In a surprising twist, the romance between Jo Yi-hyun and Choo Young-woo in 'Gyenu and Seonnyeo' faces a new challenge with the introduction of an 'evil spirit'.
In the sixth episode of tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Gyenu and Seonnyeo' (directed by Kim Yong-wan, written by Yang Ji-hoon, planned by CJ ENM, produced by Studio Dragon, Dexter Pictures, and IO Contents Group), viewers witnessed the shocking possession of Bae Gyenu (played by Choo Young-woo) by an evil spirit. Just as Bae Gyenu opened his heart after realizing the sincerity of Park Seong-ah (played by Jo Yi-hyun) and Pyo Ji-ho (played by Cha Kang-yoon), an unexpected twist occurred. The evil spirit summoned by Yeomhwa (played by Choo Ja-hyun) possessed Bae Gyenu, leading to a chilling ending where he approached Park Seong-ah, saying, “Hello, shaman. You should say goodbye too.”
The episode achieved a viewership rating of 3.9% on average and peaked at 5.1% in the metropolitan area, while nationwide it averaged 4.0% and peaked at 5.0%, securing the top spot in its time slot across cable and general programming channels. Among tvN's target demographic of viewers aged 20-49, it also ranked first across all channels, including terrestrial networks, with a peak rating of 1.7% nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea's paid platform data.
On this day, Park Seong-ah stood her ground against Yeomhwa. Furious at Yeomhwa's cruelty, which included drawing a ghost-repelling talisman on a photo of her deceased grandmother Oh Ok-soon (played by Gil Hae-yeon) and relentlessly pushing Bae Gyenu to the edge, Park Seong-ah was filled with anger. She was heartbroken over Bae Gyenu's past, which made him despise shamans. Kneeling, Bae Gyenu pleaded for Yeomhwa to stop toying with him, to which Park Seong-ah could only respond, “I have no intention of toying with anyone, not even ghosts. I don't want to make others cry.”
Park Seong-ah's suspicion that Yeomhwa had done more than just draw the ghost-repelling talisman proved correct. After purifying the Immaemangryangbu (a talisman requesting the transformation of evil spirits into goblins) found at the columbarium, Park Seong-ah rushed to Bae Gyenu's house. Confronting Yeomhwa, she warned her to stop tormenting Bae Gyenu. Park Seong-ah saw through Yeomhwa's intentions, realizing she never intended to purify the talisman. Unable to stand by as Yeomhwa manipulated Bae Gyenu using misfortune and his grandmother as leverage, Park Seong-ah's unexpected spiritual strength left Yeomhwa visibly shaken.
But it didn't end there. Park Seong-ah discovered that Yeomhwa's guardian spirit had left her due to her numerous misdeeds. At that moment, Yeomhwa was struck by a 'sal' (a deadly curse) sent by Dongcheon General (played by Kim Mi-kyung), causing her to writhe in pain. Feeling threatened, Yeomhwa sought out an abandoned house instead of her guardian spirit, praying for the birth of an evil god. Her wish seemed to come true as faceless ghosts began to swarm around Bae Gyenu, celebrating the birth of the evil god.
Meanwhile, Bae Gyenu realized that Park Seong-ah was genuinely protecting him. Unlike Yeomhwa, who wished to take away all his misfortune, Park Seong-ah reassured him of his strength, prompting Bae Gyenu to trust her once more. His regret deepened upon realizing that Park Seong-ah had been acting as a 'human talisman' to protect him, even enduring constant physical contact from Pyo Ji-ho.
Despite Park Seong-ah's efforts, the crisis continued. Heading to the abandoned house to save Kim Jin-woong (played by Kim Sung-jung), Park Seong-ah encountered an unimaginable situation: Bae Gyenu possessed by the evil spirit. The episode ended with Bae Gyenu approaching Park Seong-ah, seemingly about to kiss her, saying, “Hello, shaman. You should say goodbye too.” Just as Park Seong-ah was close to completely dispelling Bae Gyenu's misfortune, the 'evil spirit' emerged as an unexpected variable.
The seventh episode of tvN's 'Gyenu and Seonnyeo' will air on the 14th (Monday) at 8:50 PM.
Reporter: Kim Se-ah, TenAsia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr