island. k_drama

Ban begins his career as Mi-ho’s bodyguard, and as expected, it’s hilariously awkward. Not only does he completely disregard the social etiquette befitting a chaebol employee, but he also lacks the modern skills that most regular people would have. Cue: a miffed Mi-ho driving her own car, while Ban — sans driving license — relaxes in the backseat. HAHAHA.

Mi-ho’s used to bossing people around, while Ban certainly isn’t used to being bossed around, resulting in a very entertaining dynamic in which it’s questionable who’s the actual employer here. Still, Mi-ho doesn’t have much time to waste bickering with Ban. It’s her first day at work, and she already has her hands full trying to get her unruly students to settle down.

This is where our drama suddenly takes a dark turn, blindsiding us with an abrupt tonal shift that veers us into serious territory. (I know, the drama is literally about demons, but so far it’s always had a tongue-in-cheek absurdity to it!)

One of Mi-ho’s students, LEE SOO-RYUN (Jung Soo-bin), hasn’t been showing up to class. Her best friend, BU YEOM-JI (Heo Jung-hee), is concerned enough that she walks straight out of class (in front of an affronted Mi-ho) in order to pay Soo-ryun a visit.

Soo-ryun is curled up in bed, frightened and shaking and sporting a whole array of bruises. Her despicable garbage can of a boyfriend, MOON KYUNG-JOON (Yoo Yi-joon), is a violent abuser. Not only does he brutalize her with a karaoke mic, but he also blackmails her with explicit photos.Going to the police isn’t an option, and the media scrutiny on Mi-ho means she has to be on her best behavior and stay out of trouble. With no one on their side, Yeom-ji does the only thing she can think of to comfort Soo-ryun — she relays the myth of Benjulle, a divine spirit that resides on the mountain and exacts revenge at a price.

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.

Now that they’re acquainted, Mi-ho and Yo-han end up working together when Yeom-ji approaches them for help. For all that Mi-ho may be a rich, spoiled brat, she’s also deeply empathetic. Resonating with Yeom-ji’s desperation for someone to believe her, Mi-ho decides to check on Soo-ryun just in case, and she enlists Yo-han’s assistance.

Except the two have no idea what they’re walking into. What starts out as an exorcism quickly escalates when the walls of Soo-ryun’s room begin morphing into a forest, as a possessed Yeom-ji cackles that Mi-ho has fallen into the trap. They’re in Benjulle’s realm now.

Thankfully, Ban has also been following danger’s trail. He makes it to Benjulle’s forest, where a vengeance-driven Soo-ryun sits atop the colossal tree being Benjulle. Backed by his epic soundtrack once again, Ban saves Mi-ho from being pierced by one of Benjulle’s branches.

Still, Benjulle is much too strong. Before long, all three of our heroes are incapacitated, and for a moment it seems like there’s no way out — until Ban slips into demon mode and decimates his bonds. With the aid of his demon capabilities, Ban single-handedly defeats Benjulle, saving them all.

In the aftermath, Ban explains that Benjulle was contaminated by lust devils. It was all done to target Mi-ho, which naturally adds to Mi-ho’s feelings of guilt. (She points out that this is where Ban ought to reassure her that it’s not her fault, but Ban remains silent as usual, LOL.)Now that Yo-han’s fighting prowess has been exposed, the cat’s out of the bag. Yo-han admits to Mi-ho that he’s here to investigate the strange occurrences around her, and to her credit, she barely bats an eye. At least there’s one more person on her side now, right?

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. Next episode coming very soon so stay tuned.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***