[Drama 2017-2018] A Korean Odyssey/Hwayugi 화유기

[RobinM]

Either PK or Sun-mi will have to end her.  It’s too cruel to know you’re turning into an evil spirit, exp for a sweet girl like BJ and unjust to keep her around like this. PK will have to do what SOG was prepared to yo for SM... think of her happiness let her go know much as it hurts him. I don’t know if he has that much insight or selfless ness in him though just being a demon without higher asspirations or goals or training like MW or SOG.   

[Liting1]

One person from the this drama club I follow believes SOG will meet the Grim Reaper since in the preview, he says "Did you ring the bell?" Someone was wearing black so SOG may get a warning from the Grim Reaper of the situation. So many questions and feels after watching the preview. 2 more days!

[maria_m2me]

3 hours ago, kjesin said:

 

 

MW who was chosen as a Torchbearer is attacked by the aggressors during the event and falls into a dangerous situation. While everyone is in shock, SM who is tracking the identity of a monster, gets to know a person who is related to Kang Dae Seong... Meanwhile, BJ whose life is gradually reaching the end asks OG to burn her before she becomes an evil spirit. BJ who has decided to disappear after saying Good bye to everyone for the last time, unexpectedly finds out where her mother is!...

 

I'm not an expert but I tried my best to translate it.

 

thanks...

 

I think buja don't want die because she wanna stay... But gradually she start to turn to be evil... And what always talk again and again... the only way to kill buja is kill samjang

[libra22]

 

[intanr]

This hwayugi made me laugh in the dark..... it just superb...

[maria_m2me]

I need something to enlighten my days to Saturday....

 

 

I like this one too.... SOG is such a bad guy but still can't resist his awesomeness....

 

 

[nrbrown]

Hmmm. As we have long way to go before the finale, this is just the beginning of the second chapter.  At the end of the road, I have faith that the Hong Sisters will give us a great ending. Until then, hang on!  I’m actually excited...

Possible scenarios:

1. I think BJ will be posssed by a powerful demon.

2. SJ will either sacrifice herself to help BJ by dying or  she will be possessed (transfer the demon from Bj). I think this will ultimately cause the start of the end of the world. 

3. SOG might actually die, but be reborn. After watching the preview, he doesn’t look so good.

 

[dubuqueen]

1 hour ago, Liting1 said:

One person from the this drama club I follow believes SOG will meet the Grim Reaper since in the preview, he says "Did you ring the bell?" Someone was wearing black so SOG may get a warning from the Grim Reaper of the situation. So many questions and feels after watching the preview. 2 more days!

If this is true, then I think that the Grim Reaper would be after Jin Seon-Mi. The way OG possesively hugged her at the end makes me believe that. And also the fact how many of you suspect that after the wedding talk between the two of them, the writers are steering toward the reincarnation plotline ('No matter how many times you come to me, I will always accept you (marry you)')

 

EDIT : One more thing. I bet you noticed how the GGG doesn't flash every single time. There are moments when the GGG doesn't shine and I guess (just a theory) that those may be the times when his genuine emotions surface

[ladysaotome]

I will be so mad if they go the reincarnation plotline.  Please, please no.

 

But now @nrbrown has given me a terrifying thought. I don't think Kang Dae Seong has an evil spirit yet. The drama has established that evil choices/thinking leads to creating &/or possession so I suspect he is on his way to having an evil spirit control his actions soon. Which will be what leads to the apocalypse SM saw in the misfortune jar. What if the evil spirit behind Kang Dae Seong ends up being BuJa? Wouldn't that be horrible and yet strangely fitting - the person he killed becomes the evil spirit controlling him?

 

[V]

11 hours ago, kjesin said:

OMG BJ is NOT BJ ANYMORE??? Maybe SJ's blood awakened something evil inside her??? OR She got possessed??? OMG, IF BJ became evil and wants OG, WHAT WILL PK DO?? AND SM?? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT ANOTHER 3 DAYS AFTER THIS????  IT'S JUST GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

Maybe BJ is actually the octopus Prince? It looked like the octopus prince was jealous of her in the last episode.

[ladysaotome]

17 minutes ago, V said:

Maybe BJ is actually the octopus Prince? It looked like the octopus prince was jealous of her in the last episode.

 

He did look jealous but he'd be crazy to possess a zombie.

 

The previews are always so tricky and never go where I was expecting. The written preview is much calmer but similarly nerve-wracking. Since they're going to be spending a lot of time at the hospital in the next episode I'm sure that's how BuJa discovers her mother there. And OG is hugging SM in the hospital parking lot and wearing the same outfit as when he spits up blood so I'm betting it all goes down around the same time.

[packmule3]

12 hours ago, stargazer187 said:

I don't know what to comment more. I just think this drama superb! I lost count on how many times I've spent for rewatching it. 

 

@packmule3 thanks for tagging me. Wonder why you didn't come back to the game thread. We lost twice in a week. Lol

 

Okay.. I love your insights about that child abuse/stealing souls. I see that the problem becomes less hyped because of the epic kiss at the end. Well.. I have to restrain myself not to talk this for now. Cause it can be super long. Bwahahaha

 

So.. Hwayugi might be seen as a folk tale romance drama. But I love how Hong Sisters can adapt the demon/evil spirit problem and apply it to something that really arises in today's society. Such topic like driving carelessness 'accident car demon', BJ's death 'idol's death', unhealthy diet method 'glutton demon', relationship problems 'haircut demon' or 'mermaid's ghost', malicious comments demon, and I love to see more of it to comes. So, evil spirit can come from the bad deed of a human.

 

 Heeyyyy, team add shouldn't be losing!!

 

Yes, I finished writing something in my blog about the evils in Episode 5. I'll just post an excerpt because I'm too lazy to transfer the pictures over here when I've more than 3. Just go over there if you want to continue reading...but don't forget to post and say hi when you do.

 

*********************  

This is my take on the evils in Episode 5.

 

I must admit that it takes me quite a while to appreciate the craftsmanship of the Hong sisters because, like you all, I get distracted by the romantic antics of OhGong and SunMi.

 

But as phikyl and I have said somewhere in our exchange of replies here, the Hong sisters are on a whole different level when it comes to their script. There are several seemingly disjointed things happening at the same time — which you don’t realize are actually interconnected, until much later on.

 

The show’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle. You can see the big picture EASILY only when the “negative space” becomes defined and you recognize which “knobs” fit into which “holes.”

credit: mycustomer

 

I think Episode 5 is prime example of this interconnection.

 

For instance, we started off with Mawang at a historical museum to hand over a 1930s film. On the way out, he encountered a ghost of a lowly woman who, he pointed out to his Secretary Ma, was the authentic owner of some general’s sword. Cynically, he added that the lowly servant was the real hero who saved the country, not the famous general.

 

At the end of the episode, we see SunMi’s assistant, HanJoo, receiving a special commendation for capturing the motel owner who installed hidden cameras in the motel rooms. Did you see that? Hanjoo was very much like the general who received a dubious award and recognition for something he did NOT do.

 

We all know that it was OhGong who blew magic dust (like Peter Pan) to make Hanjoo fly through air and land on the fleeing motel owner. OhGong, like the ghost of the lowly woman, was the true hero. It was he who found the hidden camera and stopped the escape. But it was another person who was given the credit.

 

That was the backdrop of this whole story of the grandmother/ Japanese collaborator/ Korean freedom fighter.

 

The grand doyenne was being given an award for her work in the independence of Korea when, in reality, the award should have gone to the GHOSTS of the freedom fighters who died nameless (like the ghost of lowly woman) and unheralded (like OhGong). The real freedom fighters’ unseen and untold deeds – or the “negative spaces” in a puzzle – have actually become clearer now that the Korean society is beginning to see the big picture of their history under the Japanese occupation. The society owns a debt of gratitude to the real heroes, but the awards and accolades are given to the wrong people.

 

See the subtlety and subversiveness of the Hong sisters at work here? 

 

Another example of interconnection in Episode 5 is found between the demon found in the motel rooms and the evil soul of Akiko, the kimono child. They’re related. 

 

If you notice, the demon in the motel rooms had no mouth. That was by design.

pic credit: dramabeans

 

That’s because the evil is SECRECY. First, the clientele of the motel was involved in illicit love affairs and clandestine liaisons. Second, the motel owner was involved in illegal videotaping with the intent to blackmail his guests. The dirty actions of both the owner AND his guests thrived under the cloak of secrecy. They aren’t “spoken” aloud or discussed in public. No mouth, no mouthpiece.  (Clever imagery, right?)

 

Same thing with the evil in the guise of the Kimono child. It’s secrecy again.

 

Mawang actually said the word when he saw the donated museum pieces. He said that a number of the artifacts might hide terrible secrets, and then we saw the ghost/soul of the Kimono child smirking in the dark. She represented secrecy or the suppression of truth.

 

The eight-year kimono girl was proud to be associated with Japan. Even though she was Korean, she had a ... 

source: http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2018/01/31/hwayugi-the-evil-kimono-girl-in-episode-5/

 

Tagging a few ladies: @YourHighness . @phikyl @nearsea @lavender2love, @WildDivine69 @Anna Tan (you're welcome! It was my pleasure. I get confused too so I appreciate when somebody explains to me things from a different perspective.) @haymochi(hahaha. You only love me when I'm on your side; otherwise you'll hate my guts, like everybody else.) @cleoLsg @nonski, @stroppyse(tried another ramen a couple of days ago, Ottogi Jin Ramen *mild* flavor. I poured only half the packet and it came out only mildly spicy. The Shin Black burnt my tongue!!!) 

[juju84]

I just fell in love with this video! It's so funny and cute! 

The song and scenes compilation are just perfect! So I decided to share it with you guys.

Sorry if it was already posted.

 

 

all credits go to the author Yellowdreams Xx

[astrobooy]

Whos grim reaper are u talking about ? Lee dong wook or song seung hoon ? Lol just kidding

[briseis]

There is something surreal about watching Son Oh Gong being surrounded by all the fairy-tale books when he himself is a being that to other people appears only in fairy tales. Or maybe it’d be more precise to say, that Oh Gong comes from the real fairy tales - dark, scary and disturbing - before Brothers Grimm came and did the PG-version. However, not to Seon Mi because for her he is her reality. 

In the previous episodes, the writers already used the tale about mermaid and the fairy tale Where the Wild Things Are as a parallel; and it’s only fitting that the book in which little SM gets trapped is the story about Peter Pan when Oh Gong is similar to Peter in so many ways - playful, seemingly all-powerful, clever, confident, at times boastful and self-centered but with a caring side. And just like Peter he wants to continue his life unburdened by the realities of human world.

What I find interesting about this particular moment is that Oh Gong and Seon Mi find themselves in two different worlds, literally, and for the third time. It really does serve as a symbolism; but unlike in the two previous instances, this is a world where Oh Gong can’t follows SM so he implores her to come back to him. There is the fact that he actually always follows her to a different world or if he can’t he fights and begs her to come to the world where he is as if he couldn’t live in a world without her.

[Badriyah]

 

[haymochi]

7 hours ago, dubuqueen said:

If this is true, then I think that the Grim Reaper would be after Jin Seon-Mi. The way OG possesively hugged her at the end makes me believe that. And also the fact how many of you suspect that after the wedding talk between the two of them, the writers are steering toward the reincarnation plotline ('No matter how many times you come to me, I will always accept you (marry you)')

 

EDIT : One more thing. I bet you noticed how the GGG doesn't flash every single time. There are moments when the GGG doesn't shine and I guess (just a theory) that those may be the times when his genuine emotions surface

Looks like the Grim Reaper is after Jin sunmi. Oh Gong is an immortal who has no relation or whatever to grim reaper work.

 

the way he looks terrified while hugging Sunmi tightly indicates Sunmi is in a dangerous situation which cannot be dealt by him with a single poof 

 

 

 

 

[aprilx]

Or he might be looking at heavens pleading with those in the spiritual realm (or the Hong sisters) not to take SM away from him. 

 

Argh. My heart really aches watching that scene. Hahah. 

[Wendy Wang]

I can't really give much insight on this drama (I'm probably one of the youngest or the youngest here), and everything's kinda been said already, but this drama is really giving me the bittersweet feelings I had when I watched Scarlet Heart/Moon Lovers. It's a little different though, because with that I at least knew it was going to be tragic, but Hwayugi is so anxiety provoking, because it's just so unclear where this could go. I personally hope that Seon Mi and Oh Gong both become deities, similar to how Xuan Zhang and Sun Wu Kong achieved Buddhahood in the ending of the original Journey to the West (I googled this, since I couldn't remember much from the cartoons I watched as a kid lol). 

I don't want to post more than one thing for all of my current thoughts, so I'll continue rambling...

Out of all the possible endings, the one that is least likely to happen is that of Oh Gong becoming a human. The situations are different from the original story, but I think the overall point of Oh Gong's story is for him to become more moral/virtuous. I read a post (not sure if it was on this thread), about the GGG being an entity to tie Oh Gong down. It's not really there to inflict anything on him, only to help him accept what was already inside him. So, maybe, Oh Gong's feelings for Seon Mi were already there (as observed in episodes 1 and 2), the GGG just caused it to emerge more....Anyways, the drama is probably going to end with Oh Gong as a supernatural being. 

As for Seon Mi, she may have the fate of Sam Jang, but that only means demons will want to eat her, which so far for me, is really all there is to it. Although, it's a little bit confusing when it comes to the GGG, since it's unclear whether Sam Jang or Seon Mi is the one who can control it (I know Oh Gong said Seon Mi's the only owner of it, but it seemed more figurative than literal). If the GGG's purpose is to tie down Oh Gong and to hide Seon Mi and Oh Gong's true feelings, then in this way, Seon Mi and Sam Jang are connected. So with that in mind, it's possible for Seon Mi to become a deity too I suppose...? If she ends up saving the world, by sacrificing herself (the death bell is killing me too), as Sam Jang, to save the world, she could be rewarded that status. I don't know what the death of her would mean though...If she's dead, being Sam Jang wouldn't be her fate anymore, or would it....?

ANYWAYS! With the complications aside, I really want to see what would happen if they took the GGG off, because all this theorizing is hurting my (and probably everyone else's) heads. 

Also, the OST by Suran (I'll Be Fine) is JUST SO FRICKIN SAD TO LISTEN TO. Singing it almost made me cry ;-;.

[ForgottenSoulx]

has this been translated im late ;p