The ending of the Disney+ thriller The Manipulated has sparked intense debate and hope for more. While the first season wrapped up the main story of Park Taejoong (Ji Chang-wook) clearing his name, a mysterious post-credits scene has left fans convinced the drama is not over. As of December 2025, Disney+ has not announced a renewal for a second season, but the finale was deliberately crafted to keep the door wide open.
What The Finale Revealed About Yohan’s Fate
The final episode showed a fierce confrontation between Taejoong and the villain, Ahn Yohan (Doh Kyung-soo). After a brutal fight in Yohan’s high-tech control room, Taejoong chose not to kill him, instead pinning him to a wall with a katana and leaving with evidence to prove his innocence. The scene then cut to news reports stating Yohan had died in a fire that consumed the mansion. However, his death was not shown on screen. No body was presented, leading characters and viewers to question the official story. The fire conveniently eliminated forensic evidence, making it easy to fake a death. For a master manipulator who built a career on fabricating crimes, staging his own demise would be a simple final trick.
The Major Clue In The Post-Credits Scene
The biggest hint for a potential new season came after the credits. The final shot of the series is not of Taejoong’s peaceful new life but of a shadowy, unidentified figure. This person is sitting silently in a rebuilt version of Yohan’s iconic control room, facing the same massive wall of screens. This scene is a direct signal that Yohan’s criminal network or a similar operation is still active. It confirms that someone has revived the system or inherited it. Fans on social media have been analyzing every detail, wondering if it is Yohan himself, his missing nanny, or a completely new villain.
“Who was sitting in the chair at the end of #TheManipulated ? Is there gonna be a season 2?” asked one viewer on X.
Another fan noted, “The nanny is still nowhere to be found and they didn’t show yohan’s corpse… they could’ve just put any corpse to make it look like yohan the one who’s died”.
How Popular Was The First Season?
A show’s chance of returning often depends on its success, and The Manipulated performed very well. Following its finale on December 3, 2025, the drama climbed to the number 2 spot worldwide in Disney+’s TV rankings. It also ranked first in South Korea for multiple weeks. This strong global and local viewership demonstrates a solid audience that would likely return for another season. The series, which is a reimagining of the 2017 film Fabricated City, benefited from sharp writing by Oh Sang-ho and powerful performances, particularly Doh Kyung-soo’s chilling turn as a full-fledged villain.
The Common Hurdle For Korean Dramas
Despite the clear setup and strong ratings, one major industry trend works against a second season. Most Korean dramas are produced as single, self-contained stories. They are often planned and filmed as one complete season, with actors and crews moving on to new projects quickly. While this pattern is changing with some hit series on Netflix getting new seasons, it is still less common than in Western television. The Manipulated was initially promoted as a limited series, which further suggests a single season was the original plan.
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What Could Season 2 Be About?
If the show is renewed, the post-credits scene provides a clear starting point. A new season would likely explore who is now controlling the manipulation network. The central question would be whether Ahn Yohan survived the fire. If he is alive, he would seek vengeance against Taejoong while operating from an even deeper shadow. If he is truly dead, the new villain could be his nanny, a former client, or a protege continuing his work. This would force Park Taejoong, who has finally found peace running a restaurant with his friends, to be pulled back into a dangerous world he thought he had escaped. The new story could also delve deeper into the fate of the other 99 innocent people Yohan framed, exploring whether they all found justice.
For now, all 12 episodes of the first season are available to stream exclusively on Disney+ under its Hulu content hub. The production companies and Disney+ will likely assess the show’s long-term viewing numbers and audience demand before making any official decision about continuing the story.
Also Read: Made in Korea: Release Date, Cast, and Everything You Need to Know About the Disney+ K-Drama
