Lee Joon is killing it.
This show is worth watching just for his performance.

Thank you for the recap, @missvictrix
Eul-tae and Hwal were brothers 1000 years ago?
I watched that flashback scene several times but the dead brother definitely wasn't Lee Jin-wook...
Am I missing something?

These were great episodes. The scenes between Hwal and Doo-yoon were poignant and sad because even before the (unsurprising) reveal about their connection, it was crystal clear that Hwal was repeating the same mistakes he made with his son in his previous life (or lives) and it was truly heartwrenching to watch how cold and dismissive he was in the face of Doo-yoon's regret. That hurt a lot.

I was genuinely shocked that Hwal and Ok Eul-tae were brothers in another life, although I guess the fact that they are both Bulgasal should have alerted me to that fact. But their first scene together gave off more spurned lover vibes (I know the show wasn't suggesting that exactly, but that's how the scene played for me) than Cain-and-Abel rivalry, so I didn't see this coming.

I'm still not sure what to make of Hwal and Si-ho's vibe, either. He seems vaguely paternalistic with her, which makes me wonder once again what kind of marriage they had exactly. The conceived two children so clearly it wasn't completely void of romantic passion, but they were also obviously pretty miserable with each other in what we saw in the flashbacks. And who is the father of her baby?

Finally, I know I'm supposed to see him as a psychotic villain, but I can't help but feel for Ok Eul-tae. This is probably Lee Joon's fault, but I'm absolutely not rooting for this character to be vanquished. Quite the opposite, actually. In many ways, he's the best thing about the drama.

I don’t agree with this recap of yours. It never showed Hwal as the brother 1000 years ago. Please tell me how did you come up with that?

huh?? did I just imagine that was Hwal?! I don't know know -- that scene where the father is looking at the dead son looks just like Hwal to me...?

Bulgasal is the drama I look forward to the most each week. This week, the episodes were good with the angst and heartwrenching emotions, but there wasn't much progress with the plot. I was into it nonetheless. I just want MORE~~

So the story is pretty much saying that Eul Tae is the one who murdered Hwal's family. I guess there's no twist about it. The thing is... it's not clear-cut that he is the one who attacked them. His face was never shown in the flashback. Sang Eon's face wasn't shown either. Not until the end when she stabbed Hwal. It looked like there were two mysterious figures there at the time of the murders - one dressed in red moving swiftly around, crouching low at times (Sang Eon?) and the other was standing still by the trees (Eul Tae?). *replayed this scene several times* *shudders like a scaredy cat*

I thought Eul Tae's brother was someone else, not Hwal. Hwal came into the picture later, like a stepbrother.

Sometimes, the next episode preview gives us too much. I sorta wished I didn't catch it so I would be more surprised. XD

I can always appreciated a revelation that neatly tied in many seemingly random or nonsensical bits of information. And Do-yun being A-chan's reincarnation is exactly that. It put his unusual (non-)reaction towards Hwal's real identity as Bulgasal under a decidedly different light. Same as how quickly he was taken in with Si-ho. Meanwhile, I think the writer could handle the revelation of Si-ho's power much better than that. Sure, we got explanation about how her power seemed to mature only recently, and that she needed more practice to wield that power reliably. But a much smoother introduction a bit earlier would be appreciated, regardless.

We slowed down a lot this week as we dove deeper into the folds of Eul-tae's lives and motivation. I guess I didn't really expect this to be about Eul-tae's very personal grudge. (I pegged him as a more opportunistic type, though this didn't remove the possibility of him being both.) I like to think that I can differentiate between Eul-tae's mock concern and his more genuine emotion. And yet, I can't really understand what emotion that ruled him whenever he interacted with Hwal, Det. Kwon, or for that matter, Do-yun.

I have a feeling that he genuinely wanted his own family, or at least people he can fully trust who would always prioritize him and accept him no matter what. And that heavily colored his interaction with the reincarnation of his past family. He seemed torn between wanting acknowledgment or acceptance from det. Kwon and itching to torture him for abandoning him all those reincarnations ago. He was clearly incensed that even now when he and Hwal are in the same state of "disgrace" living as Bulgasals, Hwal is still the one with precious human connection while he stays alone despite his wealth and power. I wonder if he somehow saw himself reflected in Do-yun and his brother's childhood: a sickly child left all alone to fend for themselves in a cruel world, and if that spurred a more genuine feelings between him and Do-yun even years later. The problem with Eul-tae is that, no matter how much he might care or wanted to care about someone, his instinct to kill the moment problems arose is much too ingrained in his brain that I don't think he is capable of making any other decision than what he chose 1.000 years ago.

Question for future eps:
- Is Eul-tae the one who spread the false rumor that started the misnomer of Bulgasal as the king of monsters then? Though the woman Bulgasal witnessing past Hwal's murder still didn't explain the cursed hole on Eul-tae's body, or why the Bulgasal bothered to take retribution on that action unless there is a connection already between her and past Hwal.

- It's interesting that det. Kwon from 1000 years ago had a decidedly different personality and moral compass than the one we know now, which was interesting. Because as we've seen from the countless reincarnation we've met, people don't really change that much no matter...

I have a weird relation with this show. I do like the idea that what the show wants to be but I dont like what they are :) It is a great story , impressive first week . It was quite bland after that . Revelations were not surprising. I have already guessed what was coming from the beginning .I feel editing choices are not spot on. The leads are not enough to carry the drama either . I ll still keep watching tough :) My kind of story .

This week had some reveals except they weren’t big because many already guessed that Do-yoon was A-chan and Eul-tae killed Hwal’s family. The biggest shocker this week was that the Detective was Eul-tae’s dad 1000 years ago. If it wasn’t for the painting, I’d think Hwal was the brother that Eul-tae killed. Hwal was the General’s beloved son, after all. But the painting …

I thought the scene where Eul-tae stabbed Do-yoon was good but it was a letdown when the others showed up. It should have been gut wrenching, history repeating itself, but this week was really the first where Do-yoon had any significant interaction with Hwal, so I found it underwhelming.

Am I missing something? The Detective’s sister was one of the reincarnations that Eul-tae killed, right? This happened in 1975 but the fire at that one reincarnation’s home happened 50 years ago. Two reincarnations existed at the same time? How? Or am I misunderstanding something.

My favorite moment this week was when Eul-tae told Do-yoon his brother was dead. Lee Joon’s line delivery cracked me up.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe the person who writes Eul-tae’s scenes writes the rest of the show, but Lee Joon did say he was the only actor to ad-lib some of his lines. I wouldn’t even say the writing for Eul-tae is that good, Lee Joon just makes the scenes more interesting with his line delivery and expressions. Unfortunately, Kwon Nara hasn’t been able to elevate the material, but I can’t even blame her. Sang-eon is just there to stare and be put in danger. I’m honestly angry at the writing for her, and for Sang-eon and Hwal together. It makes no sense, and the constant staring grinds the drama to a halt.

Gong Seung-yeon isn’t faring much better. Si-ho is more interesting than Sang-eon, but she’s the most underutilized character. The female characters deserve better.

I think my favorite scene this week was when Hwal asked Sang Eon when they barely escaped from somewhere and got in the car: "Why are you in such a good mood?" For a moment, I seriously thought that she will say "'Cause I'm a real Candy!" :')))))))))
On another note, can someone please explain to me what exactly makes a person THAT PERSON, if their soul moved to another body? Isn't the soul essential to the immaterial part of the being? That is, what I really don't understand is how do the personality and memories stay in the body when the soul goes away? I find that part a bit tricky to grasp.

I don't really believe the romance, but I'm liking the rest of the drama. Lee Joon is giving me lots of sensuality, I don't know if it is on purpose, but he is doing a great job.

What I don't understand is why Kwon Nara is the lead and not Gong Seung-yeon. Why did GSY agree to be just a side character? I am not a fan of both but when I started watching kdramas, GSY is already playing FL roles and Kwon Nara only got noticed in IC, I think.

Newbie here, delighted to be onboard. Want to thank Miss Victrix for the awesome recap! I, to am a bit confused about whether Ok Eul-tae's brother 1,000 years ago, was Hwal--it was hard to see his face. Was also mystified by who was standing beside Kim Hwa-Yeon/Bulgasal as that attack unfolded. It didn't show that person's face either? Anway I continue to impressed by the many intricate layers of Ok Eul-tae's personality, as revealed by Lee Joon...<3

Hwal thinks that past characters have the same traits/personality as they do in the present. So following his way of thinking, I could see that with Sang Eon being so selfless and wanting to help others is a bit of a match to her past action of saving the lil boy Hwal.

On the other hand, the concept of reincarnation is still murky to me and how this drama is using it. I think the present characters should have some changes about their traits due to their environment, family setting, time period, or other factors.

@missvictrix Thank you for another recap! I really couldn't understand why Eul-tae decided that stabbing Do-yoon was his best option. Hwal was already aware of the possibility that he was responsible for the death of his family. What difference would it have made if Do-yoon knew as well? Also, I didn't get the impression that Do-yoon believed what the monster told him.

The dramatic twist was nice. The pace is still too slow and repetitive. How many times will they get kidnapped so Hwal can save them? Who hasn't been kidnapped yet?

I rewatched episode 1 where grown up Hwal was having a dream and it clearly showed Sang sun stabbing Hwal in the hand with a knife. That’s how he got that scar! He is definitely an important figure in this huge mystery surrounding them 2, and he most definitely has a connection to Sang sun in his previous life, but not sure how far back

The slow paced in every past scenes were really nice and drew me into the story rather than the present time in some scenes. This week Ok-Eultae's 1000 years ago story was the highlight of the ep. I didn't see it coming. Good job! Lee Joon still keeps surprising me with his wide range of acting.