SBS's "The Ballad of Us 2" delivered the thrilling tension of competition and deep emotions through its Round 2 one-on-one death matches, breaking its own viewership ratings record.

Episode 4 of the SBS audition project "The Ballad of Us 2," which aired on Monday, October 26, recorded a peak rating of 6.7% per minute in the Seoul metropolitan area and a household rating of 6.2% (Nielsen Korea, based on Part 2). In particular, it broke its own record with a 2.0% rating in the key 20-49 demographic, ranking No. 1 in its time slot and across all Monday variety shows in the 20-49 demo for four consecutive weeks, proving its unstoppable momentum.

In the broadcast, the Round 2 one-on-one death matches unfolded, in which contestants personally chose their opponents and selected ballad songs matching a shared theme to perform. Among them, a one-on-one death match between Im Ba-da and Heo Chae-min from the "group of death"—both of whom had earned 147 votes in the first round—was set up, capturing viewers' attention.

Im Ba-da reinterpreted Lee Moon-sae's "Forever with You" with sweet vocals, drawing high praise from BIBI, who joined the Top 100 Ears panel that day and said, "I wish you could be designated as an intangible cultural heritage." Fifteen-year-old Heo Chae-min, who performed Lee So-ra's "I'm Happy," also delivered an overwhelming resonance, but Im Ba-da claimed the ticket to Round 3 by securing 80 votes, winning by a margin of just 10 votes.

In the subsequent "Hidden Gems of Monster Rookies" match, Kim Su-a, who performed Yoon Sang's "Love Is" to offer comfort to those enduring difficult times, earned 86 votes to defeat Danish girl Yoo Hye-ri and advance to the next round. Additionally, in the "Jung Seung-hwan Match" between two contestants who resemble Jung Seung-hwan, Lee Min-woo, who performed Jung-in's "Love Is" with deep soul, defeated Kim Seon-eum to advance straight to Round 3.

Teasing one-on-one matchups between powerhouse contestants such as Park Ye-seung, who earned a perfect score of 150 points in Round 1, and Park Jin-seo with 148 votes, "The Ballad of Us 2" will air on Monday, November 2 at 10 p.m.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)