[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] For the young people who had been competing to reach the top, the answer they ultimately found was music that comforted others. tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama “Four Hands” came to a close with the reunion of characters who overcame their wounds and guilt to rediscover their own music. The finale recorded the show’s highest-ever viewership rating.
According to Nielsen Korea on the 5th, the final episode of “Four Hands,” which aired the previous day, recorded a nationwide average viewership rating of 9.4% and a peak rating of 10.6% on paid platforms. In the Seoul metropolitan area, it averaged 10% with a peak of 11.4%. It ranked first in its time slot across all channels—including terrestrial broadcasters—in both the nationwide and Seoul metropolitan areas. Nationwide, it also maintained its position as the number one show in its time slot among cable and general programming channels for the 12th consecutive episode. Viewership ratings among men and women aged 20–49—tvN’s primary target demographic—also topped all channels in the same time slot in both the nationwide and Seoul metropolitan areas.

◇Music of Comfort Over the Stage of Glory
In the final episode, pianist Kang Bi-o (played by Song Kang) attempted to give up music following the death of his grandfather, Kang Seung-woon (played by Jung Jin-young). He was overwhelmed by guilt, believing that even his mother’s decision to orchestrate the kidnapping of Choi Jeong-yo (played by Lee Jun-young) stemmed from his own choices.
It was Choi Jeong-yo who brought him back to the piano. Choi Jeong-yo persuaded him to let go of his guilt, explaining that he had regained the ability to play through treatment. At their hideout in Nakwon Shopping Center, the two sat side by side at the same piano for the first time in nine years and performed a four-hand piece. Their relationship—long strained by competition and hurt—was effectively mended in that moment of playing together.
However, Choi Jeong-yo resigned from his position as conductor of the Korea Symphony Orchestra and left. He left only a letter expressing his desire to create music that would truly comfort others. Later, Kang Bi-o belatedly learned that Choi Jeong-yo’s recovery had been a temporary result achieved through injections that carried side effects.
Three years later, Kang Bi-o became a pianist who traveled to places in need of music. Hong Jae-in (played by Jang Gyu-ri) continued on her own path as the head of a management agency supporting talented musicians. Kang Bi-o uploaded a video of himself performing “Nemesis,” a piece composed by Choi Jeong-yo, online and set out to find him using a postcard from abroad as a clue. The two met again at a cathedral in a foreign country. There, Choi Jeong-yo was making music with the choir.
The finale depicted characters whose standards of success had changed. The young people, who had once been tied to big stages and recognition, moved toward caring for themselves and others through music. The duet implied by the title expanded, by the end, to signify a relationship built on mutual understanding and togetherness.

◇The Growing Pains of Youth Captured in Classical Music
“Four Hands” followed the relationships of three friends from age 17 to 27, exploring the wounds left by friendship and competition. While writer Shin Yi-won drove the story forward with plot twists and surprises, director Park Hyun-seok unfolded the characters’ evolving emotions over time through musical performances.
Song Kang, Lee Jun-young, and Jang Gyu-ri portrayed their characters’ transformations as they navigated the expectations of adolescence and the frustrations of adulthood. Yoon Se-ah, Jung Jin-young, Seo Jae-hee, Kim Ju-heon, and others revealed the realities faced by the young characters through the desires and conflicts of the adults in the music industry.
Classical music served to convey the emotions the characters could not put into words. The melodies of the piano, viola, and orchestra bridged the tension of competition and the emotions of reunion, bringing out the essence of a musical drama. The final four-hand piano performance also served as a pivotal scene illustrating the evolution of their relationships.
The show also maintained its buzz. According to the TV and OTT buzz rankings released by Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex as of the 29th of last month, it ranked first for five consecutive weeks. In the drama cast buzz rankings, Lee Jun-young and Song Kang took first and second place, respectively. As of the 28th of last month, cumulative views of drama-related videos exceeded 870 million.
“Four Hands” captures the anxieties of youth—anxieties that cannot be resolved simply by winning a competition—through music. By having each character find the performance and role they desire by the end, the drama portrays growth as a process of choosing one’s own path in life.