The resurrection of the dead villain

The Disney Plus drama 'Killers' Shopping Mall' unfolds the gripping tale of survival for ‘Jian’ (Kim Hye-jun), who becomes the target of killers due to the illegal weapons shopping mall left behind by his uncle, 'Jin-man' portrayed by Lee Dong-wook. This series not only expands upon the world introduced in the original novel ‘Murderers' Shopping Mall' but also delves deeper into the backstory of the villains, adding complexity to the narrative. The exceptional adaptation of the villain characters has garnered significant acclaim for the drama, catapulting it to the top spot on Korea's Disney+ TV show rankings for four consecutive weeks since its release on the 17th of last month. Furthermore, the series has achieved international success by entering the top 10 in five Asian countries, including Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. This widespread popularity has also had a positive impact on the original work, propelling it to the 7th position in the literary category on Aladdin's online bookstore.

In a notable twist, the character 'Bale' (Jo Han-seon), who met his demise in the original work, has been resurrected in the Disney Plus drama 'Killers' Shopping Mall' as a psychopathic leader. Bale now leads a formidable group of killers, injecting a palpable sense of tension into the storyline as they launch an assault on a shopping mall. Another character, 'Seongjo' (Seo Hyun-woo), originally portrayed as a cold-blooded killer, has transformed in the adaptation. In the drama, he is reimagined as a humorous figure who playfully utters, “Go to Buddhahood,” in a traditional Jeolla-do dialect after each murder. Director Lee Kwon, who met with reporters at the Dong-A Media Center in Seoul on Wednesday, explained the creative decisions, stating, “Isn’t the tension greater when a villain as vicious as Bale is alive? Only when the villain is strong will the main characters stick together.”

In contrast to the drama adaptation, the original work places a strong emphasis on delving into the intricacies of psychology. It meticulously portrays the complex emotional changes that Ji-an undergoes as she unravels the untold past of Jin-man, previously unknown to her. The narrative unfolds like the poignant tale of a child reconciling with her parents, capturing the depth and nuance of the characters' psychological journeys.

The author Kang expresses a sentiment that many can relate to, stating, "When I was young, my parents never told me about their difficulties. Only after I got older was I able to understand the hardships my parents faced when they were young. The work contains the hope that we will accept our parents’ generation, which we thought we would never be able to understand."


이호재기자 hoho@donga.com