Poor Hawl. At least Sang Eon believes in him. That scene had me in tears. Hope things wrap up nicely next week.

I lost any sympathy I had for Hwal this week, but at least he realized what a right bastard he was to Ms. Lee all those years. I understand why he didn't let himself get close but still ...

It's not that I feel sorry for Eul-tae given that he was a murderer who followed a monster into the woods, but Hwal taking his soul, leaving an agonizing hole in his chest, and being like "Find me and turn me back into a Bulgasal again, mkay" was kind of messed up. Basically, it seems Eul-tae got between a very bloody lover's quarrel but wanted to be the lover himself.

I still think the villagers captured Lady Bulgasal because of Eul-tae's lie and Hwal went berserk. It looked like there was already trouble in paradise because of Lady Bulgasal's love for the human children whom I'm guessing were Si-ho and Do-yoon and were likely killed in the massacre. Bad karma, indeed.

I couldn't believe those cops didn't even blink at Eul-tae barefoot, in dirty clothes and with a dark hole in his chest, but I guess the betrayer cop was already well acquainted with him.

Si-ho echoing the words she said to A-chan in her past life was my favorite part of both episodes. I thought that was very well done.

Emotionally, I was all over the place watching these episodes.

Frustrated that here we are at 13 & 14 and I still have no idea what the exact connection is between all these characters. I didn't expect to be so confused at this point in the drama about the most basic of foundational events. Were Hwal and Ok Eul-tae brothers, friends, or lovers (I know the last one is unlikely considering the fact that this is a kdrama, but if I just consider Ok Eul-tae's clear longing from their very first scene, it's possible)? Was Sang-eon in love with Hwal or was he obsessed with her and she's spend centuries trying to escape him? Why did Hwal take Ok Eul-tae's soul? Who would want to be Bulgasal anyway? I'm so lost!

I also felt sad for Do-yoon and Miss Lee because Hwal seems incapable of loving anyone properly in the moment he is with them--he can only love them by regretting his treatment of them after they are (or appear to be) gone.

Finally, I am annoyed that Ok Eul-tae was barely in either episode because Lee Joon's performance still remains my favorite thing about this drama.

Like missvicktrix, I'm open to the romantic connection between Sang-eon and Hwal, but the sweeter flashbacks were quickly undercut with Hwal's classic abusive boyfriend line about being afraid she'd leave him simply because she's showing love and devotion to (her?) children. So I couldn't even entirely enjoy that very nice hug at the end.

I feel like we're going around in circles with no clear outcome in sight to root for. But I'm still hopeful this will all end on a satisfying note.

This is it. I always thought Hwal's "guilt" at the beginning of show was a bit exaggerated and unclear. What was he so guilty of? Being a terrible father? A terrible husband? Responsible (at least partly) for the death of his family? Yes, yes and yes. Yet I always felt like there was some larger tragedy looming over him that provided an endless reservoir of guilt, and I think the show is finally getting around to explaining our hero's tortured motivation. I suspect we'll see in the finale that he was somehow responsible for all of this past Tragedy (with a bit "T", whatever it was), or at least that's what he believes, and the curse is a natural progression for all the deeds he's (purportedly) done in the past. This show is very interesting. I'm glad I'm watching it -- with more tweaks here and there, and perhaps more overaching emphasis on the character development versus past mystery, perhaps, it could have been a great show but it's not yet getting there.

Bulgasal's come as pairs and one keeps the other alive. When Sang Un killed him years back, she would die with him. To prevent that, he took Ok Eul Tae's soul turning him into a blood thirsty monster to keep the love of his life alive. That is my guess....Sang Un later on planned to set things right by turning him back into a Bulgasal that would kill Ok Eul Tae and all 3 would perish but Hwal kills human Sang Un before any of that could happen. My guess....now My question is Hwal took parts of Ok Eul Tae's soul and his karma and later that went to Sang Un with Hwal's added karma so how can any of the 3 survive at the end? They can't exist, all 3 need to die to end this cycle of misery.

I don't know if it's because Lee Joon is doing such a damn fine job with his character or because Kwon Nara...is not, but if Sang-eon and Hwal get the whole sacrificial death and redeemed reincarnation treatment and Eul-Tae doesn't, I'm going to be majorly disappointed. I can't exactly pinpoint why, but I just haven't been able to connect with Sang-eon in any way whatsoever.

On the bright side, I can think of at least two fanfic spin-offs I'll be writing in my head once this is done:
1] The love story of two guardian mythological creatures who were divided by their respective love and hate for their charges (humans). The male Bulgasal looked down on humans and was jealous that the female loved them, and then he was corrupted by his hatred into becoming an evil Bulgasal and went on a rampage massacring the humans and incurring his lover's wrath.
2] A young man who was neglected/abused by his father was drawn in by the promise of protection from a handsome and mysterious man, fell in love, and then was changed into an immortal creature before the man vanished. He then spends 1000 years looking for his lost love and subsequently is warped by his isolation and torment into a raging psychopath who hunts and kills anyone who might be related to his ex-lover.

Okay, I lied. I can't write tragedies or dark stories. My spin-offs will probably be a lot fluffier and they will have an Eul-Tae who is not a psychopath because quite frankly, he's the only reason I'm still watching.

Eul-tae has a really unhealthy obsession for Hwal(or some might say twisted love)...Don't judge me but even so i find it more entertaining his story and chemistry with Hwal than with our Candy heroine,like this two are fire...The death of Ms. Lee was quite sad but think the most poignant was the last one were Hwal realized what he did and the regret he now added,in that moment i truly felt his pain even if he is the one who inflicted on himself...Hope Ms. Lee soul finds peace and reincarnated with a better fate this time around,she totally deserved it...
My take still remains that Hwal and Sang-eon were soulmates,the two Bulgasals created but the difference was that the woman longed and loved for humans while the man loved only her and his nature...In his despair of her leaving him for human he killed that village she lived/frequented creating the tragedy we saw yet i'm quite suspecting Eul-tae had a hand in adding some poison in Hwal mind escalating the events...

So they’re really waiting until the final hour to reveal the whole past.
It better be good.

Aunt Lee had that line about an evil spirit who was the one who created Eul Tae’s black hole. And then the brief past flashback showed that Hwal was the one who created it. I don’t think he was evil… or I hope not. I don’t know if him being evil would be more interesting or not. I think it’s more likely a red herring. I don’t want him to be bad. Hwal’s been such a lonely character.

In EP 13, Aunt Lee’s death wasn’t exactly a surprise. It didn’t really hit me. Si Ho and Do Yoon’s lament was sad and believable, but when it came to Sang Eon, I thought her scene was unnecessarily long. She should have been looking for Si Ho and Do Yoon quicker. Seeing Hwal remembering the past memories of Aunt Lee and his palpable despair and anguish brought me to tears though. He looked so hopeless and defeated.

I feel bad because I wasn’t sure if she was an innocent character or if I could really trust her prophecies. Like Hwal, I was biased by her past self instead of looking at her present person.

The big, emotional hug between Hwal and Sang Eon was good. I haven’t been into the romance, but I liked the idea of them being bulgasal lovers back then.

I have no intention of watching this drama--its just not my cup of monster-infused tea--so I have no right to comment. But I do try to read everything @missvictrix writes, so I've been scanning the recaps, and today's line "Wait, are they a happy little Bulgasal family" made me laugh. Not so much that I felt like I had a gaping chest wound, nor enough to make me watch the show, but it was pretty funny.

First, Miss Vicktrix, thank you for this week's great, detailed recap. My favorite line: your description of Ok Eul-Tae's "splendorous tangle of love and rage and longing and hate". For me, this sums up perfectly Eul-Tae's baffled disbelief that nobody understands or loves him. Also, in the "baby" flashback, Hwal was saying that Sang is obsessed with those children and acts "as if they are her own", or STTE. Now that I've read all the comments, I want to go back and watch that scene again. Come on, week, go by fast--we need some resolution here!

We've seen the moment when Hwal slaughters all those villagers a few times now. I believe that he killed those people because they attacked Sang-eon and the children, resulting in the death of the children and Seong-eon almost dying. As we've seen with the last two episodes, Hwal becomes enraged (understandably so) when those that he loves and cares for are harmed. I believe that bulgasal Sang-eon was trying to stop Hwal from harming more people by stabbing him. Perhaps this was the moment that caused the rift between them.

Well now, my last week's fear of what will the ending bring us just multiplied by 100. Because the more interesting this gets, the more I'm anticipating the ending to be: a) underwhelming and b) rushed. With b) I can live, with a) I cannot.
Anyway, whoever guessed last week that The Soul is actually Eul-tae's is a queen, (was it gadis?), and I'm so glad she was right. That is a great plot point.
The sequence of Miss Lee's various younger selves imagined by grieving Hwal was beautiful and heartbreaking.
Also, the crying Airhead hugging the blind Hotness at the end was indeed truly lovely as missvictrix said, it made me squirm happily on a couch a little. I think I could deal with whatever the ending throws at us a bit better if it included a minute or two long smootch between the Bloodstained Hotness and the Badly Dressed Candy.

I wonder if the morale of this show is to let bygones be bygones and live in the present and that memories, especially memories of past hurts are unreliable and not worth holding on too.
Hwal has spent 600 years not being able to let go. Ok Eul-Tae has spent 1000 years not being able to let go. Both live in agony because they are still tied to the past and unable to break out of old patterns of behavior.
Sang-un’s twin was trapped in the same cycle but Sang-un got a clean slate and despite being a “badly dressed airhead Candy” (to quote @turka) is able to let go of the past and stay in the present. Each time she makes the choice Hwal benefits too. So maybe that is what would break their vicious centuries long cycle.

I have to give the show props for consistency-the flashbacks of the past are still the most compelling (Bulgasal Hwal gently stroking Bulgasal Sang-Un’s hair 😍). Hwal’s hotness remains, Ok Eul-Tae is the most sympathetic villain ever (Lee Joon is absolutely killing it), Si-Ho is underutilized, the filming locations are gorgeous, and Sang-Un’s wardrobe is atrocious.

I am looking forward to the final week!

Wake me up when the truth behinds the 1000 yrs ago and 600 yrs ago revealed. I came too far to drop the drama but I'm gonna watch it with 1.5x for the last 2 episodes. The slow pace and unnecessary scenes annoyed me to the max.

I’m sorry but I can’t sympathize with Ok Eul Tae at all. I don’t care what his motive was. It’s his actions and the way he handled things that bothered me. He was sick, I get that. But killing your own brother and blaming it on Bulgasal was horrible. Even though the 1000 year Bulgasal Hwal killed people, he is not the same as Ok Eul Tae. Hwal was reborn a human with good intentions and had a heart, even though tragedy fallowed him, He stayed true to hisself and didn’t kill maliciously like Ok Eul Tae. He’s a bloody thirst murderer and a user. He does anything for his own benefit. He saved Bulgasal Hwal 1000 years ago for his own benefit and look where that left him, a black hole in his heart. I don’t get why people still sympathizes with him. SMH

Oh, this drama... When it is good, it's really good. The emotional beat in these last 2 episodes is just so on point. It surprised me how much the scene of Hwal regretting his coldness toward Auntie Lee and his inability to let go of his past punched me right where it hurts. The way he struggled with his long-abandoned human emotion and braced himself for the coming loneliness was just painful to witness. I'm glad that Sang-un has decided to act free from any influence of their long, complicated history. Hwal definitely needed that in his lowest point.

I'm still not sure what to make of Eul-tae's recent memory reveal. Contrary to the many other revelations before, I found myself simply believing this. I realized that the only way for both Eul-tae and Sang-un's recollection of the past to be truthful, is for us to get a major perspective shift about Hwal. Things made sense if Hwal started out as the "bad guy", the one who held Eul-tae's soul hostage for centuries, the one who inadvertently (or maybe not?) put Eul-tae in Sang-un's path over and over again. The convoluted revenge that then resulted between the three would make perfect sense. I would applaud them if the creator did go with this theory and managed to pull it off. If that happened, this would put Eul-tae into a very interesting crossover category between villain and victim.

I can't wait to see how the writer would resolve everything this week. Tbh, I don't want a traditional happy ending because I don't think "and they live happily ever after" suits this tale's overall dark atmosphere. But then again, in a capable hand you can get a happy ending even through major character death scene or something equally tragic and dramatic, so let's hope for something epic to close this story satisfyingly.

I have lost track of how many backstory theories have been spawned in threads by this drama.

I remain in this until the last credits start to roll, even if the last ep reveals make me want to smash things. Whether I remember the actual plot reveals or the theories down the road...that's anyone's guess. 😜