Early Access: Doom At Your Service E2

E2. As Show tells us more about this drama world, I feel like I'm finding out more, and yet, have more questions than ever? I'm intrigued though, that's for sure.

Usually, when the phrase "take my hand" or "join hands with me" is used in dramas, it's meant metaphorically, like when Myul Mang says it to Dong Kyung at the crosswalk, but then immediately after, and through the rest of the episode, there is a lot of literal handholding that takes place between them, and it's completely dissonant and thrilling, at the same time.

Immediately, it messes with my mind that Myul Mang is Doom personified, and yet, he kinda-sorta-sometimes shows up in a hero space, like when he takes Dong Kyung's hand and leads her away from the crosswalk. On the surface, this looks quasi-romantic, especially since the way he takes her hand is akin to the way a boyfriend might take his girlfriend's hand, but thinking about it, he's just gotten her to agree (sort of?) to wish for the end of the world, in exchange for a painless runway to her impending death. That's definitely not romantic.

And so, meshed together, especially with Seo In Guk wearing his sardonic bad boy gaze, there's a discordant sort of thrill to watching this scene. I'm curious to see how Show uses this, and where it plans to take this, but for now, it feels like my fangirl heart is all, "Squee?!?," while my brain's all, "Waitaminute.." 😆

In a world where physical pain plagues her, and people are often a pain, it feels like Myul Mang provides her with refuge and relief. He removes her physical pain, and even steps up to offer to get rid of her whiny, unreasonable ex-boyfriend. I can see how, while living a life where everything doesn't seem to go her way, Dong Kyung might start to be drawn to Myul Mang.

I appreciate, though, that Myul Mang makes it a point to remind Dong Kyung that he's not very nice, and is, in fact, evil, and Doom personified. If he keeps helping her and saving her, she's going to need more reminding, is what I'm thinking.

I have to admit, Myul Mang's characterization doesn't seem so straightforward as simply Doom personified. There seems to be more to him - and more to what he wants out of his existence - than just simply doom and destruction. That's interesting to me, because typically, we tend to assume that a supernatural being whose entire existence is for doom and destruction, wouldn't actually mind it, because that's what he's made for. In this case, however, even though Myul Mang was made for this, there are glimpses of discontent in him. I'm curious to know what he really wants.

I do like this recharging concept for the red thread that Myul Mang gives Dong Kyung, and I like his rationale, that it will prevent her from running away. I'm suspecting that he just wants a reason to see her and hold her hand, but.. that's just my drama fangirl instincts talking. We'll see.

In a weird sort of way, by saving the guy who'd stabbed others and tormenting him by keeping him alive and letting him hear the voices of those who condemn him, Myul Mang is actually performing a sort of rogue justice for those who got stabbed? I mean, if he were true to his destructive nature, wouldn't it not matter to him? Wouldn't he actually take pleasure in the deaths of the guy's victims?

The mythology in this drama world is.. still something that I'm wrapping my head around. Myul Mang quotes the bible to the stabber dude, saying, "I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end," and informs him that he, Myul Mang, is "the end." This would imply that he is part of God, where he is a distinct person of his own, but is also an inextricable part of God, like the Trinity.

Later, we see that the deity that Myul Mang works for, suffers from a heart condition, and she says that someone, ie, she, has to pay the price for the world to exist. This is reminiscent of Christ taking on the sins and sicknesses of the world at the Cross - except that in this case, instead of taking it all and then being resurrected, this deity is still paying the price by lying in a hospital bed.

Not only that, this deity explains that it was the people who willed her into existence, and therefore she is subject to their will - and by extension, so is Myul Mang.

It's an odd concept, that the wills of humans are greater and more powerful than the will of an actual god. I don't yet know if Show has a specific reason for setting up the mythology this way, or is just trying to find a way to be different and interesting compared to other supernatural shows. I'm withholding judgment until that becomes clearer.

The people in this drama world have no concept of saving their work periodically, do they? At least two characters talk about losing all their work this episode, and in both cases, a lot of damage could have been averted, if they'd just had good saving habits.

Writer Lee Hyun, aka Ji Na, is distraught because she's lost her entire chapter that she'd just written, because of the power outage, and we also hear Dong Kyung's account of almost being finished with editing 80 episodes worth of a novel, to almost lose it all because someone spilled coffee on her laptop. Listen, that's just crazy. Why would you not save your work, at least after each episode of editing? If you don't learn after the first time you lose a lot of work, you're not very smart, heh. I did not think this was very good writing, to be brutally honest. 🙄

Kim Ji Suk is a hoot as the Terrible Ex; he's just too good at this kind of Useless Jerk roles, to the point of getting typecast. 😆 Poor Dong Kyung, though. The way Terrible Ex creates a scene at Dong Kyung's workplace is a complete overstepping of boundaries, and this isn't even counting the fact that he outright lies about Dong Kyung being the one to seduce him. Ugh.

I'm glad that Dong Kyung's colleagues seem to know her better than to believe the lies, and rally round to defend her. Extra brownie points to Lee Soo Hyuk's Team Leader Cha, for stepping up to literally have Terrible Ex thrown out of the premises.

I actually think it makes sense for Dong Kyung to resign, not because of Terrible Ex, but because, if she only has 100 days to live, surely she could use that time in more meaningful ways, than working at a job where both boss and clients seem to take her for granted? It's too bad that Team Leader Cha rejects her resignation, on the excuse that the boss isn't around to approve it. Huh. I'd like to have Dong Kyung just walk out on her job, since they can't exactly force her to stay at a job that she wants to quit, but whatever.

This new clarification, that if Dong Kyung fails to wish for the end of the world before she dies, the person she loves the most will die, is an interesting one. Dong Kyung's upset with Myul Mang for saying it, but as a neutral bystander, I'm with Myul Mang on this one. He isn't saying it to mess with her; he's just stating the consequences of her breaking the contract. Also, this is starting to give me a sense that - assuming Dong Kyung falls for Myul Mang, which seems to be where Show's going - he will be the one whom she loves the most, by the time she dies. And if she chooses not to wish destruction on the world, he will be the one to die, not her brother. This could be a story where they're united in the afterlife? It's definitely food for thought.

There's this idea that if you gain something, you must lose something. You need Winter to have Spring; you need darkness to have light. It's an interesting concept that I expect Show will play with. Perhaps the closing idea will be, You need Death, to gain Life..?

In that conversation where Myul Mang and Dong Kyung walk along the bridge, I find it thought-provoking to listen to what Myul Mang says about Dong Kyung having no idea how much he puts others first. "You slapped me, but I'm here to save you." I think this links back to the idea that Myul Mang exists because of the wills of humans.

And then, there's the way Myul Mang says, "I'm just a button of doom. Every step I take, every move my hand makes, every breath I take. Everything about me leads to doom." He says it in a matter-of-fact way, but there's a hint of resignation in his eyes, like he wishes things didn't have to be this way. It's interesting that Myul Mang says that if he doesn't do anything, all hell breaks loose on earth. In that flashback, it's hard for Myul Mang to endure the earth breaking down around him because of his inaction. Therefore, weirdly, by getting out there and doing stuff that leads to destruction, he's choosing the lesser evil. And that seems to be his preferred choice. Innteresting.

There's something about Dong Kyung that draws Myul Mang to her. Maybe it's her compassion for him? She does look sorry for him, when he talks about what it's like to be him. And it's not long after that, that he's asking if she'd like him to pick her up from work the next day. This is all very boyfriend-like; picking her up from work, holding her hand, walking her home. Plus he also says, "..you should be more clingy... To your fate that came to you." It must be confusing for Dong Kyung; it's sure confusing for me. 😅

How interesting, that while Myul Mang is happy to look on for a bit, when Terrible Ex shows up drunk outside Dong Kyung's house, it isn't long before he intervenes and offers to get rid of Terrible Ex for Dong Kyung. Pfft, that Myul Mang pretends to be Dong Kyung's husband, in order to mess with Terrible Ex. 😆

In the aftermath, I like that Myul Mang expresses that he has a fresh understanding of Dong Kyung; at least, now he seems to understand better, why Dong Kyung would have made the wish that she did, that day. Also, how cool, that he heals the cut on her finger, quoting his promise that he'd make sure she didn't hurt. That's.. quite swoony, honestly.

"I see why you thought of me. I'd wondered what kind of person would make that wish at that time."

"Why would that be thinking of you?"

"I am Doom itself. You were the only person who had the same thought at the same time. I'm grateful. In many ways."

"Hey. This won't do. Let's live together. You and me."

I have to admit, that invitation to live together feels like it came out of left field, to me. However, I do enjoy close proximity hijinks, and I rationalize that Dong Kyung's in a weird place in her life, and therefore might say weird things sometimes, coz, really, who can honestly think straight in her shoes?