Cat and Mouse Chase
Sang-Un rushes away from the scene of the crime. He hops into a taxi and leaves the area.
Sang-Un calls Si-Ho, concerned and in need of help. She knows Bulgasal is back and that spells big trouble for her. Through flashbacks, we see Si-Ho and Sang-Un both staying at Sang-yeon’s sisters’ place all those years ago. Sang-Un knows that Bulgasal is back and this means big trouble for her. We see flashbacks of when Si-Ho and Sang-Un were both staying at Sang-yeon’s sisters’ place all those years ago. ..
Dan Hwal is relentless in his search for Sang-Un. He has numerous burner phones connected to different investigators, and he rings each one systematically, trying to find any scrap of knowledge about where Sang-Un is. His big drive is to get rid of his curse, so that Sang-Un can live eternally instead of being cursed forever. This is the way he wants to atone for his sins.
Sang-Un’s search for a way to kill Bulgasal is focused on finding an antique sword. After doing some reading, she believes this may well lie in the sword. She heads up to see a dealer, pretending to be a sword enthusiast. With Sang-Yeon’s words about “recognizing it when you see it” echoing in her mind, she draws the sword from its scabbard and realizes it isn’t the right one. The search goes on.
Sang-Un, a young woman, is at the bus stop when she runs into a reincarnated monster who winds up chasing her through the streets. Sang-Un is smart and manages to trap him. This maniacal man, the same one who was driving the bus last episode, has actually been following her all this time. For now Sang-Un manages to stop her but it seems it’s only a matter of time before he returns.
Hwal meanwhile, finds a mass murderer who is responsible for killing a number of different kids who have gone missing. Hwal stops his car and kidnaps him, smacking his head open and questioning the guy about Sang-Yeon and Sang-Un. This man happens to be the reincarnated old painter we saw during the Joseon period last episode. He also has a heightened sense of smell and, thanks to a hairband left behind, Hwal can now sense it too. Or at least sense a mass amount of detergent which Sang-Un has been using. ..
Hwal’s search leads him to another detective, someone who was kicked off the case 15 years ago and is now working for a different client. Hwal demands to know who the client is, but is told that he doesn’t know.
This detective is incredulous and worried when Sang-Un, sitting in a hospital bed, tells him Bulgasal is coming. It seems he too has had a run-in with the demon.
When Hwal arrives at the factory, he learns that the detergent is being used in big factories. He’s concerned because it’ll take 3-4 days to find out where it’s coming from. However, Sang-Un seems to know this too and is trying to shake the feeling.
Sang-Un’s alias has served her well, and as she heads outside to smack down the various dusty rugs, dressed in a disposable hazmat suit and goggles, she manages to fool Hwal who actually ends up helping her out with the rugs when she clumsily drops them all on the floor.
As a show of thanks, she hands over a gift which happens to have the same scent on it as her hairband. When Hwal heads back in his car, he realizes she’s Sang-Un.
The maniacal bus driver, tracking down the plant and knocking Sang-Un down, saves her life by grabbing the knife and taking out the monster.
When Sang-Un turns on Hwal, she is ready to strike back, but there’s a surprise in store. Si-Ho has grown up now and she shows up at the scene, recognized by Hwal as the reincarnated Dan Sol, his wife from the Joseon period. What a wonderful little twist! ..
The Episode Review
Bulgasal returns with a slower episode this week, as we explore the present day timeline with thin slivers of flashbacks to pad out the 75 minutes. Now, it appears that Dan-Sol is actually Si-Ho and that’s almost certainly going to make Hwal question his motives and his task. ..
In this chapter, we follow Hwal as he tries to find Sang-Un and our female protagonist as they try to evade him. This sets up a nice balance of power, while Sang-Un desperately tries to find a way to kill Bulgasal.
Given what we’ve seen here, I think it’s likely that we’ll start to explore romance a bit more, with either Sang-Un or Si-Ho. And as for the genre, I think we might shift slightly towards something more comedic. We’ve seen that a bit across this episode with the blonde-haired kid incredulous over Hwal’s wounds and Sang-Un’s mishaps at the factory, but I think we will have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.
Bulgasal has been an enjoyable watch and the twist at the end is enough to make the next episode an unmissable one!
