Convenient that the human ex-monster reincarnated as a Korean and not as something else a few thousand miles away.

Separate from the confusion we should expect about the ML not knowing which twin is/was the monster, should we expect the actual ex-monster to have reincarnated again and show up as a little kid?

The one story I hope there isn't going to be a romance between the two leads. Still highly entertaining and am enjoying the grey morality of each character. Tiny bit confused about the Kwon Nara's Bulgasal's motivations but there is certainly time to get more backstory.

I really liked the first episode, and definitely felt for our ML. Persecuted his whole life, hated and feared. It’s a great setup. I imagine the woman that died saving him as a child was the bulgasal’s twin? Or descendant?

Also do we know that he fed on human blood after becoming Bulgasal? I thought it implied he fed on the horse instead. And the hiding of the face when our FL’s family gets killed to me says it’s likely another monster that did the deed. I’m looking forward to seeing more reincarnations as I’m a huge fan of a bunch of those actors. I didn’t think the second episode was as strong as the first one, as I didn’t make me care about our FL quite as much in as little time. But it’s early so I’m willing to hang on and come along for the ride.

Thanks for the recap! I really wanted to talk about this one. It's absolutely gorgeous. The world building was really well done. I liked the twist with the Bulgasal reincarnating as twins. Given that the bus driver attacked Sang-eon, it seems like she may have inherited the soul or part of the soul? Knowing the cast list, it was pretty easy to recognize the jaw of the monster who killed her family lol.

From what Kwon Nara's Bulgasal said before she died, I'm guessing they had crossed paths in a past life, and he did something causing his soul to be cursed in his next life.

I agree.

I've only watched the first episode, and plan to watch the second shortly. However, as beautiful as this show is to look at, and as much as I want to be sucked into a fantasy story like this during the coldest time of the year (where I live anyway), I'm also struggling to connect with the characters and relationships so far.

So much time was spent on the worldbuilding and basic foundational plot in the first episode and it sounds like the second was more of the same. If it doesn't shift soon to more emotional connections and conflicts I'll be disappointed.

My question is, if the girl who died was the real former Bulgasal, why was the bus driver instead of chasing her but her sister (the alive one) and said something about the smell of her sister’s soul? I don’t quite clear with that part. And the one killed the girl and her mother i believe is Lee Joon’s character. The face though shadowed is quite obvious that it’s him.

I watched this while i had covid so i may have not been focusing all that well, but i did enjoy it. There was some confusing parts which i hope will sort themselves out tho as we go on.
Like other i disagree he has had human blood. He definitely fedon the horse in the past, and i don't think he is the one who killed her family as we didn't actually see who it was. He strikes me as someone who wants to keep his humanity as much as he can, so if he promised his adoptive father he wouldnt consume human blood, i think he sticks to that vow.

Shows like this make appreciate the iron souls of people who work in emergency wards. Endless, relentless, often pointless slaughter of human beings, with an occasional pause for torment and misery, and then more slaughter. And none of the characters seem willing to take advice from anyone who understands how to stop it. I'll give it another shot in episode three, because hopefully we'll get some characters who survive more then ten minutes.

I'm relying on this review to try to follow the supernatural plot. It made very little sense. Lee Jin-wook is always charismatic to watch. Kwon Nara is less so, particularly as she blips in and out of the Goreyo scenes and obviously isn't wearing the same "war and famine" make-up as everyone else.

My greater fear is that we are going to have another "unstoppable immortal guy/helpless mortal girl" relationship, like in Hwaguyi and a couple of other recent dramas, in which the length of the format starts reminding us that the female lead, however she is touted, is just a Mcguffin for the male lead to save and fight over while the side characters do more interesting things.

Really, though, who is going to be the antagonist in this drama? Random monster mooks? How did Sang-Yeon KNOW she was on her last reincarnation? What difference does it make if this was true? And what actual role in the drama is the hapless Sang-Eon going to play? She hasn't show enough strength or skills to survive more then a few minutes once another monster shows up. Is she going to be baggage for Hwal to carry around for the next dozen episodes?

I think another creature killed Sang-yeon and the mother. I don't believe it was our male lead. I do have questions about the whole twin situation, but I'll wait and see how the show answers those questions.

My only question at this time is this:

For anyone that knows Korean folklore/cryptids...is Bulgasal a known entity or made new for this show?

I had tried to look up any possible history/lore on it and came up with zilch. 😕

Ok...now that I've read all the comments, I have to ask...

Am I the ONLY person that is dying to know the backstory of the Bulgasal/shaman link (especially after the young modern day twins fled to the home of what I'm assuming was the shaman sister's current reincarnation?)

Is the twins reincarnating going to be a theme in their backstory? Did the one sister become a shaman because the other became the Bulgasal?

I HAVE SO MANY BACKSTORY QUESTIONS!

This was a weird one. A lot of self fulfilling prophecy in this one. He became a monster because they called him one often enough. I'm not sure I like it yet, but we shall see.

I loved the first two episodes.
Feels like the 2021 film Cloud Atlas meets Goblin/Tale of nine tailed/Kingdom...
I like the idea of looking for each other to kill, not to fall in love again.

But I guess no recap or we-cap or open thread for this drama either...?
I know everything drama isn't recapped but no recap for The Red Sleeve and this... (there was a drama hangout once for RS... but still)
Putting a high value on only low rating/less buzzwothy dramas seems like DB's policy...

Is this getting recapped after all? The article says that it is an opening week review only, yet I see Bulsagal in the currently recapping section. Or will it get an open thread or drama hangout?

Finally got caught up! The first episode was epic and long. It felt like a movie. Seriously. Haven't seen so much blood in a while. I didn't know it would have creepy, horror elements too. I looked up the writers and discovered they're the ones behind The Guest. So that makes sense now.

I'm excited about the folklore/fate parts of this story. I was anxious for the present, but seeing the past was crucial. I'm glad General Dan has been reincarnated!! His final few scenes with Hwal were surprisingly touching.

I have to agree with some commenters that the first eps is too bogged down by exposition. It's good, but I can feel the entirety of 78 minutes passed by slowly. The second eps though, is very much engaging despite us meeting some of the characters for the first time.

I don't know how I could be misinformed at the beginning, because I thought this would be an epic love story with immortal characters. Which, definitely not my preferred genre. But apparently this was an epic revenge dark fantasy tale, which just right up my alley. I'm still not sure what the goal of this drama is, what would be the endpoint of this tale, but somehow the not knowing only made this journey so much more thrilling (at least for now). Sometimes it's nice to watch something less predictable.

As for the specific of our story, I found it interesting that the surviving girl is "the wrong one", the one who doesn't remember the past life, the one with no scar, and presumably, the one whose soul is not Hwal's. (Or do the twins share a soul because they are twins? Hmm...) She has no preconceived reaction about this mystery surrounding Bulgasal, despite all the precaution her sister told her. Which makes her more capable of making an unexpected decision that would fulfill the shaman's hope of stopping the bloody cycle of this curse.

As for Hwal, I'm still not sure how I feel about having a lead that is literally the scariest monster out there. Is his restraint to not kill human as food enough to make up for his blood lust and desire for vengeance and his casualness about committing another act of violence?

On that note, I wonder if the hazy recollection about Sang-un's family's killer is merely a way to show how traumatic everything is for her, or whether there is a possibility that Hwal is actually not the one committing that murder despite the sister's claim that it was Bulgasal chasing her? I mean, Hwal seemed to be reconsidering things after his epiphany about his tangled karma with the red-clad woman, so him massacring the whole family just didn't sit right with me. (Besides, it would be much easier to swallow if Hwal restricted himself to kill just the bad human, instead of anyone who stood in his way.)

Everytime I see the name General Dan, I just want to shout Hey Lieutenant Dan!