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Hwayugi: Episode 2

I’m already loving this setup, which has a funny should-I-love-you-or-eat-you relationship between human and monster at the center, like My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho did. In practice it’s more like they took the blueprint of Journey to the West and mixed it with vampire lore and a contract relationship, but it comes together in a surprisingly natural way. It really helps that Seung-gi is so perfectly cast as this infuriating but endearing hero, who shows just enough warmth under his devilish façade to make me love him.

The second episode had some major missteps in production though, and there was a series of broadcast accidents that occurred when it first aired, from stuntmen’s wires hanging all over the place to CG green screens showing. The worst was when commercials repeated instead of the last twenty minutes of the broadcast, and the episode just cut off without an ending. It’s worrisome to see live-shoot mishaps so early into a show’s run (you couldn’t have just premiered a week later?), and I hope they can get it together and air tighter episodes from here on out. Episode 2 was re-edited and re-aired in full on Monday.

 
EPISODE 2 RECAP

In the past, little ghost-seeing girl Sun-mi runs up to the other kids at school and attempts to join a game, only to have them spit on the tree she touched in case she brought them bad juju. Left alone in tears, Sun-mi apologizes to the tree and ends up with a cut on her hand, and the scent of her blood spreads through the air.

A schoolgirl ghost calls to Sun-mi from atop the tree and asks to play, saying that her blood smells nice. The ghost creepily stretches her arm all the way down to pull Sun-mi up, but thankfully Grandma arrives just in time to yank her down to safety.

Grandma warns her not to bleed, and Sun-mi asks if she has to hide alone for the rest of her life. But Grandma assures her that someone with the fate to protect her will come, and tells Sun-mi to be strong and live well until then.

As she says this, Grandma begins to fade and disappear. Oh how sad, Grandma was a ghost? Sun-mi, who’s wearing a mourning pin in her hair, watches her fade away in tears.

In the present, mischievous Monkey King Sohn Oh-gong wraps the cut on Sun-mi’s arm with a bandage, and tells her to keep it covered because demons are attracted to the scent of her blood—the blood of Sam-jang, the monk.

He confirms that he originally came here to eat her, but says he was shocked when he saw her face: “How can I eat you when I know your face?” Ha, glad you have some standards.

Sun-mi thanks him for protecting her, and he says very casually that they have 25 years of unforgettable connection between them. She’s surprised since he said he never once thought of her, but Oh-gong admits that he was just trying to act tough.

He decides that he can’t just leave her unprotected when demons will flock to her, and declares that he’ll honor his promise from 25 years ago. He offers to break their old contract and sign a new one to become her protector, and puts out his hand.

Sun-mi is moved by the gesture and reaches out to touch his palm, but then she notices the eager look on his face, which gives him away. He really does have the worst poker face of all time.

She realizes that he’s trying to break their original contract because it’s preventing him from eating her. Oh-gong’s eyes glow red at her words, showing his true intent. Argh, bad Monkey!

Sun-mi dares him to go ahead and eat her if he can and stalks off, and Oh-gong blocks her path and leans in menacingly. He slams his hand against the wall so hard that he takes a piece of it with them as they fly clear out to the other side, and they float there glaring daggers at each other.

Oh-gong’s roommate, Mawang, reports to heaven’s messenger that Oh-gong didn’t eat Sun-mi right away, so there must be a reason he couldn’t.

Sun-mi downs a shot of soju and asks if Oh-gong really intended to eat her if the contract hadn’t prevented him, while he’s just fixated on where his acting went awry. She says that him being nice to her was the first tipoff.

In his defense, Oh-gong says that she’d get eaten by some other demon anyway, because she’s Sam-jang. He pours himself a shot and just breathes in the smell, while Sun-mi asks what the hell a Sam-jang is.

Mawang’s secretary asks the same question, and he explains that Sam-jang is a human with a royal summons from heaven, and that a Sam-jang has appeared in this present life before a big misfortune befalls the human realm.

Secretary Ma points to the coincidence that Sun-mi, who freed Oh-gong from his prison, is the Sam-jang of this generation. But Mawang says that it’s because she freed him that she was given the fate of Sam-jang, as her punishment. Oh.

He accepts some of the responsibility for changing her fate since he sent her into the forest 25 years ago, and Secretary Ma asks if that’s why he’s going to protect her, as messenger Patriarch asked of him. But Mawang’s nose twitches as he admits that the scent of her blood is extremely tempting.

We see that he’d gone into Sun-mi’s empty apartment after Oh-gong had cut a giant hole in her wall, and he’d collected the droplets of her blood on the ground into the orb on his ring, which made his eyes glow red.

Even now, the scent from his ring makes him shudder, as he says that her blood has awakened his temptation for the first time in a thousand years. He thinks that it’s too dangerous to keep Sun-mi close, and Secretary Ma quickly agrees that he should keep his distance.

Mawang points out that he’s been practicing restraint for centuries, but can’t imagine how Oh-gong is stopping himself from eating Sun-mi, since he’s a monster too, after all. Secretary Ma corrects him that technically, Oh-gong is a Taoist immortal, and although he was ousted from heaven, he’s in a different class altogether from monsters.

That grates his ego tremendously, of course, not that she notices. Secretary Ma just pleasantly offers to bring Sun-mi here so he can eat her, and Mawang snaps that he’s practicing asceticism so that he can be a Taoist immortal too.

Sun-mi realizes how dangerous it is to live as Sam-jang, and Oh-gong prods her to give up on this life, since hers is rather bleak and friendless anyway. He says that all she has to do is say it out loud, and he’ll eat her painlessly.

He argues that being eaten by someone she knows is better than being afraid her whole life (is it though?), and offers to protect her for a week or two, then end her life at the moment she chooses. He actually says this like he’s offering her a favor. Unsurprisingly, she turns him down and stomps off.

Oh-gong grumbles to himself that this is all because of that contract, and then wonders how Sun-mi of all people ended up being Sam-jang.

Sun-mi barely gets down the street before a black cloudy demon reaches out and yanks her into an alley. Even her talisman umbrella doesn’t work to ward it off like it does with ghosts, and she’s terrified when the demon just knocks the umbrella aside and chomps down on her arm.

Thankfully Oh-gong appears and fights the demon off with a few swift moves. He pulls up Sun-mi’s sleeve and chides her for getting bitten again, calling it dirty. I’m pretty sure germs are the least of her worries?

Sun-mi’s legs give out when she learns that that was a demon, and she murmurs that this must be her end, after a lifetime of being cursed and bringing misfortune to the people she loves.

Oh-gong takes that as her accepting her fate to be eaten, but she grabs his hand and says that he’s the only one who can protect her. But he argues that he was technically protecting his food. Hee.

He gives her two weeks to think over his offer to become his next meal, and she wipes her tears angrily, calling him a jerk. He points out that she’s leaving her umbrella behind when she walks away, but she doesn’t bother to pick it up.

Mawang comes home to his least favorite sight—Oh-gong’s coat hanging from his bull statue—and tells Oh-gong that if he sees it hanging there one more time, he’s going to throw it away. Oh-gong: “Why would you throw away the bull? It’s the perfect coat hanger.” Hahahaha. I love how infuriating he is.

Mawang finds it odd that he’s sewing up an old umbrella, until Oh-gong says that it belongs to Sam-jang, who happens to be the girl Mawang sent into the woods 25 years ago. Oh-gong is surprised to see that Mawang already knew, and accuses him of sending Sam-jang to free him on purpose.

But Mawang tells him that freeing Oh-gong from his prison is the reason Sun-mi was given Sam-jang’s fate, as her punishment, and Oh-gong grows quiet at that.

Mawang asks why he hasn’t eaten Sun-mi, wondering in disbelief if he actually feels sorry enough not to eat her. Their attention is diverted by something cooking on the stove, and when Oh-gong says he’s working on a new seasoning, Mawang asks agog, “To eat Sam-jang with?” LOL.

Oh-gong just tasks him with simmering the sauce and perches on a rooftop to wait for Sun-mi. Sure enough, she returns to the alley looking for her ghost-warding umbrella, and he notes to himself that she must not have given up on this life if she came back for her weapon.

He floats it down to her and playfully keeps it dancing in midair behind her for a little while, smiling to himself at his little game. How cute. He eventually lets it fall so that she can find it, and without revealing himself, he rattles a can down the alley to scare her into hurrying home safely.

Sun-mi curls up in bed with her umbrella in her arms, vowing not to give up on life, and out on her rooftop balcony, Oh-gong keeps watch while idly flinging bits of light into the sky to take down demons.

He sighs at the flimsy bed sheet hanging up where he took out a chunk of her wall, and mutters to himself that she’s very annoying food. Uh-huh, suuuuure.

In the morning, Sun-mi has dark circles halfway down her face as she sits in her office, and then remembers that all she has to do is figure out Oh-gong’s name to make him hold up his end of the contract. She decides not to waste any time and takes out a stack of client files, and goes about shouting each name out loud.

Her employee Han-joo finds her acting crazy again, and he mentions that the CEO of Lucifer Entertainment came by to see her yesterday, but she has no idea who that is. So he brings up a clip of Mawang judging his idol audition program, and Sun-mi’s eyes widen to recognize him as the man who sent her into the woods as a child, even using the same “You pass!” catchphrase he did with her.

Sun-mi asks where to find him, so Han-joo gets them onto the set of the audition program by a PD who bought a building through them.

Meanwhile, Mawang judges another contestant with his usual flair, and in the dressing room, his co-judges snipe at his attention-hogging showmanship: “Who does he think he is, JYP?”

Secretary Ma leans in to whisper, “Shall I kill them?” Keh, that’ll never get old. Mawang just waits until the PD comes in and passive-aggressively asks when the ratings peak, giddy to hear that it’s when he does his showy “You pass!”

Filming resumes, but when the next contestant is called out, it’s Sun-mi who appears. She says that she came because she’s desperate and that he passed her once before, and though Mawang recognizes her immediately, he pretends not to.

Sun-mi declares that she’s going to remind him just how special she is, and then unwraps the bloody wound on her wrist… before launching into a song. What. The scent of her blood brings demons flocking to the stage, and both Mawang and Secretary Ma’s eyes glow red with hunger.

She fights off demons with her umbrella as she sings, though to the rest of the world, she just looks like a crazy lady with embarrassing dance moves. Mawang has a terrible time trying to tamp down his hunger, but finally gets it together long enough to slam his fist down and dissipate the demons. Then he shouts, “You pass!” making him seem like the crazy person.

Oh-gong visits his friend Frosty, who asks about Sam-jang. Oh-gong says that he’s figuring out how to eat her without getting indigestion, and working on a new seasoning, which he wants an opinion on. Their quiet conversation is interrupted by the arrival of idol superstar PK, who is followed by an entourage of screaming fangirls.

Oh-gong calls him “Pig” and PK is deferential, asking “hyungnim” very nicely for just one bite of Sam-jang, haha. Oh-gong points to his army of fangirls who feed him with their love, but PK argues that Sam-jang is special.

He’s surprised to hear that Oh-gong has yet to eat Sam-jang, and wonders if he’s practicing restraint like Mawang, which he doesn’t see the point of when Oh-gong was kicked out of heaven and imprisoned for so long. Annoyed, Oh-gong threatens to turn Pig into boiled pork, and PK immediately wishes him a full recovery of his powers and bows before scurrying away.

Frosty thinks that Sam-jang must really be a big deal for PK to come all this way, and Oh-gong says he stayed up all night just to protect her from demons. He quickly amends that to say that he stayed up to protect his food, and tells Frosty that she’s gone to see Mawang to learn his name, but she’s safe with him because he won’t eat her.

Sun-mi begs Mawang to tell her the name, but he says that no matter how many times he tells her that Sohn Oh-gong is Sohn Oh-gong, she won’t remember it. Sure enough, even a second after hearing it, she can’t recall it. Mawang says that she never will, until Oh-gong returns the memory that he stole from her.

She argues that the contract is useless if she can’t call him by name, and Mawang’s eyes light up with curiosity. He realizes that this is the reason Oh-gong couldn’t eat her, and tells her that a contract with a human is binding. He promises to help her find something to capture Oh-gong and get around his tricksy loophole.

He leads Sun-mi through a closed marketplace to a shop called General Store, where the proprietor is waiting for Mawang and hands him a jar of potion. He wonders if this will make Oh-gong docile, but the shopkeeper says she has something incomparably more powerful if he’s looking to tame an unruly monster.

As they head to the back, Sun-mi looks around the store wondering what kind of odds and ends they could possibly sell here. When she opens a box of ginseng and pokes at one, it talks back to her.

She opens a large jar next, and inside she sees a vision of herself in bridal dress, leaning up to kiss Oh-gong. Omo.

Alarmed, she gasps and nearly falls over, and the shopkeeper’s grandson takes the lid from her. He says that it’s a bad omen jar that shows things that always come true, but only bring misfortune.

She’s still thrown by the kiss when Mawang comes out from the back and happily announces that he’s obtained the perfect item for their needs.

Elsewhere, a bride and groom happily look around their new apartment the night before their wedding, and discover a strange photograph of a traditional wedding that they assume was delivered by mistake.

But the bride inside the photograph moves when they aren’t looking, and later when the woman returns to retrieve her purse, she notices that the bride’s gaze has changed in the picture.

In that moment, the bride’s eyes glow red and she asks if the woman wants to get married in her place, and then a piercing scream rings out.

Patriarch hears about the bride thief from the bartender who’s friends with Oh-gong, and Patriarch sighs that it’s because there are more and more demons these days that heaven brought Sam-jang down to earth in this lifetime.

The bartender didn’t know that it was because of demons that Sam-jang came, and Patriarch tells her that Sam-jang’s calling is to protect the earth from demons. She doesn’t see how a powerless human could do such a thing, but Patriarch says that heaven would never send her down without a plan, and that what’s meant to happen will happen.

Oh-gong waits outside for Sun-mi to come home and totally smiles when he sees her approach. He calls her out on going to see Mawang, knowing that she did a whole song and dance (literally) and still can’t remember his name.

He suddenly pulls her close and tells her to shut her eyes, and Sun-mi asks in fear if he means for her to die now. But he blurts that she has to close her eyes so that he can surprise her, and then yanks back the sheet that was covering the gaping hole in her wall.

He says he patched it up for her remaining time here to be cozy, and then suggests that she choose him because she won’t find a nicer predator anywhere. She tells him to try harder then, so that she has no regrets left and can die willingly, and Oh-gong asks what she wants to do before she dies.

Sun-mi declares that she wants to eat with family, have a drink with a friend, and go on a date with a boyfriend.

Cut to: the two of them eating at a family restaurant, role-playing as uncle and niece. She says that she’s always wanted to order family-style, and Oh-gong tells her to order anything she likes, which makes her smile.

Next they go to a bar, where they role-play as coworkers-turned-friends who’re developing feelings for each other.

At round two, Oh-gong rattles on and on about how she should really go to army to learn how to live among other people, and also because “there are far scarier things than ghosts in the army.” Pff. Sun-mi gets tired of listening to him and proceeds to get drunker and drunker.

For the romantic portion of the evening, Oh-gong takes her to a Christmas tree display and tells her to take a selfie like everyone else. Sun-mi starts to take a picture by herself, but he notes the other couples and throws an arm around her, pulling her close for a couple photo.

That just makes her think of the kiss she saw in the bad omen jar, and Sun-mi pulls away abruptly, saying that she doesn’t need a photo.

Oh-gong says that he’s done what she’s asked, and snaps his fingers and makes the tree lights go off, dispersing the crowd. She wonders why he did that, and he points out that those people aren’t her family, friends, or lover: “You’re the only one left all alone.” He asks if her life doesn’t seem even more pathetic and lonely now that the twinkling lights have all gone off. Oh, you’re being cruel.

He whispers like the devil in her ear, asking if it isn’t the perfect time to give up on life. Sun-mi’s eyes pool with tears, but she turns to him and says, “Even if I don’t have family or friends or a lover, in my life I have me.” She says that she’s proud of herself for surviving on her own and wants to keep living.

He’s taken aback when she thanks him sincerely for being her family, friend, and lover for a day, and then she takes out the box that Mawang gave her at the General Store. She lies that she bought it a few minutes ago at the gift shop because she’s always wanted to exchange gifts like any other couple.

Oh-gong opens it to reveal a gold bracelet (a take on the circlet that the Monkey King wears on his head in the original novel, which tightens when the monk recites a verse), and Sun-mi thinks back to Mawang telling her that this object will bind her contract-signer to her, and cause him shooting heart pains if he ever goes back on his word. Muahahaha.

He’s immediately suspicious of the gift, but Sun-mi just says it’s something else she’s always wanted to do, and when she threatens to take it back, he refuses and puts it in his pocket.

She thanks him for making this the best Christmas Eve of her whole life, and says that today isn’t the day she wants to decide to die. He softens at that and remembers that he said he’d give her two weeks, and even turns the tree lights back on to make her happy as she goes.

Oh-gong comes home and flings his coat on the bull statue as always, only this time, Mawang is sitting in the dark waiting to catch him in the act. LOL, you have way too much time on your hands.

Mawang growls that he’s going to burn it like he warned, and Oh-gong just tells him dismissively to go ahead. But while throwing his hissy fit, Mawang discovers the bracelet in the coat pocket and realizes that he can’t burn it with that inside.

He tries to ask if Oh-gong wants to check the pockets before he burns it, going around in circles until Oh-gong is shouting for him to just burn the damn thing and Mawang is arguing that you shouldn’t burn a perfectly good coat, ha.

Oh-gong grows pensive and asks if Mawang has ever seen a human who has nothing, protecting their life like it’s precious. Mawang says he sees that all the time in the eyes of young people who come on his audition program, though he points out that most of them eventually lose it. Oh-gong muses, “Those eyes that wanted to live… were impressive.” Mawang asks if he intends to protect those eyes, and after a beat, Oh-gong asks if he burned it.

Mawang holds up the coat and says he didn’t, but Oh-gong is referring to his Sam-jang seasoning, and shouts that he let the sauce burn. Wah-waaah. Mawang stomps on the coat in impotent fury, wondering how to get that nutjob locked up somewhere, and crying over what he had to do to get his hands on the gold bracelet.

But Oh-gong finally remembers that he left something important in his coat pocket and comes to retrieve the bracelet, seeming relieved to find it.

At the General Store, Patriarch learns from the shopkeeper that the bracelet went to the right place, and that the things that are meant to happen will happen.

Oh-gong goes to see his friend CEO Sa Oh-jung, and the business minions behind him gape when CEO Sa greets the younger-looking Oh-gong very politely as “hyungnim.” I will never tire of jondae/banmal reversals.

Up in the office, Oh-gong tells CEO Sa that he wants to break a contract with a human, and CEO Sa agrees to find a good lawyer to consult. He says he’ll look into the bracelet as well, which Oh-gong says was a Christmas gift from Sam-jang.

Sun-mi’s two weeks are up, and she wonders if Oh-gong has put the bracelet on yet. She and Han-joo get a visit from the groom who’d just bought the newlywed apartment through them, and he says with bloodshot eyes that he’ll forfeit his deposit because the wedding was called off.

They learn that the bride has fallen ill, and Sun-mi and Han-joo check the apartment looking for clues. Sun-mi finds the old wedding photograph as she looks around, and she’s able to spot the bride ghost inside. But the moment she does, she gets sucked into the photograph.

Han-joo finds nothing but the photo when he comes looking for her, so he just brings it back to the office. Oh-gong is there looking for Sun-mi, and Han-joo says timidly that she just disappeared, which happens often.

It doesn’t take long for Oh-gong to notice the moving bride in the photograph, and he runs off with it, then crashes PK’s interview to grab him too. Oh-gong asks PK how to get inside the photograph, and PK wonders nervously what happens if he can’t get back out.

PK says the groom is a carnal lust monster amassing brides, and tells Oh-gong to go to the place where the photograph was taken, so Oh-gong takes an old camera to the spot, which serves as his portal.

Oh-gong arrives in the other dimension in the middle of a Joseon wedding, which now has seven brides for the one monster to marry. The monster, whose true face looks reptilian, tells Oh-gong that this is the world he made, and if he’s killed in it, everyone will stay trapped inside forever.

Oh-gong convinces the groom that he only means to reclaim the bride that belongs to him, and the groom says he’ll allow it, if Oh-gong can find her among the seven. He isn’t allowed to go near them, and with their faces covered, Oh-gong can’t tell them apart.

But then he remembers Sun-mi’s lotus-scented blood, and makes a butterfly in his palm to go find the scent. The butterfly lands on one bride, and Oh-gong succeeds in picking Sun-mi out of the crowd.

The groom still isn’t convinced that Sun-mi is Oh-gong’s bride, and she’s locked in some sort of trance that prevents her from recognizing him. Thinking quickly, Oh-gong takes out the bracelet she gave him and reminds her how much she wanted him to have it.

When she doesn’t respond, he puts the bracelet on his wrist. Aaah, it’s on! That seems to snap her out of the spell, and when he puts his hand out for her to hold, she takes it. That effectively brings her back to her right mind, and she gasps to see that she’s wearing bridal clothes.

They’re just about to walk away when the groom suddenly gets a whiff of Sun-mi’s blood, and Oh-gong yells at her to run. They dash away and leap through the doorway that he first came through, but nothing happens and they’re still stuck in Joseon.

It turns out that PK has packed up the portal camera on the other side, though he doesn’t get far before Mawang catches him in the act. PK pouts that Oh-gong wasn’t even going to share Sam-jang with him, so he thought he’d keep her trapped inside and then go eat her when she was tired out.

Mawang chides him for thinking that he could defeat Oh-gong, but then realizes that if they burned the photograph, Oh-gong would stay trapped inside that world forever. PK says that he doesn’t have the power to do that… but Mawang does, and a mischievous smile spreads across his face.

No matter how much Oh-gong and Sun-mi run, they keep looping around the same places, and he realizes that they’re trapped, and that PK betrayed him. Things go from bad to worse when they smell a fire, and Oh-gong knows there isn’t much time left before they’re stuck for good.

On the outside, Mawang watches the photograph burn up with a devilish smile, while PK starts to look worried.

Sun-mi recognizes their surroundings from the vision she saw in the bad omen jar and instinctively purses her lips together. Oh-gong knows that it means these events were destined to happen, and asks what they did in her vision.

She hesitates, saying that it could bring them misfortune, but Oh-gong says there’s no time and prods her to hurry up and do it so they can get out.

But he’s surprised when she takes a deep breath and steps closer… and then closes the distance between them with a kiss. He looks at her, stunned and unsure at first, and then when he recovers, he raises a finger to chide her.

Only his hand begins to shake violently, and the bracelet suddenly takes on a life of its own, piercing his wrist and spreading golden tendrils through his veins until they wrap around his heart and tighten. He doubles over from the shooting pain, and then the bracelet reforms itself.

Oh-gong shouts, “What have you done? What is this?!” Sun-mi is just as surprised, and all she knows is that he can’t kill her if he’s wearing that. He says that she’s right, and has figured out that he will suffer immense pain when she’s in danger… like right now.

He says that their contract is binding as long as both of them are alive, and then snaps his fingers. A shining ball of light floats down to his hand and he puts it back into her head—it’s her memory of his name.

She confirms that she remembers his name now, and Oh-gong grabs her shoulders and says, “Only you can call me forth now.” Then he flings her into the air, and she vanishes through a portal, coming out in the real world.

She’s alone in an empty field, when PK pulls up and announces that he’s here to escort her on Mawang’s orders. He claims to have been on his way to reopen the portal, but says that she’s impressive for coming out on her own. He adds that the other brides came out too, and we see the apartment bride and groom reunite in the hospital.

Sun-mi asks after Oh-gong, and PK says he can’t come out because the photograph will have burned up by now. Sure enough, the photograph burns to a crisp as Mawang chuckles in glee.

Secretary Ma congratulates Mawang on getting rid of the groom monster and trapping Oh-gong in that alternate world forever, and he delights in finding a way to imprison him.

Sun-mi worries about Oh-gong, calling him by name, and PK tells her not to waste her time on such pointless worrying. She asks if there’s a way to free him, but PK says he doesn’t have that kind of power.

While looking around in PK’s car, Sun-mi notices his cell phone and remembers Oh-gong telling her that his dongsaeng is the head of the company that makes them, and she insists that PK stop the car when she spots the building up ahead.

Sun-mi is prepared to sound like a lunatic and asks the receptionist to see the “highest person” here, as a friend of his hyungnim. She’s shocked when it works, and CEO Sa recognizes her right away as Sam-jang.

She tries to just tell him about Oh-gong being trapped in the photograph and leave, but CEO Sa asks if Oh-gong is wearing the bracelet she gave him, and whether she knows that it causes him piercing heart pain. She says that she needed it because Oh-gong wasn’t holding up his end of their contract, and CEO Sa asks her for details about their original deal.

When PK mentions to Mawang that Sun-mi was asking for ways to rescue Sohn Oh-gong, Mawang picks up on her using Oh-gong’s name. Her recalling the name is a twist he didn’t expect, and he growls to realize that she could summon Oh-gong back.

As Sun-mi walks outside, she thinks back to CEO Sa telling her that Oh-gong used all of his strength to rescue her, because she is the owner of the bracelet and he must protect her.

She wonders if she’s doing something crazy, and says aloud, “Then return to protect me.” With that, she takes out a pen dagger and slices her hand.

The scent of her blood fills the air, and in no time demons are swirling around her, clawing their way up to her face.

She’s frozen in terror, but finally gets it together and shouts, “Sohn! Oh! Gooooong!”

The demon hands draw closer, but when she looks up again, a figure is flying toward her, silhouetted by the moon. It’s Oh-gong, who lands at her feet with a demon-chasing punch and a satisfied smile.

 
COMMENTS

Like any good magical contract relationship, this one has some great push and pull in the dynamic where both parties need something from the other, and are unwittingly growing attached while trying to outsmart each other in their game. I eat this stuff up. It’s just the beginning between Sun-mi and Oh-gong, but there’s already a great give-and-take between them, because for all of Oh-gong’s supernatural powers, he’s not so sneaky as he’d like to think, and they’re pretty evenly matched when it comes to lying and reading each other. It sets us up nicely for the romance down the line, especially now that Sun-mi has some power in their relationship. She’s smart and resourceful, while he’s all magical brawn and no deep thought in sight. But their connection has these genuine moments that come out every time she’s vulnerable with him and he’s helping her despite himself.

I also like that Oh-gong is such a different kind of hero, a wild card with an unpredictable nature. I mean, to have a hero who’s actually faced with the moral conflict of whether or not to eat the heroine is hilarious, and definitely uncommon. Mawang is the more traditional type of hero we’d get in a vampire story, for instance, where a monster is fighting his demonic urges and trying to live the straight and narrow, and tempted by the heroine’s delicious blood. But Sohn Oh-gong is almost completely amoral at this stage, and sees nothing wrong with seeing her as a tasty snack, which cracks me up and keeps their dynamic fresh and interesting. Every time you think he might just start to care and have a heart, he turns his attention to how he’ll season her.

There’s endless joke potential in this kind of character, because even in the first two episodes, every time I thought Sun-mi had gotten through to him, there was more bottom to be uncovered. Of course, that’ll come to bite him in his monkey’s ass someday when he falls sincerely in love and isn’t taken seriously, but this is why his childish, infuriating nature isn’t actually hateful—because we see his foibles so clearly, and the mistakes he’ll make before he even makes them. It helps immensely that he’s an incorrigible rascal, not an evil bastard, especially the way Seung-gi plays him.

It’s probably Oh-gong’s friends that indicate that there’s more to him than a selfish monkey with a taste for humans, and they’re also a huge part of making the mythology feel complex and layered. I especially love moments like the General Store full of magical odds and ends, which is a tried and true fantasy trope for a reason—you believe in the magical power of any object that comes out of that place, and it fills out the world in a believable way. So far the peppering of monsters and demons and magical elements has been just enough to pique my curiosity and build a supernatural world (when the CG is done, mind you), and I’m happy to be whisked away to a new dramaverse. Fingers crossed that the production team gets the editing and effects under control to keep us there. Here’s a suggestion: Make the episodes shorter! More sleep for everyone!

 
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Thanks for the recap. I’m enjoying Hwayugi but at the same time, I’m finding a letdown already even though it’s too early. And episode 2 disaster helped me figure it out. I have no problem with the cast or the plot. I think it’s the execution.
I can’t help but feel the pressure of the drama to meet the expectations they’ve promised it to be. It kinda feels like they’re trying so hard and while I’m appreciating their efforts, I wish they’d calm down and just let it be. Maybe it’s too early to tell but I’m hoping I’ll eat my words.
(Cha Seung Won is hot in anything. I knew I had a Korean ahjussi fetish but hot damn!!)

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I came here only to write about Cha Seung Won and how he`s melted my heart since The City Hall But saw your cm and Well, you are damn right. He sure is HOT!^.^

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Talk about aging like fine wine 🍷 😋

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Hell yeahhh😋😋

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He is great in other hong sisters drama The Greatest Love in which I think the best drama of Hong Sisters it is almost perfect. Watch it if you havent

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Oh trust that I already did. What am I if I’m not a Dokko Jin lover? 😁😁 Gong Hyo Jin was the icing on the cake and Yoon Kye Sang was my cheat ice-cream to go.

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It is the execution. They should've had the Master's Sun director direct this instead. The whole drama looks dated to me; it seems like it was made in early 2000 or something. Cinematography, CGI, music, editing are all average. He also co-directed The Greatest Love and Queen Seon Deok, but it was probably the other directors who made those two dramas great.

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I refreshed so many times to see this recap. Off to read. :D

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I too am getting a very MGIAG feel from this show and since I loved that show, I am very happy with Hwayugi. The ghosts in this episodes were not that bad. I wonder if her blood always smelled good and attracted ghosts or did she meet that tree ghost after she rescued SOG?

Loving the OTP and I have a feeling Mawang may lose control in the end and start hunting her so that SOG would protect her from someone they relied on before. That would be a twist for their "bromance", although, we can hardly call that as of yet.

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it was after because when she rescued him her Gradma was still alive,she got the scented blood after,being her punishment for freeing him...

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yes, she was cursed after she freed the monkey king SoG. so far, i love this drama and i guess it is living to its hype despite of all the chaos that has been happening. I cannot think of anyone who can portray SoG other than Seunggi and Mawang as CSW

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if you watch all HONG SISTER's DRama then you'll know its MY GIRLFRIEND IS A GUMIHO meets THE GREATEST LOVE , YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL and THE MASTER'S SUN :D

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Or most of d literature in d world rehashes same material over n over again

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Speaking of blood, there is something that has been bothering me the whole time...if her blood attracts demons, what happens every month when she gets her period???
is period blood excluded from this?? I just keep thinking of that anytime they mention the scent of her blood

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That is a great question! I have a feeling that this may have been overlooked but we shall see

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Thanks, Girlfriday, for the fast recap. I was unsure what to expect from this show but find I am enjoying the fresh approach to 'Journey to the West' which was a great favourite with my family as 'Monkey Magic' on ABC TV, Australia, in the early 80s. Lee Seung Gi is a perfect mischievous Monkey King.

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So stoked we have access to this on Netflix, properly subbed (and edited I hope!)
Monkey Magic was such a hoot when I was a kid, I have great memories of it broadcasting as a child and I hope once I start watching it that there will be that awesome chemistry and humour of the show of my childhood!
From what i'm reading so far, its looking good!

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I know! I'm excited to see it's coming to Netflix on the 29th. It should be the newly edited version, right?

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I would presume so, potentially why there is a one week delay, to make sure they put up the proper subs and to make sure its properly edited haha

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Under what title is it coming on Netflix? I searched but didn’t find anything

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They've called it: A Korean Odyssey

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As a kid, I remember watching bits of pieces of the 1996 Hong Kong series, Journey to the West with Dicky Cheung as the mischievous monkey. It's funny that I used to be all pro-Monkey. I would even refer to the drama by the monkey's name in Cantonese- Syun Ng Hong and was indignant on his behalf when the monk used the headband against him. When I look back, I'm like okay, the monkey sort of deserved it. And here, I'm completely gleeful that the headband has made an appearance as the bracelet and that Sun-mi will get to control the monkey who is out to get her.

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Have not watched the 2nd episode but better put my foot print here 1st. :)

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Such a wonderful refreshing drama
I'm sad with all these misshaps happening but i hope theybstay strong

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In case no one knows, they will air only episode 3 this week because they don't have time to do both 😑

I would rather they announced no new episodes like they did for Prison Playbook, rather than this mess. Tvn would have been much better having aired another drama until this one was ready, but now instead the poor staff will be working overtime 😐😐
I'm just hoping that there won't be a situation like Drinking Solo 😢😢😢😢

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yup.. 31st is ep 3, 6th is ep 4

sucks royally!

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wat was d situation with DS?

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I wish they just delay the drama or air it once a week to give even more high quality drama
I can see that they are really over ambitious

And sad thing already happened. Apparently one of the staff fell down from 3 meter high . He regained his consciousness but his mobility is still in question

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Really? That is what I'm afraid too. They are so rush filming and start to compromise safety. I hope that staff going to be ok.

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I just read about it, and hoping for more news soon as to the crew member's condition. I'm praying he's okay. And I hope there won't be more accidents.

Between this and whichever poor staff member probably took the fall for the Sunday airing and lost his job - what a crappy Christmas.

I also wish they would delay the drama. They're supposedly filming episode 6 just now. They have 14 more to go. Whoever is doing all the planning screwed up by not accounting for the number of sets, action scenes, and CG work that goes into a fantasy drama. They should have had half the drama in the bank before premiere.

And I'm sure all the wires and outdoor scenes in the cold weather isn't helping. People are also more prone to colds this time of the year.

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Ohh... that just sucks tbh. I'm surprise that they already live shooting tho, so early. I dunno why they rush airing this when they only has 1 complete episode. That is just so risky especially they will need a lot of post production time being a drama with a lot of cgi effect and whatnot. And this episode is the perfect example what will happen if they rush it. It would better if they just air this drama next year. They already wait until LSG discharged from military service anyway. What's a few more weeks compare to that?

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Nope they actually haven't lived shoot yet.. they filmed up to ep 6 + already.
The problem is the editing team? I guess? They can't keep up or understaff... i don't know

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Ohh... so they behind with post production works and I think they probably need a lot of time for it since they need a lot of special effects.

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Wow, i must be a lot of footage to edit. It is good to know that they have filmed so much though.

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i am digging the leads.. they are so good together and in their respective roles.. i love seeing OYS in this role and appreciate her versatility .. amongst Come back ajushi (OTT hilarious), sassy girl (can't blame her for the plot), and this now.. which also tells me.. that she will be awesome in cheese in the trap.. and probably the only one to compete with the other awesome performance of the lead actress in the drama series..

Seungi is so so so sos os so awesome in this..

the one i actually find annoying is CSW.. maybe because this is too much like greatest love.. while this acting was funny in that drama.. here its just annoying..

let the romance begin!

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I'm also appreciating LSG and OYS. I've thoroughly reminded of how attractive LSG can be when he's acting. Like, I want to jump into his arms. And I've got a soft spot for OYS after Come Back Ahjusshi.

I was, at first, disappointed that Sun-mi wasn't more sassy and she was more vulnerable than I would have liked, but I'm glad she wasn't sassy since it would have been too reminiscent of Sassy Girl. I think OYS managed to pull off Sun-mi's maturity, resilience, and inner strength.

I think I would have found CSW's Bull Demon King more refreshing if I hadn't watch the Greatest Love. But I do enjoy his brand of absurdity and the way he delivers the line "You pass". He's so ridiculous! Has it been memed or gif-ed yet?

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Cha Seung-won is a walking, strutting, sparkling GIF.

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LOL! That is spot on.

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I haven't watched this ep, but I will, I have to !

I thought I could survive the horror after I watched The Master's Sun, but I still have to close half of the screen when the teacher's ghost appear in ep 1. And how I wish Lee Seung Gi had the hair style when he was still being trapped in the house. It suits his Sun Oh Gong character better imo 😆

Anyway, welcome back Mr. Original Dimple ! 😄

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"And how I wish Lee Seung Gi had the hair style when he was still being trapped in the house." I second that too!!!

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I liked his longish hair too!!! I thought I was the only one though so I didn't mention it. XD I really dug it <3

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He actually made SEASONING to eat her with LMAO, it doesn't get better than that.
Anyone else getting extreme Twilight Saga flashbacks with the way all the demons wanna eat Sun Mi? I did lol.
I totally also love it when there are jondae/banmal reversals too. It's hilarious seeing everyone's reactions.

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and omg I didn't recognize him at first but the peddler's grandson is ONE!

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It was never explicity confirmed that the sauce he was making was to eat her with. I'm hoping it turns out to be something completely innocuous.

But considering that by eating, they really mean chomping and gnawing at her flesh and tearing at her bones - like those chicken wings kdrama characters love to eat...and if it's someone you've met and interacted with...probably better to dip her in sauce.

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probably better to dip her in sauce LOL. I agree.

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thanks for the recap Girlfriday! With this episode I can say that SeungGi is even finer than when he left for the military. puppy oppa is amazing in this and though his hair is weird and his fashion sense moreso he rocks it all. <3 I love his character because it's easy to sense how much potential for greatness he has underneath all that bluster and resentment for his previous imprisonment, I wonder what he did to get himself locked up like he was. And I find his ban on liquor a cruel and unusual punishment. XD

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Typical TVN dramas, creating a very long episodes it makes me wonder if Peter Jackson is directing. Though I do love (very much) watching Lee Seung Gi in small screen, I couldn't agree more with @girlfriday's suggestion to make the eps somehow shorter :).

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Don’t you mean ‘Peter Jason’? 😜

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Thank you so much girlfriday!! <3

I've been refreshing the site for this.

Have not watched the 2nd episode yet. I dont want to spoil myself by watching raw or reading the recap, but the waiting is killing me. So i've been refreshing everywhere for updates or anything hwayugi just to fulfill myself while waiting for subs.

I love the first episode. Before reading your comment i want to say, the post production issues seriously makes me worried. They should have just postponed this drama to next year. Why are they so in a rush to broadcast it now? Since it is already aired, i suggest they just make this drama once a week to give more time to the post production work. Just stick to this schedule until the end. so no need to keep changing later which will just confuse viewers and make people lose interest. I dont mind to have just one episode per week as long as we have a good quality drama. It will be such a pity otherwise. The first episode was soooo good and promising T.T

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but the subs have been out for almost a day now.. for ep 2.. and ep 1 was out on sunday itself

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Thank you for the speedy recap! I find it enjoyable (so far) but it is not the emotionally immersive experience of Goblin.

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Couldn't Mawang like write her a note with Oh-gong's name on it? Have it tie around her neck or something? Or even tattoo it on her arm? I mean all she has to do is say that name out loud right? She won't remember his name, but would she at least remember what happens when she calls his name?

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Monkey King has this magic/ability that no matter what, his name cannot be registered in her brain.

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This is an official "memory leak". Computer people will know what I mean.

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Oh Gong pulls out her name from her memory so she will never remember and Mawang doesn't want her to remember Oh Gong either.
He tried to trap Oh Gong in the picture.. he panicked when he realized Sunmi already remember Oh Gong's name

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That was my thought too. Although everyone is complaining about the Long episodes I actually don’t mind it. More Son Oh Gong please with his red jacket, fur coat, monkey hairstyle, with wicked smirks and rascally irresistible charm.

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I notice that SOG loves leopard prints! His fur coat is one, and his red coat has leopard prints. If there are no leopard prints on his coat, he'll wear a leopard print scarf. Reminds me of Cheetah from Mad Dog

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I think I'll be using "rascal" and "shenanigans" a lot while describing this show to my friends.

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I wondered about that too. Even if she doesn't recall, couldn't she have a piece of paper that says "read these three characters in a very loud voice when you're in danger! This will call the monkey"? Or maybe his name would look all scrambled on the piece of paper.

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It's more a case of she can't say d words because they simply won't register...So even if she is reading his name...mind has to see it read it interpret it n only then her mouth will actually utter d words... but dat won't happen because mind just won't register

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Yessssssssss a recap made by girlfriday!!!!!!!!! I REALLY LIKE SON OH GONG's character and it is played beautifully by Seung gi. Overall I really like this episode more than ep.

9.5/10 for me

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At this point, I’m so in love with this drama. The cast is perfect especially Seung Ri. He’s such a rascal yet so irresistible. No boring moment everything is just on point. Hopefully it continue to build on this momentum. Hong sisters writing tends to go sideways near the end.

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It's Seung gi

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I enjoyed this episode a lot! I love how mischievous all characters are and how they try to backstab each other but are still friends in the end.
Oh gong and SM are well matched. And I love how he always cares for her but always finds an excuse for it. PK and Mawang made me laugh out loud with their antics and plot to cage the wild monkey. It is really an interesting drama!
I was surprised about the editing disaster. Thought they would have at least 4-5 episodes already hammered down and done before starting to air. Pity we will only get one episode next week but I hope the editing team will be OK and not overworked from the start. Anyone remember when they started filming?

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Ep 2 was so good and the drama is great, everything about it is great but tvn's greed for ending a year and starting a new one with a hit drama is backfiring on them. It's getting sad at this point and as a fan of Lee Seung Gi, the main reason I didn't want him in it was due to the short time. Especially after he almost poked his eye in YAAS. *sigh* they should just take responsibility for their staff -including actors- and suspend the drama to save face. My heart goes to that staff member and his family.

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?? what is this story abt YAAS?

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Could it be You Are All Surrounded ?

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Seunggi hurt himself while filming You're All Surrounded with a fake knife at the set.

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He got hurt in the eye.

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There's literally no reason to suspend the drama they worked so hard on. Just get more staff to do the editing. They are well ahead of actual filming. And are taking a break this week which also should help.

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One robot says it's the time, we kiss.
And a monkey says it'$ time to give up on life ....😂
The dramaland surely is twisted 👻

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New development: a staff of Hwayugi production team reportedly fell abt 3m high, broke his waist and back bone, and is reportedly paralysed waist down. Check out the news on Koreaboo. Its trending in Naver too. Koreaboo got the height wrong, stating 30m, but thats cause the original article on Naver reported it wrongly. This has since been corrected by Naver.

http://m.news.naver.com/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=103&oid=469&aid=0000264760

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Squeeee
Thanks so much girlfriday! This episode is the nail in the coffin for me. Come rain or thunder, no matter how GMATprep goes, I will watch this drama. There's rich folklore, an engaging ensemble cast, a rascal hero, and a cool yet relatable heroine, what's not to love?

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I like the cast. All of them. But I think that Lee seung gi overshadows the others a little bit. Sometimes it seems to me, that he doesnt Play Sohn Oh-Gong, but he IS Sohn Oh-Gong. ;)

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Agree with you.. he is doing a great job as Son oh gong.

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Was finding it strange while watching Ep.2 when I saw the guys in black flying around Sun-mi on wires. Didn't think much of it until later when I read the news announcing big mishaps in airing of this episode. Hope the production team won't be too pressurized. On reading the recap I realized that I had missed the latter half of Ep.2, so, will have to watch a third time! Never before has there been a show which I'd watch repeatedly immediately upon release. That's how much I love this show!

Love Lee Seung-gi so much! He's lost the baby fat and looks leaner now and is really handsome!

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There are many things that I find it weird in this episode.

- why did Oh-gong wore that bracelet to make her remember? it doesn't make sense.
- How did all the women escaped through the painting if it is burnt?
- Why did sunmi need Oh-gong to push her out of the painting to escape if the rest of the women can easily escape in the end.
- If all the women escaped, why Oh-gong doesn't escape too?
- Why is sunmi so afraid of Oh-gong going to kill her? Didn't they have a contract that makes Oh-gong not able to kill her. On the other hand, Oh-gong will need to constantly protect her because other demons will eat her. He gives her half a month time to think which can be ignored by her.

I scratched my head with this episode.

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I was wondering about those, too!

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1. That bracelet was a Christmas gift from her to him when they acted as lovers.
2. That bracelet is a bracelet that can makes her control him. Even a kiss made the bracelet tied around him.. whenever she is in danger, he will be in pain
-It was said that oh gong used up all his power at that time to push her out... hence he is trapped
3. Sunmi is afraid of him because he kept asking her to give up her life and just be eaten by him. He is not ordinary fairy like she thought he is... he is unpredictable...

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I think every human returned to the real world naturally after the painting burned. It goes in line with everything returning to normal after something bewitched is destroyed like with the wooden dolls from episode 1. But Sohn Oh Gong didn't know that would happen, so he used all of his power to push Sunmi back to safety because the bracelet commands him to protect her at all costs.

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<I think every human returned to the real world naturally after the painting burned.

That makes more sense than my explanation... though Sohn Oh Gong not knowing seems strange. Hmm, too much guessing for the viewer.

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It definitely is a lot of guess work for the viewer. When he first pushed her into the air I was like, oh, that is how she gets out. But when everyone got out I thought that he didn't need to push her at all and they just wanted a cool CG moment.
They could of still had a cool cg moment of her turning to mist or dust or something like that while still standing in front of him while he tells her his name.

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<why did Oh-gong wore that bracelet to make her remember? it doesn't make sense.

Because she gave him the bracelet as a present, he thinks she will remember him that way. And since showing it to her doesn't work, he puts it on. But yeah, it's not very convincing – more like a lame way to get the bracelet onto him.

<How did all the women escaped through the painting if it is burnt?

They escape before it's completely burnt (this is not stated, but I'm guessing that's how it's supposed to be).

<Why did sunmi need Oh-gong to push her out of the painting to escape if the rest of the women can easily escape in the end.

Probably a cause & effect thing – as in, none of them can escape, but Sunmi is able to because Oh-gong pushes her out, thus probably creating an opening for everyone else to escape. Somehow. Again, not explained, but that's what I would assume. Again, not too compelling – it would actually make more sense that everyone else remains trapped (even if that's tragic in real life), because if Oh-gong used ALL his energy to push out Sunmi and has no more energy to push himself out, none of the others should have an 'opening' to leave either.

<If all the women escaped, why Oh-gong doesn't escape too?

He used up all his energy already for pushing Sunmi out. Possible he's tied to the world in the picture in a different way than the others, because he entered voluntarily, while the others were pulled in against their will. Dunno, I'm guessing here.

<Why is sunmi so afraid of Oh-gong going to kill her? Didn't they have a contract that makes Oh-gong not able to kill her. On the other hand, Oh-gong will need to constantly protect her because other demons will eat her. He gives her half a month time to think which can be ignored by her.

I think the half month time has passed already – he goes to the realtor's office after the 15 days are over. As for Sunmi's fear... well, she is a bit slow and bit damsel in distress, and it's pretty obvious that she doesn't know how things work in this other, magical world – she can see demons, but apparently has no clue about any rules, etc. I don't think Oh-gong (before he put on the bracelet) needed to protect her, he only needed to protect her if she called him for help. Their contract just prevented him from eating her, so that's not quite the same.

I'm not scratching my head just yet, but there's a bit too much filling in for viewers to do and what I can fill in, isn't that compelling. Not so good.....

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1. Oh Gong wore the bracelet to help her get out of her trance. He was hoping that if she saw him wear the bracelet, she'll come to her senses. She remembered his name only after he gave her back her memory.
2. The other women escaped because the "curse" which they were under was broken when the photo which sucked them in was burnt. Oh Gong was not sucked in by the photo. Moreover, he's not human, so the rule does not apply to him. His portal to enter and exit was the camera which PK removed.
3 & 4 - already explained
5. Sun Mi is afraid because she was not originally aware that he cannot eat her. Their contract is only for him to protect her, (which of course means that he cannot eat her).

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You nailed it.

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Also, the reason Seon Mi had to be rescued by SOG instead of just escaping like the other women is because once SOG got her our of the demon's spell, she was no longer under his influence but an intruder to his world like SOG.

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welcome ! meet GoD
although he did make it explicitly clear in goblin that he is fickle and basically can do whatever he wants..logical or not..

but he made it clear through his messanger in hwayugi too.. that he is fickle and can do whatever he wants..logical or not..

like.. having plans to make JSM samja but publicizing otherwise that she is made samjha as a punishment..

he wants monkey to fall in love, so he has his own plan... don't question the power of his almighty :) .. so yes women can escape except for JSM, the only way to break JSM's trance was to wear the bracelet... he had to show JSM the kiss moment because otherwise she wouldn't have kissed the monkey (what if he ate the lips)

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For your last question: I think Sunmi is stuck between a rock and a hard place, even though the contract she had with Oh-gong prevents him from eating her.

It seems like she was able to get through 25 years of her life without too much of that "we want to eat your flesh" danger. But it seems like we're at a time when there are more demons and the word about Sam Jang has spread. Without SOG, she could have died right in that alleyway. It unlikely she can live for much longer without SOG.

But SOG is a bit of an asshole. He doesn't want to protect her. He just wants his food. He was only going to protect her for those 15 days for her to make a decision about whether she would get eaten by him or not. If she refuses to let him eat her, he would just abandon her and let her get eaten by another demon. :(

But now we've got this magical bracelet :)

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He used all his power to kick the women out of the painting I thought. That's why he couldn't leave and only she could call him out.

She also doesn't know he can't kill her, though I'm not sure she's really that afraid he will. He just keeps saying he will but never does. She wants his protection, but doesn't seem all that scared of him.

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M guessing mawang got d humans out n took care of that horny monster..that is why Lee el congratulated him that he got rid of d monster n monkey..

D ones in painting can't come out unless they jump out of d picture but we r told mawang is very powerful

I think when he summoned pure humans 😁 either he consciously did not summon Sam jang to not raise suspicion or Sam jang does fall under pure human category so got excluded

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OMG! Smiling from ear to ear! Thanks for the fast recap dear.. So appreciated! I can't believe that Seung Gi is back,and he fits the role perfectly well.. I did miss him so much, kept watching his previous dramas, and can't believe I'm watching his latest work. Im so glad he accepted this role, I believe it was offered to Park Bogum, I also like Bogum, but I think this role is made for Seung Gi. Way to go to the whole cast.. Keep it up.. so excited for the next week, this is so refreshing.. love love love it!

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Done watching both subbed episodes of Hwayugi.

# Feeling accomplished (Hope I have this kind of attitude when it comes to work 😅)

I have to say I’m satisfied with the premiere week’s episodes.

The writing isn’t necessarily a quality one. However, tbh, I always surprise how Hong Sisters make the plots (JTTW, vampire lores and contract relationship) come together seamlessly and naturally although on paper they don’t seem like the jigsaw pieces that belong to the same frame. From watching a few Hong Sisters' dramas, I think their greatest challenge is the second half of the drama. Hope that they can keep up the momentum until the end.

I’m not sure whether the execution is lacking but I agree that some of effects were low budget. I pretty much don’t mind about it as I tend to focus on the subtitles and the characters, so as long those elements stay good, this is a keeper. 😊

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Thanks for the fast recap!

I liked it so much, I don't even care about the mishap at all. I'm also glad that the rating wasn't affected and that the second airing had the highest numbers so far.

I liked all the actors (Lee Seung gi is perfect for the role), the story, and that there actually is a lot of supernatural stuff going on.

I'm ready for more! Good luck to the production team and everyone involved. The expectations are high!

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Watching the second episode live was definitely an experience. I was willing to let the wires slide because they only lasted for a split second, but the green screen around the evil picture bride was super jarring. Plus the 15-minute+ commercial breaks, not just once but TWICE! (Side note: Mother looks like it'll be pretty good.) It was 10:45 on Christmas Eve and the end of the episode was nowhere in sight...and then it just ended. Right after Oh-gong went into the picture. The number of angry comments on Naver doesn't surprise me in the least.

As for the show itself: I. Love. Sohn. Oh. Gong. Lee Seunggi is SO perfect for this role, in all ways. (And his little speech about the benefits of the army was so meta, hee!) I didn't realize how much I missed him, but now he's baaaaack~!

I also really enjoy the world-building in this show... It feels like we're only seeing a small part of the mythology, and like the characters all have real backgrounds and relationships of their own, even if we don't get to know about all of it.

Plus, you just know the fact that the bracelet thing wrapped around Oh-gong's heart is going to come into play later. Such as when he's in love, and he starts to feel pangs when he thinks of her... ("*appears* Are you in danger???" "*doing skmething tedious like paperwork* Uh....no?" "*clutches chest* Are...are you sure??")

Hopefully the production team can get their act together soon. It'd be a shame to have such a decent show (and Seunggi's return!) ruined by more incidents like this.

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lol in preview monkey is already demanding kisses from the monk :P and its only ep 3

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Y'all, this drama is a hot mess. But it is the kind of hot mess that makes me want to watch it!

The fake looking props, fake looking CG, over/under acting, underuse/overuse of magic, fake looking magic (hello floating umbrella and blast-pushing walls while floating in air with a wedgie), showing green screens, visible wires (that they even forgot to remove with the floating picture on re-edit!), super fake ghosts that don't eat her and just grope her for a minute until she can call her boo, etc...it is just gloriously bad.

But with all of that I still want to see the next episode!!!! Like, I seriously want to see it! I am even strongly thinking of live recapping this drama, that is how much I am looking forward to it.

Hopefully the rest of production goes well with their break, but they definitely got a watcher out of me in this crazy hot messy mess.

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Ha! I gotta agree with you re. the last scene where Sun-mi is standing there with the spirits pawing at her. Scene went on for too long and was strangely passive.

That said, I'm enjoying the goofiness.

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Right! It went on for soooooooo looooooooong. I was all like "Um, don't they really want to eat her right now?"

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I am loving this! I am distressed to know about that mess up on episode 2. Though I dont mind the 1 hr episodes, Im fine with the shorter period if production will mess up the finished products.

Anyway I am soo glad to see LSG back on my screen! We have seen him play the part of an entitled lead who's a hothead and arrogant but this feels different. He came in with full confidence and swag in this role. Talk about maturity in acting, I love it! He's slaying it and I couldn't be more proud! So please let this be an excellent drama to the finish! I have never been more nervous about a drama than when LSG is involved.

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Guys, whats the title of the song played when seung gi was playing with the umbrella? Thanks

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That's a new OST, I tried guessing the singer but no luck.

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*sigh* Very odd how the songs are released out of order.

We first hear the song in ep. 1 (around 57:11) when grown-up Sun-mi claps eyes on Son Oh-gong swaggering across the street. It's kinda dreamy, right?

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OST till not released but I added this to my YouTube playlist to tide me over. It's a good clip of the floating umbrella scene: https://youtu.be/MQzWHKhu0FY

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I told myself I'll just take a peek at the intro and closing comments but I ended up reading the whole recap ;_____;

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My heart felt for Oh Gong on our OTP's first date. He does not have a family (he is originally a monkey born from a stone), nor a friend (I'm not sure about his friendship with Woo Ma Wang. At this stage, they're more like rivals and Ma Wang tried his best to trap him at any given chance) or PK who betrayed him (just for a bite of food), nor a lover. It's a priviledge to know what to expect for in your life, Sun Mi. At least, you know you need families, friends and a lover for Christmas. Oh Gong, at this moment, doesn't even know that it's Christmas Eve.

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This episode is so refreshing from Hong Sisters especially the last part, the bride ghost. It's not another cliche time travel. Thank god. I love it!! Unexpected.

One thing I hate is the excessive random fast forward effect and they didn't use slow-mo. The editing team should do their job properly. Please don't ruin this drama.

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i don't know. this bride story.. i kept feeling that i have seen it or heard it enough number of times.. i am actually curious.. if its one of those short fables popular regionally o rculturally..

it just feels too familiar (abt bride arc.. )

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...there was a series of broadcast accidents that occurred when it first aired, from stuntmen’s wires hanging all over the place to CG green screens showing. The worst was when commercials repeated instead of the last twenty minutes of the broadcast, and the episode just cut off without an ending.

This is Heaven's punishment for trying to do two hour-and-a-half episodes a week. A production team's gotta know their limitations.

Here’s a suggestion: Make the episodes shorter! More sleep for everyone!

what’s meant to happen will happen

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oh but nothing happen to Wise Prison Life though..

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I think a good story is all that matters to drew you in watching a drama, so far Hwayugi has done that, though I wasn't a fan of it at first, but I will most probably give it a shot! :D

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Seriously isnt there something called loyalty among these monsters. A slight chance and everyone turned against seung gi (although he did sort of deserve it). Anyways i am loving this drama so far and hopefully this fiasco with production will not happen again.
And i didnt know JKS had a cameo in this too cant wait to watch it.

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For some reason when the bride's eyes were shown in the picture i actually thought it was shin min ha😅. Their eyes looked very similar to me

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Before anything,I must say that I'm deeply relieved that Sun-mi is not Sam-jung at all,like...at alll!!! Hooray!! \0o0/

And they officially declared that Sam-jung is technically a POST, that Sun-mi isn't related to the original monk at all. And NOBODY has met ANYBODY before this life! Hwayugi truly is an original story,only with allegory here and there to the JTTW!! It's like asking for a penny and getting hundred thousands. (Dear drama,please stay that way ok? Don't make me eat my own words later!)

GF was being so witty and smart when she used the need of sleep for production crew as the reason for wanting shorter eps! Hahaha.

And I'm seeing more parrelles between this and Goblin!! I'll add them up to my list from ep 1.

1. Both're from tvn and have super long eps.

2. Both're supernatural dramas with lead male being a supernatural and immortal being,while the girl is mortal and has a bit of powers including the ability to summon her man at will. But here, Sun-mi has her own agency to fill the lack of other powers, she's strong to the level that even her coworkers acknowledge her capability, and still strong in her own accord when she enters the realm where she's technically the weakest where everyone are trying to literally eat her (which mortal wouldn't be?) These're of course,bonuses.

3. In both dramas main leads are tied with fate, mainly due to the actions of the male lead when they met for the first time in the girl's childhood. (For those who're confused, Shin "met" Eun-tak even before she was born!)

4. Both have Lee El as a quirky,red lipped, lovable,intelligent,fashionable....well,a supernatural being. ;-)

5. Both dramas have their male leads have a special weapon, which they use to destroy evil spirits and sometimes fashionably rest on there shoulders!

6. Both have their main male leads living together,in a beautiful,European-like mansion at that, somewhat grudgingly (but totally bromantic inside,haha)

7. And they fight over things related to expensive artifacts! However the ownership is reversed this time,hehe,for a change.

8. The 3rd male lead is childish,calls the lead with a familial term while not being his real family,idol or idol-like and played by literally idols!

9. Both have secondary male,old characters who call the lead with a familial term.( CEO Sa here and Chairman Yoo in Goblin.)

10. Both're gorgeous to look at!!...but...

Not emotionally immersive enough as Goblin tho, as @beantown already pointed out,sadly. Hope it will be repared with time.And,though it has almost the same high production values as Goblin, they should just ease down a bit, think and plan things thoroughly over and over (think about the planning they had for Goblin,to have the very final scene to be shot 6 months ago at Canada!!), and then you'll be able to present a coherent and consistent story that 'll live up to your promo-buzz. Otherwise it'll be just a shell of gorgeous,high cost sets...

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I think Seon Mi comes from a family of monks. Otherwise, how would we explain that she could see ghosts even before freeing Song Oh Gong? It's just that after freeing him, she was given the fate of Sam Jang. I feel like we'll have more indept story about her origins.

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technically the real story of JTTW is happening now.. because monkey has been freed for the first time now..

Like that assistant in white clothes said to the general store lady... that something bad is coming to human realm and hence samjang had to be sent to earth..

samjang by himself is not powerful.. and monkey is the most powerful.. so there had to be that connection..and that was the plan of almighty all along..

get monkey to become the protector of samjang who is to get rid of some evil for the world.. because suddenly there are a lot of evil spirits on the planet..

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essentially saying.. that its not that JSM got punished for releasing monkey.. but that she was always going to get chosen by god to be the monk.. hence her ability to see ghosts, buffalo to pursue her and send her off to monkey's house.. and monkey's trickery to get himself released but with a contract

she was never chosen to be samjan as a punishment..that's just some story for the buffalo king

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Sorry, I was not really immersed emotionally in Goblin. I liked the bromance but couldn't emotionally accept Eun tak and Shin as a romantic pair. Was all for sunny and the Grim Reaper though. But I really wish that people would stop comparing. They are both individually interesting dramas.

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Ohh, that's totally ok! We all have our own preferences! Me neither was emotionally invested enough on Shin and Eun-tak as a pair. This is why I specifically pointed out that here we have a strong heroin and a balanced couple. By emotionally immersive I meant, that they made sure to make us feel Shin's trajectory from the very first episode, getting us feeling sorry for him and impatient about what will happen to him in next episode, that sort of way. It's not that every drama has to be like that from the first ep,they can gradually get to that point later,it's only my preference to get immersed in the story in SOME kind of way since the beginning.
Don't worry, I'm not comparing the dramas story-wise, I too hate it when people compare dramas when both have their pros and cons. I only found some un-neglectable basic similarIties (as in my Lee El point) and had a bit of a fun with listing them down,thinking others may find it funny too. Maybe you were offended by my final line of "not emotionally immersive". I'm so sorry about that. I now see it can be read in a way that I didn't mean. I said such a thing because I was feeling sad over recent happenings on the set and felt as if they could take it easy. Methinks,in a simple,slice-of-life/Rom-com, you'll usually have enough time to slowly build everything,but in a rich mythical world where something is always happening everywhere, you should have the same-level emotional gravitas to balance it with from the get-go, otherwise it'll begin to feel hollow later, You see what I meant now?
I understand that I should've clarified better. Sorry ok?

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No worries. Not offended, but thanks for clarifying.

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Great stuff, love it! Though the ep are super long, I don't get bored at all. This magical world they live in is just so enticing! That said and though I literally can't wait for the next ep, I just hope the staff is ok. It really kills the enjoyment of watching it when you know there must be an army of people with no sleep and driven to exhaustion to meet the unrealistic deadlines:(

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Also also also!
#I'm exited to see that the bracelet is exactly a tiny replica of Wukong's headband! With the two circular twirls on the front!
#Does anybody know what Hwayugi means?
# It's through today's recap I found out that mourning pin is a thing! I remember seeing this on other dramas and thinking why would they wear a cute pin to a close relative's funeral, because that's the last place that you'd wear such items. Is this a Korean custom? If so,when did it start? What is the male equivalent?

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they have the white arm band...

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In Chinese customs, they wear a piece of cloth with a safety pin which is worn at the shoulder.

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Thanks!
@minnetter
Thanks. I now remember seeing those.

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Can anybody please talk about what's the point of that kiss? That's one wasted opportunity of a meaningful first kiss,I'd say! It didn't help the situation that they were in, neither the plot.
And what's with copying an action you saw in a future-seeing jar, without meaning it and hoping something would happen without the events happening that would naturally lead that action to happen?
I mean,think, you see in future seeing jar that you're studying hard for an exam and that then you pass with flying colors. Then you go home and just stare at the books in the same pose you saw in the vision,but with your mind elsewhere. Would the results be the same? I believe in fate,but this is not how it works,and I want fate to be properly depicted in dramas too.
Oh, perhaps that's what they meant to say after all. The jar only showed the kiss, and there's a possibility that the events that lead up to it being a mutual conversation or something like that. Since Sun-mi didn't see such a thing, she just repeated the kiss,without any meaning behind it,so nothing happened. If they had a mutual scenario that lead up to it,they may have broken the spell? I dunno. This is not clearly presented. It could very well be that the writers merely used the kiss as a reason for Oh gong to lift his finger and "disobey" the kiss (bleh!) then to figure out the power of the bracelet, and that I'm overthinking. Or am I reading this scenario wrong?

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the one who commands the heart ! :P

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the bracelet instead of head , this time is targeted at heart...so its writer's fancy way of sealing the deal with the kiss..

now going by the running theme of "whatever has to happen will happen".. clearly god has plans to hook up monkey and the monk.. two lonely souls worthy of being deities..

now god is being a wingman/woman and forcing upon the "skinship"..

and you can see in the preview how monkey is already demanding kisses from the monk.. its hilarious.. and he is cute in love

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Please,not even a teeensiest,tiniest preview spoiler.0.0
Shouldn't it be a real kiss and triggering real love in heart to activate such a powerful item which has control over your heart? Otherwise it'll look like they are just toying with dangerous items without taking them seriously?
Meh,I guess I'm overthinking. Thanks for replying not only once but several times, alasecond! :-)

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Lol ya sry for multiple replies...i think wat they meant wid dat bful ost is dat wen monkey met jsm in dat indoor garden..he fell in love or got attracted seeing how she waited for him...n she is d only one who has ever waited for his return otherwise everyone wants to lock him up...or or monkey is just joking abt love

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I do not have a problem with many replies at all,hehe;-)
Now I get what you were saying! Hmmm,let's see how they progress with this complex relationship in the oncoming eps.

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so she was meant to see the kiss so that she would enact upon it..otherwise left on their own.. the kiss would have never happened..

apparently kiss was necessary to seal the deal with the bracelet .. because it was only after the kiss that the bracelet tenticles could reach the heart.... not that JSM wasn't in danger before the kiss.. but that activated the bracelet and hence the realization that she is in danger..and its a do or die situation for monkey

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I completely agree with you! The only reason I know of is for his heart to belong to hers so that he has to protect her even if he doesn't necessarily want to. I think it has to do with the bracelet that they tricked him into wearing. ***MINI GOBLIN SPOILER*** Kind of like in Goblin where the main character always had to go to his bride when she lit a candle or any kind of flame ***END SPOILER***

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Ahhh,now I seem to get it! Thanks.

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While I don't disagree with you, I find it funny, not that you believe in fate, but that you "know" exactly how it works. But again, your premise is well thought out and makes complete since.

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Thanks!
Haha, I get your point! Though it may look funny, I want to say,it's not that I know how the unpredictable fate works, I can guess the ways how it "not" works. I mean, on that exam point, you too can see it won't happen that way right? While we cannot predict our future,it's not like we don't have the slightest control over our fate!

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Thanks for the recap!! I am super excited about this show; particularly the mythology and because Ive never read Journey to the West so its all new and fun. However; the story is feeling a bit forced to me. Dont get me wrong--I love Lee Seung Gi; Cha Seung Won, and Oh Yeon So...its just that it seems like the drama is already forcing the romance without much backstory or time for us to even get used to the leads being together? Idk how to describe it. The ending of the second episode also highlighted for me the difference between this drama and Goblin in terms of execution. Most of the CG is done well; apart from the mishap during broadcast. However it takes a certain arrangement for certain scenes to have a dramatic effect. Idk if I'm explaining this properly or if I should even compare this drama to Goblin but thats how I feel. I believe this cast and staff are capable; I guess knowing that I want them to do better.

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I find it kind of annoying that there are so many more men than women but I'm willing to wait it out. It also bothered me how passive the heroine is, but if that's part of the monk's character than I guess I can deal with that too, lol.

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It does annoy me how many more men there are than woman, but I do like how she's a businesswoman with her own property.

I like the heroine's monk character- it's pretty balanced between naive, kind monk and too "fiery sassy heroine!". There wasn't much to her in the first episode, but I really liked her speech about self-love in this episode. While she isn't the tough cookie that I would have liked and girl-crushed over, I saw that she was tough in another way - it's her resilience in the face of horrible apparitions and loneliness. I enjoy this sincere answer from her in response to SOG's misguided assumption that her life is ruined and worthless now because she's all alone. And the way she delivered it - not in a bright "everything is going to be fine" way, but in a matter-of-fact way with a shot of intensity simmering underneath.

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Yes, Sun-mi's declaration of self-love made me verklempt!

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It's a male-centric story. In the original story, JTTW, all the characters are male. So, the writers changed the monk to a female. I don't think they can do more than that. As it is, some people were originally not quite happy about the gender change.

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I enjoyed episode 1, but episode 2 is when I became obsessed, especially that ending bit when SOG came down from the sky and made that landing with the cuts on his face. You just know the Monkey King has arrived!

Is it weird that I sort of want to pair Kim Sung Oh and Lee El's character? He would totally freak to find out she's a demon too! And Kim Sung Oh's scared/intimidated/shocked face is so adorable!

Something I been wanting to shout into the screen: why can't Mawang just move the bull statue and install an actual coat rack there? It doesn't even look nice there!

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If it's weird to want Kim Sung Oh and Lee El's characters together, I'm right there with you. I love that her first response to irritating people is, "Should I kill them?" because I can totally relate. It's probably a good thing I'm not a demon.

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It won't work cos Monkey is just that annoying lol.. he will still hang his coat on the bull's horn. To him it's the best coat hanger...

I wonder what Lee Se Young's zombie character would be..maybe she will be paired with Hongki?

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Oh gosh, I hadn't thought of that but now I totally ship Kim Sung Oh and Lee El ~ that would be too hilarious!! I can already see it, she keeps wanting to eat anyone who messes with her beau hehe

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I'm not a fan of Lee Seung Gi, but I've seen a few of his dramas. Mostly been neutral about him. Until now.

He fits this rascal-with-a-heart role perfectly! He's just oozing with charisma. All his talk about the army had me cracking up.

Cha Seung Won made me laugh too, with his over-the-top pettiness. Hoping his character will have some more depth though.

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I like this show a lot so far, but am I the only one getting Inuyasha vibes from this?

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Yeah, though that's because Inuyasha obviously referenced Journey to the West in some ways.

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Yeah I kind of figured that, lol.

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Thank you girlfriday for the recap! i've done watching episode 2 with subtitle but still i keep on coming back here at dramabeans just to read your recaps, sound weird right? I always love the recaps here not to mention the jargon-:) I'm loving this drama not just because of Seunggi but everything in it! and i agree it doesnt hurt to chop off some minutes of the airing time just to deliver good quality drama. Fingers crossed that all this chaos will never happened again.

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I really agree with cutting the airing time. But I also think that good editing requires time which is what they don't have. It might be easier and take less time to just film and post everything that they film instead of editing out unnecessary scenes or shortening scenes.

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