MBC’s hit action thriller A Bona Fide Killer is closing out its 14-episode run tonight, September 12, after its penultimate episode pulled in a nationwide average of 9.6 percent. The drama, led by Gong Hyo Jin, has held the top spot in its Friday-Saturday time slot for weeks and is ending its season as the most-watched miniseries on Friday nights across all Korean channels, according to Nielsen Korea.
Episode 13 Ratings Put the Show Back on Top
The September 11 broadcast of A Bona Fide Killer earned a 9.6 percent nationwide rating, marking a 1.0 percent increase from the previous Friday’s episode. The drama comfortably beat its direct competitor, SBS’s Flex x Cop 2, which recorded a 6.4 percent rating in the same time slot, a gap of 3.2 percentage points.
This rise in viewership comes after a brief dip earlier in September. The September 4 episode had fallen to 8.6 percent, which was the third-lowest rating of the show’s run. But the drama quickly recovered, showing that viewers remained locked in as the story headed toward its final chapter.
The show’s ratings journey has been steady from the start. It premiered on July 31 at 7.4 percent, climbed to 8.3 percent by episode three, and hit its highest point so far with a 10.2 percent rating for episode six on August 15. Episode 13’s return to 9.6 percent means the series is finishing strong, with one episode left to air.
The Finale Will Be 10 Minutes Longer
MBC has confirmed that the final episode of A Bona Fide Killer will run 10 minutes longer than usual, airing early at 9:40 p.m. KST instead of the regular 9:50 p.m. slot. The network shared new stills showing Gong Hyo Jin‘s character, Yu Bo Na, in a tense face-off with Lee Elijah‘s Layla, the villain who traveled from Russia to Korea seeking revenge.
The finale picks up after a major turning point in episode 13. Yu Bo Na‘s husband, Kwon Tae Sung (played by Jung Jun Won), has finally learned that his wife is the legendary sniper known as Kingfisher. The stills show Kwon Tae Sung standing at the scene as Yu Bo Na rushes at Layla, with Yu Bo Na later seen holding the back of her husband’s neck with an expression full of love and despair.
Lee Sang Yi‘s character, Lee Dong Jin, also arrives at the scene with special forces and aims his weapon at an unknown target, leaving viewers to wonder who he is pointing his gun at in the final moments.
What the Show Is About
A Bona Fide Killer is based on a popular webtoon of the same name. The story follows Yu Bo Na, who appears to be an ordinary working mother. She is a manager in the sales team at Durumi Electronics and has been married to Kwon Tae Sung for five years. The couple has a four-year-old daughter.
What Kwon Tae Sung does not know is that his wife leads a double life. Yu Bo Na is secretly a legendary sniper called Kingfisher, part of a secret organization that eliminates criminals the law cannot touch. She is trying to leave her dangerous past behind and focus on her family life, but a new assignment and a copycat killer pull her back in.
Kwon Tae Sung, who works for a media company, gets assigned to cover the Kingfisher story. As he digs deeper into the sniper’s identity, he gets closer to the truth about his own wife. The show blends domestic comedy with action and thriller elements, building tension as Yu Bo Na‘s two worlds move closer to colliding.
A Story of Secrets and Family
The central conflict of the series comes from Yu Bo Na‘s attempt to protect her family while hiding who she really is. The arrival of Layla, a figure from her past in Russia, raises the stakes. Layla holds a deep grudge against Yu Bo Na and plans to take revenge, which forces Yu Bo Na to confront her past in order to keep her husband and daughter safe.
Lee Dong Jin, a detective, adds another layer to the story. He is investigating a series of murders that appear to be committed by a Kingfisher copycat. His path crosses with Yu Bo Na and Kwon Tae Sung as he gets closer to uncovering the truth about the original Kingfisher.
The drama’s mix of family moments and high-stakes action has resonated with viewers. Episode 13 ended with Director Oh Seong Nam shot in his office, and Dong Jin and his team arriving at the scene to realize that the Kingfisher copycat is still active.
How to Watch the Finale
Viewers in South Korea can watch the final episode of A Bona Fide Killer live on MBC at 9:40 p.m. KST on September 12. The episode will be 10 minutes longer than the standard runtime.
For international audiences, the show is available to stream on Viki and Kocowa Plus in supported regions, including the United States, Canada, and many other countries. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, French, and more than a dozen other languages. The series is rated PG-13 and falls under the action, crime and mystery, and drama genres.
A Bona Fide Killer is not currently available on Netflix in the United States as of September 2026. Viewers hoping to marathon the show will need to use Viki or Kocowa Plus. Kocowa generally posts episodes with less delay, while Viki tends to offer more detailed translations.
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Ratings Battle With Flex x Cop 2
The Friday-Saturday time slot has seen a consistent competition between A Bona Fide Killer and SBS’s Flex x Cop 2. On September 11, A Bona Fide Killer won the night with 9.6 percent against Flex x Cop 2‘s 6.4 percent. The previous week, on September 4, A Bona Fide Killer had 8.6 percent while Flex x Cop 2 stayed at 6.7 percent.
Over the course of its run, A Bona Fide Killer has consistently held the number one spot among miniseries airing in its slot. The show’s peak viewership reached 11.4 percent during episode nine’s gunshot cliffhanger on August 28, and it hit 12.2 percent in a key moment during episode seven. These peaks show that the show’s most intense scenes pulled in large numbers of viewers in real time.
The drama also ranked high in online buzz. Gong Hyo Jin and Jung Jun Won placed at number three and number seven, respectively, in TV-OTT buzz rankings during the show’s run, according to Good Data Corporation.
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