Sad to See It End with 2 Episodes Left… The Still-Popular Korean Drama That Broke Its Own Viewership Record

With just two episodes left, the drama ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim, Who Owns a Home in Seoul and Works at a Conglomerate’ is showing its strength by breaking its own highest viewership ratings. Ryu Seung-ryong is drawing a passionate response from viewers by realistically portraying office life.

‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim, Who Owns a Home in Seoul and Works at a Conglomerate’ (hereafter ‘Manager Kim’s Story’) tells the story of a middle-aged man who loses everything he valued in an instant, and after a long journey, finally discovers his true self, not just as a manager at a large corporation.

‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim’ is based on the novel of the same name, which recorded 10 million views and sold 300,000 copies, and was also greatly loved as a webtoon. The drama was adapted by writer Myeong-rang with art by Kim Byeong-gwan, and directed by Jo Hyun-tak, who also created hit series like ‘SKY Castle’ and ‘The Atypical Family’.

Ryu Seung-ryong is perfectly portraying the role of a ‘head of the household’ and office worker who seems to exist in real life. This is Ryu Seung-ryong’s first appearance in a TV drama in 14 years, since MBC’s ‘Personal Taste’ ended in 2010. In the drama, Ryu Seung-ryong plays Kim Nak-su, the manager of Sales Team 1 with 25 years at a conglomerate, capturing the reality of patriarchs who work hard for their families and company.

▲ ‘Queen of Housewives’ Myung Se-bin, Perfectly Embodies Her Character

Myung Se-bin is enjoying a second heyday in her role as Kim Nak-su’s wife, Park Ha-jin. Myung Se-bin plays Park Ha-jin, a housewife who has supported her husband on his journey to becoming a manager at a large corporation.

On the 26th, Myung Se-bin appeared on tvN’s ‘You Quiz on the Block’ and spoke about her character. She drew attention by mentioning her own divorce, saying, “I have to act as part of a couple that has been married for a long time, but (in reality) I don’t have much experience with that.” She had previously married an older lawyer in 2007 but divorced after five months.

On that day, Myung Se-bin confessed, “I even experienced extreme financial hardship after my divorce,” adding, “I didn’t have money for this month’s credit card bill, so I started by thinking ‘What can I sell?’ and sold my bags and everything else. I was truly desperate.” She also shared, “I thought, ‘It might be difficult for me to work as an actress anymore,’ so I started learning about flowers. Fortunately, an opportunity arose to work part-time at a wedding hall. But they told me, ‘Do it in the corner,’ and ‘Do it where you can’t be seen,'” expressing the sorrow she felt at the time, which evoked sympathy from the audience.

▲ Only 2 Episodes Left, But the Response is Hot…

The JTBC Saturday-Sunday drama ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim, Who Owns a Home in Seoul and Works at a Conglomerate,’ which aired on the 23rd, depicted the transformation of Kim Nak-su (Ryu Seung-ryong) as he strives to confront and resolve his worries and emotional wounds. The 10th episode’s viewership ratings reached 6% in the metropolitan area and 5.4% nationwide, breaking its own record. (Source: Nielsen Korea, paid households)

In the 10th episode, Kim Nak-su, whose condition is worsening after being scammed in a commercial property deal, gets into an accident while working as a designated driver. Park Ha-jin, finding her husband’s recent strange behavior odd, suggests they go to a psychiatrist together, but Kim Nak-su, who is full of prejudice against psychiatry, firmly refuses.

However, his condition worsened, and his wife, unable to watch any longer, shouted and urged him, eventually leading Kim Nak-su to the hospital by her hand. He ended up at a psychiatric clinic located on the floor above the commercial property where he was scammed. The doctor, Na Dae-ryong (Heo Nam-jun), diagnosed Kim Nak-su with ‘panic disorder.’ Although the doctor told him what he needed to do, it wasn’t easy for Kim Nak-su to change his daily routine overnight. To make matters worse, his wife finds out that he secretly purchased the commercial property.

He had emotional scars from growing up being compared to his older brother, Kim Chang-su (Ko Chang-seok). Later, Kim Nak-su visits his brother and pours out the feelings he had been holding back, and Kim Chang-su apologizes to his younger brother. Through the conversation with his brother, Kim Nak-su becomes aware of how he had treated his own son and attempts to talk with his son again, increasing viewers’ immersion.

Viewers who watched the drama showed various reactions, such as, “This seems like it will be the best drama of 2025,” “The novel is fun too,” “Looking forward to watching it live,” “Ryu Seung-ryong’s acting is so good,” “Feels so real,” and “It’s more relatable than entertaining because I’m a similar age and rank, which makes it sad.”

‘Manager Kim’s Story’ offers warm comfort and empathy to all the ‘ajaes’ (middle-aged men) and Manager Kims of this era who strive to live an enviable life with family, honor, and wealth.

JTBC’s ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim, Who Owns a Home in Seoul and Works at a Conglomerate’ airs on the 29th at 10:40 PM.