Goblin: The Lonely and Great God — Why This Fantasy Romance Classic Still Reigns as a K‑Drama Masterpiece

The story opens with a narrator explaining how goblins are born when a soul becomes trapped in an object stained with blood or regret and that only the Goblin’s Bride can free them. The narrator, revealed to be an old woman selling trinkets, warns a customer that in moments of life‑or‑death, a soft‑hearted god might listen.

We then flash back centuries to General Kim Shin on the battlefield, victorious but soon betrayed. Despite winning the war, he’s declared a traitor by the young king, manipulated by a eunuch who fears Shin’s growing influence. Shin refuses to kneel, so the king orders the slaughter of Shin’s men and family. Even the queen—who quietly urges Shin forward—is killed. Finally, Shin’s loyal second‑in‑command grants his last request and stabs him in the chest, leaving him to die as citizens mourn from afar.

Jumping to 1998 Seoul, we meet the Grim Reaper guiding souls to the afterlife. Kim Shin reappears, alive and immortal, and clearly familiar with the Reaper. He returns home to an elderly servant who has cared for him for decades, along with the servant’s grandson, Yoo Deok Hwa. Shin has just returned after twenty years away—still wandering, still waiting for the bride who can end his curse.

We flash back again to learn that the elderly man serving Shin has been with him since the beginning. After Shin’s death centuries ago, a god revived him—granting him immortality as both punishment and mercy. Shin must wander forever, watching everyone he loves die, until the Goblin’s Bride removes the sword and finally frees him.

Back in 1998, Shin sits atop a rooftop listening to the world below. On a snowy street, a pregnant woman is hit by a car and prays desperately for her child to live. Though gods aren’t supposed to interfere with life and death, Shin saves her. When the Grim Reaper arrives to collect her soul, he finds both mother and unborn child missing. Later, the woman gives birth to a girl, Ji Eun Tak, while ghosts whisper that she is the Goblin’s Bride.

Eight years pass. Eun Tak grows up with a strange birthmark and the ability to see ghosts. On her birthday, she and her mother buy a cake, but Eun Tak gets distracted by a dog only she can see. That night, her mother’s spirit appears, revealing she died earlier that day and finally realising Eun Tak can see the dead. After visiting her mother’s body, Eun Tak encounters the Grim Reaper, who tries to claim her until the mysterious old woman intervenes, reminding him that Eun Tak has a name and therefore cannot be taken.

Years later, Eun Tak is 19 and living with her cruel aunt and cousins. On her birthday, she heads to the shore with a cake. Meanwhile, Shin plucks buckwheat flowers, thinking about how no woman has ever seen the sword in his chest. Eun Tak makes three wishes—part‑time job, karma for her aunt, and a boyfriend—then blows out her candles. Shin suddenly appears behind her, demanding to know how she summoned him. She assumes he’s a ghost.

She notices the flowers he’s holding, and he explains they’re buckwheat flowers—symbols of “lovers.” He even offers to grant her wishes. When Shin returns home, he finds the Grim Reaper living there. Turns out Shin was supposed to leave, and Deok Hwa — now grown and still a chaotic chaebol heir — rented out Shin’s house the moment he disappeared.

Later, Eun Tak accidentally summons Shin again when she blows out a small fire. Confused, he keeps appearing whenever she extinguishes flames. At church, she tests her theory by lighting a candle, blowing it out, waiting. Soon after, Shin materialises. She realises fire summons him.

Eun Tak calls him again and declares she knows he’s the goblin. She claims she’s the Goblin’s Bride, but when Shin asks her to describe him, she doesn’t mention the sword. He insists she’s not the bride and leaves. She follows him through a magical door he opens and ends up in Canada. Shocked but thrilled, she wanders the city, tells Shin she loves him, and announces she’ll marry him. Shin trails behind, baffled that she could pass through the door when even powerful beings can’t.

They visit a park where Shin catches a falling autumn leaf for her. She keeps it and later runs off. Shin leaves her at a hotel to visit the graves of the Yoo family, who have served him for generations. Eun Tak eventually gets impatient, finds him, and they rush back to Seoul so she can make it to school. At a bus stop, she discovers she still has the leaf.

Back home, Shin tests the door trick with the Grim Reaper but no luck. Only Eun Tak can travel with him.

Time passes, and Eun Tak gets a job at a chicken shop run by Sunny. As a thank‑you gift, she laminates the autumn leaf for Shin. When she blows out a flame expecting him, the Grim Reaper appears instead. She pretends she can’t see him, but he sees through it. Shin finally arrives, and Eun Tak covers his eyes in panic. Shin pulls her behind him, warning the Reaper not to touch a goblin’s bride — especially not in front of the goblin. It’s iconic.

Once the Reaper leaves, Shin continues insisting she’s not the bride. He pushes her away, tells her to stop summoning him, and reveals he plans to leave soon.

We learn more about Eun Tak’s aunt, who’s drowning in debt and obsessed with stealing Eun Tak’s late mother’s insurance payout. When loan sharks come for her, she throws Eun Tak under the bus and tells them to chase her instead. They kidnap Eun Tak outside her school and tear through her belongings as they drive. Meanwhile, Shin and the Grim Reaper casually use their powers to float objects around the dining room. Suddenly Shin suddenly senses Eun Tak danger and rushes out.

The gangsters demand Eun Tak hand over bank books, but their car screeches to a halt as streetlights burst one by one. Shin and the Reaper appear. The gangsters try to flee, but Shin slices their car clean in half. He frees Eun Tak while the Reaper curses the men to hate each other forever. Shin then blocks the road for three days, trapping them in the wreckage.

The next day, Shin decides to remove Eun Tak’s aunt and cousins from her life. He creates gold bars and plants them in Eun Tak’s room, knowing greed will drive the aunt away. Later, despite Eun Tak promising not to summon him, she accidentally blows out a flame while cooking. Shin tries to leave, but she pushes him to explain what she’s supposed to see. He hints that it’s painful; she hints she already knows and he immediately caves to whatever she asks.

At home, Deok Hwa asks Shin how one becomes a Grim Reaper. Shin explains that reapers are sinners from past lives, punished by being forced to guide souls. Which means the Reaper committed a major sin.

Time passes. The Reaper crosses a bridge and meets Samshin Grandma (the old woman from before) in her younger form. She urges him to buy a gift for his girlfriend, and a jade ring catches his eye—the same ring worn by the queen in the Goryeo era. Sunny grabs it first. The Reaper sees her and bursts into tears. Confused, Sunny gives him her number in exchange for the ring. He agrees to call her… once he buys a phone.

Later, Eun Tak returns home to find her aunt has moved out, leaving her alone. Meanwhile, Shin repeatedly opens his door trying to find Eun Tak and fails. He’s clearly starting to care. He eventually finds her sitting on seaside rocks in the rain. Shin tells her it rains when he’s sad and stops when he’s not. Despite the downpour, the rain softens when he sees her. They talk about her life, and Shin quietly admits he plans to leave the next day. Eun Tak fights tears and the rain starts again. A perfect emotional cue.

That night, Eun Tak shows up at Shin’s door and asks what will happen if she really can see “it.” She asks if he’ll stay if she proves it. He plays it cool until she points directly at his chest and says she can see the sword. It’s an iconic moment. Shin finally accepts that she’s the Goblin’s Bride. Eun Tak gets excited and immediately asks if she can move in. The Grim Reaper is all for it, but Shin refuses and instead places her in Deok Hwa’s grandfather’s luxury hotel suite.

Meanwhile, Eun Tak’s aunt and cousins try to sell the gold bars Shin planted, but because the gold bars came from a bank, the jeweler assumes they’re stolen. They’re arrested on the spot. Back with Shin and Eun Tak, Shin’s anxiety over finding his bride makes him avoid her entirely until she summons him again. They walk together, and Shin ends up drunk, flirty, and emotional. He tells her she’s his one and only bride, that he’s waited centuries for her, and lies that pulling the sword will make him “pretty.” Eun Tak believes him like it’s a fairytale. He tells her not to pull it yet, and they agree to do it on the first snowfall.

The next day, Shin picks Eun Tak up from school and opens the door to Canada again. Over dinner, he reveals he’s 939 years old, and they talk about immortality. On a walk, Shin says there’s no such thing as ten‑thousand‑year sadness or ten‑thousand‑year love. Eun Tak insists there is—“a sad love.” He shows her the sword, they play by a fountain, and she leaves him with a book while she writes and mails a letter. When she returns, she notices the crosswalk lights change as she steps. Shin watches from afar, reciting the poem she gave him, and quietly admits she’s his first love. She runs to him, and he looks furious but he’s actually overwhelmed.

They return to Seoul using goblin magic, and Shin refuses to acknowledge her. He’s clearly in love and doesn’t know how to handle it. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper, unable to stop thinking about Sunny, finds her on the bridge. They go to a café, but things get awkward when she asks his name — something he doesn’t even know.

Shin, now conflicted about dying, visits Eun Tak that night and brings her home to live with him. It’s raining — meaning he’s sad — and Eun Tak feels it deeply. No matter how cold he acts, she still cares. At the house, she excitedly plans her new room before falling asleep in Shin’s bed. Shin spends the night in the Grim Reaper’s room instead.

The next morning, while Eun Tak is at school, Shin and the Grim Reaper finally buy phones. After class, Eun Tak returns to her newly decorated room and officially moves in. As college entrance exams approach, she gets busy studying. Meanwhile, Shin keeps pestering her to pull out the sword. Eun Tak admits she’s scared he’ll kick her out once she “makes him pretty,” so she refuses.

The next day, she remembers Shin coldly saying he loved her and becomes even more determined not to pull the sword. She ignores him, they argue, and she reminds him he never granted her wish for a boyfriend. He insists he did. She asks where. He says, “Right in front of you.” It’s him.

After that awkward moment, Shin breaks the silence and takes Eun Tak out for lunch back in Canada. As she rushes to her seat, time slows for Shin and he sees a vision: Eun Tak at 29, talking on the phone, meeting an unknown CEO for lunch. She’s happy, grown, and living her life without him. Shin realises he must have died by then. He’s relieved she’s okay but devastated that he wasn’t part of her future.

Back in Korea, the Grim Reaper goes on a double date with Sunny, Deok Hwa, and Sunny’s friend. It goes downhill fast because the Reaper can’t answer basic questions about his identity. When Sunny and her friend learn Deok Hwa is a chaebol, they ignore the Reaper entirely. He uses his powers to send Deok Hwa and the friend away. Sunny still asks for Deok Hwa’s number as he’s her landlord and she gets her ring back.

Later, Eun Tak tells the Reaper she’s ready to pull the sword. Shockingly, the Reaper — now close to Shin — tries to talk her out of it. She tells Shin, and he immediately avoids the topic. He flip‑flops constantly: one moment he wants to die, the next he doesn’t. Days pass with Shin ignoring Eun Tak, torn between wanting peace and wanting to live. Meanwhile, the Reaper realises Eun Tak will meet a grim reaper at 29 which is the fate of a missing person. Wait… what?

Eventually, Shin prepares for death. On the chosen day, Eun Tak writes a contract to protect herself after the sword is removed. Knowing it won’t matter, Shin signs it. He makes it snow. Eun Tak reaches for the sword… it vaporises every time she tries. Confused, she does the one thing she thinks might work: she kisses him.

Days later, Shin has Deok Hwa’s grandfather return the portrait of his sister—the queen—because he didn’t die after all. Deok Hwa and the Grim Reaper peek at the portrait. The moment the Reaper sees it, he breaks down sobbing. How does he know her?

Eun Tak eventually gets a new job singing at weddings. After one ceremony, she walks with Shin, laughing until he suddenly clutches his chest in agony. Eun Tak panics and tries to grab the sword again. This time, she succeeds. When she prepares to pull it out, Shin shoves her away; too hard. She flies toward a truck, and Shin teleports behind her, slamming into the vehicle and sending it flying. The destruction confirms she truly is the Goblin’s Bride.

Later, Deok Hwa tells Shin about the Grim Reaper’s reaction to the portrait. Shin reveals it’s his sister, the queen, and wonders why the Reaper cried. The Reaper can only say his heart hurt when he saw her.

Meanwhile, Eun Tak visits the library and meets a friend who turns out to be a ghost. Her birthmark has faded, and the ghost asks her to visit her hometown and bring flowers so she can move on.

The Grim Reaper finally meets Sunny again, and she asks his real name. She reveals hers is Kim Sun. At the same time, Shin writes “Kim Sun” at a temple, along with a second name. A flashback shows the king once gifted Shin a sword but ordered him never to return. Shin did anyway, leading to his downfall.

As Shin writes the second name, the Reaper feels stabbing pain in his chest. He panics and erases Sunny’s memory of their night together. Shin attaches the names Kim Sun and Wang Yeo to a lantern and sends it into the sky.

Afterward, Shin watches Eun Tak walk home from a bookstore. As he steps forward, the bookshelves shift and Samshin Grandma appears. Meanwhile, Eun Tak asks the Reaper about the sword. She remembers Shin saying he’ll “go far away” once it’s removed and wants to know where. Exhausted from keeping secrets, the Reaper finally tells her the truth: removing the sword will kill Shin.

At the same time, Samshin Grandma tells Shin that if Eun Tak doesn’t pull the sword, she’ll die instead. She was born for one purpose and if she doesn’t fulfill it, death will follow her.

Heartbroken, Eun Tak packs her things and leaves. Shin searches everywhere but can’t find her. Eventually, Deok Hwa discovers Eun Tak working at a ski resort and tells Shin, who arrives instantly. Eun Tak believes Shin only kept her close because he wanted to die. He apologizes for hiding the truth… then begs her to pull the sword anyway. She refuses, saying she’d rather die.

Back at work, Eun Tak is knocked unconscious when shelves collapse on her. Shin returns home unaware, but the Grim Reaper finds him and reveals he’s received Eun Tak’s death card.

With only an hour left before Eun Tak’s predicted death, Shin rushes to her, takes her to the hospital, and Samshin Grandma’s warning echoes in his mind. Eun Tak wakes, summons Shin, and they reconcile. Back in Seoul, Shin, Eun Tak, the Grim Reaper, and Sunny meet for an awkward double date at Sunny’s new chicken shop. When the Reaper accidentally calls Sunny by her real name — despite erasing her memories — Sunny drags him outside demanding answers while Shin wonders why she has the same name as his sister. Sunny grabs the Reaper’s hand, and he sees her past life: Shin’s sister, laughing with her brother before being sent to the palace, and later dying.

Later, we finally learn the full truth of Shin’s past. The young king, Wang Yeo, was raised by the eunuch Park Joon Heon after losing both parents. Before Wang Yeo became king, his dying brother asked Shin to protect him and allow him to marry Shin’s sister. Ten years later, Wang Yeo married her, but the eunuch poisoned him against her, claiming the people saw Shin as a second king. Wang Yeo gave Shin a sword and ordered him never to return. Shin disobeyed, and the eunuch convinced Wang Yeo it was treason. The king killed Shin’s family and sister, then ordered Shin’s execution—just as we saw in the opening.

Afterward, Eun Tak takes Shin to honour her ghost friend from the library. She discovers the ghost was her mother’s classmate and had promised to give Eun Tak a gift. She reveals the missing bankbooks hidden in a locker and finally moves on.

That night, Sunny asks the Grim Reaper for his real name. When he can’t answer, she officially breaks up with him. At midnight, Eun Tak turns 20 (Korean age) and celebrates with Shin over drinks. They kiss. The next day, Shin remembers Eun Tak at 29 meeting the mysterious CEO and recognises the necklace she wore. He rushes to Quebec to buy it for her.

Later, the Grim Reaper tells Shin he believes Sunny is Shin’s reincarnated sister and explains everything he saw when he touched her hand. Shin runs to see her, but Sunny thinks he’s delusional and kicks both men out. Eun Tak searches for answers and finally asks Deok Hwa, who reveals the truth: Sunny is Shin’s sister reincarnated.

But… How does he know?

Eun Tak’s graduation arrives, and Samshin Grandma shows up, hugs her, and scolds the teacher for mistreating her—sending the teacher running out in tears. Shin arrives and takes photos of Eun Tak. Time passes, and the Grim Reaper can’t stop thinking about Sunny. Wearing his invisibility hat, he sits in her restaurant. Sunny walks in, grabs a stick, mutters about height, and knocks the hat off—revealing him. Shocked, she listens as he finally admits he’s a grim reaper.

Later, the Reaper meets his colleague, who tells him to file a report for a missing soul. He says there’s nothing to report—the soul vanished and was never afraid of reapers. At that exact moment, the soul walks into Eun Tak’s chicken shop: it’s the eunuch from Goryeo.

Eun Tak returns home with Shin’s notebook containing a love letter and gets caught by Shin and the Reaper. She explains Deok Hwa told her it was a love letter—something Deok Hwa shouldn’t know. Alarmed, Shin and the Reaper rush to find him. Meanwhile, Deok Hwa sits at a bar, waiting, and we see a flashback of him meeting young Samshin Grandma—they clearly know each other. Is he a god?

During their conversation, we learn the Grim Reaper meeting Shin was part of Deok Hwa’s plan. He’s not Deok Hwa at all—he’s the ultimate god, the one who “always listens.” In the present, Shin and Reaper find “Deok Hwa” and he reveals the Reaper chose to erase his own memories. After speaking, the god leaves Deok Hwa’s body in a swirl of butterflies, and time resumes. Deok Hwa wakes with no memory of what happened.

Later, the Grim Reaper finds the chairman’s name card and tells Shin to prepare. He claims he’s fine, then breaks down crying in Eun Tak’s arms while it pours outside. Soon after, Deok Hwa learns Secretary Kim has become CEO, and he must start from the bottom.

Time passes. Shin and the Reaper prepare dinner together, and for a split second, Wang Yeo’s face flashes over the Reaper’s startling Shin. Eventually, Eun Tak runs into Eunuch Park again, who tells her the truth: the Grim Reaper is Wang Yeo. He also warns her that she holds Shin’s fate in her hands just as she holds the eunuch’s. Eun Tak leaves shaken and meets the Reaper, who admits he fears being either Wang Yeo or Eunuch Park — both enemies of Sunny and Shin.

Later that night, the Reaper meets Sunny again. He tells her he doesn’t know who he is and that the only way to find out is by kissing her. He kisses her, and his past life floods back. He was Wang Yeo, her husband. Sunny breaks down, and the Reaper tells her to forget her sad memories and forget him. He walks away while she sobs.

The next day, Sunny still remembers everything and tells Shin. They hug and cry. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper receives another name card — this time with Eun Tak’s name.

Soon after, Eun Tak walks across campus and a ghost friend confronts her for “ignoring” her. Except Eun Tak truly doesn’t see her. Something’s changing. She gets into Shin’s car and finally tells him about seeing Eunuch Park. That night, Shin finds the eunuch and tries to kill him with the sword but it doesn’t work. Eunuch Park mocks him and reveals the truth: the Grim Reaper is Wang Yeo. Shin remembers all the signs he ignored and realises it’s true.

Shin rushes to find the Reaper, who’s at the temple staring at the prayer tablets for Kim Sun and Wang Yeo. Shin grabs him by the throat, furious. A flashback shows Wang Yeo clutching the queen’s bloody clothes, spiraling into madness, burning her garments, and grieving. Back in the present, the Reaper breaks down; he truly is the man who killed everyone Shin loved.

Soon after, the Reaper is confronted by the Reaper Division Investigation Team. He’s charged with misconduct for revealing his identity and abusing his powers. His punishment: regaining all memories of his first life and probation. The memories hit him hard. We see Wang Yeo deteriorating mentally after Shin and the queen’s deaths, drinking poisoned tonic daily, drawing the queen obsessively, and eventually choosing to die by consuming more poison. The investigators leave, and the truth crushes him.

Days later, Eun Tak notices her birthmark fading and remembers Eunuch Park’s warning. Shin and the Reaper discuss the eunuch, and Shin reveals he returned long ago to give Wang Yeo the sword and ask him to kill the eunuch—only for the sword to end up in Shin’s own chest. Suddenly, everything clicks: the only way to kill Eunuch Park is with Shin’s sword. But that means the sword must be removed first.

No.

The Grim Reaper meets Sunny again, and she admits she remembers everything. She explains she can’t forget him because every moment with him was happy. They end things for good, and Sunny delivers her final punishment: she won’t fall for him in this lifetime. She walks away, leaving them both in tears.

Shin begins preparing for his departure, quietly watching the people he loves from afar. He meets Eun Tak on a skyscraper rooftop and tells her he’ll call when it’s time for her to summon him. As he walks away, he turns back and kisses her deeply—one last moment before goodbye. He leaves to confront Eunuch Park.

The eunuch heads straight for Eun Tak, who can no longer see ghosts. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper senses Eun Tak’s death card hasn’t changed and she’s still set to die in twenty minutes. Eunuch Park appears before her as Shin calls, urging her to summon him. She fumbles with her lighter, and the eunuch strangles her over the ledge. She finally lights the flame and blows it out. Shin arrives instantly, shoving the eunuch away.

Eun Tak jumps in front of Shin and tries to stab herself with the sword, explaining that if she doesn’t die now, the eunuch will possess her and use her hands to pull it out. Before she can finish, Eunuch Park takes over her body and grabs the sword. Shin is ready.

As the eunuch begins to pull it free, the Grim Reaper appears and shouts the eunuch’s name three times, forcing him out of Eun Tak’s body. She collapses. Shin lays her down gently, takes her hands, and pulls out the sword himself.

Eun Tak wakes just as the sword is freed, but Shin focuses on killing Eunuch Park. The eunuch isn’t angry. He’s satisfied he “killed” Shin again. He disappears. Shin falls to one knee as the Grim Reaper watches in tears. Eun Tak runs to him, sobbing, begging him not to go. Shin tells her his life was a reward because of her, and that he’ll always be with her — in the rain, in the first snow. He promises to beg the butterfly god for that. She tells him she loves him as he fades away.

Everyone begins feeling strange, and Eun Tak realises what’s happening: Shin is being erased completely. She rushes to her diary and writes everything down before the memories vanish.

We then see Shin on a snowy mountain in his Goryeo clothing. The butterfly god explains he erased Shin from everyone’s memory to be “considerate.” Shin chooses to stay in this frozen place so he can be rain, wind, and first snow for Eun Tak. Samshin Grandma reveals the truth: Shin is trapped in limbo—between life and death, light and dark—forever alone, without the butterfly god.

Nine years pass. Eun Tak is now a radio PD, living her life with no memories of Shin. Rain makes her sad, and she stops at a coffee shop where the Grim Reaper stands behind her, unseen. She doesn’t recognize him. Maybe he’s there because she’s 29, but either way, her memories are gone. At home, she vaguely remembers meeting a reaper at nine years old but can’t connect it to the man she just saw. She wonders why she can’t remember anything. In limbo, Shin continues wandering, clutching the contract Eun Tak wrote.

On Earth, it begins to snow. Eun Tak sits alone with a birthday cake, sensing she’s forgotten something important. Shin hears her from limbo. She blows out the candles and Shin suddenly appears before her as the contract turns to ash.

He rushes to her and hugs her. She cries, but she doesn’t know who he is. Shin then visits everyone, even though none of them remember him. His final stop is the Grim Reaper’s tea room. Shin jokes about the Reaper’s hat and the Reaper remembers him. Relief.

They sit together, and the Reaper apologizes for everything. Shin forgives him, even if the apology is 900 years late. They become friends again.

The next day, Eun Tak blows out a candle at a café, and Shin appears. She asks why he’s there; he says someone called him. She still doesn’t recognise him. They talk, and he mentions how much he misses her — though she doesn’t know he’s talking about her.

With no money or identity, Shin goes to Deok Hwa and CEO Kim and asks for his house, credit card, and life back. They follow the chairman’s will and restore everything. After Eun Tak gets scolded at work for needing a sponsor, she runs into Shin again. She’s suspicious, but he’s thrilled to see her. When she asks what he does, he claims he owns the chairman’s company. She doesn’t believe him until the company agrees to sponsor her. She finally accepts it and even gets his number.

Later, Deok Hwa gives Shin and the Reaper a letter addressed to the building he owns—the old chicken shop. It’s from Eun Tak, written in Canada ten years ago. Shin and the Reaper debate who should give it to Sunny, and the Reaper volunteers. Unfortunately, he hands it to a waitress at Sunny’s new chicken shop and never sees Sunny.

Eun Tak receives the letter and is completely confused. With no memories, she has no idea how she wrote a letter from Canada when she doesn’t even have a passport.

While Eun Tak wonders about the mysterious letter, Shin calls and they go on a date. She tells him she’s going abroad so he won’t look for her. She flies to Quebec, visits the hotel from the letter, and even walks past the same red door she entered ten years ago… right as Shin steps through it. He panics, brings up her sponsorship as an excuse, and she agrees to take him to dinner. She offers him coffee and a sandwich; he wants meat. They walk and talk.

Shin tells her he’s visited Canada four times with his first love but they broke up because she forgot him. Eun Tak gets jealous, and Shin secretly loves it. I mean, he’s talking about her after all. They eventually go to dinner.

Then comes the twist: Shin realises he is the CEO Eun Tak met in his earlier vision of her future. He’s delighted; she plays it cool. They agree to meet again the next day. Eun Tak happily picks out her outfit, but when she sees an image of a hilltop cemetery, she remembers Shin leading her away from graves the day before. She gets flashes of the past and goes to the cemetery, where Shin joins her. She sees his photo on a gravestone and asks if he’s a ghost. When he slips and reveals he knows she can see ghosts, she demands answers — asking if he’s the Kim Shin she wrote about ten years ago. He denies it and leaves.

Meanwhile, Sunny sees CCTV footage of the Grim Reaper delivering the letter and meets him at a café. She asks his name; he says Wang Yeo. She thanks him and tells him not to cry in the cold. He says it was nice seeing her. She leaves, then breaks down outside, whispering that it was nice to see him too… and calls him Kim Woo Bin. She remembers.

We flash back nine years. Sunny waited in her chicken shop with a little boy found shivering in the rain. She ranted about the butterfly god punishing her by making her remember, then trying to erase it. The boy suddenly asks if oblivion might be a blessing. Sunny snaps that the god has no right to decide her fate without permission. The boy says he understands and a butterfly flutters away from him.

The butterfly god had possessed him. She was speaking directly to the god.

Because of this, when everyone forgot Shin after his death, Sunny didn’t. She remembered everything. She befriended Eun Tak again, recognised Shin when he returned, and recognized the Grim Reaper the whole time. Once out of sight, she breaks down in pain.

In Canada, Shin sits alone at a restaurant wondering if it’s better for Eun Tak not to remember him; questioning whether he mattered enough. Ironically, Eun Tak begins remembering. Sitting by a fountain, she looks at a maple leaf and her memories rush back. She runs through the streets searching for a candle, finds one outside a Christmas shop, blows it out, and screams that she misses him. Shin appears instantly and kisses her.

Back at the hotel, Eun Tak wonders how she summoned him. She suspects it’s because of their old contract, and Shin agrees. Soon it’s time for her to return to Korea. After her 17‑hour flight, Shin is waiting at the airport — only to take her right back to Quebec through a door. They talk, kiss, and their relationship deepens.

Eun Tak returns to Korea again but can’t find Sunny. She visits Shin’s home and reunites with the Grim Reaper in a sweet moment. Later, Shin bumps into Sunny and sees a vision of her future: happy with the Reaper. He wishes her well, and she promises to live happily in this lifetime.

Eun Tak’s aunt shows up demanding food and complaining as usual. Eun Tak slips away and meets Sunny, who reveals she’s moving. Eun Tak wonders if this is goodbye. Soon after, she meets Shin, who finally admits she’s his first love. As they walk, he asks her to truly be his bride. He proposes. She says yes.

Time passes. Sunny reads a goodbye letter on live broadcast—Shin, Eun Tak, and the Reaper all hear it. Eun Tak rushes home and finds a letter from Sunny saying she remembered everything. Shin explains Sunny left because she couldn’t forgive the Reaper; choosing not to see him again is her final punishment. That night, Sunny waits for the Reaper on the bridge where they first met. He arrives just as she’s about to leave. She tells him they won’t meet again in this lifetime. They hug and part ways. The Reaper goes home and sobs, and Shin brings him fruits cut into cute shapes to comfort him.

The Grim Reaper meets another reaper and finally explains the truth: grim reapers are people who took their own lives, and reaping is their punishment. Their sentence ends the moment they desperately long to live again.

Later, Eun Tak cooks for her aunt while the aunt berates her. Fed up, Eun Tak asks how long she plans to stay considering she’s dead. The aunt tries to hit her, but the ghost who’s been with Eun Tak since the beginning grabs the aunt and announces she’ll accompany her to the afterlife. Eun Tak is sad to see her go, but the ghost wishes her well.

The wedding day arrives. Shin and Eun Tak marry in the goblin’s buckwheat field and celebrate at home with Deok Hwa, CEO Kim, and the Grim Reaper.

The next day, Eun Tak heads home early while Shin prepares for her arrival. She passes the Grim Reaper on the street. His subordinate returns with news: the death notes have changed and the children scheduled to die will live. Confused, the subordinate asks why. The Reaper realizes the truth: there’s one kind of death not listed in the registry: a sacrifice.

Eun Tak chats with Shin over the phone as she drives. At an intersection, she sees a runaway truck barreling toward a bus full of children. In a split‑second decision, she swerves her car in front of the truck. It crashes into her. Shin drops his wine glass and screams for her. She thinks of their wedding night and dies. The Grim Reaper watches from a rooftop, crying. His subordinate finally receives her death note.

Eun Tak arrives in the Reaper’s tea room. He tells her this is her first of four lives. Shin stumbles in moments later, devastated. Eun Tak apologises but asks him not to hurt too much. She tells him not to make it rain so often as it’ll trouble the citizens. He asks how he’s supposed to go on. She promises she’ll return soon and live a long, long life with him. She refuses the memory‑erase tea and walks away. Shin sobs but vows to wait as long as it takes.

Thirty years pass. The Grim Reaper receives his final death note—his punishment is over. It’s Sunny’s. Before leaving, he tells Shin to be well and not make it rain too much. Shin says farewells are all he’s ever known. It’s heartbreaking.

The Reaper meets Sunny in the tea room. They admit they missed each other. He gives her the jade ring again. She asks what comes next. With this being her third life and him unsure how many he has left, they realise this may truly be their final goodbye. Shin watches from outside as they walk out together. He’s alone again.

Time passes. Sunny and the Reaper reincarnate and reunite on a movie set—she’s an actress, he’s a detective. They finally get their happy ending.

But what about Shin?

The drama closes with Shin in Canada, sitting by the graveyard he always visited, reading a book. A girl approaches with a dandelion in her hand. It’s Eun Tak in a high‑school uniform. She’s found him. She remembers his words about there being no forever love or forever sadness. But she’s always believed there is. She whispers, “A sad love.” Shin turns and sees her. With tears in her eyes, she asks if he knows who she is.

He answers softly:

“My first and my last… the goblin’s bride.”

The End.