Introduction
I chose this drama as the first review article I wrote for this site because I feel that people may get confused when they watch the first few episodes and thus misunderstand the drama. Unless you read spoilers about what the first few episodes are about or read the Webtoon, you will not have any idea about the subplots or understand the characters introduced in the early episodes. However, that’s the charm of this drama! If many dramas get a strong start then things go down in the middle with disappointing endings, this is not the case with Light Shop. By the time you reach the middle of the drama, you will be enlightened and suddenly everything makes sense for you. Like the drama characters who wander scared and confused and find the warm and bright light shop in the middle of the dark alleyways.
Drama Info
Drama title: Light Shop (Native title: 조명가게 )
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Supernatural, Melodrama
Aired: Dec 4, 2024 - Dec 18, 2024
Episodes: 8 | Duration: 42 minutes
Adapted from the webtoon "Shop of the Lamp" ( 조명가게 ) by Kang Full ( 강풀 )
Director: Kim Hee Won ( 김희원 )
Screenwriter: Kang Full ( 강풀 )
Where to watch: Disney+ and Hulu
OSTs:
"Where the Wind Blows" ( 바람이 불어오는 곳 ) by Kim Kwang Seok ( 김광석 )
"When the Rain Stops" ( 이 비가 그칠 때쯤 ) by Kim Bo A ( 김보아 )
Trailer:
This drama is Kim Hee Won’s first debut as a director. What a great start for a newbie director! He is also an actor and, coincidentally, acted in another adaptation of Kang Full’s Webtoon Moving as the PE teacher working at the school that the young protagonists attend. The picture below shows Kim Hee Won (left) and Kang Full (right) posed together during Light Shop press release.
Synopsis
The series follows the story of a group of strangers who are all having a hard time processing a horrible experience from their past. Each of them is going about their normal lives when they are all strangely pulled into a light shop located at the end of a dubious alleyway. A cautious shopkeeper guards the light shop, which may contain the key to the strangers’ past, present, and future (Wikipedia).
Main Characters
All descriptions are translated from Namu Wiki. Order from the first appearances. No spoilers.
Ju Ji Hoon ( 주지훈 ) as Jung Won Yeong
The owner of the light shop, that is not turned off 24 hours a day 365 days a year. He has been in the business for a long time and quickly notices the characteristics of the mysterious customers who visit the store.
Park Bo Young ( 박보영 ) as Kwon Yeong Ji
A nurse working in the intensive care unit on the 8th floor of a university hospital.
She considers the recovery of patients to be the most important and tries not to lose her bright side anytime, anywhere. However, she encounters mysterious situations that occur in the ward where life and death coexist.
Kim Seol Hyun ( 김설현 ) as Lee Ji Yeong
A mysterious woman who always carries a suitcase and waits for someone.
Bae Sung Woo ( 배성우 ) as Yang Sung Sik
Seoul Eastern Police Station Detective Team Leader.
While investigating the death of an elderly man in the jurisdiction, an autopsy concluded that the death was natural. But in the eyes of the detective, all the circumstances were not natural. In the end, the case cannot be closed and an investigation is conducted to find clues.
Uhm Tae Goo ( 엄태구 ) as Kim Hyun Min
On his way home every night, he encounters a mysterious woman sitting at a bus stop and gradually develops an inexplicable curiosity towards her. He started talking to the woman he met every day at the same place. From then on, he started to feel strange and stranger.
Lee Jung Eun ( 이정은 ) as Jung Yu Hui
A woman who sends her daughter running errands to the light shop every day to buy light bulbs.
Kim Min Ha ( 김민하 ) as Yun Seon Hae
A screenwriter with a sensitive sense, who experiences strange things after moving to an old villa. Strange situations such as constantly breaking light bulbs and discovering traces of a stranger in the house lead to fear.
Park Hyuk Kwon ( 박혁권 ) as O Seung Won
A mysterious man who always wanders the dark alleys drenching wet.
Kim Dae Myung ( 김대명 ) as Kim Sang Hun
A man in his mid-30s. Although excluded as a murder suspect, he is suspected by Detective Yang Sung Sik of being a serial killer. He works in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant while hiding a secret.
Shin Eun Soo ( 신은수 ) as Ju Hyun Ju
A girl experiences strange things while stopping by the light shop every day to run errands for her mother.
Kim Seon Hwa ( 김선화 ) as Park Hye Won
A woman wandering through the dark alley wearing red shoes on a rainy night.
Kim Ki Hae ( 김기해 ) as Heo Ji Ung
A high school student who has to pass through a dark alley to get home. He encounters various characters wandering around the light shop.
Review
- The plot moves slowly in the first half of the drama to introduce many characters (Ep 1-4). However, that strategy paid off as viewers were invested in the characters in such a short drama. Thus, the revelations of their background stories are heartbreaking (Ep 5-8)
- The fact that the Webtoon creator is also the screenwriter is an advantage as he knew exactly what the actors should say (and act) to bring out the characters he created.
- Director Kim Hee Won did a great job in directing his first drama!
- The cast befitting the characters they played. Many of them are veterans in acting.
- The background music played a crucial role in maintaining the creepiness.
- The main OST (“Where the Wind Blows”) is light-hearted playing between a dark atmosphere and heavy themes. The choice of this song is somewhat ironic since the belated singer Kim Kwang Seok’s death is also mysterious between suicide and murder.
- The most important aspect of this drama is the top-notch cinematography since most scenes are dark and gloomy. The choice of bright colors (bright red shoes, a white gown, an orange basketball, hundreds of lights, a golden Labrador, glowing single light bulb) symbolizes hope in the darkness for certain characters. The dark cinematography also plays a crucial role in creating suspense and jump-scaring the audiences.
- The drama maintains its mystery, creepiness, and sad tones even until the very end
Conclusion
I conclude this recap and review article with some watching tips:
- Be patient while watching Ep 1 to 4. The pace and the vague introductions of the characters may leave you confused. Everything will be disclosed in the later episodes. No plot holes.
- Make notes for Ep 1 to 4 if you must.
- If you’re a scaredy-cat, don’t watch in the dark while you’re alone
- Do watch the post-ending credit of the last episode.
- Because of the mystery genre, avoid spoilers as much as possible. However, I close the article with some spoilers. Jump out of this article if you don’t want to be spoiled!
Spoilers
Ending spoiler:
Bittersweet but tie every loose end. I will give the reason in the next spoiler.
Detailed spoiler:
The light shop is not of this world but in the afterlife. All the characters but the nurse were either dead or comatose. In the end, all dead or dying characters either move on peacefully or become resentful spirits. Meanwhile, the ones who survived and alive are either move on without memories of their afterlife experiences or retain those memories.
Images credit: The images are linked to their sources; otherwise, they are taken from official posters and screenshots.
