My Demon Episode 5

The photo booth kiss works its magic, and Do-kyung retreats, unsuspecting. This is lucky, because Gu-won’s literal magic is on fritz. Or, as NOH SUK-NYEO (Cha Chung-hwa), the homeless woman who regularly ambushes our heroes with cryptic advice would have it: “flickering.” Gu-won’s positive he’s identified the problem: his beloved spouse. Uh — not that he’s blaming her! It’s just a nuisance! By which he means, it’s not like he didn’t not not enjoy, uh, what they had to do instead — or something… hey, isn’t that his butler calling?

Yes — cue their worst marital spat yet. Bok-gyu is here to help Gu-won move in… alongside ten lifetimes’ worth of possessions, enough to smother even Do-hee’s frankly palatial apartment. Our heroine doesn’t skip a beat: Gu-won and his fifty-thousand boxes of random bric-a-brac are kicked to the curb. (Though not without a cup of coffee to go. She isn’t heartless.) Fine by Gu-won! Guess he’ll just live in his car forever! Thus, he spends several hours lounging in the car park obsessively googling himself, whilst in no way, shape, or form waiting for Do-hee to call. Upstairs, Do-hee gripes to an imaginary Madam Ju about the trials of married life.They’re not the only ones discontent with their lot. Ga-young has fled rehearsals in a fit of pique, stalking through the city in tears and laddered tights. As she trips and bashes her ankle, we flash back to when she was child. Barefoot in the snow, she hid from her drunk, abusive father. Just as he had her cornered, she was rescued by none other than our resident demon, here to harvest her father’s soul. She had chased after Gu-won, clutching his jacket, begging to go with him — but he’d turned his back. It took her years to find him again.

Suddenly, Ga-young’s puppydog-eyed pouting makes infinitely more sense. When life gives you a backstory to rival Goblin, the last thing you expect is to be anyone’s second lead! Back in the present, an obnoxious drunk begins harassing her. But sure enough, before things get ugly, our demonic bodyguard is back to intervene. The two return to Sunwol, where Ga-young demands assurance that Gu-won’s marriage is fake. Gu-won, who has avoidance down to a fine art, insists that it is.That night, our demon slinks back home, shame-faced — only to shriek as Do-hee executes a flawlessly-timed jumpscare. Ah, the joys of matrimony! Still, he’s pretty smug that she waited up for him, so he presses his luck. I’d like to charge up, he declares. This is how our heroes end up huddled like supremely flustered sardines in bed, holding hands and refusing to look each other in the eye. I can’t sleep with anyone next to me, Do-hee states. Demons don’t sleep either, Gu-won retorts. Several hours later, both are utterly conked out.

Gu-won wakes first, sneaking glances at a snoozing Do-hee, whilst assuring himself that these feelings are a temporary aberration. As he closes his eyes, Do-hee surfaces, and also takes the opportunity to peek at his face. When both open their eyes at once, there’s enough high-intensity staring that denial is a distant dream — but, alas, the phone blares. It’s Secretary Shin, and there’s a problem. After a viral video made some nasty accusations, the entire internet is accusing Do-hee of murdering Madam Ju.Suk-min has finally made his counter-move. Do-hee tackles this the only way she knows: head on. She gets Gu-won to teleport her to Suk-min’s shooting range, and tells him he has a funny idea of a wedding gift. With impressive disregard for the rifle in his hand, she asks if he really made a mistake the night he “accidentally” ran someone over. See for yourself, he retorts, leveling the gun right at her. Do-hee glares, turns, and walks away. He fires — but, of course, it goes wide. Let’s go, says Do-hee to Gu-won. We have a war to win.

From here, they corner the reporter who accused Do-hee. After a few demonic threats, he cracks like an egg. But further complications abound. Seok-hoon, always half a step behind, has found a photo from 1977 of Gu-won looking young as ever. There’s only one explanation: Gu-won is a vampire! (Quoth our long-suffering, oft-misidentified hero: “I’m not some damn mosquito.”) Seok-hoon stands his ground: if Gu-won ever harms Do-hee, he’ll harness the full force of his second-lead powers to annoy him to death — by revealing his secret to the world.He’s not the only one bent on making Gu-won’s life miserable. Team Evil — consisting of our many-faced assassin, the elusive Abraxas, and the leather-gloved, lighter-wielding mastermind — have bugged his office, and stolen his demonic manual. This last part is upsetting for Do-hee, who would have loved a user’s guide to navigate the tribulations of demon ownership! After all, he’s being pretty perplexing. At Ga-young’s latest rehearsal, he retreats into silent brooding; memories of his human life, and an unidentified sword-wielding dancer continue to haunt him.

When he leaves for the final performance, he smiles at Do-hee with unexpected tenderness. But midway through the show, he gets an emergency call. Do-hee has been arrested on suspicion of Madam Ju’s murder. Gu-won bounds out of the theater, only for a stranger to barge straight into him. When he glances down, he sees that there’s a knife embedded in his own chest. And — blood. And, for the first time in centuries, pain. As he slumps to the ground, Do-hee’s name still on his lips, he looks up to see the pasted-on face of our mystery assassin.

An unexpected hero enters the fray: Bok-gyu! The world’s bravest butler shoves the assassin away from Gu-won, with such force that his mask — a bit of a botch-job, and certainly not up to his usual standards — falls away from his face. Knowing too well the extent of Gu-won’s tracking powers, he stumbles away, terrified. With Do-hee cooped up in a holding cell, and Gu-won’s magic out of his reach, nobody has time to give chase. Instead, Gu-won is hustled to the emergency room.

The prognosis is terrible; he’s not expected to survive the night. Gu-won lies prone, wracked by dreams of hellfire. Thankfully, a sympathetic detective is willing to smuggle Do-hee to the hospital for a surreptitious visit. On the way, she’s ambushed by Ga-young, who cries that Do-hee has killed Gu-won. Rushing to his bedside, Do-hee places her wrist in his hand. At first, he remains motionless, and she collapses on his lap in tears. But then, slowly, our hero’s eyes crack open. With characteristic charm, he commands her to move. She’s heavy. But evidently it’s not the hardship he claims, because moments later he’s tugging her into a fervent, awkwardly-lying-down hug.

Magic is enough to yank Gu-won back from death’s door, but with his powers sputtering, he’s still injured. Despite being in pain and freshly traumatized from his near-combustion experience, he has fun pestering Bok-gyu into hand-feeding him. He has less fun with his next visitors. The criminal gang he habitually bullies — the Wild Dogs — have decided that if you can’t beat a newspaper-wielding maniac, you may as well join him. They’ve made up their minds: Gu-won is their new leader! They line up, wish him bloody vengeance on all his foes, and make hand-hearts. Gu-won’s first order — not to come within five meters of him — is obeyed to the letter. With measuring tape. And more hand-hearts.

Soon, Do-hee is discharged for lack of evidence — which isn’t surprising, considering her arrest was a ploy by Suk-min. Quickly, she heads hospital-wards. Steadfastly ignoring the adoring rows of gangsters, she finds Gu-won, who immediately hops out of bed to greet her. She fusses over him. He glows. Even Secretary Shin is charmed.

Time for some medically-mandated cuddles! Do-hee reasons that if Gu-won’s powers are waning, skin-to-skin contact might help him heal. Gu-won finds this logic very persuasive. And so, after the requisite amount of shifting and complaining, they end up sleeping in each other’s arms. Last week, Do-hee berated herself for being clingy — but it turns out, she didn’t know true clinginess until this morning! Gu-won tugs her back into bed and pleads, eyes a-gleam, for her to take the day off. But when he brushes his hand against her cheek and leans close, Do-hee feels a sudden pang of guilt. She retreats.

Things get uneasier as — in endearing defiance of all medical wisdom — Gu-won follows Do-hee into work… only for both to encounter Ga-young. Still feeling raw after watching the two embrace at the hospital, she throws guilt in quick succession. Do-hee, she accuses of exploiting Gu-won. She used him, weakened him, and almost let him die. Gu-won, she accuses of willful ignorance. Deep down, he knows that he’s gradually becoming more human — because he’s in love with Do-hee. You’re a demon, she says. Act like one.Both are uncharacteristically silent in the Car of Uncomfortable Truths. That night, Do-hee sneaks out onto the balcony, and thinks of Madam Ju. Should I really, she asks, keep pushing forward? If I give up here, I’d be betraying you. But the Madam Ju of her memories is adamant: don’t lose your new family, she says, because of your dead one. I want you to do what’s best for you — and sometimes, that means doing what’s best for someone you care about. And so, Do-hee calls Seok-hoon. She’s made up her mind. At the board meeting, she announces that she is withdrawing her candidacy for Chairperson.

Weathering Suk-min’s patronizing congratulations, Su-ahn’s suspicion, and Do-kyung’s smirks, she declares that she’ll forfeit the war — and her inheritance, to boot. Later, Gu-won pulls her to the side and demands to know why she’s giving in. Knowing that platitudes won’t cut it, she’s forced to stick the knife in. You can no longer protect me, she says, as coldly as she can muster. You’ve become so weak you can’t even protect yourself. Gu-won’s face collapses as he tries not to cry. He holds on until she leaves, before sinking to his knees in pain — whilst Suk-min and his son watch coldly from the window.

Still, our demon doesn’t stay down for long — not when there’s breath left in his body for yelling! And so, he angrily corners Seok-hoon. All credit to our second lead; he hardly hesitates before slicing through six different layers of miscommunication. Do-hee always blamed herself for her parents’ deaths, he snaps. Now, she’ll blame herself for Madam Ju’s — because of you. You’re the reason she gave up.

Character development is a marvelous thing: our hero has learned the ways of the rom-com. He races to Do-hee’s apartment, finding it empty. But there’s one place he knows she always found solace: the greenhouse. Here, Do-hee sees the fallen flower petals, and breathes an apology to Madam Ju. Gu-won bursts in. Let’s go back, he says. Don’t give up because of me — fight. I want you to do what’s best for you, because that’s what’s best for me.

Do-hee looks up at him. Everyone I’ve ever loved is dead, she says — and you’ll die because of me too. He moves closer. I don’t care, he says. And then, taking her face in his hands, he kisses her. Then, as the sprinklers come on, showering them with water, he kisses her again. Even if my feelings for you make me weak, he thinks, you are the fate that I can’t deny. Next episode coming very soon so stay tuned

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