In the latest drama, "My Demon," we're introduced to a guardian demon. However, as I delved into the series, a sense of déjà vu crept in. Was this guardian demon truly distinct, or did he bear striking similarities to others we've seen before?
Questions about plagiarism first emerged when Gu Won's death scene in "My Demon" closely resembled that of Kim Shin's death scene in "Goblin". Many dismissed the notion that the writer had plagiarized the scene, citing the cinematographer had worked on both "Goblin" and "My Demon".
However, I believe the issue of plagiarism extended beyond cinematography; from the characterization of the male lead to the overall concepts, "My Demon" seemed almost identical to well-known fantasy kdramas, echoing themes, lines, and scenes from its predecessors. The writer, Choi Ah Il, appeared to borrow extensively from existing works, crossing the line between inspiration and outright plagiarism.
Gu Won, the guardian demon, was a mishmash of characters from various supernatural dramas. His personality, appearance, and even punishment seemed like something taken right out of "Goblin", "Tale of the Nine-Tailed", and "Doom at Your Service." Beyond his Thanos-like finger snap and cross tattoo, there was very little that made him unique.
For a writer who criticized goblins, nail-tailed foxes, grim reapers, and vampires, Choi Ah Il failed to differentiate her demon. Gu Won could've been a distinctive supernatural character with his own unique backstory or even a different style, but instead, he felt like a Frankenstein creation of well-established supernatural creatures. Ultimately, I was left to wonder if the writer or even Gu Won himself knew who he really was.
In my field, we constantly aim to create innovative and original ideas. Therefore, I understand the fear that can come with breaking new ground. For Choi Ah Il's first fantasy drama, the fear of her original ideas not being good enough might have led her to heavily rely on existing works.
My advice to Choi Ah Il is to have more confidence in both herself and her ideas. When we put our entire heart and soul into our work, our sincerity and passion will shine through, making them more likely to be appreciated by others. We should embrace all of our "crazy" ideas instead of plagiarizing others' work. Even if our idea doesn't work out, at least we know we gave it our all. And this, to me, is infinitely more fulfilling than imitating others.
So in conclusion, "My Demon" had the potential to be a great fantasy drama, but it seemed to copy too much from others' works. Whether it's an issue of inspiration or outright plagiarism, the drama left me wondering what ideas truly belonged to Choi Ah Il. As viewers, we deserve to experience a writer's unique voice, not a patchwork of borrowed elements hastily stitched together. Going forward, I'll probably give this writer one more chance to improve her scriptwriting. I must add that if it weren't for the great cast and their impeccable acting and adlibs, this drama would've been doomed due to its messy plot and lack of true originality.
Below are some scenes and concepts from other shows and movies that are nearly identical to the ones in "My Demon". I'll let you decide for yourself if you think the writer of "My Demon" was inspired by other's works or simply plagiarized them.
(Note: I might add more later, but it's a lot of work to go through each show and screenshot everything and then compile them in a collage)
p.s. I'll post my review, thoughts, and analysis for Eps 15-16 in a few days!
Goblin The Great and Lonely God
Hooded supernatural
2. Objects that represent the end of a human's journey...clocks instead of tea cups
3. The mother has complications with her daughter's birth and is saved by a supernatural being
4. In the past, the FL dies, ML kills a bunch of people, and ML ends his life. ML has memories of his past sins erased. As punishment, ML is turned into a grim reaper character.
Others:
The quote Madam Ju said in Ep 3 about plants and seeds was similar to the one said by Ji Tak in "Goblin": Humans have four lives. A life of planting seeds, a life of watering seeds, a life of harvesting, and a life of using the harvests.
The ML's had blamed God for all the obstacles in their lives and when they finally got a chance to talk to God, God told them they didn't have all the anwers to their questions and that they didn't know everything similar to God in MD.
The FL dies at the peak of her happiness similar to how in MD, the FL's parents died at the peak of her happiness.
The FL in "Goblin" was the key to ending the ML's life as an immortal just like how in MD, the FL was the key to making the ML human.
Tale of the Nine Tailed
Supernatural ML has an obsession with desserts
2. FL died in the past to save the ML
3. FL's parents is involved in a car accident on FL's birthday (9th birthday in TOTNT and 10th birthday in MD)
4. Wishes Granted By The Devils
5. Wishes and Exploiting Other's Misfortunes to Survive
6. FL wears object and remembers tragic past life
7. Personal Hell is being in a world without the FL
8. Working for the Divine as Their Best Performer
9. Mother-like Figure is a Goddess
10. Wearing Two Wedding Rings
Others:
In "Tale of the Nine Tailed," The Almighty granted Nine-Tailed Foxes or Gumihos various powers, but they were bound by one rule: they must fulfill their end of the deal/contract with humans or face death. This rule aimed to prevent Gumihos from murdering humankind. Similarly, in "My Demon," Gu Won faced a similar fate. If he didn't make deals with humans, he would die. Additionally, if Gu Won murdered humans, he would also face death. In both cases, rules and contracts were established to prevent supernatural beings endowed with god-like powers from killing humans.
The concept of wanting to live or die together in TOTNT was also present in MD
In TOTNT, the FL tried to protect the ML, but ended up dying. In the present, the ML made it a mission to protect the FL to prevent the same tragic fate from happening. ML ended up saving the FL in present but died in the process...and then ML came back to life just like in MD.
ML in TOTNT came back to life/was reincarnated as a mortal human with Gumiho powers similar to how after Gu Won came back to life, he was a human with demon powers.
Twilight
Supernatural leaves human because they hates their monstrous nature
2. Supernatural watches their human sleep
3. Human is kidnapped to draw out supernatural ML
4. Human gets a leg injury during kidnapping
Others:
Gu Won played "Clair de lune" just like Edward did in Twilight
Doom At Your Service
Listening to others' wishes and meeting a wisher that would change their fate
2. Beginning of a new journey filled with hand-holding, bubbles, and water
3. Necessaity of holding hands/wrist to recharge
4. Creating a dream of the FL's deepest desire
5. Celebrating a supernatural's birthday
Others:
One of the major themes in DAYS was choices just like in MD
Hotel Del Luna
Fireflies by the lake
Others:
FL's name was Man Wol (means "Full Moon") in HDL and FL's name in MD was Wol Sim (means "Moon Heart")
My Demon: Theories and Analysis for Eps 11-12 Part 2
Hello Readers!
Here is Part 2! Happy Readings!
Ok, thinking caps on! Time to analyze and theorize!
Section 2: The Past
Section 2.3: Do Hee’s Father’s Contract with Gu Won
What We Know
Before we get into the details about Do Hee’s father’s contract with Gu Won, let’s first review some things! According to Do Hee, her father had promised her a birthday party she would never forget.
On the day of her birthday party, she said her father had to go to work. This was unusual because he quit working a long time ago (hint hint...ask yourself why he quit working).
Eventually, the accident was ruled to be caused by speeding.
From Madam Ju’s perspective, before the car exploded, she saw Gu Won collecting his contract. A few seconds later, fuel was leaking from the car and then it exploded.
What We Don't Know
Two questions we must try to answer are why Do Hee's father signed the contract and when he signed it.
Based on what Do Hee said in Ep 11, one could only deduce the following:
Do Hee's father wanted to throw her an unforgettable birthday party because he knew his time was limited and this would be the last birthday he would be able to celebrate with Do Hee
Do Hee's father quit his job at Mirae Electronics to maximize his time Do Hee because he knew his time was limited
What these things implied is that Do Hee's father signed the contract long before the accident occurred. I've seen others theorizing that Gu Won showed up to make a deal with Do Hee's parents, but those theories wouldn't explain why Do Hee's father wanted to throw her an unforgettable birthday party or why he quit his job at Mirae Electronics. Therefore, I'll stick to my theory that Do Hee's father signed the contract long before the accident because it would explain why her father wanted to throw her an unforgettable birthday bash and why he decided to quit working at Mirae Electronics.
Anyway, the writer has given limited information about Do Hee's parents which makes it quite difficult to formulate accurate theories. Below are three theories I've formulated based on the limited information:
Theory #1: One or both of Do Hee's parents were infertile so they had difficulties conceiving. Do Hee's father wished for Gu Won to make either one parent or both parents fertile so they could conceive.
Theory #2: On the day Do Hee was supposed to be born (Oct 29, 1996), there were complications (i.e the cord wrapped around her neck, her mother got hit by a car, etc). Do Hee's father wished for Gu Won to save his wife and unborn child.
Theory #3: Do Hee got sick when she was a child and Do Hee's father wished for Gu Won to cure her of her disease or illness.
Now let's go over my theories and see if there are any flaws in them. The most obvious flaw with Theory #1 is the timeline. It takes 40 weeks or 9 months from the time of conception to birth. If Do Hee's father signed the contract because they had trouble conceiving then he would've done so in late January or early February 1996. However, since he didn't die in late January or early February 2006, we can assume Do Hee's parents didn't have fertility problems and this wasn't Do Hee's father's wish. The only way for this theory to work is if Gu Won snapped his magic fingers and made Do Hee's mother suddenly 9 weeks pregnant in just one day, but that would be really far fetch.
The main flaw of Theory #2 is it wouldn't explain why Do Hee's father suddenly left on what could've been possibly the last day he had on this Earth. If he knew he would die within the next few hours, he probably wouldn't have left Do Hee's side no matter how dire a work-related issue was. The only reason I could see Do Hee's father leaving her on her birthday was because he thought he had more time. Meaning, he had planned to quickly wrap up whatever business he had at Mirae E'slectronics before returning home to celebrate Do Hee's birthday.
This leads me to my next theory, Theory #3. We assumed Do Hee's father's contract expired on her birthday, but what if it didn't? What if her father had a few weeks or months left on his contract? We have yet to see what happens if a person dies before their contract expires, but I think we are about to in the case of Do Hee's father. I think if a person dies before their contract is up, Gu Won still comes to collect their soul. I believe this is exactly what happened on the night of Oct 29, 2006.
Do Hee became sick shortly after she was born (let's say Nov 11, 1996 for all intents and purposes). Do Hee's father signed the contract in exchange for Gu Won saving her life. Going with the example he signed the contract on Nov 11, 1996, her father's contract would've expired on Nov 11, 2006. So maybe that's why her father left that night. He didn't think leaving for an hour would be such a big deal in the whole grand scheme of things because he still had close to 2 weeks left with Do Hee.
Out of the three theories I came up with, I believe the one that was most likely to happen was Theory #3. I want to reiterate that I don't believe Gu Won offered Do Hee's parents a contract when they crashed their car. Do Hee's father knew his days were limited because of the terms of the contract hence this is why he quit his job years ago and wanted to throw Do Hee one last big birthday bash.
There are still so many questions I'm unable to answer because the writer has given us practically nothing to work with. For example, why the hell was Do Hee's mother in the car with her father? She didn't have business at Mirae Electronics. The only reason I can think that would explain why she was in the car was because Madam Ju had a hair emergency. Otherwise, I don't see any logic in Do Hee's mother tagging along with her father to go to Mirae. Also, I think it would be irresponsible for parents to leave their 10 year-old child home alone. Did they hire a babysitter? Where were Do Hee's grandparents in all of this? Or did the writer just conveniently have them die long before the story started?
Section 3: Murder of Do Hee's Parents
Section 3.1: Who Did It? Why?
Short answer...Seok Min. Though the ending scenes of Ep 12 made it seem Gu Won was responsible for the deaths of Do Hee's parents, I don't think he was. Gu Won was only there to do this job: collect Do Hee's father's soul.
One could argue that Gu Won caused his father to have a heart attack which caused him to lose control of the car. Subsequently, this would kill not only Do Hee's father but also her mother. However, if that were the case, it would go against the rule that demons couldn't kill humans. Moreover, if Gu Won caused her father to have a heart attack then her father's foot probably wouldn't have been on the pedal and the police wouldn't have ruled the cause of the accident as "speeding". Like I'm pretty sure if you're having a heart attack, your foot wouldn't keep pushing on the gas pedal.
I don't think their accident was a simple case of speeding. By this I mean, I think Seok Min tampered with Do Hee's parents' car engine or brake system. When you tamper with someone's car engine, it can cause a sudden acceleration leading the car to accelerate unexpectedly. Similarly, if the brakes were tampered with, one would have difficulty slowing down or stopping the car, leading to an uncontrollable increase in speed and loss of control, resulting in a crash.
Do Hee's parents were probably on their way towards their home, but lost control of their vehicle and crashed into the barrier. The impact likely killed both of her parents. However, there may be a small possibility that her mother survived the car crash. If this were the case, why would Gu Won not save her? Maybe it's because he couldn't. By this, I mean if Gu Won had, he would've broken the rule that stated demons couldn't interfere with God's work. Maybe her parents were fated to die at that time.
So why did Seok Min do it in the first place? Two possibilities. As I stated in my previous post, one possibility was because Do Hee's father found out Madam Ju's dark secret (i.e she had engaged in dishonest means to make herself richer). Seok Min then overheard the confrontation between Do Hee's father and Madam Ju. Subsequently, he decided to "protect" his mother by getting rid of Do Hee's father. After all, the dead can't speak.
The second possibility was that Seok Min overheard Madam Ju telling Do Hee's father that she wanted to make him Chairman of Mirae Group after she stepped down. This may have caused Seok Min to be filled with rage and jealousy because he believed he should be the next chairman since it was his birthright. In Seok Min's mind, Do Hee's father didn't deserve to be chairman because he wasn't Madam Ju's biological son, Seok Min was.
Seok Min was probably jealous of the relationship his mother and Do Hee's father had. In Madam Ju's eyes, Do Hee's father was the perfect son. He was diligent and kind. Madam Ju treated Do Hee's father like the son she never had. She loved him and this was something Seok Min wanted from his mother, but never got. Do Hee's father was everything Seok Min was not. Here's the thing though, Madam Ju would've loved Seok Min had he learned to work hard for his position. However, since he was a lazy entitled sloth who didn't do anything to earn his position, other than killing people, Madam Ju despised him. It was right Madam Ju made Do Hee's father the next chairman because he worked hard for it, unlike Seok Min. Seok Min couldn't have that happen though so he became blinded by rage and decided to get rid of the competition by tampering with Do Hee's parents' car.
After the accident happened, Madam Ju returned home to try to wash away her sins. She probably thought she killed Do Hee's parents because she thought that if she hadn't asked Do Hee's father to come to the office that night, he wouldn't have sped to get home to celebrate Do Hee's birthday and died. Little did she know, it was actually her son who was behind it all.
While in the shower, Madam Ju may have been confessing to herself about killing Do Hee's parents, and Seok Min likely recorded this as potential blackmail to secure the chairman position. Alternatively, Seok Min might have recorded his mother's confession as backup evidence in case of accusations related to Do Hee's parents' murder. It also wouldn't be surprising if Seok Min tagged along with his mother to church and recorded her confession there.
I think Seok Min will show Do Hee this recording in Ep 13 to make her think Madam Ju killed her parents. Seok Min does have a nasty habit of blaming others and placing his crimes on other people. He did it with Madam Ju and Do Gyeong. Seok Min made them think they had killed people, but in reality, they didn't. Seok Min did. He's a man who refuses to take responsibility for any of his actions whether that be hitting a pedestrian, killing his own mother, or trying to kill Do Hee. I think though Seok Min will begin to see he's running out of people to pin all of his crimes on. He's going to have to pay for his crimes pretty soon!
Section 3.2: The Twins/Soulmates Meet
Y'all Gu Won's smile at the end of Ep 12 sent shivers down my spine, that SHIT WAS SO FUCKING CREEPY!!!!! ajfldjakrjalsjfaljf;l!!!
Ok back to being serious. I don't think Madam Ju meeting Gu Won served any other purpose than to scare the living daylights out of her. Seeing Gu Won is what probably caused her to finally change her ways and start living a righteous life.
I don't think Madam Ju was religious or anything before she met Gu Won. She probably didn't believe the divine or supernatural was real. However, after meeting Gu Won, she probably thought to herself, "Fuck the Devil is real!! Hell is real! I need to start praying, donating to charity, and living a righteous life, or else the Devil is going to come and take my soul away and I'll go to Hell."
Like Gu Won, Madam Ju turned to religion for salvation, but unlike him, she was genuinely committed to God's teachings and principles
As for the night of the car accident, I don't think they had that much interaction. Madam Ju may have asked Gu Won to try and save them, but Gu Won may have told her they were beyond saving now.
I have to say though that after the stuff about Seok Min gets resolved, I hope there will be a scene where Madam Ju and Gu Won meet in happier circumstances. Who knows, maybe when Do Hee and Gu Won go to Madam Ju the next time, Madam Ju will appear to them both haha.
Section 3.3: Why Didn't Gu Won Remember Do Hee's Parents or Madam Ju?
Maybe Gu Won doesn't remember Do Hee's parents or Madam Ju because he's seen a lot of faces throughout the many years. It's like do you remember what you brought 27 or 17 years ago? I know I don't. Unless the deal he made with Do Hee's father was unique (i.e he wished for a baby) then he probably wouldn't have remembered Do Hee's father. The only other distinctive aspect could be that Do Hee's father was the only person who died before his contract was up. Besides that, there's nothing else that might differentiate Do Hee's father from others Gu Won has dealt with. Before meeting Do Hee, Gu Won perceived all humans as insignificant and easily forgettable. Therefore, this is why Gu Won doesn't remember Do Hee's father or Madam Ju.
If Gu Won doesn't remember Do Hee's father or Madam Ju, how would Do Hee find out Gu Won was there on the night of her parents' accident? S-E-O-K M-I-N. Seok Min likes to place blame on others for his crimes. If Seok Min can't convince Do Hee that Madam Ju was responsible for her parent's deaths, he might point fingers at the next convenient target—Gu Won.
Maybe Seok Min will tell Do Hee that he saw Gu Won at the scene of her parent's car accident. This will force Do Hee to ask Gu Won about it. Poor guy is going to have to rack through his brain to remember it haha. I mean he's going to have to remember his memories of when he was Chil Won (Do Hee's father signed the contract in 1996 so that would mean he met with Chil Won haha) and Pal Won haha. OMG CAN WE PLEASE GET A FLASHBACK OF DO HEE'S FATHER SIGNING A CONTRACT WITH CHIL WON?!!! AHHHHHHHH. Out of all of Gu Won's many selves, Chil Won was the hottest haha.
When Do Hee discovers that Gu Won had a contract with her father and was present on the night of her parents' accident, it's likely she'll be upset and demand an explanation. She may question why he didn't intervene to save them. Gu Won will likely try to explain, but I don't think Do Hee will be very understanding of whatever he says. This revelation could lead to a temporary breakup, becoming a pivotal moment for both characters.
This break may serve as a catalyst for Gu Won to confront his deep-seated fear of losing Do Hee. Simultaneously, it might prompt Do Hee to realize that her parents' deaths and Madam Ju's demise weren't her fault. Side note....hopefully, Gu Won will tell Do Hee that she was the woman in his past before all this other shit comes out. If not, Do Hee finding out about all of this at once could really overwhelm her.
Section 4: Final Predictions
Section 4.1: Gu Won and Do Hee
Our couple will have a happy ending! They've worked hard enough to get one! I really hope the writer doesn't turn the ending of MD into Guardian: The Lonely God and Great God....it should be Guardian: The Happy and Great God haha. We had the bitter, now give us the sweet!
Gu Won will be as I said, a guardian demon....a human-demon hybrid (think of Lee Yeon from TOTNT). Meaning he will be human (live a mortal lifespan), but have demon powers. It's the best of both worlds!
One of the themes of this show is the coexistence of opposites. I don't just mean with our couple (light vs dark and angels vs devils) but also within ourselves. Gu Won's existence as a human-demon hybrid would allow for the integration of both his human and demon characteristics. This integration would symbolize finding a balance between conflicting elements and embracing one's multifaceted nature. Gu Won's hybrid nature could also serve as a metaphor for unity in diversity. It would show that different aspects, even those considered incompatible, can coexist and contribute to a richer, more complex identity.
The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.
-Hermann Hesse, Demian
If we want to go with the whole bird and analogy present in MD (I have to add I was reminded of AOS because the writer in that show used a lot of bird and egg analogies too haha), we can say Gu Won is like the bird who needed to break free from its shell. The shell is societal expectations, personal limitations, and the constraints imposed by his demonic nature. Gu Won's transformation involved destroying his existing understanding of himself and the world in which he resides. This could be achieved by Gu Won by confronting his inner demons, questioning his past actions, and reevaluating his place in the world. Gu Won's quest for a higher understanding encompasses the pursuit of redemption and the harmonious integration of the opposing forces within himself, akin to the bird's flight toward God. As Gu Won unifies the opposing forces within himself, he becomes something greater. That something greater is a human-demon hybrid or Abraxas.
Given two choices, normal humans either choose one or the other, but mutants like Lee Yeon and Gu Won go for the third option haha. If Gu Won were to remain as either a demon or human, it would not go with the many themes in the show. He's a mutant or an anomaly who goes for the third option instead of having to choose between the two choices.
Though Gu Won has yet to see it, God transforming him into a demon was both a punishment and a reward. In exchange for doing his time, God rewarded him with everything he and Do Hee could've ever possibly wished for. She transported them to a time when the social barriers they once faced in the past no longer existed in the present. She made sure they met again and got married. And finally, she gave Gu Won powers to protect Do Hee with so he would never have to face the same pain he faced back during the Joseon dynasty. Basically, God gave them things that money could never buy: a second chance at being happy together. All of this wasn't free though haha. Both had to suffer a lot along the way, but eventually, they got their heaven; they got each other.
I think the show will end with Do Hee finally becoming the Chairwoman of Mirae Group, heralding a new world order. She'll be the first rich person who wasn't corrupt and the first CEO who wasn't related to the previous owner. As for Gu Won, he'll work as a guardian who protects humans from all kinds of threats (i.e illnesses, Hell, themselves, etc). He'll convince people who are going down the wrong path to choose to live a righteous life and work hard so they don't end up in Hell. Gu Won will also be a healer of humans not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well.
Though I don't think this will happen given the time constraints, I hope Gu Won and Do Hee will have a second wedding! Like a wedding where Do Hee would get to wear a wedding dress that reflects her taste and where they'll be surrounded by their real family. It would also be nice if they had a few kids too haha! Just imagine the kind of bedtime stories that would have to tell their kids..."Daddy was a devil who lived for 200 years until Mommy made him human again and they lived happily ever after." Hahahaha. All of this probably won't happen but it's just my wishful thinking.
Section 4.2: Seok Min
Ok now onto this asshole. We all know Seok Min will get caught for all the crimes he committed and be punished. However, I don't think his punishment will be just simple prison time. We have seen that Seok Min serving time in a regular prison didn't really change him for the better. He still ended up doing many horrible things even after he was released from it. What Seok Min needed was to be put in a new kind of prison...the one Gu Won was just in.
My theory is that Seok Min will try to avoid punishment by ending his life similar to Gu Won during the Joseon dynasty. God will then make him into a demon. The demon book being in his possession was probably a clue from the writer that foreshadowed Seok Min's future.
The way things work in this show is that if you murder people, God gives you a second chance to redeem yourself. God being a merciful person gives murders a second chance to make different choices. If you fail to make different choices and don't change for the better, it's hello spontaneous combustion.
You might be thinking, isn't Seok Min being turned into a demon a dangerous thing? Well, not really because he's got rules to follow. Do you think he'll actually follow them? Hell no. You see, what kept Gu Won from breaking the rules was his love for Do Hee. Her love essentially saved him from spontaneous combustion throughout his years as a demon. Seok Min on the other hand doesn't have that. He killed the very thing he loved (Madam Ju) so he doesn't have love in his heart to prevent him from doing bad things. I'm sure right after Seok Min is turned into a demon, he'll use his newfound powers to kill someone. And this will cause him to spontaneously combust. Good riddance! This will be the most fitting end for him!
Section 4.3: Seok Hoon and Ga Yeong
Now onto the people we thought were up to no good...Seok Hoon and Ga Yeong. I really hope Seok Hoon doesn't become the sacrificial lamb as I said on my Twitter account. Meaning, I hope Seok Hoon doesn't get killed by Seok Min. On the off chance that he does, Gu Won would bring him back. As for Ga Yeong, I hope she and Gu Won make up. Ga Yeong did some pretty horrible things, but at the end of the day, she was trying to keep the only person she ever loved safe. Maybe Gu Won will finally look at her warmly and tell her she'll always have a home to come back to at Sunwol.
Ideally, it would be nice if Seok Hoon and Ga Yeong got together in the end, but the writer had barely made any developments in their love story so I don't think it'll happen. If it did, maybe it would go something along the lines that Seok Hoon decided to go traveling again and since Ga Yeon was going on tour, Seok Hoon would go with her.
Section 4.4: The Secretaries
We already know how things will end for these two...with the most obnoxiously cheesy wedding ever hahah.
As a wedding gift, Gu Won will probably pay off Bok Gyu's car and apartment debts haha.
Section 4.5: Others
The Perilla Seed and Scallions Gang will probably continue to work for Gu Won. Instead of doing bad things and trying to take over the world, they do good things and help Gu Won with his mission of protecting humans in the world.
For the mother and sick daughter, Gu Won will heal the daughter without damning her mother to hell.
As for the Mirae F&B workers, Min Soo will get his promotion, Jung Mi will find a new worker to gush over, and Hang Sung will quit his job to follow his dream of becoming a writer.
I should've mentioned this in one of the earlier sections, but I think Su Ahn will finally stand up against Seok Min for the sake of her twins. Su Ahn's fear Seok Min will harm children will finally force her to take a stand against Seok Min and switch sides. I think the same will go for Sera. She obviously knows she played a significant role in Do Gyeong's death because she said and did nothing. Her guilt over her son's death was also beginning to manifest itself through the rash she'd developed on her wrist. The only way to free herself from the mental Hell she's living in is by telling the truth. Therefore, I think she'll go to the police and tell them about Seok Min's crimes. Both Su Ahn and Sera just needs to be brave!
Section 5: Concluding Remarks
I may or may not post next week for Eps 13-14. If there's any significant to talk about, I'll of course post something. Overall, I think everyone will have a happy ending. It's like I said before, we just need to go through some Hell first before we reach Heaven haha. If any of the main characters die, they'll come back. The only person who definitely won't have a happy ending is Seok Min.
One more thing I forgot to mention is I wonder if God was Gu Won's mother when he was Yi Sun? I thought it was kinda odd they mentioned his mother died of an illness when she was young. It very well could the only purpose that bit of info served was to explain away his bad behavior back then, but it would definitely be a twist if God was previously his mother. Anyways, even if God wasn't his mother previously, she was still a motherly figure in his life. She disciplined him and set him up on blind dates haha.
I'll end this post by saying thank you to the whole cast and crew and writer for all of their hard work on this project! "My Demon" couldn't have been an amazing drama without all of them! Thank you!!
My Demon: Theories and Analysis for Eps 11-12 Part 1
Hello Readers!
To enhance readability, I've decided to split my theories and analysis posts into two parts! I understand my posts can be lengthy, but they are designed to be comprehensive.
Eps 11-12 were a solid 100/10 in my book! I was truly amazed!! Some of my theories were completely off the mark, while others were almost spot on! I got the big picture right but got some of the finer details wrong. It's worth noting that this writer can be somewhat unpredictable. However, I find this unpredictability fun, as it keeps me interested and motivates me to dig deeper into the narrative so I can make more accurate theories.
For those who prefer to skip my general thoughts about the show, please feel free to jump to Section 2, where I provide an in-depth analysis of the events in Gu Won's past! I'll be posting part 2 of this post either later today or tomorrow!
Ok, thinking caps on! Time to analyze and theorize!
Section 1: General Thoughts
One of the biggest issues I have with this writer is how she tries to push her religious views onto viewers. "My Demon" almost feels like one big Sunday School session. I mean, look at the religious messages conveyed throughout this show. If you believe in God, you're promised both earthly and afterlife rewards. On the flip side, if you don't adhere to God's rules, you're destined for Hell. Even if you simply don't believe in God, the consequence is the same — Hell. How can this be considered a genuine "choice"?
It feels more like an ultimatum than a choice, where the alternatives are either conformity to a specific belief system or facing extreme consequences. The narrative doesn't allow for a nuanced exploration of diverse perspectives or individual beliefs. It's as if the characters are presented with an illusion of choice when, in reality, the options are quite rigid and the stakes are exceptionally high. This approach not only oversimplifies complex matters of faith and spirituality but also fails to acknowledge the richness of human diversity in thought and belief.
While I thoroughly enjoy the great acting, the comedic elements, and the chemistry between the leads in "My Demon," I found myself increasingly bothered by the writer's persistent attempts to incorporate and emphasize her religious views. The show's success in creating an engaging narrative is somewhat overshadowed by the writer's inclination to use the storyline as a platform for promoting specific religious beliefs.
This overt agenda feels not only unnecessary but also distracting. Instead of allowing viewers to appreciate the characters and the plot for what they are, it tends to veer into didactic territory, almost like a sermon disguised as entertainment. While I understand that personal beliefs can influence creative work, there is a fine line between subtlety and heavy-handedness. In the case of "My Demon," it feels like the latter, and it detracts from the overall viewing experience.
In sharing these thoughts, I want to acknowledge that these are just my two cents, coming from the perspective of an atheist watching this show. I appreciate the diverse range of beliefs and opinions that viewers bring to the table, and my intention is not to invalidate anyone's faith or enjoyment of the content. Rather, I'm offering my personal observations on how the heavy emphasis on religious themes affects my experience as a viewer.
Section 2: The Past
Section 2.1: Rodion Raskolnikov of the Joseon Dynasty
If you've read my "My Demon" posts, you know I often draw parallels between the themes and characters in "My Demon" and those in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment." The writer of "My Demon" takes many inspirations from this novel. Despite its title, "Crime and Punishment" doesn't really focus on the act of the crime but delves more into the intricate aftermath—Raskolnikov's internal struggles, guilt, and moral conflict. Similarly, "My Demon," particularly in Eps 11-12, echoes these themes.
In a nutshell, "Crime and Punishment" follows Rodion Raskolnikov, who commits murder believing it serves the greater good. However, his guilt intensifies, leading to self-isolation and nightmares. Raskolnikov's journey towards redemption begins after he falls in love with Sonya, paralleling events in "My Demon." Sonya's love becomes his salvation, as she encourages him to face the consequences of his actions by confessing to the police. Eventually, Raskolnikov is sent to prison, and during his time there, he finally experiences guilt for the murders he committed. It's this newfound guilt that marks the beginning of his journey towards redemption. Random thought: Even when Seok Min was placed in prison, he displayed no remorse for hitting the pedestrian, and to this day, he remains unapologetic for killing his own mother. It seems like there's little hope of redemption for him haha.
Raskolnikov and Gu Won had something in common — they both liked taking shortcuts and were a bit lazy. In "Crime and Punishment," a servant scolded Raskolnikov for being lazy because he wasn't working. Raskolnikov said his version of "work" was thinking deeply. He was basically a freeloader, benefitting from the hard work of his mother and sister without really contributing financially in any way.
Gu Won was the same. When he was human, he freeloaded off his father, without bothering to do any kind of work. Do Hee was on point when she called him "the most carefree freeloader." His mindset was like those people he signed contracts with — he thought geniuses didn't need to work.
Gu Won's personal philosophy centered on the pursuit of happiness and a strong inclination to take shortcuts in life in order to avoid challenges and pain. He was devoted to the idea of finding easy solutions to challenges, always opting for the path that led to immediate joy. A clear example of this is when Gu Won proposed eloping as a solution to the challenges posed by their differing social classes. Instead of confronting the harsh reality of their social barriers, he suggested fleeing and eloping with Do Hee. However, Do Hee, being the voice of reason, emphasized the importance of facing problems rather than evading them. Gu Won, driven by his hedonistic desires, preferred avoiding challenges to maintain a state of happiness, even if it meant taking shortcuts to get there.
Gu Won, being the sloth that he was, sought an effortless solution to overcome the class barrier that existed between him and Do Hee. He turned to Catholicism not out of genuine religious conviction but as a shortcut to bridge the social gap. His belief in the teachings of the Catholic faith was driven by the hope that, by adopting this newfound faith, he could persuade Do Hee their love could transcend social constraints, given that the idea of equality was central to the Catholic faith. Simply put, Gu Won only believed in God for personal gain and didn't have a genuine desire to commit to God's teachings and principles. He was just one superficial/self-serving mf. God was about to teach Gu Won a lesson though!
While the love birds were in their happy bubble, the world outside was still spinning. Political factions were fighting over power and using the threat of the rise of Catholicism to their advantage. Villages were getting destroyed as authorities searched for Catholics. The people in this village became fearful their small town would be next.
Gu Won's father thought he could use the matter at hand to his advantage. He obviously didn't want his son to marry a Catholic kisaeng so he suggested they sacrifice her for the greater good. For Gu Won's father, it was like killing two birds with one stone. He could eliminate Do Hee while protecting the village from ruins.
The idea of sacrificing one person for the greater good is a philosophical concept called "Utilitarianism" and was present in "Crime and Punishment." There are a lot of problems with utilitarianism (i.e ignoring the rights of individuals), but for the sake of brevity, I won't go into it here.
A question I would like to pose to my readers is do you think Gu Won's actions were justified? From my perspective, I don't think it was. Two wrongs don't make a right. Yes, it was wrong for the villagers to sacrifice Do Hee to protect their village, but it was also wrong for Gu Won to kill them all for it.
The way I see this whole situation is that Gu Won was one big privileged baby who didn't get this way and threw a temper tantrum (kinda like Seok Min). Since he never had to face any challenges or obstacles in his life, he never knew what it meant to struggle. In turn, this caused him to not know how to effectively handle negative emotions such as sadness, pain, disappointment, and anger.
This deficiency in emotional management is what prompted him to explode and kill all the villagers. It's a stark reminder of the consequences when one is shielded from life's challenges and lacks the necessary coping mechanisms. The ability to face challenges and navigate negative emotions is not only necessary for personal growth but also for developing the resilience needed to face adversity.
Rather than face the consequences of his actions (i.e killing the villagers) and the negative emotions stemming from the loss of Do Hee, Gu Won once again took the easy way out and ended his life. He thought he could run away from his problems and avoid being where God was, but he was about to be in for a surprise.
His declaration, "If heaven is where God dwells, I refuse to go there," now seems quite ironic. In the context of this show, God was depicted as being "everywhere", residing not only in Heaven but also in Hell. This notion was further exemplified by the portrayal of God living in a hut in the subway station, symbolizing the underworld/Hell. So, in a twist of fate, after Gu Won died and went to Hell, he ended up where God was too.
Section 2.2: Journey Towards Redemption Begins with Repentance
In "Crime and Punishment," Raskolnikov's punishment was twofold, encompassing both psychological and physical dimensions. The internal anguish and nightmares he experienced following the murders was a form of mental torment, a living hell of his own making. Additionally, Raskolnikov faced physical consequences as he was sentenced to work in a labor camp for eight years. This dual punishment, spanning the realms of the mind and the body, highlighted the profound and multifaceted repercussions of his actions.
Similar to Raskolnikov, Gu Won faced a dual form of retribution. Gu Won's transformation into a demon could be interpreted as a type of physical punishment, an altered state that separated him from his human existence. Simultaneously, the internal struggles he grappled with upon remembering his human memories represented a form of mental torture. In this way, Gu Won, like Raskolnikov, endured consequences that transcended both the physical and mental realms.
Much like Raskolnikov's journey, Gu Won's path toward redemption began with a pivotal moment of admission of the crime he committed. The turning point occurred when Gu Won, similar to Raskolnikov, confessed his wrongdoings to the woman he loved. This act of acknowledgment and vulnerability served as the catalyst for both characters, marking the beginning of their respective quests for redemption.
As I watched Gu Won's confession, it became evident he didn't feel remorse for murdering the villagers. Rather than directly acknowledging his wrongdoing, he framed it in the context of the villagers sacrificing Do Hee, suggesting he believed violence towards them was somehow justified. It was almost as if his moral compass was backward or flipped. Instead of recognizing that loving someone isn't a crime and killing people is, Gu Won seems to think the opposite. In his current state, Gu Won is clearly struggling to place his guilt appropriately. He redirects his focus onto something less severe, his feelings for Do Hee, as a way to avoid confronting the more serious consequences of his violent actions toward the villagers.
For Gu Won to truly grasp the gravity of murdering the villagers, he first needs to disclose to Do Hee that she was the woman he loved in the past. Doing this would require significant personal growth on his part. Based on the preview for Ep 13, it would seem Gu Won may not share this information just yet, perhaps due to his hedonistic and avoidant tendencies.
Gu Won's desire for present happiness seems to drive his choice to withhold the information. This raises the question – is the happiness they share truly genuine, or is it merely a facade built on secrets and omissions? True happiness requires transparency and a willingness to confront the complexities of one's painful past, a reality Gu Won seems to overlook in his pursuit of happiness. He also needs to realize you can't have real happiness without sorrow or pleasure without pain. That's life!
By revealing to Do Hee she was the woman he loved in the past, he would be able to forgive himself for what happened to her. Do Hee would probably tell him that just like in the present, she willingly chose to sacrifice himself to save him and that he shouldn't blame himself for her death in the past. Her reassurance that he shouldn't bear the sole responsibility for her death may be instrumental in Gu Won finally forgiving himself and, in turn, facing the reality of his violent actions towards the villagers.
If Gu Won doesn't want a repeat of their tragic fates in the past, he must make different choices and break free of his bad habits like taking the easy way out of things and avoiding pain. It’s only then Gu Won can be saved from his immortal existence as a demon devil (to be human is to suffer and suffering is great haha) and he and Do Hee can have a more positive fate in the present!
Section 2.3: Do Hee's Father's Contract With Gu Won
This section will be in the second part which I will post either later today or tomorrow! It will contain theories so stay tune!
I hope 2024 brings great things for everyone. I delayed posting a T&A post for Eps 9-10 partly due to holiday busyness and partly because I'm tired of plagiarists taking my theories and ideas and reposting them as their own. For those who have been my followers for a while now, you know this has been a constant issue for me. I don't think it's hard to give someone credit for original ideas that they've come up with.
I thought I wouldn't encounter this same issue with the MD fandom, but I was wrong. I saw a Twitter user taking multiple theories of mine and reposting them as their own. I don't rule out the possibility that people can have the same thoughts, but when you're specifically mentioning things only I had talked about and no one else did, it makes you look guilty as hell.
Hours after I posted my T&A for Eps 1-6, they decided to take multiple theories of mine and post them to their account. One example is how they took my idea that the cross necklace either once belonged to Do Hee or was given to Gu Won by Do Hee. Another example is how they took my idea that the cross tattoo on her wrist symbolized she was the source of it all. There are many more examples, but I don't want to spend all my time listing them all out. It's the same old spill, though; they're doing it for clout. In the future, I won't be posting my theories or analysis for eps until a day or two before the newest episodes come out. This ensures the cheaters won't be able to use my theories for their own personal gains. But enough about this piece of trash.
I want to forewarn everyone this post is very long like 17 pages so definitely take a break from it whenever. If you have any questions about anything I've written so far for MD, please feel free to use the "Ask Me Anything" button and I'll try to answer your questions ASAP! There are probably grammatical mistakes...it's hard to edit 17 pgs worth of shit haha. Finally, if you choose to use my stuff, give me credit, that's all I ask.
Time to put on our thinking caps to analyze and theorize!
Section 1: General Thoughts
Eps 9-10 were top-notch! I admire the writer's ability to incorporate twists inspired by literature, movies, kdramas, fairytales, art, math, etc. One major theme appears to be the profound impact our choices can have, leading to unintended consequences not only for ourselves but also for others. The show also delves into the coexistence of seemingly opposing elements, such as angels and devils or odd and even numbers.
The clock in the intro, featuring angels and devils, draws inspiration from MC Escher's "Circle IV: Heaven and Hell." Escher, influenced by mathematics, created art that explored the interlocking nature of opposites, mirroring the eternal connection between Do Hee and Gu Won.
Now, let's discuss the intricate math woven into this show. The complexity of the numerical elements has forever changed my perception of numbers. For instance, I once saw "snake eyes" as 1+1=2, but after MD, I now see it as 11. Similarly, 10 used to be just 10, but after MD, I see 01 is its mirror image, and 1+0=1.
MD provides a fresh perspective on Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" and "Demons," exploring psychological complexities, moral and existential dilemmas, societal and political systems, faith, morality, isolation, alienation, guilt, internal struggles, and redemption. Much like these literary works, MD delves into the psychological toll of potential crimes and the impact of abuse on individuals. It's a concoction of various influences, reminiscent of Frankenstein, weaving elements from Romeo and Juliet, DAYS, TOTNT, Goblin, Lucifer, The Bodyguard, Greek Mythology, Christianity/Catholicism, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast.
The overarching message from MD seems to be that everyone harbors inner demons, and it's how we confront and handle these demons that defines us. Our choices can lead to positive, creative outcomes or negative, destructive consequences, shaping not only our self-perception but also how others perceive us—angelic guardians or malevolent demons.
Section 2: Gu Won's Past
2.1 Gu Won's Name: A Divine Revelation
As I revisited my previous ideas and rewatched episodes, Jang Mi's line, "I'd say the heavens or his ancestors did," really got me thinking. Recall that in my last post I theorized Gu Won might be related to Madam Ju. Well, after I saw Jang Mi's comment, I felt like I might be onto something.
I repeatedly wrote "Ju Yi Sun…Ju Yi Sun" and thought about ways my theory could be wrong (like, what if he's a Park? Kim? Choi? Cho? Jin?). That's when it all started clicking. Gu Won's current name had ties to Catholicism/Christianity, so his past name must've been the same. Out of all the last names mentioned in this, only one was associated with religion--Ju. You see, there's a wordplay in Gu Won's past name, Ju Yi Sun. In Korean, "Ju" means "Lord," but it can also mean "wine" and "week" (hint hint… the show's got themes of Catholicism/Christianity and time, haha). The second syllable of his name, "Sun", sounds like "son". When you piece it all together, you'll realize Gu Won's past name means "Lord's son" aka Jesus. I've now realized the clues proving he is a "Ju" have been there since the very start, but I just didn't connect the dots until now haha. Additional clues are available on my Twitter for those interested!
I doubt we'll witness Gu Won pulling off miracles like walking on water, but he has showcased some Jesus-like feats. Remember Ep 1, where he performed the fish miracle for Park Bok Gyu? That's similar to what Jesus did (miracle #6, to be exact), haha. Then in Ep 3, he healed the sick, echoing another one of Jesus's miracles. And in Ep 10, Jesus—I mean Gu Won—brought Do Hee back from the dead, a blend of miracles #11, 15, and 33. Who knows, maybe we'll get to see another Jesus-like miracle before this show wraps up? Perhaps calming a storm at sea or casting demons into a herd of pigs, haha.
Throughout the series, Gu Won has been frequently seen with wine, a symbol often linked to Jesus and representative of his blood. In Ep 9, Gu Won tells God he prefers wine because it's the tears of God. Interestingly, in the original myth, these tears were attributed to Jesus, not God. Jesus shed tears when witnessing Lucifer Morningstar's fall from Heaven. The writer's choice to attribute the tears to God may hint at their intention to portray Gu Won as a blend of Jesus and Lucifer Morningstar. It makes you wonder though if God shed tears after Gu Won died the first time around or when he started going "bad", doesn't it? Haha.
For those unfamiliar, Lucifer Morningstar earned the moniker of the Devil following his rebellion against God, leading to his descent from heaven into Hell. Before this rebellion, his name carried positive connotations such as light bringer, dawn bringer, and the morning star, associated with the planet Venus and the Goddess of Love. Examining Won's former name, Yi Sun, the word "Sun" stands out. Given the sun is a type of star, this connection holds significant meaning. Coupled with the dawn imagery in Ep 1 and Ep 10, the connection to Lucifer Morningstar becomes apparent. Gu Won's story started with him playing the roles of Jesus and Lucifer Morningstar. After his fall from Heaven, he transformed into the Devil. As Gu Won reunites with Do Hee, his journey comes full circle, bringing him back to his original identity as Yi Sun aka Jesus/Lucifer Morningstar.
If Gu Won is indeed a Ju, it would introduce some serious drama in the show. This means he'd be related to people responsible for the past deaths of Do Hee's parents and the current threats on her life. It's giving me Romeo and Juliet vibes haha. In Eps 11-12, I think Gu Won will discover he's a Ju. This discovery will affect him deeply, knowing he's related to those who've inflicted so much pain upon Do Hee both in the past and present. This revelation will weigh heavily on him, leading him to end his relationship with Do Hee due to overwhelming guilt.
Section 2.2 The Past...Flip It and Reverse It
Let's revisit the Joseon dynasty, a time when societal norms were so conservative and backward! My theory about Gu Won's past remains largely unchanged. I still believe the major obstacle to Gu Won and Do Hee's love story was the differences in their social classes and that Gu Won became a demon because of Do Hee. However, I'd like to add a few more details to this theory.
Before delving into the intricacies of Gu Won's past, it's essential to grasp a couple of key points. Firstly, the past is the reverse of the present. Secondly, within the show, the notion of "wealth" or "richness" takes on an unconventional meaning. While wealth is conventionally linked with material affluence --having substantial money (i.e dollar dollar bills)--here, being "wealthy" or "rich" can also mean having a soul, as souls are considered a form of currency. For example, in the present, Do Hee is rich in both the conventional and unconventional sense-- she has substantial monetary wealth and a soul. However, in the past, Do Hee was poor in the conventional sense (she was the Cinderella character in this context) but rich in the unconventional sense (i.e had a soul). Now, Gu Won in the present is rich in the conventional sense but poor in the unconventional sense (has no soul; he's the Cinderella type character in this sense). In contrast, in the past, Gu Won was rich both in terms of monetary wealth and spiritual wealth. I hope this wasn't too confusing for anyone!
Before Gu Won was a mean bankrupt vampire in the the present, he was a kind man who was well-loved by his servants in the past. Gu Won treated them with respect and as equals. This type of behavior would've been viewed by many of his social class as unusual and unconventional. In the hierarchical society of the time, where nobility often maintained a distinct separation from their servants, Gu Won's compassionate and egalitarian approach set him apart. His genuine care for those around him challenged societal norms, earning him both admiration and, inevitably, disapproval from those who clung to the traditional expectations of class distinction.
One such person who would've greatly disapproved of Gu Won's actions was his father. Judging from the flashbacks, it seemed Gu Won's father was a strict individual devoted to tradition, adherence to societal rules, and maintaining an image of wealth and power. In contrast, Gu Won disregarded these conventions, prioritizing modernity and challenging norms, a stark departure from his father's values. Therefore, Gu Won's father would've viewed Gu Won as a rebel and a devil similar to how Madam Ju viewed Seok Min. Unlike Seok Min, however, Gu Won was inherently a good person. Side note, I think it was funny that in the past, Gu Won was all about being modern, while in the present, he's all about tradition haha. How the times have changed!
Being a hedonistic individual, Gu Won would have been a frequent visitor to local kisaeng houses, and this is where I believe he initially encountered Do Hee and God. My bet is that God may have been employed as either the owner or a waitress here. As we know, God tends to hang around places with casino games, and kisaeng houses often had various gambling games.
In the past, Do Hee was the antithesis of her present self. Unlike the present Do Hee, who held no belief in God and perceived her life as modern warfare, the Do Hee of the past was deeply religious and traditional. Similar to Sonia in "Crime and Punishment", Do Hee worked as a kisaeng to support her family. Her family's financial status was probably in shambles due to her father's gambling problems and alcoholism. Despite his vices, I don't think Do Hee's father was abusive like Ga Yeong's father in the present. I think he was more like Sonia's father, where even though he was a gambler and drunkard, he never mistreated or abused Do Hee.
Much like Sonia, Do Hee was a devout Catholic. However, in contrast to Sonia, Do Hee couldn't openly practice her faith. This was because during the Joseon dynasty, the predominant religion was Confucianism. Those of the Confucius faith viewed the rise of Catholicism as a major threat to their current belief system. Therefore, many Catholics faced persecution during the Joseon dynasty.
Despite coming from two different worlds (rich vs poor), Gu Won and Do Hee connected because they were seen as oddballs and outcasts in their own social classes. Gu Won, a nobleman who treated his servants as equals found common ground with Do Hee, a religious prostitute. These two odd birds were equally matched in every respect (odd and even get it? 1+1=2), creating a connection that transcended societal norms--they were, essentially, each other's soulmates. Their only "crime" was being born in the wrong era. Their love wasn't destined to flourish during the Joseon Dynasty. Instead, it was meant to thrive in the more modern times, like the present. If only these two had a time machine to fast forward to the future. Oh right...they did have a time machine and it was called God haha.
In Ep 9, God said to Gu Won, "Some call me time". Gu Won and Do Hee had the favor of God and time on their side. While God couldn't fast-forward time in the conventional sense (i.e give them a time machine or snap her fingers to transport them to the future), she could fast-forward time in the sense that she could make one lover immortal, freezing them in time, while she reincarnated the other lover at the right time so they could meet.
Just as in the present, Gu Won and Do Hee in the past also had to deal with people who were trying to sabotage their relationship. Much like their present-day counterparts, Ga Yeong and Seok Hoon of the past were among those who sought to break up Gu Won and Do Hee for their own selfish gains. Just remember what Gu Won said in Ep 1, "Evil stems from human desires". It's the desires of these two that contributed to the tragic fates of Gu Won and Do Hee in the past.
In the past, Gu Won's father had likely chosen Ga Yeong as a bride for Gu Won instead of Do Hee. Unlike her life now, past Ga Yeong was from an affluent and influential family, making her an ideal match by Joseon's standards with her beauty, wealth, and power. What remained unchanged from the past to the present is that Ga Yeong still had a bad personality and was just as obsessed with Gu Won in the past as she was in the present.
As for Seok Hoon, being a Ju in the past, he likely still enjoyed wealth, but instead of being the humble and kind person we know him to be today (I still have my doubts btw), he was a greedy and power-hungry Ju.
If we go with my theory that Gu Won was a Ju, one might ask, what was the relationship between him and Seok Hoon in the past? I think they were brothers--Gu Won, the lazy older brother set to take over the Ju household, and Seok Hoon, the younger, ambitious brother. Seok Hoon was probably jealous of Gu Won because Gu Won seemingly had everything handed to him on a silver platter without much effort or desire (maybe they were like Cain and Abel?). Side note, I'm going to laugh if it turns out Seok Hoon killed Gu Won with a rock because that's what Cain did to Abel.
Another possibility is that Gu Won and Seok Hoon were brothers who found themselves in love with the same woman. Seok Hoon got butt hurt because Do Hee chose Gu Won over him so he decided to destroy them both. If he couldn't get love, he would seek power (hmmmm sounds similar to the present haha).
Gu Won and Do Hee were just trying to be in their own little love nest but societal norms and people's desires got in the way. Similar to the present, Ga Yeong and Seok Hoon teamed up to exploit the lovebirds' vulnerabilities. Ga Yeong coveted Gu Won's heart while Seok Hoon sought the position of heir to the Ju household. Gu Won's vulnerability was Do Hee, and Do Hee's Achilles' heel was her Catholic faith. Team Judas decided to use the lovebirds' secrets to fulfill their greatest desires. As we've seen in the show, revealing people's deepest secrets can be an effective means to achieve one's goals.
Seok Hoon found out Gu Won was in love with Do Hee and wanted to marry her which again was a no-no because noblemen couldn't marry those from lower social classes than them. And Ga Gyeong, she discovered Do Hee was a Catholic by paying someone off.
Seok Hoon and Ga Yeong probably informed Gu Won's father about Gu Won and Do Hee's secret relationship. Gu Won's father couldn't have Gu Won tarnished the family reputation by being involved with a Catholic kisaeng so he sought to eliminate Do Hee.
On the day they died, Gu Won and Do Hee were doing normal couple things like walking on the beach. However, their blissful day turned into a nightmare as they found themselves being chased by the men Gu Won's father had hired to kill Do Hee. They eventually ended up being cornered on a cliff. Subsequently, they fell into the ocean similar to the events of Ep 1. The only difference between the events of Ep 1 and the past was that Gu Won was a mortal man who didn't have the powers to save him and Do Hee.
After this death, Gu Won woke up in Hell. Why? Because he was rich and lazy. Remember what Do Hee said in Ep 1- the rich and those who don't believe in God go to Hell. You might wonder why being rich automatically lands you in Hell? It's because those who are rich usually acquire their monetary wealth through unethical and immoral means. In turn, their actions eat away at their soul until they have none. Therefore, those who don't have souls go to Hell. While Gu Won might not have been directly involved in shady dealings, he still lived off his family's wealth which may have been obtained through dishonest means. Additionally, Gu Won's slothful nature and lack of diligent work might have been another factor contributing to his descent into Hell. As for Gu Won's religious beliefs, I don't think he had one. However, maybe he did in the end because of Do Hee.
So, what about Do Hee then? Where did she end up? She probably found herself in Heaven because she was poor and believed in God. This created the same issue for the lovers in death as they had in life-- being in separate worlds. Just like in life, they weren't able to be together even in death. Do Hee ended up wishing she could be where Gu Won was, which in this case was Hell. Do Hee sacrifice her soul/Heaven for Hell.
Do Hee's sacrificial act probably deeply touched God and prompted her to offer the two lovers a once-in-a-lifetime job...become demons and earn your souls back. However, I think Gu Won wouldn't have wanted Do Hee to become a monster, so he negotiated with God that he would become a monster for the both of them. Meaning he would work as a demon to earn back both of their souls and spare Do Hee the life of working as a demon.
By doing so, Gu Won would be able to save them from Hell and live a happy life in a place between Heaven and Hell, which was Earth. However, it wouldn't be all rainbows and unicorns though. Without any soul money to bargain with, Gu Won had to give up the only bargaining chip he had--his human memories. With the last vestige of his humanity gone, God imbued him with powers so that he could work towards saving his and Do Hee's souls from Hell so that they could have a better and brighter tomorrow.
Alternatively, I can envision the events unfolding similarly to those in Episode 1 with minor differences. Gu Won regained consciousness in the waters, and instead of turning back to try and save Do Hee, he swam up and left her behind. Once ashore, he felt immense guilt about his actions and saw himself as a monster and a poison to the very woman he claimed to have loved. Like the previous theory, God appeared and offered him a deal that would allow him to redeem himself. Though I find this theory plausible, I believe the other one is more likely to occur.
Section 3: More On The Contract with God
Section 3.1 Soul Money
Now let's take a deeper dive into the specifics of Gu Won's once-in-a-lifetime job! I'll start this section off with an analogy. God is the owner of Jesus Corp. Bank where money is stored. When I say money, I'm not talking about dollar bills, I'm talking about souls or as I like to call it, "soul money".
Gu Won is working at Jesus Corp. Bank as a loan officer because he's spiritually bankrupt as in he has 0 Soul Wons (SW) in his soul bank account. As with any job, Gu Won gets paid except he doesn't get paid with earthly money, he earns soul money. To buy a soul, you have to have 1000 SW (1000 SW=1000 W). For every year that he works, he earns 10 SW or 10 won (I will go over how I came up with these calculations further down). This may seem like a lousy pay, but when it comes to reclaiming your soul, sacrifices must be made. It really is a small price to pay hahaha.
Anyways, if it costs 1000 won (1000 SW) for a soul, how many years does Gu Won have to work to earn 1000 won at a pay rate of 10 won per year? 100 years. You're probably thinking where are you getting these values from and how the math ain't mathing, but don't worry just keep reading!
Let's first start out with how I deduced a soul is worth 1000 won. I kept thinking about the bill God was holding which was 1000 won. 1000 is "cheon" which means Heaven in Korean. It dawned on me that souls have the same value as Heaven, meaning souls = 1000 won and Heaven = 1000 won. You have to have a soul to go to Heaven and those who end up in Hell have no soul.
After this, I started to investigate the clocks. I discovered the clocks in Gu Won's place and on the promotional posters were decimal clocks, commonly used by those in accounting for payroll and hourly billing. If you're curious about what these clocks are, just Google it. I'm not going to spend more time writing than I have to
Ok so now you're wondering how I came up with 10 won/year. Let's consider how Gu Won's 10th name would be Sip Won or 10 Won. Then consider how there are a total of 10 hours on the clocks in Gu Won's place which are representative of 10 years. Put those things together! Each "hour" on the clock is 1 year and each time the hour hand moves from 1 hour to the next, it's 10 won. Therefore, it's 10 won/year.
To help you understand this, I have created a figure below that includes the decimal clocks seen in Gu Won's place (orange), the promotional poster (green), and a 12-hour clock (red). It should be noted that both the orange clock and green clock have a total of 10 hours, it's just that they start at different numbers. The clocks (orange) seen in Gu Won's place are a countdown until the people go to Hell while Gu Won's clock (green) is a countdown until he gets his soul and Heaven.
Now, let's revisit the deal Gu Won offers people. The term is that you get 10 years of Heaven for selling your soul (keep in mind you don't get all of Heaven, you only get 10 years of Heaven). Mathematically calculate how much 10 years of Heaven is worth to see if it's really an equal exchange. Multiply the rate (10 won/year) by the number of years which is 10 years and you would get what? 100 won. That's how much 10 years of Heaven is worth...100 won. You might be thinking now that it wasn't an equal exchange at all, right? Depends on how you look at it! One way to look at it is that you just got cheated because you sold your soul valued at 1000 won for only 100 won of Heaven.
On the other hand, one could view it as a fair exchange because these people (except for the mother and daughter) were trying to cheat the system. Meaning they didn't want to work hard to acquire their Heaven, they would rather acquire it through dishonest means (i.e signing the contract). In the end, the cheater got cheated so it's fair haha!
The thing is every time one engaged in shady crap, it eats at your soul until you're spiritually bankrupt. In this context, you've already sold your soul to the devil. You didn't need to sign a contract with the Devil to go to Hell, you would've ended up there sooner or later because you had engaged in deceitful acts to acquire your greatest desires. One could then see Gu Won was doing the world a huge favor by signing contracts with these cheaters because he removed these bad eggs from the living world more quickly!
Some might wonder, can you be a rich person while living and not end up in Hell after? Yes, you can. How? By acquiring your wealth through honest means, following the rules, and engaging in acts of charity. In this way, you would not only be materialistically rich but spiritually rich as well.
The moral lesson in MD is to live a righteous life and work hard for the things you want in life. If you decide to engage in dishonest behavior (i.e cheating), just know you may not have to pay for it while you're living, but you'll eventually have to pay for it in the afterlife.
Section 3.2 Why Did Gu Won Have to Work for 200 Years?
Now let's consider what would happen if say were in Hell like Gu Won was, but wanted Heaven? What can you do if you are spiritually bankrupt? You got to WORK BITCHHHH to earn back your soul. Shit.... that's hard for a sloth who had never worked a day in their life...cough...cough Gu Won.
Why did Gu Won have to work for 200 years? It's because he not only had to buy back his soul but he also had to buy back Do Hee's soul too. Let's do some math....if a soul costs 1000 won and you make 10 won/year, how many years would you have to work? 100 years (10x=1000; x = 100). Again, because he had to get Do Hee's soul out of Hell, he had to work an extra 100 years.
I believe in the first 100 years on the job, Gu Won earned back Do Hee's soul which freed it from Hell. In turn, this allowed her to become reincarnated while Gu Won was still stuck working towards getting his soul back.
Now, you might be wondering if Gu Won obtained more deals, wouldn't he earn back his soul faster? Nope. It doesn't matter how many contracts he signed, he still got paid the same amount every year. What mattered was that he worked period. And this is why Gu Won didn't know how many contracts he had to sign to prevent spontaneous combustion haha. He didn't get that all he had to do was work. To earn back your soul, you have to be diligent, not take any shortcuts, and follow the rules. As a worker at Jesus Corp bank, if you're lazy for one second, you spontaneously combust haha. If you cheat and break rules, same thing haha.
One might think Gu Won would be able to get out of his job as a demon if he became human right? Not quite. I was wrong in my previous theory when I said after he became human, he would no longer face the threat of spontaneous combustion. He still faced the threat because he did not fulfill his end of the contract with God. Gu Won agreed to work as a demon for 200 years in exchange for his and Do Hee's souls. The keywords are "demon" and "200 years".
The moment he became fully human, it was like he breached his contract with God. Hence this was why he still faced the threat of spontaneous combustion even after he became a human. He was close to hitting 200 years exactly but you know some things got in the way haha. God was basically dangling a bone (i.e Do Hee) in front of Gu Won to motivate him to become a guardian demon faster. Oh and the last piece of his soul is in Do Hee!
So how much longer does Gu Won have to work for God? ~1.2 years. If you look at the clock at the beginning of Ep 9, you'll see the hour hand is pointing at ~8.80 which equates to ~1.2 years left haha. This is why later in the ep, the writer hints at this by having Gu Won say to Do Hee, "Otherwise, I might have to wait another year." So yeah, if you don't work, you die and if you break the contract, you die hahaha. I think Gu Won will continue to work for God even after his contract with her ends.
It was funny Gu Won was trying to blame God for everything. I was like boy you're the one that signed the damn contract haha. You made that decision and now you have to face the consequences of your actions haha. End of the day, God was just trying to help these two lovebirds out and to get Gu Won to grow the fuck up and know the true meaning of hard work haha. Oh, and she was also trying to get him to forgive himself for what happened in the past.
Something Punny
Let's take a quick break with something funny before we head into the next section! So what do you get when you cross a line? Read that really slowly and think about it for a minute.....YOU GET A CROSS HAHAHAHAHAHA. This writer though hahahahahaha. On a serious note, it's because Gu Won and Ga Yeong crossed the line that things have been going in a more positive direction.
Section 4: The Mechanics of The Tattoo Transfer
Before going into how everyone's choices influenced Gu Won and Do Hee's fate, let's first explore the mechanics of the tattoo transfer. I have to say, I'll never trust anything Park Bok Gyu says ever again haha. Because I believed in his little hypothesis, my theory was completely wrong haha.
The essential conditions for the tattoo transfer are as follows: 1) A full moon must be present, 2) Gu Won and Do Hee must face a life-and-death situation, 3) The person without the tattoo must genuinely desire to save the person with the tattoo, and 4) The person with the tattoo must be near death or on the brink of it. The location and timing of the ritual are inconsequential. As long as the specified conditions are met, the transfer can take place!
Section 5: Fate is a Web Woven By a Myriad of Choices
Section 5.1 Free Will Vs. Fate
Ok now let's talk about the great debate...Free Will vs Fate. Did anyone catch the writer's stance on this debate? It was conveyed in Ep 1 and Ep 10! The writer believes these two concepts can coexist with one another. This belief is known as "compatibilism"!
What is compatibilism? It's the belief that while external forces, such as God, upbringing, society, and environment, may play a role in shaping our fate, the ultimate responsibility for our decisions lies with us as individuals. All actions, whether deemed as good or evil, are fundamentally driven by the choices we make. These choices, in turn, are influenced by our internal desires, which can be shaped by external forces. In this perspective, we are active agents, empowered to play a significant role in shaping our own fates through the conscious decisions we make.
God can influence our choices, but the crux of the matter remains we are free to choose whether or not to align our choices with divine guidance. As my bf noted, "Those who don't obey God or adhere to their plans tend to find things don't work out for them. This underscores the idea that aligning our choices with divine guidance can lead to a more favorable fate.
In the show, Do Hee's decision to save Gu Won and vice versa, who had the cross tattoo, can be seen as a complex interplay between free will, determinism, and compatibilism. Her desire to save him reflects an exercise of personal agency, emphasizing the role of free will in her choice. Simultaneously, the symbolism of the cross introduces a deterministic element, suggesting an alignment with a divine plan. This dynamic highlights the compatibility between personal choice (free will) and external influences (determinism/fate), echoing the principles of compatibilism.
Simply put, God can present you with a plan, and you can choose to follow that plan or not. It's your decision. If you choose to follow the plan and things don't work out then don't go around blaming God because you're the one who made the decision, you're the one who's responsible. Nevertheless, the underlying belief is that adhering to God's plan can lead to favorable outcomes.
The ending scenes of Episode 10 exemplify the convergence of everyone choices influencing the fate of Gu Won and Do Hee. Let's start with the puppet master – God. If God hadn't conveyed to Gu Won that Do Hee needed to die to regain his power, what would have happened? Gu Won and Do Hee's plan would likely have failed, leading to Gu Won's demise. However, God disclosed this crucial piece of information to set in motion a chain of events that ultimately resulted in a positive outcome. I aslo see this as one of God's tests to determine if Gu Won was ready to have the training wheels taken off haha.
Gu Won had the option not to disclose to Park Bok Gyu what God had communicated, but he opted otherwise. As a result, Gu Won's actions led to Park Bok Gyu expressing his concerns about the necessity of Do Hee's death, which Ga Yeong overheard. This, in turn, led to Ga Yeong providing poison to Do Hee, a necessary step in fulfilling God's plan for Gu Won to regain his powers.
You see, God does know everything despite her saying otherwise (in this show, God does lie haha). She knows all the possible outcomes there are and intervenes strategically to ensure things align with her desires. Thank God, she's Team Dowon haha!
Section 5.2 Team Judas
I believe Ga Yeong's decision to disclose Gu Won's secret to Seok Min will have broader consequences than she anticipated. In the preview for Ep 11, we see Seok Hoon joining forces with Seok Min, with the motive behind Seok Hoon's decision left unrevealed. I can only speculate and say that Seok Hoon perceives joining forces with Seok Min as the lesser of two evils. Thanks to Ga Yeong, Seok Hoon views Gu Won as the embodiment of evil that needs to be exposed and crucified, and the only person with the necessary "power" for such an undertaking is Seok Min. My question is, is Seok Hoon ready to sell his soul to the Devil? In all honesty, Seok Hoon is just doing this because he wants Do Hee to be with him and not Gu Won.
I guess Seok Hoon and Seok Min will devise a plan to expose Gu Won as a demon/devil. I have no clue how exactly they're supposed to do that given when someone tries to film Gu Won doing magic, the camera cuts out. The only other way I could see them able to accomplish this goal is by hiring someone to stab Gu Won in public so people can see Gu Won can instantly heal. Or if they want to do it "The Bodyguard" style, they would hire someone to shoot Do Hee, and then Gu Won would jump in front to protect her which again would expose him as a supernatural being since he would instantly heal. In either case, People would then see Gu Won as a monster. They would try to hunt him down like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast and crucify him like Jesus. Then again this plan might fail because Gu Won being a human now might not be able to instantly heal anymore.
Another theory is that Seok Hoon is teaming up with Seok Min to take him down. Maybe Seok Hoon realized after the incident at the gas station that Seok Min was behind everything. Seok Hoon will go undercover to dig up evidence of Seok Min's crimes. This could be his redemption arc maybe. Again, I still have my doubts that Seok Hoon is actually a good guy, but I could definitely be wrong!
Section 5.3 Do Gyeong
I might be in the minority, but I genuinely hope Do Gyeong survived the car crash so that he can testify against his father. While I understand Do Gyeong crashed his car into the gas station because he saw death as the only way to escape his father's abuse, it was still wrong. I also think he did this as a way to get revenge on his father. By crashing his car into the gas station, the police would start investigating his father. In turn, this could lead them to discover Seok Min as the real culprit behind everything. Additionally, I think Do Gyeong was the one who stuck a knife into Kwang Chul's chest after he was burnt like a crispy duck. Do Gyeong probably did this for the same reason as I mentioned above...to lead cops and Gu Won to his father.
Section 6: Madam Ju, Murder of Do Hee's Parents, and Seok Min
I don't know if anyone has noticed, but Madam Ju wasn't in Eps 9-10. This was odd given that in previous eps, she would always make some sort of appearance. I posed a question in my previous posts asking if Madam Ju was a figment of Do Hee's imagination or a real spirit/ghost. I've concluded Madam Ju is not just a figment of Do Hee's imagination. I think she's a real spirit/ghost.
Going back to Ep 1, Do Hee wished on her 28th (8+2=10 haha) birthday that Madam Ju would be around for a very long time to continue stabbing her in the back. God granted Do Hee's wish. God probably allowed Madam Ju to come back and talk to Do Hee as a spirit to help her heal. However, I think God restricts what Madam Ju can tell Do Hee. I feel like we'll see Madam Ju again after Do Hee discovers her dark secret.
In regards to the deaths of Do Hee's parents, I don't think Madam Ju killed them. I think it may have been an accident, but Madam Ju still blamed herself for it. Maybe what happened was that Madam Ju committed a crime out of greed like cutting costs on the production of electronic products or sabotaging a product to get insurance money and Do Hee's father found out about it. Subsequently, he went to investigate it/fix it and that's when the explosion happened.
Interestingly in Ep 10, we saw Seok Min with a tape recorder on the day Do Hee arrived at the Ju household. Could it be that Seok Min recorded his mother confessing her dirty secret and guilt for the deaths of Do Hee's parents? This might explain why Seok Min said, "So it's you, mother's way out." Maybe Seok Min was planning on using the recording to later blackmail her so he could get the chairman position.
Another theory I have is that Do Hee's father had discovered what Madam Ju was trying to cover up and then Seok Min found out about it. Seok Min then took the initiative to cover up his mother's dirty secret by getting rid of the only person who knew about it by planting a bomb in their car. Seok Min probably did all of this because he thought it would "win" his mother's love and approval and that she wouldn't see him as a devil anymore. Additionally, he thought in his own twisted way that by doing this, he was protecting his mother. Maybe Seok Min's real desire was that he just wanted Madam Ju to love him.
When Seok Min discovered Madam Ju's Chief Financial Officer had uncovered her secret and contacted Do Hee about it, Seok Min once again, turned to murder to "protect" his mother. Instead of receiving gratitude for his actions, Madam Ju scolded him for them. This was the final straw that broke the camel's back. If Seok Min couldn't have love, he would seek power, even if it meant killing Madam Ju. This act is what essentially transformed him into the real devil demon.
I just had an interesting thought. Seok Min killed the very thing he loved to obtain power, mirroring what God implied Gu Won should do with Do Hee to regain his powers (anyone getting Thanos and Soul Stone vibes haha). Perhaps this is the real difference between Seok Min and Gu Won. Gu Won wasn't willing to sacrifice the one he loved for power. Instead, he was willing to sacrifice himself to save the one he loved, which transformed him into a guardian demon. Gu Won's prioritization of Do Hee's needs over his own enabled him to obtain real power.
Section 7: Guardian Demon
Do Hee was right when she said Gu Won would be reborn as a perfect demon hahaha.....guardian demon that is! He probably follow a path similar to Lucifer Morningstar from the show "Lucifer," transforming into a figure with a psychologist-like role, assisting others in finding redemption and embracing goodness haha.
Section 7. 1 God Placed People From All Walks of Life In Gu Won's Path to Help Him Become His Best Self
Every person God strategically placed in Gu Won's path served a unique purpose, guiding him toward personal growth and offering them a chance at salvation. Take, for instance, the Wild Dogs. God orchestrated their encounter to provide Gu Won with an opportunity to rehabilitate them, transforming them into a force for good rather than evil. Similarly, the girl and her mother were placed in Gu Won's path so that he could learn guilt and compassion. Additionally, they were placed in his path so he could use his guardian demon powers to heal the girl without damning her mother to Hell!
In the case of Ga Yeong and Seok Min, I think God placed them in Gu Won's path so he can learn to forgive those who basically killed him in the past. Forgiving those whose choices once led to one's death is a challenge, but it's a necessary step in Gu Won's journey toward becoming a guardian demon.
Simultaneously, God granted Ga Yeong and Seok Min a second chance at redemption for their past actions. Witnessing Gu Won and Do Hee's genuine love for each other might be the very thing that contributes to the healing of their dark hearts, leading them to realize that deceit and manipulation should not be employed to obtain love. Quite frankly, they both need to learn to let go and move on haha.
As for Park Bok Gyu, God strategically placed him in Gu Won's life to be a positive influence, reminding Gu Won of his humanity and encouraging him to embrace his role as a guardian demon. In return, God restored Park Bok Gyu's past memories, preventing him from inadvertently signing another contract and facing a second stint in Hell. It's a fair exchange, highlighting God's generous repayment for those who serve her purpose. Random thought, is Secretary Shin like a real angel or something? Because "shin" in Korean does mean "god" haha.
Last but certainly not least, Do Hee. God placed her in Gu Won's path to assist him in confronting his inner demons, particularly the guilt he harbors for failing to protect her in their past lives. Forgiving oneself is one of the most challenging feats, and Do Hee is poised to help Gu Won realize that the tragic events of the past were not his fault. This, perhaps, stands as one of the final steps before Gu Won can fully embrace his role as a guardian demon.
God also put Do Hee on Gu Won's path so he can help Do Hee in her journey of self-forgiveness. Do Hee carried the burden of guilt for the deaths of her parents and Madam Ju, and God intended for Gu Won to be a guiding light in helping her forgive herself. Moreover, God orchestrated their meeting to help Do Hee overcome her lingering fears, including her aversion to water (in Ep 9 she didn't want to get on the ferry haha). I think her fear of water stemmed from the traumatic events of their past lives, where she and Gu Won met their demise in the ocean.
Section 7.2 No More Following The Rules in The Demon Book
In my last post, I predicted Gu Won would break one of the rules in the demon book to protect Do Hee and that's exactly what happened in Ep 10! Can you guess which rule he broke? It was the rule that stated, "You can't bring back the dead". With the training wheels off, Gu Won could now bring back the dead and that's how Do Hee was alive again and fully healed. You're probably like wait why didn't Gu Won spontaneously combust? Because he became a guardian demon!
You see, the rules in the demon book only applied to devil demons, not guardian demons. What does this mean? It means Gu Won could now do all the things the rule book said devil demons couldn't do (review my previous post for the rules). According to Kwang Chul, humans were greater than the devil or God because they could be anything. Be it the devil, god, or something much greater. In Gu Won's case, he became something much greater. He became a mutant.... a mortal human with demon powers just like I previously said.
Here comes that quote again, "With great powers come great responsibilities." God couldn't make Gu Won a guardian demon right off the bat. He had to go through a bunch of trials and tribulations beforehand so he could learn to use those powers responsibly. I mean, can you imagine if God gave Gu Won those God-like powers with no rules back when he was a spoiled lazy rich boy during Joseon? The world would be destroyed as we know it!
However, it's not over yet people! Remember Gu Won still has 1.2 years left of work in his contract with God! If he doesn't finish up that contract, he can still spontaneously combust regardless if he's a guardian demon or not! Also, Gu Won can kill now which is scary! If I were Seok Min, I would be shaking in my boots right now. Madam Ju did say Seok Min would have to pay for his sins sooner or later!
In the end, Gu Won won't be a man who couldn't have his cake and eat it too. He'll become a man who can have his cake and eat it too! He just has to learn to be a good hard-working boy like Pinocchio haha. If you work hard and live a righteous life, God rewards you with all of your heart's desires (The atheist in me wants to vomit... sorry haha).
Section 8: Who Leaked Information About Gu Won and Do Hee's Whereabouts?
Everyone is thinking it's Secretary Shin who leaked the info about Gu Won and Do Hee's location. However, I think it was Do Gyeong. Seok Min probably had Kwang Chul place a tracker on Do Hee's car and when Do Gyeong hacked Seok Min's phone, he was able to obtain the tracking data. As for Team Judas, maybe Seok Hoon had placed a tracker in Do Hee's purse or put himself as a contact in her "Find My" app!
Section 9: Symbolism
Section 9.1 The Necklaces
In my first MD post, I highlighted the presence of both a silver and a gold necklace worn by Gu Won and Do Hee, and I've now unraveled the significance behind them: Gold symbolizes the Sun and Heaven, while Silver represents the Moon and Hell. Let's delve into Gu Won's necklaces first.
As mentioned previously, the silver cross necklace was speculated to either have belonged to Do Hee or been a gift from her to Gu Won. Notably, Gu Won's gold necklace doesn't feature a cross (unlike Do Hee's necklaces, which bear lover's knots). Why is this? Simply put, Gu Won didn't embrace faith in God and wasn't a Catholic. Gu Won wearing the silver necklace with the cross serves as a testament to Do Hee's steadfast faith, which played a pivotal role in saving them from eternal damnation in Hell. At the same time, when I think of silver, I think of Judas who betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins, werewolves, and vampires haha.
The choice of material may also offer insights into Gu Won and Do Hee's past. Gold, being an expensive material, was a luxury afforded only by the wealthy, such as noblemen. In contrast, silver, being more affordable, aligns with the humbler status of individuals like kisaengs. Silver exudes humility akin to Do Hee, while gold mirrors the extravagant and ostentatious nature of Gu Won haha.
Now, turning to Do Hee's necklaces – they symbolize the enduring connection between her and Gu Won, transcending realms of Hell and Heaven forever and to infinity! Their love acts as a powerful force, enabling them to overcome any barriers to be reunited.
Section 9.2 Flowers
Section 9.2a Devil's Trumpets
Remember Devil's Trumpets from "The Glory" haha? Its scientific name is Datura stramonium, also known as devil's snare (any Harry Potter fans here? haha). This plant belongs to the nightshade family, a group where many members are poisonous (potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, etc are part of this family, but they're not toxic). While Devil's Trumpets can be highly toxic, they can also possess medicinal properties and have been used to treat various illnesses. Occult practitioners sometimes consume this flower for visionary experiences.
In the story of Romeo and Juliet, the poison the star-crossed lovers consumed was from a member of the nightshade family called "Belladonna." Considering this, Ga Yeong's poison to Do Hee could have been either Devil's Trumpets or Belladonna. Additionally, the Devil's Trumpet might symbolize Gu Won, suggesting that despite the toxicity of his family (the Ju family), he is a benevolent person capable of healing rather than harming. He's an eggplant haha!
Section 9.2b Poppy
What do poppies symbolize? Death, dreams, and remembrance. It's fitting given in the Ep 11 preview, Gu Won will have a dream of his past life and remember shit. Who knows maybe we will finally get to see how he died? The poppy in his ear could also be a foreshadow that he will die again verrryyyy soon haha.
Section 9.3 Snakes
Christianity seems to have a knack for twisting once-positive symbols into something negative! Before snakes became synonymous with evil, the Devil, and Satan, they were revered as good spirits in Greek and Korean mythology
In Ancient Greece, snakes were often linked to Agathodaimon, a lesser deity meaning "good/noble spirit" (this is what Gu Won is; I bet the writer will mention this term haha). Agathodaemons were household gods and protectors of those who worshipped them. Representations of Agathodaimon featured snakes with a poppy flower (similar to Gu Won's in the EP 11 preview) and an ear of grain, symbolizing prosperity and fertility respectively. This deity was also portrayed as a man holding a cornucopia, akin to Thanksgiving traditions. Ancient Greeks would honor Agathodaimon with a few drops of wine after a meal.
In Greek myths, Agathodaimon was believed to be the spouse of Tyche (probably Do Hee), the goddess of fate and fortune (also known as Lady Fortuna or Lady Luck). In Egypt, Agathodaimon was associated with Osiris, the Lord of the Underworld, and Shai, the god of fate. Basically, you would want Agathodaimon because he would bring you good luck, wealth, and protection.
In Korean mythology, snakes were also viewed as creatures of good luck. For example, in Korean myths, the Imoogi was one big fat snake that brought good luck and fertility to crops. However, it was believed if you ever prevented an Imoogi from ascending to the Heavens, bad shit would happen like plagues, typhoons, infertile land, and famine. The overall message is don't kill snakes because bad shit will happen. I'm suddenly getting a bad feeling Gu Won is going to get killed and a natural disaster will occur haha. For those wanting to learn more about Imoogis, you can click on the link below or Google it.
Well folks, it’s going to be a VERY LONG wait until we see the next episode of TOTNT. For all who are not aware, Eps 13-14 will not be airin
So y'all are probably wondering why the hell i'm telling you all of this? It's because in Ep 10, Gu Won rolled what is known as "snake eyes". The reason this roll is called "snake eyes" is because the 1's resemble the two pips to the eyes of a snake. In craps, this roll can either mean you're really lucky or unlucky, representing an odd phenomenon. For example, when you roll snake eyes on the initial roll, you have to roll it again on the next roll to win the round. However, the probability of rolling "snake eyes" is very low (2.78%).
Another thing to mention is how 2 odd numbers can equal an even number where 1+1=2. You could also view Gu Won's roll as a good omen because it's 1...1....11 which is considered a lucky number! Our little lovers are snakes who are bringers of luck and fertility haha.
FYI, one of God's rolls was a "push" or "standoff" roll which are two 6's. Like snake eyes, this roll has the same low probability of 2.78%. The funny thing about Gu Won's roll and God's roll is that Gu Won's roll is the lowest value you can get which is 2 and God's roll is the highest value you can get which is 12.
Section 10: OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS
I have none. I'm brain-dead from researching, thinking of stuff, and editing this monster of a post. K byeeee
The episodes this week were top-tier! Some quick thoughts I had about this week's eps: Kwang Chul gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “step on me”. I totally wasn’t expecting this drama to have any blood or gore, but here we are. Did they have to make Gu Won’s stabbing so violent and gruesome?!! Blood was spurting out everywhere! It seriously made me want to vomit.
Other thoughts I had were that all of Madam Ju’s family members should be in prison or at least a mental institution because they're all so freaking crazy. The only good thing about these episodes was that Do Hee and Gu Won finally admitted their true feelings to each other.
I'll try to keep this post as short as possible, but you know me, I still end up writing a shit ton. Anyway, let's take a deeper dive into some of the many mysteries in "My Demon". Time to put on our thinking caps to analyze and theorize!
Demons' Limitations
In Ep 7, we were finally given more information about demons. Specifically, the writer provided us with information about demons' limitations which are quite similar to the limitations of the genie from Aladdin.
For those who don’t remember the rules of Aladdin's Genie, here they are:
1. Can’t kill anyone
2. Can’t make people fall in love
3. Can’t bring anyone back from the dead
There are some minor differences between the two sets of rules. For instance, instead of the rule that prohibits you from making people fall in love, there are rules against interfering with God's work and preventing natural disasters.
I believe the writer is presenting these rules to suggest that Gu Won will eventually break one of these rules to save Do Hee's life (see the section "What's Best for You is What's Best for Me" for more). Something interesting to note is that Netflix didn't translate the whole page in this scene. There is a part of the text that says, "Killing the living, saving the dead, etc are part of God's domain". This means God is allowed to kill the living, bring back the dead, prevent natural disasters, etc. Basically, God can do all the things demons can't. Seeing this translation also made me realize what God meant when she said "turf" in Ep. 7. I'll further elaborate in the section titled, "God/Lady".
Demons vs Guardians
I'm curious about the differences between demons and guardians. When a demon becomes a guardian, do they acquire a new set of powers? Or does becoming a guardian simply mean they return to being human without additional abilities? Based on the information presented so far, it appears that for a demon to transition into a guardian, they must learn to love and be loved in return. Achieving these milestones would essentially enable them to regain their soul and humanity. It would be cool though if, upon becoming a guardian, demons retained their powers but without an immortal lifespan, similar to Lee Yeon from Tale of the Nine-Tailed!
What Landed Gu Won in Hell? Love
Being a demon is comparable to the life of a genie. In both cases, the individuals are bound to fulfill the desires of others. However, for demons, this servitude isn't a mere obligation--it's a necessity for their continued existence. Unlike genies, demons must grant wishes to sustain their own lives. When I think about it, the life of a demon is quite sad because they have to spend their entire existence granting others' wishes without ever having an opportunity for their own wishes to be fulfilled. This got me thinking about what exactly was Gu Won's greatest desire or wish. Side note, y'all should check out the show Lucifer if you like mystery, devil and human romance, family drama, etc.
Throughout the show, we have witnessed that our deepest wishes and desires, can ironically, lead to our demise, sending us straight to Hell, where we are tormented by these very wishes. Take for example, Park Bok Gyu's wish to never go hungry. After he died, he was tortured by creatures with fish heads. Conversely, the mob boss, who sought wealth and power, faces a fate in Hell that, according to Gu Won, would be even more severe. These examples show us the larger the wish, the steeper the cost--meaning that if your wish is significantly large, your soul could end up in far worse places than Hell. But what's worse than even the deepest levels of Hell? Becoming a demon. Unlike in Hell, where you could finish your punishment more quickly and be reincarnated, being turned into a demon means becoming a slave for all of eternity. All hope isn't lost though because as I mentioned earlier, if you learn to love and be loved returned, you can be free of your demon existence.
I'll now provide you with what I think Gu Won's wishes were and the circumstances surrounding his transformation into a demon! Let me just say that Gu Won's wishes were astronomical. They weren't common wishes like wealth or power which would be easily granted by demons. They were wishes only God could grant.
(DISCLAIMER: DO NOT PLAGIARIZE MY THEORIES, I BETTER NOT BE SEEING MY THEORIES ON ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WITHOUT CREDIT).
So, Do Hee and Gu Won were in love, but their societal positions created significant barriers. Being a kisaeng and a nobleman, they faced the harsh reality their love could not flourish in that lifetime. Now, Do Hee was forced to work as a kisaeng to provide for her family.
Due to Do Hee's status as a kisaeng, she was either sold off to someone else or, in an alternative scenario, their forbidden love led to her tragic death (who knows, maybe Jin Star's past self killed Do Hee in a fit of jealousy; maybe they were sisters?). In either situation, Gu Won would've felt a profound sense of insignificance and weakness, unable to protect Do Hee from these tragic fates. Like he must've really hated himself.
In his pit of despair, Gu Won wished he could've saved Do Hee from her enslaved position as a kisaeng or untimely death, protected her, and married her one day. Now, those are some big wishes, and remember what I said? The bigger the wish, the larger the cost. In a twist of fate, God/Lady heard Gu Won's fervent wishes and offered Gu Won a deal. God would fulfill all of Gu Won's wishes if he agreed to work as a demon.
Sometime after this, Do Hee found out Gu Won became a demon because of her and felt immense guilt. Do Hee who was a devout Christian, prayed to God wishing Gu Won would be spared from suffering such an existence as a demon. Now, God mostly fulfilled this request by erasing Gu Won's human memories (I'm going with the Grim Reaper/oblivion tea theme here haha). Since Gu Won's inability to protect Do Hee tortured him deeply, the act of forgetting lessened his emotional pain. I say mostly because God wasn't quite done with fulfilling this request.
Just imagine being God, you would have to shuffle so many things around to fulfill both Do Hee and Gu Won's wishes. Make Do Hee rich so she's not working in a slave position...check...create a situation where the two would meet (i.e matchmaker got the hotel name wrong)...check...create a situation where the two would have to depend on each other (i.e shut off Gu Won's power on the road)...check..... make them get married..check and check.....free Gu Won from his existence as a demon...ongoing. IT'S A LOT Y'ALL.
How do you save Gu Won from a sad existence as a demon and spontaneous combustion? You turn him back into a human by introducing him to the very girl who would be capable of bringing out his humanity through her love. She's the water that extinguishes the Hellfire that is about to consume him. Gu Won freed Do Hee from being an enslaved kisaeng in the past and now she's freeing him from the shackles of his enslaved existence as a demon.
Gu Won and Do Hee are each other's salvation. One cannot survive without the other. If one is killed, the other one will be too. For example, if Do Hee dies, Gu Won would either be stuck as a demon for all of eternity or combust. And if Gu Won dies, it would leave Do Hee unprotected and she would probably get killed. It's like Do Hee said, they share the same fate and are in the same boat.
What’s Best for You is What’s Best for Me...Danger on the Horizon!
On the surface, the quote "What's best for you is what's best for me", said by Madam Ju and echoed by Gu Won may seem sweet, but upon deeper reflection, it reveals a bitter truth: what's best for you is not always what's best for me.
A brief digression: I have a suspicion that Gu Won might be a long-lost ancestor of the Ju family. Why would the writer intentionally give Gu Won similar personality traits as Madam Ju or have him repeat things she said if not to suggest there was a possible familial connection? While shared traits don't always indicate a blood relation, the repetition of the same phrases is highly suspicious. I guess one reason the writer did this was to convey that even though Madam Ju was gone, Do Hee would still have someone similar by her side. However, they could've accomplished this without having Gu Won be the male version of Madam Ju.
Another explanation for why Gu Won and Madam Ju say the same phrases could be that they crossed paths in the past. Maybe Madam Ju heard Gu Won say it or vice versa. Who knows. It would be sweet though if Gu Won were a long-lost Ju family member because then Do Hee would be related to Madam Ju through her marriage to him.
Ok, sorry for the brief tangent, it's my ADHD brain haha. Now, let's get back to discussing how what's best for you is not always what's best for me. Taking the example of the mother and her sick daughter, from the mother's perspective, signing away her soul to ensure her daughter's health might seem like the best thing to do for her daughter. Yet, it wouldn't be truly best for the mother as she would be damned to Hell. Similarly, from the daughter's POV, what's technically best for her (i.e not being sick anymore), wouldn't actually be the best, as she would be fraught with guilt knowing her mother suffered because of her.
When it comes to Do Hee and Gu Won, what's best for Do Hee is to continue investigating the deaths of her parents and Madam Ju. However, this poses a significant risk to Gu Won, who is almost fully human now and no longer invincible.
This leads me to my next point. Gu Won would stop at nothing to ensure Do Hee's happiness. He's well aware that for Do Hee to continue her investigations, she would need to remain alive and safe. For that to happen, he would need to have his powers fully working so he could protect her. What this means is that Gu Won will become a full demon again. I believe this is about to happen soon because, in Ep 8, we see God/Lady looking at the moon which is now a "waxing gibbous". If you recall from Ep 2, Park Bok Gyu hypothesized that they would have to wait until the next full moon to attempt transferring the tattoo back to Gu Won so he could be a demon again. And well, the next phase after a waxing gibbous is a full moon.
I think Gu Won isn't going to tell Do Hee about his decision to become a demon though. He's going to take Do Hee to the beach and make her think it's a romantic outing and she's not going to suspect anything because they’re in a relationship now. Then bam into the water they go! The betrayal she'll feel after Gu Won does this will be astronomical. It goes back to Madam Ju's quote about having someone on your side who, if they stabbed you in the back, you would understand. Even if Do Hee understands why Gu Won did this, it still wouldn't change the fact it would still hurt like Hell.
Would Gu Won doing this be really what's best for Do Hee? Or the both of them? Yes and no. While it would keep Do Hee alive and safe, she would be riddled with guilt knowing Gu Won sacrificed his soul and humanity to ensure she was protected. At the same time, Gu Won would become immortal again and able to protect Do Hee better, but he would no longer be able to feel love for her since demons are devoided of human emotions. Gu Won would simply view her as someone he just needs to protect to keep his end of the bargain.
Following this, I think there will be a situation where either Kwang Chul or Abraxas gets ahold of Do Hee and I think this is where Gu Won’s latest dream will come into play. To save Do Hee, Gu Won will have to kill whoever, and this will force him to break the rule that states demons can't kill. Subsequently, he'll spontaneously combust. Well, that's going to suck. Had Gu Won remained human, he could've killed whoever and not spontaneously combust. However, since he's a demon again, those consequences would apply. Don't worry y'all, I feel like Do Hee is going to wish or pray to God/Lady that she'll take pity on them and bring Gu Won back to life lol.
Abraxas..It's Still Seok Hoon
So earlier this week, I posted on Twitter how I now thought Abraxas was Seok Min or Do Gyeong based on the pillows. However, after thinking through some more things, I'm going back to saying Abraxas is Seok Hoon. That's my final answer.
Seok Hoon is a trickster/magician! He makes things "disappear" including money and people. That's why Madam Ju said in Ep 4, "You killed someone on top of all your dirty tricks?". He even suggested Do Hee let his department buy shares of her company to offset their losses which is a form of trickery since it would appear Do Hee was engaging in stock manipulation or insider trading.
The biggest trick Seok Hoon is attempting to pull on Do Hee is to make her believe he's really on her side and that he's her real guardian. Going back to Madam Ju's quote about having someone on your side means you would gladly let them stab you in the back and understand. When you trust someone completely, it means you would let them stab you in the back because at the end of the day you know they have your best interest at heart so you would understand.
Throughout this show, the writer has made it a point to emphasize how Seok Hoon is the only one on Do Hee's side. Here's the thing though, Do Hee doesn't completely trust Seok Hoon as evidenced by how she doesn't tell him everything. The same goes for Gu Won, but he's not a suspect in the death of Madam Ju.
Between the two men in the show, who do you think is the real demon and guardian? Btw, Abraxas is sometimes seen as a demon in mythology. For me, the real demon is Seok Hoon. Even though Gu Won projects an image that he's a big bad demon, he's actually an angel on the inside. In contrast, Seok Hoon projects an angelic persona, but he's really a devil on the inside. Gu Won is the real guardian who's trying to protect Do-Hee while Seok Hoon is the real demon who's trying to kill her.
One major question I had from earlier episodes was how Abraxas/Seok Hoon knew the identity of Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol Foundation before the wedding news articles came out that said as much? Furthermore, how did Seok Hoon know the Wild Dogs were looking for him? If you remember, the Wild Dogs only found out Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol and Do Hee's bodyguard after Kwang Chul passed the note revealing as much. There was no explanation of just how exactly Seok Hoon and Kwang Chul found out Gu Won was the director of Sunwol and that the Wild Dogs were looking for him. I looked through earlier eps to see if there was ever an instance where Do Hee told Seok Hoon that Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol, but there wasn't. I think Seok Hoon probably found out this bit of info from Secretary Shin. She probably mentioned it in passing to Seok Hoon because she thought Seok Hoon was Do Hee's ally.
I'm sure many of you are probably wondering how Seok Hoon can be Abraxas when we see Abraxas chilling at Seok Min's home. Well, the thing is, we haven't seen Seok Hoon's place for a reason--he doesn't have one. Due to his "hippie" lifestyle, he engages in communal living, meaning he lives with relatives. More specifically, he resides at Seok Min's home, and that's why we see him as Abraxas there. There's a strong possibility that he and Seok Min are probably working together too. Additionally, I'm ruling out Do Gyeong as being Abraxas because I think he's trying to help warn Do Hee in his own creepy way. When it comes to the pill switching of Madam Ju's medications, I suspect Se-ra may have some involvement. According to the info on SBS, Se-ra is the daughter of a leading pharma company. As someone with a background in pharma, I was like wait a minute. While I'm not sure about the rules and regulations in South Korea, in the US, diclofenac is a prescription medication. I'm just going to guess it's the same in SK. This led me to think that maybe Se-ra provided the diclofenac to Seok Hoon.
In Ep 7, Abraxas/Seok Hoon informed Kwang Chul that Gu Won was only a demon when he was around Do Hee. This revelation led the duo to believe Gu Won's access to his powers was somehow linked to his proximity to Do Hee (they just didn't know how close). To test this hypothesis, they decided to separate the two lovers so that they could eliminate Gu Won. When this plan failed, they went back to the drawing board. At this point, the duo remained unaware of the tattoo and its connection to Do Hee and Gu Won's powers because there was nothing in the book about the tattoo transferring or how to get it back. I wouldn't be surprised if the book didn't even say how the tattoo was connected to demon powers.
It was only after Seok Hoon saw Do Hee place Gu Won's hand on her wrist with the tattoo that he realized the connection between the tattoo and Gu Won's demon powers. This is going to be important further down the line.
After realizing this, Seok Hoon messaged Kwang Chul, saying, "There's something wrong with his powers." Although not explicitly shown on screen, I believe Seok Hoon knew precisely what was wrong with Gu Won's powers. He deduced Gu Won was becoming human through Do Hee's love. This is why Seok Hoon chose to tell Gu Won he was the reason why Do Hee was giving up the Chairwoman position and investigation of Madam Ju's death. Seok Hoon strategically revealed this information to Gu Won with the intention it would encourage him to pursue a relationship with Do Hee, ultimately leading to Gu Won becoming fully human through her love. If Gu Won were fully human, he wouldn't have the powers to protect Do Hee, making them both sitting ducks for slaughter.
Seok Hoon's little plan is going to backfire, though, for two main reasons: He doesn't know one can get the tattoo back and he doesn't understand the power of love. Remember, the book doesn't tell us how one gets the tattoo back. Bok Gyu and Gu Won are the only ones who know this bit of information because they figured out the conditions (i.e full moon and ocean) had to be the same as the night the tattoo was initially transferred. Furthermore, Seok Hoon doesn't know the lengths Gu Won would go to protect Do Hee. He doesn't understand that Gu Won would essentially sell his soul and humanity to protect Do Hee (Gu Won's already done it once before in past), meaning he would become a demon again to protect Do Hee.
God/Lady
I don't know about y'all, but I'm quite frankly done with God in disguise figures in fantasy dramas. It's like in every single fantasy drama, there's always a God in disguise character that gives you hints of what will happen in the form of riddles, leaving many scratching their heads to figure out what they mean. We have seen these types of characters in Goblin, Tale of the Nine-Tailed, King Eternal Monarch, Doom at Your Service, Alchemy of Souls, etc. The list is endless.
The latest God in disguise is Lady... who goes around saving "recyclables", more like saving people. Anyway, I've seen many questioning if she’s really God. Y’all if she’s wearing a hat that spells out G-O-D in bold letters and she’s always asking money for Jesus Corporation, what does that tell you??? I don’t know how much clearer it can be that she is God. Instead of questioning whether she is God or not, maybe it would be a better use of our time if we spend it trying to decipher what she says instead.
Let's get to dissecting the many things God has said. Now, I've already gone over most of the things she said from Ep 1-6 either in the previous post or on my Twitter act so I won't really discuss more here. However, the are a couple things I forgot to mention in my last post though. Here they are:
The roulette wheel has 18 odd and 18 even numbers (36 numbers total). (18) 1+8=9 and (36) 3+6=9 all correspond to Gu (9) Won. The sum of all the numbers (0-36) on the roulette wheel is "666" which I already said in the previous post is the number of the beast/devil and corresponds to Gu Won (the combination to his safe is 666). When you flip “666” it’s “999” which is an angel number that symbolizes completion and new beginnings.
In "Divine Comedy", there are 9 realms of Hell + 1 with Lucifer = 10. The same pattern is present in Purgatory and Heaven. Gu Won's soul was in Hell and now it's in the purgatory on its way towards Heaven. Demon-> Guardian. Hell-> Heaven
On a broader level, if 1= new beginning and 0= end, our couple who's represented by the number 10 symbolizes they are each other's end and beginning. They complete each other.
The bill God is holding when she's saying, "I'm betting all my money on the odd numbers", is a 1000 bill. 1000 or "cheon" means "heaven". That scene could be intrepreted as God or the heavens are betting everything on our couple to win. Also, Madam Ju's first name is Cheon which probably means she went to heaven.
The overall conclusion I'm drawing from what God said about odd numbers from eps 1-6 is that our couple will have a happy ending after they go through some shit haha.
Moving onto what God said in Eps 7-8! When Gu Won called God/Lady, "Arabica woman", my mind lit up! Does anyone see the connection? Arabica...Abraxas. Abraxas is 7 letters and Arabica is 7 letters. In some belief systems, Abraxas was viewed as God. So, Gu Won calling her "Arabica woman" could be another hint she's God. The word "Arabica" also sounds very similar to "Abracadabra" which is related to Abraxas. Just so we’re clear, I’m not implying God/Lady is the Abraxas who’s trying to kill Gu Won and Do Hee. Seok Hoon is a wannabe Abraxas while God/Lady is the real Abraxas haha.
I also found it hilarious that God was constantly begging for donations for Jesus Corporation. It made me think about that time Madam Ju said she bribed God through donations after Do Hee said liars can't go to Heaven. Guess Madam Ju bribed God enough to earn a spot in Heaven.
When God says she knows this place like the back of her hand, she doesn't mean the train station, she means the whole world...because you know, God is omnipresent. God then tells them, they've intruded on her "turf" which means they've intruded on her domain.
What's her domain? Matters of life, death, natural disasters, fate, making people fall in love, etc. This was why Gu Won's powers would fail at the most random times or rather not-so-random times. God already has a grand plan for these two and she's keeping up her end of the bargain of the contract she made with them in the past (refer to "What Landed Gu Won in Hell? Love" section). However, these two would interrupt her work so she would shut off Gu Won's powers so that they follow the predetermined path she has planned for them.
Gu Won's power failed in Ep 1 because God was creating a situation where they would depend on each other, get to know each other, fall in love, etc. In the latest power failure, God turned off Gu Won's powers to prevent them from escaping so they could kiss each other. Consider this scenario: If God hadn't prevented them from escaping, what would've happened? They wouldn't have kissed. That kiss set the wheels in motion for the romance between Gu Won and Do Hee. God was just giving them a nudge in the right direction.
The next time Gu Won experienced another power failure was later in Ep 7 when he and Do Hee were attempting to leave Sunwol Foundation. Once again, we should question why God didn't want them to leave at that particular moment. Remember, because Gu Won and Do Hee were unable to leave precisely at that time, they encountered the Wild Dogs, who then proceeded to pledged their allegiance to Gu Won. Based on Ep 9 preview, it appears the Wild Dogs will play a crucial role in finding Kwang Chul.
As Gu Won and Do Hee were leaving, we saw God telling them, "What flickers would eventually go out sooner or later". Many interpreted this scene as God saying Gu Won's powers would eventually go out. Well, duh. I interpreted this scene a bit differently because I noticed God was looking at the clock that was flickering and pointing at 1.
What does 1 symbolize in numerology? New beginning. My interpretation was that she was saying Gu Won's life as a demon along with his powers was coming to an end and that he was about to begin a new life as a human.
Gu Won should really be nicer to God lol. Look at what happened to the Prince from Beauty and the Beast after he wasn't nice to the old beggar lady...she turned him into a beast. Ohhh now I get it....Gu Won needs to learn to love or he'll remain a beast forever aka he'll remain a devil/demon forever haha (666=beast=devil).
Later in the episode, one guy advises the other to let it go and blame it on fate. This refers to an earlier scene where Gu Won was blaming Do Hee (Fate) for losing his powers. God's message is clear--Gu Won shouldn't be blaming Do Hee for his current state; rather, he should be blaming himself. After all, it's not her fault that he's falling in love with her and becoming human. Moreover, there's the possibility that becoming human was one of Gu Won's original wishes in the contract he signed with God.
In Ep 8, we don't see much of God except in the beginning. Many interpreted what God said in the following scene as meaning Do Hee had special powers that allowed her to heal Gu Won. However, I don't believe she possesses any supernatural abilities. Instead, I think she saved him through the power of love, and, perhaps prayers. If you look at the end of Ep 7, you'll notice Do Hee's hands were in a prayer position right before they zoomed in on the cross tattoo. Do Hee likely wished and prayed for Gu Won's salvation, and God granted it.
Regarding the second thing God said, I believe she was referring to the moment when Do Hee was trying to save Gu Won. Seok Hoon witnessed Do Hee placing Gu Won's hand on her wrist, setting off a chain of events that would eventually threaten her life (refer to "Abraxas...It's Still Seok Hoon" section).
Tarot
Whew! We are almost near the end of this post! There wasn't really anything of significance in terms of tarot in this week's episodes. One thing I found interesting was that the social influencer had asked Gu Won if he was a magician. For those who don't know, the 1st tarot card is "The Magician". You can make multiple connections between that, the number 1, and Gu Won, but since I'm tired of writing, I won't be further elaborating on it. I think we'll see a situation in the future where everyone really thinks Gu Won is dead, but he'll show up very unexpectedly and say "Abracadabra, I'm back!".
One last thing I found interesting was the tarot card pulled by Jung Mi in Ep 8. She had pulled the 19th tarot card, which is the Sun. This card usually indicates success, good fortune, happiness, etc. Also, 1+9=10 and Yi Sun...Sun haha. I think this card conveys the same message that everything will be okay after we go through some Hell.
I bet you all that we'll be seeing the following tarot cards in future eps: #1 The Magician, #8 Strength, #11 Justice, #12 The Hanged Man, #13 Death, #16 The Tower, #18 The Moon, and #21 The World!
Other Random Thoughts
Gu Won and Do Hee's red and green didn't refer to Christmas or Battery Charge Status. They referred to the colors on the roulette wheel. There is only one green space on a typical roulette wheel and it corresponds to the number 0. Number 1 is usually red. So 1...0....10 and 1+0=1 completion. Also, odd numbers are usually red and even numbers are black. Oh, I get why Do Hee was wearing a red dress and Gu Won was wearing a black suit now haha.
What determines if one remembers their past lives or not? Why is Park Bok Gyu the only one who remembers his past lives? Will Do Hee ever remember her past lives?
I can't believe Park Bok Gyu compared Gu Won to being a meat eater who ended up becoming a vegetarian because he met a very special pig (Do Hee) that he didn't want to eat haha.
With Madam Ju, is she suppose to be a spirit in limbo or is Do Hee schizophrenic? In Ep 8, it almost feels like she’s a real ghost bc we see her tapping her cane in hesitation after Do Hee said she didn’t know who killed Madam Ju and her parents.
I hope the Wild Dogs or Park Bok Gyu will find the bug underneath Gu Won’s desk when they’re cleaning haha. Did Seok Hoon put bugs in Do Hee’s place?!!
Was Gu Won a prince when he was human?
Do Hee’s birthday is Oct 29 (look at her phone in ep 1) which means she is a scorpio. On the SBS site, it tells about the story of the frog and scorpion. In the story, the scorpion stings the frog who’s carrying it across the river. They both end up dying and the scorpion is basically like oops it’s just in my nature to. Also, on the lovers tarot card (Rider Waite deck), there is a snake which equates to the 8th zodiac sign…scorpio! The other zodiac sign on the lovers tarot card is a lion which means Leo (5th zodiac sign). I guess Gu Won’s zodiac sign is Leo. This would also explain why he likes those lion bookends haha. Oh and lions are considered “apex predators” haha. Leo’s element is fire and Scorpio is water….hahaha Fire and Water…Gu Won and Do Hee. In most tarot decks, the 8th tarot card is justice. In the Rider Waite deck, the 8th card is strength which shows a lion.
The kiss scene with the garden backdrop looks like the lovers tarot card where Adam and Eve are in the garden of Eden. I can totally see people start making theories about how Do Hee is Eve and Gu Won is Adam after reading this post 🤣. And talk about “original sin” and “forbidden fruit”. Good luck haha.
Number 15 is associated with the devil tarot card as well as the full moon (the full moon comes 15 days after the new moon).
One other theory I had for Gu Won and Do Hee was that in the past, they were in so love that it became detrimental to everyone around them. Gu Won was a rule breaker and instead of doing whatever job he was suppose to do (I.e work as a government official), he was always going around “flower watching” aka hanging out with Do Hee. Him and Do Hee forgot about their responsibilities so God punished them. Gu Won’s punishment was to be turned into a demon so he could learn to follow the rules (Gu Won did say the demon manual was a book filled with many threats haha). For Do Hee, maybe her punishment was to always be alone, meaning she would always lose those closest to her. I feel this theory is just meh haha. The other theory aligns more with the many themes in the show than this one. I would be surprised if the writer goes this route haha.
END
Overall, I don't think we'll have a sad ending. I'll definitely let y'all know if I see anything in future eps that would indicate otherwise! I hope in this week's eps, we'll get to see what actually happened in Gu Won and Do Hee's past! I'm dying to know the circumstances that led to Gu Won's transformation into a demon! Alright, that's all I have for now!
Let me start this post by saying what I originally wrote was just deleted after I hit the "save draft" button on Tumblr. I'm so pissed because I had spent hours working on this post!! For those who have followed my blog for a very long time, you know I usually provide a very in-depth analysis of dramas.
Given what just happened and time constraints, I will keep this post very short. I may make mini posts next week to further elaborate on some points discussed here, but it just depends on if I have the time.
If you have any questions, please feel free to hit the "ask me anything" button and I will try my best to answer them promptly. I hope "My Demon" fandom won't be as toxic as the "Alchemy of Souls" fandom and misuse the "ask me anything" button to send me death threats or insults. If you don't like what I write, you can simply scroll along. The end. Also, don't plagiarize my shit. This was a huge issue during AOS and I really didn't appreciate it at all. If you want to use my ideas, give me credit for them.
Ok, let’s put on our thinking caps. Time to analyze and theorize!
Demons
In the context of this show, “demons” are individuals who used to be human but are now forced to fulfill human wishes in order to keep on living forever. The terms are simple: humans get their deepest desires fulfilled but will die in 10 years and go to hell. For demons, as long as they sign new contracts and collect souls, they won’t combust and be wiped from existence. It remains unknown how often demons must sign contracts/collect souls before they start to combust. Before demons were loan sharks, they were guardians of humans.
We start this drama with Jeong Gu Won, who has lived happily for the last 200 yrs as a demon. Gu Won has no recollection of his human life. We don’t know if this aspect of Gu Won is something present in all demons or just him. Gu Won’s perfect little world is turned upside down after he saves Do Do Hee from Rash Dude aka Jeffrey Dahmer. Now, we don’t know why his tattoo was transferred to Do Hee but it’s implied the full moon and water had something to do with it. If you have read other posts of mine, you will know that when there’s a full moon it usually means a transformation and a new start. The whole falling into the water could be viewed as a sort of baptism, symbolizing the end of an old life and the beginning of a new life. I feel like before this show ends, Gu Won and Do Hee will end up in the water under the full moon again to symbolize Gu Won’s full transformation into a human. Like right now he’s like a quasi-demon haha. His transformation into a full human is currently ongoing. I think that as he starts to develop more human emotions/remember his human memories, his powers as a demon will begin to decline.
Gu Won’s Past Life…A Story of Crime and Punishment
One thing I’ve learned from analyzing many dramas over the years is when a writer shows us a book or mentions a movie, we should look into them if we want a glimpse into what will happen in a drama. Now in Ep 1, you see #2 Wild Dog reading, “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky which was hilarious because he didn’t strike me as the type to read such a dense piece of literature. Seeing this book took me back to my high school days when we had to read and analyze this book. For those who don’t know, Russian works tend to be very long and are usually about suffering haha.
For the sake of time, I’ll you a very brief overview of what happened in “Crime and Punishment”. The story begins with a law student, Rodion Raskolnikov, who quits school because he can’t afford it anymore. The guy then has a mental breakdown of sorts and decides to kill the elderly owner of the pawnshop and her half-sister. He justifies his actions by rationalizing that by killing the pawnshop owner, he could take the valuables within her pawn shop and use them to fund his education which would eventually earn him a well-paying job. In turn, he would use the money earned to benefit the greater good.
Raskolnikov saw himself as an Ubermensch (if you don’t know that means, I had briefly talked about it in my DAYS posts). He believed that since he was above everyone else, he was allowed to cross all societal, ethical, and moral lines because his success would help the greatest amount of people. The rest of the novel is about Raskolnikov’s internal struggles with what he did. He goes back and forth between confessing or not confessing to the murders. Eventually, the love interest in the story, Sonia, a devout Christian and source of morality for Raskolnikov, convinces him to turn himself in and confess. Raskolnikov ends up only having to serve a total of 8 years in a labor camp for the murders. While there, he finally realizes the errors of his ways and feels guilt for his past actions. He then was like “Sonia’s love saved me and I feel bad for making her suffer so when I get out, I’m going to repay her with infinite love for all she has done for me”. And bam! That’s where the story ends…with the start of his journey toward redemption haha.
Gu Won is Raskolnikov in the sense that he thinks he’s better than everyone else and can therefore cross any line he so chooses. Based on a flashback in Ep 6, it seemed Gu Won had this kind of mindset even before he became a demon. So, what crime did Gu Won commit that landed him in Hell in the first place? I wouldn’t label it so much as an actual crime like murder but Gu Won probably got Do Hee’s past self killed. The guilt he felt after her death is probably what led to him become essentially trapped in a mental Hell, much like Madam Ju. Eventually, this guilt prevented him from entering heaven after he died. God/Lady probably took pity on him and offered him salvation in the form of becoming a demon; alternatively, it could be that God/Lady offered him a "sweet" contract where he could work as a demon in exchange for a second chance and a happier life with Do Hee in the future. Regardless of whatever the case may be, the important thing is that Gu Won needs to remember what happened in his past so he can seek forgiveness from Do Hee in the present and start his path toward redemption much like Raskolnikov. The truth sets you free haha. Gu Won is taking a step in the right direction though by protecting Do Hee. He could be like Raskolnikov and choose to give Do Hee infinite love for the rest of his life to make up for the horrible things he did to her in the past haha. Oh, one more thing for this section, the tattoo being on Do Hee’s wrist could symbolize that she was the reason why he became a demon in the first place.
Murders of Do Hee’s Parents and Madam Ju/Who Is Abraxas
In my original post, this section was long, but as I previously mentioned, the stuff I wrote was deleted. I’m just going to give you the overall gist of it. I still think the person who killed Madam Ju was Ju Seok Hun and that the person who killed Do Hee’s parents was Madam Ju’s little brother/Seok Hun’s father. I don’t think Madam Ju directly killed Do Hee’s parents, but she felt guilty for their deaths because she covered up the incident to protect her little brother. After which, she cut him off and exiled him to Peru to live a hippie life haha. This is completely speculative though. Like we have two choices for who murdered Do Hee’s parents and Madam Ju. Choice #1 is Noh Suk Min and Noh Do Gyeong and Choice #2 Seok Hun’s father and Seok Hun. One argument I made for choice #2 is that if Suk Min and Do Gyeong were the real killers, wouldn’t the actor who played Do Gyeong be a main lead instead of a supporting character? Another argument was that Seok Hun has too many conflicting qualities about him. For example, he is a hippie who works in the corporate world and despite portraying a goody-two-shoes image, he suggests Do Hee should engage in some ethically questionable business practices like letting Mirae Investments buy shares of Mirae F&B to offset the losses.
It’s also important to remember what Do Hee said about “sweet” things and how they’re always fake (except for Gu Won haha). Seok Hun is faker than acrylic nails. He puts on an act that he cares about her well-being when in reality, he hopes she dies. He must continue with this nice guy act because he doesn’t want her death to lead back to him. Just think about some things for a moment, if Do Hee died, who would the police suspect killed her? Would it be the people who openly voiced their disdain for her or the person whom she had a loving relationship with? It would be the former. The scene with Do Gyeong at the lockers is essentially Seok Hun setting him up to take the fall for Do Hee’s murder. At the end of the day, human greed is what drove Seok Hun to do what he did. Who knows, maybe his greed stems from being subjected to a frugal lifestyle while growing up.
Crosses, Numerology, and Tarot
Amen, we are nearing the end. Ok, let’s keep going at record speed. So, crosses and Catholicism/Christianity are heavily present in this show. The same goes for numbers and tarot. They’re all connected. Some religious crosses can look like an “X” which looks like the Roman numeral 10. The number 10 is everywhere in this show. For example, the little girl was celebrating her 10th birthday and the Wheel of Fortune is the 10th tarot card in the Rider Waite Tarot Deck. Connecting numerology with tarot, the wheel of fortune represents the end of one journey and the beginning of another…1 + 0 = 1, where 1 symbolizes completion.
The clock in the promotional poster has a hand pointing at 10, which is different than the clocks seen at Gu Won’s place that only go from 0-9. While we are on the subject of 9, “Gu” means nine. Every time Gu Won started a new life, he named himself the next number following his current one. For example, he was Il (1) Won, then I (2) Won, and so forth. Now in his 9th life, he is called Gu Won. Get it? Ok, cool. What comes after 9? 10. After Gu Won completes his transformation into a human, he will be called Sip (10) Won haha. Additionally, did anyone notice the number 91 on the cake Do Hee baked for him? What’s 9+1? 10.
Pay attention to the numbers in this show people! Always ask yourself what each number means and what it's connected to haha. When God/the Lady said, "I’m betting on all the odd numbers", many were like what does that mean? She’s referring to the numbers on tarot cards (Rider Waite Deck), which represent Gu Won and Do Hee. For example, which cards represent them? For starters, the 15th card aka the devil. 1+5=6 which is the lovers card. Another odd-numbered tarot card that is representative of Do Hee and Gu Won is the 9th card which is “The Hermit” because let’s be real here, they both were hermits before they met each other. The last major arcana tarot card in the deck is #21…THE WORLD aka GUARANTEED SUCCESS. So this is what God/Lady meant when she said she’s betting on all the odd numbers. It’s the writer’s way of telling us we are going to get a happy ending after all the chaos that will occur.
One more intriguing number is 17. If you sniff around, you’ll notice that 17 is the number of years that have passed since Do Hee’s parents died. 17 is also the number of the coin locker where Jeffrey and Seok Hun exchange stuff. Hilariously, Gu Won’s passcode to his safe is “666”, which is the number of the beast/devil haha. In the newspaper clipping about the Sunwol Foundation, it said the theater was completed on June 7, 1977 and Gu Won’s name during that time was Chil (7) Won haha. The number 7 is seen as lucky in Korean and many Western cultures.
MISC
The cross necklace Gu Won wears probably belonged to Do Hee’s past self or was given to Gu Won by Do Hee…..OH I just made another connection…..In “Crime and Punishment”, Sonia gave Raskolnikov a cross necklace. Also, in Crime and Punishment, Sonia was a prostitute and Do Hee was essentially one during the Joseon dynasty…. Kisaeng and prostitutes are basically the same thing haha. It’s also interesting that both Gu Won and Do Hee wear two necklaces, one silver and one gold. I wonder if there’s any meaning behind that.
In the newspaper clipping about Sunwol Foundation, the term 'Sun/Seon' is written in hanja and translates to 'to return/come back.' This element was part of Gu Won's original name, Yi Sun/Seon. Additionally, 'wol' means moon. Therefore, I interpreted 'Sunwol' to mean 'Sun and Moon' or 'Moon That Returns.' In a broader sense, Sunwol can be likened to the Taj Mahal—a building or monument constructed in memory of a beloved. One could also view Sunwol as a place that narrates the love story of the Sun (Gu Won) and the Moon (Do Hee) or as a place built with the hope that Gu Won’s beloved moon would return one day.
Ok, folks, that concludes this very brief TA post. WOOHOO! Sorry if there were any grammatical mistakes or typos, and if this post seemed a bit disorganized. I really have to get to bed and didn't have time to edit this haha. See you all next week maybe!
Alchemy of Souls Part 2: Evidence The Soul In Part 2 Was Not The Same Soul From Part 1
Hello Readers,
Thought I should post some more evidence to that what I said in my Theories and Analysis post for Eps 29-30. When I had initially shared a link to my blog post on Reddit, I thought things would have calmed down by now and people would not be so toxic. I also thought there would be more open minded people who would consider alternative arguments. However, I was wrong. Many there did not even choose to read what I wrote and immediately said things like "you are confused" or "you do not understand the show" or implied I was stupid for even proposing such things. If I did not understand the story in the first place then how would I have gotten some many things right during Part 1?
Things progressed to even more people jumping on the bandwagon and hurling more insults at me when all I did in the first place was provide a different prospective on things. It became apparent to me that it was futile to continue to discuss such things with these types of people. What I observed among these people is that they could not fully establish any logical counter argument other than saying Naksu=Cho Yeong. That was pretty much the gist of what they said.
They also accused me of not wanting to be wrong when in reality I do not care if I am right or wrong. I have stated as much repeatedly both here and my Twitter. If I could sit there for hours and debate about my own thinking, they should at least be willing to do the same. In my profession, all we do day in and out is internally debate with ourselves whether our logic is flawed or not. Therefore, I have no qualms about being wrong. At least in my field when we tell someone they are wrong, we provide reasons, examples, etc. You do not simply tell someone just because. If you do so, it just makes you seem like you are the ones who are afraid to be wrong.
What I sought to do here on my blog was to try and make sense of everything, connect things to see the bigger picture, and consider everything there is to possibly consider. When I formulate my theories, I at least explain my reasoning behind it by giving examples from the show. So, if there is anyone who disagrees with all that I will say below then please enlighten me. Provide me with a rational counter argument with examples from the show. Otherwise, if you are unable to, then maybe you should consider that what I say could be correct.
Thinking caps on! Time to do a mini analysis!
More Evidence Proving The Soul In Part 2 is Mu Deok/Cho Yeong
Before I start this section, I want to add that if you want to discover whose soul belongs to whatever face, alternative name, real name, and body, just turn to these three characters: Soi, Jin Mu, and Seo Yul. These characters had known either girls the longest in comparison to other characters (Soi-Mu Deok and Jin Mu and Seo Yul-Naksu).
Now in Ep 26, Soi tells Seo Yul Naksu's soul is in Jin Bu Yeon's body. She adds the current face of Jin Bu Yeon is Naksu's face (GYJ face). Soi's logic was that since the soul inside is Naksu's soul, Jin Bu Yeon's current face must also be that of Naksu's. Side note, this is where assigning souls to alternative names to faces to real identities will get you into trouble.
Flash forward to Ep 29, Seo Yul hears some information which causes fireworks to go off in his head. During the flashback, Soi talks about how the girl she knew from Sari (Mu Deok) had consumed the soul potion which caused her to go crazy and die. What did this mean? Eureka moment, anyone?
It meant Soi thought it was "Mu Deok's soul" who resided in Jin Bu Yeon's body in Part 1. However, we as viewers knew it was actually "Naksu's soul" who was in Jin Bu Yeon's body during Part 1. Since Soi thought it was Mu Deok's soul in Jin Bu Yeon's body in Part 1, she erroneously deduced it was Naksu's soul in Jin Bu Yeon body in Part 2 (Ep 26). Just read that statement again and let it digest before continuing on. It should be noted Soi never found out it was Naksu's soul who was living inside of Jin Bu Yeon's body in Part 1.
It was only after Seo Yul talked to Soi's worker in Ep 29 did he realize Soi had mixed things up and that the soul currently residing in Jin Bu Yeon's body was not the same soul from Part 1 (aka Naksu's soul). If it was not Naksu's soul in Jin Bu Yeon's body, whose soul was it? It was Mu Deok's soul. The question became "what is the real identity of Mu Deok's soul"? There are two choices Cho Yeong or Jin Bu Yeon. If you know the soul inside transforms the face to match its true appearance and the real name of the GYJ face is "Cho Yeong" then you can conclude Mu Deok was Cho Yeong. Therefore, if Mu Deok's soul=Cho Yeong's soul then Naksu's soul=Jin Bu Yeon's soul through the process of elimination. If you said Mu Deok's soul is Jin Bu Yeon's soul then her face would have transformed into the JSM face. However, since it did not, then you have to accept that Mu Deok's soul is Cho Yeong's soul.
The only reason why many did not catch this is because they were too distracted with everything else which is understandable. The Hong Sisters purposely presented this piece of information near the very end (vs beginning) because they wanted people to think Naksu=Cho Yeong. In turn, this caused many to either completely overlooked or disregard the statement made by Soi in Ep 29. If the Hong Sisters had presented the following scene from Ep 29 much earlier, more viewers would have caught on that the soul in Part 2 was not the same soul as in Part 1. And who knows how that might have affected the ratings. Anyways, the pattern among many viewers is when anything becomes confusing or does fit the narrative they have in their head, they will disregard it to soothe themselves into thinking what is easier to comprehend.
In the world of AOS where soul shifting happens, a soul's alternative name can sometimes be different from the real name of the body it is in. The real name of a face does not always mean it is the real name of a soul who had previously resided in that body (AOS has made it clear there is a fine distinction between body and face). I will admit it is convoluted, but this is why you should not immediately jump to conclusions and assign faces, bodies, alternative names, and real names to souls before thinking about everything. If you keep your beliefs flexible and consider the alternative then you will be more likely to find the truth. Instead of being face or body trackers, maybe all of us should strive to be better soul trackers. Anyways, I will gladly welcome anyone who can disprove all that I have stated above. And simply stating "Naksu is Cho Yeong" does not cut it. You should formulate a logical argument that is backed up by evidence from the show.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, it made no logical sense for the Hong Sisters to introduce Naksu as a powerful soul only to have her be reduced down to a damsel in distress, soul food, relic detector, and Jang Uk's shadow. I saw Naksu's journey as being one of self discovery, personal growth, and enlightenment. If Naksu was really Cho Yeong, the Hong Sisters would have introduced more things about the Cho clan. Instead, they had completely wiped out the Cho clan from the start while placing a heavy focus on the Jin clan. Furthermore, they had associated Naksu with many bird related things to show her connection to the Jin clan. For me, it made more logical sense the show began with her being an assassin fighting on the wrong side of things and ended with her discovering her true authentic self (Jin Bu Yeon) so she could save all of Daeho. And sure, her journey may have ended rather sadly (or it may not since she is a divine soul now), but at least she managed to accomplish so much during that time. She was able to correct everything, find out the real truth about herself and the events that surrounding her multiple deaths, and take responsibility for her past actions.
Finally, to all of those who are not convinced by what I have said (Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon and Mu Deok=Cho Yeong), I will end this post with excepts from Lee Jae Wook's interview so you can decide for yourself of whether the soul in Part 1 was the same soul in Part 2. Note: the translations below were done using Google translate so there may be some inaccuracies.
Source:
새로움이란 때론 낯설고 두렵기도 하다. 배우 이재욱에게 tvN 토일드라마 '환혼'(극본 홍정은 홍미란, 연출 박준화)이 그랬다. 해보지 않았던 장르, 연기라는 점에서 용기가 필요했다. 그 두려움을 이겨내고 도전한 그
배우 이재욱에게 ‘환혼’은 ‘도전’이었다. 로맨스 판타지라는 새로운 장르는 물론, 파트1과 2로 나눠 진행되는 방대한 서사까지. 그간 해보지 않았던 장르와 분량이었기에 출연을 결심하기까지 많은 고민들이 있었다. 그러
Back to hibernation I go until the next great fantasy drama comes along!
P.S. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them!
Alchemy of Souls Part 2 (Eps 29-30): Analysis, Theories, Critique, and Thoughts
Hello Readers,
Let me preface this post by saying thank you to all the cast and crew for all of their hard work and dedication to this rather ambitious project. As for the Hong Sisters, I want to give them my sincerest gratitude for trying to do what other Kdrama writers have not done before. I am sure writing a 30 episodes fantasy kdrama was no easy task! I also want to tell them that I understand their sadness, disappointment, anger, and frustration when it came to not being able to tell the story they had initially planned. I definitely sensed all of these sentiments while watching Part 2. It is ok, Hong Sisters. I hope that in the future, the conditions will be right for you two to be able to tell the story you had intended.
For those who were super invested in AOS as I was, I know many were left completely disappointed by the way Part 2 ended. I was left feeling disheartened just because I had never gotten the ending for a Kdrama completely wrong before. Adding to this, my theories for Part 2 were almost completely wrong. I kept asking myself repeatedly how was it possible for me to get so many theories correct in Part 1, but not Part 2? While talking to my boyfriend the other night, he told me I should not be so hard on myself and that I really should be proud of the many theories I had gotten correct in Part 1. He also told me maybe it was not me or my analytical brain, but other external factors which may have contributed to why my theories were incorrect (i.e script changes, budget issues, etc). This was the moment when everything clicked in my head!
At the end of Part 1, I had thought Part 2 would be a continuation of Naksu's journey to discovering her true identity which was Jin Bu Yeon. However, this was where I made my first mistake. Part 2 was not a continuation of the her story. Rather it was a continuation of Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's story after she returned to her OG body (GYJ body) and died in Ep 1. This was why everything felt so soulless and unsatisfactory in Part 2.Do I think the Hong Sisters had intended for this to happen? No, not at all. This is why their writing in Part 2 paled in comparison to Part 1. The Hong Sisters' heart and soul were not in it when it came to writing Part 2. What they tried to do was make the best out of a really bad situation and they were really not happy about it.
Originally, they meant for Part 2 to be about Naksu discovering her true identity (Jin Bu Yeon), but a bunch of things happened behind the scenes which ultimately forced the Hong Sisters to completely rewrite Part 2. Just to be clear, the soul we followed in Part 1 was not the same soul shown in Part 2. They were two different souls. Part 1 was about Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's soul and Part 2 was Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul. For those who were rooting for Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's journey of self discovery, I would not bother watching Part 2 because her journey is currently in limbo.
And for those who have come here to argue with me by telling me I must be confused or lost, you can go elsewhere. No one is forcing you to read my post. I have proven time and again through my many correct theories for Part 1 that I did understand the Hong Sisters more so than most others.
Now for those who still want to stick around, good! Before we go down this rabbit hole, you all should be aware the events in Part 1 was still a soul switch not soul combination as others were led to believe in Part 2. I will explain more further down.
Anyways for those sticking around, it is time to put our thinking caps on! Time to analyze!
What Potentially Led To Part 2 Script Adjustments and FL Change?
Now, be aware that what I discuss here is highly speculative. So do not quote me or anything. This is just my impression and should not be taken as a matter of fact. Below is an AOS timeline. There may be some inaccuracies for the exact starting and ending date of Part 1 filming. However, everything else in red should be correct.
According to my Korean friend whose husband works in the Korean entertainment industry, the production budget is determined before filming starts and you are unable to request additional money later on. This means once the production budget is determined, the producers cannot exceed the initial budget. It works the same way in the US. Although in the US, exceptions can be made if a show or film holds great promise or if the producer is willing to receive less of their producer's fees.
Based on varying reports, the production cost for Part 1 (20 episodes) ranged from 35-40 billion won (28-32-million USD). For reference, the production cost for fantasy dramas like "Bulgasal" was around 31-40 billion won (25-32 million USD) for 16 episodes. From this, you can see the money for AOS was already stretched given there was a total of 20 episodes in Part 1. Something to point out is it is not clear whether the production budget was determined for all 30 episodes or broken up into two different production budgets (i.e 20 episodes and 10 episodes). I am thinking it was the former just because it would explain why the Hong Sisters had initially hired rookie actors/actresses over more seasoned actors/actresses. Rookies are usually paid less because they do not have as much experience in comparison to more senior actors/actresses. Therefore, by hiring rookies, they could save on money. Bear in mind this was a 30 episodes FANTASY drama so you have to save on money where you can so you can divert money towards CGI, set construction, costumes, larger filming crews, etc.
At the very beginning of AOS production there were a few very costly hiccups. Most notably, the OG FL rookie actress, Park Hae Eun, leaving at the very beginning of filming for Part 1. Luckily, the AOS production team managed to convince Jung So Min to play the FL role. Although this would eat into the production budget because Jung So Min was a seasoned actress, she would be able to give the show the stability it needed. And who knows, maybe the people who financed AOS would be more willing to provide additional money if the production team had hired a more seasoned actress.
I do want to point out that one of the production companies (High Quality; a CJ ENM subsidiary) left after Part 1. The reason for it is unknown. Was it because of this production company's departure that the AOS team were left unable to afford Jung So Min or was it because of Jung So Min's agency at the time did not allow her to sign onto Part 2 which led to High Quality's departure? I do not really know and can only speculate that it was the latter.
During the Part 1 press conference (June 14, 2022), the director said the Hong Sisters were currently working on Part 2 script (more like rewriting the entire script). Then on July 12th, rumors began to circulate the FL would be recasted for Part 2. Subsequently, Blossom Entertainment released the following two statements.
"We ask for your understanding that we arent able to tell you whether she'll be in part 2 or not because it would be a spoiler for Part 1."
"She did not appear to get off, but originally signed a contract to appear in Part 1".
On August 2nd, it was announced Jung So Min would join a new agency. Following this announcement, AOS production team said on August 8th, there will be a one week hiatus "to enhance the level of completion for the second half" aka this means they needed time to edit Eps 17-20 so it could flow better with the narrative in Part 2. Who the hell knows what they had removed in those episodes. All I know is that Eps 18-19 felt weird.
Collectively, I think what ended up happening is that AOS production team was unable to get Jung So Min. They were forced to hire a rookie actress and not just any rookie actress, it had to be Go Youn Jung as to avoid even more controversy. This show did not need any more controversy. In turn, the Hong Sisters were forced to completely rewrite Part 2 while editing out things in Part 1.
If there is anyone to blame for the poor quality of Part 2, it's either Blossom or AOS production team and not the Hong Sisters nor Jung So Min herself. I am sure Jung So Min would have gladly sign onto Part 2 and taken a lesser fee, but was unable to because she was bound to whatever contract she signed with Blossom.
I am not even a screenwriter, but this just sounds super stressful. Like imagine if you had already planned to tell your story a certain way with the actress you want, but due to funding issues and actress availability, you had to completely rewrite your story in such a really short amount of time. The Hong Sisters were put in a difficult situation and were forced to make the best of it. Based on things were in Part 2, it seemed the Hong Sisters hated every minute of it. This was evident by the lack of pun filled and witty lines, double meanings, and tight writing. All the things that made Part 1 great and stereotypically Hong Sisters.
After reanalyzing everything from Part 2 and taking into consideration all the things that occurred outside of the show itself, I believe the Hong Sisters did manage to save the one character they intended to be the real star of this entire show which is Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu (meaning Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon). Continue reading below to see how the soul we saw in the majority of Part 2 was not Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon, but was actually Mu Deok/Cho Yeong, a soul I thought I though had gone back to her OG body and died.
Which Soul Did We See the Majority of Part 2?
Surprise surprise people..... it was "Mu Deok" whose real name was...drum roll please...Cho Yeong! Are you shocked? I mean this is what the majority of AOS fandom had been begging for during Part 1. Everyone was like OMG I want to know more about the real Mu Deok (because many thought she was the powerful Jin Bu Yeon lol) . And well, this is exactly what you got exactly in Part 2. As it turned out though, "Mu Deok" was really just Cho Yeong.... a damsel in distress who followed Jang Uk around like a lost puppy and a total superficial airhead. She was neither a powerful skillful mage nor a great shaman/divine priestess. Those qualities belonged to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon who is currently a spirit lingering around waiting for Mu Deok/Cho Yeong to leave so she can finally have her own body, name, and face (JSM face) back.
A brief digression. In AOS where soul shifting is possible, names and their associated alternative names can get rather confusing when combined with bodies and souls. It is like do you call someone by their soul or body name? Imagine if my alternative name was "Honey" and my soul was in a body whose alternative name was "Biscuit". What would people call me? "Honey" or "Biscuit"? Well, people would just see your outside appearance and call you "Biscuit" even though you were "Honey". Then you find out the body's real name is “Sarah” and the name of the body you were previously in was “Taylor”. Essentially, this is what happened in AOS. In Part 1, the soul inside was called "Naksu" (alternative name) and she lived in a body whose alternative name was "Mu Deok". Everyone in Part 1, called that soul "Mu Deok" instead of "Naksu". People called that soul by a body name instead of the soul name. For me, I kept calling her by her soul alternative name which was "Naksu". As for the what Naksu's true identity was? I ended up figuring out back in Part 1 that her true soul identity was actually "Jin Bu Yeon". All that happened in Part 1 was that she had finally returned in her OG body (but did not know it yet) and was on the path to discovering her real identity which was Jin Bu Yeon (not "Cho Yeong" as many viewers were led to believe). In doing so, her soul, body, face, real name would have finally become one aka Naksu soul=Jin Bu Yeon soul back in her OG body (Jin Bu Yeon body) and finally being called by her real name "Jin Bu Yeon" with her real face (JSM face). This journey would have finally came to its conclusion in Part 2. However, this journey got sidetracked REAL QUICK because the story in Part 2 got switched to being about the real Mu Deok's soul journey to discovering she was "Cho Yeong".....the anger I feel right now. For everyone who felt duped and angry by Part 2, I want you all to know, your feelings were definitely valid. Just imagine being the Hong Sisters who were forced to write this....they were probably like 1000x more pissed because they had worked so hard in Part 1 to set up certain things up only to have it never fully being shown. In this aspect, I can totally relate to the Hong Sisters. After all, I did end up having to delete numerous pages of stuff I had worked really hard on because of shit like plagiarists.
Before I go any further, I want you all to understand that the soul in the picture to the left IS NOT THE SAME SOUL in the picture to the right. I know we cannot see souls so that is why I have placed different color hearts as a way to help you all see this and to understand things better. The left red heart is Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's soul and the right pink heart is Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul. Got it? If you do not understand this concept then you can simply exit out of this post because I am tired of explaining things repeatedly.
Now, recall that the Cho Yeong body (GYJ body) to the left was burnt and gone. The body to the right is the Jin Bu Yeon body (JSM body) except with the face of GYJ (think of this like a mask). The reason why it looks this way is because Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul/energy is inside Jin Bu Yeon's body and her energy is being used to help Jin Bu Yeon's body (JSM body) to heal. Therefore, this is why the Jin Bu Yeon body (JSM body) has the GYJ face. It is suppose to represent that the soul inside Jin Bu Yeon's body is not the same soul we followed back in Part 1.
So, why did Master Lee bring back such a useless soul (Mu Deok/Cho Yeong soul)? Well, in an indirect way he was trying to help Naksu (whose soul was lingering around) to move on and become who she was all along which was Jin Bu Yeon, a mage/shaman/divine priestess tribrid. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon could never realize her destiny nor regain her shaman/divine powers if she could not discard her old life as "Naksu". Side note, Master Lee could have easily brought back Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's soul (since he had mastered Hwansu)....but like I said earlier, Hong Sisters had to completely rewrite Part 2 to somehow fit the appearance of Go Youn Jung.
A scene I want to revisit is the following below. Master Lee mentions two names during these scenes, "Jin Bu Yeon" and "Naksu". Keep in mind, Master Lee likes to change names to suit whoever he is speaking with. Often, characters and viewers tend to misinterpret what he means. For example, Mama Jin thinks Mu Deok=Jin Bu Yeon and Naksu=Cho Yeong. However, Master Lee knows it is Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon and Mu Deok=Cho Yeong...but he does not tell Mama Jin this.
I know this can be confusing. Just every time you see Master Lee mentioning "Naksu", he means Mu Deok=Cho Yeong, but characters and viewers interpret this as meaning Naksu=Cho Yeong. Why does he do this? To keep everyone else in the dark about the real truth which is that before Naksu became Naksu, she was originally Jin Bu Yeon.
If we redid this dialogue to make it more understandable, it would go like this "Cho Yeong (Mu Deok) did not take over this body using the alchemy of souls. Her soul was actually locked up inside this body." This statement is true. Mu Deok/Cho Yeong did not perform the Alchemy of Souls spell. It was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon who did it back in Ep 1.
After Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon had performed the Alchemy of Souls spell (Ep 1) and returned to her OG body (JSM body), she left Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul to return to her now dead OG body (GYJ body). However, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul did not move onto the afterlife. Instead, she remained next to Jang Uk as an invisible spirit because they were fated for each other and were a pair. Master Lee saw Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's spirit lingering next to Jang Uk and this is why he told Kim Do Joon as much back in Ep 13. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon subconsciously trapped Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul and fed off of it until she had regained her full divine powers. Nom nom nom...soul food. Why did Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon do this? Because she was a soul who was willing to do anything to survive and accomplish a goal.
I know many will ask me when exactly did Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon swap with Mu Deok/Cho Yeong? I believe it was during the boat inccident. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon had tried to destroy the Ice Stone, but she somehow inadvertently swapped hers and Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's souls. Although, I would not doubt it was Master Lee who did it given how during that scene in Ep 19, it looked like there was someone watching from the shore. We may never find out if it was Master Lee or Jin Bu Yeon herself who did the swap just because the AOS team did edit those episodes.
Going back to Mu Deok/Cho Yeong, what did Master Lee erase from her? He erased Cho Yeong's memories from when she was a child to adult living in Jin Bu Yeon's body as "Mu Deok", the girl from Sari. Why did he do that? So that she would be willing to accept Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's memories as her own and not run wild. Side note, I still think Master Lee is probably Mage/Shaman Choi Cheol because he of how he was able to erase Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's memories. Who's to say he was not the same person who erased Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's childhood memories and changed it so she thought her childhood memories were Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's memories?
Although Master Lee was the one who erased Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's memories, it was actually Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon (mage/shaman/divine priestess) who planted her own memories inside Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's head. As Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon was remembering her real childhood memories (Jin Bu Yeon childhood memories; shown off screen because Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon is an invisible spirit right now and AOS team could not show JSM as an astral projection because of other crap), she began to become gain back even more of shaman/divine priestess powers which included abilities like transmitting her memories and changing a soul's memories, opening portals, jumping in and out of her own body, etc. Why did Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon do this? To give back the life she took from Mu Deok/Cho Yeong. Y'all lets take a moment to appreciate how freaking selfless Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon really was!!
Jin Mu...The Man Who Finally Recognized Naksu's True Identity
Throughout this show, I had felt Jin Mu was a pretty useless character. However, the real purpose of his storyline was to reveal something pretty important to viewers. He was one of the selected few who finally realized Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon. Let's take a look at some of the scenes below. In Ep 22, Jin Mu is confused as to why the Naksu face was called Jin Bu Yeon. This was the Hong Sisters' subtle way to let viewers know that back in Ep 1, the soul that was in the body known as "Naksu" was Jin Bu Yeon not Cho Yeong.
In Ep 23, Jin Mu says that even though the girl has Naksu's face, her energy is different than from the Naksu he knew. What does this tell you? That the soul currently residing in that body with the "Naksu" face is not the same soul Jin Mu and viewers had knew back in Ep 1. Jin Mu thought he was raising Cho Yeong to become Naksu, but in reality he ended up raising Jin Bu Yeon who became Naksu except he did not know this until later on.
Now the the person who summoned Jang Uk and CP to Gwido was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's spirit. Recall from earlier, I did say that as Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon began to remember more of Jin Bu Yeon memories, the more divine powers she would have. Therefore, she was the one who opened the portal for Jang Uk and CP. Why did she do this? So they could come rescue the useless soul that is currently residing in her body aka Mu Deok/Cho Yeong.
The soul who entered that body after the wraiths scene was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. Before that moment, it was just Mu Deok/Cho Yeong soul. How do I know this? Because of the personality differences. The main difference between Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and Mu Deok/Cho Yeong is that one soul fights back regardless if they are physically weak while the other soul runs, but does not fight back and waits for someone to save her. I do understand though that it can be difficult to differentiate between the real deal or just someone who has someone else's memories. Mu Deok/Cho Yeong deep down is like cotton candy while with Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon is like hellfire!
It was during the scene below that Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon regain nearly all of her Jin Bu Yeon childhood memories which allowed her to enter her own body once more to take revenge on Jin Mu. This is literally one of the most important scenes that many viewers had overlooked. Look at what Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon says to Jin Mu. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon (not Mu Deok/Cho Yeong) tells him about finding the Ice Stone when she was a child as Jin Bu Yeon and then she called him "Danju" to indicate to him she was also his assassin...Naksu! It was at this fucking moment that Jin Mu knew he fucked up. Jin Mu finally realized that the soul he groom to become "Naksu" was not Cho Yeong, but was actually Jin Bu Yeon. BOOM LOOK WHO IS RIGHT! Me! Small victories! Collectively, this scene proved that Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon, not "Cho Yeong"!
Why Did Neither Seo Yul Nor Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon Never Tell Jang Uk About the Divination Bells?
After exiting Gwido, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon (not Mu Deok/Cho Yeong) meets up with Seo Yul. At this point, best boy Seo Yul has finally figured out Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon and that the soul from earlier in Part 2 was just Mu Deok/Cho Yeong and not actually Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon herself. Seo Yul disclosed all of the information about the divination bells only to her because he knew he was talking to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon now and not Mu Deok/Cho Yeong. Seo Yul thought one of the biggest reasons Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon did not want to stay is because she felt guilty for killing her own father (Jin Woo Tak) and ruining her sister's wedding. And Seo Yul did not want her to feel guilty since it really was not her fault.
He also tells her all of this because he wanted her to stay.
However, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon said regardless of whether or not it was her fault, she still did perform the Alchemy of Souls spell which allowed her to be controlled by Jin Mu in the first place. If that was discovered, people would also eventually find out that she did kill an innocent person (Mu Deok/Cho Yeong) since she had forced Mu Deok/Cho Yeong to return to her OG body (GYJ body) to die in Ep 1. Anyways, both Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and Seo Yul decide to not tell Jang Uk about the bells because they do not want to burst Jang Uk’s bubble of ignorance lol. They will continue to let him think he is married to the soul from Part 1 so he can be happy.
This is the thing about Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. She wanted the people she cared about to always remember her as Jin Bu Yeon, a kind and beautiful soul and not as someone who committed terrible acts while she was Naksu (soul shifter through using soul ejectors/AOS spell, forcing an innocent soul to return to their OG body and die, killing her own father, ruining her sister's wedding, killing her lover, etc.). I know this is not what the Hong Sisters had intended to happen to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon.....BUT THIS STILL HURTS Y'ALL. I still think originally everything was suppose to framed so that all the blamed would be placed on both Jin Mu and Jang Uk, but again crap happened behind the scenes so the Hong Sisters had to rewrite stuff so that all the blame was placed on Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon instead.
Another rant. It was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon who was suppose to get a happy ending not fucking Jang Uk. If Jang Uk had died (it would have added to his character growth arc), then Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon could have been reunited with her family and marry a man who truly loved her, Seo Yul. This could have acted as a connecting point to the past. A marriage between Seo Yul and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's would have symbolized something that was suppose to happen 203 years ago between Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran. And she would finally get to fucking shine with all of her immense powers!!!! The reason why characters like Seo Yul, Mama Jin, Jin Cho Yeon, and Park Dang Gu had their stories either pushed to the side or made to be a villain is because their development had depended a lot on Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's story which I mean did not really happen in Part 2. Like the events of AOS story started with a Seo and Jin being torn apart so it would have made more sense that the story ended with a Seo and Jin finally being together (coming full circle). Instead, it ended with Jang/Cho being together and Seo/Jin still separated?! K...tell me the logic in that.
Who Did Jang Uk Marry In Part 2?
That idiot ended up marrying Mu Deok aka Cho Yeong. He really did not recognize that the soul he had fell in love with in Part 1 was not the same soul he met and married in Part 2. This is a marriage of two idiots honestly. All the while, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon was an invisible spirit who had to witness this whole wedding...how painful is that?! Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon was unable to do anything except watch. This was almost as bad as when the Little Mermaid (non Disney version) had to watch the Prince marry the Princess and the Little Mermaid was helpless to stop it.
Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's Final Goodbye To Jang Uk
So who was Master Lee referring to when he said "her"? He was referring to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. What Master Lee meant was that he hoped Jang Uk and Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's love for each other would reach Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. And well, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon received that message loud and clear because she used her divine powers to summon Jang Uk through the yin and yang jade.
This was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's final attempt to get Jang Uk to recognize her. She allowed him to see her true self which is Jin Bu Yeon. And did he understand what she was communicating? Hell no. So then Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon went back into her body to literally spell it out for Jang Uk and motherfucker still did not understand. It was during this time that Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon finally realized that she and Jang Uk were never meant to be together from the start. It was really Mu Deok/Cho Yeong and Jang Uk who were meant to be together. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon severed this fate when she swapped back into her OG body (JSM body) and left the Mu Deok/Cho Yeong soul to swap back into her OG body (GYJ body) and die.
Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon tells Jang Uk he truly did not recognize her which is true. Jang Uk still thought she was Naksu as in Cho Yeong hence why he mentioned she killed him to avenge her father, Cho Chung. In reality, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's real father was Jin Woo Tak. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon chose to not tell Jang Uk about the bells because it would be futile. Jang Uk would have never believed she was Jin Bu Yeon regardless of what she showed or told him.
Jang Uk was seriously a lost cause. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon allowed him to see the innermost part of her soul AND HE STILL DID NOT FREAKING GET IT. What an idiot. Literally...how could he not tell the difference between the real soul and a soul who has someone else's memories. Good riddance Jang Uk, you truly did not deserve Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to begin with. After witnessing how everything unfolded, Naksu chose to finally let go of Jang Uk so she could go on to becoming someone greater...her real authentic self....Jin Bu Yeon.
Naksu Finally Emerging as Her True Self..Jin Bu Yeon.. The Phoenix
Cue the entrance of Naksu now Jin Bu Yeon. The metaphorical egg had cracked wide open to reveal Jin Bu Yeon, the Phoenix. And next to Jin Bu Yeon is none other than loyal Seo Yul (the real man who saw Naksu for who she truly was....Jin Bu Yeon...a divine goddess). These scenes below of Seo Yul and Jin Bu Yeon are a call back to Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran. The OG fated lovers and pair before there was ever a Jang Uk and Cho Yeong. Two pure souls reunited! Side note, for continuity purposes, they should have had Jung So Min during these crucial last few scenes.
If you noticed in Ep 7, Jin Seol Ran was always in the light while Seo Gyeong remained in the shadows. And this theme is depicted once again in EP 30 through Seo Yul's dark colored clothing and Jin Bu Yeon's light colored clothing. Jin Seol Ran had a lot of darkness in her, but Seo Gyeong embraced it all so she could shine like the bright star she was. And for Jin Seol Ran, Seo Gyeong was her light in the darkness.
Seo Yul stuck by Jin Bu Yeon's side until the very end. You will also notice that during the following scenes below, Jin Bu Yeon did not directly talk to the other characters. Rather, it was Seo Yul who was the one communicating her thoughts for her to the others. It makes me wonder if one of Jin Bu Yeon's divine powers was telepathy.
Now, let's take a moment to appreciate Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. This girl had to endure so much pain and sadness and in the end, she saved all of her friends as well as all of Daeho. And no one with the exception of Master Lee and Seo Yul, would have known any better. Side note, they could have included Jung So Min without the blindfold to show that the soul from Part 1 was the one who saved everyone, but like I said earlier….there were problems behind the scenes. Anyways, I will say it again....NAKSU/JIN BU YEON DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!!!!! Once Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon remembered all of her memories (JBY childhood memories) and let go of her past life/pain/resentment, her energy changed from pink to white, symbolizing purity. Additionally, her powers could be glowing white because when she was Naksu, her powers did glow white, symbolizing mage powers. Point being, we got to see her mage and divine powers combined. I AM NOT CRYING RIGHT NOW...BUT REALLY I AM BAWLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hong Sisters if you are reading this (and I hope you are since I sent you a link to blog since early August), please have Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon come back for a Part 3. This time please have Jung So Min play her!!!
Naksu now Jin Bu Yeon's Final Gift to Jang Uk
So what was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's final gift to the man who did not recognize nor really love her? The useless freaking idiot, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong, who could only see energy. Contrary to what Cho Yeong said, she does not have any other divine powers other than seeing energy. Meaning, she would not be able to cast spells nor Chisu, Tansu, or whatever else. The reason why Mu Deok/Cho Yeong would be unable to perform any divine acts of magic is because Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon only gave her the memories. Additionally, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul is not a divine soul thus it does not have any divine powers whatsoever. If push came to shove, she would be flailing around screaming for Jang Uk to come save her.
Despite having Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's memories, some things could not properly be translated into Mu Deok/Cho Yeong such as the qualities which made Naksu/JIn Bu Yeon a truly unique soul (independence, motivation, ambition, fierceness, bravery, self sacrificing, etc). Mu Deok/Cho Yeong is like imitation crab meat of the real deal (Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon). As for Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's sword, she does not deserve it because she is not Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. She is just Mu Deok/Cho Yeong....a plain, stupid, superficial, foolishly kind, weak, and helpless soul. Additionally, did anyone notice how Mu Deok/Cho Yeong wore her hair in that ponytail hairstyle? This was similar to how she wore it as a child. In Part 1, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon had ended up wearing her hair in a similar style as when she was a child (hair down with side braids).
If and when her and Jang Uk have kids, they would probably be powerless kids. Why? Because the King Star energy does not transfer to their offsprings. If it had, Seo Yul would have the King Star energy given that he is a descendant of the first King Star, Seo Gyeong. When it comes to Cho Yeong, she only has Cho clan energy so maybe at best their child would reach Chisu? Then again, their kids would have very lazy parents so maybe they would never ever make anything of themselves.
So yea...these two superficial and immature souls are definitely a match made in heaven! They were able to get the life they got due to others' hard work and sacrifice. And the truly sad part in all of this, is that they did not even realize it. Ignorance is bliss. That is the dark side to the seemingly bright "happy ending" of Alchemy of Souls Part 2.
Who Knew Naksu Was Really Jin Bu Yeon?
Not many. Literally there are only two people left alive who knows the real truth about Naksu and those people are feigning ignorance so that everyone else can heal and move on. The only reason why Jin Mu and Seo Yul knew the truth was because they had known Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon the longest in comparison to other characters. And Seo Yul had met Jin Bu Yeon before she even became “Naksu” in Danhyanggot.
Those who knew the real truth which is Naksu's soul=Jin Bu Yeon's soul:
Master Lee
Seo Yul
Jin Mu (right before he had the empty Ice Stone placed inside of him)
Those who think Naksu's soul=Cho Yeong's soul:
Mama Jin
Jang Uk
Those who think Jin Bu Yeon is just Jin Bu Yeon:
CP/The King
Park Jin
Kim Do Joon
Park Dang Gu
Heo Yun Ok
Jin Cho Yeon
What Happened to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's Soul Afterwards?
Either she is in hibernation in her own body or lingering as a spirit next to her fated other half (Seo Yul) or back in the Ice Stone waiting to come out again. Do I think she is completely gone? Hell to the NO. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon is a survivor and a divine soul. She also still has unfinished business to attend to which is to destroy the Ice Stone. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon should pluck out that damn Ice Stone out of Jang Uk’s chest. I will be patiently awaiting for that moment as well as when she retakes her sword!
And let's be real here, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong neither has the galls nor the powers to remove the Ice Stone out of Jang Uk's chest. That much is apparent. She does not have what it takes to do what is necessary for the greater good.
Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon also has the power of Hwansu (method of coming back to life..I just think of it as reaching nirvana or a full enlightenment). Meaning she could if she ever wanted to, float into a dead body. The Hong Sisters could then have that dead body have the face of Jin Bu Yeon (JSM) as to indicate the soul inside is Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. I mean that's the logic they used with the GYJ face anyways.
Let’s review all the things Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon managed to accomplish while she was around:
1. Discovered her real identity
2. Punished the man who ruined her life
3. Avenged her father
4. Gave her former lover someone else to love
5. Gave the soul whose life she stole a second chance filled with love, family, and friends....NO BUT REALLY FUCK MU DEOK/CHO YEONG.
6. Leave her real name untarnished by her horrible past
7. Save all of fucking Daeho because let’s be real here, without Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and her divine powers, Jang Uk would have never been able to wake up big bird himself.
FUCKING PROUD OF YOU NAKSU/JIN BU YEON!! YOU ARE A BADASS BIRDY!!
Final Thoughts on Part 2
I am brain dead. It has been an emotional roller coaster. Was Part 2 worth watching? No. Was it the Hong Sisters' best work? Hell nah. Did the Hong Sisters want you to love Part 2? Hell no they did not. I will say though, they could have express their frustrations in other ways rather than taking it out on some female characters. Although I get it haha. They had planned for Jang Uk to either die or marry Heo Yun Ok and since that did not get to happen, they made her into a petty bitch. And with Soi...do you guys know what her story ended beautifully? It was because her character's story had paralleled Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's story. Meaning that Naksu had grew up in a dark filthy world and the only brightness she ever saw was when Seo Yul had visited her in Danhyanggot. Also, with the whole foresight thing and the firebird situation…..umm if Jin Seol Ran had foreseen this a long time ago, why did she not have Seo Gyeong destroy the firebird back then? Furthermore, if Jin Bu Yeon was Jin Seol Ran with the gift of foresight, why would she allow herself to be used by Jin Mu to find the Ice Stone in the first place? I smell lies haha. Maybe Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and Master Lee had worked together to deceive others with their goal being to help others to move on from Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. Therefore, maybe Jin Bu Yeon was just Jin Bu Yeon and not a reincarnation of Jin Seol Ran. The Hong Sisters had done something similar in Hotel Del Luna. For example, the old lady deity had tricked Man Wol into believing Chan Sang was the reincarnation of Chung Myung when in fact he was not. Therefore, I would not put it pass the Hong Sisters to not pull the same trick again in AOS.
Potential for Part 3?
Hong Sisters, if you're reading this, since you used some stuff from my blog, might I suggest some titles for Part 3? How about "Alchemy of Souls: Reincarnation" or "Alchemy of Souls: Resurrection"?
Now I do not want to get your hopes up, but I really do feel there is a lot of potential for a Part 3 plot wise. However, this is wholly dependent on certain factors such as actor/actresses schedule availability and funding. The Hong Sisters would not have to do much in terms of writing other than some minor tweaks. I think they would still want to tell the story they had worked so hard on in the first place. Alchemy of Souls was suppose to be the pinnacle of the Hong Sister's career as kdrama writers but it ended up crashing into flames. I can only imagine the disappointment they must have felt to see their story ending this way.
Maybe one of the reasons the Hong Sisters had left some major plot holes is because they are hoping to eventually produce a Part 3. For example, the Ice Stone in Jang Uk's chest or the unoccupied leader positions of Cheonbugwan and Seoho Fortress. Sure, some would say their other dramas had some plot holes, but I would argue and say those dramas only had at most 3-4 minor plot holes. While in Part 2, there were so many major plot holes that if this were a boat, the boat would have already sank within one second of being in the waters.
How could things go if Part 3 were to happen? Well, it could start with Jang Uk's death. Sorry to all of those who were hoping to see more Jang Uk. I have been done with his stupid ass of a character since Part 1. Anyways, through his death, the Ice Stone would be used to fuel Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu's resurrection. As for Mu Deok/Cho Yeong since she is his shadow, her soul can leave with him too. Since the Ice Stone is back in the world, a new King Star should also rise to destroy the Ice Stone once and for all. Although the King Star isn't so much new, but more like old haha.
Building off of the logic of how fated lovers are always born in pairs, it would not be farfetched to think that when Jin Bu Yeon (the reincarnation of Jin Seol Ran) was born, her other half Seo Gyeong was also born/reincarnated too. And who might that be? Seo Yul. Part 3 could be about how after Jin Bu Yeon is revived, she could help Seo Yul to remember his Seo Gyeong memories which could enable him to have his King Star powers again. In doing so, it would explain why Seo Yul had coincidentally ran into Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon in Danyanggot of all places as well as why he kept having weird visions throughout Parts 1 and 2. Seo Yul also seemed to be a real old soul from an early age just like Jin Bu Yeon was. Something random is Seo Yul's final outfit in Part 2, they were nearly the same colors of Jin Bu Yeon's outfit when she was performing the firebird awakening ritual. Could it be that Jin Bu Yeon gave Seo Yul his Seo Gyeong memories back and this is why he decided to take over the Songrim position? Hmmmm.
So why would these two need to be at their best? To stop whoever or whatever enemy the Seo's were fighting along the borders. Maybe the enemies at Seoho Fortress are like the equivalent of Ice Walkers from Game of Thrones who are controlled by the ruler of the country next to Daeho. This would require a group effort from all the other characters like Jin Cho Yeon, Park Dang Gu, the King (sorry I still want to call him CP), and whoever the new leader of Cheonbugwan is. And we would finally get to see Jin Bu Yeon at her finest in action....a mage/shaman/divine priestess tribrid fighting the enemies to the west of the Daeho. And there could more scenes of Park Danggu being a bad ass archer and Jin Cho Yeon using the relics to assist in the fight against the enemies along the border. Somewhere in between all of that craziness, it’ll be great to see Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon having some much needed sister time with Jin Cho Yeon. She could even help babysit Dan and Gang haha.
Also, it’ll be great to have a scene with Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon Chisu her way to the top of the tree and see the moon (she said in P1 how she used to love going up the tree to look at the moon). Seo Yul can Chisu his way up there too and join her haha. With regards to the relics in Jinyowon, they could further explain why Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran had created all these relics in the first place. I mean there was a mirror of longing, binding bracelet, fluffy, Gwiseo, and other countless relics. In Ep 7, they said the relics were created with sorcery….so did Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran dabble in the dark arts or something? Why didn’t they destroy the relics in the first place if they knew they were dangerous? And remember Master Lee? They could even introduce the plot twist that he was really Master Choi Cheol, the first mage to perform the Alchemy of Souls and how he never really died inside of Gwido as many had thought.
And at the end of this long journey, Jin Bu Yeon/Jin Seol Ran would finally be reunited with her family and married to a man (Seo Yul/Seo Gyeong) who was as pure and kind as she was . A match some 200 years in the making! NOW THAT WOULD MAKE FOR AN EPIC ROMANCE.
OK THAT IS ALL I GOT OUT OF ME!! If you have any more questions, I will be more than happy to answer them. I am sure I have forgotten to talk about some things! Oh well!
Another Day, Another Plagiarist and Leaker On Reddit
I thought by now people would know I have eyes and ears everywhere. So here I am yet again having to deal with yet another plagiarist. And this one is even worst....they're also a leaker! Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, this dumbass decided to play dumb and pretend they didn't know about my blog until someone else on Reddit told them about it.
Following that, this person tried to make it seem like they didn't take and leak stuff from my blog by including a link to my blog in their post after the fact because they didn't want to get downvoted...HAHAHA HILARIOUS!!!!
I AM FREAKING LIVID!! Let's take a look at plagiarism and leaking at its finest!
Exhibit #1
No one and I mean absolutely no one besides me had came up with the Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon theory. Another dead giveaway this person has been following on Twitter as well as on Tumblr is their usage of "JBY". Most people refer to Jin Bu Yeon as either Jin Bu Yeon, Bu Yeon, or Buyeon. I, on the other hand, sometimes refer to her as JBY.
Exhibit #2
"Mama Jin" is also a nickname I frequently use both here on my Tumblr account as well as Twitter. Word of advice, if you want to get away with plagiarizing someone's work...YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO USE THE NAME NICKNAMES AS THEY DO...JUST SAYING.
Then let's look at this lovely statement of theirs:
"I feel like once her memories returns (both the body and the soul's) the face will also return but here is where it will get tricky because I dont see JSM going back to AOS2 because of how they are promoting LJWxGYJ like crazy."
Riddle me this, if you came up with your own theory.....why the hell are you disagreeing with yourself?! A person who comes up with their own theory would not be disagreeing with themselves. Why? BECAUSE THEY FUCKING SPENT TIME RESEARCHING AND THINKING AND THEREFORE HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO DEFEND THEIR THEORY. Jesus Christ.
Without revealing the rest of my post, I will only show you the portion that this idiot decided to freaking plagiarize and leak:
Its amazing....how freaking SIMILAR MY SHIT IS TO WHAT THEY SAID.
Continuing on with this idiot, they also decided to end their post with something that sounds so similar to what I write in my T&A post. They said:
"This is will be for today's theory and analysis. If you have any questions too or counter arguments I would love to see those"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHO IN THE AOS FANDOM USES "THEORIES AND ANALYSIS"....MEEEEEEEE!!! Below is what I included in my AOS2 blog posts.
Again, what they said is nearly identical to what I originally said!
Exhibit #3
And if you think it stops there.....you're in for a treat everyone!!! This person also decided to take my diagram and used it in their header on Reddit...HAHA.
For those who don't know, this diagram was from my TA post for Eps 7-8. You can see it below.
Exhibit #4
In my original post for Eps 23-24, I had said 200 years ago and then in a more recent post on my Twitter, I corrected myself and said 203 years later. See below.
This person also decided to say 203 years ago in a response to another comment. If I hadn't corrected myself when I posted on Twitter...this idiot wouldn't have caught it either.
You can go and see for yourself on Reddit how this person pretended they didn't know about my blog and then took stuff from it. It's quite hilarious to read their comments and responses since they have no clue what they are talking about. There are many things I did not explicitly state in my blog posts because quite frankly I was too lazy to type more than I already had. I'm glad I didn't because it leaves people like this dumbasses unable to fully explain stuff when asked.
Whelp I'm done with my venting and ousting this disgusting human being! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Alchemy of Souls: Links to My Earlier Theories and Analysis Posts and Supplemental Posts
Before people go around claiming they were the ones who came up with the Naksu's soul=Jin Bu Yeon's soul theory on their own.....everyone should know I AM THE MOTHER OF NAKSU IS JIN BU YEON THEORY. BEEN SO SINCE JULY OF THIS YEAR.
Theories and Analysis Posts
Hello everyone! I'm back again to analyze and theorize! This time I'm choosing to write about "Alchemy of Souls"! For readers who have stuck
I'm usually highly accurate at predicting what will happen next based off clues or evidence, but in this week’s episodes, some of my theorie
Ice Stone and Soul Ejectors
What is the Ice Stone? It is energy similar to the energy of the Sun or a star or energy of a person who has ma
For this week’s theories and analysis post, I don’t think there’s much to add that I haven’t already gone over either here or my Twitter acc
Hi fellow readers!
For this week’s theories and analysis post, I won’t be writing as much as I usually do! I’m currently in the process of
Hey fellow readers!
If this is your first time reading my blog, I strongly suggest you read all of my other posts before continuing to read
Supplemental Posts
Here on my blog I like to think through things in many different ways. Solving mysteries and coming up with new theories is always so much f
This is just a quick post on how soul shifting works. I think ALOT of people misunderstood how it works leading them to form very flawed the
Memories can be distorted in a variety of ways. They can also be used by someone like Jin Mu to carry out his nefarious plans.
So let's sta
The legend of Chang'E (hint hint ... looks like "change" ) starts out like this. Back when the Earth was still young there were 10 suns. The
Other supplemental posts can be found throughout this blog (i.e "Alchemy of Souls: Lost in Translation & Koreans' Perspective of AOS"). Tumblr would not allow me to post more links.
Alchemy of Souls Part 2 Theories and Analysis Blog Update
For those who have dm me either through Twitter or Tumblr about joining the password protected for part 2, you will receive another confirmation from me within the next 1-1.5 wks. I may have missed some people because it was hard to keep up with everyone who wanted to join. If you do not receive another confirmation message from me, please feel free to contact me again about it! For those who have not contacted me about joining, but would still like to join, you can message me with your tumblr username! Be aware the list is pretty long!
As a friendly reminder, I will only let ~10 people in at a time. I may allow more in per week, but it will depend if my theories get leaked or not. The first blog post for part 2 will be up before December 10. A warning for those who get in….it’s going to be a VERY LONG POST because I’ve had to keep a bunch of my thoughts/theories to myself for so long! Anyways, it’ll definitely be worth the read as always! I will make ALL my part 2 posts PUBLIC once the last episode airs!
Alchemy of Souls: Theories and Analysis for Eps 15-16
Hello readers and plagiarists,
I am done being nice. People have truly tested my patience.
Let's take a look at some examples of people who have been stealing my ideas/theories from this blog and reposting it as their own.
Exhibit #1
Huh...interesting....I wonder who uses the line "thinking caps on"........oh right....ME. Apparently this person loves wearing my thinking cap! Illusions and memories...so thought provoking.....would they have arrived at the same conclusions if they hadn't read my blog? Nope.
Exhibit #2
Wow.....the whole never seeing the King and Jang Gang swap back and only knowing based on the conversation they had after the swap back.......AMAZING!!! ASTONISHING!!! Too bad I was the only one who pointed these things out. Naksu being able to heal her eyes because she had gathered energy after learning many spells/skills in her previous body.....WOW...wonder where they got this from? They even used the word "data" hahahahaha. You know who else uses the word "data"? People in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)....... aka me...the scientist. In a recent dm with this person on Tumblr, I described to them how my thinking process worked (basically an adaptation of the scientific method). I told them I researched things I did not know, collected/gathered data (i.e things from the show), formed a hypothesis, analyzed data, reexamine my hypothesis if needed. So, if you see stuff about AOS endgames from this person, just know they didn't come up with those things. I was the one who told them mostly everything during a private message. It was my mistake for trusting such a despicable human being. The nerve for this person to say they had the "same thoughts" as me....same thoughts my ass.
Actually... good luck to all the plagiarists....I will not be here to explain everything that happens in Part 2!
Stupid people taking smart people's ideas just so they can receive praise. All they wanted was to feel good about themselves at my expense. They did not stop for a second to consider that this blogger right here had sacrificed time to eat and sleep just to come up with all of these ideas in the first place. All of my theories were a result of spending countless hours researching, rewatching episodes, and thinking about everything. Not to mention the many hours I spent writing and editing all these posts. These plagiarists also did not have to endure all the personal attacks I had received for all of my theories either. They received all the good things and none of the bad.
From Reddit to Facebook to Twitter, I am sick and tired of seeing so many people steal from me. I have had enough. I am trying to find the proper words to express how I feel right now, but I cannot. I am at a loss for words. I have never experienced this amount of plagiarism until now. Not when I wrote posts for TKEM, TOTNT, or DAYS. I cannot even think straight at this point.
For those who have done nothing wrong and have always given me credit for my ideas/theories, I want to thank you from the deepest parts of my heart. I am incredibly sorry for how things turned out.
To those who have come here to take more of my ideas/theories...
This will be my last T&A post for Part 1. I had written 11 pages and 5370 words, but thanks to all these plagiarists, I deleted nearly everything. What is left are some skeleton theories. I won't be including stuff about Part 2 and I will not be answering any more questions. For Part 2, I will be creating a separate password protected blog.
I do not even feel like saying "thinking caps on" anymore...
Shaman Choi and Jin Mu's Evil Plan
Past..Present..same but different.
Who's Jin Bu Yeon's Daddy?
Jang Gang.
Knowledge is Liberation
Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon-Jang Uk -Seo Yul
Jang Uk successfully gets Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon the Ice Stone.
Final Endgames
Jang Uk x Heo Yun Ok
Seo Yul x Jin Bu Yeon
Park Dang Gu x Jin Cho Yeon
Part 1 Ending
Takes place back on the icy lake from Ep1. Trapping of souls. Bad guys die. Bigger fish to fry at the western borders of Daeho.
Hello! I actually have read this theory way back but if I remember it well, it's from reddit? Like there was a post saying a theory from reddit said this... I know that this is the original from your account so I'm wondering if you have reddit account otherwise, somebody is stealing your work and posting it there. Anyway, regarding that JBY=Naksu. How do we reconcile it with season where it was announced that there will be a new female. I believe in yours so can you shed a light more? Thank you.
My Reddit is feelfree. To answer your other questions, go read my other posts. I’m not going to repeat myself again.
i like your theories although i only started reading them but like tbh I'm not a big fan of how you seem to imply that anyone who can't make the connections are stupid/missing the point.
"blind leads the blind" "ppl are going down the wrong route" - doesn't that seem very intense to you? there are some ppl who's just watching the show for entertainment and while your theories do make sense, isn't half of the fun of watching a show just enjoying and well, if the viewer's theory on future eps is wrong, welp plot twist for the viewer
sorry this may seem rude but I'm just expressing my thoughts
What can I say? I’m an extreme person who speaks their mind. I'm not about to change my personality to appease others. Take it or leave it.
AOS sends a very clear message that it's not ok to solely judge others by their appearance. This isn't an issue that only exists in the fantasy world. It's also a real problem present in our world. Every day we see people being completely ignorant, biased, and prejudiced. Are those types of people stupid or smart?
I've observed many people first start off by bashing and demeaning characters then it evolved to bashing actresses based on their looks. It has also progressed to the point where if anyone disagrees with the majority theory (based on biased views), they are immediately bullied into silence or afraid to speak up. That's the closed minded environment which has been created. And well, I'm not about to be silent about it nor put up with such ignorant behavior.
Can you recommend kdramas like AOS? Like the plot is interesting and it's not always what you think it is..
Oh that's a tough one. Hmmm my first thoughts are TKEM, Goblin, and TOTNT? In all honesty, I haven't watched a fantasy kdrama quite like AOS before lol. You really have to change your way of "seeing" things which in itself was pretty mind blowing for me.
It was mentioned in E03 that Heo Yeom was a member of the Seo family, hence why naksu tried to observe Seo Yul's breathing technique to help Uk. But then, Seo Yul was also mentioned by Master Heo in E08 and by the Crown Prince in E15 as a candidate for Heo Yeon-Ok's husband. Does this mean they are just distant relatives? I know blood marriages were common then but I'm just hoping they're not close cousins because I kind of want Seo Yul and Yeon-Ok to fall in love with each other later on 😅
On the tvn site under character information, it says Master Heo Yeom is a "collateral blood relative" of the Seo family. A collateral blood relative is like your cousins, uncles, nephew, nieces, etc. So Master Heo Yeom's mom could've been a Seo. If so, this would make Seo Yul's father, General Seo Il, Master Heo Yeom's first cousin. Simply put, Seo Yul and Heo Yun Ok are distantly related.
