Ryu Seung-ryong Returns to TV After 15 Years in JTBC’s 'The Dream Life of Mr. Kim'
Oct 22, 2025
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On the afternoon of the 22nd, JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 'The Story of Manager Kim who works at a large company in Seoul' (directed by Cho Hyun-tak, scripted by Kim Hong-ki, Yoon Hye-sung, production SLL, Drama House, Baro Entertainment) was held at the Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul. Actors Ryu Seung-ryong, Specification Bin and Cha Kang-yoon and director Cho Hyun-tak, were present on the day.
JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 「The Story of Manager Kim」, which will premiere on the 25th, depicts a middle-aged man who loses everything he thought was valuable in an instant and finally discovers his true self, not the manager of a large company, after a long journey.
Expectations are also rising with the addition of actor Ryu Seung-ryong, who is overwhelmingly supported enough to draw 40 million viewers to the original best-selling novel of the same name, which has 10 million community views and 300,000 sales.
Director Cho Hyun-tak, who directed the movie, said, `I read the original novel in a heartbeat. I was completely immersed in the main character, maybe because he was similar in age to meThe biggest difference in the work is the casting of an actor named Ryu Seung-ryong. He showed a synchronicity to the extent that he didn't know whether Director Kim was Ryu Seung-ryong or Director Kim," he said.
In this work, Ryu Seung-ryong convincingly unravels the responsibility and narrative behind it while portraying the typical appearance of '50s Kkondae'.
Ryu Seung-ryong is a person who is always around us and maybe even within me. At first, it may seem childish and frustrating, but he is a character who is increasingly sad and empathizing. I wanted to capture the real face of 'Kondae' that I couldn't hate."
The reason for choosing to appear in the work was also clear. Ryu Seung-ryong really wittily unravels the sad state of affairs that can be seen in the words "'Youngpo-Ti'. These days, people in their 50s are a generation that supports their families and raises their children. I thought it was a work that served as a tow truck to fill the gap between generations, so I took on it like a gift."
As he returned to the drama scene after 15 years, he also expressed his feelings about the change in the filming environment. Liu Seung-ryong once said, "In the past, I used to have to film all night in the script, but thanks to the pre-production method, I was able to fully understand, modify, and work on the script"As the 52-hour workweek was observed, the staff also filmed with physical strength, and as an actor, they were able to concentrate much more." The burden of ratings has also changed significantly. Nevertheless, if you want to be greedy, you expect double-digit ratings," he added.
In the play, Kim Nak-soo's wife, Park Ha-jin, played Jeon Se-bin, "The way my husband struggled came to me sadly. As a mother who connects tension and buffering between families, she focused on helping understanding between generations"In fact, I was able to melt into the character by doing family reading often"
Cha Kang-yoon, who plays Kim Nak-su's son Kim Soo-gyeom, said, `I think many viewers of my age will think of my parents while watching the drama"I kept thinking about my parents while filming, and Ryu Seung-ryong came to the scene 'Your son?He said, "'He welcomed me warmly, so I was able to empathize naturally.'"
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On the other hand, director Cho Hyun-tak pointed out that unlike the story of the work dealing with small citizens, the setting of 'Going to a large company in Seoul's home' could be incompatible. Rather, he wanted to stimulate questions about what kind of family members the person with such conditions is and how he survives his life. It was pure intention to go deep into it."
He also left expectations for the ending. "Kim Nak-su crosses the dead end of 11 episodes in 12 episodes. These are moments that could happen to anyone. I want you to see how he's changing and how his family accepts it," he said.
JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 『The Story of Director Kim』 will premiere at 10:40 p.m. on the 25th.
mj.cho@sportschosun.com
