Walking on Thin Ice Episode 1 Review: Starts Off on a Thrilling and Depressing Note!

After her husband is diagnosed with cancer, Kang Eun-su finds herself struggling. When she stumbles upon millions of dollars worth of drugs one fine day, she decides to sell them and does so with the help of her daughter’s after-school arts teacher. However, success in this game means getting noticed by some dangerous people.

Walking on Thin Ice episode 1 has a runtime of 70 minutes.

The series has 12 episodes and will air on KBS2 from September 20, 2025, to October 26, 2025.

Walking on Thin Ice Episode 1 Recap

The episode opens with Eun-soo looking out at two men fighting, contemplating how everything came to this, as she presses the accelerator and crashes into them.

We then cut to several kilos of drugs being packaged and sent out as they are slowly and methodically dispersed among the masses. Elsewhere, Eun-soo and her family have a sweet moment together at the breakfast table as her husband looks a bit pale and is disturbed by the news about cryptocurrency. Afterwards, as Su-ah goes to school and Eun-soo goes to work, there’s a big skirmish around them as the police and the drug peddlers drive around recklessly.

We are introduced to Detective Jang Tae-gu, who is a no-nonsense police officer trying to curb the drug epidemic in the country. While listening to the news, Eun-soo comes across a shocking mail. Elsewhere, Lee Kyeong arrives in class and wows the students. Later that night, Eun-soo and Do-jin fight after she learns that they are in a huge debt and are about to lose their house. But she is about to get the worst news on top of this mess – Do-jin has an aggressive form of cancer that he was trying to get money for, and might die if he doesn’t get surgery.

With this starts her quest to get money, but after taking all the help from her family, Eun-soo gets no help from others. Desperate, she volunteers to work at a bar, tries to get their insurance payout and a myriad of other things, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Tae-gu finds the peddler who ran off with the bag full of drugs and gives chase, and by fate, he ends up at Eun-soo’s house, leaving the bag of drugs there.

With the drugs now in her possession, Eun-soo has a choice to make. She decides to call the police at first, but when she learns how much it’s worth, she decides to keep the thought on ice. That night, she starts working at the bar’s washroom. If things couldn’t get more difficult, Su-ah, too, decides to drop out of school and start a part-time job to help her family, much to Eun-soo’s heartbreak.

That night, while cleaning bathrooms, Eun-soo overhears “James” talking about not getting his supply of new drugs and hides. After he leaves the room, she decides to meet him but stops in her tracks when she realises who he is. Afterwards, she goes to the hospital and is baffled to see Do-jin sitting on the roof. Just as he’s about to jump, everyone stops him from falling off, and that night, she decides that it’s time to sell the drugs.

At the bar the next day, she approaches someone she thinks is James, but is instead assaulted by the man. Eventually, Kyeong arrives and stops him from hurting her further. At first, she recognises him to be Su-ah’s art teacher but doesn’t realise that it’s James and hides her face. But, when she eventually realises that he is who she is looking for, she gives chase. The two eventually have a very awkward meeting, wherein she insists on working with him.

Walking on Thin Ice Episode 1 Review

I have only watched one episode of this drama, and I am already intrigued. With the possibilities endless and a very interesting pairing, this one’s going to be a truly interesting watch, filled with family drama, grief and a lot of drug dealing. I am excited to see Kim Young-kwang in a drama again after Trigger, which was a very good series for anyone unaware. Hopefully, there is a lot of action to be witnessed with this one.

Also Read: Walking on Thin Ice Season 1 Review