See You In Another Life, Brother!
What happened 1000 years ago?
In 1000 years ago, a cowering couple told their daughter to run away with their babe. Only, as she wanders through the tunnels, frightened, she finds Sang-Un before her. Or at least her iteration from 1000 years ago.
Sang-Un, one half of the Bulgasal, touches the baby’s hand with glowing eyes and blackened hands. Hwal, although he looks at this scene with quiet disdain, shows up too. ..
Sang-Un helps lead the girl to the village where a kind old lady lets her in. Sang-Un watches from afar as she’s taken care of. And as such, the seasons pass; winter frost turns to summer heat and back again until we settle on a time five years later.
The girl is now older and with her brother too. Their mother? The earlier iteration of Hye-Seok. As the kids run off into the woods, a three-eyed monster known as Jomagu attacks but Sang-Un is there once more to save them. Sang-Un, the protagonist of “Jomagu” saves his little sister and younger brother from a three-eyed monster known as Jomagu in the woods. ..
Why does Hwal grow jealous and angry?
Hwal worries that she’s becoming too attached to the children, believing she’ll leave him. Sang-Un reassures him though, as the two Bulgasal seem to be in love. Sang-Un though stops by with some medicine to help the poor kid, given he has a terrible cough.
Sang-Un soon decides to live with the humans, which causes Hwal to descend into a jealous rage. Sang-Un promises to return when the children have grown but it’s no good. Hwal’s rage is unsatiated as we cut forward 10 years.
The three children have grown, and the girl resembles Si-Ho and the boy resembles Do-Yun. The trio head out into the woods, but Eul-Tae happens to be there and he shoots an arrow into Do-Yun’s back. This occurs just after brutally murdering his own son, and in doing so Sang-Un shows off her Bulgasal eyes.
What happened in the village?
Eul-Tae blames his brother’s death on Bulgasal and because of Sang-Un showing off her eyes earlier on, she’s brought out before the whole village along with her family. Her hand is cut and as it instantly heals, everyone realizes that she’s Bulgasal. ..
The King stabs her in the heart, killing her instantly. This pain sees her fall back on Si-Ho’s words, promising not to harm any humans. Even though she is hurt badly in the process, she stands by this promise. ..
When it is suggested that Sang-Un should be beheaded, the King also demands that the house be burnt. And this is when Hwal roars and shows up. ..
Why does Sang-Un turn on Hwal?
Sang-Un wakes up to find her husband dead and her children bleeding out. Despite theBulgasal, she sobbs and cries. Hwal has slaughtered everyone. This was his plan, and the smirk proves as much. He did this because of the humans trying to harm her.
When Si-Ho, the King and Do-Yun all stab Hwal together, the evil Bulgasal curses them all for as long as he will live. In order to stop this, Sang-Un sacrifices herself and stabs her own heart to stop Hwal’s wrath. Hwal promises to come back and get his revenge, finding her in the next life and reminding Sang-Un that she belongs to him. Wow, talk about a clingy boyfriend!
Eul-Tae, the King’s assassin, shows up at the palace begging for mercy. The King stabs him in the back with a knife, killing him. He promises to ask for forgiveness in the next life and dies at the Well in present day as Detective Kwon. ..
Bulgasal Sang-Un returned to the cave after, unaware that Hwal died as a human. She was determined to gain revenge for the slaughter of the village, and that explains why she stabbed Hwal during the 600 years ago timeline.
Is Eul-Tae defeated?
We then cut to the present and inside the cave, Eul-Tae confronts Hwal and tries to encourage him to drink his blood and go back to being a monster, urging him to take the curse he’s been given. Hwal eventually fights with his other half, stabbing him in the heart… but also drinking his blood too.
As Eul-Tae loses consciousness, Sang-Un steps out to face Hwal. Her nose starts bleeding as he reverts back into his vengeful Bulgasal form. After looking over at Sang-Un, he eventually stabs himself in the heart. It’s a heartbreaking moment but also a necessary evil to put an end to everything.
Why does Hwal sacrifice himself?
Hwal is unable to forgive himself for what happened and admits that as long as he stays alive, the curse will never end. This way Do-Yun and Si-Ho will have a fighting chance at a normal life. Unfortunately, Bulgasal can’t reincarnate so this bittersweet goodbye is very reminiscent of the rooftop scene from Goblin, including the same burning cinders as Hwal leaves her side.
With Hwal dead, Sang-Un breaks the news to Si-ho and Do-Yun. The trio are understandably devastated and even more so when they learn about Kwon passing away too. Sang-Un is glad that Si-ho and Do-Yun are still alive though and asks Si-ho to have a good life and have lots of babies. As she touches her hand, Si-Ho sees everything that’s happened, including Hwal’s sacrifice to make it to this point.
What happens to Si-ho and Do-Yun?
Sang-Un and Hwal come back to the house one day after a long absence. They are both happy to see Si-Ho and Do-Yun, but they are also worried about what has been going on between them. Si-Ho tells them that they made a promise to wait for each other, and that they will make it up as time goes on. Sang-Un and Hwal are happy to hear this, and they decide to stay with Si-Ho and Do-Yun.
How does Bulgasal: Immortal Souls end?
50 years after her death, a reincarnated Sang-Un receives a picture of Hwal’s house. With an address on the back, she shows up and notices a man outside looking exactly like Hwal wanting to buy the place. ..
Sang-Un slips and Hwal helps her. He cuts his hand in the process. Both Sang-Un and Hwal have a faint sense of deja vu. “Have we met before?” Hwal asks, as the camera cuts, scanning across to that beautiful family photo before fading to black. ..
The Episode Review
Bulgasal has come to an end with a heartwarming ending that ties up all the loose ends, explains the 1000 year timeline, and rounds everything out to a new beginning for pretty much everyone. ..
The sudden appearance of Hwal, a reincarnated Bulgasal, in Sang-Un without any mention of his proper origin feels like a cop-out and at worst, reminds me of the rug pull trope. ..
After getting emotional about the sacrifice Hwal has made, he’s back. It’s nice to see him again, but it also negates the sacrifice he made.
Hwal has decided to end his life in order to free himself from the resentment and anger he has felt for many years. He understands that this will allow Si-Ho and Do-Yun to live happy lives, and so he is willing to go through with it. ..
It’s the perfect way to understand, empathize and forgive Hwal for his faults but then he just turns back up anyway. It kinda rubs me up the wrong way that they did that but hey, maybe that’s just me! What did you guy think? Let us know in the comments if you feel (or don’t feel) the same way!
On the downside, there are some very sad moments in this final episode, including Sang-Un’s death and Eul-Tae’s. The turning of time, and the changing of seasons, is captured beautifully but also leaves all the big plot points unresolved.
Despite some gripes with the way this one ended, the road to this point has been quite the rollercoaster and there’s enough satisfaction to be had to recommend this one as a solid fantasy offering.
