It’s time for our vampire hero to reflect upon where his feelings truly lie — does his first love still hold true, or have centuries of yearning clouded his judgment? Perhaps the devotion of old has already withered away, with a new bond blossoming in its place.
EPISODES 11-12
Upset that In-hae has usurped what she believes to be her rightful place by Woo-hyul’s side, Hae-won smashes a row of champagne glasses and storms out. In-hae chases after her to defuse the situation, but Hae-won is convinced that In-hae has feelings for Woo-hyul. When Woo-hyul and Do-shik come to In-hae’s defense, jealousy rears its ugly head and Hae-won vows to put In-hae in her humble place.
In the post-cleanup aftermath, In-hae urges Woo-hyul to apologize to Hae-won for hurting her feelings. However, Woo-hyul admits that the only person he’s worried about in this sticky situation is In-hae. He apologizes for putting In-hae in a difficult position, reassuring her that he’ll clear the air with Hae-won.
The next day, Do-shik calls Hae-won out for her impulsive immaturity, citing the need to be considerate towards the person one loves. She counters that he’ll end up losing In-hae like that, which pushes Do-shik to show In-hae the CCTV video of vampire Woo-hyul. In-hae’s first reaction is to confirm that Do-shik hasn’t released the video elsewhere, which clearly demonstrates that not only does she know about Woo-hyul’s identity, but she’s also protecting him.
That’s the last straw that tests the limits of Do-shik’s boundless patience. Ever since he found out that In-hae’s living with a man, all he’s been concerned about is her safety. Has she ever considered his perspective, or tried to understand him the way she does Woo-hyul? All this time, Do-shik’s been waving through a window; he’s only ever been on the outside, always looking in. In-hae can only apologize in contrition, unable to defend her own actions, yet also unwilling to throw Woo-hyul to the wolves.
While In-hae was out, Woo-hyul’s discovered that his scroll of Hae-sun has disappeared. He ransacks the house in search of it, but to no avail. Seeing Woo-hyul so downcast, In-hae comforts him by reminding him that it’s just a painting; his enduring feelings matter more. Just then, Hae-won drunk dials Woo-hyul. He heads over to the bar to pick her up, and she’s so wasted that she clings onto him all the way home.
The next morning, Hae-won confronts Woo-hyul with the scroll of Hae-sun, asking if he really isn’t human. Leveraging on their supposed shared past, Hae-won selfishly declares that they can just kick In-hae out of the mansion. Until Woo-hyul fulfills his promise to her, she’ll hold onto the scroll. “No, you don’t need to return it,” Woo-hyul finally replies. Repeating In-hae’s words, he declares that it’s merely a painting. He’s waiting for someone who taught him what it’s like to be loved, not a mere doppelgänger of Hae-sun.
When Woo-hyul still doesn’t return by nightfall, In-hae rushes out to search for him, frantic with worry. In the face of her concern, Woo-hyul’s heart warms with gratitude, but his vision suddenly goes blurry, sending him collapsing to the ground. Thankfully, his vampire buddies Sang-hae and Dong-seop are in the vicinity, and they come dashing over at the sound of In-hae’s panicked cries.
Needless to say, it’s unnatural for a vampire to be sick, much less unconscious in a human’s bed. In-hae dozes off by Woo-hyul’s side, and when he wakes, she confesses that she was terrified he would never regain consciousness. She can’t bear to lose anyone the same way she did her parents, and she’d be devastated if Woo-hyul was no longer around.
“I know there’s only one person you harbor in your heart,” In-hae murmurs. Still, it’s the first time she’s ever felt this way, so she feels she ought to say it — “I think I like you.” In response, Woo-hyul tugs In-hae into a kiss. As they pull apart, gazing tenderly into each other’s eyes, Woo-hyul promises that he won’t go anywhere. He’ll stay right by In-hae’s side.
The next morning, our lovebirds are adorably bashful — In-hae even put on makeup, hee! Unfortunately, a potential morning smooch is interrupted by Sang-hae and Dong-seop, who insist on moving into the guesthouse out of concern for Woo-hyul’s health.
Not to worry, though, because there’s a lot more cuteness in store. An impromptu babysitting request turns into an amusement park date, where we learn that vampires may instill fear into humans, but rollercoasters and haunted houses instill fear into Woo-hyul.
Later that night, after Woo-hyul and In-hae tuck into their babysitting reward of tteokbokki, In-hae suggests that they set a date. Now that she’s in love, Woo-hyul can finally drink her blood and become human — how about they throw a celebratory party on the 100th day anniversary of his awakening? Touched by her selfless affection, Woo-hyul agrees, smiling fondly at her.
Meanwhile, our troublesome vampire is up to no good again. Having caught wind of Do-shik’s investigation into Woo-hyul’s supernatural background, Man-hwi pays him a visit, offering to find the half-vampire he’s searching for. It’s clear both parties stand to benefit from the proposed partnership — it’s a deal Do-shik can’t turn down. They shake on it, and Man-hwi relays the full story of Woo-hyul’s Become Human endeavor. Smart cookie Do-shik remains wary of Man-hwi’s ulterior motives, though, since he recognizes him from the CCTV video.
Elsewhere, Woo-hyul has good news for Yang-nam. He’s secured his love-filled blood! Now he and In-hae can be happy! Yang-nam squints at that — surely he means Hae-sun? When he realizes Woo-hyul’s heart lies with In-hae, he has awful news for him. A sip of In-hae’s blood won’t be enough — the consequence of opening a vampire’s coffin is that she either has to be drained of blood by the vampire, or kill the vampire herself. In other words, only one of them can live.
Do-shik hears about this from the eavesdropping Man-hwi, and he immediately rushes over to the guesthouse, punching Woo-hyul square in the jaw. Is he really planning to kill In-hae? In what world does it make sense for a bloodsucking vampire to fall in love, and with a human at that? “You’re a monster,” Do-shik accuses.
Inside the guesthouse, a tenant’s stalker shows up to harass her, and when In-hae is shoved aside in the ensuing scuffle, Woo-hyul’s bite mark flares with pain. Sprinting inside at vampiric speed, Woo-hyul makes quick work of the stalker. However, In-hae sustained a head wound, and Woo-hyul’s bloodlust overrides his rational faculties.
His eyes flashing red, Woo-hyul can’t help but lean in, enticed by his beloved’s blood just as he was centuries ago. That’s the scene that greets Do-shik when he finally runs in, confirming the monstrous risk that Woo-hyul poses to In-hae. Yanking Woo-hyul aside, Do-shik cradles In-hae close, while Woo-hyul is struck with horror at his own actions.
It looks like the requisite final-act angst has arrived, though I’m glad it’s tempered by all the heart-fluttering cuteness of Woo-hyul and In-hae finally acknowledging their feelings. They’ve been each other’s pillar of support and safe harbor to return home to, seeing all the worst sides of each other and choosing to stay by their side through it all.
I thought it was particularly poignant that during that last confrontation, Do-shik looked more sad than angry. He’s always cared about her wellbeing first and foremost, and it speaks volumes that he respected her decision to live with Woo-hyul despite his reservations, only taking action when he learnt Woo-hyul might jeopardize her safety.
Of course, that doesn’t make things any easier for Woo-hyul, who was already weighed down by the life-or-death dilemma — now he also has to grapple with the fact that he could inadvertently hurt the person he loves most.
Worse yet, this week we find out the truth behind the disappearance of In-hae’s father. He’s still alive, but he’s in captivity — and of course, the culprit is none other than Man-hwi, who’s also locked up several other humans to fill his blood supply dungeon.
Still, I have faith that our leads will pull through any crisis that comes their way, even when all these secrets come to light. For one, In-hae is no pushover — when Hae-won tried to guilt-trip her into leaving Woo-hyul, she instead stood her ground, declaring that she’s going to follow her heart. If there’s anyone who can defy otherworldly rules and make a half-vampire romance work, it’s her.