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Breaking Down the Explosive Ending of K-Drama Good Boy

BBG News

The action-comedy police series, titled “Good Boy,” featuring a cast of ex-Korean Olympians turned cops, generated significant excitement as one of the year’s most awaited K-dramas. Featuring Park Bo-gum (“When Life Gives You Tangerines”) in the role of boxer Yoon Dong-ju and directed by Shim Na-yeon (of “The Good Bad Mother” fame), this drama was set to be a major success in 2025.

Despite achieving success both in South Korea through JTBC and internationally on Amazon Prime Video, where it consistently ranked among the top ten shows, “Good Boy” struggled to maintain its narrative pace. Initially, the series kicked off with an intense blend of action elements like explosions, brawls, hit-and-run incidents, and undercover agents within the police department, but failed to sustain this momentum.

The primary antagonist, Min Ju-yeong (Oh Jung-se), a corrupt customs officer, was introduced early on, which diminished the intrigue surrounding the detective work of the Special Criminal Investigation Team (SCIT) and left many character backstories unexplored, such as the origins of the main characters related to the Olympics. Additionally, the romantic storyline between Dong-ju and Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun), a former shooting prodigy, felt more like a requirement than an organic development.

Throughout its 16 episodes, the series “Good Boy” predominantly followed a repetitive chase pattern, which wasn’t conclusively resolved until the end of the season. However, it did offer some thrilling combat scenes during this time. The show truly shone when it allowed characters like Dong-ju, Han-na, and their team members, including fencer Kim Jong-hyeon (played by Lee Sang-yi), wrestler Go Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae), and discus thrower Shin Jae-hong (Tae Won-seok) to utilize their specialized abilities in intricate, occasionally hilariously extravagant fight sequences.

In the last episode, named “We Are the Champions,” it was here that the SCIT team successfully apprehended Ju-yeong permanently, marking the climax of the series Good Boy. Let’s delve into the thrilling finale.

Ju-yeong’s villainous backstory and present

Similar to many characters in “Good Boy“, the villain Ju-yeong doesn’t have a complicated backstory to justify his actions. Before transforming into the ruthless mastermind ruling Insung City, he was merely a part-time customs officer. Upon being recruited by Oh Dollar, the criminal kingpin who previously controlled Insung City, Ju-yeong swiftly succumbs to corruption and shamelessly engages in any activity necessary to amass wealth.

In due course, when assigned to digitize a vast amount of customs paperwork, he stumbled upon a hidden trove of files showing instances of corruption from some of Insung’s top business magnates and bureaucrats. Instead of exposing the wrongdoings, Ju-yeong opted to exploit them. He paid off those implicated in the documents, and then leveraged his connections to eliminate any rivals of the criminal network in the city—even his gangster mentor, Oh Dollar.

In the years that follow, Good Boy is predominantly set amidst a backdrop where Ju-yeong’s influence stretches to the city’s upper tiers. Leveraging his authority, he collaborates with morally-questionable allies, Leo (Ko Jun) and Drug Mom, aka Kim Yeon-ha (Lee Ho-jung), in peddling a potent narcotic known as Candy.

Ju-yeong tries to burn it all down

As the “Good Boy” series reaches its conclusion, the SCIT team has Ju-yeong in a tight spot. With failed attempts to transport Candy shipments from the city, his agreement with the yakuza collapses. Consequently, the Japanese criminal syndicate issues a contract on Ju-yeong, and numerous gangsters swarm the city, intending to eliminate him.

Enraged, Ju-yeong intends to demolish the city together with his prominent associates. In the first instance, he dispatches four trucks loaded with explosives. Upon detonation, the city plunges into darkness. The Insung Police manage to regain control, but just as they do, Ju-yeong launches another attack. He entices the city’s officials to his downtown hotel in Insung. He has rigged the sprinkler system so that it releases a harmful chemical which also ignites when it encounters water.

In the scenario, Dong-ju and the SCIT team possess the power to prevent anyone from perishing; unfortunately, during this incident, Kim Yu-na, a customs officer and girlfriend of Ju-yeong, manages to elude their grasp. She assumes they are fleeing the country together when she encounters Ju-yeong at the docks. However, it becomes clear that Ju-yeong was merely using her as a diversion. A truck is waiting to transport her off the street as she crosses it. Despite appearing to make it through unscathed, Ju-yeong remains indifferent to her fate. His sole concerns are his wealth and personal interests.

Dong-ju finally takes Ju-yeong down

Before Ju-yeong manages to board a boat, he’s stopped by the yakuza who intend to kill him. However, just as they try, Dong-ju and Jong-hyeon show up. In an ironic twist, instead of arresting Ju-yeong for his alleged crimes, they find themselves needing to shield him from harm. Amidst the confusion, Ju-yeong escapes, and later, Dong-ju tracks him down on a rooftop deck of a nearby ferry.

Dong-ju questions Ju-yeong, ‘What experiences in your life make you so callous as to take another’s life so easily?’ When Ju-yeong vaguely refers to his parents dying young, Dong-ju shows no empathy. Being an orphan himself, he doesn’t accept such excuses. Instead, he calls Ju-yeong contemptible and proceeds to brutally attack him until he surrenders. The show suggests this act as justice or part of his duty, but it seems more like unbridled revenge.

In a desperate move, Ju-yeong leaps from the boat’s edge into the water below, preferring to perish in the water rather than allow Dong-ju to emerge victorious. With unwavering resolve, Dong-ju pursues, securing handcuffs onto Ju-yeong and hauling him ashore. The rest of the SCIT team watches approvingly from the shore as Ju-yeong is taken into custody.

Dong-ju somehow avoids permanent brain damage

Instead of focusing on the law enforcement aspects, the main concern leading up to the finale of Good Boy was whether Dong-ju would experience lasting brain damage from the frequent beatings he endured throughout the series. In Episode 14, after a confrontation with Oh Jong-gu, his former coach who now serves under Ju-yeong, Dong-ju lost his sight and became “punch-drunk.” Jong-hyeon discovers him and persuades him to seek medical help and long-term treatment at the hospital.

Following this incident, a collective effort was made to keep him from engaging in further action. Regrettably, Dong-ju seemed to enjoy any fight, often using his head as a punching bag. He ended up in numerous brawls before the series concluded, and was also near several powerful blasts. Incredibly, Dong-ju managed to escape any lasting harm throughout the series. In the final episode, he informed Han-na that his physical therapy was effective, suggesting he had made a full recovery.

Does Ju-yeong die?

Following Ju-yeong’s incarceration, Dong-ju pays him a visit in prison. Despite the fact that Ju-yeong has compromising information about influential men, he believes his time in prison won’t last long. Dong-ju, however, appears to be unconcerned.

On that particular night, a figure resembling a guard enters Ju-yeong’s cell and appears to strangle him. The scene ends ambiguously, implying a possible continuation in the next season, with the antagonist still at large. It’s intriguing to consider if the strangler could be one of the “good” characters, taking matters into their own hands regarding justice.

Does Good Boy have a happy ending?

The SCIT team are celebrated as heroes, receiving medals for their successful capture of Ju-yeong. Dong-ju, having reconnected with his adoptive mother Jung Mi-ja (played by Seo Jung-yeon) and now in a relationship with longtime crush Han-na, appears to be in high spirits.

Han-na is preparing herself for joining the Special Operations Unit, while her relationship with her mother is thriving. Jong-hyeon intends to resume his career in fencing. Jae-hong is content with his spouse and kids. Man-sik learns that his wife wasn’t unfaithful; instead, his vasectomy didn’t work—he will be a father once more!

The performance concludes with a parting scene of Dong-ju sprinting along Haeundae Beach as the sun dips below the horizon. Wearing his Team Korea jacket and beaming from ear to ear, it appears that Dong-ju’s conclusion is undeniably joyful.

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2025-07-22 02:06

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