Memories of Alhambra Drama Review

Memories of Alhambra tells a story about a groundbreaking AR game about medieval battles in the Alhambra (a real place in Spain). Yoo Jin Woo (played by Hyun Bin), CEO of an investment company that specializes in optical devices, travels to Granada, Spain to meet the creator of the game, Jung Se Joo (played by Park Chan Yeol). However, Se Joo has gone missing and there, he meets his older sister, Jung Hee Joo (played by Park Shin Hye), who is the owner of the hostel he stays in and a former guitarist. Both get entangled in mysterious incidents, as the border between the real world and the AR world built by Se Joo begins to blur.

This drama deserves a real appreciation for its plot and fresh new story ideas. We haven't encountered an augmented-reality games drama like this for years and I give a standing applause for Hyun Bin. He rocks the role of Yeo Jin Woo so much *applaud* that I have no idea who's gonna fit Yeo Jin Woo other than him. 

It was really exciting to play a game which happens in our reality, Zinu (Yeo Jin Woo's username in the games) gets so excited to explore the game and got level up, but then it's a new game and it is not completed yet. The problem appears when Jin Woo had a fight within the game with Cha Hyeong Seok (Jin Woo's ex-best friend who had an affair with Jin Woo's ex wife - Soo Jin). Jin Woo proceeds to defeat him in the game after leveling up to level 5, where Cha Hyung Seok was. Before their last battle, Jin Woo made a deal with Hee Joo to buy Hostel Bonita, which is under Hee Joo's name. The deal was made because Se Joo put the license for the game under Hostel Bonita, which means if Jin Woo got the ownership of the Hostel, he got the license for the game. 

Hee Joo got 10 billion won from Jin Woo, which was like a magic for her. After the deal was successful, Jin Woo invited Hyung Seok to meet with him in the middle of the night before Jin Woo's flight to Barcelona and go back to Seoul.

Jin Woo says that he’s headed back to Seoul the next morning, which indicates that he’s been successful with the business deal that they were both after. Hyung Seok’s face hardens at this news, and Jin Woo goads that he’s giving Hyung Seok a chance to beat him in the game, even though he lost in real life. He prods, “That’s the charm of games, right? Escapism and denying reality — a world where losers can become heroes.”

Jin Woo continues to jab at him by saying that Hyung Seok should have just taken his advice and spent time with his wife. That’s the last straw, and Hyung Seok attacks. The two rivals engage in an intense sword fight, and they both manage to slice each other’s arms. Hyung Seok paces as he catches his breath and says that he always wanted to tell Jin Woo something when they met one-on-one. 

He clarifies that he didn’t steal Soo Jin from Jin Woo and claims that he saved her from him because she seemed so miserable. He says that he was worried that Soo Jin would deteriorate next to Jin Woo.
Hyung Seok warns Jin Woo not to reject reality and points to him as the problem, since he’s failed in his second marriage. He advises Jin Woo to reflect on his failures unless he wants to continue to fail in his future marriages. Jin Woo smirks and calls Hyung Seok a bastard. He notes that all traitors justify their deeds with the same excuse — that it was for the people. Jin Woo points out that Hyung Seok’s justification is evidence that he’s a true traitor.

Hyung Seok punches Jin Woo, and they grab each other by the collar. The game notifies them that physical contact is prohibited and warns them that they will level down. At the warning, the two enemies release each other and both drop to level 3 in punishment. There’s nobody to stop this fight. The two rivals continue their sword fight, and Hyung Seok manages to fling the sword out of Jin Woo’s hands. Jin Woo just barely avoids Hyung Seok’s swings and runs to grab his sword stuck in the ground. He sees the shadow of Hyung Seok approaching behind him and times his attack to stick his sword right into Hyung Seok’s abdomen.

Hyung Seok freezes in shock as the sword pierces him, and he seems convincingly in pain. Jin Woo pulls out the sword and slices at Hyung Seok a few more times before the final blow that sends bloody Hyung Seok limp onto the bench. He looks at Hyung Seok, and the game congratulates him on winning and earning his enemy’s experience.

The next morning, Jin Woo wakes up to his phone ringing and sees that he’s missed 16 calls from Secretary Seo. Secretary Seo urgently explains that it’s an issue with Cha Hyung Seok. He was found dead on a park bench in the morning — dead with his eyes wide open. Jin Woo freezes at this news, and notice that Hyeong Seok died on the battle ground last night. Jin Woo looks shocked as he finally realizes there may be a defect in this genius game.

The game is magic to Jin Woo because it’s a technological breakthrough that will bring him and his company fame and fortune. And the game (if it functioned safely) would be magic to the world, because the kind of things that can be done with augmented reality, including but also in addition to gaming, could change the world in ways we can only imagine. But this defect is real, even though Jin Woo puts away the game contacts, he is still log in into the game. The border between AR and real world becomes blur. 

As Jin Woo looks through his phone, he hears the thunder outside followed by a guitar playing “Memories of Alhambra.” He looks around nervously and finds that his vision has changed into game mode. He checks his eyes, and once again, he has entered the game without his contacts.
The game notifies him that his enemy has arrived, and Jin Woo fearfully tightens his grip. He hears a knock on the door and asks who’s there. The door opens, and when he sees that it’s just Hee Joo, he sighs in relief. But then, he hears other footsteps approaching. It’s glitchy Hyung Seok with his sword, and Jin Woo looks petrified. The battle continues. Crazy. No one can see Hyung Seok, other than Jin Woo. He finally understands that why Se Joo hasn’t returned and what he’s afraid of. Jin Woo presumes that Se Joo was also under pursuit by someone that only he could see.

Everyone starts to think that Jin Woo had some mental problems, even though Hee Joo seems to believe him. Thus, to end this life-threatening game, is to finish the game with some clues given to him from Game Master (Se Joo) through the game. 

During the adventure, Jin Woo was able to find Emma, the game character of Hee Joo, which functions as healer. There was this quotes is when the golden key meets with the bracelet, the gate will open. The bracelet itself was worn by Emma. Se Joo was then released from predicament and Jin Woo as the game master was given the ability to have instance dungeon in which he can escape and save himself there in case anything happen.

The game was reset and Jin Woo's character was deleted from the game. But after one year, Jin Woo come back to the real world after the AR game was reconstructed and the border between AR and real life has been checked properly. The game was released to the world and it ends like that. 

My Thoughts:

I am seriously mind blown with the idea of this story. This show is so dynamic and actually feels like a reflection of the AR game itself. The plot is unpredictable and unsteady in a way that makes this show gripping. 

The blending of multiple dimensions is blowing my mind. But we never quite know because the rules of the overlap between virtual and reality are still a bit unclear. As this is a story that only the writers know why certain things happen, and despite this ambiguity, I’m actually enjoying this lawless game going rogue because it infuses the drama with an element of mystery that makes everything so unpredictable. 

I’m loving the unexpected surprises, even though they’re mostly terrifying. The way that Hyung Seok just appeared behind the door and ruthlessly attacked Jin Woo made me squeak in fear and pain for all the broken bones that Jin Woo probably just broke again. 

The twists and cliffhangers slap me in the face because they come out of nowhere, and the solid creative writing ensures that the cliffhangers keep me engaged and not infuriated. The cliffhanger endings leave us with a taste of what’s to come, making me intrigued by the unknown elements of this AR. Just when I think that the show is slowing down, it speeds up and then comes to an abrupt halt. There are so many interesting elements and plot points to work. 

Even though it's all mystery, I still don't really like that the writer is not a good storyteller because everything is a surprise. We all need the background why it happens, how could it happens and any solutions to end it need to be tell into a good story telling - which doesn't happen here. The more it gets into the ending, the weirder it gets for me. 

Anyway, Hyun Bin portrays Jin Woo very nicely. He did super super good, I think one of the reason why I continue this drama is to see how much Hyun Bin has grown since Secret Garden and hope that this drama goes well, even though sadly the storyline needs a bit of soft touch. 

I'm sorry to say but the romantic part didn't get me well. The connection was a bit off and no chemistry so far between Binnie & Pak Shin Hye LOL, or maybe I just didn't ship them together haha!

Overall is good, if you want something nice like an AR game drama, this one is worth to try ~ Enjoy!!

Upcoming Drama: Familiar Wife - Ji Sung & Han Ji Min

tvN has a new drama “Familiar Wife” lining up! Really, this eyar tvN is one of my favorite TV Channel. How could there are so many good dramas from them?

“Familiar Wife” is a romance drama that shows how one decision can change everything. It brings an imaginative twist to the relatable concept of “what if” that everyone thinks about at some point in their lives.

Ji Sung plays bank employee Cha Joo Hyuk, and Han Ji Min is his wife Seo Woo Jin, who is a working mom.

The teaser poster features the two actors sweetly posed together against a dreamy background with sparkling lights. The phrase written in the middle reads, “The one ‘if’ of my life.”

The production team of the drama commented, “The chemistry of Ji Sung and Han Ji Min is showing perfect synergy beyond expectations. The characters are increasingly convincing due to their strongly detailed and relatable acting, and their chemistry fulfills both ‘sympathy’ and ‘fantasy.’ Please anticipate the two actors’ perfect romance chemistry that couldn’t get any better.”

“Familiar Wife” also stars Jang Seung Jo, Kang Han Na, Son Jong Hak, Park Won Sang, Park Hee Bon, VIXX’s N, Kim Soo Jin, and more.

The drama is set to premiere on tvN as the follow-up to “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” in August.

So excited with the plot. We always have one question, "What if?" which hopefully by watching this drama, we could also feel and explore the what if feeling. I guess, we have to believe the choice we make, is the best decision. Never regret anything, isnt it?

I am not sure what the drama's gonna telling us, but that's only my prediction. Because the what if question, would not guarantee if you chose the other option, your life would be entirely changed. Change can be good and also bad. That's your choice.

Hyun Bin in Memories of the Alhambra

Hyun Bin’s upcoming drama “Memories of the Alhambra” has offered viewers their very first look at the actor in his new starring role!

“Memories of the Alhambra” is a new tvN drama that will tell the story of Yoo Jin Woo, a brilliant investment firm CEO who travels to Spain on business and ends up staying at an old hostel in Granada (played by Hyun Bin). Park Shin Hye will star opposite Hyun Bin as Jung Hee Joo, the owner of the hostel, while EXO’s Chanyeol will play the role of her younger brother.

On June 22, the drama released new photos that show Hyun Bin sporting casual attire befitting of a tourist as he wanders through Spain. His friendly smile in the first photo hints at his character’s humorous side, while the second photo captures his adventurous spirit.

“Memories of the Alhambra” has been confirmed to premiere sometime in November of this year.

I strongly believe the second half of this year is gonna be great, tvN has several drama in projects which ofcourse I have been waiting for so far!

Btw, if you happen to look for a good drama, I recommend "Are You Human, Too?" and "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?" both has such a fun storyline

Jo Jung Suk To Star in New Romantic Fantasy Drama

Actor Jo Jung Suk may be starring in KBS’s upcoming drama “Two Cops” (literal title).

On June 14, his agency Culture Depot confirmed the news that he is considering the role of a homicide detective who has a sense of justice but also has the soul of a sleazy swindler.

“Two Cops” has been written by the winner of a KBS screenwriting competition last year. It is a fantasy romantic drama that tells the love story between a detective and a cheeky female reporter.

Would you like to see Jo Jung Suk in this drama?

Tomorrow With You First Impression

We learn a little more about the high stakes hinted at in tvN’s upcoming drama Tomorrow With You through the recently released highlight teaser. Originally, it was marketed as the love story between a handsome time-traveling investment firm CEO and a cheerful child star who grew up to be a photographer.

So I thought it was going to be a sweet fantasy romance in the vein of Oh My Venus with lots of fluff and warm fuzzy feelings. However, the latest extended teaser shows that there’s a thrilling mystery at play which may have life-threatening consequences. In the first teaser, Lee Je Hoon witnesses his body being carried on a stretcher while a portending voice tells him the exact time of his death: March 25, 2019, at 9:10 PM. Like any human being, his urge to live trumps everything else, and he uses his knowledge to change the future despite warnings against messing with time.

Lee Je Hoon (Signal) plays the CEO who seems almost psychic when it comes to future investments (well, I would be too if I could time travel like him). He is pretty happy-go-lucky about his supernatural power until he sees his own death in the future, and the one other person who dies with him. He seeks her out, thinking that she may be the key to undoing his future tragedy. When he messes with the space-time continuum, Lee Je Hoon complicates his own future and somehow ends up with a wife that his future self said he would marry. But it doesn’t seem like the start is that smooth.

The bride-to-be, Shin Min Ah (Oh My Venus), has no clue about her future husband’s abilities.

Eventually, he met with Bap Soon (played by Shin Min Ah) and even saves her life once, when he catches a glimpse of her getting hit by a truck, and then he discovers that he may have inadvertently saved her life before. In one of his far-fetched ideas, he believes that maybe getting married could be the changing variable to topple the morbid destiny he saw for them in the future. While Shin Min Ah was approaches by a cute younger man, she’s over the moon.

Of course not immediately — in a couple of encounters, we see how their budding chemistry takes them from awkward strangers to adorable lovers.

On one date he says, “Noona, you can’t like me, okay?” She answers in sing-song, already smitten, “I won’t like you~” As memories of her drunken night arise, Shin Mina yells at herself in the mirror for all her embarrassing moments the night before. She’d told her drinking partner things like, “Don’t like me, or you’ll get hurt,” “I’m not a loose woman,” and “I can be very alluring.” Morning-after Shin Mina hopes she didn’t talk about having pretty legs… only to have Flashback Shin Mina declare proudly, “My legs are very pretty, you know.”

Days later, she asks how he can skip over the handholding and go straight to wanting to live together, and he shocks her by saying he wants to get married.

The recently released stills show the newlyweds waking up together and having morning coffee like the picture-perfect couple.

But in the teaser we see that once they are married, her over-the-top aegyo makes his toes curl.

But this doesn’t seem to change their fates the way Lee Je Hoon expected, and people keep telling him to give up on Shin Min Ah in the present before things get worse. Although he doesn’t know why, his friends tell him that one day in the future, he disappeared without a word, leaving his wife to mourn her missing husband. 

From episode 1-4 which I have watched, things are going smooth. What a whirlwind of a premiere; my mind is still trying to catch up. I’d been looking forward to Tomorrow With You since time travel is a theme I typically enjoy. It’s that dimensions-crossing quality and the fear of possible doom by one wrong move that keeps me intrigued, and at present (hur), this drama stirs my curiosity.


I love how the story goes, specially the situation which Ma Rin (played by Shin Min Ah) was and how she dealt with the situation. I know that it is easy to ignore what other people said, but that was easy to be said than to be done. But seeing how she stands up by herself was something that amazed me so much because not so many people are able to do that! She is indeed amazing woman. I love Shin Min Ah's character her, despite her foolness in terms of dating.

Though I feel these four episode speed is a little bit faster for marriage, I found out that perhaps this story was intended to show us the true love as how So Joon (played by Lee Je Hoon) will eventually love Ma Rin selflessly. I do think that we needed these four episodes to work our way up to the romance, because no matter how motivated So Joon is by death and preventing future tragedy, we still have to believe in a baseline attraction and connection between them to lead to marriage, and in this episode I saw the sparks and bought into the romance wholesale. The proposal was insane, but then when he comforted her at her lowest point and bothered to read her crazy long email to understand her, and jumped through all those hoops to woo her, his progression from concern to attraction felt natural. The wedding was unnaturally fast, of course, but that’s motivated by something much larger and we need that to launch us into the backwards romance where love comes after wedding vows. As he also said that marriage is actually a life with a longtime friend which I assumed that he got married just to prevent his future death.

I like that Ma Rin has been so guarded until now (because So Joon really seemed like a crazy person most of the time, from her perspective), and the way she explains her lifelong fear of being loved and then abandoned makes perfect sense to me. It also terrifies me because I think she’ll break if she discovers that So Joon didn’t love her when he married her. It seems so unfair that he’s working with all this foreknowledge to get her to trust him and open her heart, so that by the time they’re getting married, she’s hopelessly in love while he’s nowhere near that level of emotional investment. I can’t help but be mad at him for that, even though this is exactly the position he needs to be in for his big comeuppance down the line. It’s just that my heart bleeds for Ma Rin, who is so vulnerable and relatable, and now completely head over heels in love under false pretenses, so I can’t help but feel protective of her.

The Lonely Shining Goblin Final Thought & Review

With the ending of The Lonely Shining Goblin, our fantasy land has just landed and we are all back to the earth. No more fantasy, but at least we get a full and better understanding about God. I really like the idea of life and death in this drama particularly when reincarnation was the basic point of the story. Moreover, we have a better understanding now about goblin and grim reaper (which I always thought like the western culture where the grim reapers wear black cloak) while actually this drama incorporates a more friendly and imaginative idea of super cute grim reapers. I might say this is biased but I always feel the innocence of our Wang Yeo as a grim reaper before he finds out his memories, thinking that grim reaper is a innocent being.

That's a new logic to me that Grim Reaper is someone with heavy sins of killing himself (or we called suicide), and they are punished under the form of not being alive nor death. The biggest punishment is actually to desire a life they had abandoned once. This idea is really cool and I think I might get what our Kim Eun Sook means. While I don't really understand why Goblin was so popular in Korea, but I guess that's because Goblin has such close mythology with korean children when they are small and Goblin is perceived as supernatural character which can bring wealth to human being. It's just me who still need to check out the real story behind the famous Goblin and explore why it is so happening there.

I love the bromance between Lee Dong Wook and Gong Yoo, where forgiveness is a way to be peace and they end up as a good friend. That's so supportive in the matter of what has happened between them in the past. Besides, I also like the story when God was actually featured as a butterfly, without any form which can do anything. Sometimes, the rules there is kinda weird, for Him to play around with fate, but is that what He truly means? Fate is the question he ask and we should be the one looking for the answer? Okay? What does it mean? Does He mean whether there is fate between the character and the answer is something he couldn't even predict, because there are things that are out of His control, and maybe, by having a very sincere pray, one unpredictable door may open?

What captured me the most is how Kim Shin (played by Gong Yoo) went through 30 years waiting for Eun Tak (played by Kim Go Eun) to come back. Sometimes, there will be times he will feel tired or out of the place, but God may come in different forms to push you back on the track. That's so inspiring and I love this quote so much that God's advice and way might be from your friends or even strangers. I know that Eun Tak has three more lives, but what's gonna happen to Shin if Eun Tak completed all the lives? Then, Kim Shin will stay as the lonely goblin. Why God still put him under such punishment? Maybe we could get season 2 then? Wondering curiously.

In my opinion, this show is good enough, to even reach such ratings, with huge-scale budget on the costumes, CGs, background setting, storytelling, casts and storylines. But for me personally, I think I still love Secret Garden the best for Kim Eun Sook's drama. I like this drama much, but it doesn't make me can't wait for the episodes. I think, this drama could have done much much better if the story explores and explains more on how Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun fell for each other, because I seriously don't see the chemistry. My impression of Eun Tak is still the high school girl, with her childish and a little bit forceful act as a teenager. Though she did best when she cried on the day Kim Shin left. She really did BEST, but I had a hard time in the beginning of the story, as if she is materialistic, wanting to have Kim Shin just because he is rich and can go travel around the world just by opening a door. Is it because she needs him, or she indeed love him? (though we all know that in the end she loves him sincerely, for her to be able to touch the sword.)

The Lonely Shining Goblin - Episode 16 (Finale) Summary

Under falling cherry blossoms, Shin (played by Gong Yoo) asks Eun Tak (played by Kim Go Eun) to be his bride. She touches his face and says with happy tears in her eyes, “I will. I’ll be this shining man’s first and last bride.” He kisses her on the forehead sweetly.

That night, Eun Tak sits on her rooftop and tells Mom that she’s getting married, and promises to live well. The unni ghost who always follows her around gets misty-eyed at the thought of Eun Tak getting a happy ending, and she and her ghost friend are shocked when Eun Tak turns around and sees them.

The unni ghost materializes right by Eun Tak and grabs her in a hug, wailing that she’s been so lonely without her. She offers to make Eun Tak happier than the goblin and sticks to her side like glue.

Reaper (played by Lee Dong Wook) pours tea for a wealthy man and his driver, and the wealthy man sticks his nose in the air and refuses to drink the same tea as his servant, thinking he deserves special treatment. Reaper makes it clear that everyone gets the same tea in here, and no matter how powerful he was in this life, he can’t take any of that with him when he walks through that door.

Reaper says in a scary voice, “When you go through that door you’ll realize how powerful they are—the sins you’ve committed with your eyes, your mouth, your hands and feet, your heart. And what floor of hell they’ll drag you down to.” 

Shin waits for Eun Tak to get done with work, and Class Prez happens to walk right past him at the station. He sees a glimpse of her future, where she asks Eun Tak to go on another blind date. Eun Tak says no to the chef, but Class Prez says this time it’s one of her clients—he’s a chaebol, he’s handsome, and he’s young to boot. Is it Deok Hwa?

Shin scowls and mutters to himself, “Blind date?” Ha, I was hoping jealous goblin would make an appearance. Petty revenge is in order, so he snaps Class Prez’s purse strap with his goblin powers and sends all her belongings crashing to the ground. She cries over a broken compact, and behind her back, Shin sticks out his tongue like a child. And then he runs away while shouting for Eun Tak. 

He runs right into Eun Tak’s studio and blurts to her entire staff, “I’m Ji Eun Tak PD’s boyfriend. To be more exact, we’re engaged to be married. How’s this weekend for the wedding?” He gives her a wink and everyone’s jaws drop.

Shin takes her to lunch and Eun Tak wonders if someone else is coming, once she sees all the food he’s ordered. Shin says that he called Deok Hwa here to formally introduce her to the family.

Deok Hwa (played by Yook Sung Jae) walks in and takes one scan of the situation before reaching the obvious conclusion, but Shin surprises both of them by just announcing that they’re getting married. He asks if she prefers Saturday or Sunday, and Eun Tak asks why he keeps insisting on getting married this weekend.

“So that you won’t go on blind dates!” he says, as if that makes sense. Shin especially doesn’t want her going on blind dates with young attractive chaebols, and Deok Hwa points out that he’s really the only person in the whole country who meets all three criteria. He hands Eun Tak his business card, and she’s shocked to see that he’s a team leader now.

When she tells Deok Hwa her name, he recognizes it from the old letter that got sent to the old chicken shop. She calls him oppa like she used to and says there’s a lot he doesn’t know, as usual. Deok Hwa wonders if she knows what his uncle is, and she cuts him off to say that everyone knows a goblin or two, and he gapes.

He gets the feeling that everyone knows something he doesn’t, but Shin just puts food on his spoon and tells Deok Hwa that he’ll know once he’s grown up. Eun Tak wants food on her spoon too, and Shin mutters for her to go ahead and try going on a blind date. She counters that she’s going to be a married woman soon, and Shin grins to himself, thinking, She said married woman.

Deok Hwa tells CEO Kim about Shin getting married, and says he plans to marry first and have lots of kids. CEO Kim is happy to hear it, though he points out that marriage isn’t something he can do alone. Deok Hwa: “I have lots of women!” CEO Kim: “Yes, that’s the problem.” Deok Hwa’s reaction is hilarious, like he’d never considered that before.

CEO Kim asks if he’s ever met someone who makes his heart race just to think of her, who makes him cry when he misses her, someone he’d be willing to die for. Deok Hwa says no, and asks if CEO Kim has any plans to marry. CEO Kim laughs and says he doesn’t, because he’s already married with three kids. Deok Hwa is shocked and CEO Kim points out that he’s never asked until now, and that Deok Hwa still has no interest in other people and the world around him.

“So I’m waiting for your questions. The questions of a true adult—about the world, about the happiness and sadness of those around you,” CEO Kim says. Deok Hwa smiles and thanks him sincerely, and asks him to wait just a little longer: “I’ll work hard at growing up.” Aww. They clink coffee cups and smile.

On their way out after lunch, Eun Tak erupts at Shin for outing them all over the place without her consent, but he’s too busy being a paranoid backseat driver, acting like she’s trying to kill him. She asks where he keeps directing her to, but he doesn’t answer.

Cut to: Eun Tak in a wedding dress. The curtain opens in the dressing room and Shin is waiting on the other side in a tux. His mouth hangs open when he lifts his head to look at her, and he murmurs in disbelief, “You look so pretty.” 

She laughs and says he looks handsome too, and he tosses back that she ought to be used to it by now. She suggests getting married with freshly drawn water like in olden times. Eun Tak goes PPL shopping for a wedding gift and leaves a watch on Shin’s desk with a letter. She writes, “All of the roads we’ll walk together, all of the sights we’ll see together, all of the questions and answers we’ll share shyly, excitedly—in all of those moments, I love you. Your bride.”

At work, Eun Tak’s head writer says they got a love letter sent in from a listener, and she starts to read it. It’s Sunny’s goodbye letter that we saw her write, and right away Eun Tak recognizes who wrote it. She goes running out in the middle of the live broadcast, and just tells them to read the letter on the air. As soon as it gets read by the DJ, Shin swerves his car and starts speeding, and Reaper runs out of the house.

Eun Tak rushes home and discovers that Sunny has sold the whole building to a new landlord, and she’s already gone. There’s a letter in her mailbox, in which Sunny tells her not to cry, and that she hopes she was just a little bit of comfort to Eun Tak. Sunny asks her to take care of her stubborn brother, and to live a long and happy life together.

Shin arrives and Eun Tak tells him tearfully that Sunny remembered all this time, all on her own, and took care of her when she couldn’t remember anything. She asks why Sunny would leave, and Shin says it’s because she couldn’t forgive Reaper, so she chose not to see him again in this lifetime: “Because there is no greater punishment for him.”

Sunny (played by Yoo In Na) stands on the pedestrian bridge one last time with her bags packed, and says she’ll count 50 people and go. She counts the people who pass her one by one, until she reaches 49…Behind her, Reaper appears and starts counting as he cries, “One, two…” She turns to him with tears in her eyes and says that she won’t send word to him: “We won’t see each other again in this lifetime.” He nods, understanding what she means.

She smiles and asks if she can hug him one last time, and he pulls her into his arms. They cry as they embrace, and Reaper narrates, “And like that, we sought farewell in this lifetime.” But then he adds that it wasn’t until much later when he heard news of her.

In the wake of their parting, Reaper is a sobbing mess, crying endlessly in his room while clutching the scroll painting of his queen. Shin adorably makes him veggies and fruit and points out that the apples are bunny rabbits, just the way Reaper makes them when he’s trying to cheer other people up. That is just the cutest thing.

Reaper cries that Sunny left, and that till the end, she was good at leaving. He returns the portrait to Shin, saying that he should’ve returned it right away. But Shin says it was never his to begin with: “It was your regret, and your sin, and your longing.”

Shin thinks it’s right that Reaper takes it, and Reaper looks up at him with puppy eyes and asks if he can really keep it. Shin: “Yes, as long as you eat this.” Shin thanks him for keeping the candles lit at the temple for the last nine years while he was gone, and Reaper says he’s trying to face his sins head-on. Shin thinks it’d be nice if someone said to them: “That’s enough. You’ve done enough.”

Reaper meets with the reaper who was a court lady in Goryeo, and he shares a secret with her—that grim reapers are people who took their own lives. That’s the big sin they’ve committed, and he asks why she thinks that their punishment is to be neither living nor dead, and to usher countless people in death. He points out that they have no names and no memories, but they need homes to live in and food to eat. He says he was searching for answers, when one day it occurred to him: “That the things we’d given up—our names, the lives we threw away—were the very things I began to want. That when we long for life desperately, our punishment may be over.”

Reaper says he knows why she avoids him, and tells her that he’s sorry for borrowing her hands in choosing death. He admits his regret, and asks for her forgiveness with a solemn bow. He tells her to forget the past and guide souls well, and hopes that she’ll forgive herself someday: “What god would want is for us to forgive ourselves and discover an ardent desire for life.” She bursts into tears at his words.

The Lonely Shining Goblin - Episode 15 Summary

As Eun Tak (played by Kim Go Eun) explores Quebec, she responds automatically when a handsome young man recognizes her: “You again.” The oddity of that exchange hits her moments later, so she whirls around… but he’s gone. Omo, it’s Canadian ghost oppa! Also, she can see ghosts again?! Her search for him leads her to the street vendor who recognizes the destiny necklace. She asks if Eun Tak is living happily with the man who commissioned the piece ten years ago. Speaking of whom, Shin is in his room holding the little maple leaf.

Next thing we know, Shin (played by Gong Yoo) pops in and out of the house traveling all over the globe save for one destination: where Eun Tak is. Reaper (played by Lee Dong Wook), who has stayed home during Shin’s globetrotting, tells him to go there then.

When Shin worries that he’ll just confuse her by showing up in Quebec, Reaper says he’s confusing him enough here. Pouting, Shin says it’s because his heart feels empty. Cut to: Shin emerging from a sarcophagus, and Reaper tells him to return that mummy back where he found it. Climbing back inside, Shin tells the mummy: “Let’s go. He’s really scary when he gets angry.” 

Now we’re caught up to the chance encounter in Quebec, where Shin exits through the red door and comes face to face with Eun Tak. He follows as she leads the way to food, though she stops and realizes that she never specified that she was traveling to Canada. He quickly says she made some mention about seeing autumn leaves, and that’s enough of an answer for her.

She treats him to coffee and a sandwich, and he asks if that’s enough. He means for him, noting that he secured an advertising deal for her. Coughing, Eun Tak explains that she didn’t bring much money for this last-minute trip, but asks what he likes anyway.

He replies meat, not believing her when she says she’s not much of a meat-eater because he know she loves it. “How did you know that?” she asks, suspicious. She wonders if he looked her up to see if her familial background would be good enough to date a chaebol. “Who said I’d go out with you? You’re not much of a catch!” she stresses defensively. Shin calmly says she still owes him a meat-centered meal, so she promises to call him later.

She stalks off but doesn’t get far before Shin offers to be her personal tour guide, adding that there’s not much here. So they start walking together, and Eun Tak asks if he’s been here before. He replies that he’s been here four times with his first love, but they’ve since broken up, and she immediately asks why. Shin explains that he was very far away for a long time, and the separation must’ve been hard on her because she’s forgotten all about him. Eun Tak says first loves never work out anyway, but he must’ve loved his ex-girlfriend very much. Still looking at her, Shin says he must have, considering it’s so hard for him to hold back now.

He says he wants to hold her hand and embrace her, though Eun Tak has no idea those sentiments are directed at her. He’s amused when she kicks at the autumn leaves, saying that he hasn’t forgotten his first love yet. Shin: “No, not for a single day nor moment.”

He tells her the same story she once told him about how your love comes true if you catch a falling autumn leaf with the person you love. She scoffs, saying that it didn’t come true since he’s walking with her now. She points out that men tend to talk about their exes in front of the woman they’re interested in, and that flare of jealousy reminds him of the younger Eun Tak.

She’s still hung up on that childish tale back in her hotel room, scoffing that only a high-schooler would say something like that, then sighs over how she can’t even remember what part of her memory she’s forgotten. Seeing Shin sitting on a bench outside, she decides to confront him and asks if they’ve met before, about ten years ago.

She swears this isn’t a pickup line when he doesn’t readily answer. She repeats herself when he asks if he likes her, then boldly amends her reply moments later with a “yes.” Since she’s single, she figures that she was meant to be unlucky in the love department in this lifetime.

She lets that thought sink in before excusing herself, only for her and Shin to call out to one another almost simultaneously. She timidly offers to treat him to an early dinner, and he smiles that he was about to do the same.

Now we finally see Shin’s vision of Eun Tak’s future play out in the present, as Eun Tak chats with Sunny on the phone. Shin leans against the doorway as he confirms in voiceover that this was the future he saw, where he was the man Eun Tak was waiting for.

Shin can’t hide his delight as he sits across from her, and Eun Tak scowls at his confirmation that he also visited this restaurant with his first love. He says it didn’t matter since she forgot all about it, which prompts Eun Tak to ask if Shin met up with that woman after they broke up.

Eun Tak says people are usually left disappointed when they reunite with their first loves because the reunion never lives up to their fantasies. He says she’s still pretty, which only gets her worked up, and she asks in annoyance about what he thinks of women who recently became beautiful—y’know, like her. He asks if they should see each other again tomorrow, not at all bothered by the fact that she’s flying out in the afternoon. He means to see her before she leaves, and again after that. She nods and hides her smile behind her menu.

As Sunny (played by Yoo In Na) reviews the CCTV footage of Reaper dropping by the old chicken shop, she sighs that she oddly wanted to head over there that day. 

She seeks out Deok Hwa (played by Yook Sung Jae) instead, and though he’s struck dumb by her beauty, he doesn’t recognize her. He still remembers the chicken shop in question since that place was often behind in rent, and is flabbergasted when he learns that Sunny is looking to get in touch with Reaper, not him.

At home, Reaper stops short when the incoming call is from Sunny (whose caller ID is still misspelled on his phone, aw).

After picking out her next outfit, Eun Tak peruses the brochure for ideas on where to go with Shin on their date. Her eyes fall upon an image of a hilltop cemetery, and a sudden memory momentarily superimposes onto the picture. But then she remembers how Shin led her away from the graves yesterday, which is followed by more rapid flashes into the past, including Shin’s own gravestone.

Eun Tak heads straight to the gravesite, where she’s soon joined by Shin. She wonders if this grave belongs to him, asking, “Are you a ghost?” She asks if that’s why she keeps seeing him, and he hones in on the idea that she can still see ghosts.

“Still?” she repeats. She demands to know how he knew that about her, and pauses for a few seconds before asking, “By any chance, is your name… Kim Shin? Did we come here together ten years ago?” But she still can’t remember, and demands to know who he is: “Why did I write down not to forget you? Why did I write down that I’m your bride?! You’re Kim Shin, aren’t you? I’m right, aren’t I?”

“I’m not,” Shin answers, and tells her to head back to the hotel.