Possessed: Episode 13

by Sunny

Life is all about choices, but what do you do when the only way to save those you love is through the death of another loved one? For some, the answer is easy, while others desperately try to find an alternative solution. Unfortunately, time is short and so is Dae-doo’s patience.

 
EPISODE 13

While waiting at Pil-sung’s apartment for him to return with refreshments, Seo-jung is pained to see a faint spirit in the corner. Pil-sung returns home to find a note from Seo-jung apologizing that something came up and she’ll call him tomorrow.

Ex-phoney fortuneteller Do-ryung polishes one of his posters, lamenting those days are over. Seo-jung tries to sneak by him, but he immediately picks up on the weakened spirit she’s brought with her. Seo-jung begs him to ignore it and darts into her room.

“You came too late,” Seo-jung mutters to the spirit, “I let you into my body, but you don’t have much time left.” A tear trickles down her face as she closes her eyes to communicate with the spirit.

The next morning, Seo-jung meets Pil-sung at the bus terminal, claiming that she just wanted some fresh air. He sleeps on the trip and Seo-jung watches him with a melancholy expression. They arrive at their destination and when Seo-jung guesses he knows the place, Pil-sung laughs that he doesn’t, despite being on the verge of tears.

“She came to your place yesterday,” Seo-jung continues, “She’s in my body at the moment. We don’t have much time.” Pil-sung agrees, and suggests they get going. He turns away and Seo-jung begins singing the song his mother sang the last time he was at this bus stop — as a child.

Pil-sung flashes back to that memory and his mother’s promise they’d be happy. In the present, Mom says there’s a lot she wants to tell him and begs him to look at her. Pil-sung angrily snaps at her to leave him alone.

Mom turns away, he cries out, “Do you know… Do you know how many nights I waited for you? I missed you so much. Do you know how long I waited for you? Do you?” He breaks down into sobs and for a moment he’s a child again and Mom embraces him, apologizing over and over. The scene reverts to show Pil-sung weeping into Seo-jung’s shoulder as she pats his back.

Dae-doo, now in drug-dealer Chun-seob’s body, gets a report from his lackey — another spirit, Yang Ho-cheol, possessing arms-dealer Yeong-gil — saying that they’ve distributed all the guns to local gangs, who’ll soon pass them on to civilians as well. Ho-cheol giggles that they should make a ruckus with a submachine gun, something he’d sworn to do before he was sentenced to death.

Leveling a glare at Ho-cheol, Dae-doo warns him not to make the previous spirit’s mistake (that was exorcised by Seo-jung) and just follow his orders like a dog. Sobering, Ho-cheol excuses himself. Flipping through the stack of photos Ho-cheol had brought, Dae-doo wonders who he should start with and pauses on the picture of Chief Yoo. No!!!

At the station, Pil-sung ruminates over the death of Dae-doo’s last host and tries to convince himself it’s all over. Detective Choi asks where Chief Yoo is and we see he’s with maknae Joon-hyung — who’s just dropped the bomb Yeon-hee is pregnant and they’re getting married.

Joon-hyung asks Chief Yoo to stand in as Yeon-hee’s father at the wedding and Chief Yoo accepts. He chuckles that he already considers her and Joon-hyung his children and agrees to keep it secret from blabbermouths Detective Choi and Pil-sung for now… but then immediately runs back to the office and drags them into the men’s room to spill the beans. Hee.

When they return, Pil-sung and Detective Choi both tease Joon-hyung and he buries his head on his desk in embarrassment. At home that evening, Chief Yoo excitedly begs Seung-hee to practice the wedding march with him. They only take a few steps before he suddenly bursts into tears, declaring he’ll never be able to let Seung-hee go.

While meditating, Seo-jung is haunted by the words of Detective Kim and Dae-doo that all this could be over if Pil-sung would just kill her with his own hands. Across town, Pil-sung drops by the convenience store and the clerk comments that Seo-jung hasn’t been with him lately. When Pil-sung explains she’s been busy, the clerk snorts she’d thought they broke up since they don’t match. Ouch! You take that back!

As soon as Pil-sung leaves, Dae-doo gets out of a car across the street and strides over to the store. He breaks the cameras and lights with his abilities and as he enters the store, we hear the clerk scream. At the fortuneteller shop, Seo-jung’s eyes widen as she sees a vision of the events.

The next day, Pil-sung rushes to the scene and finds the clerk’s corpse at the counter. He asks an officer if there was a mirror next to her body, but is told there wasn’t. All the officers know is she was strangled to death.

The rest of the team arrives to investigate while Pil-sung sits morosely outside. Chief Yoo goes to check on him and Pil-sung says the victim was working there to pay for beauty school. Detective Choi joins them and reports that the time of death will be determined by the autopsy, but strangely all the security cameras inside and around the building had gone out simultaneously right around 12:40 last night.

Pil-sung is stunned to realize it happened right after he’d left the store. Since there’s been a shooting as well, Chief Yoo splits the team in two and puts Pil-sung in charge of the convenience store case. At the station, everyone is buzzing about the sudden slew of gun-related crimes and Pil-sung darts out to see Seo-jung.

He tells her it can’t be Dae-doo, attempting to convince himself of the same by pointing out none of Dae-doo’s calling cards were present at the scene. Seo-jung disagrees and says Dae-doo is coming for them by starting with those close to them. “The part-timer is only the beginning,” she says, “He’s somewhere near us. I can feel it.”

Pil-sung suggests they run away, thinking Dae-doo will lose interest without them to toy with. Seo-jung sighs that there’s nowhere to run when Hell has already spread across the world. She declares they can’t turn back and need to end this before the world ends.

Understanding the weight of her words, Pil-sung clarifies that he can’t — he won’t — kill her. Seo-jung reminds him that the world will be saved with her death. “For me,” Pil-sung chokes out, “The world ends if you die.”

Across town, a woman stumbles into a bar and right up to a table with a couple. The boyfriend stands up to face her looking sheepish, and she pulls out a gun and shoots him. Meanwhile, a man pulls a similar gun out of his desk drawer and opens fire on his office mates.

At the station, Joon-hyung hands out Kevlar vests and Detective Choi gripes that no one has any clue how all these guns are getting into the country. Chief Yoo explains that the network is so complex that even the people they arrest have no idea where the guns came from.

Pil-sung thinks back to Dae-doo’s last stand in Soo-hyuk’s body and wonders if he’s behind the guns as well. At the fortuneteller shop, Seo-jung meditates and sees flashes of her business partner, So-hee. Shaken, she immediately calls Pil-sung.

Chief Yoo and his daughter, Seung-hee, sit down for dinner with Joon-hyung and Yeon-hee. Yeon-hee wishes Pil-sung and Detective Choi could’ve joined them but Chief Yoo thinks it’s for the best since the other two are blabbermouths. Joon-hyung pointedly says the secret (of Yeon-hee’s pregnancy) has already been leaked.

Seung-hee asks about the baby’s sex, revealing that she also knows. She explains that her father is the biggest blabbermouth of all, and Joon-hyung says he’ll remember that next time. Yeon-hee and Joon-hyung excitedly hand over their wedding invitation and Chief Yoo reiterates how happy he is to be walking her down the aisle.

They all happily clink glasses, unaware that Dae-doo and his lackey, Ho-cheol, are listening from a nearby table.

Pil-sung meets with Seo-jung, who says she thinks they should tell their loved ones about the danger they’re all in. Pil-sung points out that they’ll only sound crazy, but she ignores him and calls So-hee anyway. So-hee answers, whining that she’s about to go out of business without Seo-jung.

Seo-jung hears a customer come in and her eyes widen when So-hee identifies him as male. It’s Ho-cheol and he pulls a gun on So-hee, after which Seo-jung hears a scream followed by a gunshot. Pil-sung and Seo-jung rush over to find the police already wheeling So-hee’s body away. Seo-jung crumples to the ground, wailing, leaving Pil-sung unsure of how to comfort her.

Afterwards, they sit in Pil-sung’s car and Seo-jung sniffs that Dae-doo is going to kill everyone they care about and won’t stop until Pil-sung kills her. She asks if they should run away, but immediately starts crying again and Pil-sung can do nothing but watch with a pained expression.

Detective Choi nearly jumps out of his skin when Pil-sung shows up at the station. Pil-sung sits down and soberly tells him everything. Detective Choi thinks he needs to see a doctor, and Pil-sung agrees it’s crazy but pleads with his friend to protect himself, Chief Yoo, and Joon-hyung.

At home, Pil-sung checks his voicemail to find a message from Dae-doo, taunting him about the recent deaths of those near him. Dae-doo tuts that he should’ve just killed Seo-jung from the start. He continues that devils aren’t born, but made, and that Pil-sung is becoming like him by allowing people to die.

Dae-doo declares he’ll give Pil-sung one more chance — if Seo-jung’s murder is on the news tomorrow, Dae-doo will call it quits. However, if Seo-jung survives until the day after, anyone that so much as crosses paths with Pil-sung will become a victim. Dae-doo warns Pil-sung not to try and send the voicemail along as a warning, since anyone that receives it will be the first to die.

Seemingly out of options, Pil-sung skips town that night. Leaving his car, he takes a taxi out of town and holes himself up in a hotel room to avoid contact with anyone. Pil-sung curls up to sleep on the bed as Seo-jung tries calling his phone, which he’s switched off. Do-ryung comes in and tells her Pil-sung isn’t home, either.

The next morning, Detective Choi nervously reports to Chief Yoo about Pil-sung’s plea to keep everyone safe, adding that despite Pil-sung’s crazy story, his desperation seemed real. When asked where Pil-sung is, Detective Choi admits his phone is off and he’s vanished. Chief Yoo demands to know exactly what Pil-sung had said last night but Detective Choi can only manage to get out Hwang Dae-doo’s name before losing his nerve.

Dae-doo watches the morning news, but Seo-jung’s murder isn’t reported. “Kang Pil-sung,” Dae-doo sighs, “I gave you a chance.”

The station gets word of the illegal gun trading ring hideout. Chief Yoo asks about backup, but there’s been another shooting so they’re on their own. The team busts down the door and Chief Yoo deftly shoots the gun out of one of the thug’s hands. Another grabs a gun and jumps out the window, so Joon-hyung runs after him.

Chief Yoo leaves Detective Choi to arrest the men at the hideout while he chases after Joon-hyung. He catches up just as the thug aims his gun at Joon-hyung’s head. Shoving Joon-hyung aside, Chief Yoo takes a bullet to the chest and collapses. Detective Choi arrives and manages to shoot the escaping thug in the leg before rushing over to his teammates.

They yell for paramedics and Chief Yoo wakes up, wheezing for them not to tell anyone of his death… before plucking the bullet from his Kevlar vest. Ha! Afterwards, Joon-hyung tearfully thanks Chief Yoo, who chuckles and suggests they get drinks. Turning to Detective Choi, he asks if he still hasn’t heard from Pil-sung.

In the dark hotel room, Pil-sung finally turns on his phone and returns Seo-jung’s calls. Wiping away tears, she asks where he is. “I want to turn on the TV,” he tells her, “but I’m too scared to. Nothing happened, right?” Seo-jung assures him everything is fine and begs him to tell her where he is.

Pil-sung refuses, saying he mustn’t meet anyone or else everyone will die. “Are you going to live like that forever?” she cries, “Will this… bring you happiness?” She says he knows what needs to be done, but Pil-sung just hangs up the phone.

Seung-hee leaves cram school and answers a call from Chief Yoo. He asks if he should pick her up, but Seung-hee assures him she’s fine on her own. Growing nervous as she walks, however, Seung-hee looks behind her. No one is there, but when she turns back, someone grabs her and presses a chloroform rag to her nose.

Across town, Yeon-hee is also walking alone. Dae-doo comes up behind her and grabs her, but Yeon-hee easily frees herself and punches him in the face. She warns her attacker he picked the wrong girl, and Dae-doo admits he’s impressed, calling her by name.

Yeon-hee attacks again, but Dae-doo nimbly avoids her and slams her into the ground. She bounces back, but Dae-doo throws her again. Dragging her up by her collar, he pulls back to knock her out.

Chief Yoo sneaks into the house, trying not to wake Seung-hee. Just as he passes her room, his phone buzzes. Joon-hyung also receives a text message and both men open them to see videos of Seung-hee and Yeon-hee tied up. Chief Yoo rushes to Seung-hee’s room and finds it empty.

Dae-doo’s voice rings out, announcing the start of his “survival” game. He addresses the men and tells them their objective is to kill the other. The winner’s loved one will be spared, however any tricks will result in both women dying. Additionally, both women will die if a winner is declared by 5 am.

After announcing the location where the game will take place, Dae-doo’s video cuts out. Panicked, Chief Yoo rushes out of the house while Joon-hyung screams at his phone.

Dae-doo’s lackey, Ho-cheol, watches the security cameras at an arena while Dae-doo waits by a fireplace. Chief Yoo is first to arrive at the arena and runs over to Joon-hyung when he bursts through another door. Joon-hyung frantically sobs that they have Yeon-hee and Chief Yoo urges him to calm down.

Chief Yoo asks if Joon-hyung has any idea who’s behind this, reasoning that whoever it is must know them well. Joon-hyung is anxious and tries to run off to find Yeon-hee but Chief Yoo holds him back, whispering that they’re surely being watched and that they need to stay calm. He suggests they start by looking around the arena.

Meanwhile, Yeon-hee comes to and wriggles her way over to Seung-hee. Seung-hee wakes up and they quickly untie each other. Yeon-hee assures Seung-hee they’ll be fine as long as they stay calm and they hug each other as Dae-doo slowly descends the stairs and unlocks a door.

Back at the arena, Joon-hyung freezes when he hears Chief Yoo call his name. Turning, he finds Chief Yoo aiming a gun at him.

Epilogue.

Do-ryung jolts awake on the shop’s couch. Feeling anxious, he cautiously knocks on Seo-jung’s door. When he doesn’t get an answer, he opens it and freezes at the sight of Seo-jung collapsed over the table, blood pooling from a cut on her wrist.

 
COMMENTS

It’s official, Possessed is determined to be the death of me! I do love it when the villain is crafty enough to block off all the easy solutions rather than have our heroes be stupid… but damn! Because of course sending the voicemail to Detective Choi would have allowed Pil-sung to prove there was a real danger to be wary of, and given more wiggle room, Chief Yoo and Joon-hyung might’ve been able to come up with a better plan than… well, shooting each other. But that’s always Dae-doo’s game. Offer you choices that leave you losing either way.

Would the world be saved by Pil-sung killing Seo-jung? That’s debatable as Seo-jung has already pointed out that Hell is leaking in and wreaking havoc, but even if everything went back to normal, Pil-sung would be destroyed. What’s more, Dae-doo would win! He’s willing to give up Armageddon in order to prove that anyone can by corrupted and thereby justify all of his own actions. No matter what Pil-sung decides, Dae-doo gets what he wants. (And I’ve started to wonder if “corrupting” Pil-sung is one of the conditions to opening Hell, allowing Dae-doo to keep his promise to stop the killing spree and still get his Doomsday.)

This game with Joon-hyung and Chief Yoo is no different, they either reinforce Dae-doo’s twisted worldview by killing each other or surviving together, thereby sacrificing their loved ones… or they attempt to “cheat” by working together to save the women and everyone dies. It’s completely skewed in Dae-doo’s favor and I’m just itching for someone to call him on it. Preferably Seo-jung right before she opens a can of whoopass.

Speaking of, she better not be dead! I’m hoping that Do-ryung is just having a premonition because despite everything she’s been told, Seo-jung’s death will solve absolutely nothing. Especially when you consider why Dae-doo wants her dead in the first place. It’s not because he fears her or even his sick obsession with watching Pil-sung suffer. He specifically wants Pil-sung to kill her, because what’s more cruel than forcing someone to kill their beloved… willingly… and thereby proving Dae-doo’s theory on the human psyche. It’s really got nothing to do with Seo-jung — had Pil-sung loved someone else, that person’s life would be the price. So her death in and of itself isn’t a solution, it’s only her death by Pil-sung’s hand that Dae-doo agreed to.

The closer we get to the end, the further away a happy ending seems. We’ve known it was only a matter of time before Dae-doo went after Pil-sung and Seo-jung’s loved ones but making them eliminate each other is far more brutal, and dare I say (evil) genius, than I could’ve imagined. I have to believe that Chief Yoo can’t go through with it or that he’s not trying to force Joon-hyung to shoot him, because it was sad enough losing Detective Kim last episode… I don’t think I can bear the deaths of any more of our detectives! With three more episodes to go, it’s probably too much to ask for an end to the bloodshed, but I’ll cross my fingers anyway because I want to see a wedding with all our favorite characters in attendance! (Unless your favorite is Dae-doo — no judgement, he’s a fantastic villain — but he’s not invited).

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