Binge-worthy: K-drama Light Shop an illuminating supernatural series about the afterlife

Light Shop (NC16)

Disney+
★★★☆☆

South Korean mystery Light Shop plays on the idiom “light at the end of the tunnel”. In this supernatural series, the source of light is a light shop in an abandoned, dark alley.

Six strangers trapped in an eerie neighbourhood take turns to visit the light shop, manned by an enigmatic owner played by Ju Ji-hoon (Blood Free, 2024), who wears sunglasses at night because all the lights in the store are too bright.

The visitors have a reason to be at the shop, but not all know why and what leads them there.

Created by South Korean webtoon artist-writer Kang Full, Light Shop was released on Disney+ on Dec 4. According to the streamer, the eight-episode series became Disney+’s most popular original K-drama of 2024 within 12 days of its release.

Light Shop is the second-most popular South Korean series to premiere on Disney+ globally, trailing behind the acclaimed fantasy-action drama Moving, which was also created by Kang Full and released on the streaming service in August 2023.

Here are three reasons to binge on Light Shop.

1. Intriguing, emotional story

The brooding story can be divided into two parts. The first four episodes set up the scene and introduce the mysterious characters.

There is a lady with long black hair and wearing a white dress who sits at the same bus stop.

A high school student is harassed by different people on her way home every night, only to be told by the light shop owner that they are ghosts. 

Another student wanders aimlessly around the neighbourhood after dark. 

Guessing who and what they are, and why and how they are stuck in that spooky alley adds intrigue to the story. 

There is a thrill when the plot finally unravels in the second act and the dots are connected. Mystery and scary moments aside, the story is also a heart-warming tale of sacrificial parental love and the longing to be together. 

It is at the light shop that the characters find their closure and decide if they want to leave the light shop world and go into the afterlife. 

2. Stellar cast

The amazing ensemble cast ties the series together. Ju holds the fort in the alley, while Park Bo-young (Daily Dose Of Sunshine, 2023) plays a nurse who has an integral connection with the six strangers. 

Kim Min-ha (Pachinko, 2022 to 2024) is a screenwriter trapped in a house, while Bae Seong-woo is a detective trying to piece the puzzle together.

There is also veteran actress Lee Jung-eun (Parasite, 2019), whose story arc is revealed at the climax, which will make you reach out for that box of tissues.

3. Kang Full universe

Though Kang Full gives a cryptic answer when asked if Light Shop exists in the same universe as Moving, he drops a clue in the post-credit scene of Light Shop – Go Youn-jung, a protagonist in Moving, has a brief appearance in the police station where Bae works. 

Incidentally, Kim Hee-won, who plays Go’s teacher in Moving, is the director of Light Shop. 

Season 2 of Moving is currently in development. Though the plot is under wraps, fans are excited to see how both worlds will collide.