Goblin (Korean Drama)

Episode 1

A narrator tells the old saying of how one becomes a goblin if the soul seeps into an item stained by a person's hand or blood.

An old, worn sword sticks out of the ground, its hilt wrapped in a bloodstained cloth. The narrator notes, "This sword that has been stained with the blood of thousands, and its owner's blood as well.

On the hilt of the old sword is an engraving of a goblin's face. As a butterfly lands on that hilt, images flash by onscreen: A screeching car. A woman's hand. White expanse turning red. The narrator declares, "Only the goblin's bride will pull out that sword. If the sword is pulled, may it return to nothing and be at peace."

An old grocer woman tells this story to a woman browsing her wares, who bursts out laughing at the line that the immortal goblin may roam the world even now. She finds that idea silly but still calls it a sad story, since the goblin has to find a bride in order to die. "The gods are mean," she says while admiring a jade ring in granny's stash of goods.

The granny confirms that, saying they were always mean, and selfish and jealous to boot.

The woman gets up to go with a cheery goodbye, but the granny grabs her hand and turns suddenly intense. She warns her that if she comes to a life-or-death situation, she must pray earnestly: "You never know when a soft-hearted god may be listening." 

1968, Paris. A well-dressed man (Gong Yoo) waits outside a building, and when a teenage boy walks out with a luggage bag and a battered face, he stops him to warn him not to leave home. "If you leave home now, you'll live an even worse life than you have now. And you'll never see your mother again."

The man casually moves a planter on the steps, then advises the boy to speak up to his parents: Tell Dad to raise him well, and Mom to help. At least this way, the boy will just damage one hand and not lose his life.

The boy is suspicious but intrigued, asking if the man will take responsibility if the boy gets beaten to death. The man replies, "That's why I broke a rib for you."

The adoptive father storms outside screaming at the boy... and trips over the moved planter, which sends him into the street, clutching his rib. The man hands the boy a lunch, tells him to go to school, and even gives the correct answer for a math problem he'll face later. The boy stares after him, transfixed.

Narrator: "He is water, fire, and wind, and also light and dark. And once, he was human."

Centuries ago, we meet him again on the battlefield, as the appropriately named General KIM SHIN (shin = god). Battle rages around him and bodies fall. Clutching that goblin-etched sword, Shin stands up to face a wall of attackers without fear.

"The people called him god," the narrator tells us, now in Shin's voice. "Covered in blood, his eyes flashing, he struck down his enemies, a literal god of war."

Shin flings himself into the battle, killing enemies brutally, blood flying everywhere as he and his sword cut down everything in his path. He slashes his way across the battleground and locks eyes with an enemy soldier, who's spooked and runs. Shin jumps on horseback and charges after the man, taking him down readily.

Shin's army is greeted with cheers from grateful citizens as they ride toward the palace gates. His second-in-command proudly announces their arrival—only to receive a hostile reception, as they are ordered to strip off their armor. It's an insult, but Shin and his men grudgingly comply.

Then, Shin is declared a traitor—clearly a false charge, but not one he's in a position to overturn. Guards assemble at the top of the wall and aim bows and arrows at Shin's army.

Instead of kneeling, Shin draws his sword and demands to be let in to see the king. As soon as he advances, however, arrows fly and strike down his men, and he turns back in horror to see them lying in their own blood.