Move To Heaven (2021)

 

 Synopsis

Move to Heaven is inspired by the essay "Things Left Behind" by Kim Sae-byul, a former "trauma cleaner". Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), who has Asperger syndrome, and his ex-convict uncle Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) meet for the first time after the sudden death of Geu-ru's father. Entrusted as Geu-ru's guardian, Sang-gu joins his nephew to help run the family trauma cleaning company "Move to Heaven", where in the course of business they uncover untold stories about the deceased while Sang-gu tries to deal with his painful past with Geu-ru's father as well as the traumatic incident that landed him in jail.

 

Cast & Character

Main

• Lee Je-hoon as Cho Sang-gu, an ex-convict and Geu-ru's estranged uncle who becomes his guardian upon release from jail. He is blunt, smokes cigarettes and moonlights as an underground MMA fighter. He was sent to jail after putting his protégé Su-cheol into a coma during a fight. However, despite his background he is still entrusted to take care of Geu-ru after his release, and must stay and work with Geu-ru for a 3 month probationary period. Although he initially does so for financial gain and being ignorant of Geu-ru's condition, after getting to know Geu-ru and working as a trauma cleaner for Move to Heaven, he gains a new outlook on life and learns details about his half brother and Geu-ru's father Jeong-woo whom he believes had abandoned him years ago.
• Tang Joon-sang as Han Geu-ru, a 20 year old with Asperger syndrome who works as a trauma cleaner for Move to Heaven. He is smart, has an incredible memory and is extremely logical, abilities which he uses to uncover untold stories about the deceased through the collection of their important personal belongings. Following his father's practise, Geu-ru places the deceased's most important belongings in a yellow box, which he always insists on handing over to the next of kin; if they cannot be readily found or are unwilling to receive the box, Geu-ru always tries to find a way to pass it on regardless, often to Sang-gu's consternation. Geu-ru also has a minor obsession with fish and marine life, since his parents regularly brought him to a giant aquarium as a child and which he continues to do so as an adult. When he feels panicked, Geu-ru recites facts about fish in order to calm himself. Despite his condition, there are a lot of people surrounding him who understand his situation and try their best to help him and make him feel comfortable.

Supporting

• Ji Jin-hee as Jeong-woo, father of Han Geu-ru and Sang-gu's older half brother, who shared the same mother with him. He was the founder and owner of Move to Heaven before his sudden death from cardiac arrest. Previously a firefighter, he rescued an abandoned infant Geu-ru and later he and his wife adopted him. After her passing he taught him everything about life and his job as a trauma cleaner, but kept his heart condition secret from him. He also treated Sang-gu like his own brother, but after Sang-gu's father dies and Jeong-woo inadvertently abandons him they became estranged until Su-cheol tried to reunite them at his last fight. Although Sang-gu refuses to see him when he tries to visit him in jail, Jeong-woo still entrusts his son's future care with him.
• Kim Ju-Yeon as Min Ji-Won, Jeong-woo's wife and Geu-ru's mother, who died from cancer when he was a child.
• Lee Moon-sik as Park Joo-taek, a waste disposal truck driver and a friend of Jeong-woo. He is a close partner of Move to Heaven who helps them collect the unusuable garbage left by the deceased. A North Korean defector, he is amazed by Move to Heaven's work and always prioritized them when they need his service.
• Im Won-hee as Oh Hyun-chang, a lawyer and a partner of Move to Heaven. He was assigned by Jeong-woo to contact Sang-gu when he got discharged from prison and explains to Geu-ru and Na-mu the guardianship arrangement with Sang-gu.
• Hong Seung-hee as Yoon Na-mu, Geu-ru's best friend and neighbour who joins and helps him run Move to Heaven after she becomes suspicious of Sang-goo's sudden presence in Geu-ru's life. However her mother disapproves of her working as a trauma cleaner and she does so in secret. She has been fond and protective of Geu-ru since they first met when they were 6 years old and is willing to take good care of him.
• Hongseok as Park Jun-yeong, a policeman and friend of Han Geu-ru and Yoon Na-mu. He is usually seen attending crime scenes where clean up by Move to Heaven is required, and is their first contact when the pair needs the help of the police. Like Na-mu, he understands Geu-ru's condition and tries his best to help him. It is hinted that he has feelings toward Yoon Na-mu.
• Jung Young-Joo as Oh Mi-Ran, Na-mu's mother. She runs a small takeaway shop with her husband and disapproves of both her daughter's friendship with Geu-ru and her working for Move to Heaven.
• Lee Jae-wook as Kim Su-cheol, Sang-gu's friend and protégé. 10 years ago, Sang-gu helped him out when he was bullied by a gangster, inspiring Su-cheol to become a fighter and eventually becoming a champion boxer himself. After several years he tells Sang-gu that he wants to retire and start a new life running a supply shop with his father and his sister, but must participate in a rigged underground MMA fight against Sang-gu in order to get the money to do so. During the fight, after Su-cheol refuses to concede, Sang-gu violently knocks him out, putting him into coma, and Sang-gu is sent to jail for it. Sang-gu visits a still comatose Su-cheol in hospital after his release, but he passes away soon after. Sang-gu later discovers Su-cheol was suffering from CTE, which was his real reason for retirement.
• Park Jung-Won as Kim Su-Jin, Su-cheol's younger sister.
• Jung Ae-Youn as Madam Jung, an associate of Sang-gu and an underground MMA fight organizer. She organized the fight between him and Su-cheol and after his release from jail persuades Sang-gu to continue fighting for her.
• Choi Soo-young as Son Woo-rim, a social worker who helps lonely citizens who don't have any other family. She first crosses paths with Move to Heaven when they attend to the home of an elderly couple who have committed suicide together, and later contacts them to take care of Matthew Green's belongings. Sang-gu has a crush on her.

Guest appearance

• Shin Soo-oh as Kim Yong-woo, a man accused of murder. (episode 4)
• Yoon Ji-hye as Lee Ju-Yeong, a public prosecutor. (episode 4, 10)
• Kwon Soo-hyun as Soo-hyun, a doctor. (episode 5)
• Lee Ki-young as Soo-hyun's father. (episode 5)
• Jung Dong-hwan as Kim In-Su, an elderly man who commits suicide alongside his wife. (episode 6)
• Yoon Joo-sang as Chairman No (episode 6)
• Yoo Sun as Kang eun-jeong, a newscaster. When she was a teenager, her parents fostered Korean children who were to be adopted by overseas couples. (episode 9)
• Kevin Oh as Matthew Green/Kang Seong-min, a deportee from the United States looking for his birth mother, whom he believes to be Kang eun-jeong. (episode 9)
• Lee Re as "butterfly girl"(episode 10)