# A Shop for Killers

A Shop for Killers (Korean: 킬러들의 쇼핑몰) is a 2024 South Korean action drama television series co-created, co-written and co-directed by Lee Kwon, and starring Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun. Based on a novel of the same Korean title by Kang Ji-young, the story is about a girl who lost her parents and grew up in the hands of her uncle who runs a suspicious online shop. The first season was released on Disney+ from January 17 to February 7, 2024. It is also available for streaming on Hulu in the United States. A second season has been confirmed in production.

## Plot

The story revolves around Jeong Ji-an, a young woman whose seemingly ordinary life changes dramatically after her uncle, Jeong Jin-man, dies unexpectedly.
Ji-an was raised by her uncle after her parents died when she was very young. He owned a seemingly ordinary shopping mall, but Ji-an soon discovers a dark secret: the mall was actually a front for a clandestine operation that provided weapons and equipment to professional killers.
With her uncle gone, Ji-an unwittingly inherits his dangerous legacy. She is pursued by a variety of individuals, including rival killers, powerful organizations, and even law enforcement, all of whom want to capitalize on her uncle's connections and the resources he left behind.
Forced to confront the truth about her uncle's past, Ji-an must navigate this treacherous world. She struggles with the moral ramifications of her uncle's actions while also attempting to survive and protect herself from the deadly threats that now surround her.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Lee Dong-wook as Jeong Jin-man
    A man who secretly runs an unusual shopping mall called Murthehelp and has been raising his niece, Ji-an.
* Kim Hye-jun as Jeong Ji-an
** Ahn Se-bin as child Jeong Ji-an
** Cho Si-yeon as 13-year-old Jeong Ji-an
    A young lady who grew up with her unusual uncle after losing her parents.

### Supporting

* Seo Hyun-woo as Lee Seong-jo
    A cold-blooded, top notch sniper.
* Jo Han-sun as Bale
    A notorious villain who is feared by other killers.
* Park Ji-bin as Bae Jeong-min
** Kim Ye-gyeom as child Jeong-min
    Ji-an's classmate who uncovers the identity of the shopping mall with his excellent hacking skills.
* Geum Hae-na [ko] as So Min-hye
    An S-class killer who specializes in guns, knives and bare-knuckle fighting.
* Lee Tae-young as Brother
** Kim Se-heon as child Brother
    A suspicious part-timer who has been managing the shopping mall with full of secrets without anyone knowing.
* Kim Min [ko] as Pasin
    Ji-an's Muay Thai teacher and Jin-man's longtime colleague.

#### Others

* Ahn Gil-kang as Lee Yong-han
    The leader of Babylon, a mercenary organization.
* Park Jeong-woo as Honda
    A mute who is Jin-man's colleague and Brother's older brother.
* Jung Yi-hun as Jun-cheol
    A member of the mercenary team who trusts and follows Jin-man.
* Kim Jun-bae [ko] as Mr. Kim
    A killer who has been through many hardships.
* Han Chul-woo as Ji-an's father
* Song Ah-kyung as Ji-an's mother
* Hwang Dong-hyun [ko] as Kuma
    A member of the mercenary team hired by Seong-jo.
* Kang Hee-se and Kang Hee-je [ko] as the twin killers.
* Park Sang-won as Kim Seong-hwan
    A new mercenary for Babylon.
* Hwang Dae-ki as Bongo

### Special appearances

* Cha Mi-kyung as Ji-an's grandmother
* Kim Han-jong as a taxi driver
* Kim Yoon-sung as Detective Park
* Cho Ji-an as Jun-myeon

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Murthehelp" Transliteration: "Meodeohelpeu" (Korean: 머더헬프) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | January 17, 2024 (2024-01-17) |
| 2 | "Jeong Jinman, Jeong Jinman, Jeong Jinman" Transliteration: "Jeong Jin-man, Jeong Jin-man, Jeong Jin-man" (Korean: 정진만, 정진만, 정진만) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | January 17, 2024 (2024-01-17) |
| 3 | "The Strong Don't Howl" Transliteration: "Ganghamyeon jitji an-a" (Korean: 강하면 짖지 않아) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | January 24, 2024 (2024-01-24) |
| 4 | "The Shopping Mall" Transliteration: "Syopingmol" (Korean: 쇼핑몰) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | January 24, 2024 (2024-01-24) |
| 5 | "Babylon" Transliteration: "Babillon" (Korean: 바빌론) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | January 31, 2024 (2024-01-31) |
| 6 | "Jeong Jinman" Transliteration: "Jeong Jin-man" (Korean: 정진만) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | January 31, 2024 (2024-01-31) |
| 7 | "Trap" Transliteration: "Hamjeong" (Korean: 함정) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | February 7, 2024 (2024-02-07) |
| 8 | "Listen Up, Jian" Transliteration: "Jal deul-eo, Jeong Ji-an" (Korean: 잘 들어, 정지안) | Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeob | Ji Ho-jin & Lee Kwon | February 7, 2024 (2024-02-07) |

## Production
### Development

A Shop for Killers was developed under the working title The Killers' Shopping Mall, is co-directed by Lee Kwon and Noh Kyu-yeop, co-written by Ji Ho-jin and Lee, co-produced by Merrychristmas (a subsidiary of A2Z Entertainment) and Project Onion, and provided by The Walt Disney Company Korea [ko].
In February 2024, director Lee Kwon said in an interview that they were closely discussing the possibility to produce a second season. Ten months later, Disney+ confirmed the production of the series' second season.

### Casting

In November 2022, Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun were reportedly cast for the series which will be released on a global OTT platform. Lee and Kim were announced in the lead roles in May 2023. In December 2023, Seo Hyun-woo, Jo Han-sun, Park Ji-bin, Geum Hae-na, and Kim Min [ko] were revealed to play various roles in the series.

### Filming

Principal photography for the first season took place between January and June 2023. The second season will begin filming in April 2025.

## Original soundtrack

On January 26, 2024, it was announced that music director Primary participated for the scoring of A Shop for Killers. In addition, Primary said that he used instruments that can highlight each character's unique charm in the right place. To express the rough and complete appearance of Jin-man, he used masculine guitar sounds, then for Ji-an, who is not yet fully mature, he used an analog synthesizer to bring out an unrefined feeling, and lastly for Bale, the villain of the series, emphasized the character's extremely evil appearance with the dull tone of the cello.

### Album

The soundtrack album of A Shop for Killers was released on February 16, 2024; it contains all of the singles and background tracks from the series.

#### Track listing
## Release

A Shop for Killers was released worldwide on Disney+ on January 17, 2024. It was also released on Hulu in the United States.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. Joel Keller of Decider stated that the series "keeps things pretty straightforward to start, which leaves a lot of room for some good action scenes and some exploration of its two main characters". Sayantan Gayen of Comic Book Resources wrote that it "still has miles to go" but "how things will line up, the first two episodes successfully make viewers anxious to get their hands on the next installment". Sarah Musnicky of But Why Tho? gave a score of 7.5 out of 10 and described the series as "action-packed, featuring characters that will sway you, piss you off, and lure you in". Writing for South China Morning Post, Pierce Conran gave the series a score of 3 out of 5 and stated that the series "seduced us with its stylish opening", but "after getting into and making it all the way to the end, some viewers may now be feeling buyer's remorse". Puah Ziwei of NME opined it "a thrilling K-drama set in a mysterious murder mystery", however, "the series has logical inconsistencies and plot holes, such as Ji-an's change of name and Jin-man's peculiar possessions and behaviors".

### Viewership

Disney+ announced that the series was the most viewed local original on the platform in the Asia Pacific region in 2024, until it was surpassed by Light Shop in December.

### Accolades
#### Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Seo Hyun-woo | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2024 | Best Supporting Actress | Geum Hae-na | Won |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2024 | Best New Actress | Kim Hye-jun | Nominated |

#### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Cine21 | 2024 | Top 10 Series of 2024 | 8th place |
| NME | 2024 | The 10 best K-dramas of 2024 – so far | Included |
| NME | 2024 | The 10 best Korean dramas of 2024 | 7th place |
| South China Morning Post | 2024 | The 15 best K-dramas of 2024 | 15th place |
| Time Magazine | 2024 | The 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | 4th place |