Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen

A 600 year old immortal mythical creature known as a bugalsal, seeks revenge on the woman who betrayed him.  Cursed with eternal life, he can’t die or be killed.  He hopes that by getting revenge on her, he will finally be able to die and end his years of pain and anger.  But when he finally finds her, she has no memory of him or what she did in that long-ago past life.  And when a common enemy goes after them and the people they love, they are forced to put their differences aside and work together in the hopes of saving all of them from a brutal death.

Kwon Na Ra as Min Sang Un/ Kim Hwa Yeon 

Since she was young, Min Sang Un has lived her life on the run, hiding in secret.  Her mother and twin sister were killed by a terrible monster known as the bulgasal.  Left to raise her younger sister, she works hard, avoiding the monster at all costs.  But one day, she is saved by a handsome stranger who is the bulgasal she has spent her life running away from.  Although she knows she should be afraid, she is mysteriously drawn to him.  He intends to turn her back into the bulgasal she once was to end his own curse.  As they try to piece together the full story of what really happened between them, they gather support from others around them, who also played a role in what happened 1000 years ago.  And unfortunately, Hwal isn’t the only bulgasal out to take revenge on her and her loved ones. 

Despite never being a mother herself, Min Sang Un is maternal and protective of those she cares about.  She is very honest about her thoughts and feelings, which makes her a relateable character.  Kwon Na Ra has a tendency to overuse her “deer in the headlights” expression, but she has definitely grown as an actress.  I don’t know that I loved her in this role.  At times her easy going attitude made the character feel a bit flat.  But I loved her straight forward approach to every situation and how she never backed down from a difficult time.

Gong Seung Yeon as Min Shi Ho/Dan Sol

Dan Sol was Hwal’s wife 600 years ago.  In this life, she is the younger sister of Sang Un.  She finds out at the beginning of the drama that she is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s baby.  Now everyone will rally around her to protect both her and the unborn child.

♥ Lee Joon

I really loved Lee Joon as the villain of this drama.  He is cold and calculating, and you can just feel the intensity of his eyes coming out of the screen.  This wasn’t an easy role but he really pulled it off well. I applaud his acting even as I was chilled by the character he created.  

 ♥ OST

This OST is haunting and beautiful.  I have noticed that Netflix soundtracks tend to be very well done, and this one is no exception.  The music sets the stage with it’s emotional intensity and I found myself swept away in it.  While it never upstaged the story or felt out of place, it was impossible to ignore as part of the scene itself.

Blood and Gore

I’m not exactly a squemish person, but there were definitely parts of this drama that made me squirm.  I can handle a bit of blood and gore, but it was the gulping and swallowing sounds while the bulgasals were drinking human blood that really pushed me over the edge.    I wouldn’t say it was overdone, but it does bear mentioning, as it was a bit intense.  

Blood Supply

So speaking of blood.  What happened to the cannisters of blood that were the only thing in Hwal’s refrigerator.  Once the house was refined and full of human food, where did they go?  It just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing they would keep next to the milk and butter.  And there wasn’t much mention of him eating after the initial scene where she bought it to him. Sang Un does bring it to him once when he’s hurt, but after that he just sits and watches the humans eat. It may not be important to the plot, but I’m still curious.  Also, after Lee Hye Suk is killed, how was he planning on getting more?

“Bulgasal ends by finally telling the whole story of what happened 1000 years ago and how Hwal and Eul Tae both ended up as bulgasal.  Back in the present, Hwal, Sang Un, and Detective Kwon show up at the well with a plan to poison Eul Tae and lock him in forever.  But things go awry when Eul Tae throws Hwal in, fatally wounds Detective Kwon, and chases Sang Un through the woods, where he finally catches her and injures her as well.  In a final act, Detective Kwon sends his own blood down the well for Hwal, fulfilling the Shaman’s prophecy.  Hwal regains enough strength to attack Eul Tae and protect Sang Un before stabbing himself to insure that both he and Eul Tae die.  The injured Sang Un goes to get Shi Ho and Do Yoon so they will know where the bodies are before she dies herself.  Shi Ho and Do Yoon are left as the last survivors.  We see them together through the years before a 50 year time jump.  Somehow Hwal and Sang Un have been reincarnated as humans.  Sang Un gets a mysterious letter with a picture of their old house.  Out of curiousity, she goes there and runs into Hwal and both feel a strange connection.  Fate has stepped in to finally give this couple their happy ending.