Choo Young-woo has been possessed by an evil spirit.
In episode 9 of tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Gyunwoo and the Fairy' (directed by Kim Yong-wan, written by Yang Ji-hoon, planned by CJ ENM, produced by Studio Dragon, Dexter Pictures, and IO Contents Group), the evil spirit Bong-soo (played by Choo Young-woo) takes over the body of Bae Gyun-woo (also played by Choo Young-woo).
Despite the warning from the shaman (played by Lee Young-ran) that Bae Gyun-woo should not be involved with ghosts or see blood after his spiritual eye opened, he ends up getting cut by a knife. The ending, where Park Seong-ah (played by Jo Yi-hyun) questions the change and Bong-soo reveals his true nature by saying, "I devoured him," left everyone in shock.
With attention focused on Bae Gyun-woo's fate, viewer reactions were explosive. Episode 9 recorded a viewership rating of 4.5% on average and a peak of 5.3% in the metropolitan area, and 4.6% on average and a peak of 5.3% nationwide, ranking first in its time slot across cable and general programming channels. (Based on Nielsen Korea's paid household standards)
On this day, Yeom-hwa (played by Choo Ja-hyun) infused bad energy into Bong-soo to easily harm Bae Gyun-woo. Yeom-hwa, who tried to harmonize, was hit by Park Seong-ah's counterattack, and seeing Dongcheon General (played by Kim Mi-kyung) enraged by this fact, she went even more berserk. Yeom-hwa's pointed remark, "You brought me in after chasing me away. Just like me, you're alone, unhappy, and cursed," shook Park Seong-ah's heart.
After receiving Yeom-hwa's bad energy, Park Seong-ah continued to be entangled with him. She began to see the mysterious wooden box Yeom-hwa was carrying. Concerned, Park Seong-ah mentioned it to Yeom-hwa, who pondered over her words. Soon, realizing the true nature of the wooden box, she screamed.
It was a coffin carrying a child who had passed away. Yeom-hwa cried out to Dongcheon General, asking why she hid the fact that the child couldn't leave this world. The words that the gods were blaming the child, not Yeom-hwa, broke her once again. Dongcheon General, tying a handkerchief around Yeom-hwa's injured hand, said that the curse would work well since she hadn't let go of it for ten years, leaving a heavy heart.
Meanwhile, Bae Gyun-woo kept the fact that his spiritual eye had opened a secret from Park Seong-ah and met with the shaman. The shaman, worried about the news that Park Seong-ah's fairy clothes were stained black, feared punishment. Bae Gyun-woo, thinking Park Seong-ah's punishment was because of him, asked the shaman to break the binding spell connecting them for Park Seong-ah's safety. However, the shaman couldn't easily break the binding spell between Park Seong-ah and Bae Gyun-woo. Their desire to protect each other was too strong for any other spell to intervene. Instead of breaking the binding spell, the shaman advised them to never get involved with ghosts and, if they did, to avoid seeing blood, warning that seeing blood would escalate the situation uncontrollably.
Despite the shaman's warning, Bae Gyun-woo faced a crisis. He discovered a suicide ghost attached to Mo-beom (played by Ham Sung-min). The moment Park Seong-ah let go of Bae Gyun-woo's hand to save Mo-beom, the evil spirit Bong-soo appeared. "You said you'd take care of the shaman. How can you let him go alone to the suicide ghost?" Bong-soo provoked Bae Gyun-woo. As painful memories resurfaced, Bae Gyun-woo rushed to save Mo-beom, and at that moment, he was cut by a knife, opening his spiritual eye.
When Bae Gyun-woo awoke, he seemed the same as usual, as if the blood impurity never happened. He stayed by Park Seong-ah's side, who was struggling with punishment, and took care of her. As soon as Park Seong-ah felt better, she took Bae Gyun-woo to archery practice. However, an unexpected twist awaited. After practice, Park Seong-ah, with tears in her eyes, asked where the 'real' Bae Gyun-woo was.
Bae Gyun-woo was bewildered by Park Seong-ah's search for 'Bae Gyun-woo' right in front of him. But Park Seong-ah was certain. She realized he wasn't 'Bae Gyun-woo' because he didn't follow his archery routine. Only then did the evil spirit Bong-soo reveal his identity by saying, "I devoured him," delivering a shocking revelation. The focus is now on whether Bong-soo has completely taken over Bae Gyun-woo's body and what fate awaits Bae Gyun-woo.
Episode 10 of tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Gyunwoo and the Fairy' airs tonight (22nd) at 8:50 PM.
Reporter Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr