In “A Comprehensive Look at My Demon 2023“, join us as we dive deep into the dramatic world of ‘My Demon’, exploring its plot, character arcs, and unforgettable moments.  If you haven’t seen ‘My Demon’ yet and would prefer a spoiler-free summary of the story, please click on the link below.

This review contains significant spoilers for ‘My Demon’. If you haven’t watched the series yet, we recommend you do so before reading further to avoid any plot revelations.

A 200 year old demon keeps eternal life by making contracts for the souls of desperate humans.  Contracted by God, his powers are channeled through a cross tattoo on the inside of his wrist.  One night, he finds himself trying to save a beautiful, young stranger.  And in the process, his tattoo is mysteriously transferred to her. Now he vows to stay by her side and keep her and his tattoo safe until he can find a way to get it back.  And luckily for her, a bodyguard is just what she needs as she deals with her greedy and dangerous family 

Do Do Hee was 10 years old when her parents were killed in a car accident.  She was adopted by the Chairwoman of Mirae Group.  While her adopted “grandmother” seems to dote on her, she is seen as an outcast and threat by the rest of the family.  And when her grandmother is found dead, she suddenly finds her very life in danger from jealous enemies on all sides.

But one night, while running from a crazy killer, she is saved by a mysterious man.  And she is perplexed to find his tattoo somehow now on her wrist.  Determined to find a way to get his tattoo back, he vows to stick to her side.  And with her current family issues, she welcomes him as a body guard and eventually a husband.  But as their feelings for each other grow, they will discover a connection from their pasts that may threatens to split them apart.

Do Do Hee is independent and cynical.  She has no intention of falling in love with anyone.  In fact, she doesn’t believe in love at all.  But Koo Won is able to get through her defenses and show her that true love really does exist.  I love Kim You Jung as an actress, and her long list of roles speaks for itself, but I didn’t love her in this role.  The few times she got to show some sincere emotion were fine, but they were few and far between.  In my opinion, this character just wasn’t complex enough to really let her shine.

In his current life, Jung Koo Won is the owner of Sunwol Foundation; a company that promotes traditional Korean art.  But 200 years ago, we he a spoiled nobleman from a wealthy family.  After the tragic death of his girlfriend, he curses god and is employed by her to become the Devil.  He bears the mark of his position as a cross tattoo on the inside of his wrist.  His job is simple.  He roams the earth to find desperate people who are willing to trade their souls for 10 years of their greatest desire.

But one night, in a deal gone wrong, he ends up saving the life of a beautiful strangers named Do Hee.  And in some strange twist of fate, she ends up with his tattoo on her wrist.  Without the source of his power, he finds his supernatural capabilities slowly fading away.  The only way to “recharge” them is for him to hold onto Do Hee’s wrist.

Now all he can do is stay at her side and protect her and his tattoo.  But that is no easy task because Do Hee’s family seems set on causing her serious harm.  And the more she relies on him to keep her safe, the more he begins to feel his human emotions resurfacing; particularly love.

Jung Koo Won is arrogant and uninterested in the insignificant lives of humans.  However, when he meets Do Hee, he begins to feel all of that changing.  But he still has a job to do.  And he begins to worry that the kind of casual indifference required by his job might be too difficult for Do Hee to accept.  Song Kang is charming, as always, in this role.  He was at his best when he was showing his arrogant sarcasm.  But again, I feel like his talent is definitely bigger than this role.  He was fine in it, but he has much more to offer.

Clock Imagery 

I loved everything about the way this drama used clocks to demonstrate chance and their view of life and the universe.  Not only was the idea well used, but visually it was beautiful to look at.  Whether Koo Won was in his private tower of clocks or hanging out high above the city on the giant public clock, it provided a stricking and poignant backdrop.

God Concept

I loved Cha Chung Hwa as the homeless god character with a love of gambling and seedy clubs.  It was a unique take that served them well, in my opinion.  Her constant reminder that in this mythology, god is as much at the whims of fate and destiny as the humans she oversees, fit well with the general theme of the drama.

Not Villains

This drama did a nice job of presenting several “villains” that ended up being much better than that.  The obvious example is Seok Hoon, who I was so sure was up to no good.  But even the poor Seung Ho went from a diabolical villain to pitiful victim.  It made both these characters so much more interesting than they would have been as just another layer of villain.

2. Empty Moments:

I think if you took out all the endless longing stares and dead screen time in this drama, it would barely qualify for 12 episodes.  I mean, I know that Song Kang has become known for his hot on-screen chemistry, but this one was over the top, in my opinion.  I would have preferred if they had either shortened the series length or used the time to develop stronger side stories.

3.  So Many Questions:

I couldn’t possibly address all the questions this drama left me with in this small space.  But it really seemed like this drama created their own mythology and then just did whatever they wanted and pretended it all made sense.  My most burning questions revolve around Koo Won’s inconsistencies.  Why did someone who hates humans give Bok Kyu a second chance?  Does the deal only involve a limited stay in Hell and not eternity?

Also, why did Do Hee suddenly just decide that it was all okay that her husband took people’s lives, including her own parents.  Of course, I assumed she would eventually accept it.  But shouldn’t she have wrestled with it all first?  How did Koo Won come back and where was he while he was gone?  How and why did the tattoo transfer in the first place?  The list goes on, I’m just saying…

This ending was a little rushed, but we do get a happy ever after for our leads.  Suk Min is finally caught and his wife helps expose him.  Nice job, Se Ra!  He goes to prison and gets a life sentence.  Bok Kyu and Da Jeong make the big announcement that they are a couple.  But, of course, everyone already knew!  After continually promising to leave and then never going anywere, Ga Young finally seems ready to really leave.  But then, she meets a young girl being abused by her father, and just like that, she realizes she has unfinished business in Korea.

And Koo Won disintegrates after breaking the “Demon Code” by saving Do Hee.  But after he has been gone for awhile, Do Hee goes to the sea where they first met, and he suddenly appears in front of her.  When Koo Won thanks god and asks why, she says that she heard Do Hee’s wish for him to come back, and since she lost the bet with Koo Won earlier, she owed him one.  Now, Koo Won is obsessed with making Do Hee live as long as humanly possible.  Their future should be interesting!

Unfortunately, the mythology they created for the story leaves the drama riddled with plot holes.  And while Song Kang and Kim You Jung are beautiful people, there is far too much time spent on overly long close-ups instead of story telling.  With the exception of a few, the side characters were one-dimensional and annoyingly over-the-top.   I give ‘My Demon’ a 7 out of 10.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜