JUNG GU-WON (Song Kang) is a demon whose MO covers all the classics: uncanny magical powers at the snap of a finger, devil-may-care swagger, and an all-consuming yen for human souls. His is a textbook Faustian pitch — he’ll grant unlimited power for a very limited time, only to send you to hell via heart attack in exchange. That said, there’s more to our demon than meets the eye. Holy water doesn’t hurt him. Next to black leather and a sardonic grin, crosses are his favorite accessory. He’s been wheeling and devilishly dealing since at least late Joseon, but it’s hinted that he once was human.

As for our heroine? DO DO-HEE (Kim Yoo-jung) is more than a match for our fiend, in both ruthlessness and flair. She’s the glitzy princess of the Mirae Group, in charge of the award-winning Mirae F&B. Miranda Priestley, eat your heart out! Heads are about to roll when Do-hee learns about a recent article lamenting the sugar content of her company’s flagship drink. This hatchet piece has to be an inside job. However, her warpath is interrupted when the formidable MADAM JU (Kim Hae-sook), Chairwoman of Mirae, demands that she go on a blind date.

As a serial heartbreaker and chronic workaholic, Do-hee is not really one for warm and fluffy feelings. However, when she’s accidentally brought to the wrong ritzy restaurant, she’s confronted by our demon… in one of the most memorable of meet-ugly moments I’ve ever cackled at. It’s mutual disdain at first sight. Do-hee is appalled at his arrogance, Gu-won is aggressively confused, and both thinks the other is utterly unhinged. Jeez, can’t a demon book out a whole restaurant to consume an entire birthday cake on his own in peace?

Well, not without considerable misunderstanding. Earlier, Gu-won collected on the soul of a crime boss; now, the guy’s flunkies are back for revenge. The cake goes flying smack in the direction of Do-hee’s head. She’s romantically whisked out of the way by Gu-won, who’s unable to stand any harm to his beloved… erm, dessert. But as it turns out, today is Do-hee’s birthday — and he seemingly bought her cake! She flees to the bathroom in order to a) touch up her lipstick, b) blush, and c) cycle through all six stages of grief at being attracted to the deranged, sugar-loving hottie currently beating up ten gangsters unbeknown to her.

Alas, her acceptance is short-lived. By the time she returns, Gu-won — fresh in mourning for his cake — snaps at her. Why would he care about her birthday? Hurt, Do-hee resumes her ice princess act. If we ever meet again, she says, be sure to show more manners. I don’t want people thinking you’re my ex.

But Do-hee’s got more on her mind than a botched romance. She’s neck-deep in a succession crisis. Do-hee’s parents died long ago in a car crash, and she was taken in by Madam Ju — who vastly prefers the acerbic Do-hee to her own, more disappointing children. Needless to say, said children take slight issue with this. However, Do-hee’s relationship with Madam Ju is unexpectedly adorable, albeit not without its dysfunction. Do-hee receives an urgent text from her boss-slash-surrogate-mother, directing her to the hospital. Our girl collapses, weeping, over Madam Ju’s sleeping form… only for Madam Ju to sit up, crack an eyelid, and laughingly present her with a birthday cake.

The two proceed to mercilessly bicker, but it’s clear that this is a relationship built as much on love as emotional blackmail. Madam Ju is determined for Do-hee to begin living life, rather than just dwelling on her parents’ deaths — which of course, took place on Do-hee’s much-dreaded birthday. The reason she insists on the blind dates is so that Do-hee can find someone to be on her side! You always taught me, retorts Do-hee, to trust no one. Well, yes, admits Madam Ju. But loving someone means that even if they betray you, you’d understand. You’re that person for me. She gives Do-hee two rings: wear them both yourself, she insists, until you find someone.

Do-hee spends the rest of her birthday brooding on the beach. But when she calls for a cab, everything goes horribly wrong. The car stops. Her driver, a man with a strange, bloody rash on the back of his neck (Kim Seol-jin), lunges for her, telling her that she’s going to die. The reason? Ju Cheon-sook. Do-hee manages to evade his grasp, staggering away from the car. But mist and terrifyingly impractical heels make for a suboptimal escape. Do-hee finds herself trapped between her pursuer — and a dark, looming silhouette up ahead. Gu-won.

My life, reflects Do-hee, feels like it’s shrouded in mist. Is everyone around me a foe? Ultimately, all she can do is trust herself… and take a chance on a demon. She plunges towards Gu-won, calling for help. Sure, he says. But you need to make a deal. Don’t worry about the specifics for now. Do-hee, businesswoman to the core, snaps that signing an unknown contract would be crazy. But with her life at stake… sure, let’s be crazy!

Soon, her attacker’s body is flung against the windscreen. The road borders a river. Do-hee tries to hide behind the railings, but when she looks up, she meets Gu-won’s eyes. He offers her a hand. As she takes it, the tattoo of a cross on his wrist begins to glow. But then, the attacker — whom, evidently, was not as dead as he seemed — drives towards them. Gu-won snaps his fingers… only for nothing to happen. Our heroes are sent plummeting into the water.

Do-hee knows that if she tries to save Gu-won, they’ll both sink. And yet, in her last moments of consciousness, she clutches for his hand. His cross tattoo burns into nothingness — and reappears on her wrist. Mercifully, death by drowning is virtually unheard of in K-drama, with plunges underwater carrying a 1% fatality rate. Our heroes wake on the shore. Gu-won grabs Do-hee’s wrist, as a wave breaks dramatically over them both… only for Do-hee to pass out.

Do-hee comes to in hospital, under the uncharacteristically attentive gaze of her nightmare date. Turns out, Gu-won took her comment about politeness to heart. Now, he’s all gentle reassurances — until her bemused secretary leaves the room, at which point he’s all indignant wrist-grabbing. That, he snaps, is my tattoo. Do-hee’s eyes widen. What’s this tacky, drunken mistake doing on her skin? Clearly, the only answer is to get it lasered… or, maybe cover it up with a tasteful Pororo picture? Gu-won’s answering horrified expression is a thing of beauty.

Insults are flung. There’s an embarrassing sort of scuffle. Gu-won goes for her wrist again, Do-hee goes for a slap, and finds that it — doesn’t connect? At least, not until Gu-won drops her hand, at which point it connects super hard. Gu-won is left with a bright red handprint on his face, a newfound dread of animated penguins, and — most importantly — the utter absence of his demonic powers.Thanks For Next Part2.

This is a serious concern. If Gu-won fails to collect on deals, then the punishment won’t be pretty: he’ll spontaneously combust. How long does he have? Unclear. But hey, even without magic, collecting on souls is easy — right? Erm… cut to Gu-won getting squashed like a bug by an entire Olympic wrestling team. Dragging a star athlete to hell with his bare fists was a tad ambitious. What’s a demon to do? Beat a deeply dignified retreat by hurling himself out the window, landing in trash, and throwing up two — still very dignified — middle fingers. He is a terrifying fiend from the abyss, he’ll have you know!

Even terrifying fiends need a little help from their friends. Gu-won has accidentally picked up two human companions, whom he spends most days cold-shouldering. The first is JIN GA-YOUNG (Jo Hye-joo), whose terrifying skill in traditional dance (swords included) is matched only by the intensity of her crush on Gu-won. Meanwhile, there’s his butler, PARK BOK-GYU (Heo Jung-do) who made a demonic deal not once, but twice in a past life. Turns out, the only thing worse than being a starving Joseon fisherman is being a small tteokbokki business owner. Hell is a breeze in comparison!

Gu-won dispatches Bok-gyu to spy on Do-hee, who’s under considerable pressure. Due to the article, Mirae F&B’s numbers are falling, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about numbers from recapping this year’s drama Numbers, it’s that when numbers go down, this is bad. Do-hee swears to Madam Ju that she can handle this alone. Still, her would-be assassin’s words haunt her — is Madam Ju hiding something? Madam Ju insists she isn’t, but the confession she makes to her priest suggests otherwise. There’s something weighing on her conscience about Do-hee — something to do with a very incriminating flashback. A burning car. A smashed-up mobile phone, with a call from “my daughter Do-hee.” And Madam Ju, lying next to the wreckage, with her knee a mess of blood — an injury that pains her to this day.

Do-hee tracks down the originator of the damning article, NOH SU-AHN (Lee Yoon-ji), one of Madam Ju’s children. Blackmail is such an indelicate term. In this case, it’s also beautifully apropos. Do-hee has evidence that Su-ahn has not only been having an affair, but technically broke the law by getting intimate with her boyfriend in a public car park. It’s the stuff that stock crashes are made of — and Su-ahn has no choice but to back down.

It’s at this point that Do-hee receives a phone call. Gu-won would like to register a complaint. He’s been feeling dreadful since their accident. And he’s adamant that she see for herself. For want of any other plan, he’s opted to turn on the demonic charm. I’ve never felt like this before, he murmurs to Do-hee, when they meet. I feel like a different person. And — here, he touches her arm — you’re the reason for my symptoms.

Do-hee had intended to fob him off with cash (lots). It’s in a moment of weakness that she instead agrees to go on a drive with him. This, she immediately regrets, as he speeds past the Olympic team who’d previously wiped the floor with him. He takes Do-hee’s hand, aims a cheerful finger-gun at the athlete who’d made the deal with him… and watches in relish as his victim collapses, just as planned.

Do-hee has no idea she’s been accessory to a soul-harvesting. All she knows is that this date has some really weird vibes. Look, she’s not shocked by the fact that Gu-won takes them to a car park where one of the cars is, uh, rocking. She’s just skeptical about the location! And is Gu-won saying they can do it outside? That — that’s a crime! Gu-won laughs: since when did they criminalize a stroll by the river? Do-hee actually looks a little disappointed.

They go for the stroll. Gu-won moves in close enough to kiss, placing a hand behind her neck… and then, with a grin that can only be described as devilish, hurls them both into the river. Underwater, he clings to her wrist, willing his powers to return. But when they surface, nothing changes… beyond the fact that Do-hee is incandescently furious. She almost drowned today! There’s still someone out there trying to kill her, and — and what did she do wrong? With visible effort, she collects herself, plus, the envelope of cash. The latter, she throws at Gu-won’s feet. I owe you nothing, she says.

Damp and disconsolate, Do-hee begins a long trek home. She stops before a news screen: Mr Cha, a financial chief, was found hanging in a public bathroom. Little does she know, he’s another victim of her would-be killer. He’d tried to contact her earlier, with information that could allegedly put her in charge of Mirae. As Do-hee’s back is turned, a motorcycle comes skidding towards her. Its rider hurls a flask of acid at her — but before it connects, someone throws himself in its path. It’s Gu-won.Now The lesson ends.

With a mysterious, rash-afflicted assassin dogging her footsteps, and acid flying at all intervals, Do-hee hits on a mutually beneficial deal with the man she is grudgingly willing to admit might be a demon. If he becomes her bodyguard, he can protect his precious tattoo! Plus, well, her. Alas, pride goeth before the fall, and Gu-won refuses to be her protector. What does she think he is — a Pokemon? I’ll walk you to the door, he adds, in a very dignified, non-bodyguardly fashion.

Do-hee continues to pester, once again threatening Gu-won with the dreaded Pororo cover-up tattoo… but it’s not very effective. Gu-won is content to wait out the problem. He’s reasonably convinced they can replicate the exact circumstances of the tattoo-transfer by diving into water on the next full moon. For now, he’s going to relax, smirk, enjoy his fussy hand-brewed coffee, and — wait, does anyone smell burning? Ah. That’s him. Soon, Gu-won, his bumbling butler, and the perpetually armed dancer who thinks he’s cute are all blowing ineffectually on his smoldering index finger.

With an ice bucket behind his back, and his whole hand trying very hard to set itself ablaze, Gu-won returns to Do-hee, offering to give the bodyguard thing a go… provided she help him in return. If he doesn’t make a deal soon, his future’s looking awfully fiery. Luckily, there’s no shortage of desperate humans. Soon, he finds a mother whose nine-year-old child is dying of cancer. Do-hee watches with growing disgust as Gu-won speedruns through his deal-with-the-devil shtick, convincing the woman to sign away her soul — and save her child — in record time. The flames recede. The child wakes. Gu-won, satisfied with a job well done, declares it’s time for cake.

… Only to be met with a hard look from our heroine. As far as she’s concerned, he’s a parasite, exploiting people’s grief. Well, she, for one, won’t be party to it! Gu-won, being a very unflappable demon, and above such pesky moral sophistry, is not bothered by this. Not one whit. Humans, he grunts half-intelligibly through a mouthful of cake, are so greedy! Still, for absolutely no reason whatsoever, he pays a visit to the child — whose only wish is that her parents won’t suffer for her sake. Oh. Oh dear.

Thus, after no moral turmoil whatsoever, Gu-won reappears at Do-hee’s side, offering an umbrella. The two stand together in the rain: Do-hee bone-dry; our demon getting his jacket wet. His justification for returning? Well, his life was so boringly peaceful till now. Do-hee’s excuse is similarly just-on-the-edge-of-plausible: it takes one scumbag to deal with another! Throughout the course of this emotionally stunted conversation, we learn how our guy became a demon. Basically, God, in need of someone to work in hell, pointed at the then-human Gu-won and said, “I choose you!” Yeah, he’s really not beating the Pokemon allegations here.

Amid banter, disaster strikes. Earlier, Do-hee had told Madam Ju that the now-dead Director Cha had tried to warn her about something important. Despite telling Do-hee not to worry, Madam Ju had looked grim — and hurriedly arranged an audit. Now, Do-hee receives an odd text from her not-quite-mother; hastily, she makes her way back. Turns out, she was right to fear the worst. When she steps into the greenhouse, Madam Ju is lying motionless. Do-hee bursts into tears, pleading with Gu-won to help, but our demon remains impassive. Even he can’t raise the dead.

The funeral is a harrowing ordeal — for Do-hee, that is. For Madam Ju’s blood relatives, it’s a party. The eldest son, NOH SUK-MIN (Kim Tae-hoon), is acting like Mirae Group has landed in his lap. (His mother let him go to jail for drunk driving, so there are some deep-seated issues there.) Meanwhile, Su-ahn is strutting about like she owns the place. Worse is the grandson, NOH DO-KYUNG (Kang Seung-ho), who sneeringly lights a cigarette in Madam Ju’s beloved greenhouse. Gu-won, seeing Do-hee look heartbroken, snaps his fingers and magics the brat into hitting the door.

Do you know, Gu-won asks Do-hee, why people wear black at funerals? It’s to prevent the soul of the deceased from recognizing anyone and following them. Do-hee is aghast. Gently, Gu-won takes her wrist, shifting her black suit to white. With surprising tact, he goes to wait by the door. Do-hee is too depressed to hope for much — but then, a butterfly very deliberately lands on her hand. Her breath catches. Thank you, she says, for finding me. If we ever get a second chance, let’s fight even harder… and love each other more dearly.

Unfortunately, even a demonic grief counselor can’t protect Do-hee from the revelations ahead. Turns out, Madam Ju died from a heart attack — with diclofenac in her system, a medication to which she was allergic. Do-hee is left reeling. She eyes each awful family member, all of whom knew about the allergy, and wonders which one is a murderer. Or were they all in on it? She’s too far gone with grief to keep her suspicions to herself. Instead, she publicly accuses them all of foul play.

There’s more. After all, what’s an upper-crust funeral without a sting-in-the-tail will? Do-hee is about to be hustled out by the security team — until Madam Ju’s legal executor tells her to stay. Because, yes indeed, she has been given ownership of Mirae Group. But there’s a catch. To inherit the company, Do-hee must register her marriage within a year of Madam Ju’s death. Outraged family members flock her, spitting vitriol. Do-hee’s response is flawless. The only way to stop me, she announces, is to kill me. Then, she approaches her demonic bodyguard. Jung Gu-won, she says, as cameras flash. Marry me. And in front of stakeholders, press, and every single person who scorned Do-hee, Gu-won utters the immortal words: I don’t want to.

So yeah, the car ride back is excruciating. Maybe it’s to do with the fact that the radio keeps unhelpfully blaring love songs. It cannot be anything to do with Do-hee, because she is personally very chill, and already totally over it. Yup. She hardly even meant to prop— uh, actually, proposal is such a strong word, no? Let’s call it an accident. She’s been tired lately. She was practically sleep-talking. Gu-won wants to stay single? That’s fine! She too intends to be forever alone!

Madam Ju left Do-hee a letter, which in her utterly unflustered state, she drops in the car. As Gu-won approaches her door to return it, he overhears a very chill, uh, rant, that makes him reconsider knocking. Quoth Do-hee: the next time he leads me on, I’ll drag him to our wedding with a tranquilizer gun! The elephant kind! As Gu-won scurries away with a whimper, Do-hee is interrupted by another guest: JU SEOK-HOON (Lee Sang-yi), the one relation of Madam Ju who might actually possess a soul. Sadly for him, he also possesses second-lead energy in abundance. He’s adamant that Do-hee come to him if she needs help.

Later, the unfortunately-named Bok-gyu gives our hero a crash course in the gentle art of bodyguarding. Rule one: never let her out of your sight. Rule two: never let your guard down. Rule three: never fall in love. Wait, is this just the tagline from classic 90s romance, The Bodyguard? Well, yes, but Do-hee’s proposal has proved utterly and definitively that movies are true. The point, Bok-gyu insists, is that people are more sincere when sleep-deprived! Gu-won is half convinced — until Do-hee snaps that he’s the last man alive she’d marry. Of course, she’s feeling vengeful since Gu-won’s rejection made the gossip columns. It’s your name that’s the problem, she mourns in the car. Gu-won, for salvation. Just another sweet lie. You know, like love, happiness… those kind of childish myths. Wait, hold up, says our hero. Happiness? If you don’t believe in that, then why in the capitalist hell do you work so hard? Do-hee frowns. I think out of habit, she says. After my parents died, I worked to drown everything else out. As she takes a sad nap, Gu-won stares at her, moved. And keeps staring. And then, as the car behind him honks, he angrily explodes its airbag. Ah, romance!

As the day of Madam Ju’s burial dawns, Do-hee lets herself read her letter. I’ve left you alone in a den of wolves, writes Madam Ju. I know just how lonely that is — without you, I’d have drowned. I won’t have you suffer that same hell. And so, if you’re determined to take my place, you must find someone who’ll stand by your side. That’s all very well, decides Do-hee, but Madam Ju must trust her. She can manage on her own.

Doubtful. After all, there’s more going on than she knows. Firstly, there’s the assassin of a thousand faces who has his unnerving sights set on her death. His latest gambit is to approach the gang whose leader Gu-won killed. Meanwhile, lurking somewhere out there is a mysterious, leather-gloved killer who swapped Madam Ju’s painkillers with diclofenac… and all evidence points to the ever-resentful Suk-min.

You know who else’s life is hard? Gu-won! His troubles make Do-hee’s pale in comparison: after all, without his powers, our poor demon… is gradually aging at the speed of a normal human being. Woe! Misery! What if he gets, like, a wrinkle or something? No, that’s unthinkable. He’s got to recharge — meaning, he and Do-hee must schedule in some quality wrist-holding time. The two haggle with gusto. Do-hee declares that she will rescue Gu-won from the risks of eventual arthritis… once he helps her catch Madam Ju’s killer.

Glorious hijinks ensue. Gu-won blithely declares that he can find the culprit with a snap of his fingers — only for absolutely nothing to occur. Is something else up with his powers? In an effort to test them, he teleports them to a supply cupboard, where outside, Do-hee’s employees gossip. It takes serious force of denial to stay pokerfaced while pressed up close against your maybe-crush as bystanders extol the virtues of office romance… and our OTP fails miserably. It’s delightful.

None of Do-hee’s employees expected their boss to awkwardly rock up to the company dinner, but Gu-won snaps at an opportunity for some surreptitious wrist-grabbing. He’s not precisely subtle. Worse, when asked why he rejected Do-hee, his answer is nothing short of boorish. People who like pork, he says, don’t marry pigs! It’s entirely the last straw. Do-hee storms away.

Alas, this is the point at which the gang that Gu-won terrorized with a newspaper corner him, and without his powers, he’s a sitting duck. Luckily, Do-hee didn’t go far — and now, seeing him beaten and bloodied, she knows it’s time to act. Her secretary bought her a suitcase of sophisticated weaponry for this kind of threat. She has… a loud whistle! A taser that doesn’t work! And a fake gun that might just succeed in spraying tear gas! Facing down the goons, she utters the best line in an episode full of incredible lines: “I am… my bodyguard’s bodyguard!”

She reaches Gu-won in time for him to catch her by the wrist. Blood peels from his face. Shifting her into a dancer’s hold, he asks, almost tenderly, if she knows how to tango. As the lights dim, his magic takes hold. A bevy of armed criminals find themselves haplessly gyrating to the beat. Gu-won spins Do-hee forward — and a gang member goes flying. She gives a flourish, punches a guy in the nose, and lands in an elegant lift. As the two dance their way out of danger — bad guys dropping like bowling pins — we hear the eternal wisdom of The Bodyguard again. Rule one: never let her out of your sight. (Oops.) Rule two: never let your guard down. (Welp.) And rule three: never fall in love. (Uh oh, Gu-won.) Coming soon with next episode so stay tuned.