JTBC’s weekend drama 'Good Boy,' starring Park Bo Gum and Kim So Hyun, continues to be the talk of the town just four episodes into its run.
The June 8 broadcast recorded its highest Seoul metropolitan area rating yet, at 5.8%, continuing an upward trend.
In Episode 4, the five-member Special Violent Crimes Team, all former national athletes, launched their first official mission and closed in on Min Joo Young (played by Oh Jung Se), a key figure in the unfolding investigation. The episode’s climax featured a gripping chase scene where Yoon Dong Joo (portrayed by Park Bo Gum) attempts to stop Min Joo Young from fleeing the country.
According to Nielsen Korea, the episode recorded 5.3% nationwide and 5.8% in Seoul, marking the series’ peak so far. The drama has seen consistent growth since its premiere. Episode 1 rated at 4.8% Nationwide) with 5.7% in Seoul, Episode 2: 5.3% / 5.6%, Episode 3: 5.6% / 5.4%, and Episode 4: 5.3% / 5.8%.
In this episode, the team tightened its net around Min Joo Young. Team leader Go Man Shik (played by Heo Sung Tae) obtained critical intel through Gwang Se (Jung Jae Won), a major player in the car smuggling ring. He learned that the top figure in the field, known as "Monkey," was backed by Min Joo Young, an executive at the Inseong Customs Surveillance Bureau.
To lure Monkey, the team needed a bait vehicle, but with news of Min Joo Young’s overseas trip breaking, they had to act fast. They set their sights on a luxury sedan owned by the police chief Jo Pan Yeol (Kim Eung Soo). Man Shik, justifying the decision by saying “Sometimes justice requires tough choices,” used the car to bait Monkey’s secret workshop.
However, chaos erupted when the Violent Crimes Unit, also tracking the stolen vehicle under orders from the chief, arrived at the scene simultaneously. Amid the confusion, Monkey tried to escape but was fatally stabbed in the carotid artery by an unknown assailant, throwing the case into disarray.
The smuggled car revealed illegal weapons, drugs, and jewelry tied to both a Filipino militant group and the Russian mafia. Forging export documents for such unregistered vehicles would require an insider, pointing to a larger conspiracy. Customs officer Lee Jin Soo, killed in a hit-and-run, was the export officer, and his predecessor was none other than Min Joo Young. The implication: Lee may have uncovered Min’s corruption and was murdered to silence him.
When the team found the hit-and-run car hidden in a container, Min Joo Young, feeling the pressure, finally showed his true colors. As he tried to flee earlier than planned, he was confronted by Dong Joo. In a chilling provocation, Min sneered, “If you can stop me with the law, go ahead. Lee Kyung Il might still be alive if you hadn’t stayed quiet.”
That pushed Dong Joo’s so-called “bulldozer maniac button.”
Fueled by rage, Dong Joo chased Min Joo Young’s car across rooftops and walls. Min accelerated recklessly through a school zone alley. Just then, Ji Han Na (Kim So Hyun) stepped in front of his car. Dong Joo, seeing her, hurled himself into Min Joo Young’s vehicle, shouting, “To catch him, fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” In a scene reminiscent of Muhammad Ali’s 1960s glory, Dong Joo crashed into the windshield, smashing it and collapsing onto the road.
Min Joo Young froze in shock. But the tension peaked when Dong Joo, bleeding on the pavement, suddenly started laughing hysterically, stood up, and told Min Joo Young, "You violated the Special Traffic Law in a child protection zone. And it involved injury. You’re not getting on that plane today because I’m not settling.”
Meanwhile, Episode 4 also kicked off the romantic arc between Dong Joo and Han Na. While staking out suspects in Chinatown, they had to act like a couple to avoid suspicion. When Dong Joo accidentally honked the horn, drawing a suspect near, Han Na quickly muffled him and pretended to kiss him. The suspect passed, believing the act. When Dong Joo tried to turn the fake kiss into a real one, Han Na pulled back with a firm, “Stop. Back to position.”
Premiering on May 31, Good Boy tells the story of five former national athletes who trade medals for police badges as they fight for justice.
The drama has drawn attention for reuniting Park Bo Gum and Kim So Hyun after 10 years. The two previously met as co-MCs at an awards show.
Park Bo Gum shared, “I’m thrilled we got to work together again after a decade.”
Kim So Hyun added, “I’ve always wanted to do a project with him. Meeting again as Dong Joo and Han Na in such an exciting story has been wonderful. I’m genuinely excited to see more of his character too.”
Notably, Park Bo Gum, typically seen in romantic dramas, takes on a fresh challenge with this comedic action-packed series. Though he suffered a minor injury during filming, he reassured fans, “I pushed myself a bit too hard and got injured, which delayed filming slightly. But thanks to the director and staff who encouraged me to rest and recover, I came back fully in just a month and a half, just like Dong Joo’s rapid healing in the drama.”
He concluded, “This project will stay with me for a long time.”
'Good Boy' airs every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 PM KST on JTBC, and is also available on TVING, Netflix, Coupang Play, Wavve, and Disney+.
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