Two Fates Entwined Together
In the beginning of episode 11 of Bulgasal: Immortal Souls, Hwal seems distraught over the loss of his son reincarnate. With bloodied hands, he shakily tries to clean his palms but the pain runs deep. That inevitably manifests itself into uncontrollable rage, as he remains fixated on finding Eul-Tae and stopping him for good.
Do-Yun is not actually dead. Despite what we initially thought last episode, he’s alive and after recovering from his injuries, awakens to find Hwal watching over him.
Do-Yun drops another bombshell, revealing that Eul-Tae was the one who killed Hwal’s mother and son 600 years back. Hwal is shocked and while he contemplates what to do about his foe, he takes the painting of Sang-Un, the one he’s loathed for so many years, and burns it outside. He apologizes to Sang-Un for inexplicably hating her for so long and tries to come up with a plan for getting back at Eul-Tae.
Sang-Un comes up with a plan to get back at Eul-Tae. She will use herself as bait to get him to come out and fight her. First, the gang packs up their things and leaves the safe-house together. This is a bitter pill to swallow, given the good times they’ve all shared together there. ..
After being taken to a more lavish house than the one they were originally in, Hwal seems to feel lighter and more focused. However, the sadness he had earlier in the episode seems to have dissipated somewhat. ..
The gang continue to get along well, although this feels like a last supper before the final fight. (I say final, there’s still 5 more episodes after this so maybe not!) Hwal agrees to let them all eat outside, but immediately interjects when he notices Do-yun about to be given alcohol. He refuses to let him drink, which leads to Kwon blurting out that Hwal is an over-protective dad. It’s awkward, especially as Do-Yun doesn’t know the truth, but it thankfully goes over his head.
After dinner, Hwal takes Kwon aside and asks him to look after their family. He admits that he’s going after Eul-Tae and doesn’t know if he’ll come back. ..
Sang-Un and Si-ho end up having a heart to heart that night. They discuss Hwal’s demeanour, how he’s cold toward others and has a mysterious aura. Sang-Un has clearly grown affectionate toward him, and Si-Ho senses this. She smiles and teases Sang-Un about this.
That night, Sang-Un struggles to sleep and heads outside. She finds Hwal sitting with her. The pair talk about their upcoming struggles, with Sang-Un teasing him and telling the Bulgasal to lighten up a bit. ..
Sang-Un remains optimistic that they will be better off once Eul-Tae is in the well, but Hwal questions her resolve. As he asks her if she is foolish, he smiles, a genuinely warm smile too. Sang-Un tries to convince him to smile again but he resists and it disappears as quickly as it appeared, replaced with the cold, harsh truth that they could both die horribly the following day. ..
Sang-Un quizzes Hwal about whether he has spoken to Do-Yun yet, but she discourages him. He seems to love her, so Sang-Un freezes.
Hwal makes a big decision and traps herself in the storage room, looking the door and keeping her from getting involved with Eul-Tae. He’s going to face him alone. And not only that, it seems like he knows Sang-Un is more emotionally invested than he would like.
Eul-Tae is finally found by the group, after a long and difficult search. Si-Ho and Sang-Un are determined to kill him, just as they do with all the other members of the group.
Si-Ho uses her powers of foresight to see that Sang-Un and Sang-Yeon were fighting and that Kim Hwa-Yeon was involved. She then decides to use her powers to help Sang-Un and Sang-Yeon resolve their conflict. ..
Hwal and Eul-tae eventually make it to the well, but the latter is too strong. He knocks out Hwal, leaving him with a dribble of blood from the side of his mouth.
Eul-Tae is fighting against Hwal, a powerful creature that seems to be passing out. However, Hwal seems to be able to sense Eul-Tae’s weaknesses and pounces on him. Eul-Tae is stabbed in the chest, and he tries to get away but is killed by Hwal.
Eul-tae then drops another bombshell about the truth involving Bulgasals. They’re not immortal because they don’t have souls. The only way to kill a Bulgasal is for both to be killed together, given they always arrive in pairs. “As long as one is alive,” Eul-Tae croaks, “The other will never die.”
Eul-tae tries his best to persuade Hwal to stop, even mentioning how Hwal allegedly asked Eul-Tae to turn him into Bulgasal. Eventually though Hwal has enough and grabs Dark Hole. With a knife pointed at his chest, he prepares for the killing blow, wiping out both men at the same time.
As they wrestle for dominance at the abandoned train yard, the pair tumble off the top of a high bridge and land hard on the ground below.
Sang-Un rushes to the scene, driven by a force even she can’t comprehend. Well, it turns out she’s actually grown real feelings for Hwal. When he steps out from the train-yard, bloodied and bruised, and sees her standing before him, Sang-Un confesses her true feelings.
The Episode Review
Bulgasal returns to the group with relief, Do-Yun is okay after all. I wasn’t sure if he was going to be killed off here, as a symbol of how time is repeating itself and these characters are destined to make the same mistakes again. ..
This episode provides a strong case for why Eul-tae should be punished for his actions. There are a number of people who want to see him punished, and it seems like there is a lot of effort put into this by those in power. It will take a collective effort for everyone to stop him, but that also means that Hwal will need to sacrifice himself too, setting up a heartbreak scene when Sang-Un and Hwal do part ways.
Sang-Un has admitted her true feelings and left us on an agonizing cliffhanger. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long to find out what happens next. ..
