On April 23, voting began for the Baeksang Arts Awards’ Prism Popularity Award. Over the 10-day voting period, one male and one female actor will be selected for the award based entirely on fan votes.

As voting kicked off, fans quickly rallied behind actors from hit dramas like 'Lovely Runner' and 'When Life Gives You Tangerines.'

Currently, among the male nominees, Byeon Woo Seok leads with approximately 226,000 votes, followed by Park Bo Gum with around 84,000 votes. For the female nominees, Hyeri is in first place with around 738,000 votes, drawing attention for surpassing 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' star IU and 'Lovely Runner' lead actress Kim Hye Yoon. IU is in second place with 533,000 votes, and Kim Hye Yoon is in third with 496,000 votes.

Hyeri starred in the drama 'Friendly Rivalry,' a mystery-thriller centered on Chaehwa Girls’ High School, a prestigious institution where cutthroat academic competition unfolds. The story follows Seulgi (played by Jung So Bin), a transfer student who becomes entangled in the ambitions of her peers and the mysterious death of her father, a former college entrance exam official.

Hyeri played the lead role of Yoo Jae Yi, a top student with flawless looks, grades, and background. Her character gained particular attention for a same-sex kiss scene with Jung So Bin, which sparked major buzz on social media and helped solidify a strong fan base.

'Friendly Rivalry' also gained significant international attention. It was praised not only as a GL (Girls’ Love) drama but also for its shocking and fresh ending, which left a lasting emotional impact.

Voting for the Baeksang Arts Awards Popularity Award will run until May 2, and the winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on May 5 at COEX D Hall in Seoul. With fans passionately casting their votes, anticipation is high over who will ultimately take home the award.

Meanwhile, 'Friendly Rivalry' became the most-watched U+Mobile TV and U+TV original drama on its release day, February 10. It also ranked third in KinoLights' "Today’s Overall Content Rankings" during its debut week and entered the Top 10 on the Fundex TV-OTT Drama Buzz chart.

The show topped OTT charts in countries like Japan and Taiwan, ranking #1 on Taiwan’s FriDay platform and #2 on global platform iQIYI. It also received critical acclaim, earning over 9.0 on IMDb, the largest global review platform.

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