Light Shop (2024)

Light Shop – Horror, Heartbreak, and the Light That Never Dies

There are ghost stories, and then there are stories about ghosts—tales that don’t just try to scare you but burrow under your skin, whispering truths about grief, loss, and the things that refuse to let go. Light Shop belongs to the latter. It isn’t just a horror drama; it’s a quiet, haunting meditation on pain and redemption, where ghosts are not mere specters but wounds that refuse to heal. Wrapped in dreamlike cinematography, masterful performances, and a script that thrives on restraint, this eight-episode drama isn’t long, but every frame lingers. Like light bending through glass, it fractures and refracts, showing grief from all angles—beautiful, tragic, and inescapable.

At the heart of Light Shop is Park Bo-young, who plays an ICU nurse with the ability to see ghosts. She is the flickering warmth in this story, a lone candle against the dark. If you’ve seen her in Daily Dose of Sunshine, you’ll recognize the same quiet tenderness, but here, it’s tempered with exhaustion—a woman who has seen too much, felt too much, yet still stands. Park Bo-young doesn’t just act; she breathes life into every weary glance, every hesitant step between fear and compassion. Her character isn’t fearless—she’s just tired of running from things only she can see.

And then there’s Seolhyun, playing a vengeful ghost who drifts between sorrow and wrath. A woman wronged, she moves like a shadow, her presence both ethereal and unsettling. Yet, much like Kim Tae-ri in Revenant, there’s something almost too luminous about her rage—too tragically beautiful to be terrifying. It’s as if her grief is so overwhelming, so consuming, that it strips her of the ability to be monstrous. Instead, she is a porcelain figure with fractures spreading across the surface, on the verge of shattering but never quite breaking. It’s haunting in its own way, not because she is terrifying, but because she is achingly human, even in death.

Shin Eun-soo, the young high school girl unknowingly entangled in supernatural forces, brings a layer of innocence and fragility to the story. Her performance is subtle but effective—she is the unwitting participant in a fate she never asked for, drawn into the Light Shop’s orbit without realizing its gravity. And then there’s Lee Jung-eun, playing her mother with a depth that only she can bring. There’s a moment—wordless, agonizing—where her grief is so thick it suffocates the air itself. She doesn’t need to speak. Her face carries the weight of a thousand unsaid things, and in that moment, time seems to stand still. That’s the power of an actress who doesn’t perform emotions but inhabits them.

Holding it all together is Ju Ji-hoon as the enigmatic owner of the Light Shop. He is both guide and prisoner, the keeper of secrets wrapped in the quiet melancholy of a man who has seen too much. His presence looms over the drama, not through action, but through the sheer weight of his silence. The Light Shop itself is more than a location—it’s a liminal space between life and death, a place where memories linger and unfinished business demands resolution. And when his past unfolds in the penultimate episode, it’s a revelation that lands like a whispered tragedy, quiet yet devastating.

Visually, Light Shop is a masterpiece in contrasts. Shadows stretch long, light flickers in the periphery, and every frame feels deliberately composed, like a painting where every brushstroke matters. One of the most unforgettable scenes is when Seolhyun’s character attempts to piece her lover’s body back together, her sorrow playing out against the flickering lines of an ECG monitor. It’s more than just imagery; it’s a desperate attempt to rewind time, to hold onto love even as death has already made its claim. This is what Light Shop does so well—it doesn’t just show grief, it makes you feel its weight in every detail.

But for all its brilliance, Light Shop is not without its drawbacks. Its brevity is both a strength and a limitation. At only eight episodes, it doesn’t waste time with filler, but it also doesn’t leave much room for deeper character backstories. Some relationships feel like fragments of a larger painting, glimpsed but not fully explored. There’s an almost frustrating beauty in its restraint, like being given a glimpse of something profound but never the full picture.

And yet, Light Shop knows exactly what it wants to be. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, nor does it dilute its themes with unnecessary detours. Every element serves a purpose, and what it lacks in extended storytelling, it makes up for in emotional impact. And that impact hits hardest in the final episodes. The plot twist isn’t just a surprise; it’s a shift in emotional weight, an unraveling that pulls everything into focus. The destination changes just when you think you understand where the story is leading, and the heartbreak it delivers is as unexpected as it is inevitable.

This isn’t just a ghost story. It’s a story about people haunted by the living, by the past, by the weight of things left unsaid. It’s about the love that lingers, the wounds that never quite close, and the flickering hope that, even in death, something remains. Light Shop may be short, but it leaves an imprint that lingers far beyond its final frame.

Final Score: 8.5/10

Not just a horror drama, but an elegy for the grieving. A hauntingly beautiful experience that reminds us that even in darkness, light persists.

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How to tell a story and flip it up but not mess up?

The Beginning:
The show starts out very mysteriously, leading the viewer to believe it’s a horror story. We are introduced to most of the characters and their perceptions of the surrounding environment (innocent students walking in a dark valley, a man chasing a noisy dog, etc.). It initially feels like a horror story about a dark valley and a light shop at the end, but it soon turns out to be much bigger than that.

The Middle:
The story takes another turn when we begin to catch glimpses of the relationships between the characters. While it still carries a horror vibe, there’s something different about it. A distinction emerges between the characters, with one seeming completely normal while the other feels off (dead vs. alive). This marks a major turning point, as the story shifts from being about a dark valley and its horrors to focusing more on the characters themselves.

The End:
As we gain deeper insight into the characters and their relationships, we begin to understand why the show is called Light Shop. Throughout the story, we encounter people who experience near-death situations and perceive a dark tunnel with a light at the end. This imagery helps us grasp the deeper meaning of the light and what truly keeps everyone alive. It’s not just their will to live, but also the love and support from their loved ones that pushes them forward. The theme revolves around forgiveness and moving on—or, in some cases, choosing to stay the same. We also see two different sides of people who experience near-death situations: one who struggles to live with reality, and the other who uses their new perspective to help guide both the living and the dead.

Post-Credit:
We are introduced to new characters, possibly referencing those from the drama, Moving.

Overall:
Great acting from all the characters and excellent storytelling. My time was not wasted.

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find that light, where life and death depends on your destiny

"hoping that we would never see each other again"

After i've watched the drama moving last year, now i realized why this has must to be must watched, especially the director and writer from this drama are the same as the drama moving! Also, this has been one of my greatest top-tier kdrama of 2024 for me. Very heartwarming and as I kept watching it, made me now realize why they were in a dark area, as they were very unconscious, laying on a hospital beds in the ICU while they altogether experienced the same traumatic tragedy. The ending was pretty clear, that they shall find light, and that hope from its light depends on your destiny and future.

There was no ost, but the storyline was very unique, it was like from the drama moving, where from that drama each family has their own superpowers, while in this drama it was all about passing through generations of taking in charge of the darkest world where everyone (not all specifically) are unconscious and finding answer through unexpected short-comings. The storyline was very clear, there were no plot holes and as everyone's story was connected one by one. Park Bo Young's role (Kwon Young-ji) from here is very remarkable and yet, as she understood everyone's experiences that actually she came from her own experience of life and death. She was like the so called "bridge" of hope and light, despite the light shop owner, Ju Ji-hoon who had a similar tragedy experience way back in his time, (played by jung won-young) was there to keep eye on new "lightbulbs" where it gave as the life of those people who were in between life and death. Each of the victims from that incident find each of their light, as they depend if they go back to their current path, or they'll left behind. At the last episode, everything for me actually makes sense, despite the short episodes allotted for this series, everything went well and all of my answers have been answered.

One of the highlights for me was definitely knowing that on behalf of the lightshop owner, he recognized his daughter, who survived from the incident of the apartment collapsing, as he brings the lightbulb and gave her a source of life during that incident. As they met in the light shop, every moment the time her father (the owner) realized that actually they met again, and they'll stay forever as both of them died in a form of accident. The ending was clear, they stayed together in the light shop as they had their mission to give lightbulbs to those who want to see their path again. It was pretty clear and yet I love how it was a sign that there would be another season to come (hopefully) :')

Also, the end-credit scene gave us a clue of how the timeline of Moving and Light Shop were all the same!! I really love that series so much because of how cool the concept and the story is. Jang Hee Soo (played by Go Young Ju) made a promising appearance in this drama!!

The ending was pretty clear, most of them had reborn to their new life, while others stayed behind, waiting for their final moments to end. "hoping that we would never see each other again":') Kudos to the cast who were so good in portraying their characters, especially to Shin Eun-soo whom I adored so much from her previous drama, twinkling watermelon, as well as Park Bo Young for choosing this drama that fits for her role as she was very promising and had so much potential <333



Overall, really a good watch, I really love the storyline and the cast from this drama. Knowing that the directors and writers from this drama has so much potential to write another series/story, I do hope that they continue to shine with their own talent and skills in making the drama both Light Shop and Moving a remarkable and yet unforgettable one!! Really recommended for beginners and totally rewatchable. Everything was very emotional, despite the thriller and mystery genre, I was totally satisfied with the story being told.

Rooting for the casts future roles!! Hoping for another season definitely.

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The best kdrama of 2024

I don’t use the word “masterpiece” easily because it’s no easy to create a film or tv show that’s literally perfect but that’s the only way to describe Disney+ kdrama Light Shop.

Actor turned director Kim Hee Won makes a perfect directorial debut with this very human and heartfelt Korean gothic ghost story.

Light Shop is a masterfully crafted production, every detail full of significance and important to understand the story as it progresses. No character is unimportant, all playing a key role in the lives of each other; and the performances of each actor nuance. Never giving away too much but managing to connect with the audience at the same time.

The technical aspects, such as cinematography, lighting and special effects, are simply some of the best you will ever find in a Korean drama.

This is the kind of kdrama you want to watch without knowing anything beforehand, but you should know the first four episodes are key for the world building and then, it twist and turns in order to take you on one of the most beautifully made ride.

Perfect.

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Acting: 100/10
It’s better to have 10 mains than 10 time wasting side characters

Plot: 7/10
Sad story done before

Process: 4/10
The revelations were annoying, each ep felt episodic but each one added more to the pile
then ep5 and things are connected but then ep6 again goes in another direction and boom last ep everything is resolved

Time management: 3/10
Some things didn’t need that long of an introduction and some things were resolved so vaguely
The mom/daughter one was the most touching


I always say mdl needs a “progress, plot movement” for the rating divisions instead of just “story”
The story was touching, nothing new, but the time management was bad



Overall amazing cast, beautiful acting, touching and sad stories, but the editing and flow was a mess
They could’ve reached their point in a more linear way rather than continuously jump from one pov to another
Some things didn’t need that long of an introduction and some things were resolved so vaguely


’m the type of person that hates “tutorials”, I skip the long explanations and I like to learn as the plot goes by
You can branch out but this was a spiral, jumping back and forth

Overall amazing cast, beautiful acting, touching and sad stories, but the editing and flow was a mess

They could’ve reached their point in a more linear way rather than continuously jump from one pov to another


I feel like each story was ok in their own but together the mom/daughter one was the most touching, that story overshadowed them all

they did go overboard with the mom being the lightshop guys daughter and tbh eventho I was tearing up, I had to laugh

The bus lovers:
Tbh the story felt like another movie, the bus stop, going to his house, and I don’t remember much but it was called spellbound
It was kinda annoyingly silly to have her kill herself so quickly when she was going to leave him and for her to believe the text of literally the mom who told her to leave
Also, why did the mom say that? That was dramatic for nothing and eyeroll worthy

Mom/daughter:
Heartbreaking

Red shoes:
Meh, especially since bus lover killed herself for love, then goes and tells him to go back and gets sad about it and he remembers nothing
then they add another lovers and let her “stay behind”, like they should’ve just added that to the bus lovers, she killed herself for him, he decides not to go back to be with her…

Basketball boy:
Sweet that he saved the boy, but again something was off about the flow and the presence of the characters

Like they were connected by the bus, but then they still add the dog guy and the detective that weren’t connected to that one story
So overall the editing lacked

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The Light Shop for Lost Souls/ Finding One's Light

The thriller-suspense of the first half hooked me that I thought I was in for a mystery crime story. I was left with several questions and it increased my curiosity of the plot. I like how they started the story to how they slowly revealed the minor to major details and the connection of the characters. The individual sad stories are the usual scenarios irl but the addition of the accident and the aftermath plus regrets and guilt created a melancholic atmosphere. Accidents leave scars that will take longer to heal but no one ever wanted accidents to happen nor be in or be the cause of accidents and lose your loved ones and watch others lose their loved ones
I love the concept of the story plus the acting is convincingly brilliant; it brought me to tears as the characters reunited with their dead loved ones in that other world and it was hard to accept the reality of not seeing them again when they regain consciousness (be in the real world) and accepting that they had to move on and continue living
I was very touched with the barking dog/rescue dog story and the back story of the light shop keeper/guardian of the afterlife and my guess for her daughter is correct. The mute woman and her lover was an interesting twist. What happened to the woman should leave the man's parents, in particular, his mother a memorable lesson. I was mad at her impulsiveness and insensitivity which led to the mute woman's unfortunate ending.
Ligh Shop is an inspiring and moving story.

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A dark fantasy horror slowburn that kept me intralled and broke me down

Whoa...whoa...and whoa!!! I have to say this immediately, I am a big nerd about history, culture, folklore, myths, and fantasy, and having been diving into K-Dramas, I must share that I absolutely enjoy watching how they share their medium of folklore and myths in their dramas. Light Shop gives us that dive into their cultural folklore and I immediately understood what was being depicted in episode one and was hooked!

Without giving any spoilers, I will say, that this series starts very slow. Still, the interconnection of all the characters will give an intense dive into a dark and expansive world that connects with the human experience with light and made my eyes hurt, especially at the end with a poignant scene between our ML and one of my favorite K-actress [Lee Jung-eun]. When I say, she showed out (like I've seen her do before), oh, my gosh!!

I won't say more here, because, spoilers! Make sure to watch the final end credit though!

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MASTERPIECE ???

I just can say WOW!! This is a really masterpiece in all the extent of the sentence 👏 👏👏👏

The way you can experience the different genres as you watch the episodes and the way that make you have terror in the first part of the serie are the same things that makes you cry in the second part of the story... just GENIUS ✨️✨️

The Scene of the mother that can speak and what to save her daughter WOW!! the emotional they need to give her an OSCAR!!! and the plot twist of she and the guy with glasses didn't see to come.. and gladly have my eyes like waterfalls and its ok!!! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹🔥

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All the stars - if I could, I’d give 1000 stars!

This show gave me everything I wanted—and then some! I loved every bit of this story.
I don't know what to say.
There is anguish. There is grief. There is sorrow.
I won't give away anything about this series for those of you that haven't watched it.
This series is many things. It is a tribute to friendship. It is а story about the bond between a parents and child. It is a verse to an impossible love between two people.
This is a great combination of fiction, mystery, crime thriller, horror and supernatural with multiple perspectives taking us on a tour through mysterious places, wandering around the destinies of very different characters, seeing the world from their points of view.
I tried to pick a favorite character, but honestly, I just couldn’t. Each one is so wonderfully interesen and exciting, you can't help but fall in like with all of them.

I loved every minute & word of it am sad it’s over.

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Watch as blindly as possible!

I added this drama to my list about a year ago or so solely because Park Boyoung, if she's in it I'll watch, literally anything no matter what it is or what it's about. I knew this was based on a manhwa by the same author of Moving, another 10/10 series, and I planned to read tje source material, but I never did.

I came into it confused, not really knowing what was going on, scared and anxious, pretty much like one of the characters in the series. Every thing about this series is absolutely perfect, the dialogue, lighting, sounds, ambience and the subtle foreshadowing kept my eyes glued to the screen the entire time.

My advice, watch with as little information about it as possible, pay close attention every single detail is important.

There's a post-credit scene in the final episode, be sure to watch. It's awesome!!

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Not what it seems

Feb 2025
I think many who dislike scary dramas, might be put off by the first couple of episodes, and that would be a crying shame.

Early on, even I (who loves horror stories, dramas and films), found it very spooky, with some gripping, tense scenes. However, as the story and characters reveal themselves, it becomes so, so much more; and less scary.

Anyone who can't handle the hide-behind-the-pillow bits, 'gently' use the ffwd!

I often found this drama so very touching. It was a surprise ~ emotional, and very tender.

We see how the different characters, drawn to the Light Shop, located down a dark and forebidding alley, find themselves there. Some are drawn, others led.

It is not always an easy watch. There is a little humour, but it isn't a funny drama, or fluffy, or upbeat, or fast paced. It is very human, so well acted by a terrific cast. I couldn't stop, watching in one go. There is a pretty good twist of sorts, which didn't completely surprise me, as I had my suspicions.

It felt left open for a S2, but I read the story concluded within the 8 eps (it's based on a webtoon), and I can get that. Those who do what they do, be it offering direction, protecting, or policing; will continue to do so.

It's an oddly comforting watch, in a strange kind of way, and I was engrossed from start to end. It won't be for everyone though.

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