'A Shop for Killers' Lee Dong-wook Shares Sweet Nephew Story in Season 2 Interview

Actor Lee Dong-wook is finding that family life keeps pulling him back to earth, even as his Disney+ thriller returns to streaming.

On July 23, Lee Dong-wook sat down for an interview at a cafe in Seoul's Gangnam district to talk about "A Shop for Killers" Season 2, in which he plays Jeong Jin-man. The conversation came early in the season's run, with only two episodes available to viewers at the time.

"A Shop for Killers" Season 2 picks up after a brutal handover, with Ji-an (played by Kim Hye-jun) taking over as the new head of the shopping mall. Alongside Jin-man, who has returned alive, she launches a full counterattack against the global forces of Babylon.

At the show's press conference on July 20, Lee Dong-wook previewed the emotional shift in the new season. "In Season 1, viewers saw a lot of Kim Hye-jun's younger self, but in Season 2 there will be much more emotional exchange with Ji-an as an adult," he said. "Jin-man has stepped into this world, and the story shows how he tries to figure out how to let his niece live. I actually have a nephew, and he's in second grade. It made me reflect on how I haven't been as good to him as I could have been."

In the follow-up interview, Lee Dong-wook shared a story that drew laughs from the room. "I haven't asked my nephew if he saw the article," he said. "Not long ago, he asked if I could come to his open class day. Of course, I had a full day of set filming that day. He was so grown-up about it and said, 'It's okay, uncle.'"

He also recalled a phone call from his nephew that hinted at how quickly kids catch on. "One time he called me and said, 'Uncle, you're a celebrity, right? You're a celebrity, aren't you? See, I told you.' A second grader knows everything," he said.

"A Shop for Killers" Season 2 premiered on July 22 with its first two episodes. New episodes will drop every Wednesday, two at a time, for a total of eight.