Breaking Down the Explosive Ending of 'Good Boy'

Time​ Magazine

21-07-2025

Good Boy, an action police dramedy about a group of former Korean Olympians who become cops, was one of the most highly-anticipated K-dramas of the year. Starring Park Bo-gum (When Life Gives You Tangerines) as boxer Yoon Dong-ju and with the The Good Bad Mother director Shim Na-yeon behind the camera, the drama was poised to be one of 2025's big hits.
While Good Boy has done well domestically on Korean broadcaster JTBC and internationally on Amazon Prime Video (where it has been in the streamer's Global Top Ten for its entire run), narratively, the cop drama never quite found its rhythm. The series started its action intensity high, with explosions, fist fights, hit-and-run accidents, and department moles in the first episode, but didn't have anywhere to go from there. The show revealed its main villain, corrupt customs officer Min Ju-yeong (Oh Jung-se) from the jump, robbing the detective work done by the Special Criminal Investigation Team (SCIT) of most of its suspense and other character backstories, such as the Olympic origins of the main characters, never paid off outside of the action scenes. The show's central romance—between Dong-ju and former shooting prodigy Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun)—felt more obligatory than inspired.
At 16 episodes, Good Boy spent most of its season in a redundant cat-and-mouse cycle that didn't resolve itself until season's end. But at least we got some killer fight sequences along the way. The show was at its best when it was letting Dong-ju, Han-na, and the rest of their team—including fencer Kim Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi), wrestler Go Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae), and discus thrower Shin Jae-hong (Tae Won-seok)—use their very specific skillsets in elaborate, sometimes gloriously absurd fight sequences.
This was the case in the final episode, titled 'We Are the Champions,' which sees the SCIT squad finally taking down Ju-yeong for good. Let's break down the explosive ending of Good Boy.
Ju-yeong's villainous backstory and present
Like most of the characters in Good Boy, villain Ju-yeong doesn't get a backstory that complexifies his actions. Prior to becoming the evil mastermind controlling Insung City, he was just a part-time customs officer. When he is recruited by Oh Dollar, the gangster who ran organized crime in Insung before Ju-yeong, he quickly turns corrupt, shamelessly doing whatever he needs to do to make the most money.
Later, when he was tasked with digitizing reams of customs documents, he came upon a cache of files proving corruption from some of Insung's most powerful business leaders and officials. Rather than report the misdeeds, Ju-yeong decides to use them. He bribes the people incriminated in the documents, and then uses his influence to take out any of the criminal organization competitors in the city—including his gangster mentor, Oh Dollar.
Twenty years later, when Good Boy is primarily set, Ju-yeong's control of the city reaches into its highest echelons. He uses his power to sell Candy, a highly addictive drug, with criminals-with-more-of-a-conscience Leo (Ko Jun) and Drug Mom, aka Kim Yeon-ha (Lee Ho-jung), as minion-partners.
Ju-yeong tries to burn it all down
Heading into the Good Boy series finale, the SCIT team has Ju-yeong on the ropes. Unable to smuggle shipments of Candy out of the city, Ju-yeong's deal with the yakuza falls through. The Japanese criminal organization puts a hit out on Ju-yeong, and gangsters flock to the city to take him out.
Furious, Ju-yeong plans to destroy the city, along with all of his high-profile accomplices. First, he sends out four trucks armed with explosives. They detonate, sending the city into a blackout. The Insung Police are able to bring things back under control, when Ju-yeong strikes again. He lures the city's officials to his hotel in downtown Insung. He's rigged the sprinkler system to emit a toxic chemical that also ignites when it comes in contact with water.
Dong-ju and the rest of the SCIT team are able to stop anyone from dying, but Ju-yeong's girlfriend, a fellow customs officer named Kim Yu-na, slips away in the process. She meets Ju-yeong at the docks, thinking they are going to escape the country together. However, he has just been using her as a distraction. He has a truck standing by, ready to take her out as she walks across the street. Though she seems to survive, Ju-yeong doesn't care either way. He only cares about his money, and himself.
Dong-ju finally takes Ju-yeong down
Before Ju-yeong can get onto a boat, he is intercepted by the yakuza. They are trying to kill him when Dong-ju and Jong-hyeon arrive. Desperate to arrest Ju-yeong and have him face a trial for his crimes, they are put in the ironic situation of having to protect Ju-yeong. He slips away in the chaos, and Dong-ju eventually catches up with him on the rooftop deck of a nearby ferry.
'What kind of life have you lived that you kill someone like it's nothing?' Dong-ju asks Ju-yeong. When Ju-yeong half-heartedly mentions the early deaths of his parents, Dong-ju doesn't have any sympathy. He is an orphan, too. 'A scumbag like you doesn't get to make excuses,' he says, proceeding to beat Ju-yeong into submission. While the series presents it as justice or perhaps Dong-ju's job, it feels far more like brutal, unrestrained vengeance.
Ju-yeong manages to throw himself over the edge of the boat into the water below. He would rather die in the water than let Dong-ju win. A determined Dong-ju follows, handcuffing himself to Ju-yeong and dragging him to shore. The rest of the SCIT team is proudly waiting, and Ju-yeong is brought to jail.
Dong-ju somehow avoids permanent brain damage
Forget law enforcement outcomes—the big question heading into the Good Boy finale was: will Dong-ju suffer permanent brain damage from the beatings he took in literally every episode of this series? At the end of Episode 14, Dong-ju lost his vision, going 'punch-drunk' following a confrontation with his former coach turned Ju-yeong's minion Oh Jong-gu (Jung Man-sik). Jong-hyeon finds him, and convinces him to go to the hospital and actually get sustained treatment.
After that, there is a team effort to keep him away from the action. Unfortunately, Dong-ju has never met a fist he didn't think it was a good idea to throw his head against. He gets in several more fights before the series' end, and also is in close proximity to several massive explosions. Absurdly, Dong-ju finishes the series without permanent injury. In the final episode, we see him telling Han-na that his physical therapy is working, implying he has recovered completely.
Does Ju-yeong die?
After Ju-yeong's arrest, Dong-ju visits him in jail. Ju-yeong, who still has dirt on men in high places, doesn't think he will be in jail for much longer. Dong-ju doesn't seem particularly worried.
That night, a man dressed as a guard comes into Ju-yeong's cell and chokes him. We don't see Ju-yeong die, leaving the door open for a second season with the villain back out on the streets. We also don't see the identity of the choker— could it be one of the 'good' guys, taking justice into their own hands?
Does Good Boy have a happy ending?
The SCIT team are recognized as heroes, awarded medals for their work apprehending Ju-yeong. Dong-ju, who has reunited with his surrogate mom Jung Mi-ja (Seo Jung-yeon) and is now in a relationship with longtime crush Han-na, seems very happy.
Han-na is training to be part of the Special Operation Unit, and is in a good place with her mom. Jong-hyeon has decided to try professional fencing again. Jae-hong is happy with his wife and children. Man-sik discovers his wife didn't cheat on him, but rather his vasectomy failed—he is going to be a father again!
The show ends with a final shot of Dong-ju, running on Haeundae Beach as the sunsets. He is in his Team Korea jacket, with a big smile on his face. For Dong-ju, it is definitely a happy ending.