'Manager Kim' So Ji-sub makes a new start with his daughter after taking down Joo Sang-wook... Peak viewership reaches 27.1%

[News & Book = Reporter Kang Sun-young] The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Manager Kim' has come to a brilliant conclusion with a happy ending.

The final episode of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Manager Kim', aired on the 25th, recorded 23.4% in the Seoul metropolitan area, 23.0% nationwide, and a peak instantaneous rating of 27.1% according to Nielsen Korea. In particular, the peak instantaneous rating of 27.1% is a new record for the show, marking its 10th consecutive ranking as number one across all channels in the same time slot and setting a new record for the highest viewership rating for a mini-series aired in 2026. The viewership rating for the key target audience of 2049 also proved widespread popularity, recording an average of 7.4% and a peak of 8.42%.

In this final episode, Manager Kim (So Ji-sub) walked directly into a cruel trap set by Joo Kang-chan (Joo Sang-wook), who held Tae-hoon and Da-bin—the children of Seong Han-su (Choi Dae-hoon) and Park Jin-cheol (Yoon Kyung-ho)—hostage. Joo Kang-chan, the main perpetrator of the evil deeds, gathered the three friends in a ring and threatened them, saying, "Choose whether to kill your friend or your child," while ordering Seong Han-su and Park Jin-cheol to take down Manager Kim, stating, "If 660,000 die, the kids will live." In response, Manager Kim willingly offered his life, saying, "You must take me down for the kids to live," and Seong Han-su and Park Jin-cheol swung their fists while swallowing their resentment. However, this was a setup by Manager Kim to exploit Joo Kang-chan's weakness. The two continued their attacks toward the iron bars and knocked them down, and finally, Manager Kim, Seong Han-su, and Park Jin-cheol joined forces to overpower Joo Kang-chan's gang, completing a thrilling reversal.

Afterward, Manager Kim mercilessly punished Joo Kang-chan for the crimes that completely shook the lives of himself and his daughter Min-ji. As the corruption and dark dealings of Ju-hak Construction surfaced, the related individuals fell one after another, and Lee Eung-ryeong (Lee Jae-yong) also suffered revenge by being sent back to North Korea by Kang-seong (Kim Seong-gyu) after having all his information stolen. Joo Kang-chan also paid a devastating price for the crimes he committed to Geum-i-ppal (Cho Bok-rae), completing a refreshing "cider" moment against the villains.

After finishing all the life-and-death struggles, Manager Kim finally returned to Min-ji's side after faking his death. Meeting again at the charnel house, the two tried to hold back their tears, but at the father's words, "I won't leave again," Min-ji finally collapsed into his arms and sobbed. The father and daughter, who began a second life with new identities and names, promised to get to know each other again, and Seong Han-su and Park Jin-cheol, who had returned to their daily lives, appeared unchangingly to help the two move and continued their friendship by having meals together.

Over the image of Manager Kim, Seong Han-su, and Park Jin-cheol walking side by side wearing glasses, Min-ji's narration flowed: "All the fathers in the world must be ordinary people. Working for their families, being afraid of their mothers, and sometimes having smelly feet when they come home after work." This was followed by the final line, "It might be hard to believe, but my dad is just an ordinary middle-aged man. Of course, as long as he doesn't mess with me," which once again imprinted the unique and intense identity of 'Manager Kim'. Additionally, the ending, where Manager Kim visits Lee Do-gyu for an interview at his new workplace 'Baekho Manpower', added a sense of significant anticipation.

Read the original (Korean)