My Demon: Episodes 7-8
by alathe
Uh-oh — our demon’s powers are waning on the worst potential second. It received’t be lengthy earlier than our heroine may need to play her bodyguard’s bodyguard in earnest… however with a number of well-armed threats surrounding them, a malfunctioning taser may not hack it.
EPISODES 7-8
The photograph sales space kiss works its magic, and Do-kyung retreats, unsuspecting. That is fortunate, as a result of Gu-won’s literal magic is on fritz. Or, as NOH SUK-NYEO (Cha Chung-hwa), the homeless lady who commonly ambushes our heroes with cryptic recommendation would have it: “flickering.” Gu-won’s constructive he’s recognized the issue: his beloved partner. Uh — not that he’s blaming her! It’s only a nuisance! By which he means, it’s not like he didn’t not not take pleasure in, uh, what they needed to do as a substitute — or one thing… hey, isn’t that his butler calling?
Sure — cue their worst marital spat but. Bok-gyu is right here to assist Gu-won transfer in… alongside ten lifetimes’ price of possessions, sufficient to smother even Do-hee’s frankly palatial house. Our heroine doesn’t skip a beat: Gu-won and his fifty-thousand containers of random bric-a-brac are kicked to the curb. (Although not with no cup of espresso to go. She isn’t heartless.) Nice by Gu-won! Guess he’ll simply dwell in his automobile ceaselessly! Thus, he spends a number of hours lounging within the automobile park obsessively googling himself, while on no account, form, or kind ready for Do-hee to name. Upstairs, Do-hee gripes to an imaginary Madam Ju concerning the trials of married life.
They’re not the one ones discontent with their lot. Ga-young has fled rehearsals in a match of pique, stalking by town in tears and laddered tights. As she journeys and bashes her ankle, we flash again to when she was little one. Barefoot within the snow, she hid from her drunk, abusive father. Simply as he had her cornered, she was rescued by none apart from our resident demon, right here to reap her father’s soul. She had chased after Gu-won, clutching his jacket, begging to go along with him — however he’d turned his again. It took her years to search out him once more.
All of a sudden, Ga-young’s puppydog-eyed pouting makes infinitely extra sense. When life offers you a backstory to rival Goblin, the very last thing you anticipate is to be anybody’s second lead! Again within the current, an obnoxious drunk begins harassing her. However positive sufficient, earlier than issues get ugly, our demonic bodyguard is again to intervene. The 2 return to Sunwol, the place Ga-young calls for assurance that Gu-won’s marriage is pretend. Gu-won, who has avoidance right down to a wonderful artwork, insists that it’s.
That night time, our demon slinks again house, shame-faced — solely to shriek as Do-hee executes a flawlessly-timed jumpscare. Ah, the fun of matrimony! Nonetheless, he’s fairly smug that she waited up for him, so he presses his luck. I’d wish to cost up, he declares. That is how our heroes find yourself huddled like supremely flustered sardines in mattress, holding fingers and refusing to look one another within the eye. I can’t sleep with anybody subsequent to me, Do-hee states. Demons don’t sleep both, Gu-won retorts. A number of hours later, each are completely conked out.
Gu-won wakes first, sneaking glances at a snoozing Do-hee, while assuring himself that these emotions are a brief aberration. As he closes his eyes, Do-hee surfaces, and likewise takes the chance to peek at his face. When each open their eyes without delay, there’s sufficient high-intensity staring that denial is a distant dream — however, alas, the cellphone blares. It’s Secretary Shin, and there’s an issue. After a viral video made some nasty accusations, all the web is accusing Do-hee of murdering Madam Ju.
Suk-min has lastly made his counter-move. Do-hee tackles this the one means she is aware of: head on. She will get Gu-won to teleport her to Suk-min’s taking pictures vary, and tells him he has a humorous thought of a marriage present. With spectacular disregard for the rifle in his hand, she asks if he actually made a mistake the night time he “by accident” ran somebody over. See for your self, he retorts, leveling the gun proper at her. Do-hee glares, turns, and walks away. He fires — however, after all, it goes broad. Let’s go, says Do-hee to Gu-won. We’ve got a warfare to win.
From right here, they nook the reporter who accused Do-hee. After a number of demonic threats, he cracks like an egg. However additional issues abound. Seok-hoon, at all times half a step behind, has discovered a photograph from 1977 of Gu-won wanting younger as ever. There’s just one rationalization: Gu-won is a vampire! (Quoth our long-suffering, oft-misidentified hero: “I’m not some rattling mosquito.”) Seok-hoon stands his floor: if Gu-won ever harms Do-hee, he’ll harness the total drive of his second-lead powers to annoy him to dying — by revealing his secret to the world.
He’s not the one one bent on making Gu-won’s life depressing. Group Evil — consisting of our many-faced murderer, the elusive Abraxas, and the leather-gloved, lighter-wielding mastermind — have bugged his workplace, and stolen his demonic handbook. This final half is upsetting for Do-hee, who would have cherished a consumer’s information to navigate the tribulations of demon possession! In spite of everything, he’s being fairly perplexing. At Ga-young’s newest rehearsal, he retreats into silent brooding; recollections of his human life, and an unidentified sword-wielding dancer proceed to hang-out him.
When he leaves for the ultimate efficiency, he smiles at Do-hee with surprising tenderness. However halfway by the present, he will get an emergency name. Do-hee has been arrested on suspicion of Madam Ju’s homicide. Gu-won bounds out of the theater, just for a stranger to barge straight into him. When he glances down, he sees that there’s a knife embedded in his personal chest. And — blood. And, for the primary time in centuries, ache. As he slumps to the bottom, Do-hee’s identify nonetheless on his lips, he seems as much as see the pasted-on face of our thriller murderer.
An surprising hero enters the fray: Bok-gyu! The world’s bravest butler shoves the murderer away from Gu-won, with such drive that his masks — a little bit of a botch-job, and positively lower than his standard requirements — falls away from his face. Realizing too nicely the extent of Gu-won’s monitoring powers, he stumbles away, terrified. With Do-hee cooped up in a holding cell, and Gu-won’s magic out of his attain, no one has time to provide chase. As an alternative, Gu-won is hustled to the emergency room.
The prognosis is horrible; he’s not anticipated to outlive the night time. Gu-won lies susceptible, wracked by goals of hellfire. Fortunately, a sympathetic detective is keen to smuggle Do-hee to the hospital for a surreptitious go to. On the way in which, she’s ambushed by Ga-young, who cries that Do-hee has killed Gu-won. Speeding to his bedside, Do-hee locations her wrist in his hand. At first, he stays immobile, and he or she collapses on his lap in tears. However then, slowly, our hero’s eyes crack open. With attribute appeal, he instructions her to maneuver. She’s heavy. However evidently it’s not the hardship he claims, as a result of moments later he’s tugging her right into a fervent, awkwardly-lying-down hug.
Magic is sufficient to yank Gu-won again from dying’s door, however along with his powers sputtering, he’s nonetheless injured. Regardless of being in ache and freshly traumatized from his near-combustion expertise, he has enjoyable pestering Bok-gyu into hand-feeding him. He has much less enjoyable along with his subsequent guests. The felony gang he habitually bullies — the Wild Canines — have determined that in the event you can’t beat a newspaper-wielding maniac, you could as nicely be part of him. They’ve made up their minds: Gu-won is their new chief! They line up, want him bloody vengeance on all his foes, and make hand-hearts. Gu-won’s first order — to not come inside 5 meters of him — is obeyed to the letter. With measuring tape. And extra hand-hearts.
Quickly, Do-hee is discharged for lack of proof — which isn’t shocking, contemplating her arrest was a ploy by Suk-min. Rapidly, she heads hospital-wards. Steadfastly ignoring the adoring rows of gangsters, she finds Gu-won, who instantly hops off the bed to greet her. She fusses over him. He glows. Even Secretary Shin is charmed.
Time for some medically-mandated cuddles! Do-hee causes that if Gu-won’s powers are waning, skin-to-skin contact may assist him heal. Gu-won finds this logic very persuasive. And so, after the requisite quantity of shifting and complaining, they find yourself sleeping in one another’s arms. Final week, Do-hee berated herself for being clingy — however it seems, she didn’t know true clinginess till this morning! Gu-won tugs her again into mattress and pleads, eyes a-gleam, for her to take the time off. However when he brushes his hand towards her cheek and leans shut, Do-hee feels a sudden pang of guilt. She retreats.
Issues get uneasier as — in endearing defiance of all medical knowledge — Gu-won follows Do-hee into work… just for each to come across Ga-young. Nonetheless feeling uncooked after watching the 2 embrace on the hospital, she throws guilt in fast succession. Do-hee, she accuses of exploiting Gu-won. She used him, weakened him, and virtually let him die. Gu-won, she accuses of willful ignorance. Deep down, he is aware of that he’s progressively changing into extra human — as a result of he’s in love with Do-hee. You’re a demon, she says. Act like one.
Each are uncharacteristically silent within the Automobile of Uncomfortable Truths. That night time, Do-hee sneaks out onto the balcony, and thinks of Madam Ju. Ought to I actually, she asks, preserve pushing ahead? If I quit right here, I’d be betraying you. However the Madam Ju of her recollections is adamant: don’t lose your new household, she says, due to your lifeless one. I need you to do what’s finest for you — and typically, meaning doing what’s finest for somebody you care about. And so, Do-hee calls Seok-hoon. She’s made up her thoughts. On the board assembly, she proclaims that she is withdrawing her candidacy for Chairperson.
Weathering Suk-min’s patronizing congratulations, Su-ahn’s suspicion, and Do-kyung’s smirks, she declares that she’ll forfeit the warfare — and her inheritance, as well. Later, Gu-won pulls her to the facet and calls for to know why she’s giving in. Realizing that platitudes received’t reduce it, she’s compelled to stay the knife in. You possibly can now not shield me, she says, as coldly as she will be able to muster. You’ve grow to be so weak you’ll be able to’t even shield your self. Gu-won’s face collapses as he tries to not cry. He holds on till she leaves, earlier than sinking to his knees in ache — while Suk-min and his son watch coldly from the window.
Nonetheless, our demon doesn’t keep down for lengthy — not when there’s breath left in his physique for yelling! And so, he angrily corners Seok-hoon. All credit score to our second lead; he hardly hesitates earlier than slicing by six completely different layers of miscommunication. Do-hee at all times blamed herself for her mother and father’ deaths, he snaps. Now, she’ll blame herself for Madam Ju’s — due to you. You’re the explanation she gave up.
Character growth is a fabulous factor: our hero has realized the methods of the rom-com. He races to Do-hee’s house, discovering it empty. However there’s one place he is aware of she at all times discovered solace: the greenhouse. Right here, Do-hee sees the fallen flower petals, and breathes an apology to Madam Ju. Gu-won bursts in. Let’s return, he says. Don’t quit due to me — battle. I need you to do what’s finest for you, as a result of that’s what’s finest for me.
Do-hee seems up at him. Everybody I’ve ever cherished is lifeless, she says — and also you’ll die due to me too. He strikes nearer. I don’t care, he says. After which, taking her face in his fingers, he kisses her. Then, because the sprinklers come on, showering them with water, he kisses her once more. Even when my emotions for you make me weak, he thinks, you’re the destiny that I can’t deny.
Beanies, I’m overcome! That kiss was an absolute pleasure. I really like that each our leads have needed to work at accepting what they need, and — horror of all horrors for these attractive, emotionally repressed losers — voice it to one another. Gu-won comes with two-hundred years and fifty-thousand containers’ price of luggage, however when you strip that away, you find yourself with somebody determined for a goal and one thing to guard. His freshly-stabbed expression broke my coronary heart: half wait, is that this the human emotion of ache? and half however that’s so unfair! — and wholly plausible.
In the meantime, I really like how Do-hee so rigorously wears her feelings like armor. When she’s being baited, she’ll battle with an ice-cold glare. When she’s met with rejection, she’ll zip again with a pointy retort. However whenever you give her tenderness, she’ll be tentatively tender in return. It was beautiful watching her put together to give up, to go towards her each intuition and not battle — all with the identical steely resolve she’d present upon going into battle.
However amid all of the feels, this drama nonetheless commonly cracks me up. The Wild Canines had me howling. Gu-won having a numbering system for his aliases was stunning. Above all, probably the most endearing subplot this week was Do-hee sending Gu-won out with espresso till he realized the true that means of “shared dwelling house.” This drama nonetheless has loads of coronary heart, and it’s as a result of our characters are so ridiculous that I care about them so deeply.
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