Episode 7 of "Light Shop" kicks off with Sung-sik pondering the enigmatic nature of the Light Shop. Through a poignant flashback, we delve into Won-young's haunting background and the tragedy that once shattered his life. Caught in the relentless clutches of an earthquake, he and his beloved daughter found themselves trapped beneath a mountain of rubble. Desperation clawed at his heart as he wandered aimlessly until he stumbled upon the Light Shop, pleading with its stoic owner for mercy and aid.
Yet, the owner, unyielding and cold, denied him. In a fit of desperate fury, Won-young lashes out, his anger a tempest against the shop's walls. But with a glance from her supernatural eyes, the owner halted his rampage, revealing a harrowing truth: Won-young's own life had already ebbed away. Desperate to save his daughter, he forged a pact—he would relinquish his soul to the Light Shop, serving as its guardian for an eternity, in exchange for the delivery of his daughter's light bulb to her side.
Won-young unfolds this tale to the detective, clarifying his bizarre existence and the peculiar mechanics of the Light Shop. This realm is the afterlife, where those whose lives are prematurely extinguished continue their unfinished journeys, while souls unable to accept their fate wander aimlessly in darkness, blissfully unaware of their grim destiny.
The narrative shifts to a man, frozen and vulnerable in his apartment, finally driven by a primal urge to seek out the incessantly barking dog. He ventures forth, locating the faithful creature and uncovering a story of resilience and sacrifice. The man had been lost in the mountains, succumbing to hypothermia and slipping into a coma. A brave rescue dog, despite its own injuries, kept him warm, preserving his life until rescue arrived. Sadly, the dog did not survive its noble act. As the man's memories flood back, he follows the dog's spiritual essence to the Light Shop, where he identifies his flickering light bulb, a testament to his miraculous survival and the dog's selfless bravery.
Meanwhile, Young-ji is entrusted with the responsibility of mentoring a novice nurse within the hospital's walls. She meticulously details the dire predicaments of the ICU inhabitants: Hyun-joo, who bore an internal wound, shielded by her heroic mother during a catastrophic accident, and Hye-won, who lost her life while bravery saved Seon-hae.
Elsewhere, Hyun-joo indulges in a fit of temper as her mother ventures outside for the first time in what seems like an eternity. Simultaneously, in a realm beyond the living, Hye-won gently nudges Seon-hae towards finding her own inner light at the enigmatic Light Shop.
Young-ji further elucidates her actions to her novice colleague, particularly her reasoning behind placing earphones with soothing melodies on a patient. She harbors a belief that the music could act as a catalyst, igniting a spark within him to reclaim his life. As fate would have it, a man en route to the morgue catches a glimpse of this musical oasis and alters his course. Shortly thereafter, the hospital staff receives the heart-wrenching news of bus driver Oh Seung-won's demise.
In the afterlife, Oh Seung-won follows the trail of a basketball, a keepsake Young-ji had placed beneath student Heo Ji-woong's bed. He discovers Ji-woong, disoriented and wandering lost in a narrow alley, and gently guides him towards the mystical Light Shop.
Back at the Light Shop, Won-young confides in the detective, explaining the profound reason behind his silence regarding the wanderers' true circumstances. He warns that if they were to recall their afterlife experiences, the delicate line separating reality from illusion might blur upon their return to the living world. He further hints that the man with supernatural vision, whom the detective has been relentlessly pursuing, might have been divinely guided to the Light Shop following his own brush with fate. Sung-sik then flickers his lighter, a symbol of his life's enduring flame, and miraculously regains consciousness within the hospital's confines.
Later, Seung-won expresses his heartfelt apologies to Ji-woong for the tragic accident, and Ji-woong, in turn, reveals that Seon-hae is confined within a perilous house. With a heartfelt plea, Ji-woong requests his own light, regaining consciousness as the episode draws to a poignant close.
