Summary
Episode 2 surprisingly brings a turn in the story very early on and makes Geu-ru almost a trauma cleaner detective. This is a brilliant series so far.
This recap of the Netflix K-drama series Move to Heaven season 1, episode 2 contains major spoilers.
Move to Heaven season 1, episode 2 opens with Cho Sang-gu in prison, and then it flits to the day he leaves; a lawyer visits him on behalf of Jeong-u and tells him that he’s passed away. Cho Sang-gu scoffs, but his lawyer gives him a breakdown of the will — Cho Sang-gu is now the legal guardian of Geu-ru even though he’s 20 — it’s because of his Asperger syndrome. Cho Sang-gu is not interested and instead heads to a club. He asks a woman there if she knows anything about guardianship; she tells them if the person he is a guardian for has assets, he gets free access to it. The next day, Sang-gu tells his lawyer that he wants to be the guardian of Geu-ru; as part of the conditions, he must move in and run Move to Heaven for a few months.
Cho Sang-gu has naively gone headfirst into this arrangement, having zero ideas of what new life is about to be his.
First day as guardian
The lawyer heads to Geu-ru’s house to explain the situation — he tells Geu-ru that Sang-gu is his uncle and now a legal guardian. Geu-ru has to train Sang-gu so that he can work for Move to Heaven. Na-mu is dismayed at the new arrangement, believing Sang-gu is not the right person to be the guardian. Sang-gu touches a cup that belongs to the father, and the young man becomes frustrated and takes it off him — their relationship doesn’t get off to a good start. Na-mu explains to Sang-gu that Geu-ru has Asperger syndrome. When Sang-gu tries to take a room, Geu-ru tells him he can’t take it because it is his father’s. He starts hurting himself, hitting his head against a wall. Na-mu calms the situation down and explains that Geu-ru does not like changes in his environment.
Sleeping in a tent
Due to not having a room, Sang-gu has to sleep in a tent (which is a rather funny moment) — he can’t sit at the dining room table either, so makes noodles next to his tent using a campfire stove. At night, Geu-ru guards his father’s bedroom door while sleeping. Sang-gu looks around at the portraits in the house and surmises that his brother married a rich girl and turned his life around. The way Sang-gu walks around the house is disrespectful — he even takes out his cigarettes on the floor to make a mark. The next day, Geu-ru gets frustrated at the aquarium and repeatedly smashes his head against tank glass. He claims one of the species is in a lot of pain, and they will die — he relates it to his father, stating he wasn’t treated in time.
Na-mu to keep an eye on both of them
Move to Heaven season 1, episode 2 evidence Na-mu as a brilliant friend and one that is willing to have Geu-ru’s back at all times.
A frustrated Na-mu rings Geu-ru’s lawyer and wants to know the disqualifying grounds to stop Sang-gu from being a guardian. The lawyer tells Na-mu to observe them both and be impartial. Meanwhile, when Sang-gu wakes up from his sleep, he sees Geu-ru in a hazmat suit cleaning up — he tells him to look after the place and that he has a new job to do. Geu-ru tells him he will do the job alone, but Na-mu tells Sang-gu that he must help, just as the lawyer stated. So Sang-gu drives. When they reach their destination, Geu-ru tells Sang-gu that he broke the law 59 times on the road.
It’s a bit too much for Sang-gu
They reach the place for the trauma cleaning; the family wants to know if there are any valuables straight away; when they get inside, there are maggots everywhere — the deceased wasn’t found for three weeks. Sang-gu vomits, and Geu-ru tells him he’ll get on with the cleaning. When Geu-ru starts his work, he imagines his father telling him not to be nervous. Before cleaning, Geu-ru prays for the deceased — Ms. Lee Yeong-sun. When he heads outside, he tells the family that there is money, but it’s under a moldy, sticky carpet; the family ruthlessly takes the sticky bills, and Geu-ru gives them advice on how to clean and get new notes — the family tell him to do it.
Sang-gu is starting to understand the true extent of this job, and that being guardian is going to be a breeze — when he gets home, he states he’s had three showers but still smells; Geu-ru lists all the elements that make the smell linger, including bodily fluid of the deceased; it puts Sang-gu off his food.
The ending
As promised, Geu-ru cleans the banknotes found in the bodily fluid. Once dried, he places them all out on a table. He remembers the disrespect the family was throwing at the deceased — he wants to figure out what the deceased would have wanted to say; he sees it like solving a puzzle after remembering his father’s words. Geu-ru picks up one of the banknotes and examines it. The next day, he heads into the bank and empties withdrawal notes on the table that he found in Ms. Lee Yeong-sun’s house. He gives bank staff her account number and asks if they know her. He clearly knows something that we haven’t figured out yet.
Move to Heaven season 1, episode 2 surprisingly brings a turn in the story very early on and makes Geu-ru almost a trauma cleaner detective. This is a brilliant series so far.
