The first episode of
The Devil (
Mawang) aired a couple of weeks ago, on the same day as
Witch Amusement and
Thank you. However, I haven't gotten around to watching it because I was immediately hooked to
Witch Amusement. Sadly for
The Devil, it's been trailing behind its competitions in the ratings battle. But... that is not to say that the drama isn't good. As it's from the people who brought us
Ressurection, I have high expectations for it. And after completing the first episode, I'm interested in seeing more of it.
Main Characters Introduction
Detective Kang, although from a wealthy background, is dedicated to his profession. He views the world in only two shades, either black or white. This is evident in scenes where he recites that there are only two types of people in this world: the bad guys and the good guys who catch those bad guys. He even applies this philosophy to food, as he states that there are only two types of food: jjajangmyun and something else? (Can someone help me fill in the blank? He said it really fast when he asked his collegues to order take-out and I forgot what the second dish is.)
Oh Seung Ha is a lawyer who is known to help people who, otherwise, cannot afford an attorney to defend them. His background is mysterious, and we really don't know who he is.
Hae In is a kind-hearted librarian who has the supernatural power of psychometry. After watching episode 1, I have a better idea of what is psychometry. Basically, when she touches something, whether it's an object or a person, she's able to see the past events related to that particular thing.
It seems that Hae In has a crush on Seung Ha, who is a frequent patron the library that she works at. He reads his book in this specific aisle as she observes him. And sometimes, she is disappointed when she can't spot him at his usual location.
Episode 1
The young Hae In was on a bicyle ride with her friends when she suddenly fell from her bike. She saw a basketball bounce towards her and picked it up. Upon contact with the ball, she began to see visions of someone calling the police from a public telephone, reporting that his friend had been stabbed. In the following scene, Hae In found herself in an empty lot and in front of her, lay the lifeless body of a teenage boy and a pile of mint candy. In Hae In's visions, the teenage boy was being harrased by a group of boys, who appeared to be attending the same school. One boy from the group took out a knife to threaten his classmate and while they struggled back and forth, the classmate was stabbed.
Fast forward to 12 years later, Hae In now works in a library. On this day, one of the patron loses her wallet and accuses a strange old man of stealing it. Hae In steps in to help as she trusts that the old man won't do such thing. She touches the patron's back and is able to see that the patron had carelessly placed her wallet on top of some books and when the books shifted, the wallet fell into the crack. After the wallet is retrieved, Hae In suggests that she should apologize to the old man, saying that people who read children's books aren't bad people.
(I think the purpose of this scene is to show Hae In's kind-hearted and trusting personality, but after she said that line, all I thought of was, "Um, what about pedophiles? Some of them probably read children's books and last I checked, they're not really upright people.)
Anyway, Hae In gets a call from her friend, who is currently at a police station to file a claim for theft as someone has broken into their shop and stole a tarot card. Apparently, the card is special because it is actually painted by Hae In.
In the next scene, we are introduced to Detective Kang Oh Soo who is investigating a case. He sees the person of interest and chases after him, only to lose him because the taxi driver that drove Detective Kang during the chase refuses to let him go until he pays the cab fare.
At a prison, Oh Seung Ha visits his new client, who is being prosecuted of manslaughter. The client is surprised that Seung Ha agreed to take on the case because apparently, many lawyers have previously declined. As he takes his leave, Seung Ha asks his client about whether or not he was bullied as a child. The client answered that it's true but is puzzled as to how that information has anything to do with the case at-hand. Seung Ha doesn't answer his client's inquiry but instead, gives an ambiguous and cryptic smile/smirk.
(Joo Ji Hoon has a very distinct walk, almost like he's struting his stuff on the runway. It's distracting to me and I can't focus on whether he's improved in his acting or not because all I can think about is the man Joo Ji Hoon or Prince Lee Shin and not Joo Ji Hoon as Oh Seung Ha.)
Two mysterious packages have arrived, one addressed to a lawyer and the other addressed to Oh Soo. In the lawyer's package, there are a tarot card (the Judgement card) and a pocket knife; in Oh Soo's package, there's that same tarot card plus a note.
At the library, Hae In officially meets Seung Ha and tells him that he looks like someone she has seen before. Seung Ha replied that this is his first time meeting her and introduced himself. As they shake hand, Hae In felt something strange.
Later that night, Hae In has a nightmare about the tragic incident that she witnessed 12 years ago.
In a later scene, the old lawyer is confronted by a man from his past. The man threatens the lawyer and wants him to apologize for his past wrongdoings but he refuses. While they argue, someone calls the lawyer's cell phone and left a message. (The person who left the message is Seung Ha. I get the feeling that Seung Ha made the call to secure an alibi for himself because the call was made right before the lawyer's time of death.)
Not long after, the police arrives at the office to find the lawyer's dead body. On his way to the scene, Oh Soo runs into a timid office worker in front of the building. In a following scene, we learn that the worker keeps a box of tarot cards in his desk drawer.
At a nearby street, the mysterious man runs away and appears to be hurt. He falls down in a dark alley and guess who walks up to greet him? Oh Seung Ha seems to appear out of nowhere (or was he there waiting?) and asks the man if he is allright.
There is also a scene of someone making a phone call at a phone booth before the police arrives at the crime scene. We aren't shown his face or body, only his legs as he walks away from the booth.
We soon learn that the deceased lawyer was a good friend of Oh Soo's family. We also discover that Seung Ha's client is Oh Soo's friend. So, everyone is connected to each other in some way.
Seung Ha also claims to know the old lawyer as he was his subordinate for 6 months. He attends the funeral service and after he leaves, an interesting object is found on the old lawyer's altar: a piece of mint candy.
During the investigation, Oh Soo's senior seeks the help of Hae In and Oh Soo discovers her supernatural ability and how previously she's used it to help his senior crack difficult cases. They arrive at her tarot card reading/psychic shop and brings along the Judgement tarot card.
During Hae In's vision, she sees someone, who is wearing black leather gloves, holding the tarot card. She also sees another person (or the same person) cutting up words from magazines to paste together the note that was sent to Oh Soo. However, their faces are hidden in her visions. Shockingly, the only face that appears to her is Oh Soo's. As Hae In is about to announce her findings, she is interrupted by Seung Ha's visit to the shop. Seung Ha and Oh Soo meet each other and introduce themselves. End of episode 1.
