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Fans of "The Legend Of The Blue Sea" already know how the tandem of Jun Ji Hyun and Lee Min Ho can bring in a whole wave of emotions. But behind the series' popularity is a silently booming rivalry between the two leads.

This awkward situation began when news sites and fan bases started comparing their popularity on brand marketability and earnings per show and endorsement.

Who Has A More Popular Brand?

Brand competition kicked in when Jun Ji Hyun topped a recent list of popular actor brands in a recent study conducted by The Korean Business Research Institute, according to a report on Soompi.

Jun Ji Hyun earned 9,570,088 points, dominating the ranks and occupying the number one spot. This equates to 61.48 percent increase from her previous ratings in November 2016.

Meanwhile, her "The Legend Of The Blue Sea" co-star showed a 57.55 percent increase from the previous rankings equivalent to 5,467,926 points. However, to beat his leading lady, Lee Min Ho will need to garner 4,102,162 points.

Who Has A Chunkier Bank Account?

Hallyu star Jun Ji Hyun has proven her bankability after her child birth last February as she ranked ninth and became the only female in the recent Top 10 List of Korean Best Actors conducted by Gallup Korea, Kpop Herald reported. 

The recent survey was conducted on Nov. 24 to 29 and involved 1,700 men and women respondents. Results are significant as the KPop world is dominated mostly by male actors.  

She sustained her popularity in her 2016 comeback with "The Legend Of The Blue Sea" where she earns 100 million KRW ($86,000) per episode. Aside from acting, her bank account is also gaining 1 billion KRW or a swooping $850,000 per endorsement. She has 14, so far. 

Alas, Lee Min Ho failed to make it to the list, even if he is reportedly charging $58,000 per episode on "The Legend of the Blue Sea". In the previous years, he made $10 million through television shows and endorsements, to name a few. The current figures of his actual earnings are yet to be published.

"The Legend of the Blue Sea" airs on SBS and premiered its first episode on Nov. 16.