Note to the hate-followers: You trawled the internet seeking for opinions on “Bulgasal” and you found mine. If my opinions find disfavor, then hie thee hence to the next blog (or in your crude language, fuck off). I write for my pleasure and edification, not yours.

Let’s begin.

Dark Hole: Stop it. Don’t. If you keep this up, we’ll both die.
Hwal: Both of us? Don’t be ridiculous.
Dark Hole: You still don’t get it. This is what she’s wanted all along. She’s been wanting this for a thousand years.
Hwal: Wanting what?
Dark Hole: To kill Bulgasal.

In her reincarnation as Kim Hwayeon, SangUn finally figured out how to get rid of Dark Hole. She realized that she had to make the two Bulgasal kill each other. “They have to stab each other’s hearts at the same time. They are the swords that can kill each other.”

However, it’s wrong to say that she wanted the Bulgasal killed. She wanted Bulgasal to stop chasing her, and killing her and her family members.

Dark Hole: Bulgasals are each other’s lifelines. Bulgasals aren’t immortal because they have no souls. It’s because they were born a pair from the beginning. So unless you kill them at the same time, you can never get rid of them. As long as one is alive, the other will never die.

Let’s break this down.

It’s true that the Bulgasals were each other’s lifelines. But when Dark Hole said that they came in pairs, it didn’t mean that Bulgasals were doubles or replicas of each other. A pair of Bulgasals were actually yin-yang or complementary to each other.

Like this one:

Also, if we follow Dark Hole’s logic, then Red Lady and Dark Hole were the original pair since she was already a Bulgasal when Hwal met her. The Red Lady would’ve been Dark Hole’s lifeline — or soulmate — at the time when Hwal killed her.

This raises the question of misdirected vengeance. WHY was Dark Hole hunting down SangUn (and her other previous reincarnated forms) instead of going after Hwal for wrongful death of his lifeline? Why would he seek Hwal’s assistance in killing of SangUn?

It didn’t make sense that he’d want her dead when:

a. she was his previous lifeline, and
b. her “killer” Hwal was roaming free.

My Factcheck: False

Hwal: So she wanted us to fight and kill each other? Why? I get why she wants to kill you. But why me?
Dark Hole: Because she hates you. A thousand years ago, she gave you the curse of Bulgasal. I told you that the woman who was born with no memory on purpose was deceiving you and taking advantage of you.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I think she gave Hwal the “curse of Bulgasal” — or the mark on the back of his hand — as an identifying mark so she could find Hwal when he reincarnated. But she was going after the soul of Ok EunTae which took over Hwal’s body.

Similarly, through 600 years, the Red Lady carried with her:

a. the “curse of Bulgasal” on her shoulder, and
b. the bad karma attached to the original soul-owner, Ok EunTae.

Hwal: (pouncing on him)
Dark Hole: What are you doing? Didn’t you hear what I said?
Hwal: No. I heard you loud and clear. She’s taking advantage of me? I don’t care. She can do whatever she wants. I just need to get rid of you for killing my family.
Dark Hole: What?
Hwal: (turns Dark Hole around)

Lol. Another back hug!!! Is this why he’d been back-hugging all the other characters in this drama? For practice? I noted six examples of back hugs in the Open Thread.

This is the seventh.

Hwal: I don’t care if it costs me my life. All I want to do is kill you, so you can never hurt my family again.
Dark Hole: This all happened because of you. You wanted this. It was for you. I did it for you. To turn you into Bulgasal. You asked me to turn you into Bulgasal a thousand years ago.

A thousand years ago, Dark Hole was only a human (and a murderer). It made no sense for Hwal to ask Dark Hole’s help in turning him into a Bulgasal when Dark Hole was just a human being himself.

My Factcheck: FALSE.

Dark Hole: So on that day 600 years ago, I brought that woman to you. To make you Bulgasal. To keep the promise I made to you!
Hwal: Stop lying to me! (pressing in the knife harder)

Nice try. There’s no way Hwal would’ve asked Dark Hole to kill his family. Dark Hole acted on his own when he killed Hwal’s wife and son.

Dark Hole: No! You’ll kill us both!
Hwal: I said I didn’t care. We can both die. Then we won’t be in perpetual pain as Bulgasals.
Dark Hole: No.

Then, cut away to SangUn looking for Hwal. She saw the knife and started crying. She must be thinking that the knife was all that’s left behind after Hwal and Dark Hole were killed together. They would have turned into embers, right?

Then, he came walking back.

We can tell that this is going to be a climactic moment by the number of different camera angles. They re-shot this scene a few times.

SangUn: You’re alive.

Hwal: I told you to stay at home.

Lol. As soon as I read the sub, I wanted to bow down and say, “Yes, Lord and Master … and @#$@#%!”

Seriously, This character’s imperious tone and manner grate on me. What century did he come from? Ohriiiight, 15th century. I wish the writer would remember what century we’re living in. This male high-handedness is a turn off especially when the female lead is a damsel in distress.

Hwal: Why are you here?
SangUn: (looking weepy) I don’t know. No. Actually, I think I know why. But I don’t know why I feel this way.

I find the actress beautiful to look at, especially with those doe eyes, but her lines are terrible. Try speaking those lines she just said. And see if you can say them with a straight face.

Hwal: What are you talking about?

Yes. Exactly what I thought. What was she saying? Her words were a cliché. When I consider her floral clothes, whimsical manner, twisted ankle that required him to carry her home, and now timid words, it’s evident that she’s another hackneyed damsel-in-distress trope.

SangUn: What Siho said bothered me. I was worried that you would die with Ok Eul-tae. (swallowing) I always wanted to get rid of Ok Eul-tae. But I was afraid when I thought you’d be gone too. You have become more important to me than my revenge.

Okay, there’s Hwal’s proof that Dark Hole was lying. She didn’t want both of them dead. She was willing to give up her revenge in exchange for his life.

But where have I heard of this?

a. This is the “Judgment of Solomon” trope. Remember that story? Two women claimed to be the mother of one baby so the wise king Solomon decided that he’d split the baby in half. Both women could then have an equal share of the baby. One woman thought it was a great idea, but the other woman was horrified and told Solomon that she’d give up her claim to the baby because she didn’t want the baby killed.

b. From the old shaman back in Episode 4. She said, “as long as the retribution continues, they (the dead) will be intertwined with you in their next lives as well.”

SangUn: (sobbing) What do I do? I’ve ruined this. I’ve ruined everything.

Four things:

a. I thought it was good that she was re-thinking this whole never-ending cycle of revenge.

b. DoYoon already had a change of heart. He asked Hwal not to kill Ok Eultae. He said, “By the way, I want to take back what I said the other day….I asked you to kill Ok Eultae. Can you not get revenge for your family? I’ll try not to get revenge for my brother, too. I know it’s not fair, but if we let go, we can live together. Let’s hide from Ok Eultae and live together like this.”

Easier said than done.

c. Back in Episode 1, Hwal let her go, too, when it dawned on him that she was Bulgasal. He shielded her from the arrow, then told his men they’d go down from the mountain. In effect, he called off the hunt for Bulgasal because it was her. He didn’t want to kill her.

d. She gets teary-eyed when she’s about to meet him after a separation.

For me, SangYeon wasn’t crying because she was afraid of him. She was crying because he didn’t really know what he was doing. If he knew, he would’ve acted differently.

That’s it. Toodles.