[ⓓ Focus] "Dad Adrenaline Explodes"…Seo Ji-seop's Reason for Fist (Kim Bu-jang)

[Dispatch=Lee Myeong-joo] "Minji, Dad's here."

The ending of SBS-TV's 'Kim PD'. Kim PD (So Ji-seop) shouted toward his daughter Minji (Seo Su-min).

"Dad's here. Let's go home now."

The father risked his life for his daughter. He got up again after being shot. And he subdued an armed opponent with his bare hands. Everything was to protect his child.

So Ji-seop lent credibility to the 'overpowered' character. The core is paternal love. The most ordinary father in the world. However, the moment his daughter faces danger, he becomes the most dangerous man in the world.

So Ji-seop completed 'dad adrenaline' by moving between restrained eyes and explosive action. The father's justified fists led to a viewership rating in the 20% range. This is the first figure since 'Penthouse 3' (2021).

It also swept up buzz. 'Kim PD' topped the charts in TV-OTT integrated and drama sector buzz (Good Data Corporation). Lead actor So Ji-seop also ranked first in drama appearance buzz.

So Ji-seop distilled 30 years of accumulated presence into every frame. Without much dialogue, he expressed the exhaustion of a working person and his affection toward his daughter. After learning of his daughter's school violence damage, instead of forced melodrama, he burst with condensed sorrow.

So Ji-seop-style action is 'Kim PD's cheat key. He played a murder weapon that revealed its identity for the first time in over a decade in the absence of his daughter. He materialized on screen a monster willing to stake everything to find his daughter.

Action is one of So Ji-seop's strengths. Through numerous works including the dramas 'Glass Shoe', 'Cain and Abel', 'Road Number One', 'Plaza', and films 'A Movie is a Movie', 'Office Worker', he has built his own territory.

This time too, he fully exercised his strength. So Ji-seop displayed bare-handed strikes and speedy action that belie his 50s age. He also handled shooting scenes and car chase sequences.

Action utilizing props added to the spectacle. A prime example is the scene where he snatches the opponent's weapon with a flip phone and counterattacks. A scene where he resolves a crisis with a single thread (silver thread) also draws admiration.

'Kim PD' is not violence for revenge. It is a father's instinct to protect his daughter. So the action is all the more harrowing. The fists carry desperation. It is why we cannot help but root for him.