PremiumLight Shop Final Episodes Review: Ju Ji-hoon's tragic backstory revealed with meaningful metaphors about hope and redemption
Light Shop has come to an end with it's final episodes today, December 18.
Last Updated: 08.29 PM, Dec 18, 2024
It's been an emotional rollercoaster for K-drama lovers as Light Shop managed to keep them on the edge of their seats with its gripping storyline, horror environment, and heartwarming stories in between. The final episodes (7 and 8) are now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The episodes reveal the real story of Jung Won-young (Ju Ji-hoon) and how he lost his life. Several secrets in the finale episodes make Light Shop a must-watch series.
What happened in Episodes 7 and 8?
The final episodes of Light Shop pick up where Episode 6 left off. It is the conversation between the cop Yang Sung-sik (Bae Seong-woo) and the light shop owner, Jung Won-young (Ju Ji-hoon). The cop asks Won-young what the place of this light shop is as it feels strange. While explaining it to him, Won-young goes back to the flashback and narrates the story of his demise. The scene shows us Won-young and his little daughter under the ruins of a building, as they have an accident. Due to this, Won-young dies, however, his daughter survives. After the death, he goes to the light shop where there is a lady owner. He asks her for help for his daughter but the lady refuses as she says that his daughter needs to come herself to get help. This makes him realize that he is actually dead and not his daughter. When he still asks her how can he help, the lady says, "How about we trade it?" which means the lady hands over her light shop to Won-young who will help the lost souls that are wandering about.
Meanwhile, the detective gets back his life but he can see ghosts just like the nurse Kwon Young-ji (Park Bo-young).
In the meanwhile, the story takes us to the bus accident victims. The already dead people are trying their hard to make their loved ones (who are alive and are in the ICU) to get to the light shop to take their own light. It is often said that critical patients see their close and loves ones when they are in a coma and try to create stories on their own which actually help them to fight back and come alive again, only if they have the strong will.
The school student also gets back his life. While all the ICU patients are in coma, they see the bus driver apologizing to them and trying his hard to help them get their will to live.
What do those lights mean at the light shop?
The series rightfully uses the lights as a strong metaphor. Light refers to the 'will' that can make a critical patient come back to life again. The ICU patients with the advice of their loved ones go to the light shop and take their lights (will). The lights which are blinking are of those who are battling with life and death situations. The ceiling of the light shop shows several lights some are completely dark while some are on.
During the process, we get to know that Won-young's daughter is Jung Yu-hee, the distraught mother who sends daughter Hyun-joo to the light shop daily for light bulbs. This is actually the mother who is dead trying to save her daughter from the critical situation of the ICU. When Hyun-joo finally understands what is happening to her, she goes back to her home meets her mother, and starts crying. She says that she wants to stay with her mother which is impossible so Jung Yu-hee forces her to take the light so that she can be alive. Notably, All the ICU patients who are meeting their loved ones are actually in a sort of coma. As we know, the ICU is a place where life and death meet.
Whenever the patients go to the light shop to find their will to come back alive, the light shop owner tells them, "Hope we don't meet again." This means, Won-young hopes they do not die.
However, Yoon Seon-hae, the screenwriter, dies in the ICU. She goes to the light shop with the help of her dead lover but drops her light (will) as she wants to stay with her lover in the afterlife. This only happens because the screenwriter doesn't have any 'will' to live a lonely life without her lover. Every scene of Light Shop makes your heart warm and ponder over the lost souls.
Light Shop ends with Hyun-min who gets back to his life, getting followed by his dead girlfriend Lee Ji-young. This subtly hints at a second season of Light Shop. The series is made with a mix of supernatural intrigue and raw humanity. On the other hand, the captivating theme of hope and redemption with the idea of an 'Afterlife' made Light Shop, a real worth-watching mystery series.