Summary
A near flawlessly executed episode which balances tension, action, and emotion grippingly.
This recap of Netflix K-Drama series Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1, episode 13, contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
After a quick refresh of last episode’s ending we jump straight into the action, with Sang-un disclosing her memories to Hwal about the massacre that took place all that time ago, and his sinister smile amongst the dead bodies. Hwal then states his dreams always had the opposite antagonist, but before the two can do much more, the rest of the ensemble arrive at the house.
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1, episode 13 recap
Naturally, this worries Hwal, who remembers Eul-tae’s promise to take away everything he has, and he tells his unofficial family to leave. This rant upsets Hye-suk, who seems to be left out of Hwal’s thoughts and disregarded, so she packs her bags in anticipation of leaving. Elsewhere, Ho-yeol is told about Eul-tae’s plans, which leads to a request for Hwal’s trust as the private detective attempts to, undetected, find the man who could ruin everything, for everyone.
Next, we see Eul-tae confronting a man who wished to kill a cat, before he opens up about his current mindset. Both upset and angered, Dark Hole says he will destroy Hwal, setting his murderous friend on a mission. In return for giving his ally the right to kill Sang-un, Eul-tae will “drag someone down to hell.”
Now, Ho-yeol departs to find Eul-tae, something Sang-un finds some issue with. But she is made privy to the reasoning, and apologises to Hwal over the incident with the scissors. Then, they discuss the potential for a past-life meeting between themselves more than 600 years ago, as well as the fact that they may well be closer to finding the missing information about their memories than ever.
Later, Si-ho and Sang-un discuss the recollections, with the younger sibling stating that she wishes for Sang-un not to remember much more than she has already to prevent any negative outcomes. Si-ho trusts Hwal now too, so conceivably wants the calmness to be maintained.
After Hwal helps tend to Sang-un’s wound, another memory resurfaces, but this time one which sees the pairing as a couple. Sang-un looks after children here, and seems content with her life, but past-life Hwal (who does still appear to be monstrous) is concerned that he will be left alone by the woman he loves. It then links to the flashback of the massacre, with Hwal killing Sang-un’s family and claiming he despises her. Eul-tae then appears, looks at the wreckage, and helps the stabbed Hwal escape. When given the opportunity to disclose this recollection, Sang-un opts not to, but Hwal sees her hesitancy to interact with him when they discuss Eul-tae.
We’re now brought to Ho-yeol’s investigation into Eul-tae, one which has led him to one final property. He sees the monster’s murderous friend here, and quizzes him to no avail. Then, the detective calls his old police force colleague, asking for a background check on the mysterious man he encountered. The request is rejected, and although the former cop is able to escape, there’s still a strange feeling in the air.
Talking while doing laundry, Sang-un once again asks Hwal to take his soul from her, but he instantly deduces that this must mean she doesn’t feel safe, and that her memories are causing distrust. He asks for some time to find Eul-tae so that she won’t have to see him again, but Do-yoon interrupts the conversation before an answer can be given. It’s about Hye-suk’s bad mood, but again there’s a disturbance as the police arrive at Hwal’s house. They’re looking for both Hwal and Sang-un — both of whom are now murder suspects — and have even managed to obtain a search warrant. They don’t find the duo due to their escape, and at that point, Ho-yeol’s former colleague is told the details of the man we know as Bulgasal.
In the meantime, Hwal and Sang-un discuss the fact that Eul-tae is undoubtedly behind this, while Si-ho and Do-yoon are summoned as witnesses. When the escapees return, they find the house empty. As it turns out, there was no summoning either, and Si-ho, Do-yoon, and Hye-suk are being taken right into the hands of Eul-tae.
When the mayor discusses his general election ambitions with Eul-tae, we see that the monster’s wound isn’t healing, but also that the government official has grown tired of being a pawn. He threatens Dark Hole which, as expected, leads to death. Elsewhere, Hwal and Sang-un attempt to track down the captured trio, with Ho-yeol’s links to his former colleague ending up fruitful after the private detective recognizes the sinister voice of the killer farmworker over a phone call.
Next, Eul-tae finds himself on the phone to Sang-un, who instantly wonders why he captured her sister and two friends. “I want to show you, the true colors of the man who has your trust and who protects you,” is the answer, and he adds that Sang-un must know why she wanted to kill Hwal in the past. When Hwal attempts to make a threat, Eul-tae isn’t interested, dropping his phone and walking over to the police staff who have brought the trio to him.
As the small group attempt to stand up for themselves when faced with Eul-tae, the monster brings his ally into the warehouse-like building, before leaving Do-yoon and co. to be killed. “You promised not to hurt Si-ho,” the orphan says as he tries to plea with Eul-tae, but the monster solemnly turns away. Fortunately for Si-ho, Hye-suk interrupts her choking, but the elderly guardian winds up being beaten into a pulp before she prophesies that “an evil spirit will come from the dark hole.” She continues by saying that the soul will go back to its owner after the spirit rises from it and closes the hole, and we see Eul-tae snap and go in for an attack.
As Ho-yeol arrives, Eul-tae exits the building with blood around his mouth, in turn fleeing from the scene without satisfaction. It appears Hye-suk fell victim to the monster and is passing away, even if Si-ho and Do-yoon are holding fruitless hope. “Run away before they come back,” the dying guardian says, wishing for the two survivors to leave without her so they can survive. A heartfelt speech later, she dies, and we’re left with a sentimental flashback.
When Ho-yeol reaches the building and joins in with the embrace, we see the ally of Eul-tae arrive at the scene. When Hwal and Sang-un (who have been spotted by the detectives) get there, we find out that Si-ho and Do-yoon have likely been taken, thanks to a beaten Ho-yeol. Sang-un then spots Hye-suk, and both her and Hwal agonize over their loss. The chance to mourn is not afforded, though, as the detectives go in to arrest the two.
The ending
At that point, Hwal snaps, throwing one detective against the wall in a bid to find out where Si-ho and Do-yoon are located. Mercilessly kicking and choking another, he cannot be stopped. That is until he goes to stab Ho-yeol’s former colleague, viciously stating that he’ll kill anyone who gets in his way or disrupts his family. This worries Sang-un, who thinks back to the “true colors” speech given to her by Eul-tae. Taking the stabbing in her hand to prevent a death, she sort of calms Hwal down once he is told the details of the two’s location, and the episode fades with Bulgasal torn over what to do next.
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