My Demon

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Synopsis

Do Do Hee is the successor of Mirae Group. She’s arrogant and doesn’t trust anyone. She meets Jeong Gu Won. He’s a demon who looks down on humans and can live forever by making deals with them. On day, he loses his powers. To get them back he enters into a marriage contract with Do Hee whom he must protect. They develop feelings for each other.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

My Demon exceeded my expectations for 2 main reasons. First, the main couple was literal fire. The chemistry between Song Kang and Kim Yoo Jung was through the roof. I really thought I was seeing a real couple on screen. Moreover, they had plenty of scenes to give us butterflies. Second, and probably the most important reason for me, is the script, its references and subtle meanings. Many passages are linked with religion and/or religious education that I found extremely well intertwined with the overall intrigue (e.g. Hermann Hesse’s Demian). The drama gave way to a good reflection on good and evil that I appreciated and was not expected to have in a romance. Well done! This drama is proof that you can combine lighthearted romance with intellectual reflection.

Analysis

• The romance
  The past lives
  The encounter
  Married life
• Theories and interpretations
  Demian by Herman Hesse
  Worlds destroyed
  Characters between good and evil
  Gu Won, the Savior
  Religious references
  Meaning of names
• The ending
  Gu Won’s faith
  The bet turned into a miracle
  Side characters’ own happy ending
• The direction and OSTs

The romance: I have one word to define the romance and that is: Fire. The connection, the entanglement between the leads and their chemistry were top-notch.

The past lives: In their past lives, Seo Yi Sun (Song Kang) and Wol Sim (Kim Yoo Jung) unexpectedly fell in love. Wol Sim was working as a gisaeng, but life was tough. Noblemen treated her as an object of entertainment. Meanwhile, her beauty and distant personality created a wedge between her and other women. Tired of living, Wol Sim had decided to end her life. She took her swords and found a remote area. Though she was prepared to die, Wol Sim ended up meeting Yi Sun. This encounter turned their lives upside down. Seo Yi Sun was the turbulent son of an aristocratic family. As he was taking a stroll in the forest, he stumbled upon Wol Sim doing her sword dance. Her grace and beauty mesmerized him. He fell in love at first sight. After that, he had one goal: Conquer her heart. He repeatedly came back to meet her, pretending he was just passing by. Over time, both Yi Sun and Wol Sim started to look forward to these meetings. Despite their love, there was however one hurdle: Their status. Wol Sim being a courtesan and Yi Sun a nobleman, a marriage would never be accepted by the family or the public. That’s when Yi Sun discovered Catholicism, a religion that advocated for equality and the absence of classes. He converted Wol Sim and they both dreamed of changing society, so they could be together. Nevertheless, Catholics presented a threat to the King and the current doctrines of Joseon (Bouddhism and Confucianism). Moreover, Yi Sun’s father got wind of his son’s love story. So, he killed two birds with one rock. He had Wol Sim arrested and killed for being a Catholic. This would ultimately force his son to leave this new religion – considered a cult of heretics – and to find a woman of his rank. Little did he know that Yi Sun would go as far as murdering Wol Sim’s killers and commit suicide thereafter. Long story short, Wol Sim and Yi Sun’s story sounds like a tragic romance from the outside. However, the more we learn about their relationship, the better we understand how strong their bond actually is. Yi Sun saved Wol Sim when she had hit rock bottom and intended on taking her life. Meanwhile, Wol Sim gave Yi Sun a purpose in life. Their feelings for one another proved to be quite intense. Hence, their readiness to convert to an unknown religion to be together, and their choice to die to protect the other. Once their past lives are revealed, we get to understand way better the link that unites Gu Won (Song Kang) and Do Do Hee (Kim Yoo Jung).

The encounter: Do Do Hee and Gu Won’s encounter is a twist of fate. Ju Cheon Suk (Kim Hae Sook), who’s Do Hee’s adoptive parent, has set up a blind date for her and a prominent party. Upon her arrival at the restaurant, Do Hee takes Gu Won for her date, sits at his table and disturbs the demon’s lunch. Gu Won is rather appalled to see a petty human share his meal, and both rapidly start arguing. Considering their personalities, only a clash could’ve happened in those circumstances. However, this is not the couple’s decisive encounter in the drama. As Do Do Hee is about to be killed by a mysterious figure, she gets out of her car and runs away on a dark lonely road. Her prayer to survive is so desperate that she summons Gu Won. Hungry for a new soul to make a deal with, he walks in her direction. But things are turned upside down when they plunge to their deaths from the bridge nearby. Do Do Hee is conscious and tries hard to get Gu Won to the surface. Unfortunately, she’s not strong enough to carry him and ends up almost drowning. Do Do Hee has sacrificed her life to save Gu Won. That gesture made his power (and tattoo) transfer to her, precipitating the two strangers into a forced relationship that reconnects them.

Married life: After taming each other, Do Do Hee and Gu Won realize they are a match made in Heaven (and Hell). Their devotion and love for each other is palpable. The chemistry of the pair is fire, and it becomes clear that they have each other’s back no matter what others say or do. Do Hee and Gu Won are willing to sacrifice their life, if it means protecting the other. This is exactly what occurs at least twice when Gu Won gets Do Hee out of the burning shop and when he exchanges his life for hers after she’s been shot by Noh Suk Min (Kim Tae Hoon). These two are the best epitome of the marital vow: “For better and for worse”. I would also add that they are just the cutest. They can be petty and childish, jealous and angry, but it never really lasts. After all, there don’t have anyone else to turn to. They are each other’s pillar, strength and best support. That’s very heartwarming and comforting to see. Despite all their differences, they found their way to each other in the best possible way.

Theories and interpretations: Though My Demon can appear to be a lighthearted romance, the screenwriter actually did an excellent job at creating a fully immersive universe based on literal, religious and cultural references that are sometimes hard to decipher. Below are a few interpretations we can take away that either reinforce or explain the plot of the drama.

Demian by Hermann Hesse: At some point in the drama, Do Do Hee and Gu Won made a brilliant reference to Hermann Hesse’s book Demian. To give you a bit of context, Hermann Hesse is a famous German novelist of the 20th century. Amongst his most well-known works you have Siddartha, Steppenwolf, The Glass Bead Game and of course Demian, published in 1919 under the pseudonym Emil Sinclair – which is also the name of the protagonist of the story. So now, you’re probably thinking: What is the link between this novel and the drama, right? First, it’s the resemblance between both titles: Demian and My Demon both referring to a demon. Second, there’s this one line straight out of the book that is pronounced by Do Hee: ‘The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. To be born, one must destroy a world. The bird flies to God whose name is Abraxas.’ Third, it’s the hidden meaning between the lines that makes perfect sense with the plot of the drama.

Worlds destroyed: To create a new world, it is necessary to destroy the previous one. That’s basically what the quote from Demian suggests, but also the rule by which Noh Suk Min – the main villain of the drama – abides. And when you take a closer look at the story, you can definitely see that a good number of ‘worlds’ have perished to give way to new ones:
1. The Garden of Eden – In the Bible, Eve ate the forbidden fruit causing her and Adam to be expelled from Heaven. The tarot card is surely linked with Gu Won and Do Hee and represents the completion of their love. But it can also refer to their tragic past. Their past life was destroyed which led to a new world with a reincarnated Do Hee.

2. The past – In the past, Yi Sun and Wol Sim dreamed of being together despite the class barrier. They practiced Catholicism that preached equality. For that (sin), Wol Sim (Eve) was killed. Yi Sun then committed the original crime, murder, that turned him into a demon.

3. Do Hee’s childhood – Do Do Hee’s happiness – and entire world – were crushed when her parents suddenly died in a car accident. She became an orphan overnight. She was wary of people, and couldn’t trust anyone. This event is still an emotional scar for her.

4. Do Hee’s safe place – Do Hee’s world was crushed again when Almighty Ju, her last string of happiness, was killed by one of her family members (Noh Suk Min, her own son). Though alone again, she could count on the support of her own demon this time.

Characters between good and evil: The quote from Demian also refers to a God named Abraxas who embodies duality itself. He’s good and evil, just like most characters in the drama:
1. Gu Won used to be a gentle nobleman, but turned into a ‘heartless’ demon.
2. Do Do Hee appears to be cold, dark and mean. But is warmhearted and soft.
3. Ju Cheon Suk (Kim Hae Sook) is seen as the Almighty by Do Hee, but considered the Devil by her children. She also did bad things in her past, but repented after she saw the real Devil.
4. Noh Suk Min pretends to be a loving son, good husband and grieving father. But hides a dark dark side.
5. Kim Se Ra thinks she has done good in her life, but turned a blind eye to her son‘s suffering.
6. God is loved and admired by most. But He used Gu Won for His own interests.

All in all, each character reveals little by little the dark and bright pieces that define him/her. The drama emphasizes on the fact that we all have that duality within ourselves. Some of us succumb to the darkness, while others fight to remain in the light. That’s the difference between us, but not what we are intrinsically made up of.

Gu Won, the Savior: Gu Won may be a demon, but his actions in the drama somehow turn him into a savior. For example, he rescues Jin Ga Young (Cho Hye Joo) as a child by freeing her from her violent father. Since then, Ga Young has perceived Gu Won has an angel who used his powers to deliver her from her evil family. Hence, her constant presence around him and her need to be with him at all times. Similarly, Gu Won has protected Do Hee when she was born, as Do Hee’s father signed a deal with him to save her. That’s also the reason behind the death of Do Hee’s parents when she was only 10. Finally, I think we can consider that Gu Won is also Madam Ju’s savior in a way. By showing her the consequences of treading with the devil, he pushed her into doing good deeds around her and urged her to let go of her greed. Even in the past, Gu Won’s previous self Yi Sun managed to save Wol Sim from herself. His affection towards her prevented her from committing suicide. Though their relationship is what precipitated their deaths, they carried each other out of misery in the first place. Finally, I believe that Gu Won’s duality – always at the limit between good and evil – perfectly matches the above analysis about characters’ duality. Each of us has a dark part and as Do Hee says it at the end: ‘We may destroy each other at times, but we’re also the ones who save each other. Therefore, we are both each other’s destroyers and saviors.’ If we were to apply that line to real life, it becomes clear that we may influence others’ lives positively, but also negatively (even if it’s unwillingly).

Religious references: I think My Demon is one of the mot brilliant romances I’ve seen, in a sense that the cultural background is prevalent. As part of this culture, religious references are numerous. They are subtly linked with the overarching plot, but surely hold a lot of meanings. First, you have Gu Won’s tattoo, which is a cross. I don’t think I need to give further details regarding the obvious association with religion here. Second, you have God’s cap on which the word ‘Good’ is written. Yet, one of the ‘o’ is erased, slowly revealing that the character’s role is actually written on her cap. Third, Ju Cheon Suk became very religious after her accident and visited the church very often in the following years until her death. Fourth, some episodes, especially number 12&13, have a title connected to the Bible. Indeed, episode 12 is entitled: ‘The Savior of Destruction‘, while episode 13 is named ‘The past, the Original Sin‘. In the Bible, the savior of destruction is Jesus, God’s messenger on Earth; while the original sin is the murder of Abel by Cain (just like Gu Won killed every single person responsible for Wol Sim’s death). Last but not least, is Gu Won’s line to bring Do Hee’s back to life: ‘I can do all the things through Him who gives me strength‘ which is a direct quote from Philippians 4:13.

Meaning of names: Not only sentences, but also names can be interpreted in this drama. I told you, My Demon is a gold mine when it comes to culture. For starters, Gu Won literally means ‘Savior’ in Korean. Needless to go back to the full religious explanation, I think you’ve understood by now. Cheon Suk is called by Do Hee with the suffix ‘-nim’ which is generally used when you talk to God. Almighty Ju’s full name is also Cheon Suk, which is very close to the Korean word Cheon-guk that means ‘Paradise’. That being said, we can suppose that Madam Ju was like a God to Do Hee, as she sheltered her from a young age and took care of her like her own daughter.

The ending: The ending of My Demon is quite satisfactory. It’s like all the pieces of the same puzzle finally converge to show us the final picture.

Gu Won’s faith: When Do Hee is captured by Noh Suk Min, Gu Won runs to her rescue. But she shields him from a bullet and ends up being shot in his stead. Upon seeing her dying, Gu Won makes a plea to God and begs Him to switch places: His life for hers. Do Hee comes back, while Gu Won vanishes into ashes. By doing so, Gu Won asked for repentance. He sacrificed himself for his beloved and got his faith in God back.

The bet turned into miracle: Though the drama could’ve stopped with Gu Won’s death, God prepared a special Christmas gift for the couple. As a result of the bet God had made with Gu Won, He decided to bring him back to life. Indeed, Gu Won had bet that he would be able to get his powers back and that Do Hee would live. Considering that he gave his life for her, he died a demon in full possession of his powers. So, God lost. That’s why, He had to honor his part of the deal. Interesting fact is that Gu Won came back on Christmas Day, which is a celebration of Jesus’ (the Savior) birth.

Side characters’ own happy ending: Not only did the main characters got their happy ending, but so did the side ones. Seok Hoon (Lee Sang Yi) became the Chairman of the company, after Do Hee had stepped down from the position and Noh Suk Min became a clear no go. Jin Ga Young also managed to move on. She let go of her obsession for Gu Won, and spread her own wings. She became someone else’s angel: A little girl, who just like her, is abused by her family. She’s found her purpose in life.

The direction and OSTs: I think it’s necessary to emphasize on the aesthetics of the drama. The scenes by the beach were absolutely stunning with a real work on lights and colors. As for the main OST ‘True‘ by YOARI, it’s been stuck in my end since the first episode.