Dream Drama Crossover: Dark - The Fangirl Verdict (2024)

You guys. I am completely blown away by this Dream Drama that j3ffc has written, with the help of his lovely editor, Ele!

They’ve both poured a whole lotta time, effort, passion, dedication and love into this project, over a really long time, and the end product is nothing short of brilliant. 🤩

If you like kdramas; if you like Buffy; if you like a well-told story – if you answered ‘yes’ to even just one of those things, I think you’d like this.

Do look out for all the fun references and cameos; our dynamic duo has made sure that there are a good number, for kdrama fans, and for Buffy fans. And of course, there’s twice the fun to be had, if you’re both. 😉

Dark

~A Fangirl Verdict Exclusive

A group of children are sitting at a classroom table, drawing their dream pets: dogs, kittens, a singular bat. The girl drawing the bat rummages through her pile of crayons to find the one she needs. Sitting across from her, a young boy smiles and offers up his black crayon. Returning his smile, and taking the black crayon, she starts coloring in the bat’s body. Another child with dark eyes notices the exchange and, with a frown, puts away his own intended offering.

A year later, Bat Girl and Crayon Boy are in a car, at a stop light. Wearing party hats, the boy excitedly giggles, just as the girl spies a veering ice cream truck (driven by Kim Won-hae) accelerating toward them. The girl’s eyes widen as the ice cream truck looms. And then, black.

Wearing a somber dress and blank expression, the girl is escorted by her father down a hallway and into a modest funeral chamber. There is a photo of her little friend enshrined in flowers above a dais. Tears arrive.

Two years pass. The girl is playing with a black-clad doll as she hears her father, outside the room, call her to bed. She puts her doll in a toy box and is startled by the ghostly figure of her crayon-offering buddy standing near her, smiling benignly.

The same bedroom, but the girl is now noticeably older, doing homework at a desk. Our point of view shifts to the ghostly boy, un-aged, sitting across from her. They are smiling at one another, but the boy’s smile seems somehow…off.

Late night. The girl, now a young teenager, crouches behind her bed, shaking and crying. In the corner, the boy ghost appears surrounded by an angry swirl of darkness.

The girl and her father are sitting across the desk from a white-coated doctor. The elderly physician regretfully shakes his head. In closeup, the father appears anxious. Next to him, the girl’s face is an impassive mask.

Father and daughter are seen walking away from a temple. The father walks ahead of the girl, head down. Arriving home, the girl shuts herself in her bedroom while her father extracts a crumpled piece of paper from his suit pocket. He makes a phone call with shaking hands.

A man arrives on a bitterly cold and snowy Korean night. The man, seen only from behind, rings the doorbell and is invited inside.

Father and daughter wait in the living room as the man enters the girl’s bedroom and closes the door. From inside the room, we hear the man chanting in ancient Latin, his voice growing progressively louder. There is a monstrous screech followed by a swirling metallic vortex of sound…

…then silence.

The bedroom door opens and the man, a bespectacled Englishman, emerges. The father tries to give him an envelope containing money, but the stranger shakes his head. “Your daughter is special,” he begins. “I am sorry to tell you that she will suffer for it at times.”

The girl stares at the man’s small satchel, from which he extracts an ancient book. He hands the book to the girl along with a business card that she regards with curiosity. On both the satchel and the business card are the initials: “R. G.”

A dark-haired woman wakes with a start.

It’s dark.

Really, really dark. To the point that viewers are cleaning off their screens to get a better look at Jang Nara (Jang Nara), who isn’t helping by wearing a chic but night-black suit. The only splash of color is a silver necklace set with a pale stone.

Nara walks down a back street, occasionally looking behind her. “Why am I so jittery?” Maybe it’s the dreams. They’ve been more regular lately and increasingly vivid. Last night was the worst. Nara hadn’t thought about her childhood in a long time—she swears that she barely even remembers some of those events—but last night it felt as though she was right back in Gwangju.

Nara sighs. “I miss Appa.”

She shakes her head as her thoughts turn to more recent events. The signs have all been pointing to some sort of supernatural shake-up, to the point where captured souls have seemed…. different. Her own team, and even international contacts, have been on the alert for months. She’s always been psychically sensitive, so it wouldn’t be a shock if external events were leaking into her badly-needed down time.

Hence another inconveniently-timed meeting with her crew to discuss “reinforcements”—the very word is an annoyance—and she’s late. Nara makes a mental note to talk with Rufus about scheduling.

Suddenly, the sound of a bottle breaking and accelerating steps behind her. Nara picks up the pace, as do the steps. Stopping abruptly, Nara turns and aims a powerful kick at the chest of a grizzled man (Kim Won-hae – again). The man is thrown against a nearby wall, clutching his chest.

Nara bends down and, sniffing, realizes that she has encountered one of Seoul’s numerous alcohol enthusiasts. She reaches to help the man up and inquires if he’s okay. Groggily, he declines the hand, instead tugging the crumpled hat he’s wearing over his eyes and taking a nap right there on the street. The hat has the words “Gwanju’s Best Ice Cream!” on its brim. Gwanju? Wasn’t she just dreaming about her childhood in Gwanju? She shrugs it off as a coincidence.

Really late now, Nara takes a short cut through the nearby cemetery. Steps resume behind her. Exasperated, she turns to the drunk. “Look, I’m sorry I kicked you, OK? I thought—”

Her words trail as she realizes that she is not addressing Grizzly, but rather a powerfully built man with an arrogant grin, revealing a sharp set of canines. Recognizing a real threat this time, Nara rushes to land a solid kick, but the man only staggers back a step or two.

Nara twirls to increase her momentum, but her kick misses its mark, and she loses her balance. As she falls, the man pounces with startling speed, pinning her to the ground. Those sharp canines are… fangs? “Is this guy a vampire?”

The fanged attacker is freakishly strong, but Nara manages to slide out from under him and regain her stance. The man—the “vampire”—is up too and ready to pounce. How do you defeat a vampire? She hasn’t had this kind of training. As Nara is mildly panicking, a sickening puncture sound fills the air. Grimacing, the vampire dissipates into a cloud of dust right before Nara’s shocked eyes. Before the dust has settled, a blond woman wearing a leather jacket with jeans and a cross around her neck steps forward. The woman is holding a stake.

We pan back to see Nara and Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Geller) standing a couple of meters apart, facing each other.

They look at one another in silence for 12 seconds, then the scene goes black.

Nara breaks the silence. “I had him, you know. The vampire. But thanks.”

A little taken aback, Buffy replies “You’re welcome?” As Nara turns to leave, Buffy calls out. “Wait! Are you Jang Nara? Or Nara Jang?”

Nara spins around and demands, “Who’s asking?”

“I’m Buffy. Rupert sent me.”

Nara searches her mind for a moment then remembers. It’s Rupert Giles. R.G. The man who’d sent away Crayon Boy’s ghost. “Mr. Giles? I thought he was sending The Slayer.”

Buffy puffs up. “That’s me!”

“I did not expect a girl with a stick.”

“Woman,” Buffy corrects. “And it’s a ‘stake’.”

Rolling her eyes. “Look, you’re cute and all, but the last thing I need is assistance from a girl with a stick.” Just as she’s about to pile on further, Nara’s phone buzzes—she’s received a text from Mr. Giles. On her screen: YES, BUFFY IS THE SLAYER. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING.

She texts back: RIGHT and waits for him to finish typing his reply. It takes a while. Buffy clicks her fingers, glancing around the cemetery. “Guess it’s a home away from home,” she muses. Nara reads Giles’ reply when it finally arrives, and her eyes widen just a bit.

Turning to Buffy, she awkwardly forces out a tight smile. “Shall we go, then. We can get caught up on our way to the meeting.”

Not one to hold a grudge, Buffy catches up to Nara. “Could we get something to eat first? I’m starving and the economy cabin isn’t what it used to be.”

Nara begins to retort “well, the economy cabin was never all that….” when she realizes that Buffy has lapsed into perfect Korean, albeit with a slight SoCal lilt and an utter lack of honorifics. “So where did you learn Korean?”

“Daebak, right?! My gal Willow set me up.”

“Is Willow your Korean tutor?”

“Very funny. Former hacker turned scary-powerful witch. Plays flute, too.”

Nara harumphs quietly, already tired of the conversation and maybe a tad disappointed that her unending English lessons in Noryangjin—more painful than taser training—would be of limited use with this unexpected partner.

Buffy returns to Topic 1 on her mind. “So, what’ll it be? Bulgogi? Dak-galbi? Jjajangmyeon? I’m so excited to learn more about banchan!”

Nara shakes her head. “No, let’s grab some real Korean food. I can introduce you to the crew when we get there.”

Fade out.

We open to Nara and Buffy seated across from one another at Subway, with Nara munching avidly on her The Monster^TM sandwich while Buffy is picking at a green salad in a sad plastic bowl. “Hmm. I thought I was late, but apparently my team is only just arriving,” says Nara, just as Ke-ri (Kim Seul-gi) joins them at the table with her Italian BMT^TM.

“I hear you’re The Slayer”, says Ke-ri, lowering her voice on the final word. “Is it true that you know Willow Rosenberg?”

Buffy regards Ke-ri with bemusement. “Wicca much?”

Ke-ri demurs. “Wicca little. Not that I compare at all to Rosenberg-nim.”

“Few do,” Buffy notes. “And by few, I mean no one.”

Ke-ri starts describing in excruciating detail her plans to add AI to the group’s workflow when she is interrupted by the arrival of Yang Hye-sun (Kang Ha-na), silencing everybody by her mere presence. “Apparently everybody needs a computer these days. I prefer old-school ink and brush, although I’m happiest if I don’t have to write at all.”

“Hye-sun used to be a gumiho,” explains Ke-ri. “She’s over 700 years old!”

“A ga-whoo-wha?” asks Buffy.

Hye-sun tsks. “Gu-mi-ho. Usually female, a gumiho can shift into many forms, although I prefered the classic fox with nine tails. Gumiho have a taste for human males. I liked liver in the old days.”

Buffy regards Hye-sun with suspicion. “Sounds too close to ‘vampire’ for my liking.”

“You’re not wrong. But I became human a while ago now, so no more with the liver—except fois gras and a nice Burgundy. Now that’s what I call dinner!” Hye-sun looks down at her salad with a sigh.

Ke-ri jumps back in. “We’ve been working with Nara for a while, mostly to help souls over to the afterlife, but….”

‘Something is up.” Ke-ri is interrupted by Rufus (Hwang Min-hyun), a handsome young man joining the table, carrying only a bottle of Dasani^TM water. He has an odd aesthetic, wearing a tunic rather than the tees sported by every other male in the restaurant.

Buffy notices that Nara, who has been quietly picking away at her sandwich, perks up upon Rufus’s arrival.

“What’s the latest?” asks Nara.

“An uptick in supernatural activity,” responds Rufus. “Richie has been checking her sources and it seems that someone is seeking to establish dominion over the supernatural world by collecting talismans. And they have assembled a small army of demonic sorts.”

“So, well protected,” states Nara.

“Exactly. We think the leader is only one or two objects away from completion,” Rufus points his sleek nose at Buffy. “Hence the reinforcements.”

Buffy speaks up. “So, someone looking for absolute power? Hmm. I know the type.”

Nara ignores Buffy’s contribution. “Which objects are left to find?”

Rufus: “An orb, I believe.”

Hye-sun: “Yes. An orb would make sense.”

Ke-ri starts googling “orb” on her phone.

Buffy rolls her eyes. “A magical orb—right. Always an orb or an enchanted amulet. Why never something convenient, like a magical flash drive?”

Rufus regards Buffy blankly. “I am sure it is an orb.”

Used to being underestimated, Buffy starts drumming her fingers and looking around the table, when she is hit with a stab of bemused recognition. “So, hey, this is a nice little crew you’ve got here.”

Nara says nothing but is silently pleased as Buffy continues. “Hacker slash witch-in-training? Check. Unnecessarily blunt ex-gumbo—”

“GU-MI-HO!” interrupts Hye-sun.

“Check,” continues Buffy, then glances at Rufus. “Hot scholar type? Check!” She scans the group, almost afraid to ask. “Oh my god. You haven’t given yourselves a name, have you?”

Ke-ri perks up. “We have! We call ourselves Scoobies, you know, like the cartoon! We got the idea from…”

At this, Buffy’s eye-rolling goes into overdrive. “Oh, that’s original! Nice!! Now all you need is a relatable and faithful Everyman to round out the—”

Buffy is interrupted by the arrival at the table of Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendan), digging into a Jell-O cup. He begins with a confident, “Hey guys…” but warbles at the sight of Buffy. “Hey, Buff….so, hi?”

“Xander Harris! What are you doing here?” Buffy demands, standing and startling everyone (especially Xander, who is slowly backing away).

Nara, with a keen eye for potential danger, intervenes. “So, it would appear that you know each other?”

“Yes. We. Do.” Buffy replies. She fake-bats her eyes at Xander. “So, dear Xander, did Rupert put you up to this?”

Cowering, Xander replies, “Mr. Giles thought you could use a little help.”

“More like Mr. Giles thought he could use someone to check up on me.”

Nara decides to put an end to this little reunion. “Can we get back to the real problem?” She turns to Rufus. “Any word on the orb’s location?”

Before Rufus can answer, the lights dim, and time seems to stop for everyone in the room apart from the K-Scoobies. A ring tone, which sounds as if coming from another dimension, is heard from every one of the group’s phones.

Slowly appearing to the left of Xander, who has taken the seat next to Ke-ri, is the ghostly figure of Shin Soon-ae (Shin Min-ah), wearing a Joseon-era hanbok. She is smiling but translucent and floating about eight centimeters above the floor.

Buffy is wide-eyed and Xander is scared shitless, while the others simply acknowledge the new arrival and pull out their phones. Buffy and Xander follow suit to find some newly arrived text has replaced their home screens.

A SOUL IS IN TROUBLE

Xander and Buffy look at their phones, then at each other, then at Soon-ae – who gives them a little wink.

AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, IN THE GYM

Nara looks up at Soon-ae, who nods nearly imperceptibly.

YOU SHOULD GO

At that, Soon-ae fades away, the lights come up and the Subway returns to its normal hum. Nara stands and addresses the group. “You read the ghost. Let’s move.” She gestures to Buffy to come along. “You should bring your stick.”

“Stake!”

Nara turns to Buffy and replies, in English. “Whatever you say. Let’s move!”

The group exits the Subway, passing a tattered poster for The Red Sleeve. Although a vandal has replaced the female lead’s eyes with a swirling vortex of Sharpie, the king is left untouched in splendid glory. Buffy regards the image with approval. “I could learn to like it here.”

The scene fades into an elegantly appointed but barely-lit office. From behind, we see a man at a desk wearing an exquisitely tailored suit, answering the phone. We hear one side of his conversation.

“Everything is arranged, then? You have found the object? Is it secured…?

“Excellent…

“I understand your concern. But we need to know who is also interested in the object. Our, hmm, security team, will not harm you if you stay in the inner room. But they will provide an excellent test of our competitors…

“Keep me posted. And thank you for your efforts.”

The man hangs up and the scene fades to black.

Nara and Buffy are sitting together on a public bus, surrounded by the rest of the group except for Rufus, who is sitting alone, deep in thought. Buffy is visibly fidgety. “Why are we on this bus? We should be flying down there!”

Hye-sun’s interest is piqued. “Oh…can slayers fly?”

Buffy responds. “I can drive.”

Xander chips in, “Don’t you have a car, Hye-sun?”

“A few,” mumbles Hye-sun.

Ke-ri goes into exposition mode. “Immortal creatures, like gumiho, are famously good at accumulating wealth. Isn’t that right, Unni?”

“I suppose so,” replies Hye-sun. “I only ever met one gumiho that wasn’t well off. But she lived in a painting for a couple of centuries, so no compound interest.”

“How long until we get there?” asks Nara.

“Twelve more stops,” responds Ke-ri, who settles in for the ride.

Buffy turns to Nara. “So, you capture souls?”

Nara, who has never liked talking about her gift, begrudgingly provides all the information she deems necessary. “Yes.”

“Why?”

Nara frowns. “Usually, it’s if a spirit is having trouble crossing over to the next plane.”

“Like a troubled ghost? Unfinished business and stuff like that? I’ve had some experience with ghosts but, between you and me, I don’t get what their problem is half the time.”

“The hows and whys are above my spiritual pay grade, so I don’t ask too many questions,” lies Nara. In fact, Nara is intensely interested in the philosophical implications of her calling but is certainly not about to discuss it with the hired muscle. She decides to switch topics. “So, you kill vampires? With your special stake?”

“You could say that.”

Nara snorts. “Sounds pretty basic.”

Buffy raises an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Well, you find a vampire and you poke it and that’s that, right?”

“Trust me, there’s more to it than that.”

Enjoying the upper hand, Nara pushes further. “If you say so.” And then, under her breath, “Sounds like anybody can do it.”

Buffy bristles. “In fact, not! Into every generation a slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One. She alone will wield the strength and skill….” Buffy trails off, thankful that Giles isn’t around to hear her actually recite this stuff.

But no matter. Nara has drifted off in her seat. She is once again dreaming and revisiting her past.

Two teenagers in school uniforms, Nara and her first real boyfriend, are in a gaming parlor. The two of them are watching a young adult, who is staring into a screen. What differentiates this blank stare from the others in the room—barely, and visible only to Nara—is the light red cast of the gamer’s eyes. Shaking his head, he averts his gaze from the screen and looks at Nara, at first blankly, but then the red in his eyes intensifies and a nasty grin unfolds. He stands, almost robotic in his movements, and approaches Nara. Making an excuse to her boyfriend, she checks her shirt pocket and then nervously heads out of the parlor.

Red-eye follows young Nara into an alley, where he easily catches up to her. She turns to face him, but he shoves her to the ground.

Nara steels her nerves and removes a brooch bearing a pale stone from her pocket. She directs it at Red Eyes, whose smile immediately falls as the glowing stone casts a deep purple glare towards him. Nara loosens her trembling grip on the brooch. It levitates as the young man’s body turns to black smoke, which is then sucked into the stone. The brooch falls to the ground.

Realizing that she is safe, Nara allows herself a small smile—she has captured a soul, after all! Glancing back toward the gaming parlor, she sees her schoolmate in the doorway and her smile sticks to her teeth. “I dropped my brooch,” she says, breathless like she’s just been running. He stares, mouth hanging open, stuttering: ‘What was that? Where did he go?” Nara begins to answer truthfully, their gaze meeting for just a second, before he turns and flees. Nara watches her first love disappear into the night. Squeezing the brooch until it hurts, she breaks down and cries.

Within the dream, we hear Rufus’s voice from the outside world. “We’re here.”

Nara awakens, and the group disembarks and starts walking to the nearby school, which is eerily quiet even for the late hour. “You all wait here while Buffy and I check things out,” Nara says, trying to shake off the dull ache left by the dream. She tries the door. It’s locked.

“Let me try” says Buffy, who forcibly turns the knob and pushes the door open.

“Show off,” mutters Nara as the two enter. Things are quiet on the ground floor, so they cautiously head up the stairs.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” asks Buffy. “Seems pretty dead to me.”

Nara pulls out her phone and double-checks the last text from Soon-ae. “This is the place.” She neglects to add that her spectral senses are on high. Not only is there a ghost around, but something else that she can’t quite identify. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to have a little help.

Nara and Buffy continue up the stairs, while Hye-sun, Rufus, and Xander have assembled at the door of the school. They are about to enter when they suddenly hear furniture crashing from inside the school. Xander and Rufus rush inside, followed by Hye-sun.

Ke-ri lags behind, checking her phone for more texts from Soon-ae. As she reaches the building, a woman crashes head-first through a second-story window and lands at Ke-ri’s feet, face down on the concrete entryway. Somewhat surprised, Ke-ri notes the body is unnaturally twisted.“Still alive?” the witch wonders, a hand hesitating to touch the body.

Exorcist-style, the head twists around, emitting a malevolent hiss. Not waiting to find out what this creature is, Ke-ri runs to the building, only looking back once inside. Behind her, the creature has awkwardly stood, its face bloodied and eyes soulless. Emitting a feral snarl in Ke-ri’s direction, it drags its broken body after her.

Legging it up the stairs, Ke-ri is greeted by a mass of screaming, wild-eyed creatures, all bloodied (notably around their mouths), with some missing hands or eyes, and others apparently eviscerated. Ke-ri nonetheless joins the outnumbered K-Scoobies in the ensuing fight.

Buffy stabs one of the monsters with her stake. The force slams it against the wall, but the wounded monster simply gets back up to resume its attack.

Hye-sun yells to the group. “They’re zombies! Separate the heads!” Improvising, Buffy grabs some scissors off a drafting table and impales the monster’s neck. The body falls limp. Nara, who has pulled a knife from the inside of her boot, starts stabbing while Rufus calmly dispatches incoming attackers with—wait, is that a sword?

Nara manages to sever the neck from one of the monsters, but then a large male zombie grabs her forcibly by the shoulder. It opens its mouth and lunges at Nara’s shoulder to bite, only to be pulled back by Buffy, who shoves it to the floor.

Buffy asks Nara, “Are you okay?” Nara signals yes as Buffy carries out her grisly duty.

Amid the mayhem, a single eyeball, placed high upon a shelf, is moving from side to side as if surveying the action. It stops to gaze in a particular direction, pupil dilating.

Ke-ri glances with horror to the far wall, where Xander is beset by three zombies. She screams “Xander!” He looks toward her but is cornered by the approaching assailants. Just as they close in on him, a door to Xander’s back opens and a pale arm emerges. Xander is pulled through the door, which closes just as the monsters throw themselves against it.

Ke-ri, preoccupied with Xander’s situation, feels a hand on her shoulder—the zombie from outside has finally caught up with her. Just as it is about to bite, Hye-sun pulls it away and Rufus dispatches it with his sword.

Meanwhile, Xander is hyperventilating in a dark closet, expecting to be attacked by zombies any second. Gasping, retching, gasping; “What in the world is that smell!” Behind him, a low, female voice utters, “kamsamhamida,” and Xander, weaponless, raises his hands as if he knows karate. He does not know karate, damn it. In the dim light, a lovely young woman faces him, smiling. She is missing one of her eyeballs.

Xander screams, fumbling with the doorknob in a panic, until it gives. With zero dignity, he spills out onto the floor. The one-eyed woman, Richie (Lee Se-young), shuffles out of the cupboard after him. In near-hysterics, Xander backs away, sliding on his bottom, certain he’s about to be eaten by a beautiful woman (a thought he’s had several times in his short life, and never in a good way). But Buffy has seen the zombie and jumps into action, stiff-arming the woman into the wall behind her. The force causes the other eye to pop out, at which point Nara intervenes. “Stop! Richie’s with us!”

Buffy raises an eyebrow. “Richie?”

Rufus steps in. “Richie suffered a tragic demise but was magically revived in the form of a zombie. Ironic, considering what we’ve been dealing with tonight.”

It’s only now that Xander notices the K-Scoobies have dispatched the other zombies. Richie, remarkably unfazed by being deprived of her eyesight, addresses the group. “I heard that something might be up, so I came by. I didn’t expect that there’d be all this company when I got here, but I was able to spy from inside the closet with my good eye.” Richie points to her eyeball, the one she had placed strategically on a bookshelf for a good view of the room.

“Thanks,” Nara says and hands Richie the eyeball that she’d picked off the floor, gesturing to Xander to get the other one from the bookshelf. Shuddering, he complies. Richie plops the orbs in their sockets.

Buffy wrinkles her nose and asks “Hey, what’s that smell?”

“Kamsamhamida,” breathes Richie.

“Talking about keeping an eye on things,” says Hye-sun, dusting herself off and pointing to the large picture window separating them from a smaller room, on the other side of which are a half-dozen uniformed high school students staring at the bloody scene wrought by the battle.

Nara opens a door marked ‘Broadcasting Club’ and a female student runs up to her, crying. “Oh, my god! It was so horrible! We were trapped! I don’t know what we’d have done if you hadn’t gotten here.”

“Could have been sooner,” states a young man, Ju-wan (Yoon Chan-Young). He is dressed in a school uniform, like the others, but seems older, with a patrician air about him. “We were minding our own business when all of a sudden these monsters showed up.” He gestures towards the anteroom.

Nara scans the room before fixing her gaze on a corner. “Was she the business you were minding?” Nara’s paranormal senses are going wild—this is certainly the location of the soul Soon-ae told them about.

In the corner, a young female student is seated, wearing a blindfold. Nara starts in her direction when one of the students shouts: “You had better stay away from her! We came in to hide, then she started vibrating and making weird sounds. Her eyes started turning red, so we blindfolded her.” She lowers her voice. “I think she’s turning into one of them.”

Nara approaches the bound student and, despite the warning, removes the blindfold to reveal eyes full of abject horror. “Help me. Please.”

Nara, looking closely, notices cigarette burns on one of the girl’s arms. Turning toward the students, who are now uncomfortably averting their gaze, Nara addresses Ju-wan, “Got a light?”

Ju-wan sneers. “Look, she’s a monster! What did you expect us to do? Let her eat us?” His comrades murmur in agreement.

Nara turns back to the captive student and peers intently in her eyes, which flash red in response to Nara’s gaze. In an otherworldly voice, she spits: “I am not the monster here!” Nara notices a temporary transmogrification of the girl’s face into that of a very old woman, returning quickly to its previous state.

Rufus gestures to Nara to speak in private. “She’s not a zombie, but the supernatural readings are ascending. She may be crossing into…” He stops as Buffy, who has been growing impatient, approaches.

Nara nods as though Rufus is telling her something she did not already know. “It looks like a case of possession, not simply a lost soul. The spirit may have been in this body for some time. I can release the spirit, but I’m worried about the host.”

Buffy regards the possessed girl with bright-eyed curiosity. Rufus whispers to Nara: “Soon-ae sent us here for a reason. I think you should release the spirit.”

“Leave,” Nara tells the students. They nervously look at one another but don’t move until Xander approaches, rolling up his sleeves. “You heard the lady. You need to go.”

One speaks up, “Shouldn’t we call the police? There’s a bunch of bodies down there.”

Ke-ri has lit a small candle in the room and has been doing some incantations over a bowl of water. Moving to the outer room, she starts sprinkling the water over the prone zombie bodies (and parts). As she does so, the formerly undead bodies shimmer and disappear. Soon the room is empty—even the blood stains are gone.

Needing no further instruction, the students run down the stairs and out of the building, leaving only the K-Scoobies and the captive girl in the AV room.

Buffy respectfully steps back as Nara approaches the student, who immediately starts to struggle, hissing: “No! No! It is not my time!” As the red in her eyes intensifies, the ropes holding her to the chair begin to strain. Nara begins an incantation as she holds up the brooch, stone facing the possessed girl. Hand shaking with the effort, Nara’s voice grows louder and louder. Just as it appears that the possessed body may be breaking its bonds, it begins to dissipate into smoke. The smoke spirals and is pulled into the stone, captured within Nara’s brooch. Nara’s eyes close and she slumps with exhaustion.

Rufus rushes to Nara’s side, sliding her gently to the floor. The move isn’t lost on Buffy, who wonders how long the guy has been in love with Nara. Still clutching the brooch, the stone now pulsating red—white, red—white, Nara opens her eyes and sees Rufus’s concerned face. “I’m fine,” she says, pushing herself upright to check on the high-school victim. But only the ropes remain, draped over the armrests. “Where did she go?”

“So that wasn’t meant to happen?” Buffy asks. The K-Scoobies glance about in confusion.

“It can’t have been a possession,” Rufus says, frowning. “So, what was it?”

“I intend to find out,” says Nara, looking at the brooch. “But first, let’s deliver this. Reaper asked that we meet him at the tea shop in case we needed him tonight”.

In a rare moment of generosity, Hye-sun calls for a couple of cabs.

It’s cold and started to rain, the kind of late fall precipitation that just wishes it could be a lovely first snow. On a quiet street sits a charming shop with the feel of Dickensian London. Above the door, a fading sign reads: “British Tea Emporium”. Inside, lit in a cozy glow, the K-Scoobies are just taking their seats at a long rustic table when a handsome man wearing an apron, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) enters, holding up two tea bags. He addresses Nara, who is situated at the head of the table. “Good evening! Would you like the red or the blue?”

Nara looks up. “Hi there! Hope you are doing well. I’ll take the blue please.”

Hye-sun, clearly smitten, jumps in. “Oh, the blue for me, too, please” she says, flashing her most impressive smile.

Ke-ri: “The blue, please.”

Rufus: “Yes, I’ll have the blue as well.”

Xander pipes up, “I’ll try the red.”

The room goes quiet; everyone stares at Xander. He nervously looks around the table, and gulps, “Ah, maybe I should go with the blue.” Richie, who is sitting to Xander’s left, looks at the American and smiles discreetly at this exchange.

Before Buffy can speak, Shin confirms, “Blue for everyone then! Wonderful!” He enters a small kitchen through a swinging door in the back.

Buffy, who is sitting to the left of Nara, asks “So, are we here just for a little pick-me-up or is there a greater purpose in our visit?”

Nara begins to reply as another handsome stranger enters from the street. He is wearing a dapper black three-piece suit with a broad-brimmed hat and is holding a very expensive-looking satchel. Rufus, sitting to Nara’s right, stands and offers his seat to the new arrival.

“Good evening,” says The Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook), as he sits. “Have you recovered?”

Nara, clearly exhausted, holds up the brooch. “Yes, all things considered.”

Buffy, intrigued by this last arrival, asks Nara, “Well, are you going to introduce us to your dashing friend?”

Nara obliges. “This is Buffy and Xander, from America. Buffy and Xander, please meet the Grim Reaper.”

Xander’s mouth drops ever so slightly.

Seeing Xander’s discomfort, the Grim Reaper says with a wink, “Don’t worry. I’ve only come to collect the soul from the school. Your appointment isn’t for a while yet.”

Xander is only slightly comforted as a cup with a blue teabag tag is placed before him. The Reaper removes a small jewelry box from his satchel and places it on the table. As though entirely familiar with this routine, Nara withdraws the still-pulsating brooch from her pocket and places it inside the jewelry box. The box glows a brilliant red. As it disappears, a look of confusion crosses The Reaper’s face, but he shakes it off and turns to address Shin, who has just entered with another tray of teacups. “Oh, tea! Lovely! I’ll take a cup of the red, please.” Shin is visibly annoyed, but The Reaper looks at him and exclaims, “What?!”

With business concluded for now, the Grim Reaper removes his jacket, and Buffy wonders if she’s always fated to meet ridiculously handsome men who are annoyingly not quite alive. The rest of the group enjoy their tea. Rufus removes a tteok from a tray of goodies and places it on Nara’s plate, who smiles in thanks. Ke-ri, who has been deep in thought since they arrived, takes advantage of the calm to ask, “Did anyone else think that that whole zombie and possession episode was, well, odd?”

Xander quips, “No, I get attacked by zombies every Tuesday night.”

“You do?” Hye-sun says, completely missing the sarcasm. “You should be better at fighting them off by now. For me, it was odd. How many zombies do you think there were?”

Rufus replies, “I wasn’t counting…”

“Fifteen,” Richie says, still adjusting her eyeballs, much to Xander’s discomfort.

“Fifteen?” The Grim Reaper whistles through his straight white teeth. “How many were wearing school uniforms?”

Richie thinks about it for a moment. “That would be none.”

Hye-sun clucks her tongue. “Those kids should not have known what was coming and, to be honest, they didn’t seem so clever to me. Why wasn’t at least one bitten and zombified? It doesn’t add up.”

With a mouthful of sweet tteok, Buffy says: “Give the gumbo a – whatever delicious snack this is.”

“Gumiho.”

“They’re called gumiho the same as you?” Buffy eyes the rice cake. “That could get super confusing. Anyway, I agree with you, how come no students were turned? And there was something about that one guy. You know, the one with the resting asshole face.”

Nara shakes her head. “You mean beyond the obvious bullying and torture?”

Buffy’s brow furrows. “I dunno. There just seemed to be something else going on there. What about your texting ghost friend…?”

But Buffy is cut off as Shin appears, rubbing his hands together. “Ice cream, anyone?” We leave the K-Scoobies with Ke-ri batting her eyelashes at Shin and Xander tentatively asking for the red ice-cream…

…and fade into a cold city street, where resting-asshole-face, Ju-wan, is standing on a corner, nervously smoking. An elderly woman passes by and casts a disapproving look. He promptly drops the cigarette and puts it out with his foot. At that moment, his phone rings. He listens and responds, “be right there,” a disconcerting smile on his face as he checks his breast pocket.

In flashback, we return to the school at the point where the students had hurriedly left and the K-Scoobies were still inside, about to exorcise the red-eyed girl. We see Ju-wan sneak back in and hide just outside the AV room, watching quietly as the soul is trapped in Nara’s brooch.

As the body roped to the chair dematerializes, a small ankle bracelet falls to the floor. Only Ju-wan sees. Waiting until the others are gone, he emerges from his hiding place, scoops up the bracelet, and places it in his pocket. He is about to leave when he notices something else on the floor: a business card, reading “Jang Nara/Spiritual Guide”. He grabs that, too.

As he exits the room, Soon-ae appears but Ju-wan walks right through her, wearing an arrogant expression. “Thanks for bringing your friends, bitch!” he says. Dismay spreads across the ghost’s face.

Ju-wan enters an office building bearing a sleek modern sign that says, “Jang Construction and Realty”. Pretending to be more confident than he is, he takes the elevator to the top floor. It opens onto a plush penthouse office suite, where he is met by Ms. Joon (Song Hye-kyo). She is wearing an expensive-looking, tailored outfit that suggests she is a corporate official albeit one with unusually long working hours. Before he can say anything, she addresses Ju-wan by name and gestures toward a dark door bearing a gold plate: “CEO”.

“Go on in. He’s awaiting you.”

Ju-wan enters, noticing the thick carpet, dark walls and expensive furniture. A man, CEO Jang Piljoo (Jang Hyuk), breaks into a reassuring smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Dressed in an immaculate suit, with—Ju-wan can’t help noticing—an impressive head of glossy black hair, he moves like a panther to shake Ju-wan’s sweating hand. “Good to see you,” he says.

Ju-wan bows deeply as Jang Piljoo takes his seat behind a wide desk. He reaches into his pocket and removes the ankle bracelet he’d retrieved and places it on the desk. Piljoo smiles broadly and nods. “You have done well. Thank you for your work.”

Ju-wan averts his eyes, whispering, “I am glad if you are pleased.”

“Of course!” booms Piljoo, “It must have been scary for you…but you are a brave young man.” Ju-wan, emboldened by this praise, pulls the business card from his pocket, and presents it to Piljoo. “One of those who came dropped this.” Piljoo examines the card and microscopically raises an eyebrow. “Interesting,” he says as he gestures to Ms. Joon, who has been standing by the door quietly. “Please bring our other visitor here.” She nods and leaves.

Piljoo turns back to Ju-wan, who begins to recount the evening. “Well, it was just like you said, Mr. Jang. Once the zombies got there, this group…”

Ju-wan’s explanation is interrupted by a voice from behind him, speaking English with an American accent. “Ah yes, zombies. Useful but dense. I appreciate a classic.”

Ju-wan turns and quickly wishes he hadn’t. The speaker is tall and bald, wearing a black leather jacket with a high collar – but that’s not the worst of it. His garnet eyes nestle under a prominently ridged brow that looks like blobs of flesh-colored Play-Doh. Sharp fangs protrude as he grins at Ju-wan, extending a hand with claw-like fingernails. Having just studied Nosferatu in film class, Ju-wan is quite sure that he is meeting a vampire. An incredibly ugly one. With Jang Piljoo evidently watching, Ju-wan manages to weakly shake the leathery dry hand.

“Meet The Master, just arrived after a long sabbatical,” says Piljoo.

The Master (Mark Metcalf) smiles again and claps his hands. “Sorry about speaking in English just now. My Sumerian is fine, but I am embarrassed by my Korean accent.”

“Please,” says Piljoo silkily, “continue with your story.”

Ju-wan takes a breath, rubs his palm discreetly on his trousers. “There were about six of them and they were pretty good fighters, especially when they realized what they were fighting. The two short girls, especially. One was an American.”

“An American?” This detail interests The Master, who would be raising his right eyebrow if he had one. “Let me guess…blond girl?” Ju-wan, avoiding looking again at the monstrous fingernails, shakes his head yes.

Piljoo addresses Ms. Joon. “We have a complete success, thanks to your planning. At last, acquiring an item that I have long sought and, as you suspected, flushing out those gnats who have been annoying us.”

Ms. Joon’s face is impassive, but we see a hint of a small smile. “Thank you, sir,” she says, with a shallow bow of her head. “What would you like to do now?”

Gently holding the ankle bracelet, Piljoo replies, “I have some business matters to attend to, and I think our guest might be tired and hungry after his long trip.”

The Master perks up, “Not tired, but I am indeed famished!” Gesturing to Ju-wan and addressing Piljoo, he continues. “I would certainly welcome a snack! Perhaps our young collaborator could join me?”

Piljoo puts down the ankle bracelet and picks up Nara’s business card. Distractedly, he waves his hand to give permission, and Ms. Joon, The Master, and an increasingly nervous-looking Ju-wan leave the room. Piljoo’s perfectly manicured finger traces Jang Nara’s name on the card as we hear in the not-so-far distance the sounds of a male scream.

Returning to the tea shop, the lights are down, save the glow of The Reaper’s laptop as he types up his report of the evening’s events. Most of the group is drowsy, although Nara and Buffy continue talking.

“Are you okay?”

This is the second time Buffy has asked Nara that. So simple a question, but one that has been mostly missing in Nara’s “professional” life. Her training has been intensive, making her capable, if maybe a little cold. But, aside from The Reaper, no one else in the K-Scoobies ever asks her how she’s doing – not even Rufus, for pity’s sake. They all assume she’s okay. But these days, “okay” feels pretty far away to Nara.

Nara shakes her head but says: “I’m fine.”

“You do seem to have things together. Where did you even learn to capture spirits like that?”

“At the beginning, a man—a foreigner—would visit and teach me things. There was also this book he left, although I never really read it.” Nara laughs to herself quietly. “It must sound strange to have a book on the topic of soul capturing.”

“Listen, my Slayer mentor loved books so much he became a librarian, for crying out loud. Strange to most people, I guess. Not to me.”

Nara and Buffy look at one another as the obvious catches up with both simultaneously.

Nara says it first. “We’re talking about the same man, aren’t we? Mr. Giles?”

They laugh together. Slayer. Soulcatcher.

“Ah, Rupert. He gets around. But he sometimes doesn’t stick around.”

Nodding, Nara resumes her story. “After I got a bit older, it was more a matter of teaching myself and practicing.”

“Sounds tough,” says Buffy.

“Was tough.” Inhaling sharply, Nara turns the conversation Buffy’s way. “How about you then? How does one become a Slayer?”

“Bad luck,” laughs Buffy. “When a Slayer dies, another one is ‘called’ and it’s off to the races. When I became the Slayer, I had a couple of ‘watchers’—including Rupert—who trained me and offered advice, which I mostly ignored.”

“All of this just to kill vampires? What’s so hard about it?”

“Well, there’s a lot of other monster-y stuff, too. And hard? They’re really strong and nasty, some are super-crafty, especially the old ones. And they’re evil. Never forget about the evil.”

“Can’t just anyone kill them?”

“In principle, sure. Wood meets vamp-heart is pretty much the recipe. But did you hear the part about the strength and nasty and evil….”

Nara interrupts. “Will you teach me?”

“You sure? Sounds like you have enough on your plate.”

Nara is sure. “It could be a useful skill.”

Buffy is a bit dismayed to hear her calling seemingly compared to vocational school, but before she can say anything the phones announce Shin-ae’s arrival. Rufus stirs, and those awake take out their cell phones.

She is clearly distraught and aims her sad eyes at The Reaper.

I AM SORRY. I COULDN’T FACE YOU ALL UNTIL NOW. I COULD NOT SEE THE SOUL IN TRUTH

The Reaper looks up from his work to reply with a patient smile. “I felt that, too. She was not listed in the record for today.”

SHE WAS NOT READY

Soon-ae has begun to cry wispy, ghostly tears.

SHE WAS OBSCURED BY MAGICK

Rufus shakes his head. “Someone had reason to trick us into helping her cross over…but why the zombies? And why disguise a simple ghost as a possessed person?”

Nara speaks. “The zombie part is easy. Someone was testing us.”

Buffy agrees, “They’re the supernatural equivalent of locking the door. Most people would walk away but if someone wants to get in—”

“—they will,” interrupts Nara, turning to Rufus. “Could she have been carrying one of the objects? The orb maybe?”

Buffy frowns. “Wouldn’t we have noticed her clutching an orb?”

“Magical objects that give the owner power over the supernatural world could indeed be anything, although usually old and of unknown provenance.”

Xander, awakening but sleepy-eyed, pipes up. “Like a key?”

Rufus says, “Yes, that would be possible.”

Looking at Buffy, Xander continues his thought. “It could even be a living being, like a person—right?”

Rufus shakes his head. “That would be unlikely.”

Buffy turns to Rufus, “You’d be surprised.” In a low voice, she mumbles to herself, “I certainly was.”

“Also,” Rufus says. “Beings who have the magical objects are special. They’re called couriers.”

Nara asks The Reaper, “Can you find out if that girl was a courier?”

The Reaper shakes his head. “Not my department. But I know someone in Transportation who might. I’ll check.”

Rufus continues. “If she was a courier, and they already got the magical object she was carrying, that means that there is only one object they still lack.”

Soon-ae sadly nods.

AN ANKLE BRACELET. I SAW THE MEAN CHILD TAKE IT AWAY.

All look at one another with worried eyes as Nara speaks for everyone.

“Shit.”

Piljoo is exiting an elevator into what appears to be a large warehouse, fingering the ankle bracelet with a smile on his face. He walks to a far wall, waves a hand, and a door opens to reveal a chamber. Stepping inside, we can see that it is a circular room with seven recessed podia, five of which are eerily lit by supernaturally glowing objects within them. One is a scepter, leaning on a small pyramid made of stone. Set next to it is a crystal orb, hovering inside a chalice with green patina, itself set with a green stone. Around the room we see the others: a golden cross, a ring (placed upon a first edition of The Return of the King), and in the smallest alcove, a flash drive (placed upon a pocket protector previously owned by Steve Jobs).

Piljoo approaches a podium ready to place the ankle bracelet – in fact, not for an ankle at all, but the large wrist of a mummified arm. As he gently attaches the clasp, it adds its own silver glow to the room. He looks proudly around the room and closes the door behind him, leaving us to regard one last podium. Lit only from without, it bears an ancient, rusted scabbard. As the focus centers on it, the scene fades to black.

Xander and Richie are sitting in a pop-up bar on either side of a table with a half-eaten plate of ttekbokki. From the breath vapor coming out of their mouths, we can see that it’s freezing and, as usual, Richie is apologizing. “Sorry to be out in the cold, but it keeps me fresh. Being a semi-zombie is not for sissies.”

After a couple of tries, Xander successfully spears a piece of tteokbokki and chases it down with a shot of soju. “So how did you hook up with Nara’s team?”

“Oh, Hye-sun reached out. We’re on a chat group for former and partial supernaturals. I didn’t realize I’d be running into full zombies so soon.”

“Well, I didn’t either. And I’d be some kind of zombie now if you hadn’t saved me.” Xander smiles across the table. “I owe you.” Richie returns Xander’s smile, in so doing rotating her left eye fully around. Xander averts his gaze and asks, “So, do you think we can figure out who’s behind all of this stuff?”

Richie shakes her head, and the eyeball comes back around. “Don’t know. I just hope I can help.” She pours Xander another shot of soju and picks up her own glass of ice-cold water. They clink a toast as Xander winks, “Here’s to getting some bad guys.”

“Yes, always bad guys.” Richie sighs. “Why couldn’t I have met you before I got this, this…. expiration date placed on me?”

Surprised, Xander reaches for a joke – a habit he has when embarrassed. Or scared. Or about to be eaten. But there’s a sadness about Richie that Xander can relate to and that’s not easy to laugh away. Instead, he spontaneously slips his hand around Richie’s. She lets it stay.

Nara is in bed but not resting. Her pupils darting back and forth underneath her eyelids; she has resumed the autobiographical dreams that have beset her these last few days.

A boy and a girl, both wearing school uniforms, are sitting across from one another in an ice cream parlor. A young Jang Narais nursing an ice cream sundae, while her date, Young-do (Kim Woo-bin), has a vanilla float in front of him. He is handsome and smiling and Nara is laughing nervously as she returns his gaze.

The desserts finished, Young-do bids Nara good night, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. Exiting the restaurant wearing a big grin, Nara’s reached the street before realizing she forgot to give him the small gift she’d spent days agonizing over. Brightening with an excuse to see him so soon, she hurries back toward the restaurant.

Stopping dead, she sees Young-do accepting cash from a couple of his friends, who are chuckling. “I didn’t think you could do it!” exclaims one of them. “That chick is freaking creepy. I heard she talks to ghosts.”

Young-do nods in agreement. “It sure wasn’t easy….” All the boys laugh.

Stepping back into the shadows, stung, Nara’s legs refuse to move. Taking deep breaths, Nara notices another student sitting at a nearby table. He seems to have seen the entire humiliating event. It is a young Rufus.

A phone alarm rings, waking present-day Nara in a dark bedroom. As she switches off the alarm, we see that it is 11 PM.

Nara sighs. With the serious, world-affecting problems her group is facing, why are her dreams so obsessed with her past? And specifically, her relationships with men? Things have been good with Rufus lately—or have they? He’s a nice guy and Nara likes him fine—just fine, thank you very much—even if he is a little insecure.

Maybe she should ask Ke-ri about it – she might at least know a spell to help her sleep without dreaming. But something about the dreams, and the fact Rufus is in them, makes her wonder if her subconscious is trying to warn her about something.

Nara finally musters the energy to get out of bed just as the doorbell rings.

Buffy, who looks used to starting her day at midnight, asks perkily “Ready for your slaying lesson?”

Soon thereafter, the Soulcatcher and the Slayer are walking through an empty and dead-quiet graveyard. Noting how peaceful it seems, Nara asks “Are you sure that this isn’t a waste of time?”

“They’ll come,” assures Buffy. “I’m like catnip for vampires.” Buffy withdraws an impressive stake from her jacket and hands it over. “Meet Mr. Pointy.”

As Nara takes the stake, a young male vampire suddenly appears from a nearby grove of trees. He bares his fangs at Buffy, hissing “Slayer!” and is about to lunge forward when Nara catches his eye. Relaxing his posture, he asks: “Nara?”

Nara’s eyes widen in incredulous recognition. “Young-do?”

“Wow! Yes!” says the vampire, now smiling. “How’ve you been? It’s been a while!”

Nara responds, coolly, “I’m fine.” Not sure what else to say, she offers a weak, “And you?”

“Hey, I’m great! You could say better than ever.”

“Oh,” Buffy says, folding her arms. “I’ve been through this before. You went to school together, right?”

“That’s right!” And then, going a step too far, Young-do adds, “Why didn’t we ever go on that second date?”

Nara fumbles for a snappy comeback when undead Young-do, smiling toothily, eyes red, says: “Oh, how could I forget? No one bet me to date you a second time. Once a freak, always a freak!”

A lunge towards Nara’s neck, but despite being taken off-guard, she evades his attack by kicking him in the side. He staggers, helped further by Buffy sticking out her foot. He recovers quickly but Nara is ready—as he jumps, she stabs him in the chest with the stake.

The vampire screams. “This second date is worse than our first!”

At first triumphant, Nara pales when she realizes that the stake has only penetrated a bit into her attacker’s chest. Young-do, looking confused at the weapon now partly in his sternum, pulls Nara toward him.

“Let’s finish this properly,’ he hisses.

With no intention of letting this creep get the last laugh again, Nara grabs the stake with both hands and pushes it with every ounce of bitter resentment she has. The guy won’t die, fangs inches from her neck.

Rolling her eyes, Buffy steps up. “Why do the biggest losers always have the thickest skin?” She wraps her hand around Nara’s and together, they push Mr. Pointy toward the demon’s heart.

“I…” Nara pants, twisting the stake. “Am…” Pushing just a bit further, his vile drool dripping from his fang onto her collar. “Not – A Freak!”

Surprise etched on his misshapen face, he dissolves into dust.

Buffy nods in approval, “Not bad. But next time, be sure to stake it like you mean it.”

Nara, trembling but desperately trying not to show it, brushes off some of the dust that’s settled her way and retorts, “Oh, I meant it, all right!”

Buffy laughs. “Of course you did! Now, I’d say we’ve earned a little fun. You do know how to have a little fun, right?”

“I’ll lead the way,” Nara says. As they walk away from the site of Nara’s first dusting, Buffy demonstrates intermediate staking form and hands the stake back to Nara.

Next scene is in a crowded, loud rock club. Rolling Quartz are on the stage with revived mummy Ja Young fronting the song, “Fearless.” She sings: “Am I a killer, killer? Welcome, my nightmare.”

Cut to the dance floor and Buffy and Nara are dancing together, killing it.

Fade to Richie, who has made good on a promise to show Xander Swanky Seoul (the one that’s in every K-drama ever). The two walk down a fancy shopping district making small talk, when Xander spies something inside a toy store. He rushes inside after gesturing that Richie should wait. She people-watches for a few minutes until Xander rejoins her. “Here,” he says, waving a little zombie-nurse doll in front of her. “Grrrr. Argggh.”

Smiling, she places the toy in the inside pocket of her coat. “Oh, look! It’s snowing.”

Xander looks up. “Sure is, although right now I’m focusing more on the freezing.” Noticing that Richie has grown quiet, Xander quips, “Perfect for preserving!”

Richie sighs. “You know, I’m 25 years old and this body is wearing out. First snow reminds me of all the things I’ve yet to do.”

As Xander begins to speak, Richie lifts onto her tippy toes, hands on Xander’s shoulders, and plants a kiss right on his lips. Xander holds very still, eyes wide but not exactly disgusted. More the opposite of disgusted.

“Too stinky, I know,” Richie says, but rather than let her pull away, he holds her close, seemingly not noticing the smell. Standing in the snow – is that an emotive OST we can hear? – they gaze at each other, smiling as the scene fades…

…to open on a small studio apartment. Looking around the room, we see some everyday objects (an open computer, a half-finished bottle of Chamisul^TM soju, a pile of unwashed clothes) along with some less common things: a sword placed on a couple of kitchen towels, a pile of dusty books, and a translucent glass globe. Against one wall is a bed, where Rufus is I am sleeping. In closeup, we see his eyes darting underneath his eyelids, which can mean only one thing. Another dream.

Li’l Rufus is in elementary school, smiling at young Nara, and searching for just the right crayon to give her, when another boy beats him to it. Then…

Nara humiliated by those bullies in the ice cream shop. Then…

Rufus in the gaming parlor surreptitiously watching as Nara captures her first soul in the alley. Then…

A very nervous Rufus, about 17 years old, knocking on a door, carrying a heavy book with Korean characters that spell out “Magic and You”. A middle-aged man in a priest’s garb answering (Kim Sang-ho), looking doubtfully at his visitor.

We flash forward a bit to see Rufus, inside the apartment sitting across from the priest, completing a spell as a small triangle gimbap begins to float 5 centimeters or so above its plate. He is concentrating as hard as he can, but after a short moment it unceremoniously plops back down. The priest sighs and says, “Again.” Then…

Rufus is back in Ms. Kim’s high school class. She is droning on about conjugating “to be” in English, but Rufus is only thinking about the empty seat next to him, the one that would ordinarily be occupied by Jang Nara. She doesn’t really know he exists, not quite, but that’s gonna change. But where is she today?

“First personal plural?”

Rufus is preoccupied and does not answer.

“Mr. Baek? ‘Rufus’?”

With a start, Rufus looks up to the head of the class, but Ms. Kim has been replaced by a woman he does not recognize – but we do. It’s Ms. Joon. “Rufus, Mr. Jang would like to speak with you.”

Rufus looks around and, to his right, in that (!) seat, is a stranger clad in business casual (none of the other students seem to find this unusual). He proffers a hand. “I understand that you are a business associate of Ms. Jang Nara. I am Jang Piljoo.”

Rufus is now in his adult form and awkwardly squished into his high school seat. Nonetheless trapped in the dream, he accepts the handshake. “What is going on?” he asks.

“I need your help. To be completely honest, I need Nara’s help, and I need you to secure her services. And direct her to a particular outcome.”

Rufus does not like the direction of this conversation. “What particular outcome?”

“I am seeking an object. It is an enchanted sword. I suspect you may already be aware of it.”

Rufus doesn’t answer, so Piljoo continues. “I am prepared to pay.”

Rufus bristles. “I don’t need your money.”

“In fact, you do. But never mind. I will offer you something more important than money. Two things, to be specific.

“First, I will make you a high priest of unimaginable power. You will be able to do much good in the world.” Rufus is rattled by Jang’s awareness of his insecurity regarding magic—even Ke-ri has surpassed him in a short time.

“Second, I will give you someone that you have always wanted.”

“Some…one?”

“Nara, of course.”

“We are already—”

Piljoo cuts him off. “I know you are dating. But make no mistake, she is mine to give.” Piljoo looks at the front of the class, where Ms. Joon is still standing. “Please offer Rufus a glimpse of the future. My future with Nara.”

Ms. Joon turns on a television monitor in the front of the room. It rotates through a series of photos showing the two Jangs, Nara and Piljoo, as a laughing, smiling couple. One appears to be a wedding photo.

Piljoo bops his head throughout this little presentation, accompanied by the Jangs’ love theme, while Rufus’s eyes grow wide. He puts on a brave face, but his heart is sinking. “Fake news.”

Piljoo smiles. “I think you know that I am serious. All I ask is that you help me obtain one small object, and Nara will be yours forever. I look forward to meeting you soon, as they say, in the flesh.”

Looking at Ms. Joon, Piljoo says, “We should let Rufus get back to his lessons.” With a snap of Ms. Joon’s fingers, she and Piljoo disappear, and Rufus is once again in high school, wearing his old uniform. His classmates are staring at him until, as one, they all point at Rufus and break out into loud, derisive laughter.

In his bed, Rufus’ eyes snap open. On a corner of a desk sits an envelope and Jang Piljoo’s business card.

Jang Industries exterior, nighttime. The top floor is eerily lit from the interior as we zoom from outside into Piljoo’s office. He is at his desk, conferring with an unnecessarily attractive employee, when Ms. Joon knocks and enters. “The board meeting is about to begin, Mr. Jang.”

Piljoo stands and, buttoning his suit jacket, meets her at the door. “Is the entire board here?”

“All except for Dr. Horrible. Covid.”

Piljoo sighs. “That’s too bad. I hope he’s feeling better soon.”

“Oh, he’s not sick. Just working on Variant Z.”

Piljoo nods approvingly as the pair enter an extravagant boardroom, dominated by a large conference table. As he enters, Piljoo says in a loud and cheerful voice, “It is such an honor to work with the greatest evil masterminds of our day…good evening to you all!”

We scan around the table—a gallery of villains. The worst of the worst. Evil with a capital E.

Min Yong-jun (Moon Sung-keun), former NIS director, now underground manipulator. Ryu Shi-oh (Byeon Woo-seok), CEO by day and drug lord by night. Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon), unrepentant sadistic bully. From the American branch of the Jang conglomerate, Frank (Ryu Seung-beom), indestructible assassin. Bad Horse (Dobber), the Thoroughbred of Sin and leader of the Evil League of Evil (E.L.E.). Goo Ja-yoon (Kim Da-mi), genetically enhanced killing machine. Park Dong-joo (No Min-woo), mysterious veterinarian. Park Eun-bin (Park Eun-bin), actress.

Piljoo takes his place between The Master and Ms. Joon. “Thank you all for coming today. As you know, we are on the cusp of entering a new Era of Evil.”

Yong-jun interrupts, “Does this mean that you’ve obtained the objects? It’s been years….”

Piljoo confirms, “We are now only one object away….”

Obviously having heard promises before, everyone around the table groans.

Piljoo digs in for emphasis. “…from my obtaining absolute power over all magical beings.”

“And Netflix,” adds Ms. Joon.

Eun-bin nods approvingly. “So, you will be able to remove and relocate powers and magical transformations. And, as we’ve discussed, you will share with us, correct?”

“Of course, my friends. I am a generous soul, and your patience will be rewarded.” The group appears satisfied as Piljoo turns to Ms. Joon. “Has our agent located the final piece?”

She responds, “Not yet. But we believe that we are closing in.” This elicits still more eye rolls around the room.

Frank looks at Piljoo. “Using an ‘agent’ again—what is it this time, a pool boy? You seem afraid to get your hands dirty these days.”

Ms. Joon explains. “These objects lose their power for whoever takes them forcibly. They must be extracted by a third party and then handed over, to be of use.”

Piljoo first fixes Frank with a hard stare then flashes his best million-dollar smile. “Always the skeptic—it is part of your charm. Perhaps a demonstration will reassure you of our due diligence. Ms. Joon—let us repair to the room of artifacts.”

Ms. Joon gestures toward a door as the board members leave. When they are the only ones remaining in the room, Ms. Joon whispers to Piljoo, “I don’t recall plans to share the powers beyond ourselves.” He responds with a sly wink.

Back in the Tea Shop, the K-Scoobies are anticipating a round of bubble tea. As shop owner Kim brings a tray of drinks, Hye-sun looks around the room. “And where is our delicious Grim Reaper tonight?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” responds the shopkeeper, flashing his smile at the ex-gumiho. “He’s on a call tonight and can’t make it.” Hye-sun looks just about as disappointed as Xander is relieved. After the tea is served, the group resume their argument over who would win in a fight—a vampire or a gumiho. That is, except for Buffy, who is disinterested because the answer is obvious, and Nara, who is both bored and exhausted. She nods off and dreams.

She’s back in college, in yet another ice cream shop. Uncharacteristically, she is dressed in a cute pink (not black) dress and nervously fingering a menu at a window seat when up walks a young Rufus, carrying a small gift bag. Nara recognizes him from class. Startled, she asks, “What are you doing here?” Rufus smiles. “They’re called blind dates – not ‘unknown stranger dates’! I heard that your friend was setting you up and let’s just say that I worked the system.”

Nara looks confused. “You knew who I was and actually came,” she mutters, shaking her head.

Rufus sits down and responds, “of course I did! I have been so looking forward to this.” As Nara settles into a slight smile, Rufus adds, “And you do look lovely tonight. I got you something.” He slides the gift to Nara. “Open it.”

She does so, pulling out a box of crayons, all black. “Your favorite color, I think!” They both laugh as they turn their attention to the brightly colored menus.

Nara awakes and unbelievably the vampire v. gumiho argument is still going strong. She sighs and surveys the group. Xander and Richie v. Hye-sun and Ke-ri, each making their case for gumiho or vampire or, in Xander’s case, a She-Mantis he might have almost been eaten by once. Buffy is doing her best to just keep her eyes open.

Nara turns and is startled to see Rufus staring at her, an inscrutable expression on his face. Nara silently wonders, “Surely he can’t read my dreams…can he?” Caught, Rufus quickly looks away and takes a sip out of his empty cup, while Nara tries to pinpoint the feeling emerging in the pit of her stomach.

It’s dread.

Back at Jang Construction, the Board of Evil have gathered in the relic room, with most of them focusing on the one item that is missing. “Expecting a sword, are we?” says Dong-joo. “Ironic that all of the rest of this stuff is just junk without it.”

“Not so,” corrects Ms. Joon. “Mr. Jang has accumulated a great deal of power and, with an appropriate agent, can manipulate the sphere of magics, even if not fully control it yet. For example, he can for a moment or so reverse all magical transformations in Korea.”

“No small task!” exclaims The Master, excited.

Ms. Joon nods at The Master appreciatively and continues her explanation. “Although of great value now, the collection, when complete, will permit its owner to control all magic and, by extension, all supernatural beings.”

“In other words, control magic in both a forward and backward sense?” asks Frank, always the pragmatist.

Ms. Joon nods.

Ja-yoon shakes his head. “I’m still not impressed. Didn’t you promise a demonstration?”

Piljoo smiles and turns toward the assembled group. “Exactly. Ms. Joon—would you do the honors?”

Ms. Joon turns to face the assembled group with eyes closed. She then opens her eyes, which are now glowing a distinctive green. Looking around the room, the board members gasp as the green glow permeates the magical objects as well. The board are themselves bound by a powerful force and unable to move.

“Contrarium!” orders Piljoo.

At the tea shop, Rufus is heading toward the back room to request refills when a greenish glow envelops the room. Entering the kitchen, he can’t believe his eyes. Rufus gasps as his eyes widen with horror.

Back at the table, Buffy faints. Nara reaches toward her and asks, “Are you okay?” Hye-sun sits still, a confused expression on her face.

Meanwhile, Richie, who had been talking about her preference for cold tea over hot, falls silent. Xander sees her demeanor change. “What in the world…?” he asks. There seems to be no feeling, no thought—no soul—behind Richie’s eyes. “Richie?” He begins to panic as she tries to stand but collapses backwards into her seat. Her eyes turn red, and her flesh seems to be rapidly disintegrating.

Ke-ri pulls on Richie’s shoulder to help her up. “What is it?” Xander demands, but Ke-ri doesn’t know – or is too afraid to say. Suddenly, Richie stands, hissing at Xander across the table. Her body shaking, she lunges and her jaws snap to bite. Ke-ri pushes Richie backward and she falls onto the floor. Xander starts around the table, but Hye-sun extends her arm in his path, restraining him.

“Richie!” yells Xander. “Wake up! You’re not a zombie!”

Richie gets up, piecewise, with her legs finding ground and her torso at a backward 90-degree angle. Once fully erect, she shrieks and lunges at Ke-ri, but Nara has hurdled the table, blocking Richie’s path and, again, pushing her down.

Rufus returns. At first looking downcast, he is startled by the activity in the room. He sees Richie and immediately recognizes that her face no longer bears any trace of humanity. “Richie’s turned!” he shouts. Nara’s sixth sense inwardly confirms that this is, in fact, so.

Xander looks on helplessly, held by Hye-sun, while Nara glances sadly in his direction. Richie gets up again, drooling, growling, and snapping as she lurches toward the Soulcatcher. Before Richie can bite, Nara grabs Richie’s head and twists it around her neck. The zombie collapses, lifeless.

As the greenish glow in the room slowly dissipates, Xander can only stare in disbelief.

At the table, Buffy regains consciousness and groggily looks around the room.

“Did I miss anything?”

Back at Jang Industries, the green glow is fading and Piljoo, exhausted, grabs a table to stabilize himself. Freed from their invisible bonds, the board look at each other. Drug lord Ryu Shi-oh speaks first. “Nice light show. So now what?”

Piljoo turns toward him. “Now we wait,” he says, cryptically.

Shi-oh shakes his head as all return to the board room. Judging by their demeanor, the members seem similarly unimpressed.

As Piljoo takes his seat, the phone buzzes, and he takes the call. “Rufus! I see that you received my message.” Piljoo listens for just a few seconds before replacing the phone in his pocket. He turns to Ms. Joon, who has been expectantly listening. “The object is found.”

Bad Horse whinnies and Piljoo nods in response. “Yes, it is well guarded, although it does not appear that the guardians are even aware of where it is.” He glances at Ms. Joon and removes a business card from his pocket.

“It’s time we made the acquaintance of one Jang Nara.”

The scene opens onto a framed photograph of Richie. Panning out, we see that it is surrounded by flowers and is on the dais in a Korean funeral parlor. There are offerings of food, including a melting ice cream cone. The chief mourners are Ke-ri, Hye-sun, and Xander, who are standing orthogonal to the dais, while Nara, Rufus, and Buffy, all dressed in black, are conversing in an otherwise empty dining area.

Rufus is talking in a low voice. “As far as I can tell, we experienced something like a reversal of magical accommodations. Which is why Buffy temporarily lost her power.”

Buffy is concerned. “A supernatural brownout.”

“That’s right,” agrees Rufus.

Hye-sun, who has joined the group, asks, “Then perhaps Richie is alive somewhere?”

Rufus shakes his head, sadly, when the group’s phones buzz with Soon-ae’s ghostly ring tone. The text appears on their screens as her visage appears to the group.

HER MAGICK WAS WEAK. WHEN IT FLICKERED, SHE COULD NOT STAY

“Do you know where she is?” asks Ke-ri.

I CANNOT FEEL HER ANYWHERE

I AM SORRY 😢

The phones go dark and Soon-ae disappears. Beyond crying at this point, the group returns to the funeral room. Shortly after they do, the front exterior door opens, and we hear many footsteps entering the facility. Nara stands and goes into the hallway, where a large group of suited men enter, carrying enormous flower arrangements.

The flowers are placed next to the small but tasteful tribute purchased by Hye-sun on behalf of the group. The men bow and part to allow Piljoo to pass through, where he greets Nara. The two regard each other briefly before Piljoo bows deeply.

“I am very sorry for your loss.” A little flustered, Nara returns the bow, slightly. “Thank you for coming—” she begins, but not until Buffy, who has approached from behind Nara, interrupts.

“And you are?”

Piljoo smiles and turns to face Buffy, who is neither smiling nor remotely friendly. “My regrets to you, as well. You are from America, no?” Buffy nods, but is otherwise silent, awaiting a response.

Rufus comes into the hall, stopping short upon seeing Piljoo and Ms. Joon. Pulling himself together, he steps forward and listens, followed closely by the rest of the mourners.

Piljoo turns to Nara and hands her a business card. She reads it aloud. “Jang Piljoo. Construction.” Finding herself inexplicably unnerved by the man in front of her, Nara composes herself. “How did you know Richie?” she asks.

“We had never met, in person, but we were business associates. It is a tragedy that she has passed so young. She was a valuable colleague.”

Nara is not really buying it, but before she can reply, Rufus introduces himself to Piljoo. “I didn’t realize that Richie worked in construction,” he states.

Piljoo looks straight at Rufus and replies, “We have a large and diverse portfolio. Richie, as you call her, was in our research department.” Nara is still flustered by Piljoo, inwardly realizing that she really didn’t know that much about pre-zombified Richie.

The chief mourners have been observing these exchanges from a discreet distance. Piljoo turns to them and bows. “May I pay my respects?”

Ke-ri responds for the group. “Of course.”

Piljoo enters the ceremonial room, followed by Ke-ri, Hye-sun, and Xander, who resume their place next to the altar. Piljoo lowers himself to his knees, bows toward the altar, and pretends to pray. He stands and, upon leaving the room, he addresses Nara, who is still in the hallway. “You have my office’s number,” he says, gesturing to the business card that is still in Nara’s hand. “I hope you will visit me soon to discuss Richie and, perhaps, some business.” He glances over at Rufus, who is quietly simmering off to the side. “You should bring your associate.”

Piljoo starts to leave but Nara calls out “Wait.” He turns and regards Nara, who continues. “Have we met before? You seem familiar.” (Internally, she has already crossed out all the Jangs known to her and has concluded that there is little chance that he is a relative. Which she takes as a bit of awkward comfort.)

Piljoo shakes his head and then smiles. “I would like to get to know you better, though. Please do call.” He briskly walks away, followed by the army of suits that had accompanied him. As they leave, the K-Scoobies surround Nara, who is still looking down at Piljoo’s business card.

Finally, Hye-sun, speaks. “So, what was that??! I swear, it’s as if he’s a chaebol of some big company and you’re a little flower girl.”

Rufus mutters, “He may actually be a chaebol.” Hye-sun grunts at this and Rufus continues. “But that doesn’t matter. Or does it, Nara?” Nara, still processing the encounter, can’t put her finger on exactly why, but her parasympathetic senses have certainly been tingling—and not in a good way. Especially when she, Rufus, and the handsome stranger interacted.

Nara glances toward Rufus. “Chaebol or otherwise, this is not a coincidental visit. We need to find out his real connection to Richie.”

Ke-ri gathers her courage and speaks up. “Considering how Richie died”—she feels awful just saying the word—“and the brownout back there, I think this could also be connected with the collection of magical objects.”

Nara agrees, “Yes. We need to follow up. I will check out Jang Construction. Tomorrow.”

She is interrupted by Buffy. “Not ‘I’. ‘We.’”

Nara places the card in her pocket and glances back at the funeral room. “Goodbyes, first, though.”

All return to the funeral room, sit down together in the reception area, and raise their glasses.

A disheveled Nara is putting on an earring and hears a knock. She opens her apartment door to let Rufus and Buffy enter. Rufus is carrying a couple of Ediya^TM Americanos and hands one to Nara, who takes a sip before putting the coffee down and getting to work on her other earring. “What sort of monster schedules 9 AM meetings on a Monday morning?” she complains.

Buffy, looking a little sleep-deprived herself, looks up from the couch on which she’s planted herself. “That’s what we intend to find out.”

Rufus glances at his watch. “We need to get going.” He looks at Buffy. “Are you sure you have to come along? The invitation was for Nara and her business manager only.”

Buffy stands and offers a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I just plan on taking a little look around.” Nara puts on a business jacket and the three head out, with our gaze lingering for a moment on the kitchen table, where sits a small vase of chrysanthemums next to a framed photo of Richie.

The group arrive at Jang Construction. In split screen, two tableaux play out.

The left screen expands to reveal the office, where Nara, Rufus, and Ms. Joon have taken their seats around a conference table. After a knock at the door, a young staffer (Yoon Eun-hye) enters with tea, placing cups in front of each of the guests. Nara and Rufus simultaneously address the server:

N: “Thank you, miss.” | R: “Thanks, man.”

The staffer smiles uncomfortably, makes a shallow bow, and opens the door to exit.

As soon as the staffer leaves, Piljoo enters, and the guests stand as he approaches the table. The CEO and Rufus shake hands, with Piljoo briefly holding Rufus’s gaze as they greet one another. Piljoo turns to Nara and takes her outstretched right hand with both of his, saying quietly, “Ms. Jang. Thank you for coming.” He bows slightly as he continues. “Once again, I am very sorry to hear about the death of your friend.”

“About that,” responds Nara. “Please remind me again how you knew Richie.”

Piljoo gestures for all to sit and they re-take their places.

“I am sorry that I had to be discreet when we first met.” Piljoo gestures to Rufus—who recoils a bit—and turns back to Nara. “May we speak openly in front of your colleague?”

Nara immediately responds. “Whatever you want to say to me can be said in front of Rufus.”

Piljoo begins. “So, you likely know that we are a major international firm that specializes in real estate, wealth and estate management, and associated media.” Rufus acknowledges the statement. “A part of our expertise that is only shared among certain circles involves the supernatural.”

Nara is maintaining the poker face she plastered on when she first entered the room, while Rufus’s right eyebrow ascends ever so slightly.

“In our business, occasionally clients will come to us with a special need. For example, they may need to sell a house that has been haunted.”

Nara speaks, still expressionless. “What a ridiculous idea.”

Ignoring the gibe, Piljoo continues. “It was through contacts in that area that we came to know of the woman you call Richie and her…special situation. And Jang-nim, it is through similar means that I have come to know of your own talents. Which is why I have asked you here today.”

Realizing that she can no longer play dumb on matters supernatural, Nara simply says, “I see. Go on.”

Ms. Joon takes up the thread. “We have a property of remarkable value and a willing buyer. But there is a troubled spirit occupying the residence.”

Piljoo continues. “Of course, there is a great deal of money to be made, but more concerning is the plight of this spirit. We should very much like to see her cross into peace, but we have not been able to succeed with our internal experts. Based on your reputation, I was hoping that you would be able to help. For a percentage of the profit, of course.”

Nara and Rufus look at one another, then Rufus addresses Piljoo. “At what risk to Nara?”

“As you surely know, there is always risk,” Piljoo concedes. “But we have come to understand that Ms. Jang has much experience in these matters and great empathy. I understand that you might want to discuss this among yourselves.” Piljoo and Ms. Joon excuse themselves and close the door behind them.

Nara first finds the CCTV camera on the ceiling and then turns to Rufus. “I don’t know. This seems fishy.”

Rufus agrees, “Yes, I can see that. But it does make sense, and this is your specialty. We could simply withdraw if we sense danger. And….” Rufus sees Nara doing math in her head and continues, “we could use the money. And maybe even a clue about the issue of power-gathering.” Nara is about to speak when CEO and assistant return.

Nara regards them both. “What exactly would you like me to do?”

“Simply as you would normally do. Capture the spirit and provide her with the means to cross over.” Ms. Joon pushes a small piece of paper over to the pair. “For your services, we are willing to pay this amount.”

Nara and Rufus both peer at the paper. Rufus looks expectantly at Nara. “OK,” says Nara, as emotionlessly as she can manage.

Piljoo regards them both. “I am grateful that you are willing to help us here. While I won’t pretend that we are not interested in the profit to be gained, I also feel for this trapped spirit.” He turns to his colleague. “Ms. Joon, would you please ask that nice man to bring us some more tea?”

Nara and Ms. Joon respond simultaneously, “Woman!”

At this, Ms. Joon looks at Nara, breaks into a too-broad smile, and laughs.

Nara mentally notes that Ms. Joon’s reaction seemed forced, practically robotic. She is clearly not just a hypercompetent assistant with a killer wardrobe—there is a strong supernatural presence about her as well. Indeed, Nara took the psychic temperature of the room as soon as she and Rufus had arrived—it was off the charts. Although Nara’s not sure what Rufus was thinking about this “job” (all too common these days, she thinks ruefully), she is fully convinced that she is getting close to the source of the psychic disruption.

Nara offers a small smile in response to Ms. Joon’s.

“Let’s see why you’re so cheerful,” thinks Nara.

Buffy, disguised as the service worker, is creeping down a dark corridor. She opens a door and turns on the lights as she enters.

“Where do you think you’re going?” barks a supervisor, accompanied by two bored-looking cleaning staff members. “You know full well the Relic Room is off-limits.” He looks at the name on Buffy’s shirt and sneers, “Kim.”

Buffy offers her best subservient bow and mutters “Sorry….” She turns off the light and grabs her cleaning cart. The supervisor stomps off and Buffy follows the cleaners until they push their carts into a couple of washrooms. Hearing the plunk of pails hitting the floor, Buffy sneaks away to reenter the Relic Room, wondering aloud, “So let’s see what’s so special about this stuff”.

She switches the lights back on, bathing the room in a dim glow. The room is filled with labeled crates and boxes, some mundane (“Shoes, ca. 1312”) and others ghastly (“Skull, Danjong, 1441-1457”). Buffy inspects some of the goods, gauging their use as weapons (“Ancient axe? Or good old sledgehammer?”).

In another room, we pull back to see Buffy’s wanderings captured on one of a large bank of CCTV monitors. A security guard is snoring at the table before it, when his reverie is interrupted by a knock at the door. He snorts as he wakes and looking behind him, is startled to see The Master sticking his ratlike head into the room. Sing-songy, he inquires “May I enter?” as he strides in.

“I didn’t really have to ask permission, you know,” he says. “That’s just more claptrap that that moron Stoker dreamed up. Plus, this being a public place and all…ooooh, how interesting!” The Master places a long-nailed paw on the guard’s trembling shoulder. “So, tell me, where is camera number 7 looking?” Sweating profusely, the guard notices Buffy’s movements on the monitor and, before he can think, he answers, “The Relic Room. But—”

The Master is already gone before the guard can finish. Hands shaking, the guard picks up a phone.

Back in Piljoo’s office, the tea is being served when there is a knock at the door. “Come,” says Piljoo. The door opens and Jang Industries’ Director of Security enters (Ji Chang-wook cameo). “Mr. Jang, a moment please.”

Piljoo excuses himself and meets his employee in an adjacent office.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but there has been a slight complication. Ms. Jang’s American friend has breached the building and apparently ‘The Master’ has decided to pursue her.” The Director of Security, exasperated with this guest, has embellished his air quotes with a side of eye roll.

“This is quite inconvenient,” Piljoo says. “It is essential that Ms. Jang is not distracted.”

The Director of Security nods. “I’ll wait for your instruction.” Jang Piljoo re-enters his office, where Nara and Rufus are quietly chatting.

“Some critical information has just come into my possession,” he says, projecting a sense of urgency with his prowling body language. “Apparently the spirit we were speaking of has possessed a human…”

Rufus interrupts. “…which makes it much harder to extract a soul.”

Piljoo looks at Rufus with a subtle smile. “My concern, precisely. We must avoid any collateral damage to an innocent bystander.” Looking into Nara’s eyes—despite herself, her heart skips a beat—he continues. “I know it’s an imposition, but perhaps could you go now?”

Nara looks at Rufus, who looks at Piljoo and back at Nara before producing a small, bejeweled egg. “I did bring a vessel, so….”

“…there is nothing keeping you from going now?” It’s Piljoo’s turn to do the interrupting, this time looking insistently at Rufus. Rufus turns to Nara, “It sounds as though time is of the essence.”

Nara collects herself and addresses Rufus. “I will do it. Let’s grab a taxi and….”

Ms. Joon enters. “I’ve already taken the liberty of arranging a car. We are very grateful for your time.”

Piljoo fixes Nara with another intense look. “More than you know,” he says. “Thank you and good luck with this merciful errand.”

A knock, and the door opens, to reveal a driver in a dark business suit (Lee Je-hoon, cameo), who beckons Nara and Rufus to follow him. They turn to leave, at which point Rufus looks back at Piljoo, who meets his gaze with a barely perceptible nod.

As soon as they are gone, Piljoo turns to Ms. Joon. “Ms. Jang will of course check in with the American. But once she does, I see no reason to turn down a chance to remove one more inconvenience.”

Ms. Joon says “Yes, sir.” The two part, after which Ms. Joon addresses the security chief, who has been waiting outside. “Do not interfere. Allow the old one his fun.”

The driver escorts Nara and Rufus out of the building to a waiting car and opens the door for Rufus, who gets in. As the driver approaches the other side, Nara gestures for him to wait. She steps away to make a call.

Back in the warehouse, Buffy is still snooping around. She finds another room with an ‘Authorized Staff Only’ sign on it. She prepares to forcibly enter the room when, to her surprise, the doorknob readily turns—unlocked. Inside, Buffy sees several lightly glowing magical objects, taking special note of the one dark recess containing an empty scabbard.

Buffy’s phone rings. She picks up and, as she listens, her eyes narrow. “You’re leaving right now? I’m sort of busy….it looks as though there might be something important in here.”

Outside the car, Nara raises an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“I’m in a room with some very wicca objects, including an orb and a bracelet. Pretty sure the final object our not-so-hot-after-all chaebol needs is a sword.”

Nara closes her eyes for a moment. “Good work. Mr. Jang is very insistent that I go nab a ghost. I’m playing along for now.”

“Be careful. This chaebol isn’t playing.”

“I’ll be careful. And you,” Nara hesitates, not used to verbalizing emotions. “Get out of there as soon as you can.” We see Nara hang up and step into the waiting vehicle.

The driver turns to the guests. “It will be a long ride. Would you like some water? Sandwich? Video game—we have Revenge if you like that one.”

Nara and Rufus demur.

Back at the warehouse, Buffy leaves the Relic Room, closes its door, and continues to look around. She turns off her phone and is about to put it back in one of her 18 apron pockets, when the steel shelves she had been inspecting suddenly topple. Slightly dazed, she peers up through the shelves to see an all-too-familiar, rodentlike face smiling down upon her.

“Miss me?”

Buffy barely has a moment to think of a witty reply, before The Master reaches through the shelving toward her throat. Slayer reflexes kicking in, Buffy simultaneously rolls away while thrusting the mangled shelving back up at her assailant, throwing him off balance. Having bought some time, Buffy backflips onto her feet and puts some distance between her and the vampire. “Fancy meeting you here. I thought you were, you know, retired. By which I mean dead. Deader.”

“Oh, I’ve been looking forward to re-making your acquaintance, Miss Summers. It was so kind of you to save me a trip to America. Although,” gesturing at Buffy’s work uniform, “I have to say that I’m very disappointed in your outfit compared to our last meeting.”

Reminded, Buffy instinctively reaches into breast pocket #4 on her smock, realizing—

Fade out to cleaning professional Kim Something-or-other groggily waking up and surprised to find herself bedecked in Buffy’s leather ensemble. Feeling something odd about the jacket, she reaches into an interior pocket and her eyes widen as she withdraws a very sharp stake…

“Crap,” mutters Buffy.

The two old enemies are now circling one another and dodging between shelves, while Buffy looks around the room, bypassing perfectly good swords that are unfortunately not the right tools for the present job. For his part, The Master’s fangs are coated in drool as he anticipates biting into his prey.

Buffy is speaking. “So why make the trip back to Earth? Hell too hot for you?”

The Master chuckles. “Hell is quite cold, actually. Although Korea feels somehow colder. It’s the humidity, I guess.” He grabs an ancient scepter and throws it at Buffy’s head, but she dodges it.

“Let’s just say I was invited back for a special project. This little meeting is just icing on the proverbial cake.” The vampire lunges but Buffy jumps over him, lands, turns, and then kicks the fiend on his back. He is pushed forward only slightly and turns around to regard Buffy, who is slowly walking backward. “I am hungry, though, and if I remember correctly – of course I remember –Slayer blood is as good as it gets.”

“So, to what sort of magic do we owe this special reunion?” asks Buffy as she picks up a shovel and snaps its wooden handle in half. She throws the shovel part at The Master, who ducks and laughs.

“I can see you’re as small-minded as ever. All you ever see is magic in one direction, but like our Asian friends well know, it goes both ways. Didn’t they teach you about Yin and Yang in school?”

“I didn’t take drama,” says Buffy. “Enlighten me.”

“Sure, why not?” smirks The Master. “It’s not like you’ll tell anyone about it.” He walks menacingly toward Buffy as she slowly backs away. “While normal magic, like your little friend Willow practices, can be very useful, sometimes it’s even better to turn magic backwards. I think you’ve had some experience with this—during one of your recent tea parties.”

Buffy thinks back to her fainting spell at the tea shop and the re-zombification of Richie. Surprised to find herself interested in the conversation part of their encounter, Buffy nods but quickly stops herself (while wondering how The Master could possibly know what happened back there).

“So, you have some sort of infernal wayback machine?”

“You can call it that. All it needs is one little piece and I’ll—”

“Rule the world, blah-blah-blah,” Buffy interrupts. “You never change, do you?”

As The Master furrows his already-deformed brow in annoyance, Buffy charges with the improvised broom/stake pointed at his heart. He easily deflects it and grabs Buffy’s wrist.

Buffy summons the strength to pull herself from his grasp and turns to face him, eyes blazing. “Wrist grab?!! You gotta be kidding me!” She lands a strong kick on The Master’s chest, but this time it has no effect and, now firmly on defense, Buffy continues to walk backwards, knocking over objects in The Master’s path, which he ignores.

As their pas de deux continues, Buffy senses a faint voice inside her head. “This place gives me the creeps. Just this one delivery and I can get to a pojangmacha.”

Looking around as much as prudence would allow, Buffy realizes that this is not an actual voice, but she is instead hearing someone’s thoughts. This has happened to her before and Giles had warned her that it might reoccur in Korea, where apparently 0.023% of the population can read minds.

She has no time to think, though, because The Master has accelerated his pace. He reaches out for her throat with his heavily-clawed fingers, and she is just able to avoid his grip. “Oh, give up, already! Your luck has run out this time. And I’m hungry!” he sneers.

Buffy slows her pace as she notes a slim line of light near the bottom of a garage door. She heads in that direction. “Maybe,” she begins. “But if you kill me, another will be called, and then another.”

“And I will enjoy them all!” The Master tilts his head. “But you will always be special—one never forgets one’s first Slayer. Funny, in all this time I never…”

The Master’s musings are interrupted by Buffy’s attempt to stab him, once again, with her makeshift stake. He deflects her blow and goes for her neck but misses as she jumps back.

The voice inside Buffy’s head: “I just want to get this over with.” In the room, she hears a pulley squeak.

From the outside, we see a worker (whom we’ve met both as an ice cream truck driver and a drunk and is still played by Kim Won-hae) reaching to open a garage door under a ‘Delivery Zone’ sign.

Buffy stops and faces The Master. “OK, then. Let’s just get this over with. I’m done.”

The Master smiles. “Finally, you come to your senses. I must admit you have been a worthy adversary. I will honor your memory. But first…dinnertime!”

Buffy holds out her arms, forming a human cross, closes her eyes and falls backwards in surrender.

The Master pounces. He regards his prey with a satisfied look as Buffy opens her eyes and says, “You meant lunchtime.” They both hear the clattering sound of metal pulleys, and the ancient vampire looks to the opening door in horror.

“Crap,” mutters The Master.

The opening garage door bathes the vampire in the bright Korean day. From outside, the hapless deliveryman gapes in horror as he sees a leather-clad man erupt into flame as a small woman quickly slides out from under him.

Buffy looks to ensure that the Master is, indeed, gone. Reassured by the smoking human-shaped outline of dust on the floor, she looks at her unwitting savior. “Hey, thanks—you were just in time. I’d tell you to enjoy your pojangmacha, but something tells me that you really need to cut out the sauce.”

Buffy hot tails it out of there before the still-confused deliveryman can respond. As she reaches the street, a red sports car screeches to a halt, and Ke-ri leans out of the passenger window to shout, “Buffy!” Hye-sun is driving and Xander is in the back seat, opening the door. “Nara called to say you might need a getaway car.”

“I was just catching up with an old acquaintance,” Buffy replies, jumping in. “Where are Nara and Rufus?”

Hye-sun says, “They met with Mr. Jang and left to carry out a soul transition. Nara called us a little while ago so we’re going to meet them there once we get the address. Unfortunately, my phone just died and these two left theirs at Subway, so we’re going to have to wait until Ke-ri senses a psychic disturbance to know exactly where they are.” Buffy searches her many pockets, while…

…back at Jang Conglomerate HQ, Piljoo, and Ms. Joon have been watching the CCTV stream from the warehouse, where they have seen The Master meet this latest demise. Seeing Buffy leave, Piljoo comments, “We are going to have to deal with that one after we attain our full power.

“I am a little impressed, though.”

Meanwhile, Buffy’s phone lights up on the floor of the Relic Room, where it had fallen among the disarrayed shelving. On it, we see Shin-ae’s ghostly handwriting.

THIS SOUL IS NOT TRUE

IT IS A TRAP

Hye-sun’s car accelerates as it leaves Seoul and heads into the countryside.

The company car enters through an impressive gateway and comes to rest at the exterior of a grand old home. The company driver opens the door of a small exterior courtyard and gestures for Nara, who is clutching a jewel box, and Rufus to approach the house. He unlocks the house and waits outside as Nara and Rufus enter alone.

The house is dimly lit and tastefully appointed with western-style furniture. The two walk warily from one room to another, finally entering a parlor and spying a couch from the rear. A person is sitting on it. “Hello?” asks Nara.

Hearing no reaction, she looks at Rufus, who shrugs. The two carefully walk around the couch to find a young girl, early teens, in a white and black dress. She is blindfolded and sitting with a doll on her lap. There is a chair across from the couch and the girl invites them to sit. Nara sits while Rufus stands off to one side.

The girl’s mouth doesn’t move, but Nara and Rufus clearly hear an otherworldly voice. As Nara responds, the girl’s voice overlaps with hers as if hearing Nara’s thoughts before she can fully get them out.

You have come to see me.

Yes.

Do you know me?

No. But tell me about yourself.

I don’t think you care about me.

Can you see? Are you okay?

I am what I am. I see many things.

You look quite young.

This body is young. You are here to remove me.

I am here to help you cross over.

…to the “other side”? Why do the living always call it that?

It’s where spirits go after living.

Or maybe we stay here. In different lives? Do you believe me?

I think so. Have you been reincarnated?

It is not for me. I have never left. But my Love has been. Many times.

Is he here?

In my heart, yes.

Why is this “crossing over” so important to you?

It is the natural way. You will become one with the universe.

Am I not “one” now? Do you think that this will lead me to “heaven”?

I hope it will.

All of you think you know. I forgive you.

Thank you?

I will let you.

Nara stands, leaves the room, and enters a kitchen down the hall. Rufus follows. Nara whispers, “I don’t know. Something feels off here.” Rufus looks at her quizzically. “Because she—”

I can hear you.

Rufus looks at Nara, who gestures toward the sitting room and its ghostly occupant. “I can’t do this,” she says. As she speaks, she turns to see that the girl has followed them into the kitchen.

You must send me over. It must be done for my Love.

No.

But I will it so. My Love so desires it.

Your “love”? Who is that?

That knowledge is not for you.

Even my Love does not know of this gift. My last to him.

I’m sorry, I cannot do this now.

Yet the child suffers.

Are you speaking from someone else’s—a living person’s—body?

Yes. Send me away for her sake.

I cannot do this now. I am sorry.

Then sorry you will be.

The girl removes the blindfold from her eyes, which betray the terrified look of a young girl. A ghostly woman (Kim Ha-eun) becomes visible, switching places with the human host.

The ghost is dressed in the Joseon garb of a poor woman.

In flashback, we see her as she used to be, comforting a dying Joseon bandit. The man is a previous incarnation of Jang Piljoo. And then the woman sits alone on a burial site of stone, brokenhearted.

The ghostly woman holds out her hands, palms up, and utters –

Take me….

Nara shakes her head.

The ghost looks over at Rufus, who turns red and begin to choke.

Or I will take him.

Nara looks in alarm at Rufus, who by now is losing consciousness. In quick succession, we see the concern in Nara’s eyes, the fear in the young girl’s face, Rufus choking to near silence, and the resolve of the ghost.

Nara runs to Rufus and pulls the jeweled egg out of his coat pocket. Facing the ghost, Nara’s eyes turn red as she thrusts the object toward her. The ghost closes her eyes, a look of peace crossing her face before she decomposes and is sucked into the egg.

The egg gently glows. Rufus, coughing, begins to breathe again. The young girl, no longer possessed, opens her eyes and starts to cry.

Rufus and Nara are in the back of the company car. Rufus is looking around nervously while Nara is asleep, exhausted by her work at the house. The soul-egg is on her lap and, of course, she dreams.

Nara and Rufus are at an outside food stall, making small talk. It’s a date, and they’re slightly flirtatious with one another as they enjoy their snacks. Rufus has just placed a bite of tteokbokki into Nara’s mouth and, as she begins to thank him, he morphs into Ke-ri, who waves. “Found you!”

Dream-Nara explains what has happened and that they will soon turn the soul over to The Reaper. Still in her dream state, she opens her eyes, which allows Ke-ri to see the car’s surroundings. They appear to be heading to a seaside location that Ke-ri mystically triangulates.

“Buffy’s with us…we’ll meet you there!”

Nara wakes up and shakes off her exhaustion.

The Jang Industry car arrives on a bluff, and the passengers disembark to find Piljoo and Ms. Joon waiting for them. Piljoo approaches Nara, who is holding the egg, and asks. “It succeeded? Are you safe?” She nods and looks down at the egg, then speaks quietly. “I think there is something you didn’t tell us.”

“I am sure it seemed that way,” responded Piljoo. “But the ghost was a threat, and the young girl –her host – was in pain.” He looks Nara in the eyes. “Shall we complete the task?”

Nara nods toward Rufus, who closes his eyes and begins to chant. As he does, Hye-sun’s car roars to a stop and the K-Scoobies get out. Rufus opens one eye and, with a steely glance from Piljoo, quickly returns to his chanting.

As Rufus completes his spell, a mystical cloud forms and The Reaper steps through it, accompanied by tea shop owner Shin.

The Reaper is startled to see the assembled group around them, while Shin’s customary grin evaporates. The Reaper looks at Nara for an explanation but all she can do is shrug.

“Finally!” shouts Piljoo.

Rufus’s attention is focused on Ms. Joon, whose eyes have turned green.

Ke-ri is the first K-Scoobie to realize what’s going on. “I’m sensing the same vibe from the tea shop when Richie…” She sighs. “Power is beginning to flow to the chaebol!”

Buffy springs into action and runs toward Piljoo. The company driver also happens to have excellent fighting skillz and moves to stop her, but Buffy easily pushes him aside. Just as she is about to reach Piljoo…

“Contrarium!”

As the magic reversal spell expands its power, Buffy grows faint and crumples to the ground.

Xander screams “Buffy!” and charges toward Piljoo, but before he gets close, he stops in his tracks as he sees that Piljoo’s, and everyone else’s, attention is focused on the bluff. There, the Reaper’s companion, Shin, is wide-eyed and gasping. A magical, glowing sword thrust through his chest has appeared.

Piljoo laughs maniacally. “The sword! I will finally have them all!” He turns to Rufus and orders, “Get it!”

Nara looks at Rufus in disbelief.

Rufus is frozen with fear and indecision. He looks at Nara and back to Piljoo, who glares menacingly.

“You will do as you agreed,” hisses Piljoo.

Resignation in his eyes, Rufus approaches Shin.

Nara’s color drains as Rufus reaches Shin and grabs the hilt of the sword. The Grim Reaper shouts “no!” but there’s no stopping Rufus, who pulls the impossible sword out of Shin’s torso. He falls to the ground, gasping.

Piljoo triumphantly shouts “Finally! I now will have control of all things supernatural!” He looks at Rufus and commands, “Bring it to me!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Nara kicks Piljoo in the chest, and while he’s down, she begins pummeling him. Piljoo evades enough of her blows to shove her off him – only for Xander to throw an excellently timed punch that crunches against Piljoo’s jaw.

Hidden by The Reaper, Ke-ri has started to cast a spell of her own. Hye-sun, who has been standing with one foot on the company driver, suddenly clutches her head. At first confused, a look of terrifying resolve enters her face.

Xander is shaking his punching hand as Piljoo swiftly extracts a pistol from his inside pocket and points it at Nara’s head.

She looks at him with hatred. “You’re really something. What do you have over Rufus?”

Jang Piljoo softly laughs. “Maybe a wedding photo or two.”

Before Nara can reply to this strange statement, there is a sudden slithering sound and Nara, Rufus, and Piljoo look in the direction of Ms. Joon. Her eyes are still closed but there appears to be a white furry object circling her head…a tail? Ms. Joon opens her eyes with a start, and as she does, the tail tightens around her neck and twists. Her neck broken, Ms. Joon falls to the ground, dead.

Dear viewer, it is likely that your knowledge of gumiho is informed more by their appearance in fiction than in actual experience. This was true for our assembled party as well, except for The Reaper, who has pretty much seen it all. So, all, not least Piljoo, were totally unprepared for what they saw as the last magic performed on Hye-sun unfurled, returning her to pure gumiho form.

No cute fox or ingenue here, but rather a 200-cm-tall crimson-haired monster with fiery red eyes and a long snout. Her nine tails, one now bloodied, circle behind her as she pounces toward Piljoo, powerful claws extended. Fear in his eyes, he empties his pistol in Hye-sun’s direction, but the bullets miss badly. Her teeth viciously seek his liver and Piljoo finds himself briefly, but very sincerely, wishing for his own death.

As he slides off this mortal coil, he fancies he can hear the melancholic sound of the haegeum from an approaching storm.

The sun peeks over the ocean, casting a more natural glow over the bluff as the reversal spell fades, aided by Ke-ri’s chanting. Buffy awakens to see Ms. Joon’s and Jang Piljoo’s unfortunate corpses, and Xander proudly nursing a fractured knuckle. Hye-sun, who has returned to human form, is on her knees, vomiting. Shin is sitting on the ground rubbing his chest as though he has heartburn. The Reaper is next to him, trying not to look relieved.

Jang’s company driver is long gone, having seen all the gumiho he cared to witness.

And Nara is sitting a little way away from the others, gaze blank. Rufus approaches, sword in hand. He forces a smile as he addresses her. “I fooled them well, didn’t I? I was never going to give him the sword…” He stops. It’s obvious Nara isn’t buying a word of it. He extends his hand to help her up. “Let me explain….”

Nara tilts her chin away, hands clenched. Turning to the others, he falters a smile. “I didn’t double-cross you all. I…” But as he tries to approach, he finds his path blocked by first Ke-ri and then Xander. Buffy, hands on hips, joins them. “Let me guess, you would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for… Blah-blah-blah. Save it.”

He looks beseechingly at Nara, but she cannot bring herself to return his gaze. Rufus drops the sword. “Forget it. How could you understand?” He turns and walks away.

The three help Nara up, and then turn their attention to Shin, who looks spent but no longer in pain. He wanly smiles at the group as they approach. “So that explains why I never felt all that hungry,” he jokes, looking at the sword. “Who knew?”

The Reaper, a bit abashed, answers. “I did. Part of my punishment for a little discrepancy a while back has been to find these objects, so I knew that this one had been hidden in you.”

All turn to look at The Reaper. “You knew?!”

Shin, struggling to find the words, finally stutters: “You – knew?!”

The Reaper shrugs. “What? You thought I was hanging out with you for your good looks and sense of humor?”

Ke-ri interrupts this little spat. “With Buffy’s information, I was able to locate the rest of the talismans while that witch was in her spell. They had six others.”

Ke-ri stops for a moment as The Reaper’s eyes widen.

“I can give you directions.”

The Reaper winks. “I’ll owe you.” Ke-ri makes a mental note and smiles.

The Reaper addresses Nara. “Are you okay?” he asks gently. “You seem to have a soul to transport.”

Nara stares at the bejeweled egg containing the Joseon spirit as if she’d forgotten she had it. She hands it to The Reaper. “I suppose I’ll be seeing you again before I know it.” The Reaper touches her gently on the cheek. “Be kind to yourself. We were all fooled by Rufus.” The Reaper picks up the sword and then he and Shin disappear together into the morning mist.

Xander is staring at Hye-sun, who has finally stopped throwing up liver. “So, what just happened?” he asks. Ke-ri offers Hye-sun a hand. “If I understood it correctly, the power of the objects was to reverse magic—”

“—and the last magic that I encountered made me human,” finishes Hye-sun.

Ke-ri continues the thought. “Undoing that turned Hye-sun back into her natural form, namely, a gumiho.”

Buffy kicks the ground. “I actually missed seeing a gum – a gumiho – in action! Just my luck. Or, wait, are you…still a gumiho?”

Ke-ri looks with concern at Hye-sun. “You are, uh, back?”

Hye-sun narrows her eyes at Buffy and Ke-ri. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I won’t be eating liver again any time soon.” She sighs. “I worked too hard to become human to give it up now. But I’m….so, so tired.”

“Me too.” For the last few minutes, Nara has sat, despondently, on the ground, contemplating her history with Rufus: crayons in grade school, college crush, adult boyfriend, and, she had hoped, partner for good. Which leads inexorably to holes left by the other men in her life.

Holes that Nara sought to fill by doing good.

Ke-ri reaches down to wipe away Nara’s tears and says quietly, “Hey, I know how you must feel.”

“You do not understand how I feel!” snaps Nara. “So much time! Trust! And this pressure…. If only I could have a little ordinary…” her voice trails off. Then, angrily, “You do not understand. None of you!”

“I do,” says Buffy, who has approached Nara from behind.

She continues. “All the responsibility? That crap about ‘with great power….’—puh-leeze. Some of us just get the tough jobs and shafted when it comes to actual life.”

Nara blinks at Buffy, silent.

Buffy continues. “I know that a lot of this sucks, and that so much is hard. But you do realize that you—all of us—just saved the world, right? I suggest you take the win.”

Buffy extends her hand to Nara and helps her to her feet. The two briefly regard each other. Buffy smiles slightly and Nara, anger abating, returns the smile.

The strains of Soon-ae’s ring tone appear on Ke-ri’s phone.

Ke-ri looks down at the screen but there is no message there. She is about to ascribe this to an otherworldly butt-dial when a glow toward the rising sun appears and, within it, the image of Soon-ae. And next to her is another ghost. It is Richie.

Everyone gathers to greet the spirits. In this spectral vision, Richie has been returned to her best human form and she is smiling peacefully.

The K-Scoobies’ phones light up with the last message that they would ever receive from Soon-ae.

WE ARE GOING HOME

BLESS YOU ALL

❤️

And then, perhaps because they were used to conversing with a ghost who favored texting, the K-Scoobies were surprised when they heard Richie’s voice.

For years, the group would argue about what Richie said to them that day. Ke-ri thought that she explained the spell for summoning ghosts. Hye-sun said that Richie told her to continue to cherish her humanity and to support the others in their ex-supernatural chat group (emotionally and financially). Buffy and Nara agreed that it was a simple “Kamsamhamida.”

And although Xander never told a soul as long as he lived, he was certain that Richie looked directly at him and said, with a warm smile, “I’ll see you in the next life.”

And the two ghosts dissolve into the morning air as a light rain begins to fall.

“That was … nice,” says Buffy.

Ke-ri and Xander look at each other, both realizing that Buffy’s last sentence was in English and what that meant about their time together. Ke-ri, pulling out her best high-school English, addresses the group. “Anyone hungry? Breakfast, maybe?”

“Famished, actually,” states Hye-sun, as Buffy and Nara, wiping the tears from their eyes, join the rest of the K-Scoobies.

“Daebokki!” tries Xander. The group muster a little laugh and pile into Hye-sun’s car. And the group rides off, this time ignoring, as is drama tradition, the horrific crime scene they are leaving behind.

A plane. The lights have been turned to low, and most passengers have their faces lit by screens. We zoom in on a row of three seats. The aisle seat passenger is a businessman, working on a laptop (j3ffc cameo), while Xander is awkwardly arranged in the window seat, passed out and snoring. And in the middle sits Buffy, awake and staring straight at the screen: “The Red Sleeve”, subtitles on.

Back in Seoul, it’s dark, and from the interior of Nara’s apartment, we hear the touchpad ding and the lock whirl. Nara enters, carrying a plastic bag from the corner convenience store. She sits on her couch and pulls out a beer and a triangle kimbap. She opens both and takes a long sip from the can.

Nara opens her laptop. The opening scenes from “Winter Sonata” can be seen as she settles in to watch. Our gaze remains on the screen for just a few moments. As we pull back, we see that Nara has fallen fast asleep in front of her half-eaten dinner.

Nara is dreaming. But for tonight, at least, her dreams bring her peace.

~ End ~

Acknowledgements

First of all, thanks to kfangurl for maintaining such a welcoming community for drama fans and for graciously publishing this story. This was a lot of added work on top of an already incredible workload for KFG; I’m very grateful for her efforts. It’s an honor to be a part of The Verdict.

Major thanks to Ele for her many contributions to this project, including valuable feedback on the overall story, comments on early drafts, and a very detailed edit of the final-ish version of the story. Ele provided key plot points and added color to the story; so much of the fun elements of the writing are due to her (I take blame for any issues that remain). Thanks so much for your sustained encouragement and hard work.

I would also like to acknowledge Mark (not a member of the KFG community….yet) for his helpful comments on a late draft of the story and encouragement on the music.

This story was built on the work of the many talented professionals who create wonderful K-dramas filled with vivid characters and stories, some of which provided inspiration for specific characters while others were borrowed outright. Respect.

Joss Whedon created a distinctive and engaging world inBuffy the Vampire Slayer, filled with indelible characters.I thank him and his creative team for years of affecting entertainment.

Finally, thanks to all who contribute to the wonderful community that is The Fangirl Verdict. I hope that this work has brought a bright spot to your day.

~j3ffc

Music credits

Sound of a Soul Being Captured, sound clip from “Dawn’s Lament” (Whedon).Theme from Dark, “Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (Dennis/Gripp/Sherlock) with a quote from “Under Your Spell” (Whedon), original performance.Soon-ae’s Ringtone, “Fox Rain” (Ko), original performance.Slay (Pringle/Dotson/Gripp/Sherlock), performed by Nerf Herder. Fearless(Arem/Choi/Han/Iree/Ja Young), fan video featuring Rolling Quartz. Perhaps Love(Park/Chul),performed by Howl and J.Sweet Dream(Gibson), performed by Jang Nara.Requiem for a Zombie(j3ffc) with a quote from “Dawn’s Lament” (Whedon, intro written by Doug Stevens), original performance.Sneakin’ Around(j3ffc), original performance.Piljoo’s Calling, “Lovers”(Ccotbyel), original performance.

Dark by j3ffc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://thefangirlverdict.com/2024/10/28/dream-drama-crossover-dark/

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