Song Kang Returns From Military Service in tvN Drama 'Four Hands, Two Sonatas'

Song Kang is back on screen for the first time since completing his military service, and he is playing a perfectionist pianist in tvN's new weekend drama "Four Hands, Two Sonatas." The show premiered on the 29th and follows young musicians at an arts high school as they navigate friendship, romance, competition, and growth.

Song plays Kang Bi-o, a pianist driven by an unforgiving standard of perfection.

"Four Hands, Two Sonatas" opened with a national household rating of 3.4% on average and a peak of 4.6%. In the Seoul metropolitan area, it averaged 3.5% and peaked at 4.7%, taking the No. 1 spot in its time slot across cable and general programming channels. It also ranked first nationally among viewers aged 20 to 49.

Still, the opening number fell short of the show it replaced. "Spellbound" (Ossakhan Yeonae), starring Park Eun-bin, Yang Se-jong, and Ong Seong-wu, wrapped on the 23rd with a series-high 7.9% for its finale. The 3.4% debut for "Four Hands, Two Sonatas" came in at less than half that figure.

The second episode, however, saw a sharp jump. Ratings climbed to a national average of 5.9% with a peak of 6.6%, and in the Seoul metropolitan area they rose to an average of 6.1% and a peak of 6.9%. After starting in the 3% range, the drama moved into the 5% range in a single episode.

Kang Bi-o was introduced during a competition, refusing to stop playing even as his fingers bled from an injury. He then received an offer from Do Hyun-soo, played by Kim Ju-heon, the mentor he had long wanted to study under. The condition was that he perform a four-hands piece with Choi Jung-yo, played by Lee Jun-young.

To bring Choi Jung-yo, who is held back by trauma, back onto the stage, Kang Bi-o stepped in himself. When Choi tried to run from a busking performance, Kang held him back, wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and told him to focus only on him.

The two eventually sat down together at an outdoor piano. Kang looked relieved the moment Choi pressed the first key, and quickly lost himself in the music. After the performance, the pair were shown falling asleep against each other on the subway, hinting at a shift in their bond.

Song Kang used small shifts in his eyes and expression to show how the cold, guarded Kang Bi-o turns fierce and focused the moment he sits at the piano. He carried the character through every beat, from pushing others away while quietly wavering himself to fully surrendering to the music.

With Kang Bi-o and Choi Jung-yo already sharing a stage in the first episode, the drama has set up its central relationship early. How their story develops from here is the question the show now needs to answer.

"Four Hands, Two Sonatas," which also stars Lee Jun-young and Jang Gyu-ri alongside Song Kang, airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 p.m. KST.