Two years after Sunja’s story of survival and strength captivated audiences in “Pachinko,” the series is making its return to the small screen.
The first two episodes of Season Two of the Apple TV+ drama premieres on Aug. 23, continuing Sunja’s fight for a better life, as well as her family’s well-being.
Based on the novel of the same name, “Pachinko” is a trilingual story, told in Korean, Japanese and English, following four generations from 1915 to 1989. The show centers on main character Sunja as a young girl in Korea under Japanese rule. Viewers follow her as she relocates to Osaka, Japan, and as she ages into an elderly woman.
Along the way, she falls in love with businessman Hansu, who gets her pregnant but refuses to marry her because of her lower status. While pregnant, Sunja meets Isak, a Korean minister who is very ill and is nursed back to health by Sunja and her mother. Isak offers to marry Sunja and relocate to Osaka.
Viewers are also introduced to Sunja's sister-in-law, brother-in-law and grandson — each with their own unique and, at times, heartbreaking story of what it's like to be a Korean immigrant and face discrimination in a Japanese society.
Read below to refresh your memory on how “Pachinko” Season One ended.
Sunja and Isak celebrate their son's 1st birthday
The episode begins with Sunja (Kim Min-ha) and Isak (Steve Sang-Hyun Noh) celebrating their son Baek Mozasu's 1st birthday.
He is their first child together, and Sunja's son Noa's (Jae Jun Park) half-brother, though he does not know they are half-siblings.
Isak gets arrested and taken away
Isak, a pastor, gets arrested but his family does not understand why.
His older brother, Yoseb (Han Jun-woo), tries to get his boss to help him get Isak released. He is unsuccessful and loses his job because his boss doesn't want to be associated with anyone who was arrested under political circumstances.
Sunja later learns that Isak was working with other men to bring workers into Japan and fight for fair wages, which she takes as fighting against the emperor.
Isak is later seen in cuffs and removed from the jail and placed into a police car where he is taken away. A young Noa runs after his father.
Sunja starts her own business
After Isak is taken away, Sunja takes matters into her own hands. She decides to sell kimchi as a way to make money and support her and her sons.
Yoseb gets upset, but Sunja persists because he can't provide for their family at that time. Her sister-in-law, Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae), asks how she can help her.
Solomon loses his job after telling Han to not sell her property
In 1989, Solomon (Jin Ha) worked hard to convince an elderly Korean woman, Han (Park Hye-jin), to sell her property to his company. However he loses his job after a change of heart and tells her as she's about to sign to not sell.
Businessman Mamoru Yoshii (Louis Ozawa) is the only one who will work with Solomon after he gets fired, losing his visa. He tries to convince Solomon to get into the Pachinko business in Korea.
Solomon's father and Sunja's second son Mozasu (Soji Arai) does not want him to associate himself with Yoshii and he particularly doesn't want him to get into the Pachinko business.
Solomon continues in his quest to have Han sell her property but takes a different approach.
Hana has AIDs and is about to die
After trying to find Hana (Mari Yamamoto) all season, Solomon finally reconnects with his ex-girlfriend who is dying from AIDS.
Hana is the daughter of Essuko (Kaho Minami). Essuko is dating Solomon's father Mozasu. Hana and Solomon have known each other since they were children and dated before she disappeared.
Solomon tells Hana that she should go to the U.S. to seek treatment but she refuses. The doctors tell Hana's mother that she is in enormous pain and will die soon.
Hana tells Solomon about how she always wished she could go to Hawaii. As she's dying, Solomon runs into Hana's hospital room and takes her to the building's rooftop.
He puts a lei around her head and tells her she is going to Hawaii.
Something happens to Noa
After Isak is taken away, a young Noa is approached by Hansu (Lee Min-ho). Hansu is Noa's real father, though the young boy does not know at the time.
Noa is confused as to how Hansu knows so much of his life, and he tells him that knowledge is protection. He then tells him that he should strive to be better than everyone around him.
“Not just the Koreans, but the Japanese as well, be so good that they can’t deny you what you’re owed,” Hansu tells Noa.
An adult Noa is never seen in Season One, but his absence is briefly mentioned in the finale.
Mozasu speaks with an elderly Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung), who tells her adult son that they raised Solomon right.
“But wasn’t Noa raised right?” Mozasu says. “Look what happened to him. Just because we love them doesn’t mean we know them.”
A somber and reflective Sunja is seen on screen, as Mozasu apologizes to her.
“You think I would let that happen to Solomon?” elderly Sunja asks. “Are you crazy? Solomon is not your brother, and what happened then ... I won’t let it happen again.”
What exactly happened to Noa is not discussed or explained.
What is 'Pachinko' Season 2 about?
Season Two of "Pachinko" consists of eight episodes and continues Sunja's remarkable story.
The story picks up in Osaka in 1945, “where Sunja is forced to make dangerous decisions for her family’s survival during World War II,” per the show’s synopsis. Flash forward to Tokyo in 1989, which finds Solomon exploring new, humble beginnings.
Minha Kim tells TODAY.com that she’s excited for people to see the characters get older in Season Two. “The relationships towards each characters got deeper, and we have more stories individually and visually,” she said. “It’s beautiful, and you can see the characters are growing up.”
“Pachinko” will premiere on Friday, Aug. 23 with one episode, followed by one episode weekly every Friday through Oct. 11.
