‘Scholar Who Walks The Night’ Gets Ryu Yong Jae As Co-Writer — Will He Help The K-Drama Turn Around Its Dropping Ratings?

Back in June, it was reported that the upcoming K-drama Scholar Who Walks The Night would be one of the must-see dramas starting in July. Starring Lee Joon Gi (Time Between Dog and Wolf) and Lee Yoo Bi (Pinocchio), the K-drama is about a daughter named Jo Yang Sun (Yoo Bi) who dresses as a man and sells books to support her family after they fell from nobility. She then meets Kim Sung Yeol (Joon Gi), a scholar who walks the night, and falls in love with him. Little does Yang Sun know that Sung Yeol is actually a vampire.

All in all, the description above makes for a very interesting story for the K-drama. And while Scholar Who Walks the Night does have a cult following, it has been losing viewership with its progression. To counter this, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) — the producer for the K-drama — has hired Ryu Yong Jae as co-writer. Will he be able to reverse the downturn Scholar Who Walks the Night is experiencing right now?

To put things into perspective, it should be noted that the August 5 episode of Scholar Who Walks the Night earned an average of 8.65 percent for Seoul viewership. Three episodes later, that viewership has dropped down to 7.1 percent, in which each episode was an incremental decrease. As a result, Naver reported through KdramaStars that MBC has hired on Ryu Yong Jae as co-writer.

Production for Scholar Who Walks the Night actually confirmed the hiring of Ryu Yong Jae as well. Eventually, they sent an official on their behalf to provide a statement on Yong Jae’s commission.

“It is true that Ryu Yong Jae has joined our team.”

As further proof of Ryu Yong Jae’s inclusion, Soompi reports that his name was recently included in the 11th episode’s script, though it is unknown if he actually had anything to do with it.

The question that needs to be asked now is if Ryu Yong Jae can bring in the ratings. The answer shall be revealed through time, but it is expected that Yong Jae will invigorate Scholar Who Walks the Night. Yong Jae has served as writer for the hit tvN drama Liar Game and Time Between Dog and Wolf.

[Image via Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)]