The drama Manager Kim is creating a storm in living rooms as it surpassed an unbeatable 20% viewership.
Manager Kim stars So Jisub, Choi Dae-hoon and Yoon Kyung-ho finally united as the "dad universe" to completely dominate living rooms. In just four episodes the show broke the formidable 20% viewership barrier with explosive momentum, rewriting 2026's top box office record and rising to third place in SBS Friday-Saturday drama ratings history.
On Saturday the 4th, episode 4 of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama Manager Kim (written by Nam Dae-jung, directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun, planned by Studio S, produced by Studio S and Fantagio) recorded a 22.7% metropolitan area average and a 21.6% national average, with a peak rating of 25.1% based on Nielsen Korea, once again setting a new personal best. Notably, in only four episodes it surpassed 20% nationwide, becoming the first drama since 2024 to clear the "formidable 20%" in about two years. In addition, it rose to third place in SBS Friday-Saturday drama ratings history behind The Penthouse 2 (29.2%) and The Fiery Priest (22%).
The 2049 rating also proved its popularity again, registering an average of 7.6% and a high of 8.81%. Above all, reaching 20% in just four episodes was faster than The Fiery Priest, Stove League and The Penthouse 2, proving that the Manager Kim syndrome has truly ignited by capturing both ratings and buzz.
In episode 4 of Manager Kim, to find his daughter Min-ji (Seo Soo-min) Manager Kim risked his life in a desperate pursuit alongside Seong Han-su (Choi Dae-hoon) and Park Jin-cheol (Yoon Kyung-ho), and despite being shot he carried out a harrowing sprint that moved viewers. Seong Han-su, for the sake of a friend, dealt with Ddanggangaji (Won Hyun-jun) and then threw himself into the river, and Park Jin-cheol drew attention by surrendering.
First, Manager Kim's story from 28 years ago was revealed. The young Kim who volunteered after being promised he could eat his fill trained harshly for survival alongside code name 66 Park Young-gwang (Ok Taecyeon) and grew into a legendary operative. But during a mission he fell into a trap, Park Young-gwang died and Kim was shown surviving alone.
Back in the present, Manager Kim was threatened at the barrel of a gun by Park Young-gwang's brother Park Kang-seong (Kim Sungkyu) and barely survived an ambush shooting. At that moment, Jeong Sang-a (Son Naeun) and the laundry owner (Park Jin-woo) appeared and stopped Park Kang-seong, urging Manager Kim to surrender; upon learning their identities, Manager Kim announced the kidnapping of his daughter and asked for time before disappearing with Seong Han-su. Severely wounded, Manager Kim chose not to go to the hospital but grit his teeth to stem the wound and continued the chase, unleashing desperate paternal love for his daughter.
Then Park Jin-cheol appeared in front of a bunker racing down the middle of the road, and the "dad universe" became whole for the first time. The three secured crucial evidence—a white vehicle and Kim Sang-man (Kim Dae-han)—by finding the homeless man who had picked up Min-ji's phone. But as they headed to the location shown by the tracking loading, a sudden explosion flipped the bunker, and Seong Han-su continued to provoke Ddanggangaji.
Holding on to the clue "Myeongpohang" until the moment the car flipped, Manager Kim escaped the scene through Seong Han-su's deception, and Seong Han-su pushed Ddanggangaji under the bridge into the river, then surprised everyone by jumping into the river after leaving Park Jin-cheol, who was watching from the overturned car, with the words "I'm going." Park Jin-cheol then emerged from the car resolutely, eyed the gun pointed at him and flashed a sharp look while asking, "Is this my turn to step forward now?" but soon raised both hands and shouted "surrender," choosing to be arrested himself and leaving everyone stunned.
Meanwhile, shock came as Min-ji, whom Geum I-ppal (Jo Bokrae) thought dead and had sent to the freezer, revealed she was alive, and unaware of that fact Manager Kim kept murmuring, "Min-ji, just stay alive. Just stay alive," and ran toward Myeongpohang without regard for his gunshot wound, creating a touching moment. After Manager Kim arrived alone at Myeongpohang and headed to the container office to search for Min-ji's whereabouts, Min-ji, barely alive in the freezer, faced Geum I-ppal and fell into a life-or-death crisis again.
With Park Kang-seong also appearing at Myeongpohang, the sense of crisis peaked. While Seong Han-su, who threw himself into the river for Manager Kim, and Park Jin-cheol, who was captured by the special missions unit, face uncertain fates, viewers wondered how the life-risking cooperation of these fathers would unfold.
Meanwhile So Jisub has produced numerous hits since his debut, and among them the 2004 SBS Vallyeeseo Saeng-gin Il and KBS2 Mianhada Saranghanda are considered career-defining works and are still discussed. At the time he created the "Misa addict" and continues to be much loved, and now his new series Manager Kim crossed 21% in just four episodes, enjoying syndrome-level popularity. In his 40s he has once again achieved a career-defining work, drawing attention.
[Photo] SBS 'Manager Kim' broadcast capture
[OSEN]