Low Life episodes 1-3 recap: Oh Gwan-seok & Oh Hee-dong move secretly to find the treasure under the sea

Low Life, starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Yang Se-jong, and Lim Soo-jung, aired episodes 1, 2, and 3 on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, on Disney+. Low Life tells the story of an uncle, Oh Gwan-seok (Ryu Seung-ryong), and his nephew, Oh Hee-dong (Yang Se-jong), who got a job offer to retrieve heritage items lost at sea.

The drama is set in 1977, where Oh Gwan-seok and Oh Hee-dong go above and beyond for this job, which would change their fates as two con men selling illegal goods in the country. In Low Life episode 1, Song Gi-taek offered 400,000 KRW to Oh Gwan-seok.

Song Gi-taek asked him to farm valuable pottery items that sank carried by a Chinese ship near Sinan Port, South Korea, a few decades back. Oh Gwan-seok was unhappy with the amount offered and decided to send Oh Hee-dong to Mokpo to learn more about the pottery items in secret.

Meanwhile, Oh Gwan-seok also secretly followed Song Gi-taek and went to Heungbaek Cooperation to meet the chairman, Cheon Hwang-sik. As Song Gi-taek finished his meeting with the Chairman, Oh Gwan-seok confronted him for using him as a diver and giving him a measly 400,000. With this, Song Gi-taek honestly revealed his deal with Chairman Cheon and his plan.

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Low Life eps 1-3 recap: Oh Gwan-seok lays out a plan to retrieve items under the sea with locals in Mokpo

In Low Life episode 1, it is shown that Oh Hee-dong grew up under Oh Gwan-seok’s wings, and the two were involved in criminal acts, theft, and fraud. They went to the prison together and returned to learn that Song Gi-taek was looking for trustworthy people for a job.

Song Gi-taek revealed that he planned to sell out all the items he will retrieve from the sea to Chairman Cheon, including fake ones. However, he stated that his second wife, who is more educated than the chairman, was a threat to their plan.

Song Gi-taek wanted Na Dae-shik to join Oh Hee-dong and Oh Gwan-seok for this project. Chairman Cheon and his wife, Yang Jeong-suk (Lim Soo-jung), came to the train station to meet the team before they left for Mokpo. Chairman Cheon decided that he would send Yang Jeong-suk’s right hand, Im Jeon-chul, along with Oh Gwan-seok to keep an eye on them.

In episode 2 of Low Life, Im Jeon-chul was revealed to be Yang Jeong-suk’s first husband. A few years back, Im Jeon-chul worked at a ship that sank, and he made it to the news for not making it alive. However, he came back to Yang Jeong-suk after years when she had already tied the knot with Chairman Cheon.

As the second episode of Low Life, Oh Gwan-seok stayed at Ha Yeong-su’s house. He helped him meet a ship captain, Hwang, who was ready to do the job but also asked for his share in a big amount. Oh, Gwan-seok realized that Ha Yeong-su made Hwang keep making such a huge demand. Oh, Gwan-seok agreed on 2.5 million KRW, including expenses.

Meanwhile, Im Jeon-chul and Oh Hee-dong did not get along well and got into multiple fights. They soon made up as they realized that they would be together at sea for this, and they should look after each other.

Oh, Gwan-seok learned that only two people knew about the exact location of the items in the sea: Bokgeun, who was in prison and refused to help him, and the other was Seokbae, who also did not want to get involved. By the end of the Low Life episode 2, a man named Professor Kim was also in Mokpo for the items.

In Low Life episode 3, it is shown that Professor Kim was also selling fake items. Later, Yang Jeong-suk called Song Gi-taek and told him that they will only purchase a limited stock for their museum and give 5 million KRW. Song Gi-taek was taken aback and went to meet Chairman Cheon; he said he would do as his wife had said.

Oh, Gwan-seok told the boys to keep an eye out for the people, aka Professor Kim and his underlings, who've come from Busan. Oh, Hee-dong went to the café to meet Seon-ja, saw Professor Kim, and told her to spy on them, and he would take her to Seoul soon.

As episode 3 progressed, Song Gi-taek called Oh Gwan-seok, informing him about the situation, while Gwan-seok also told him about the increasing expense for the preparation. He told him to prepare an item and ordered Oh Hee-dong to go to Seoul and deliver the item directly to Yang Jeong-suk, convincing her that the items are legit.

Oh Hee-dong did as he was instructed, but Yang Jeong-suk smashed the item and told him not to fool her. He sent him back, secretly giving him an address. When he reached the place, Yang Jeong-suk stated that she realized he was the “gift.” Sent by Song Gi-taek, hinting at wanting to have a physical relationship with her.

Although Oh Hee-dong was unsure, he soon complied due to the deal. Yang Jeong-suk offered him a permanent job at Heungbaek Industry, but he refused. He asked her about the items, to which she replied that she would look into it. On the other hand, Professor Kim bribed the jailor in Mokpo with a Japanese sword and brought out Bokgeun to retrieve the items.

By the end of episode 3 of Low Life, Oh Gwan-seok, along with his boys, decided to check the spot using the boat they had, and when they reached it, they saw another boat in the same area. As the boat came closer, they saw Professor Kim with his man there.

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Meanwhile, fans may catch up with the first three episodes of Low Life on Disney+.

Edited by Bharath S