The Power of a 170 Million-View Webtoon? K-Drama Tops Watcha’s 'TOP 20' on Release Day

The Watcha Exclusive series 'Secret Relationships', based on a Kakao Entertainment webtoon with over 1.7 billion views, debuted at No. 1 on Watcha’s TOP 20 list on its release day. Premiering on February 27, the drama quickly outperformed titles like 'A History of Losers' and 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', securing the top spot in Watcha’s trending content.

To celebrate the launch, Watcha hosted a midnight Watcha Party, where over 640 fans reserved spots, proving the show’s immense popularity. With its growing hype, many are wondering whether 'Secret Relationships' can follow in the footsteps of Watcha’s previous hit BL drama, 'Semantic Error'.

A BL Hit with Global Appeal

The drama is an adaptation of the popular webtoon 'Secret Relationships', a 1.7 billion-view BL series that explores the love stories of four distinct characters. Praised for its delicate emotional depth and intricate character relationships, the webtoon has captivated audiences not just in Korea but also in six international markets, including North America (Tapas) and Japan (Piccoma).

The drama premiered simultaneously worldwide on multiple platforms, including Watcha, Japan’s Fuji TV OTT platform FOD, North America’s iQIYI, GagaOOLala, and Heavenly.

Featuring a cast of rising actors, the series stars Kim Jun-seo (from K-pop group WEi) as Da-on, Cha Seon-hyung as Seong-hyeon, Cha Jung-woo as Soo-hyeon, and Kim Ho-young as Jae-min. This project marks Kim Jun-seo’s debut as an actor and his first-ever lead role.

The production team boasts a solid lineup, with screenwriter Jung Soo-yoon, known for 'Juvenile Delinquency' and 'Tastefully Yours', leading the project as a creator. Directing the series is Yang Kyung-hee, who has previously worked on well-received BL dramas such as ' The Time Of Fever' and 'Love Tractor'. The drama is produced by Playlist Studio, the same company behind 'Weak Hero Class 1'.

The first episode introduces Da-on’s initial encounters with Jae-min and Seong-hyeon. It portrays Da-on and Jae-min’s innocent past as high school classmates, as well as the tense relationship between Da-on and Seong-hyeon, who are forced to work together in the same office despite their rough first impressions.