The much-awaited Disney Plus K-drama A Shop for Killers aired two brand new episodes (1 and 2) on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 5 p.m. KST. The series started intensely, documenting the story of the lead character. The drama follows the story of a young college student named Jeong Ji-An (Kim Hye-Jun), who hears of her uncle Jeong Jin-Man’s (Lee Dong-Wook) death. However, she only begins to discover the secrets of his profession after he leaves.
Episodes 1 and 2 of A Shop for Killers document Jeong Jin-Man and Jeong Ji-An’s journey from her childhood to the time the latter hears about his passing. She grows suspicious about her uncle’s case being ruled out as suicide but begins to discover more about his profession. More characters also tease their visits in the first two episodes of the series, promising an engaging journey. Jeong Ji-An battles her uncle’s enemies, who have now made her their target.
A Shop for Killers Episode 1 & 2: Kim Hye-Jun discovers new secrets after Lee Dong-Wook’s death
The premiere episode of A Shop for Killers begins with an announcement about firearms training by the Defense Forces, asking people to evacuate to a safe location. The scene proceeds to document an attack on Jeong Jin-Man’s house, where Jeong Ji-An currently resides. However, Ji-An isn’t alone in the house. She has her childhood best friends Bae Jung-Min and Min-Hye, who both look injured.
Ji-An thinks of her uncle Jeong Jin-Man’s guidance and follows his advice, only to find a gun and point it back at the attacker. The scene then shifts to a flashback story of Ji-An hearing about her uncle Jin-Man’s death. On her way to see him, she reflects on her last conversation with her uncle at her college, when Jin-Man asked her to remember her school ID number. She soon sees his dead body and discovers that he’s committed suicide by slitting his neck. However, Ji-An finds it suspicious. But she doesn’t bother to look at the autopsy report.
Ji-An reaches home only for Bae Jung-Min, her childhood friend, to greet her. Apparently, he’d worked for Jin-Man to revamp a website. He tries to comfort her, assuring her that he’ll clean the washroom where his uncle was found dead. Later, she takes care of his funeral proceedings, while Jung-Min finds a phone in the washroom. During the funeral, she meets several people associated with Jin-Man.
After she reaches home, Jung-Min hands her the phone, which contains messages of money transfers of around 70 million and her uncle’s bank balance amounting to over 18 billion. She finds it suspicious that her uncle can make that kind of money by selling hoses. Ji-An seeks Jung-Min’s help to check Jin-Man’s revamped website. The two find out that Jin-Man is selling weapons to people. They also opened a website named “Murthehelp,” a name she saw tattooed on her uncle’s dead body.
Ji-An receives a message from someone threatening to kill her. Min-Hye visits them, pretending to be Jin-Man’s Chinese tutor. The scene shifts to multiple drones heading to her house. The premiere episode ends with Jin-Man spending time with his family, including a small Ji-An.
Episode 2 begins with Jin-Man and his family hearing the news of his mother’s death. He suspects foul play, but his elder brother thinks she died because she previously suffered from cancer. Jin-Man’s sister-in-law asks him to take Ji-An to his place while they complete the funeral arrangements. While Jin-Man takes Ji-An home, an unknown visitor arrives at the funeral. At home, Jin-Man receives a call but advises Ji-An to only open the door when his friend arrives, who can solve her riddle.
What follows is a potential attack on Ji-An before Jin-Man’s friend arrives. He asks her to stay in a room. But Ji-An opens the door to find that her life is in danger. When the goons arrive to kill her, she escapes through the window. But Ji-An gets into an accident and is admitted to the hospital. There, she smells danger and hides inside a morgue, beside a dead body. She discovers then that it’s her mother. Her parents were also killed during the funeral.
Eventually, Jin-Man comes to her rescue. She lives with him from then on but faces mental health struggles that leave her mute. Jin-Man believes she needs to overcome this herself, and she soon does. The bond between the two only grows stronger. The scene then shifts to the present when Ji-An faces a threat to her life.
After sending Min-Hye away, Ji-An and Jung-Min discover more about the website. It can only be operated by authorized personnel with the operator’s code. Each code, distinguished by color, has a specific purpose. They go through three codes out of four: red, purple, and yellow, which serve different weapons. The fourth and final code, green, is inaccessible. People who receive codes on the website must never attack the green code. If they do, they must risk their lives to protect Code Green, who are Jin-Man and Ji-An.
The episode ends with an attack on the two and a possible murder plan hatched to kill Ji-An.
To watch what happens next, don’t forget to tune in to A Shop for Killers on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 5 p.m. KST on Disney Plus.
