In Disney Kdrama, A Shop For Killers, the character of Jinman has been efficiently played by Lee Dong-wook, who is known for his roles in dramas like Tale of the Nine Tailed. Jinman was way ahead of his time and had planned impeccable safety measures for his niece before his disappearance. He knew that he could die at any time in his profession and hence could not protect Jian all his life; therefore, he planned things in a manner so that Jian would be safe. Jinman was the most mysterious character in the series. He had been running an underground arms-dealing shopping mall, the MurtleHelp, without anyone’s knowledge. He was a one-man army who was capable enough to tackle his enemies single-handedly. What will happen after Jinman’s death? Will his comrades be able to save Jian? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Jinman Train Jian? Why?
After losing all his other family members, Jinman was really concerned about Jian. He wanted to ensure that even in his absence, Jian would be able to handle her enemies. He taught her how to use a gun at an early age and kept telling her how she could use the blind spots to keep herself safe. He would show her action movies and explain to her the techniques of defense that she could use. He constantly asked her to remember the registration number of her school! Initially, Jian did not understand why her uncle was doing this, but after he passed away, she realized why he had been preparing her for so long and how protective he was of her. He had asked her to remember the code of her school, as it was the password that she would later use to enter MurtleHelp. Jinman had the unique talent of foreseeing future trouble, which made him stand apart from all the other characters in the drama.
Despite being associated with crime, he was extremely attached to his family and would go to any lengths to make sure that Jian was safe. It is possible that Jinman had already known that he was about to die and, hence, had started preparing Jian to tackle troubles in his absence. He had all the plans lined up, and hence it was pretty difficult to predict Jinman’s next move!
How Did Jinman Operate Murtlehelp?
Jinman was very discreet about MurtleHelp and didn’t even let Jian know about it. He had been secretive enough to operate an arms-dealing mall from the basement of his house without anyone having a clue about it. His secrets explained his reticent character. Jinman had opened up the arms-dealing shop just to fulfill the dreams of one of his dead friends, Honda. The loyalty that he had for his friends was proven when we learned that he had supported Honda’s brother for years after his death. The charisma that Jinman had helped him gather a lot of ardent followers, like Honda, Pasin, and Minhye. Jinman had not thought twice about risking his own life to save them in times of need, garnering devoted allies. They were his main pillars of support in safeguarding Jian when he was not around. Jinman operated MurtleHelp and operated his website on the dark web with the aid of some of the loyal friends that he had made over the years. He did not want to drag Jian into it, as he knew that there were several risks associated with it. Jinman made sure that he put the money from MurtleHelp into building greater security for his house.
Why Did Bale Attack Jinman’s Family?
Jinman had a righteous character and did not want to harm anyone unnecessarily, unlike Bale, who gained happiness by hurting people. While on their mission together, Jinman saw that Bale had been killing civilians. Bale turned a deaf ear to Jinman when he tried warning him against murdering innocents. When Bale wanted to murder Minhye (one of the escorts) in a drug lord’s cabin, Jinman opposed him. Jinman and Bale got into a dangerous fight, in which Bale severely injured Jinman. Minhye shot Bale in the eye, giving leverage to Jinman in the battle. Jinman stabbed Bale several times and left him in the building to die.
Jinman came back from the spot and told others that Bale had succumbed to his injuries in the blast that had occurred in the building. Everyone thought that Bale had died, but he returned later to take revenge on Jinman. He started killing his family members one by one and told others that Jinman was a traitor, as he had tried to murder one of his own people. The self-righteousness in Jinman did not stop him from killing Bale when he was attacking a defenseless woman. The concept of humanity was much greater to Jinman than any of his missions. Right after coming back from his final mission, he resigned from his post at Babylon as he was unable to handle the unwarranted violence at those scenes. He thought that covering up the fact that he had murdered Bale would be a solution to many problems. Little did he realize that the vengeful Bale would later try to obliterate his very existence.
Did Jinman Really Die?
The last episode of the first season baffles us, as we get to see that Jinman is alive! It is the start of a new battle that Jinman is about to fight. It is possible that Jinman had just pretended to be dead, as he thought that Bale would leave Jian alone if he realized that his biggest enemy was not around anymore. He must have placed his body double in the bathtub, making Jeongmin think that he had died. Jeongmin thought that he could manipulate Jinman into commiting suicide by telling him that Jian had been captured by them.
Jinman had toyed with Jeongmin, making him believe that he had died, so that the news of his death could spread. There is also a possibility that he must have gone to complete some of his unfinished duties while pretending to be dead. He also had the intent to see if Jian was able to tackle the difficult situations in his absence. He wanted to check that the years of training that he had given Jian about defending herself were enough to keep her safe. Now that he had realized that Jian was about to surrender to the opponents, he had come in to save his niece. It is, however, clear to us that nothing in the world matters more to Jinman than keeping Jian safe. He wanted to fulfill the responsibility that he had taken on!
What Can We Expect From Jinman In Season 2?
Jinman is not someone who would run away from the perils that come his way. He had been on a break from his criminal life. He wanted to get Jian acquainted with the life that she would have to deal with for the rest of her days. He had, however, given her a choice between taking the money and running away or staying on the battlefield and carrying on her fight. Jinman must have been impressed with Jian for choosing to stay back! Season 2 will reveal the real reason as to why Jinman has been undercover for so many days. Since Jinman is back, the fall of Bale is inevitable. This time, Jinman will make sure that Bale doesn’t survive, as the last time he missed killing him on the spot, his entire family had to pay the price!
