Disney Plus and Hulu’s A Shop For Killers has K-drama fans hooked on its storyline, but the finale also left some major unanswered questions with its cliffhanger ending, setting up a potential Season 2.
By the finale of the K-drama, Ji-an learns the gravity of the secret life her uncle lived. Babylon and a series of mercenaries attack their home to take over the weapons store, leaving Ji-an and the others to try and fend for themselves.
Ji-an must decide the fate of her future. Run and start over or stay to fight. A Shop For Killers ended with Ji-an becoming the new manager and putting an end to Babylon’s attack, but a surprise twist changes everything.
The K-drama revealed the return of Jin-man, who was presumed dead and started the whole ordeal. A Shop For Killers left more than enough to explore in Season 2. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
How is Jin-man alive?
The K-drama ended with a bruised and beaten-up Jin-man arriving back home after the ordeal with Babylon – proving he never died.
A Shop For Killer’s main storyline kicks off because of Jin-man’s supposed suicide. It forces Ji-an to return home to confirm the body, have the funeral, and learn the truth about the weapons store. It’s safe to say that Jin-man’s death was a cataclysmic event.
But you may have realized how the K-drama teased that Jin-man’s story was far from over. When learning he’s dead, even Ji-an doesn’t want to believe it. She knew her uncle of all people wouldn’t die by suicide. The circumstances of his death were also peculiar.
Per Jung-min’s story, he used AI software to trick Jin-man into thinking Ji-an was in danger. It led Jin-man to call Pasin to tell him he didn’t have to pay back his debt. The next scene shows Jin-man dead in the tub, having used his knife to slit his throat. An odd aspect of the story is how many times Jin-man listened to the recording of Ji-an, as if analyzing it.
When Ji-an goes to see the body, she also questions why he slit his throat as most people go for the wrists. All the small details soon make sense as the A Shop For Killer finale reveals that Jin-man is alive but in rough shape.
How did he survive? And where has he been? If he was alive, you may have thought he would go to save Ji-an. But by the state of him leaving the cab, he’s been through his own battle.
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OUT OF CONTEXT SPOILER⚠️#AShopForKillers #AShopForKillersep8THE DETECTIVE WHO TOLD JIAN THE AUTOPSY RESULTS IS LITERALLY HIS FREN IM CRYINGG pic.twitter.com/LW3mNNW4uY
— a✶༉ (@ohohdaegi) February 7, 2024
A fan on X/Twitter made the connection that the detective who helped Jin-man out of the car was also the person who informed Ji-an of the autopsy report.
“THE DETECTIVE WHO TOLD JIAN THE AUTOPSY RESULTS IS LITERALLY HIS FREN IM CRYINGG,” said the fan.
It may be that Jin-man made his death appear like a suicide to alert Babylon. He likely knew they would all attack the house, and Ji-an and the others could win. But why?
What happened to Bale?
Bale has a vendetta against Jin-man and vows to be the one to kill him, but in the A Shop For Killers finale, he never appears.
In the K-drama, flashbacks help explain Jin-man’s past as a mercenary and his complications with Bale. Jin-man was led to believe he had died in the building explosion but he returned home to protect his family. But he later learned the truth: Bale was alive and turned his old team against him. They developed plans to murder Jin-man’s family to root him out.
They killed his mother, brother, and sister-in-law, and tried to with Ji-an. But when Jin-man goes to visit his old superior with the threat of murdering his family, he makes a call to Bale. Bale is told that Jin-man would stop killing their old comrades in exchange for a ceasefire. In agreement, Bale hangs back and leads Jin-man to create the store.
When Jin-man dies, you would also expect Bale to take advantage to infiltrate the house and kill Ji-an. But he never shows. Our theory? It was all according to Jin-man’s plan.
He faked his death to alert Babylon and allow Ji-an to learn the truth. He knew all the mercenaries would attack the house and leave Bale alone. Knowing he trained Ji-an and the others would help, he trusted that they would win. Jin-man instead took the opportunity to likely attack Bale on his own and end it for good. He knew Bale would stop at nothing to kill Ji-an.
The reason he returns wounded is likely because of his fight with Bale. But the K-drama never explores this storyline. A Shop For Killers Season 2 could take place with Jin-man’s storyline of how he developed the plan and executed it. A Season 2 would also explain where Pasin and Min-hye are, as they disappeared when the fight ended.