A Shop for Killers (2024) K Drama Episode 1

Based on The Killer’s Shopping Mall by Kim Ji Young, this action thriller Korean drama (킬러들의 쇼핑몰) stars Lee Dong Wook and Kim Hye Jun in lead roles. The screenplay is written by Ji Ho Jin & Lee Kwon, and the drama is directed by Lee Kwon and Noh Gyu Yeob. The Disney+ series also stars Kim Hye Joon, Seo Hyun Woo, Park Ji Binand others and is expected to have 8 episodes.
Well known Korean actor Lee Dong  Wook was last seen in the 2023 sequel series Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938, while Kim Hye Jun was last seen in 2022’s Connect and 2021’s Inspector Koo.

The series follows college student Jung Ji An, who, after becoming an orphan, is taken in by her uncle as a child. However, after her uncle’s sudden and mysterious death, she suddenly becomes a target of assassins all hell bent on killing her. Now, vising the childhood home that she shared with her uncle, she must make use of the survival training that her uncle made her go through in order to stay alive long enough to find out the truth behind the mysterious shopping mall that her uncle ran and whether that has anything to do with the misfortune that she and her family have gone through.

The episode opens with a live firearm training announcement in a small town. As we glance around, we see that the place is almost empty and the broken boundary wall of one house. A group of men are next seen walking down a field with firearms while someone keeps an eye on the house. It’s clear that there’s a target everyone is extremely interested in, and that target turns out to be Jeong Ji An, who look traumatised as she looks around at the different assassins lying around her house.

As she tries to focus, she remembers Jeong Ji Man’s advice about using blind spots to her advantage. She lures the shooter to give away his approximate location and uses his blind spot to make an exit. She is successful and pushes the couch over to find a gun hidden underneath. Of course, she uses it to shoot the assassin down.

We then shift to a time before this mess when Ji An gets caught by the police for assaulting a man who tried to creep inside the women’s bathroom. The police ask her to call her guardians, and she calls her uncle, only to learn about his sudden demise. As she makes her way back to her childhood home, she thinks back to Jin Man’s crazy decisions (like buying an iron wardrobe in case it rains bullets) and how he would protect her in his own way. She remembers the last thing he told her – her student ID number.

As she proceeds with the funeral proceedings in a daze, she finds a mysterious tattoo (murthehelp) on Jin Man that makes her wonder. As she sits outside the house, Bae Jeong Min stops by and helps her with finding a picture for his funeral. He tells her that he has been helping her uncle with his agricultural website and that he was the one who called the police. At the funeral, she finds a mysterious flower arrangement from Comrade Lee Yong Han. As the funeral proceeds, there are more odd things that feel out of place. At home, Jeong Min finds a cell phone in the medicine cabinet.

After a rather brutal day, Ji An finds herself lost in memories in her now empty home and eventually breaks down as she finds herself alone. Jeong min makes a sudden entry with the phone, and she tearfully asks him to stay for a while. After resting for a while, she looks at the messages and finds ou that his uncle has 18.7 billion won in his account, leaving both of them shocked. She immediately asks to look at the website, and Jeong Min uses his technical knowledge to find a site on the dark web. They realised, much to their dismay, that Jin Man sold weapons.

Just then, they get a text on the website asking about a shipment, and when Ji An informs them that the shop will be closed, they ask whether Jin Nam is dead. Shocked, they close the website, but just then someone rings the doorbell. It’s a woman named Min Hye who tries to strong arm her way into the house. The last scene showcases Min Hye at the door while Ji An gets a text telling her to hide and that they will be killing Ji An.

We are taken back to a time when Ji An was 7 years old. As Jin Man gets roasted by his mother and brother for not visiting, he gets into a chopstick with the little girl over barbeque meat, and he asks her to remember his name as she enjoys her food. Jin man’s fondness for his niece is clear as he smiles at her, making faces at him.

A Shop For Killers Episode 1 Review
Well, what a thrilling start to this series! While most would find the funeral portion of the episode a bit slow, I must say that the way it went for 1 to 100 is quite fun. The episode leaves us without answers at first but the moment Ji An puts on that tracksuit combo, viewers will be left excited with anticipation, thanks to that excellent opening sequence. I really liked the opening action; it gives us a little context, confuses us and makes us wait for the action to unravel as we are given a sneak peek.

I last saw Kim Hye Jun in Detective Koo, whose only saving grace was Hye Jun’s character and her excellent acting. She genuinely gave me the creeps in that series, although the less said about everything else, the better. Meanwhile, Lee Dong Wook has always been a heartthrob and continues to be so. His character in this series is shrouded in mystery at the moment, and he fits into the role of the mysterious man instantly.