During its run, Welcome recorded a lowest single-episode rating of 0.8%, beating the previous record lows set by previous KBS2 dramas Lovely Horribly (2018) and Manhole (2017) to become the lowest rated drama airing in a primetime slot on a free-to-air network in history.[citation needed]Welcome's average rating of 1.7% was also the worst, until MBC drama Oh My Ladylord broke the record with a slightly lower average figure of 1.6% a year later.
Synopsis
Kim Sol-ah, a young graphic designer, brings home a white cat named Hong-jo that can turn into a man. He becomes attracted to Sol-ah while hiding his human identity from her.[5]
Cast
Main
Kim Myung-soo as Hong-jo,[6][7] a cat who dreams to be a human. Hong-jo realises that he can only be turned into a human by Sol-ah. He grew excessive fond of Sol-ah and can go to any measures to stay near her.
Shin Ye-eun as Kim Sol-ah, a graphic designer who dreams to be a webtoon artist and has a love-hate relationship with cats. She used to be in relationship with Jae-seon, but tries hard to protect the secret identity of Hong-jo.[8][9]
Seo Ji-hoon as Lee Jae-sun, a man who was in relationship with Sol-ah until she realized his fear of cats. He went in a relationship with Lee Ru-bi. Jae-sun has somewhat a complicated relationship with his father. He is the first person to find out that Hong-jo is a cat who can turn into human from time to time.[10][11]
Yoon Ye-joo as Eun Ji-eun, a cat-like introvert in Sol-ah and Doo-sik's office.
Kang Hoon as Go Doo-sik, Sol-ah and Jae-sun's friend with the personality of a dog.
Supporting
Ahn Nae-sang as Kim Soo-pyeong, Sol-ah's father who works as a poet.
Jo Ryun as Bang-sil, the woman whom Soo-pyeong likes and wishes to marry.
Choi Bae-young as Ruby Lee, the actual owner of Hong-jo who was in relationship with Lee Jae-seon until she realized his fear of cats.
Yeon Je-hyung as Bang Gook-bong, Bang-sil's son who loves traveling and writing.
Song Min-jae as Da-sung
Jo Hyuk-joon as Na Jin-won
Production
Originally titled Man Who Bakes Bread (Korean: 식빵 굽는 남자; RR: Sikppang gumneun namja), the series planned to air on tvN in the first half of 2019, with the lead roles being offered to Yook Sung-jae and Park Eun-bin,[c] but both rejected.[12]
The first script reading took place in October 2019 at KBS Annex Broadcasting Station in Yeouido, South Korea.[13]
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
Notes
^ abIn order to circumvent Korean laws that prevent commercial breaks in the middle of an episode, what would previously have been aired as single 70 minute episodes are now being repackaged as two 35 minute episodes, with two episodes being shown each night with a commercial break between the two.[1]
^Park became the female lead in the 2019–2020 SBSTV Friday-Saturday drama Hot Stove League, which was produced by the same production company behind Welcome.
