I think the primary reason the storyline confuses so many viewers is that they can’t see past the smoke-and-mirrors set up by the writer. Frankly, I think none of the three flashbacks that SangUn had in this episode should come as a shocker because they were foreshadowed as far back as the Episode 1.

1. Flashback 1

This was SangUn’s conversation with Hwal in the bathroom.

SangUn: You killed people. All those people.
Hwal: What are you talking about?
SangUn: I remembered something. And it was so vivid. You killed people. And you stood among the dead bodies. You smiled at me from among the dead bodies. And you looked so cruel, smiling like that. You terrified me and made me angry. So I tried to stab you with a sword. And you stopped me with your right hand.

It should have dawned on her that this was the moment that Hwal received the scar. She was seeing a vision that happened waaaaay before their fateful encounter 600 years ago in the forest when Hwal turned into a Bulgasal.

Hwal: No, it’s different.
SangUn: What’s different?
Hwal: It’s different from the dreams I had when I was young. In my dreams, you were the one standing among the dead bodies.

Before he could continue describing it, they were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the gang.

My comments:

a. I don’t know whether SangUn could tell the timeline of this flashback. If she did, she should have realized that this vision of Hwal at a killing spree happened before their encounter 600 years ago, and that Hwal was already Bulgasal even before then.

Remember: in Episode 12, Hwal mentioned knowing her 1000 years ago.

SangUn: Don’t listen to EulTae.
Hwal: I know. But he’s the only one who remembers everything. What happened 600 years ago and even before that. (staring at the scar) I often dreamed about you stabbing my hand. But I think it’s actually a memory. And when I found you at that laundry plant. I recalled something else. (He doesn’t tell her) I’m certain it was a memory. Ok Eultae also said that it all began, not 600 years ago, but 1000 years ago. That’s something we can’t recall. I need to find out why you gave me the Bulgasal’s curse, how our ill-fated relationship began 1000 years ago, and what kind of person I really was.

If SangUn had been listening to Hwal then it should have crossed her mind that her vision was something that occurred 1000 years ago. This was the “ill-fated relationship” Hwal was talking about, and this was moment when Hwal got the scar on his hand from her.

b. I don’t think SangUn noticed that 1000 years ago, Hwal didn’t feed on the blood of his enemies. He killed them with his sword. When he took EulTae’s soul from his body, he punched through his chest to get the soul but he didn’t bite his neck and drank his blood.

Why is this noteworthy? Because Hwal was nothing like EulTae.

c. In the past, Hwal was assumed incorrectly that the Red Lady was a monstrous Bulgasal when in fact, he was the aggressor. I previously said that the Red Lady couldn’t have killed his family because they died of neck wounds, and the Red Lady’s preferred method of killing was stabbing. In his dream, she stabbed him with a knife. And in this episode, she stabbed him with a pair of surgical scissors.

The reason Hwal quickly forgave SangUn, and didn’t assume that she was a monster for stabbing him with the scissors is because he understood that she was acting out of instinct, and wasn’t herself.

d. In my First Impressions, I proposed three reasons why she stabbed him 600 years ago.

As to why the Red Lady killed Hwal, for now, I could think of three reasons why:

One, mercy killing. He lost his wife and son, so she was doing him a favor by killing him and letting him join his beloved family in the afterlife.

Two, jealousy. They had a life together in his previous reincarnation, but he was married to another woman, and had a son with her.

Three, vengeance. It’s possible that both the Lady in Red and Hwal were tricked into believing that the other person caused the death of their families, and were seeking revenge on the wrong person. They had a never-ending circle (or karma) because neither one could forgive the other person.

🙂

Previously in Ep 12, we saw SangUn and Hwal deciding to forgive and forget their past, and to start all over again. This would have effectively ended the circle of vengeance. If only they were more resolute! 

Here’s the conversation in the bathroom again from Ep 12.

SangUn: Did you ask him about what happened a thousand years ago?
Hwal: I did.
SangUn: What did he say?
Hwal: He said you’d end me. That you’d ruin everything for me.

SangUn: I’d do that? But why?
Hwal: I don’t know.
SangUn: And? What else did he say?
Hwal: He said I… It’s nothing. It was all nonsense.

Of course, he couldn’t tell her that EunTae told him that he had a one-sided love for her. According to EunTae, a thousand years ago, he made a choice to save her, and he was nearly ruined by his decision.

Hwal: (continuing) As you said, I don’t think I should listen to him. I’ll only be shaken. I’m just going to rely on what I remember.
SangUn: Good. I think that’s right. I’m going to do the same. I’ll judge the situation for what it is. I won’t be swayed by what Kim Hwayeon said.
Hwal: What is it? Did she say something else?
SangUn: Well, when Siho looked into my past, Kim Hwayeon said that you and Ok Eultae had to die at the same time. She told me not to trust you.
Hwal: Well, she might be right.
SangUn: Don’t be absurd. You’re the only one I can trust right now. You and I may have been enemies in our past lives. And Kim Hwayeon may have wanted you dead. But you’re the only one who has been helping my sister and me. So how can I not trust you?

It’s ironic that, a few minutes after she said she would trust him, she was already looking at him with fear in her eyes.

e. I have to repeat this: based on her reaction, SangUn hadn’t yet figured out that Hwal was a Bulgasal like her 1000 years ago. She thought he was a savage and berserk killing machine.

2. Flashback 2

The second one came while Hwal was dressing her wound. She accidentally touched his hand — and like SiHo, she remembered fragments of the past.

In this flashback, she saw Hwal caressing her as she slept in his arms. They were in a cave with a slick wall.

Note: that slimey wall is bugging me. I can’t figure out that image, although it’s been shown twice already.

Then, SangUn is smiling down at an infant swaddled in a blanket and carried by an older child. (Hmmm…are they the precursors of SiHo and Doyoon?)  Hwal entered the cave and the child looked fearfully at him. Hwal looked grimly at SangUn, and she smiled back at him.

The next moment, Hwal was telling her, “You’re infatuated with those children. You think of them as your own. I’m afraid that you might leave me.”

At hearing this, she startled herself back to reality. Hwal wanted to know what happened, but she didn’t want to tell him.

Three things about this flashback:

a. I think this flashback proved that Dark Hole was lying once again. Hwal didn’t have a one-sided love because it was clear that the Red Lady reciprocated his love. They were in a relationship together, right? I think the problem was his insecurity or jealousy. He feared being replaced by children.

b. In my write-up for Eps 3 & 4,

link here: Eps 3 & 4 Things I Learned

I pointed out that children played a significant role in pushing both Hwal and SangUn to action. Remember, Hwal committed himself to resolving the problem of the Bulgasal’s curse because Dan Sol was enraged that her children were being tainted by his curse. Similarly, SiHo (the reincarnation of Dan Sol) was angry that the specter of Bulgasal looms over her unborn child. SangUn then resolved to break free from Bulgasal.

In both times, the welfare of the children was paramount. The children forced Hwal, then SangUn to confront Bulgasal and end the curse.

Now, if fate was merely repeating itself these past 1000 years, then I’d suspect that the issue that drove SangUn and Hwal apart was the children (or their lack thereof). It’s possible that immortals can’t beget children (e.g., no soul to give to a baby), and SangUn wanted them. Or the children’s village was under attack, and SangUn went there to rescue them, against the advice of the Hwal.

d. In my opinion, SangUn should have realized during this flashback that Hwal was a Bulgasal like her 1000 years ago. If it didn’t quite connect with her during her first flashback that he was a Bulgasal, too, then by this time, it should have.

Look at those fingers! There was no mistaking those long fingers.

And those red eyes.

But if she knew that Hwal was a Bulgasal back then, 1000 years ago, then she should have wondered HOW he became human 600 years ago.

3. Flashback 3

As SangUn stood up to leave him, she collapsed in his arms and had another flashback.

This time, she saw herself stabbing Hwal. Hwal pushed her away from him. He then sustained three body-piercing sword attacks. And Hwal said, “I despise you. I truly despise you.” Hwal was kneeling on the ground by himself when EunTae appeared and helped him out of the field.

SangUn tried to lie to Hwal that she didn’t see anything new. She said she only saw the same flashback but more vividly. But Hwal knew she was lying because:

a. She was curious about his conversation with EulTae.

SangUn: I have a question. You told me before that what Ok Eultae said shook you to the core. What did he say?
Hwal: Why are you asking me now?
SangUn: I just want to know. I want to know why you were so anxious and what made you question yourself that much?
Hwal: (replaying EunTae’s words in his head) It was nothing much. But didn’t you tell me not to think about what Ok Eultae said?

Here, I wish they’d opened up with each other. If Hwal had told her that EunTae said that he wanted to become a Bulgasal 1000 years ago and asked for EunTae’s help to turn him into a Bulgasal, she could have told him that he was already a Bulgasal like her 1000 years ago.

But because they hesitated to trust each other, they missed the opportunity to uncover EunTae’s lies.

b. She took a step back when he approached her. She’d become afraid of him.

c. The following day, she asked him again to take his soul back from her so he’d turn back into a human.

SangUn: It’s not too late.
Hwal: What do you mean?
SangUn: To take your soul from me.
Hwal: We already decided not to do that. Or is it because you don’t trust me?
SangUn: Can you not ask any questions and just do things the way I want? Let’s go back to how it was before.

Lol. And her mind, she’d make a kinder, and less fierce Bulgasal.

Hwal: That means you don’t feel safe that I’m Bulgasal, right? You saw me kill people in your past life. So I might do the same thing as Bulgasal. But ever since I became Bulgasal, I’ve never killed innocent people. I only killed murderers. I tried my best not to forget that I was human and that I still am.

That’s true. He should be given credit for practicing restraint for the past 600 years.

Hwal: Despite that, if you still don’t feel safe that I’m Bulgasal, give me some time because once I find Ok EulTae, I’ll be gone, and you won’t have to worry anymore.

I like the special effects here: the laundry suddenly flapping in the wind, and bells tinkling in the background. These meant that SangUn didn’t have to worry about seeing him again after he killed Dark Hole and himself.

He’d be gone like the wind.

4. Ahjumma Lee’s last prophecies

This was from Episode 8.

Ahjumma: The one with no memory is here.
Hwal: What?
Ahjumma: (slowly rising) The moment that person regains her memory, everyone will die.
Hwal: The one with no memory? (he turns around to look at SangUn)
Ahjumma: In the same way that they died in the past lives, their necks will be bitten into. They will bleed from every orifice and die.

My comment: Well, she got her neck bitten in Episode 13, and I don’t think that was how she died in 600 years ago. So her prophecy was already wrong.

Also, if people were going to die because their necks would be bitten into, then their deaths wouldn’t be at the hands (or teeth, lol) of Hwal or SangUn. Neither of them liked biting necks. Biting necks was EunTae’s M.O. He was the neck-biter.

This was from Episode 12.

Ahjumma: They should not have crossed paths again. They should not have met again. They shouldn’t have met. It’s starting again. It will happen once more.

My comment: Who was she talking about? Dark Hole and Hwal? Hwal and SangUn? It couldn’t have been Dark Hole and SangUn because they’ve met 8 times before.

Or was she talking about herself? She shouldn’t cross paths with Ok EunTae? If she was so good at prophesying why couldn’t she have foretold her own death?

This was from Episode 13.

Ahjumma: An evil spirit will come from the dark hole. The evil spirit that fed off its father’s blood will rise up from the dark hole. The evil spirit opened the dark hole. And now, it is coming to close it. The soul will go back to its owner. The soul will go back to its owner.

My comment: What does she mean by “evil spirit”? Did she mean a Bulgasal? As I explained in my First Impression, this ahjumma did the Red Lady a disservice 600 years ago, when she called a Bulgasal an “evil spirit.”

Shaman: Bulgasal has cursed the baby.
Folks: What? Bulgasal? The baby is cursed?
Shaman: It has no soul, so it cannot be killed. Bulgasal, an evil spirit.

A Bulgasal is simply an immortal being. It’s immortal because it doesn’t have a soul. But as we’ve seen with Hwal and the Red Lady, not all bulgasals were evil. It was wrong of the shaman to generalize all bulgasals as evil since a bulgasal had a choice to be good or evil. Because of this shaman’s fearmongering, she made life hell for the child, Hwal.

I thought, however, that she paid her “karma” or her debts to Hwal by dying to protect SiHo and DoYoon. She acted as their “guardians” when 600 years ago, she was Hwal’s tormentor.

Additionally, I think she was talking about, at least, three different “evil” spirits in her prophecy.

a. “An evil spirit will come from the dark hole.” Here, she either meant bad karma or EunTae himself.

b. “The evil spirit that fed off its father’s blood will rise up from the dark hole.” Here, she was referring to EunTae since he was the only one with a father.

c. “The evil spirit opened the dark hole.” The evil spirit here would be Hwal since he ripped out the soul from EunTae’s body and created a dark hole.

d. “And now it is coming to close it.” This should be SangUn. Her twin sister, Unnie Sangyeon said that she was the one who’d put everything back in its place.

5. Dark Hole’s Dirty Trick

Because he couldn’t convince Hwal to come over to his side and kill his mortal enemy SangUn, he was now going to drive a wedge between Hwal and SangUn.

SangUn: Where are they now?
ET: Where they are is not what’s important. You should be asking why I took them.
SangUn: Why did you take them? You only want to kill me. Why are you getting them involved?
ET: To show you Hwal’s true colors. I want to show you the true colors of the man who has your trust and who protects you.
SangUn: I’m not interested in that. So send my family back now.
ET: No. You have to know why you wanted to kill Hwal in your past life. He’s just like me.
SangUn: (ignoring him) I’ll go to you. I’m the one you want. Break my soul. And fill in your dark hole. So don’t hurt them please.

Here, we can see the contrasting approach of SangUn and Hwal. They’re yin-yang, as I said. SangUn was willing to sacrifice herself for the others. Hwal was going to kill him.

Hwal: (taking the phone from her) If you lay even a finger on them, I’ll separate your flesh from your bones. I’ll do it over and over again so you will be in pain forever.

Lol. This is his Liam Neeson phone call moment.

Of course, EunTae was going to be disappointed. He would fail to convince SangUn that Hwal was a monster. Although she still had terrifying visions of Hwal’s savagery, she knew she could call him back from the deep end and make him stop killing people.

SangUn: Stop! What are you doing? Stop it. You said you don’t kill people even after you became Bulgasal.
Hwal: I don’t care about that now. I’ll kill them all. Anyone who hurts my family or gets in my way. I’m going to kill them all.

SangUn remembered Eultae’s words that she would see Hwal’s true colors.

Hwal: Where are the other two?
Detective: The man who works here took them.
Hwal: (about to stab the man)
SangUn: (grabbing the pointy edge) Snap out of it. Please. You can’t become like Ok Eultae. Look at me. Are you the Dan Hwal that I know? The one who wanted to remain human?
Hwal: (powering down) Let go. You’ll hurt yourself.

Pffftt. This is a trope, of course. The gentle-maiden-calming-the-beast trope.

I’m more interested in the fact that, at this point, the two of them have matching wounds. He has a scar on his right hand, she has a scar on her left shoulder. She stabbed him on the left shoulder with scissors, and now he wounded her on her right hand with the wooden stick. Their injuries are complementary. lol.