“Only the weak bark. The strong don’t. You must be strong. Whatever makes you scared, keep your eyes open and face it.”
Disney+ A Shop For Killers (2024) is an action-mystery series that follows an uncle who runs a suspicious shopping mall and his niece who lives with him after losing her parents. The niece suddenly arrives home with the sudden passing of her uncle and learns the real identity of the culprit. It is based on the novel, “The Killer’s Shopping Mall” by Kang Ji Young.
Having seen four episodes thus far, here are some key points and insights about the drama:
Screenplay/Plotline
The narrative of A Shop For Killers (2024) revolves around a mysterious uncle named Jeong Jinman (Lee Dong-wook) who runs a suspicious online shopping mall and is found dead one day at his home, and niece Jeong Jian (Kim Hye-jun) who was raised by her uncle Jinman after losing her parents at a young age.
At first, Uncle Jinman and niece Jian lived like strangers, avoiding and not talking to each other, but eventually grew closer after the bullying cases that Jian experienced in school. Although Uncle Jinman appeared indifferent towards his niece, he always comes to the rescue and defends or comforts her.
Uncle Jinman (Lee Dong-wook) fully supports his niece’s financial needs especially schooling. However, Jian (Kim Hye-jun) makes her own extra money by working several odd jobs. Besides being diligent, she’s also a brave girl who trains hard to learn fighting skills with her uncle’s friend, Pasin, who knows Muay Thai.
When Uncle Jinman (Lee Dong-wook) suddenly died, niece Jian (Kim Hye-jun) inherits her uncle’s house, storage building with a hidden basement that keeps dangerous possessions, and the suspicious shopping mall secretly called “murthehelp”. However, she suddenly finds herself the central target of unknown hitmen who want her dead, chasing after her, while she discovers more shocking truths surrounding her uncle’s demise.
Meanwhile, the fighting skills she gained from Muay Thai training, including slingshot, firearm, and life instructions from uncle enabled her to deal with unknown assassins and defend self.
The plotline along with its cinematography, style, and color grading somehow remind me of another Disney+ original series, Moving (2023), which provides engaging action scenes, a sense of mystery and thrill with twists and turns, intriguing enough to make viewers anticipate the next episodes. It leads you to ask the questions: Who are these mysterious people chasing and killing each other? What makes Uncle Jinman a central target of this dangerous operation? Why go after the niece, Jian?
Performances
The chemistry between Uncle Jinman (Lee Dong-wook) and niece Jian (Kim Hye-jun) is one of the strongest points of the show. It’s heartwarming to watch their relationship grow or evolve from aloofness to closeness and from detachment to attachment. To add, their adorable bickering.
Lee Dong-wook shows a simple but powerfully intriguing presence in this series. Although he’s a seasoned actor when it comes to action scenes, his role as a mysterious businessman and a distant but warm uncle stand out strongly. His practical teachings to his niece about independence and survival tips during tough times add depth to his complex character.
I’ve only seen Kim Hye-jun perform once in Netflix’s Kingdom (2019-2020) where she played the power-hungry Queen Consort Cho. Her transformation is evident in A Shop For Killers (2024), appearance and performance, which I find really impressive. She’s an amazing talent.
Theme/Message
Although A Shop For Killers (2024) is an action-mystery series, it has its unique way of evoking emotions through the bond of Uncle Jinman (Lee Dong-wook) and niece Jian (Kim Hye-jun), which adds soul to the narrative.
Uncle Jinman (Lee Dong-wook) may seem detached and cold in appearance, but he carries profound wisdom, teaching his niece some life hacks to stand against dangers with confidence and stability. And knowing he might be gone soon due to his nature of work, he equips his niece with necessary independent living skills to prepare her in taking responsibility and directing her own life.
Niece Jian (Kim Hye-jun) inspires with her resilience to live and survive despite losing her parents at a young age and eventually, her uncle, when she’s only 21 and faced with danger. She works diligently to earn extra money and trains hard to master warrior skills. She also gets to recharge strength everytime she remembers her uncle’s words:
“Listen up, Jian. Only the weak bark. The strong don’t. You must be strong. Whatever makes you scared, keep your eyes open and face it.”
“Listen up, Jian. When you’re in a difficult situation, instead of arguing over right and wrong, it’s important to find a way to solve the problem and overcome the situation.”
Conclusion
Disney+ A Shop For Killers (2024) is an action-packed series revolving around a suspicious online shopping mall and mysterious people, hunting each other. Besides the excellent production, it also highlights the heartwarming journey and strong chemistry between Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun as uncle-niece.
Superb performances, intriguing characters, touching life insights, and a great show thus far!
A review by Myra Bansale for KORB Blog | Instagram | Twitter
Screenwriters: Ji Ho-jin, Lee Kwon | Directors: Lee Kwon, No Kyu-yeob | Original network/Images: Disney+
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