Episode title: A Paradise of the Ominous

As I’ve always said, I like titles because they tell me where to focus my attention when I’m writing these commentaries. This episode marks a transition. For me, “a paradise of the ominous” is synonymous with a “calm before the storm.”

1. For GuWon, paradise means the restoration of his powers.

Everything appears to be hunky-dory now that his demon powers are back. He even pays a visit to the female “deity” to gloat that he won their bet.

GW: Look. You didn’t expect to see the two of us together again, did you?

He poses as if he’s posing for a photographer. He wants to memorialize his impossible feat: outsmarting the deity at her own game.

Deity: (making a face)
DH: Are you bragging right now?
GW: I’m rubbing it in.
Deity: I can hear you. Just say it to my face.
GW: How do you feel about this unexpected anomaly?
Deity: (bitterly) I’m surprised. Congratulations.
GW: I don’t think you have a knack for it. Hers’a billion won. Quit gambling and start saving up. Don’t forget. I won.

That he isn’t afraid to poke fun at the deity tells us that that he’s truly back to his usual arrogant and cocky self.

Nevertheless, the experience of losing his powers has changed him. Despite his avowed scorn for the weak humans, he’s beginning to feel kinship for them. When he targets a human for his demon contract, he finds himself questioning the old man’s request for his help.

The old man is studying a photograph of him and his wife when they were young.

Old Man: If only she could recognize me just once. That’s all I could ever wish for.

GW: (appearing behind him) I’ll grant your wish.
Old Man: Who are you?
GW: I’m a demon. In other words, you just hit the jackpot.

His glee at being able to say these words again can’t be contained. He tells the old man his usual terms: go to hell in ten years in exchange for a wish. Before the old man can answer, his wife calls out in search of her husband.

Old Wife: Please bring me my husband.
Old Man: (rushing to her bedside) Honey! You’re up.
Old Wife: Sir. Where’s my husband? Please look for him. I’d like to see him one last time before I die.
Old Man: (sadly) Come on. I’m right here. Why can’t you recognize me?

The old man explains to GuWon that his wife can’t remember his current version because of her Alzheimer’s. She only remembers his young self, so she keeps asking for him all day long.

Old Man: I feel sorry for her. Can you really grant my wish?
GW: Of course.
Old Man: Let’s do it right now.
GW: (puzzled) But she doesn’t have much time left. Is a few minutes of reunion really worth going to hell?

Old Man: There’s something I must tell her when she recognizes me.
GW: (muttering) It was crazy enough to grant a wish before signing a deal just one time.

He’s berating himself for being soft-hearted. He was once crazy enough to grant a wish before signing a contract (with Dohee, remember?) and now, he’s about to repeat the same mistake again. But he snaps his fingers to grant the man’s wish.

The old wife wakes up.

Old Wife: Honey. Where have you been all this time?
Old Man: Where else? I’ve been next to you the whole time.
Old Wife: Then why couldn’t I see you?
Old Man: Exactly. Why couldn’t you see me? I’ve always been by your side.
Old Wife: I had no idea. I thought you had abandoned me.
Old Man: Of course not. I can’t live without you.
Old Wife: Don’t say that. You should go on with your life even when I’m gone. Even if you can’t see me, I’ll always be by your side. Do you understand?
Old Man: I understand.
Old Wife: Let’s meet again. Please don’t forget me.
Old Man: (nodding) I won’t. I’ll always remember you even after you’re gone.

Afterwards, GuWon denies that he cried while watching the old couple, and he rationalizes that he gave the old man a freebie-wish because “trading a couple of minutes for ten years is against business ethics.”

That’s why I say GuWon’s momentary loss of power had the beneficial effect of making him more human. Not only did he get in touch with his emotions, he’s also learning to identify with humans and their earthly concerns.

2. The ominous elements are the unresolved issues on the horizon of their paradise.

I like the way the story is setting up for the resolution. GuWon may have reclaimed his powers and regained his paradise, but looming just ahead are more obstacles.

a. The unsolved mystery of who hired the Psoriasis Guy to kill DoHee and GuWon

DH: Should we go catch them now?
GW: Catch who?
DH: The real culprit. They should be punished for breaking the peace treaty first.

She means that when she signed off the inheritance, she expected her killers to lay down their weapon and leave her in peace. She said as much to SeokHoon Oppa in Ep 9. The Psoriasis Guy had been found charred to the bone with the dagger to his heart. She told SeokHoon Oppa, “I guess the war is over. They eliminated the weapon.” SeokHoon, however, doubted it. He replayed GuWon’s words in his head. GuWon had said that he would always thirst for revenge, and he would make sure to pay back whoever tried to stab him.

Now, DoHee realizes that she misunderstood her killers. There was no tacit peace agreement. They killed off the Psoriasis Guy because he was no longer useful to them as GuWon had recognized his face. The Psoriasis Guy was replaced with another killer who ran her down with a car.

So, DoHee is back on the warpath again.

GW: (admiringly) Welcome back Do DoHee. You’re being haughty like your name!
DH: (frowning at him)
GW: Where should we begin?
DH: Sokcho. The culprit knew we were in Sokcho. Someone leaked our information.
GW: It’s always the confidant that betrays the main character for money. We should start with our inner circle.

Duh. I said in the beginning of this drama that the worst enemies aren’t the competitors, challengers and rivals. You can prepare for their attacks. The worst enemies are the traitors (and their enablers). They’re in your blind spot so you don’t see their treachery.

DH: The people who knew were were in Sokcho were SeokHoon Oppa and Ms. Jin.
GW: So did Mr. Park and…

GuWon is about to name Mr. Park ForkGyu and Star Jin as members of his inner circle, but DoHee’s assistant Ms. Jin interrupts them. How convenient! Their attention is diverted to Ms. Jin and they forget to go back to SeokHoon.

Ha! As you all know, my money’s still on Ju SeokHoon/Oppa as the ultimate enemy of DoHee and GuWon. He cannot take down Noh Sukmin by himself, but DoHee and GuWon can.

b. GuWon’s Joseon dream

GuWon keeps having dreams of Wolsim so he goes to the female deity for a quick consult.

GW: What is this? Why do I keep dreaming about when I was a human and why can’t I see the face of the woman called Wol im? is this what they call manipulative editing?

By manipulative editing, he suspects that the deity is purposely planting false memories into his head and/or manipulating the images to create confusion and disturb his peace of mind.

Deity: One question at the time I can’t follow.
GW: Why am I still dreaming of when I was human when my powers have returned?
Deity: Let me guess. Perhaps you want to remain a human. You don’t want to lose the human emotions that you’ve been experiencing.
GW: Then what’s with the editing?

Again, he suspects that the deity is toying with him, and revealing his memories piecemeal to unsettle him and make him jump to wrong conclusions.

Deity: Do you think I’m responsible for that? Didn’t I tell you I may set the basic rules, but humans create anomalies by disobeying the rules. Just like you did. You must have erased the memories of that woman because they tormented you it’s the human instinct of self-preservation. A defense mechanism.
GW: The memories tormented me. Why?
Deity: How should I know when even you don’t?
GW: (in self-denial) You’re wrong. I don’t have human instincts nor do I want to remain human. (exeunt)
Deity: (calling after him) Two people entangled in fate are meant to be reunited in one way or another, because fate always repeated itself.

Three comments:

One, GuWon’s encounter with the old man earlier is a foreshadowing of his relationship with WolSim/DoHee. He and the old couple have more things in common than he’s aware of. For 200 years, he’s been living as a demon because he forgot that he had promised to be constantly by Wolsim’s side. He had vowed never to let her live in misery alone. He had sworn to prove to her that love could save a person.

But as it turns out, he has forgotten Wolsim. That’s why he was moved to tears when he was listening to the Old Wife’s dying words. He had been in their situation before. Though mentally, he couldn’t remember the occasion, emotionally, he hasn’t forgotten the heartbreak.

Two, the deity is correct. He erased the memories of Wolsim because of guilt, tremendous guilt. He believed he caused her death.

Three, the dreams are ominous. They threaten the happy married life of GuWon and DoHee.

c. The business venture proposed by Noh Sukmin

Yes, that’s shady, and it’s ominous. He probably plans to oust her from the company.

d. The photograph of DoHee’s dad and pregnant mom with Madam Ju

Noh Sukmin has an ulterior motive for gifting DoHee with the photo. I wouldn’t put it past him to be secretly taunting her. To DoHee, that photograph is proof of a familial connection. But to Noh Sukmin, it’s proof that DoHee knows nothing about Madam Ju and her role in DoHee’s parents’ death.

DH: It’s my family.
GW: But you’re not in it.
DH: I’m here in my mom’s tummy.

GuWon smiles at her high spirits. She’s proud of this family picture.

DH: The day my parents passed away was my 11th birthday. I was especially looking forward to that day because my dad had promised me a birthday party that I’d never forget. I was excited for days. But on my birthday, my dad suddenly had to go to work, although he’d quit a long time ago. I couldn’t understand.

This is noteworthy. The father was no longer working for the Mirae Electronics. Did he retire early because he was already financially independent and wanted to spend time with family? Why did Madam Ju call him to the office?

DH: I cried and threw a tantrum. The accident was caused by speeding. He was rushing home because of me.
GW: (looking thoughtful)

DH: If it hadn’t been for my birthday, they’d still be alive.
GW: Humans tend to blame themselves when misfortunes strike their loved ones.
DH: I know it’s absurd and yet, I think to myself time and time again, “If only I hadn’t rushed him.” “If only I had gone with them.”
GW: (looking away)

Two comments: 

One, on the day of Madam Ju’s funeral, when DoHee was at the greenhouse reminiscing about her special relationship with Madam Ju, it struck me that GuWon’s eyes were cold and uncaring. I dismissed it then as the actor’s fault. That is, he couldn’t express concern very well. But now, GuWon is doing it when she talks about her father.

Two, the photograph is ominous because it represents lies and secrets which threaten to destroy DoHee’s illusion of happy relationships.

e. The hiding place of the “Demon” book

Is it lost again? Is it still with Noh Sukmin or did SeokHoon Oppa manage to sneak it out later in the evening? But it seems like Noh Sukmin is onto him because he watched him on the CCTV reporting back to DoHee.

Part of me says I should worry about SeokHoon Oppa’s safety because SukMin can target him next. But naaaaah, I still think he’s dubious.

f. The gaslighting of the Sukmin’s wife

Well, her paradise is definitely coming to an end, right?

SM: Tell people that he [Noh DoGyeong] is on a long business trip.
Wife: When will you get him out? He’s unwell. He won’t last long in there.
SM: Since when do you care so much about him? He killed people. His own family at that. Should I hold you responsible for giving birth to and raising a monster?
Wife: I’m sorry, honey. It’s all my fault.

Two comments:

One, SukMin is gaslighting. He thinks she’s clueless. But she’s the only one who knows how Madam Ju actually died, who saw the gloves discarded in the fireplace, and who has witnessed the abuse of her son.

Two, I wonder how she’ll impact future events. Will she side with DoHee and Guwon? Will she turn in her husband? She’s the number 1 enabler in this story.

3. Miscellaneous things

a. I’ve always been curious to know the meaning of DoHee’s name, so I’m making a note of this.

GW: You’re being haughty like your name.

I’ll have to agree with @agdr03 about Song Kang’s cringe-y acting here. This looked forced to me. My problem with Song Kang is that he’s an uneven and inconsistent actor. Sometimes he’s in the ZONE, for example, when the scene requires a dramatic silence, longing look, or painful delivery. He does those well. But when the scene demands a bit aegyo, flirtation or comedy, like in this scene, I end up scratching my head, wondering what that was all about.

b. I don’t know how the son Noh DoGyeong got back to Seoul from Sokcho undetected. His car burst in flames at the gas station. He’s beaten up badly. Did he call up his dad to pick him up?

But that’s irrelevant, of course.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Ending here now. Will start on the next episode.