“My Demon” (마이 데몬)

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
January 24, 2024

☆☆½ (out of ☆☆☆☆)
Do Do-hee (played by Kim Yoo-jung)
Jeong Gu-won (played by Song Kang)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

This series begins in Joseon, with Gu-won (Song Kang) making a deal with an indigent fisherman. This demon will ensure that the fisherman has prosperity and food for the next decade. But, there’s a catch. In return, the fisherman will give his soul to Gu-won.

Flashforward to modern-day South Korea. Do-hee (Kim Yoo-jung) is the adopted daughter of Joo Cheon-sook (Kim Hae-sook), who’s the head of a powerful chaebol. Do-hee has the brains and drive that Cheon-sook is looking for in a successor, which puts the young woman in a precarious situation with her relatives.

When Cheon-sook dies, Do-hee ascends to the top of the company. But one of the requirements for Do-hee’s succession is that she marries within a year of taking over the company.

Just when Do-hee is wondering who she can marry, Gu-won enters her life. They meet cute, sort of. He is eyeing her to make another 10-year contract, since his survival is dependent on human souls. While Do-hee’s worth isn’t reliant on becoming her grandmother’s successor, she does want to honor Cheon-seok by making her company even more successful.

Even in this relationship between a demon and a human, the writers have inserted a contract marriage trope. This way, she can help fulfill her grandmother’s wishes, while Gu-won works on regaining his strength.

Oh, did I mention? He somehow lost his supernatural powers after his wrist tattoo — a cross — mysteriously moved over to Do-hee’s wrist.

What does this mean? Holding her wrist brings his power back, temporarily. Which means that he needs her more than she needs him.

Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung make for an extremely attractive couple, and “My Demon” is an often silly show that is fun viewing the first time around. Will you want to rewatch it? Probably not, but there’s something to be said for enjoying a series and then being done with it.

Airdates: Sixteen 70-minute episodes aired on SBS from November 24, 2023 to January 20, 2024. (I watched this on Netflix.)

Airdates: Sixteen 70-minute episodes aired on SBS from November 24, 2023 to January 20, 2024. (I watched this on Netflix.)

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