Lee Jin-uk
Dan Hwal / Bulgasal
Overview
Cursed since birth and exempt from death, a revenge-driven immortal sets out on a quest to reclaim his soul and end a 600-year-old vendetta.
Seasons
- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 16 episodes
- First aired
- Dec 18, 2021
Cast
10 people
Reviews
5 min readThe Weight of 600 Years
I keep thinking about the way time moves in Bulgasal: Immortal Souls. Not the way it’s supposed to—linear, relentless, a river carrying us all toward the same inevitable end—but the way it feels when you’re the one who can’t drown. When you’re the one left standing, over and over, while everyone else slips beneath the surface.
That’s the curse at the heart of this series, and it’s a heavier one than the folklore it borrows from might suggest.
The Bulgasal myth, that Goryeo-era creature "impossible to kill," is usually framed as a horror story. A monster that drinks blood, a thing that shouldn’t exist, a nightmare given flesh. But what if the real horror isn’t the feeding, but the remembering?
What if the true punishment isn’t immortality, but the way it stretches memory into something unbearable? That’s the question Bulgasal: Immortal Souls seems to be asking, even if it doesn’t always have the patience to sit with the answer.
The series follows Dan Hwal (Lee Jin-uk), a man turned Bulgasal who has spent six centuries hunting the woman he blames for his curse. That woman, Min Sang-woon (Kwon Na-ra), is no passive victim—she’s a mystery wrapped in a riddle, a figure whose past and present seem to blur in ways that suggest she’s hiding more than just secrets. The setup is classic revenge drama, but the execution is where things get interesting.
This isn’t just a story about a man who can’t die; it’s a story about a man who can’t forget, and the way that kind of memory warps a person. Dan Hwal isn’t just angry. He’s tired.
Not in the way we all get tired after a long day, but in the way you might if you’d watched empires rise and fall, if you’d buried lovers and children and friends, if you’d outlived every reason you ever had to keep going.
That weariness is what makes Lee Jin-uk’s performance so compelling. There’s a stillness to him, a kind of exhausted precision in the way he moves, like a man who’s learned the hard way that every action has a cost. When he fights, it’s not with the flashy, weightless choreography of a superhero—it’s brutal, close-quarters, the kind of violence that leaves bruises on both parties.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of Bulgasal: Immortal Souls: The Underrated K-Drama That Divided Fans
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (2021) arrived on Netflix with a premise as dark as its title: immortal beings cursed to feed on human blood, tangled in a centuries-old revenge plot. Created by Ham Seung-hoon and Jang Young-woo, the series blended fantasy, thriller, and melodrama, but its reception was as polarizing as its supernatural lore. While some fans called it a hidden gem, others found its pacing and mythology frustrating. latestnetflix.com's take is that Behind the scenes, the production had its own share of intrigue—though details remain scarce.
A Cast of Rising Stars and Veteran Talent
The ensemble cast was one of the show’s biggest draws, featuring a mix of rising K-drama stars and seasoned actors. Lee Jin-uk (Sweet Home) and Kwon Na-ra (Itaewon Class) led the charge as the immortal Dan Hwal and the conflicted Dan Sol, respectively. Lee Joon (Vagabond) and Gong Seung-yeon (Are You Human?) rounded out the central quartet, while veterans like Jung Jin-young (The Glory) and Park Myung-shin (The Penthouse) added gravitas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYG41W2LXeo
Ages and real names of the cast were a point of curiosity for fans, with breakdowns circulating online . Lee Jin-uk, born in 1989, played the brooding Dan Hwal, while Kwon Na-ra (born 1991) brought emotional depth to Dan Sol. The chemistry between the leads was a frequent topic of discussion, though some viewers felt the romance subplot overshadowed the darker themes.
Mixed Reviews and an Underrated Reputation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o1gn0iZRdU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbRXuTHxMnk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BshKDEVc9s
Despite its star power, Bulgasal struggled to find its footing with critics. On SensCritique, the series earned a modest 6.2/10 from 120 votes, with praise for its visuals and premise but criticism for its convoluted storytelling 
. Trailers promised a high-stakes supernatural thriller, but some fans argued the execution didn’t live up to the hype .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzt78Ph2Exo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-BhFCemGvg
That said, the show developed a cult following, with YouTube essays and fan edits calling it an "underrated" gem worth revisiting . Clips of emotional family moments—like the tearful reunion in episode 10—went viral, proving the series had its share of standout scenes .
Behind the Scenes: What We Know (and Don’t)
Details about the production are thin, but a few tidbits have surfaced:
- Genre-Blending Challenges: The series’ mix of fantasy, thriller, and melodrama was ambitious, but some viewers felt the tone whiplash between supernatural horror and romantic drama weakened the narrative .
YTYouTube·Bulgasal: Immortal Souls | Trailer resmi | Netfl… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPpkZGRJalw- Netflix’s Global Push: As a Netflix original, Bulgasal was part of the platform’s early 2020s push into K-fantasy, following hits like Sweet Home and Kingdom. Trailers were released in multiple languages, including English and Indonesian subtitles, signaling a broad international rollout .
- Rumor Mill: Unconfirmed reports suggest reshoots or script revisions may have contributed to delays, though no official statements confirm this. The show’s 16-episode run (per TMDB) was standard for K-dramas, but some fans speculated pacing issues stemmed from last-minute edits.
The Verdict: A Flawed but Fascinating Experiment
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls may not have been a critical darling, but its bold premise and strong performances kept it in the conversation. Whether it’s remembered as a missed opportunity or a cult classic depends on who you ask. One thing’s certain: the show’s blend of immortality, revenge, and human drama left an impression—even if it wasn’t always the one the creators intended.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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