Kdrama Review and Recap – Doom at your service

“Doom at your service”

I have been a fan of Park Bo-young and thought that this drama will be good to watch. Indeed it is a good watch due to the good casting which is not just the main lead stars but even the supporting stars. I find that the story line of the supporting casts in their triangle love relationship refreshing. Most of Kdramas revolves around the main casts in a three person love triangle but this time round the tables are on the supporting casts.

I have never really seen Seo In-guk’s acting in a lead drama but this drama makes me wanting to look back at all his dramas that he has acted in and looking forward to more of his acting. However watching on the storyline, I actually prefer scenes where both Myul-mang (Seo In-guk) and Tak Dong-kyung (Park Bo-young) are at each other wits and bickering lovingly. I find the beginning of the episodes where they met and battling with their own feelings for each other more interesting than the ending of the story.

The scenes are more intense and dramatic when Myul-mang struggles with his own feeling towards Dong-kyung. Afterall he is ‘Doom’ and how can he love anyone nor how can any human love him. As he struggles with this and attempts to push Dong-kyung away he finds himself drawn to her. It all started when she stepped into his world where all the wilted flowers blooms again beautifully. And the fact that Dong-kyung protects him from being stabbed by a murderer on the loose despite knowing that he cannot die.

So the story line started with Dong-kyung finding out that she has only three months to live due to a tumor in her head. She wonders in amusement if the tumor formed over the years as a result of her suppressing and bottling up her feelings ever since her parents died. She also finds out that her boyfriend at that time was actually married with a pregnant wife. In a depressing state and while half drunk, she sees a shooting star and make a wish for the world to end. Her calling was heard by Myul-mang – ‘Doom’. Since most people would wish for things that benefits them and things that are good for them, Dong-kyung’s unexpected wish caught him by surprise.

So Myul-mang appears at Dong-kyung’s doorstep, follows her everywhere thereafter, and eventually in a intense almost-die situation, Dong-kyung went into a contract with Myul-mang. The conditions of the contract states that Myul-mang will make her last 100 days to be painless and in return she is to make the wish for the world to end. Feeling upset after finding out that if she breaks her promise on ending the world, the person she loves most at that time will die, she attempts to love Myul-mang so that he would die instead. Myul-mang as a deity that destroys things tells her that no human has ever loved him. They either resent him, wants him or fear him but none has love him.

Not believing that he can be loved nor can he love anyone, Myul-mang attempts to distant himself from Dong-kyung. Dong-kyung having seen through him and knows that he is a good guy tries to open his heart with crazy acts of jumping down from the roof to putting herself in pain. In one of the scene, Dong-kyung put forth her wish that Myul-mang would love her and ask if she can wish for that. Myul-mang tells her no and in a sigh, he kisses her passionately in the rain. As ‘Doom’ is not meant to love and be loved, this is seen as defying nature and soon after the kiss, Myul-mang disappears or rather evaporates from Dong-kyung’s sight. This is of course the doing of the deity. At this point of time you will get confuse if the deity is actually good or bad.

Myul-mang was taken on a journey by the deity to remind him of the pain that he as ‘Doom’ has brought forth to Dong-kyung’s life from the time she lost her parents, to the time she did not make it for a job interview and the many times she cries alone by herself. This puts Myul-mang in a guilty spot and he avoided seeing Dong-kyung, only silently appear to ‘recharge’ her talisman while she was asleep. In an attempt to see Myul-mang, Dong-kyung removes her talisman and fell ill. Myul-mang realizing that he cannot let her go and that he cannot stop himself, though he is still confuse of the love feeling he has, he finally appears before her and made a resolution to not leave her anymore.

Knowing that both do not want to be apart, the conflict now is within Dong-kyung since she knows that because of her love for Myul-mang, he would end up dying – referring to the contract terms that the person she loves most would die if she does not wish for the world to end. Hardly enough love moments between the two, the story took on to Dong-kyung trying to break-off with Myul-mang. It is really like a tug-of-war of ‘love’ confusion between both Myul-mang and Dong-kyung. The love between the two is a sad love. I wish there were more passionate scenes considering that they don’t have much time.

So then the story went on with Dong-kyung breaking off with Myul-mang and ran away to her old house in Jeju by herself. She tells herself that if she can forget everyone she loves, she will not put them in any harm. Her attempt of course failed since Myul-mang is able to find her and eventually brought her back. It is impossible to forget and stop loving the people you love anyway.

Even before they could settle in again, while at the hospital visiting her aunt, Dong-kyung met the deity who offers her a chance to back out from her contract and face treatment and death as what she should rightfully do. This would also mean that Dong-kyung and Myul-mang would have forgotten about each other. Dong-kyung with tears in her eyes, took the offer since she does not want to put anyone in danger and death.

So here it is again, teasing the audience and the scene took on with Myul-mang going about his business and Dong-kyung getting the treatment in hospital. Everything is being reset and they both went on with their lives as if they never met. Then again – this is all about fate and destiny and they while supposedly strangers to each other, finds themselves meeting in the same way again, having deja-vu moments, similar encounters and familiar conversations.

I find this Episode 12 & 13 to be more fun since you can see both of them back to the beginning get-to-know each other scene and bickering scene. It was well scripted with re-live conversations and well acted by both In-guk and Bo-young. Even if their memories fail, their heart remembers. They find themselves crying unknowingly, Dong-kyung even silently wishing again for the world to end which was heard by Myul-mang. It proves that their fate is such and is inevitable that they are meant to be together. Eventually they remembers each other and the scene of reconciliation was emotional. I particularly like how Dong-kyung scolded him for forgetting about her and Myul-mang scolded her for making decisions without consulting him. Myul-mang tells her to just accept their fate.

Okay, at this point and with 3 more episodes left, eventually Dong-kyung realises that no matter how hard she tries, she cannot forget Myul-mang nor can she abandon him. Both knows now that is it their fate and they need to accept it. While the family members brace themselves on the possible death of Dong-kyung, Dong-kyung deals with her sorrow knowing that Myul-mang’s plan is to die for her and her desperation of wanting to save him and everyone. She cannot wish for the world to end and yet she wants to do everything she can for the love of her life.

It is sad days leading to D-Day. They both spend their time together visiting places, watching TV, grocery shopping, cooking – just like any other couple.

Myul-mang visited the deity and tells her that he has already decided to protect Dong-kyung and the world. As the day arrives, Dong-kyung upon waking up and finding Myul-mang not there cries out in anguish, thinking that Myul-mang has left. It was emotional portray of how Dong-kyung will be like when Myul-mang disappears.

Dong-kyung asks Myul-mang to bring her to his world. They arrive at Myul-mang’s world where the streets, cafes, offices is all empty. There is not a single soul. Myul-mang explains that even if he were to live and she dies, he would still be nothing. So it is only a good thing that he should die and Dong-kyung to live. As the sun begins to set, they share a kiss in his world before they return to Dong-kyung’s world.

As Myul-mang prepares to leave, he announce the contract to be invalid and with that he removes all her sadness and pain. He tells her that he is created for her and that she should live a happy life. In desperation Dong-kyung ask him to stay and that she cannot be happy without him. Myul-mang tells Dong-kyung to not be afraid to run in the rain and as he speaks he slowly dissipate, much to the devastation of Dong-kyung.

Three months pass and the life without Myul-mang was something that Dong-kyung has to bear with. She wonders if it is all a dream and if really Myul-mang was in her life. While she is seen happy, she would cry at night, missing Myul-mang. Myul-mang’s identity is never known to Dong-kyung’s family and refusing to believe that Myul-mang has died, Dong-kyung tells everyone that he is back to the States. She sees him in her dreams as if is real and wakes up crying.

Back in the ‘garden’, the deity tells Myul-mang that he is no longer a butterfly in the garden. She tells him that butterflies will turn into flowers when they die. Even though it is something that Myul-mang does not know, he still choose to sacrifice himself. The deity then tells him that he can now become human and tells him to quickly go and see Dong-kyung as she is waiting. The deity tells him that she will always be with him to watch over him, water him and raise him and hoping that he will be happy.

So we do wonder how Myul-mang first encounter as Kim Sa-ram (the name that Dong-kyung gave him) would be like with Dong-kyung. Just as Dong-kyung goes on with her daily routine, and taking a bus back from work, it starts to rain. In her heart she talks to Myul-mang all the time and in the bus she narrates and wonders whether if she ever walk past him, would he hold her hand as he always does, even if is just for a brief moment. She continues to plead in her heart for him to hold her hand. Just then the bus halted and as she almost fell, a hand grasp hers. She look up in bewilderment at Myul-mang / Sa-ram next to her. And just like that, Myul-mang / Sa-ram returns.

Even though a happy ending is good, I felt that that the return of Myul-mang could have been more dramatic and both their moments together after that could have been more passionate. Otherwise, Seo In-guk is just mesmerizing to watch and I love his cool hair and handsome face. Park Bo-young has a lot of crying scene and because of her acting, it really does gives us the heart wrenching moments. The supporting actors in this story line are also worthy of watching and I really enjoyed every single scene of them. Overall, the cast is superb, story line was good at the beginning though it tappers down towards the end. It is still worthy of a watch.

Review by: E beul-lin
Credit: Viu