My Demon: Episodes 11-12

by alathe

Our Demon 2.0 is back to maximum battery power! And rest assured, nobody is better prepared to be annoying about it than he is. Luckily, our heroine is willing to see the cute side in the constant devilish monologuing. But their domestic bliss (with added magic) is about to be shattered by some very unfortunate dreams…

EPISODES 11-12

With his powers miraculously returned, our demon is back to doing what he does best: snapping new outfits out of thin air, monologuing on balconies, and being deeply, effervescently obnoxious. Soon, he’s gloating in front of everyone, up to and including God herself. Do-hee takes it all in good humor. She knows better than anyone that beneath the “apex predator” spiel is the guy who once got excited about the existence of tandem bikes.

Besides — these days he’s not feeling altogether apex-ey. In fact, his brush with human compassion has left him downright de-fanged. Instead of striking his usual deal-with-the-devil, the best he can do by way of wicked deeds is… erm, reuniting an Alzheimer’s patient with her beloved husband, free of charge. To his abject horror, he finds himself shedding a tear for the first time in centuries. Get thee behind me, human compassion!

Meanwhile, Do-hee the ruthless operator is back in action: with renewed determination, she vows to catch Madam Ju’s killer. Gu-won has a surprising suspect in mind: Secretary Shin. Granted, she’s been acting squirmy since that night she and Do-hee drank themselves into oblivion. Still, Do-hee trusts her with her life! Wholly and completely! But, uh… maybe they can tail her just a tiny bit. And so, our heroes commence their ever-inept detective act. To Do-hee’s horror, Secretary Shin makes her way to a secluded bench, where she’s greeted by a mysterious contact.

Unfortunately, the instant our leads come barreling indignantly out of the car… is also the instant the two figures start kissing like there’s no tomorrow. The only secret Secretary Shin has been concealing is a boyfriend: Bok-gyu! Huddling like guilty teenagers in the back of the car, they bashfully explain how they’re well into the latter stage of their enemies-to-lovers arc. Turns out, nothing says soulmates like loud drunken confessions! Later, not to be outdone in the romance department, Gu-wan takes a flower between his teeth and shoots a seductive look at Do-hee… who bursts into fits of giggles.

But it’s not all sweetness and light — there’s still our newly-crowned chairman to contend with. Suk-min offers Do-hee a two-faced kind of peace offering: a photo of Madam Ju sitting with her parents. Oodles of family trauma resurfaces. Alone with Gu-won, Do-hee confides that her parents had died on her birthday. Her father had been unexpectedly called out to work, and she’d thrown a tantrum. She’s always blamed herself for the fact that he’d rushed back. For the car crash that ensued. When Gu-won asks if there’s anything he can do for her, she insists upon just one thing. Don’t leave me. She pulls him into a hug.

Meanwhile, Suk-min sets about covering his tracks. Do-kyung, whose losing fight with a building has left him injured and humiliated, is outraged to hear that Do-hee remains alive. You failed to prove yourself, his father says. Now, there’s only one thing you can do. Take the blame. And so, bereft of all hope, Do-kyung makes his way to the police station — where he confesses to every murder his father committed.

In the awkward aftermath of their half-baked betrayal, our second leads swallow their pride. Ga-young rallies her courage, informing Do-hee that what she is about to say… is absolutely not an apology. Do-hee blinks. It feels like it sort of is. Ga-young winces, caught. Awkwardly, she plunges into series of confessions. In the end, she was envious that Do-hee had the chance to make a sacrifice for Gu-won. Her life comprehensively sucked before he came onto the scene. Do-hee nods, understanding. Ga-young cringes — all this empathy makes her look bad. Also, to be clear? Still not an apology! Do-hee can’t help but be endeared.

In the bar that is perilously close to becoming their regular haunt, Gu-won and Seok-hoon also stumble towards an understanding. Seok-hoon has to admit, despite Do-hee being married to the literal devil, he can’t help but feel reassured. Gu-won looks after her. Or rather, he’d better, or else Seok-hoon will blitz his way through priest training and conduct an exorcism himself! This parting shot is delivered in a drunken semi-stupor, as our demon carts him graciously back home. After being abandoned to his inevitable hangover, Seok-hoon realizes Gu-won left a gift: his broken arm has been miraculously healed.

Despite having gained his powers, the love of his life, and a frenemy-in-law who hates him slightly less now, our demon remains ill at ease. Every night, he dreams of the dancer from his past life. After angrily knocking on God’s cardboard door, demanding answers, he receives a nasty shock: she can’t retrieve his memories when he’s the one who repressed them. Admit it, she says. Deep down, you want to be human again. The next night, lying asleep in Do-hee’s arms, Gu-won dreams of his mystery dancer once more. Except, this time, she wears Do-hee’s face. And this time, a sword cuts across her back, and she falls to the ground — choking on her own blood.

Soon, he remembers everything. Gu-won was once SEO YI-SUN, an obnoxiously wealthy Joseon nobleman (some things never change), who was perfectly content to lounge through life… that is, until he fell head over heels for WOLSHIM. Wolshim was a beautiful gisaeng, specializing in sword dancing — the past incarnation of Do-hee. Exiled from Hanyang for refusing to dance before a prominent statesman, she is elegantly skeptical of his advances. At least, at first. But just like our present-day demon, Yi-sun has a heart as soft as marshmallow, and our weapon-wielding heroine finds herself smitten.

He visits every day to watch her rehearse. She pretends not to stare. One day, he dives into an ice-cold river to retrieve her shoe, emerging victorious and only slightly drowned. Later, by the fire, Wolshim — with classic Do-hee daring — cuddles closer under the dubious guise of sharing body heat. Weeks pass. The two grow close. Yi-sun seizes his moment, and confesses. But Wolshim, despite feeling the same, is determined to be practical. As a gisaeng and a nobleman, they’re worlds apart.

Yi-sun is adamant: he’ll gladly be miserable if it means staying by her side. The two find hope in the new texts on Catholicism entering Joseon; to them, it offers an escape from Confucian social hierarchy. Soon, they’re trading smitten glances across prayer books. But eventually, Yi-sun must leave for Hanyang to complete his exams — swearing that when he returns, the two will marry. He leaves Wolshim with an earnest smile, and a small silver cross… the same necklace Gu-won has never removed.

As Yi-sun departs, tensions in their hometown come to a boil. Yi-sun’s father, outraged to learn of his son’s association with a gisaeng, joins the Noron faction in stirring up resentment against Catholicism. Nationwide persecution begins. A nearby village is burned. Yi-sun’s father declares that one person will be made scapegoat to save the community: Wolshim. Terrified, none of her new friends dare defend her. Still, even under interrogation, she refuses to implicate Yi-sun. Yi-sun comes racing to where she is held — arriving only in time to see her executed. He sees red. Drawing his sword, he cuts down everyone he sees: friends, family, members of his community. Surrounded by corpses, he lifts the blade to his own neck.

Yi-sun had died with one thought in mind: if heaven is where God dwells, then I refuse to go there. Only now does Gu-won recognize the irony. And so, time to hurl defiance toward the vault of heaven! Why, he demands of God, reward his faith with misery? Faith, she replies, with a toothy grin, is dangerous. She’d needed a worker. Add that to Yi-sun’s grudge against humanity? Boom. Instant demon. As for why his powers transferred to Do-hee? Clearly, fate — ever-prone to repetition — has more misery in store for them. Gu-won realizes his mistake; he didn’t regain his humanity when he lost his powers. He began regaining his humanity the instant he met the love of his past life.

Whilst Gu-won confronts his God, Do-kyung — now in prison — confronts his mother. You knew about everything, he says. And yet, you turned a blind eye. In the end, you’re the evil one. Se-ra’s face turns icy. I’ve been good all my life, she says. That’s why I’m being punished. Then what, cries Do-kyung, snapping, did I do wrong? You disobeyed your father, she replies, chillingly. Left with no one to defend him, Do-kyung breaks down and cries. The next day, Do-hee receives a call. Do-kyung, she is told, has killed himself.

The funeral is the usual Noh family level of awful. Se-ra speaks little, looks grave, and hides a vicious-looking burn mark on her wrist. Suk-min can speak of little beyond the impact his son’s death will have on stock prices. Su-ahn is inconsolable — right until she’s reminded that her children are the last heirs to Mirae. And Do-hee, exhausted by it all, kneels unhappily at Madam Ju’s grave.

Press night at the Sunwol Foundation approaches. It’s a sadder, wiser Ga-young who smiles at Gu-won and Do-hee — who are looking every inch the power couple — telling them she’ll be leaving Korea after the performance. I learned to dance, she later admits to Bok-gyu, when I saw how much Gu-won loved that painting. I thought I could make him look at me like that. But at least I still have dancing. With this, she wipes a tear, steps onto the stage — and prepares to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

In the audience, Do-hee leans over to Gu-won, who looks utterly distraught. I killed so many people, he confesses to her. People who loved me. People I loved. Do-hee, with remarkable equanimity even for a woman knowingly dating the devil, simply asks whether there was a reason. I’m not sure, he replies. They chose to sacrifice the woman I loved. Do-hee knows a little of this — knows of Wolshim’s existence, but not that Wolshim was her — and has no idea how to compete with a 200-year-old ex. She reaches for Gu-won’s hand. He flinches away.

I’m scared of making you miserable, says Gu-won, quietly. At this, Do-hee — unknowingly quoting a certain 200-year-old romantic with a penchant for diving into ponds — replies that she’d much rather be miserable together than apart. Gu-won’s eyes widen. Finally, he lets her take his hand. As butterflies stream across the stage, Ga-young glances up to where our leads are gazing into each other’s eyes — and once again lets herself smile.

As the performance draws to a close, we receive one last flashback — courtesy of the priest Madam Ju once visited for confession. I saw the devil, he remembers her saying. The night of the crash that killed Do-hee’s parents, Madam Ju glanced through the broken glass of the car window. Here, she met the inscrutable eyes of a very familiar figure, scroll clenched in one hand. That’s right — Gu-won!

Well, folks — the cat’s out of the demonic bag! I mean, sort of. It’s hard to say exactly what any of this means. Did Gu-won make a contract with Do-hee’s parents? I can’t see a world where our heroine forgives that — but then, nor can I buy it happening in the first place. It seems far more likely that Madam Ju struck a deal… but not to cause that crash, regardless of how it looks. Could it have been to save Do-hee? Was the crash an unintended consequence? Either way, considering Do-hee’s (very justifiable) trust issues, it’s hard to say how she’ll react to even the possibility that Gu-won had a hand in this. Talk about being lost in the fog without anyone to trust.

This kind of twist has been skillfully foreshadowed throughout, and whilst I’ve no doubt our heroes will pull through, the path forward is still intriguingly unclear. I’m really enjoying Gu-won’s confrontations with God, where they battle over who gets to make the coolest, most cinematic smirk/glare. Do-hee is adorable as ever — it is wholly believable that our hero would fall for her two lifetimes in a row, and spite God to keep her by his side! Meanwhile, three cheers for Bok-gyu and Secretary Shin; I, for one, support their right to be deeply in love and embarrass all their mutual acquaintances. As ever, I’m rooting for all these characters (even our second leads), and next week can’t come soon enough!

 
RELATED POSTS

• Premiere Watch: My Demon
• Song Kang faces the reality of marriage in new teaser
• Song Kang turns up the charm in My Demon teaser
• Song Kang won’t leave Kim Yoo-jung’s side in new teaser
• Kim Yoo-jung enlists Song Kang as her Demon bodyguard
• News bites: October 25, 2023
• News bites: October 21, 2023
• Kim Yoo-jung signs a contract with Song Kang in My Demon
• News bites: October 15, 2023
• Kim Yoo-jung meets My Demon Song Kang in the rain