Our Self-Portrait, Manager Kim
The Story of Manager Kim
One Year After Retirement, I Met Myself in a Korean Drama
December marks one full year since I stepped away from my long corporate career. Around that time, someone told me:
“You should watch this trending drama. It’s called ‘The Story of Manager Kim, Who Works at a Big Corporation and Owns a House in Seoul.’”
At first, I didn’t understand why the recommendation was directed at me.
But after a chaotic week and a full binge-watch session, I finally realized it.
The story held my own reflection and the portrait of countless middle-aged workers in this era.
At First, It Felt Like Someone Else’s Story
During the early episodes, I felt little connection.
Sales departments, promotion competitions, performance pressure… these weren’t exactly familiar to me.
I even thought I resembled Deputy Chief Oh Sang-shik from the drama Misaeng much more than Manager Kim.
But as the episodes continued and the inner struggles of Kim Naksu unfolded,
a quiet sense of familiarity began rising from deep within.
“The moment you realize that despite all your hard work, you can still be discarded.”
“The moment you face the truth that your efforts were not purely for the company, but driven by your own longing for promotion.”
His story was not someone else’s.
It was mine.
I Believed I Worked for My Family, but What I Really Protected Was My Pride
Manager Kim believed he lived for his family.
But in reality, he had been fighting desperately to protect his fragile pride without even realizing it.
After retirement, I saw the same pattern in myself.
I always said I had no desire for promotion, yet deep down I carried expectations.
I remembered those silent moments of hope and anxiety while trying to comfort myself with the words “you’re doing fine.”
Unable to acknowledge my exhaustion, I repeated
“I’m doing this for my family”
like a machine programmed to endure.
“Just Tell Him He Did Well”
The First Tear and an Honest Moment
One scene left a deep impression:
Manager Kim returning home after signing a voluntary retirement agreement.
His wife gradually senses the truth.
Without thinking, I whispered:
“Just tell him he did well… that’s all he needs.”
Before I finished saying it, tears were already falling.
I had acted fine after retirement, but somewhere inside me, a small wound had remained.
Was it midlife?
Old emotions resurfacing?
Maybe both.
It Was Not the Company That Hurt Me, but Myself
Eventually, Manager Kim acknowledges his panic disorder.
His monologue sounded like a message to me:
“I tried so hard to protect my foolish pride.”
I realized the same.
It wasn’t the company, nor my superiors.
I was the one who imprisoned myself with expectations and pride.
His Path and Mine
In the drama, Manager Kim chooses a car-washing job—laying down all social masks and beginning the search for his true self.
In my reality, I chose writing and studying.
Different paths, yet ultimately the same journey:
the journey of rediscovering myself.
A Journey to Find My Inner Manager Kim
My blog title is “A Journey Toward My Dreams.”
Only now do I understand its deeper meaning.
There exists a “Manager Kim” inside me as well:
The version of me that longed for recognition,
that endured for pride’s sake,
that hid personal insecurities behind the excuse of “doing it for the family,”
and the version that now wants to live more honestly.
Today, I continue moving quietly, following the small voice inside me,
walking toward a more authentic version of myself.
For Your Dream Life
by Dream Max
