'Mystic Pop-up Bar' Episode 11 reveals Kang-bae's true form, hints at shocking connection to Gwi, Weol-ju
This is the finale week of 'Mystic Pop-up Bar' and in episode 11 many of the questions that Weol-ju had about her past, her mother's death and the Crown Prince's connection to it all is revealed. Weol-ju had in the last episode learned the truth about how Gwi, who has been helping her the past one year in resolving grudges of people is not who he claimed he was.
He is not only a member of the Afterlife Police force but is also the Crown Prince that she had fallen in love with 500 years ago. She had until now believed that the Crown Prince had got her mother assassinated believing it was Weol-ju to ensure that he could marry the woman chosen by the queen. However, nothing that she believed until now is the truth. In the course of episode 11, we learn answers to all of these questions.
The episode begins with Weol-ju approaching Gwi and asking him who he is really. She is raving mad at him for betraying her in the past and the present, but when Gwi responds with a clueless expression, she decides not to confront him at the moment. Instead, she visits the conception dream god Samsin and rants about how insensitive Gwi really is. She also has a mean temper the entire day despite Gwi having saved her from going to the Hell of Erasure. Kang-bae and Gwi are both confused with her behavior but chalk it up to fear of the upcoming deadline.
The team has only four days left before they resolve the last two grudges of 100,000 that is required of Weol-ju. She is doing all of this not to escape from punishment herself, but the unborn child who died along with her when she committed suicide. However, Gwi doesn't know this so this is another reason why Weol-ju is not ready to take a drastic step. At this time, Kang-bae's girlfriend Yeo-rin who is having a tough day herself after hearing voices in her head every time she tries to hold her boyfriend's hand -- ends up visiting the bar. She wants to have a drink, but when she sees Weol-ju, she confesses what has been troubling her.
By mistake, instead of the normal soju, Yeo-rin ends up drinking the magic potion and that results in the holy stone's spirit coming out. Yeo-rin's dream world doesn't take Weol-ju back to the past but instead introduces her to the holy stone's spirit who has a grudge. The spirit would take the form of a woman to escape the suffocation of the cave that the stone was in and one day, the spirit fell in love with a man. She gifted him with shards of the stone that were invaluable, but after seeing him do something really strange she stops getting in touch with him.
This man turns out to be none other than the Crown Prince's betrayed best friend and the spirit had seen him kill the shaman who happens to be Weol-ju's mother. After hearing this story, Weol-ju realizes that something sounds off and finally confronts Gwi and learns that his best friend betrayed him, planned an uprising, and wanted the prince to marry his sister so as to become a part of the royal family. However, on the day of the wedding, Gwi kills his friend and himself. This resolves the misunderstanding between Gwi and Weol-ju.
Meanwhile, Weol-ju also helps the spirit of the Holy Stone resolve its grudge thereby helping Yeo-rin indirectly and everyone seems to be happy. However, neither Gwi nor Weol-ju or Kang-bae realize that Mr. Death's body has been taken over by his son who is now an evil spirit. This evil spirit is none other than the man who betrayed Gwi. Since they are not aware, they do not put up any defenses against the fake Mr. Death. When Weol-ju is alone with Mr. Death, something that she says about Gwi and his friend who betrayed him angers him and he tries to strangle her to death (pun intended).
Gwi is away meeting with Ms. Underworld on urgent business, and Kang-bae is out handing out bar coupons. However, when Kang-bae runs out of the coupons, he returns and watches the fake Mr. Death strangling Weol-ju and tries to stop him. Initially, he is easily pushed away but when he sees Weol-ju continuing to struggle, something powerful is manifested within Kang-bae and that turns out to help Weol-ju. Gwi seems to have learned the truth about the fake Mr. Death from Ms. Underworld as well because we see him running towards the bar. However, what is shocking is the climax scene of the episode.
When Kang-bae rises up, in his eyes we see scenes of the sacred tree from the past. The tree that Weol-ju hung from, and the spirit of which had entered her unborn child. Does this mean Kang-bae is actually Weol-ju and Gwi's child? We will see the answer to this in the finale.
'Mystic Pop-up Bar' originally airs in South Korea on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9.30 pm KST on JTBC and can be streamed on Netflix in the US.