8 Ways "Hwayugi" Episodes 17 And 18 Played With Our Emotions

As the finale of “Hwayugi” draws near, conflicts and crises are at an all time high. Characters are interconnected in so many ways that every new revelation, breakthrough, or happy moment also brings about new worries and fears. All these mixed feelings make us feel like we’re wearing Geumganggos of our own!

For a recap of all the things about this week’s episodes of “Hwayugi” that gave us conflicting emotions, read on:

Warning: spoilers for Episodes 17 and 18 below.

1. Sun Mi’s fate… as dishware

We were happy to see Sun Mi (Oh Yeon Seo) being more proactive this week, deciding not only to embrace her fate but also to actively pursue it and learn about what she must do.

While we love Sun Mi’s newfound drive, we can’t help but feel indignant about the expectations that others, specifically the heavenly powers, have of her. She may be Sam Jang and have a special destiny to save the world, but she is also a person with real feelings and desires of her own. Yet the higher powers frequently talk about her as if she’s an inanimate object. Seriously, who wants to be compared to a dish?

2. Secretary Ma’s fake-out

“Hwayugi” gave us emotional whiplash in Episode 17 when it seemed like Ma Wang (Cha Seung Won) had accidentally killed Secretary Ma (Lee El) when she jumped in front of elder Soo Bo Ri (Sung Ji Roo) as Ma Wang tried to kill him. Our hearts were temporarily broken…

Until a couple seconds later, when Ma Wang revealed the bluff — after his fake crying had achieved the desired effect and stirred Soo Bo Ri to tell Ma Wang the truth about his son being alive. Goodbye, shock and sadness; hello, smugness.

3. The saga of Ma Wang’s son

Now that we know Ma Wang’s son is alive, we think we have an idea who he might be. And their interaction this week was sweet in a subtle way that warmed our hearts…

And while we’re excited that Ma Wang’s son is alive and we hope to see a happy reunion for the two, we also know that such a reunion might not be in their best interest. In fact, we’re downright worried about Ma Wang’s son, because, well…

4. The gullible characters

Some of our characters were surprisingly easy to fool this week, frustrating us with the quickness with which they fell into the priestess Asanyeo’s (Lee Se Young) traps. First P.K (Lee Hong Ki) readily allows himself to be used by Asanyeo, in the hopes that he’ll get his beloved little sister back:

And next, Ma Wang is quickly fooled by the priestess’s sorcery, thinking a demon she created might be his son:

We would think that centuries-old beings might be a little wiser and less gullible, and it’s exasperating how easily these two are manipulated. But we also understand that they are so readily fooled because Asanyeo hits them where it hurts, and we empathize with their pain.

5. P.K’s change of heart

P.K’s relationship with Asanyeo has a lot of ups and downs, as the pop idol tries to connect with the priestess in an attempt to reach Bu Ja, who is in the same body. This week, P.K once again proves himself to be surprisingly emotionally attuned when he tries to appeal to Asanyeo with kindness, making an effort to understand the pain she has endured.

But just as we started to think he might draw out the good in Asanyeo, P.K discovers that the man Asanyeo is working with, Kang Dae Sung, happens to be Bu Ja’s murderer. And now our hopes that P.K will eventually get through to Asanyeo have shrunk significantly.

So much for kindness and understanding!

6. Can we trust Ma Wang?

When Oh Gong (Lee Seung Gi) temporarily moves out of the house, Ma Wang finally realizes how much he needs the Great Sage in his life. Things are so dull without Oh Gong around to nag at!

It warms our hearts to see Ma Wang decide to help Oh Gong survive the impending doomsday, but we still have some misgivings about putting too much faith in Ma Wang. Especially when he was still considering eating Sun Mi as recently as Episode 17.

We hope Ma Wang tries to help Oh Gong and Sun Mi, and that he doesn’t have any selfish tricks up his fancy suit sleeve.

7. The Geumganggo: a harmless accessory

Rejoice, the Geumganggo has finally been removed! And Oh Gong still loves Sun Mi!

But wait… Oh Gong, what are you doing?

Yes!

Nooo!

Instead of being open and honest with Sun Mi about his feelings, Oh Gong decides to play the noble fool and hide the truth from her. Granted, he is doing this to protect her, and we admire his intentions. But there is also value in honesty, and things tend to backfire when Oh Gong withholds the truth from Sun Mi; hasn’t he learned anything from the previous times he kept her in the dark?

8. The almost perfect confession scene

The dilemma of the Geumganggo added a slightly bittersweet feeling to this week’s beautiful final scene — because while it was moving to see Sun Mi and Oh Gong finally be together without holding back, we know how much more it would have meant to Sun Mi if she had known that the Geumganggo no longer affected Oh Gong, and that his love is real. But we won’t be too picky, because it’s hard to complain too much about this:

With the finale only days away, we’re nervously waiting to see how the drama resolves some of these emotional paradoxes for us — if it does. Here’s to one more week with these wonderfully complex characters!

Hey Soompiers, which parts of this week’s “Hwayugi” episodes put you through an emotional roller coaster? Let us know in the comments!

Catch “Hwayugi” Episodes 17 and 18 on Rakuten Viki, or start watching below:

[viki]https://www.viki.com/videos/1123028v-hwayugi-episode-1?utm_source=soompi&utm_medium=soompi_news&utm_campaign=soompi_link&utm_content=8-ways-hwayugi-episodes-17-18-played-our-emotions&utm_content_id=1132277wpp[/viki]

hgordon stays up way too late on weeknights marathoning K-dramas and trying to keep up with the latest K-pop releases.

Currently watching: “Master In The House” and “Hwayugi.”
Looking forward to: “Mr. Sunshine” and “Grand Prince.”
All-time favorite dramas: “Scarlet Heart: Goryeo,” “Goblin,” and “Hwayugi.”