Encounter (South Korean TV series)

Encounter^[3][4] (Korean: 남자친구; RR: Namjachin-gu) is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Song Hye-kyo and Park Bo-gum.^[5] It aired on tvN on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:30 (KST) time slot from November 28, 2018, to January 24, 2019 for 16 episodes.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]} It is one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history.^[12][13]

Encounter
Promotional poster
Hangul	남자친구
Hanja	男子親舊
Literal meaning	Boyfriend
Revised Romanization	Namjachin-gu
Genre	Melodrama^[1] Romance^[2]
Created by	Studio Dragon (tvN)
Written by	Yoo Young-ah^[2]
Directed by	Park Shin-woo^[2]
Starring	Song Hye-kyo Park Bo-gum
Composer	Nam Hye-seung
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Producers	Moon Seok-hwan Oh Kwang-hee
Production locations	Seoul, South Korea, Havana, Cuba
Production company	Bon Factory Worldwide^[2]
Release
Original network	tvN
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	November 28, 2018 (2018-11-28) – January 24, 2019 (2019-01-24)

Internationally, the series streams via ViuTV and Viki,^[14] and has been sold to several South East Asian countries, as well as Mnet Japan which will air it in over 100 countries.^[15]

Synopsis

Brought together by fate, a woman who seems to have everything and a young man who seems to have nothing decide to give up an ordinary life to be together. Cha Soo-hyun (Song Hye-kyo), daughter of a politician, lives a pathetic life guided by others. She was sold off (married) to a rich family, only to divorce her husband because of his affair. Her former mother-in-law adds as a condition to her divorce that Soo-hyun must (continue to) attend that family's functions, such as funerals, etc., when called.

One day while on a business trip in Cuba, she meets Kim Jin-hyuk (Park Bo-gum), a free-spirited guy. They spend time together. After they go back to South Korea, he meets her again but as an employee in the Donghwa Hotel, which she received as alimony. They are attracted to each other, yet only their fate will decide whether they can end up being together.^[16]

Cast

Main

• Song Hye-kyo as Cha Soo-hyun^[17]

A daughter of a prominent politician and former daughter-in-law of a wealthy family.

• Park Bo-gum as Kim Jin-hyuk

A freewheeling, ordinary young man who finds joy in the simplest things.

Supporting

People around Cha Soo-hyun

• Jang Seung-jo as Jung Woo-seok^[18]

Cha Soo-hyun's ex-husband.

• Moon Sung-keun as Cha Jong-hyun^[19]

Cha Soo-hyun's father.

• Nam Gi-ae as Jin Mi-ock^[20]

Cha Soo-hyun's mother.

• Ko Chang-seok as Nam Myeong-sik^[21]

Cha Soo-hyun's driver.

• Kwak Sun-young as Jang Mi-jin

Cha Soo-hyun's secretary.

• Cha Hwa-yeon as Chairman Kim Hwa-jin

Jung Woo-seok's mother.

People around Kim Jin-hyuk

• Shin Jung-geun as Kim Jang-soo^[22]

Kim Jin-hyuk's father.

• Baek Ji-won as Joo Yeon-ja^[22]

Kim Jin-hyuk's mother.

• Pyo Ji-hoon as Kim Jin-myung^[23]

Kim Jin-hyuk's younger brother.

• Kim Joo-hun as Lee Dae-chan^[24]

Kim Jin-hyuk's friend who opens a restaurant.

Donghwa Hotel

• Kim Hye-eun as Kim Sun-joo

Kim Jin-hyuk's PR department leader at work.

• Jeon So-nee as Jo Hye-in^[25]

Kim Jin-hyuk's friend and senior at work.

• Kim Ho-chang [ko] as Lee Jin-ho

Kim Jin-hyuk's workmate.

• Lee Si-hoon [ko] as Park Han-gil^[26]

Kim Jin-hyuk's workmate.

• Park Jin-joo as Eun-jin^[27]

Kim Jin-hyuk's workmate who has an interest in him.

• Park Sung-geun [ko] as Choi Jin-cheul
• Shin Soo-yeon as Ji-yoo

Kim Sun-joo's daughter.

Production

The first script reading was held on August 23, 2018.^[28][29] Principal photography began in September 2018,^[30] with part of the filming taking place in Cuba.^[31]

Original soundtrack

Encounter OST
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	2019
Genre	Soundtrack
Language	Korean English
Label	Genie Music, Stone Music Entertainment

Part 1

Released on November 29, 2018 (2018-11-29)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Day We Met" (영화 같던 날)	Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho	Cheeze	03:56
2.	"The Day We Met" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho		03:56
Total length:					07:52

Part 2

Released on December 6, 2018 (2018-12-06)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Into My Heart" (그대가 이렇게 내 맘에)	Hen	Hen	Lee So-ra	03:21
2.	"Into My Heart" (Inst.)		Hen		03:21
Total length:					06:42

Part 3

Released on December 13, 2018 (2018-12-13)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Don't Hesitate" (망설이지 마요)	Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho	Yong Jun-hyung (Highlight)	03:35
2.	"Don't Hesitate" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho		03:35
Total length:					07:10

Part 4

Released on December 20, 2018 (2018-12-20)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Night" (그 밤)	Lee Shin-hyung, d.ear	d.ear	Eric Nam	03:40
2.	"The Night" (Inst.)		d.ear		03:40
Total length:					07:20

Part 5

Released on December 26, 2018 (2018-12-26)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Flutter" (설렘)	Dong Woo-seok	Dong Woo-seok	O.WHEN	03:54
2.	"Flutter" (Inst.)		Dong Woo-seok		03:54
Total length:					07:48

Part 6

Released on January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Take Me On" (나를 데려가 라)	Nam Hye-seung, JELLO ANN	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	SAya	03:41
2.	"Take Me On" (나를 데려가 라)	Nam Hye-seung, JELLO ANN	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	SALTNPAPER	03:41
Total length:					07:22

Part 7

Released on January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Always Be With You" (그대여야만 해요)	Bily Acoustie	Bily Acoustie	Baek A-yeon	04:41
2.	"Always Be With You my baby" (Inst.)		Bily Acoustie		04:41
Total length:					09:22

Part 8

Released on January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Fairytale" (동화)	Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho	Ra.D	05:07
2.	"Fairytale" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung, Park Jin-ho		05:07
Total length:					10:14

Part 9

Released on January 24, 2019 (2019-01-24)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Good Night" (안녕히 주무세요)	Han Jae-wan	Han Jae-wan	Seo Ji-an	03:37
2.	"Good Night" (Inst.)		Han Jae-wan		03:37
Total length:					07:14

Disc 2:

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Boyfriend (ver.1) (Opening Theme)"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	1:11
2.	"I Never Knew"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	2:56
3.	"Hongje-dong Playground"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	2:13
4.	"Every Breathe"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	4:4
5.	"Road To You"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	3:26
6.	"Love Birds"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	4:19
7.	"The Night Sky of Cuba"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	3:33
8.	"Tomorrow We Meet Again"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	3:08
9.	"The EvenFall"	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	4:16

Viewership

An 8.7% viewership rating was recorded nationwide for the series first episode, making it the fourth-highest premiere rating of the network after Hospital Playlist 2,^[32] Jirisan,^[33] and Mr. Sunshine.^[34]

Encounter : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

Season		Episode number																Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	1	1.977	2.473	2.175	2.211	2.027	1.895	1.947	2.100	1.878	1.887	1.605	1.745	1.719	1.667	1.772	1.965	1.940

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Media Research.^[35]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share
		AGB Nielsen^[35]		TNmS
		Nationwide	Seoul	Nationwide
1	November 28, 2018	8.683% (1st)	11.454% (1st)	9.4%^[36]
2	November 29, 2018	10.329% (1st)	12.868% (1st)	11.0%^[citation needed]
3	December 5, 2018	9.251% (1st)	11.772% (1st)	10.2%^[37]
4	December 6, 2018	9.264% (1st)	11.468% (1st)	9.2%^[38]
5	December 12, 2018	8.513% (1st)	10.575% (1st)	10.5%^[39]
6	December 13, 2018	8.594% (1st)	10.906% (1st)	8.1%^[40]
7	December 19, 2018	8.592% (1st)	10.612% (1st)	8.6%^[41]
8	December 20, 2018	9.166% (1st)	11.776% (1st)	7.7%^[41]
9	January 2, 2019	7.810% (1st)	9.845% (1st)	7.2%^[42]
10	January 3, 2019	7.962% (1st)	9.590% (1st)	7.7%^[43]
11	January 9, 2019	7.513% (1st)	9.310% (1st)	7.5%^[44]
12	January 10, 2019	7.623% (1st)	9.630% (1st)	7.3%^[45]
13	January 16, 2019	7.927% (1st)	10.043% (1st)	8.0%^[45]
14	January 17, 2019	7.702% (1st)	9.678% (1st)	7.4%^[citation needed]
15	January 23, 2019	7.999% (1st)	10.590% (1st)	7.9%^[46]
16	January 24, 2019	8.678% (1st)	11.161% (1st)	7.4%^[46]
Average		8.475%	10.705%	8.4%
The blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This drama aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

Adaptation

In 2021, Viva Television and Cignal Entertainment produced a Philippine remake based on Encounter. It premiered on March 20, 2021 on TV5.^[47]

References

1. "Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum to Co-Star in New TV Series". The Chosun Ilbo. July 10, 2018.
2. "Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum to star in drama". Korea JoongAng Daily. July 31, 2018.
3. "Encounter". tving.com (in Korean). tvN, CJ ENM. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
4. Encounter [메이킹] 송혜교♥박보검, 얼굴 빨개지는(?) 대본리딩 현장 최초 공개! [남자친구]. YouTube (in Korean). tvN Drama. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
5. "Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum cast in new drama 'Boyfriend' as couple". Yonhap News Agency. July 9, 2018.
6. "Premiere of new series 'Boyfriend' confirmed for tvN in November". Kpop Herald. July 30, 2018.
7. "[공식입장] 송혜교X박보검, '남자친구' 출연 확정…"하반기 편성"". Sports Donga (in Korean). July 9, 2018.
8. "Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum to deliver courageous, heart-skipping romance in new tvN drama". Yonhap News Agency. November 21, 2018.
9. "Drama stars return in 'Encounter': For Song Hye-kyo and Park Bo-gum, age is nothing but a number". Korea JoongAng Daily. November 22, 2018.
10. "Star-studded 'Encounter' features heart-fluttering romance". The Korea Times. November 23, 2018.
11. "Song Hye-kyo Comfortable Working with Park Bo-gum in New TV Series". The Chosun Ilbo. November 22, 2018.
12. "11.9% viewership: 'Encounter' off to a good start". The Korea Times. November 30, 2018.
13. "'Encounter' breaks ratings record for tvN". Kpop Herald. November 29, 2018.
14. "Viu acquires OTT rights for Encounter drama series in Asia". Telecompaper. November 6, 2018.
15. "Park Bo-gum, Song Hye-kyo's drama sold in over 100 countries". Kpop Herald. December 14, 2018.
16. "Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum to star in 'Boyfriend'". K-pop Herald. July 9, 2018.
17. "[Video] 'Encounter' marks Song Hye-kyo's return to TV drama". The Korea Herald. November 25, 2018.
18. [공식입장] 장승조, ‘남자친구’ 출연 확정…송혜교-박보검과는 어떤 관계?. TopStarNews (in Korean). October 25, 2018.
19. [단독] 문성근, 송혜교 아빠 된다…‘남자친구’ 합류. Naver (in Korean). MK News. September 7, 2018.
20. `남자친구` 측 "문성근·남기애, 송혜교 父母 역 출연 확정". Naver (in Korean). TV Report. September 7, 2018.
21. "Go Chang-suk to star in tvN's 'Bo'". Korea JoongAng Daily. September 6, 2018.
22. "[단독] 신정근x백지원, 박보검 부모된다…'남자친구' 부부 출연 확정". News1 (in Korean). September 7, 2018.
23. [단독]피오, 송혜교·박보검의 '남자친구' 출연. Naver (in Korean). Ilgan Sports. August 25, 2018.
24. 김주헌, 박신혜 소속사와 전속계약…‘남자친구’ 출연. Sports Donga (in Korean). October 23, 2018.
25. [단독]신예 전소니, '남자친구' 출연..박보검 여사친役. Star News (in Korean). September 28, 2018.
26. "배우 이시훈, tvN '남자친구' 출연 확정…'박보검 직장선배 役'". TenAsia (in Korean). November 1, 2018.
27. [공식입장] 박진주, '남자친구' 출연 확정…박보검 직장 선배役. Xports News (in Korean). November 14, 2018.
28. "'남자친구' 송혜교-박보검, '달달X유쾌' 대본리딩". WowTV (in Korean). October 5, 2018.
29. "[SBS Star] Song Hye Kyo & Park Bo Gum to Show off Their Perfect Chemistry!". SBS News. October 5, 2018.
30. "[단독] 송혜교X박보검 '남자친구', 오늘(2일) 첫 촬영 스타트". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). September 2, 2018.
31. "[단독] 송혜교X박보검 '남자친구', 스페인 아닌 쿠바로…"로케 예정"". Sports Donga (in Korean). September 5, 2018.
32. "June 17, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea. 1st (tvN) 슬기로운의사생활2<본> 10.007%
33. "October 23, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea. 1st (tvN) 특별기획지리산<본> 9.097%
34. "July 7, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea. 1st (tvN) 미스터션샤인<본> 8.852%
35. "Nielsen Korea" (in Korean). Retrieved August 25, 2020.
36. Kang, Eun-ji (November 29, 2018). 송혜교·박보검 주연 '남자친구' 첫방부터 시청률 대박. News Post (in Korean). Retrieved December 2, 2018.
37. Kang, Ki-hyung (December 6, 2018). . Hankookilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
38. "송혜교·박보검도 안 되나? tvN '남자친구' 3회 연속 시청률 하락". Newsis (in Korean). December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
39. "tvN '남자친구' 송혜교 박보검 관계 다시 시작하자 시청률 반등". Newsis (in Korean). December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
40. "tvN 수목드라마 '남자친구' 하루 만에 시청률 폭락…8.1%↓". Newsis (in Korean). Naver. December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
41. "tvN '남자친구' 맥 못추네, SBS TV '황후의 품격' 압승". Newsis (in Korean). December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
42. "송혜교X박보검 '남자친구' 시청률 하락세 못벗어나". Ggilbo (in Korean). January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
43. 송혜교♡박보검 키스 효과? '남자친구' 시청률 깡총↑. Newsis (in Korean). January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
44. '남자친구' 시청률 7.5%...케이블·종편 동시간대 1위. Edaily (in Korean). January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
45. '황후의 품격' 모아보기 방송으로 시청률 하락.. '남자친구' 오랜만에 상승. Veritas A (in Korean). January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
46. 송혜교·박보검 '남자친구' 종방 시청률 7.4%. Newsis (in Korean). Naver. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
47. "Philippine Adaptation 'Encounter' Premieres On TV5". The Rod Magaru Show. Rod Magaru. March 8, 2021.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• Encounter at IMDb
• Encounter at HanCinema