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According to statistics from Nielsen Korea, The 8th broadcast of 'Undercover Miss Hong' (hereinafter referred to as 'Miss Hong') achieved an audience rating of 11.1% in the metropolitan area and 10.2% nationwide, breaking its own record for three consecutive weeks. In particular, it ranked first among all channels in the same time slot in viewership ratings for the 2049 age group. Set in the Yeouido securities district in 1997, 'Miss Hong' centers on Hong Geum-bo (Park Shin-hye), an elite supervisor at the Financial Supervisory Service, who investigates financial crimes by disguising her identity as Hong Jang-mi, a high school graduate female employee. With the historical background of just before the IMF crisis, it emphasizes the cooperative narrative between women in the organizational structure of the time when women's social status was significantly low.
Now that the drama has passed the halfway point, viewers are focusing on whether the female-centered narrative will continue in the second half of the drama. A past example is JTBC's '100 Memories'. This drama began in the 1980s with the background of the lives of bus conductors, but later, as the love triangle and conflict centered on the male protagonist took the center of the story, it was criticized for subordinating the female characters' stories to romantic relationships. This leaves questions about the sustainability of women's narratives.
On the other hand, the movie 'Samjin Group English TOEIC Class' is evaluated as an example that proves that women's narratives can be maintained without relying on romance. Set in 1995, three junior female employees work together to track the company's illegal wastewater discharge problem, demonstrating their cooperation in solving organizational problems beyond individual growth. Instead of relying on male characters, they overcame the crisis through information sharing and cooperation.
To date, 'Miss Hong' has tended to be closer to these success stories. The main female characters are not portrayed as mere emotional supports, but as cooperative partners who perform their respective roles. For example, this is shown in scenes where Hong Jang-mi directly intervenes when Go Bok-hee (played by Ha Yoon-kyung) is in a violent situation, or where Hong Jang-mi uses the strategy of having her roommates spread rumors using the company network to avoid responsibility for the stock price manipulation incident. This development emphasizes the point of differentiation from the male-centered narrative of traditional dramas.
However, the development of the latter half of the drama still remains a variable. If the love line between Hong Geum-bo's ex-boyfriend Shin Jeong-woo (played by Go Kyung-pyo) and her helper Albert Oh (played by Jo Han-gyeol) is strengthened, there is a possibility that the drama's narrative will converge into a familiar pattern. It is unclear whether the female characters will maintain autonomy and solidarity, or whether they will simply be consumed as an element of tension in relationships.
Viewers' expectations are not for simple old-fashioned emotional lines, but for the activeness of female characters who make independent decisions and cooperate amidst the discrimination and structural limitations of the times. Whether 'Miss Hong' can meet these expectations will be an important test to gauge the possibility of retro female narratives evolving.