'Cashero' K-Drama Recap: Will There Be A Season 2?

Netflix’s eight-episode superhero thriller series, Cashero, has a promising start, but as the show progresses, it loses its spark. The fact that a superhero needs hard cash to access his powers immediately introduces humor along with a social message on class hierarchy. But instead of really tapping into this very promising quirk, the show eventually unfolds like any other superhero thriller. The good guy vs. the bad guy for eight, almost-hour-long episodes is definitely a drag!

Kang Sang-ung lived an ordinary life where his weekend activity involved looking at promising real estate with his girlfriend, Kim Min-suk. They planned on buying an apartment together, but the increasing housing prices made it almost an impossible dream. Min-suk was good with money, and she made sure that her boyfriend didn’t waste his income on unnecessary purchases, but even then their savings just weren’t enough to cover the deposit. At a time when Sang-ung needed cash, his father passed onto him a power that promised to drain all his money. Sang-ung didn’t have any respect for his father, because he genuinely believed that his father didn’t do enough to secure their future. He was always out of money, and Sang-ung considered him an embarrassment. But as it turned out, his father had a supernatural ability that granted him unimaginable strength and allowed him to heal his own wounds; however, the drawback was that each time he used this power, he lost a significant amount of money. Now that he’d decided to retire, he passed on his power to his son, and let’s just say Sang-ung wasn’t happy about it. 

Spoiler Alert

Did Sang-ung sell his power to Mundane Vanguard?

Sang-ung spent the first few days after the power was transferred to him ensuring that he stayed out of trouble. He refrained from performing basic acts of kindness, such as helping an old lady with heavy bags or holding the door open for his colleagues, because he feared that if he did so, he’d end up losing money. He had no intention of being a broke superhero; he thought he would rather be an ordinary guy with some cash in his pocket. But Sang-ung’s goodness of heart made it impossible for him to ignore the cries of the helpless. He ended up burning through his mother’s entire savings to save lives in an accident. Soon, Sang-ung figured that he wasn’t the only one who possessed extraordinary powers. He met attorney Ho-in Byeon, who could pass through any surface, and Eun-mi, who possessed telekinetic powers. The only catch, just like Sang-ung, their powers too didn’t come for free. Ho-in depended on alcohol, while Eun-mi had to binge eat to access her superhero powers. Videos of Sang-ung stopping a bus from falling off a bridge had gone viral, and quite expectedly, there were people interested in getting hold of him.

The Mundane Vanguard had been targeting superheroes in secrecy, and they had managed to convince several of them to sell them their powers in exchange for cash. They repeatedly challenged Sang-ung and ultimately offered him the opportunity to live an ordinary life with millions in cash, and all he had to do was give up his powers. The Mundane Vanguard were involved in several illegal businesses; they had no dearth of money or influence and had access to business deals and property, but now they had their eyes on attaining superhuman powers. By extracting the powers from the superheroes, they wanted to establish that those with money can win anything in life. They could even get their hands on superpowers that they didn’t inherit. They had people everywhere, from organized crime to police, media, government agencies, etc. Jo Won-do Beomha was the head of the organization, and his offspring, Anna and Jo Nathan, were keen on proving their worth to their father. Anna was considered the Beomha group’s heir, and as expected, Jo Nathan was envious of her.

Now coming back to Sang-ung, he readily agreed to give away his powers. His life had been falling apart ever since he’d become a superhero, and he was eager to live an ordinary life. We do soon discover that Sang-ung had faked it to sneak into the Beomha lab. He had asked for over four billion won, and Won-do had agreed to pay him the amount. Sang-ung was only allowed to see the bag full of cash that he was promised he would receive after all his powers were extracted from him. Just when a sharp needle was about to pierce Sang-ung’s brain, attorney Byeon showed up with a gun. As soon as Eun-mi attacked the electricity supply at the ranch, Byeon targeted the bag of cash so that Sang-ung could use the money to get back his strength and help them take down Mundane Vanguard. They managed to find their way to the safe and got their hands on confidential files. After they made it out of the lab, they went through files and discovered that Mundane Vanguard was illegally experimenting on people, and their plan involved introducing a substance to the public that would leave them eternally dependent. 

What was Jo Nathan’s plan?

We were led to believe that Anna was evil, but that was before Jo Nathan was introduced! Unlike Anna, who said more than she did, Jo Nathan was focused on unleashing complete mayhem. Soon after finding out about the new business model and Jo Nathan’s involvement, Sang-ung, Byeon, and Eun-mi broke into his apartment, only to realize that he’d arranged a telescope so that they could have a close look at common people jumping off buildings and killing themselves after trying the drugs that their company had recently formulated. Jo Nathan’s purpose was to grab Sang-ung’s attention, and well, he did! Won-do was impressed with Jo Nathan’s farsightedness. His son had found a way to establish control over Sang-ung, and as a reward, he asked Jo Nathan to take control of the lab work.

Meanwhile, Sang-ung tracked down the distributor of the illegal drugs, who went by ‘Hermes.’ As it turned out, she too was a superhuman, but she’d chosen to side with the bad guys. She could move at an incredible speed and cause damage with her sharp daggers. Sang-ung was surprised at first, but he managed to overpower her and attempted to leave with the bag full of drugs. But he soon discovered that Jo Nathan had predicted his move, and had already come up with an alternative. He rained drugs at the club that night, making it impossible for Sang-ung to stop the dangerous experiment. The drug was marketed as a chemical concoction that would instantly make one feel like a superhuman. The ones who didn’t get their hands on the drugs were asked to locate the pink Hermes bag that Sang-ung had. Sang-ung held on to the bag with his dear life; he figured that if those at the club took the pills, they would end up killing themselves. Thankfully, the cops showed up at the spot, and the madness was briefly paused. With the help of attorney Byeon’s superpower, Eun-mi and Sang-ung were transported to a safer place, along with the bag full of drugs. Jo Nathan’s plan was to get the ordinary people hooked on his new drug so that he would have a constant influx of cash, something that he would need as soon as he managed to extract Sang-ung’s power. Also, if most of the world started to hallucinate, it would simply make his dream of being the superhero with ultimate power so much easier. Gradually, it was revealed that the bus accident and pretty much everything that followed after was planned by Jo Nathan. He was highly impressed by Sang-ung’s power, and he made sure to test him at any given moment.

Meanwhile, Anna was inclined to collaborate with Sang-ung to take down her brother. She promised that the charges against Sang-ung would be dropped and the investigation closed if they managed to take down Jo Nathan. She added that the superpower ampoules had been shifted to Gimhae Savings Bank, and she expected them to steal the ampoules to stop the production of the lethal drugs that her brother planned on selling to the world. Anna provided them with a detailed map to break into the bank and make it to the secret vault. But she warned them that without her father’s biometrics, it would be impossible to get into the vault. Now, Sang-ung, Eun-mi, and Byeon had figured out that Anna didn’t really care about saving the world, and as soon as she would have access to the ampoules, she would simply get rid of them. But they decided to deal with Anna later and focus solely on taking down Jo Nathan. 

Did Sang-ung die?

Min-suk loaned cash from the chairperson of Jeong-ja Loans, because without it, Sang-ung wouldn’t have complete access to his powers. She’d figured that Chairwoman Jeong-ja had interest in finding out what was in the Gimhae Savings Bank vault since it used to be Jeong-ja Loans’ original head office. She believed there must be some documents that she could use against the Beomha group, and Min-suk used her interest to her advantage. While Sang-ung distracted the guards at the bank, attorney Byeon made it to the secret vault. When Anna’s crew showed up, Sang-ung figured they would be distracted taking down Mundane Vanguard, and in the meantime, they made it to the vault. They found Byeon lying on the ground unconscious, and they soon discovered that Jo Nathan and ‘Hermes’ had already made it to the vault. Long story short, Byeon transported Sang-ung to the place beyond the walls of the vault that was filled with stacks of cash. Byeon had suspected that there was a secret room in the vault, because the size of the vault on the blueprint didn’t match the one in reality. Won-do had created a secret chamber to store all his illegal cash in the bank, and Sang-ung finally had access to it. More money meant more power, and Sang-ung took down pretty much everyone in the room and was about to finally seek revenge on Jo Nathan, but surprisingly, he fainted.

When he woke up, he found himself in handcuffs. As it turned out, Sang-ung had surpassed his power usage limit. His father had warned him not to use too much borrowed cash, but he did so anyway, and this was the outcome. Sang-ung was released eventually, and Anna got her hands on the ampoules as she’d intended. Chairwoman Jeong-ja got access to the secret documents she’d been hoping to find in the vault—and as it turned out, Won-do’s father owed money to her father, and she intended on taking back her dues. Won-do lost faith in Jo Nathan and booked him a return ticket to the United States, but he wasn’t ready to accept defeat so soon. He kidnapped Min-suk to lure Sang-ung to his den. Beomha’s head office was extremely well guarded, so the only option Sang-ung had left was to break into the building through the ceiling. Byeon and Eun-mi entered the building as well, and the superheroes united to take down the villain. When Sang-ung confronted Jo Nathan, he shot him in the heart. Jo Nathan instructed Sang-ung to give up his superpowers, and if he failed to do so, he would kill Min-suk in a blast. Sang-ung didn’t have enough cash to recover and take down Jo Nathan, but at the same time, he wasn’t ready to surrender. So, he did what he believed was his only option: he pushed Jo Nathan into the elevator where he’d stored the time bomb, and shut the door. Min-suk begged Sang-ung to leave, but he chose to remain trapped in the elevator because he believed that was the only way to ensure Jo Nathan’s death. We, soon find out that Sang-ung and Jo Nathan died in the tragic blast.

Min-suk was barely coping, and when she discovered that Detective Hwang Hyun-seung had the superpower to turn back time, she begged him to help her out. Hyun-seung refused to help Min-suk at first; he didn’t believe that traveling back in time and changing fate could ever do any good. But when Min-suk explained the great lengths Sang-ung went to protect innocent people, he figured that maybe the young superhero deserved saving after all. He warned Min-suk that traveling in time would reduce her life expectancy, but she didn’t care about that. She used his watch to travel back in time, and she stuffed some cash into Sang-ung’s hand, hoping that it would be enough for him to get back his strength after the blast. Min-suk was right; Sang-ung survived this time, but surprisingly, so did Jo Nathan. When Min-suk went back in time, presumably Hermes too used some trick to save Jo Nathan. Soon after he was saved, he killed Anna and planned on taking down his father too. But Chairwoman Jeong-ja got to him before Jo Nathan could, and she took him away before his son showed up in his study room. Towards the end of “Cashero,” Jo Nathan injected himself with all the superpowers that had been extracted so far. And immediately after regaining consciousness, he killed Hermes and was utterly impressed with the beast he’d become. 

Did Sang-ung take down Jo Nathan?

By the time Sang-ung made it to the lab, it was already too late; Nathan had begun using all his superpowers to wreak havoc. He plundered the neighborhood, burned down apartments, killed people, and didn’t even spare the children. He had no mercy, and his only goal now was to take down Sang-ung and extract his superpower. Sang-ung tried explaining to Nathan that life as a superhero wasn’t as cool as he clearly assumed it was. It involved constant sacrifices and making tough choices, and he hoped Nathan would realize that the life he was chasing wasn’t really worth it. But of course, Nathan wasn’t convinced. The superhero and the supervillain got into an extraordinary physical fight. When Nathan intentionally uprooted an electric pole, Sang-ung grabbed hold of it to ensure that the people in the neighborhood didn’t get hurt. He had no choice but to use up all his power to hold onto the pole, so naturally he soon ran out of money. In the end, when Sang-ung didn’t have any cash left, the people from the neighborhood, including the little kids, showered him with money, begging him to stand up to the villain. Sang-ung had realized by then that money can’t make one a superhero; their right intentions and selfless nature were all that mattered. During the ending of Cashero, as the people cheered for their favorite superhero, Sang-ung finally gathered all his strength and took down Nathan. 

Will The Show return For season 2?

After Chairwoman Jeong-jah forced Won-do to clear his debts, she left him to face the media, who were evidently furious after they discovered his corrupt business practices. Won-do was in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, and Sang-ung was glad that he was finally being held accountable. As the dust settled, the superheroes finally got the chance to spend some time with their families.

While Eun-mi reunited with an old friend, attorney Byeon took his daughter out for a birthday lunch. His heart broke a little when his daughter stated that she would like to have a drink with him, since it was the only way to be like him. She too would one day inherit his power, which meant she would eventually turn into an alcoholic like him, and she would be left physically drained. This wasn’t the kind of inheritance one took pride in passing on, but then again, he didn’t really have a choice. Sang-ung and Min-suk’s dream of becoming homeowners had finally come true. They managed to save up for the deposit and finally moved into the apartment of their dreams.

The ending of Cashero confirms that Min-suk was pregnant and she’d been wanting to share the news with Sang-ung for quite some time. Sang-ung was overjoyed when he discovered the news, although the thought that one day his child too would possess his powers surely crossed his mind. He was well aware that it wouldn’t be easy for his child to accept the inheritance, but perhaps, just like him, his child too would find out that the boon outweighed the curse. Before he became a superhero, he believed that money was all that mattered, but he eventually realized that being a good human being along with the satisfaction of doing his best to protect innocent lives with all his power was way more valuable than anything money could buy. Even if it meant losing cash in the process, he didn’t really mind anymore. Considering Min-suk had traveled back in time, her life expectancy would be reduced. Does that mean that a tragedy awaits the family? Will her past decisions affect her child’s future as well? While the show ends on a hopeful note, there is a possibility that things will turn grim in the upcoming season. The perfect life that Min-suk and Sang-ung had imagined might be cut short, and Sang-ung will be left to figure out parenthood on his own. Will he turn bitter? Also, considering the Jo family is done for, will there be another villain who will dare to challenge Sang-ung? You never know!

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