A Bona fide Killer hit a peak viewership rating of 11% amid controversy over Jung Jun-won's attitude.
MBC's Friday-Saturday drama A Bona fide Killer (planned by Kwon Seong-chang, written by Kim Eun-hee, directed by Yoon Jong-ho·Kim Ji-hun) has drawn favorable responses by carefully unraveling the stories of characters who move between past and present around an ordinary married woman and a one-shot-one-kill killer, Yoo Bo-na (Kong Hyojin).
In particular, Yoo Bo-na is a beloved wife and a mother who worries about her daughter while also operating as the legendary sniper "Kingfisher," showing completely different faces depending on the situation. Here, we examined the intertwined relationships centered on Yoo Bo-na and the diverse facets revealed within them.
Kong Hyojin, Jung Jun-won: married couple with different dreams?! A secret they must keep because they love each other!
Yoo Bo-na and Kwon Tae-seong (played by Jung Jun-won) are a loving couple who cherish each other more than anyone, but they continue a precarious relationship while keeping secrets they cannot tell the other.
Yoo Bo-na is the legendary sniper Kingfisher, and Kwon Tae-seong is a former reporter who once pursued Kingfisher and nearly lost his life. Yoo Bo-na thinks of Kwon Tae-seong as "the person who saved Kingfisher," and when his mother Ok Seon-ja (played by Cha Mi Kyeong) scolded him, "Do you really know everything about him?" he replied, "As his husband, I know well," showing his affection for his wife.
But behind their ordinary married life, a completely different side was hidden. While Kwon Tae-seong proudly said he had a date at a bar like others and drank a strawberry shake with his wife, Yoo Bo-na revealed a surprising charm by downing a bomb shot without hesitation at a company workshop.
In particular, Yoo Bo-na even showed a deadly "injection" that her husband could hardly imagine: disarming a pension owner who threatened her with a gun and subduing large-bodied criminals barehanded in an instant.
Then, when Yoo Bo-na discovered a bugging device in a doll sent by a Russian friend and Kwon Tae-seong received a mysterious message that said "You keep your promises. That's kind," a fearful Kwon Tae-seong appeared, increasing curiosity about the hidden past of the two.
"Kingfisher" Kong Hyojin and "Kingfisher admirer" Ha Yul-ri: a bond that began with a sniper incident 15 years ago!
The Kingfisher shooting incident on a Christmas 15 years ago led to a special connection between Yoo Bo-na and Oh Hyun-nam (played by Ha Yul-ri). Yoo Bo-na recognized Oh Hyun-nam, the only witness at the shooting scene, from the start. Yoo Bo-na, who wanted to live an ordinary and happy life, could not hide her disappointment at Oh Hyun-nam's appearance when he came to find her. On the other hand, Oh Hyun-nam said he felt a strange sense of betrayal when he happened to see Yoo Bo-na spending happy times with Kwon Tae-seong on the street and saw her living as an ordinary woman rather than a killer.
When Yoo Bo-na told colleagues to call her "Director General Yoo" instead of "unnie," Oh Hyun-nam could not hide his excitement, showing the special relationship between the two. Afterwards, Oh Hyun-nam demonstrated his unwavering admiration for Yoo Bo-na, fully displaying his "Kingfisher admirer" persona.
He went into the smelly room of Bong Tae-min (played by Kim Nam-hee) instead of Yoo Bo-na, and although he grumbled that he did not want to go to the workshop, he quickly changed his attitude when Yoo Bo-na said it would be fun, drawing laughter. In particular, when Yoo Bo-na dramatically subdued an organ trafficking ring with flashy action, his wide-eyed admiration showed just how much he idolizes Yoo Bo-na.
Kong Hyojin, between killer and working mom! Yoo Bo-na's many faces amid entangled relationships
Yoo Bo-na attended a two days & 1 night company workshop for the first time, separated from her daughter Kwon Yul (played by Hwang Bom-i). After a brief, tender video call with her daughter, she soon enjoyed the long-awaited freedom and the workshop. But Yoo Bo-na, who could not attend the kids' cafe with her daughter because of work, kept worrying about her daughter's sullen face. She eventually took a half day off and went to the kids' cafe, and upon seeing her daughter smile brightly at her, she said, "Mom shouldn't go to work and should always be next to Yul, right?"
But when her daughter replied maturely, "Mom, work. It's something you need to do," Yoo Bo-na could not hide her moved expression. Contrary to the dramatic setting of being a killer, the depiction of a working mom who frets over work and parenting at every moment and seeks her own balance resonated with viewers.
The identity of "mother" influenced Yoo Bo-na's choices as a killer. Yoo Bo-na preferred sniping over direct confrontation or unnecessary violence, and she had firm principles. In particular, she drew strong anger toward those who committed crimes against children and made exceptions only for them. When a team meeting about child sex offender Pyo Gyu-cheol (played by Heo Hyung-gyu) failed, Yoo Bo-na went on a direct sniper mission. The anger she felt as a mother with a daughter and her cold judgment as a killer combined to reveal another face of Yoo Bo-na.
In this way, A Bona fide Killer maximizes the character appeal through Yoo Bo-na's life, which swings between the legendary sniper "Kingfisher," a beloved wife and a mother who worries about her daughter. In particular, the action scene in which an intoxicated Yoo Bo-na wakes up and says, "Shall we go once in a while?" before instantly subduing an organ trafficking group caused a surge in reaction, with a momentary peak viewership rating of 11%.
[photo] Provided by MBC
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