A distressing case tugs at our heroine’s compassionate heartstrings, compelling her to extend a helping hand to someone in need. But the attacks against her run deeper than she expects, and she finds herself plunging headfirst into danger yet again.
EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP
At her wits’ end, Soo-ryun grasps desperately onto this last ray of hope. She makes her way up the mountain, praying desperately on Benjulle’s altar. But the next thing we see is a huge, gaping hole, with countless lust demon leeches crawling out of it. That’s certainly an ominous sign…
Meanwhile, back at the estate, Butler Jang introduces his “nephew” Yo-han. Initially bewildered, Mi-ho quickly warms up to Yo-han’s amusingly impertinent attitude, and before long they’re drunk and giggling like a pair of troublemakers. Butler Jang is certainly going to have his hands full reining both of them in, HAHA.
Having witnessed Ban’s momentary demon transformation during the fight, Yo-han decides a test is imperative. Engaging Ban in a sword fight and cornering him with pre-laid traps, he commands Ban to reveal his demon name. Yo-han’s exorcism method triggers Ban’s demon side to take over, but it’s more than either of them can handle.
His eyes glowing red, Ban breaks free of his bonds and grabs Yo-han’s sword with his bare hand, strangling Yo-han with the other. That’s the exact scene that Mi-ho chances upon, on her way to offer Ban some snacks. Pure instinct taking over, Ban dashes towards Mi-ho, dagger raised — and then he stabs her the exact same way he once stabbed Won-jung.
Oh nooooo. I was bracing myself for it to happen, given the prophecy and all, but it still felt like a punch to the gut. Ban’s regret has been weighing on him all these years, and I dread the damage it’ll do to his psyche once he finds out he’s hurt Won-jung yet again.
This development also ties into Butler Jang’s backstory, which explains why he knows so much about Won-jung/Mi-ho and Ban. Back when Butler Jang was a young priest, he witnessed Ban killing a lust demon right before his very eyes. As such, he’s wary of Ban’s non-human nature.
However, wise neighborhood granny GEUM BAEK-JOO (Go Du-shim) advises Butler Jang to trust Ban’s guilt — in other words, Ban’s desire to atone for hurting Won-jung means that he’ll protect her rather than hurt her again. Of course, as we’ve just seen, human emotions don’t seem to hold much weight when one’s demon nature has usurped control.
Interestingly, Ban remembers Butler Jang too, making our central relationships even more richly complex. Despite Ban’s reminder that he warned him to run away, Butler Jang insists that he has something he must protect. Oh dear, I hope that’s not a death flag…
It seems like we may be getting a case-of-the-week format while the overarching mystery slowly unravels, and while I’m sometimes wary of such a setup, I actually like what it did for our characters this week. Through Mi-ho’s righteous anger towards Kyung-joon and her complete lack of hesitation in trading a business asset for the resources to take him down, we see her compassionate and selfless nature.
Similarly, Ban displays that he does indeed have a heart, despite what he’s led Mi-ho to believe. Trekking back to the forest, Ban conveys Soo-ryun’s heartfelt letter to Benjulle, now that the divine spirit has been cleansed of its corruption. Thanks to Ban, Benjulle exacts revenge on Soo-ryun’s behalf, and the next morning, Kyung-joon is discovered dead.
Last but certainly not least, we finally get our first proper glimpse of Goong-tan (Sung Joon), white mane of glory and all! Needless to say, he’s the mastermind that orchestrated the Benjulle attack. Goong-tan has his sights on Ban, but interestingly, he hasn’t directly shown malice towards him thus far. (Only to poor Mi-ho, via the lust demons).
In fact, when Ban is in the forest, Goong-tan approaches him under the cover of a force field that keeps him invisible. He has the opportunity to strike, but he doesn’t take it — which makes me curious as to his motive. Is he baiting Ban? Testing him? Taking revenge over a grudge he holds from the past? I don’t know yet, but I’m eager to find out.
