had already been singled out by CEO Kang Ha-gi. Just as she was trying her best to avoid drawing his attention, the moment she had been longing for—finally meeting her ultimate crush—arrived. Lee Chan happened to be in the same elevator Nam Da-reum was about to board. Viewers are left wondering how Nam Da-reum will react upon finally coming face-to-face with Lee Chan, the man she’s been longing for.
tvN’s Monday-Tuesday drama *My Favorite’s Employee* is an office coming-of-age romance about Nam Da-reum, a new employee who ends up becoming “my favorite’s employee” while trying to meet her “favorite.” It is based on the webtoon of the same name, which recorded 600 million views. It airs at 8:45 p.m. on the 4th.

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