‘Shopping for Kids’ has concluded with a shocking ending.
The ENA Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Shopping for Kids’ (written by Ahn So-jung, directed by Oh Gi-hwan), which ended on the 12th, aired the final moments of Kim Se-hee (played by Yeom Jung-ah) and her daughter Kim Ah-hyun (played by Won Jin-ah).
Kim Se-hee handed a gun to parents who applied for the illegal adoption and refund of their children through her organization, saying, “Kill your own child.” The parents resisted, but Kim Se-hee threatened them to fully involve them as accomplices, saying, “They were originally objects. Didn’t you buy them with money? Let’s share the guilt. Let’s share the punishment. I will also kill my own child.”
The parents of Eun-jo, who had been trying to protect their child by considering treatment options worth hundreds of millions of won, opposed this. Eun-jo’s mother said, “They say the treatment costs 1 billion won. In front of that, I remembered the money I spent to adopt Eun-jo and the treatment costs. But now I don’t think about that. I realized that I am Eun-jo’s mother,” and refused to agree to the adoption termination and disposal.
However, Kim Se-hee proceeded with her plan and sat the adopted children in front of their adoptive parents one by one. When the guns were aimed, the children fled in fear, but the adoptive parents did not lower their guns.
Kim Se-hee had made another promise to the parents. If she killed Kim Ah-hyun, she would spare the children. Eun-jo’s mother aimed her gun at Kim Ah-hyun, saying, “You said that if I kill you, you would save Eun-jo.” However, Kim Se-hee intended to kill Eun-jo, and Eun-jo’s mother sacrificed herself for her daughter.
As the situation escalated, Kim Se-hee mobilized her organization members to kill her daughter Kim Ah-hyun. She also took the adopted children and Woo Tae-sik (played by Choi Young-jun) hostage, drawing Kim Ah-hyun into the situation. Kim Ah-hyun eventually gave up the fight, and Kim Se-hee attempted to see it through, but the police arrived, causing her to fail again.
Jung Hyun (played by Dex) stepped in to protect Kim Se-hee from the police who rushed in to suppress the situation and ultimately died after being shot. Kim Se-hee fled and sought help from the First Lady (played by Han Soo-yeon), but the First Lady abandoned her, saying, “Shut your mouth and die.”
The First Lady was supposed to give birth to a child made from her husband’s genes through Kim Se-hee’s daughter Ah-hyun, but she became furious upon discovering that this was not the case. Ah-hyun was not pregnant with the President couple’s child.
Ah-hyun went to see the First Lady and confessed, “I never intended to create a child with my eggs; (Kim Se-hee) intended to create a child with her own eggs. She is collecting sperm from men with excellent genes to combine with her own genes to create outstanding children.”
Kim Se-hee took refuge in her laboratory. Kim Ah-hyun confronted Kim Se-hee, saying, “The perfect being you spoke of is not you. Unlike you, I was born from proper parents and raised with love,” denying her existence. She added, “I thought you would regret abandoning me even a little,” and criticized, “I regret having even a little expectation.”
Kim Ah-hyun shot at Kim Se-hee, but the bullet missed. In her final words, she said, “I love you, Mom,” and left, while Kim Se-hee aimed the gun at herself and pulled the trigger.
‘Shopping for Kids’ is a work that depicts the desperate survival and revenge of children who barely survive after being abandoned by their adoptive parents. It is based on the webtoon of the same name serialized on Kakao Webtoon.
Produced in a total of 8 episodes, this work stirred up controversy both inside and outside during its 4-week airing. The controversy began with the lead Yeom Jung-ah overlapping her appearance in tvN’s Monday-Tuesday drama ‘For the First Love’, followed by Dex’s poor acting controversy, the late Song Young-kyu’s drunk driving controversy and obituary, and the unprecedented spoiler controversy for the final episode on OTT. Additionally, some pointed out that the shocking content of illegally adopting and then killing children was quite sensational.
Despite the continuous controversies and incidents, ‘Shopping for Kids’ maintained a viewership rating in the 2% range (Nielsen Korea, based on paid households) and consistently met with viewers.
As a follow-up, ‘My Precious Star’ starring Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon will air on the 18th at 10 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
