Synopsis

“Doom at Your Service” (“Doom”) is about a human, Tak Dong Kyung (Park Bo Young), and the supernatural God of Doom, Myul Mang (Seo In Guk).  Tak Dong Kyung has always lived a pitiable existence.  She lost her parents at a young age.  As an adult, she works as an editor to support her troublesome younger brother.  She is humiliated when she finds out that her boyfriend is a married man and soon-to-be father.  Life cannot seem to get any worse, until she receives a terminal brain cancer diagnosis and is given 3 months to live.  One night while drinking, she curses the world, and Doom hears her drunken pleas.  Under duress, Tak Dong Kyung agrees to a contract with Doom.  He will allow her to live, pain-free, for 100 days, if she will wish doom upon the world.  If she breaks the contract, however, the person she loves most in the world will die in her place.  Unable to break the contract without risking her younger brother’s life, Tak Dong Kyung decides to fall in love with Doom – a fete which no human has ever accomplished – thereby making him the person she loves most in the world, allowing her to live without losing her brother.  Little by little, the two fall in love, as the once human-hating Doom witnesses the warmth and affection of Tak Dong Kyung, and begins to remember what it feels like to have sympathy and love for others.  Doom is devastated when God tells him that Tak Dong Kyung’s fate is tied to his as the cause of all things that disappear in life.  But Tak Dong Kyung fiercely rejects that notion saying that Doom is not the cause of her misery, but rather the medicine for it.  In an attempt to save the people she loves, including Doom, Tak Dong Kyung tries to run away and forget them, but Doom tracks her down and refuses to allow her to suffer alone.  When God (Jung Ji So) offers to change their fate, Tak Dong Kyung and Doom briefly forget about one another, but the two are fatefully drawn back together and their memories return.  As the contract cannot be undone, Doom saves the world and sacrifices his life in Tak Dong Kyung’s place, leaving her devastated.  After Doom’s disappearance from the world, Tak Dong Kyung’s brain tumor miraculously begins to disappear, and she begins to live her life again, spending her private moments grieving for Doom.  In Heaven, God tells Doom that it was always his destiny to sacrifice himself for the world, and in so doing, become human.  She then sends him back to the world where he lives by Tak Dong Kyung’s side as Doctor Kim Sa Ra, and the two pursue their happy ending in life together.   

Love Story

“Doom” is first and foremost a love story, and the love story between Tak Dong Kyung and Doom is easily one of my favorites. Not only is the Romeo and Juliet dynamic between a doomed human and the God of Doom captivating, but the chemistry between the two actors is pure perfection.  Whether they are staring into each other’s eyes, teasing each other relentlessly, comforting one another, or sharing a kiss in the rain, these two are a perfect match on screen.    

Their relationship begins with a contract.  As part of the contract, Doom places a red string bracelet – reminiscent of the red string of destiny common in K-dramas – which controls her pain.  The bracelet must be recharged by Doom every day before midnight.  When Doom learns that God is using Tak Dong Kyung in an attempt to make him feel again, the hardened Doom rebels.  He cruelly tells Tak Dong Kyung that he has no intention of making her smile and refuses to take her hand before midnight.  Tak Dong Kyung crumples to the ground in pain, looking up with pained eyes.  Doom feels a moment of sympathy for her and touches her hand to stop the pain, but promises that she will die and he will destroy the world according to their contract.  But Tak Dong Kyung recovers her senses and, determined to save the world, fearlessly climbs on the rail of the building and falls backward, prepared to sacrifice herself rather than be used as Doom’s pawn. Shocked, Doom saves her life, angry that she would risk her life.  But Tak Dong Kyung impressively states that she knew he would save her, and reveals her plan to fall in love with him.  That way, per the contract, when she refuses to wish for the destruction of the world, he will be the person whom she loves most in the world, and she will be able to live without losing anyone she loves…or so she thinks. 

This scene is a turning point in their relationship for many reasons.  For one, Doom feels sympathy towards a human for the first time in a long time.  For another, Doom is shocked by Tak Dong Kyung’s love not only for her family and friends, but for humanity as a whole.  It is also important because Doom witnesses Tak Dong Kyung’s fearlessness for the first time, as she boldly goes toe-to-toe with him.  She tells him that she will not forget that he tried to kill her and that he tried to save her this night, promising to return both in favor.  To an extent, she has nothing to lose with her death impending, but she lives fearlessly with the God of Doom during that time insisting that she is not afraid of him.  This can be seen in moments like when she dangerously asks him to live with her, and when she invites him to sleep next to her.  He warns her that she is trying his patience, but still, she persists in her attempt to love him.  He tells her that no human has ever loved him.  “Everyone either resents me or wants me. They don’t love me,” he insists, later adding, “or they are afraid of me.”  Her simple response is “I will. Because I have to.”  Tak Dong Kyung’s courage is not due to the absence of fear – she admits to him his eyes were cold and scary as he threatened her – but she fully embodies American writer Ambrose Redmoon's notion that “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one's fear.”  For Tak Dong Kyung, her loved ones – which comes to include Doom – are the “something else.” She courageously does what she does to save them. 

Doom is not human nor capable of having human emotions, therefore, he tells Tak Dong Kyung, it is impossible for her to love him.  Initially, Tak Dong Kyung thinks that Doom only cares about himself, but he begins to demonstrate human emotions and behaviors throughout the K-drama, like when he expresses jealousy when Tak Dong Kyung meets with writer and idol Park Young (Nam Da Reum).  In actuality, Doom is better at revealing his feelings than Tak Dong Kyung who has held her emotions in since childhood.  Doom can hear the thoughts of other humans, but he cannot hear Tak Dong Kyung’s per their contract.  But when he asks her, Tak Dong Kyung rarely reveals the truth, putting on a face that she is doing better than she is.  “Why do you always hold back what you want to say?” he asks her.  While Tak Dong Kyung will readily share what is on her mind when it is in defense of another, when it comes to revealing her feelings, she is noticeably more reticent.  A beautiful moment happens when she fleas to the sea in an attempt to save her loved ones by forgetting them, but Doom follows her, refusing to allow her to be alone.  Tak Dong Kyung finally admits to him that she wants to live.  He holds her close as she breaks down into tears – tears that she has been suppressing since she was a child.    

Rain

Rain is a recurring theme in “Doom.”  According to Helpful Professor Chris Drew, “Rain can symbolize many things. It can represent unhappiness, rebirth, foreboding, determination, the breaking of a drought, and a pause for introspection.” In “Doom,” the rain represents many things, as well.  In the beginning, it symbolizes the difficulties of life and the choice to persevere in spite of them.  Tak Dong Kyung and Doom share their first kiss happens in the rain and it is epic.  Doom starts the scene trying to encourage Tak Dong Kyung, as they stand in the pouring rain.  Being in the rain is not so bad, he tells her.  “Even if you’re the only one without an umbrella, it’s fine. Just get wet. Get wet and run. You’ll be home soon.”  Standing face-to-face, rain pouring down, staring at him, she informs him that she wants him to love her.  He stares back, a bit taken off-guard.  “Can I wish for that?” she asks.  The score soars as he pauses before telling her no.  Her eyes fall in disappointment as the piano opening of their love song begins.  With a massive exhale that fills the soundtrack, Doom bends down, puts his hand on her face to tilt her mouth towards his, as the sound of the rain melts away and they share their first kiss.  The kiss is simple, but extremely swoon worthy, as he pulls her closer and she lifts her hands to his shoulders, deepening the kiss. This scene in the rain is incredibly important because is symbolizes the love growing between Tak Dong Kyung and Doom, despite the rainstorm that they find themselves within.  This is the first step they make as a couple of deciding to endure the rain together.

Rain also plays an important role when Doom chooses to sacrifice himself to save Tak Dong Kyung.  When the 100 days are up, Tak Dong Kyung’s plan to fall in love with Doom has succeeded.  The two have fallen in love so completely, in fact, that Tak Dong Kyung cannot imagine living a life without him.  Their last scene together before he disappears is gut-wrenching as she pleads for him not to go.  A life without you would be meaningless, she pleads with him.  You can do it, he assures her, “Humans can love again.”  He admits to her that he prayed to God for her happiness, and he reminds her that being caught in the rain is not so bad, harkening back to their first kiss in the rain.  The scene even takes place in the same location where they shared that first kiss.  When he disappears, Tak Dong Kyung crumples to the ground in tears and it begins to rain, symbolizing that, without him, she is alone in a meaningless world.

Rain appears again in the scene when Doom is sent back to the world as a human.  This time, however, the rain represents rebirth for Doom as he enters the world as a human.  After Doom disappears, Tak Dong Kyung visits his home, missing him terribly.  On her way home, it begins to rain, and she runs into God at the bus stop.  Tak Dong Kyung gives God her umbrella.  When God asks what she will do in the rain, Tak Dong Kyung says she can just run quickly, remembering Doom’s words to her.  After parting, God returns to her garden where she summons Doom.  She explains that he was once a butterfly for her garden, but when he sacrificed himself to protect her garden, he became a flower.  God tells him that it was always his destiny “to live happily in this garden. Not as a butterfly, but as a flower. As a human.”  She instructs him to return to the world and to live happily with Tak Dong Kyung.  Symbolically, before sending him back, God gives Doom the umbrella that Tak Dong Kyung gave to her at the bus stop.  The umbrella represents her wish for him to live a happy life and to weather the rainstorms of life safely. 

God, Balance, and Fate

“Doom” deals with the concepts of God, fate/destiny, and balance.  In this K-drama, God is created from human will.  She lives over and over again, but always as a person who is sick.  She lives for humans, then disappears – through death – for their sake.  “For the world to exist, someone has to pay the price.”  She considers herself the Gardener, the world is her garden, the humans are her flowers, and Doom is her butterfly.     

It is God’s job to keep the balance between life and death.  She does this with Doom, whom represents winter, darkness, and death.  There has to be winter for spring to come, darkness for light, and death for rebirth.  Doom explains to Tak Dong Kyung that throughout life, people frequently win something by losing something.  It raises the question, what are you willing to lose to gain what you want?  Tak Dong Kyung begins to understand that without the end, there can be no beginning – and Doom makes those things possible.  “Sometimes the faces of misfortune and luck are the same,” she says throughout the K-drama.  This is a reference to losing her mom as a child and then being raised by her mother’s identical twin, but it also refers to Doom.  For he as the God of all things which disappear and also the one who loves her, he is both the source of her destruction and of her salvation.  

God is trying to make Doom feel human emotions again and Tak Dong Kyung is the key.  Take Dong Kyung makes him smile and he pities her.  Just as God tells Doom that he cannot escape his destiny, Doom tells Tak Dong Kyung that it is her fate to die.  Tak Dong Kyung responds incredulously that it is cruel.  You can tell from his face that he does not disagree, but says simply that “Fate is cruel to anyone.”  We learn it is also Doom’s fate to sacrifice himself to save Tak Dong Kyung.  When Tak Dong Kyung asks God if she can help her, God responds that she cannot save her, for it was her destiny.  She can, however, change their fate slightly, erasing Doom from her destiny.  Tak Dong Kyung is still fated to die, but without Doom’s fate tied to hers, neither he nor the world has to end, but their memories of one another are erased.  Having one or both of the lead characters forget about one another is a common trope in K-dramas, particularly those that involve a supernatural character.  What is beautiful about “Doom” is how Tak Dong Kyung and Doom are still drawn to one another, even with their memories wiped.  We get to watch the couple develop a connection again as they cannot help but be drawn to one another.  Their reunion on the rooftop after their memories are restored is perfect, as they first get angry at one another – him at her for making the wish on her own, and her at him for forgetting her – and then share a tearful embrace that is long overdue.  This moment is important as Doom decides that they will accept their destiny, and continue to love one another until he disappears.

Cultural Differences

An interesting part of the writing behind “Doom” is how the character of Doom – or Kim Sa Ram – is referred to as an American in an attempt to explain his attitude and behavior.  The cultural differences between Koreans and Americans are placed in stark contrast as Sa Ram is simultaneously admired and looked down upon by Tak Dong Kyung’s friends and family.  Doom is referenced as having no manners because of his confidence and unwillingness to humble himself to others, particularly when he feels that he has done nothing wrong.  An example of this is when Tak Dong Kyung’s aunt shows up suddenly and Tak Dong Kyung kneels in submission to express her apologies for not telling her about her illness or about her relationship with Sa Ram.  The Aunt looks at Sa Ram, expecting him to kneel, as well, and when he clearly has no intention of doing so, Tak Dong Kyung pulls him down to the floor.  “He’s American,” she apologetically tells her aunt.  Doom is a very powerful character with a different mindset that the other characters.  But what makes his behavior wrong?  The American culture values equality – an ideal which is still actively being fought for in its extremely diverse culture – and because of this, it does not have hierarchical systems in place based on age, wealth, position, or social status.  The dichotomy is interesting, but the differences are cultural and should not be viewed as right or wrong.

Final verdict: MUST WATCH  

“Doom at Your Service” is a fantastic story centered around one of my favorite couples – both in the story and as actors.  It raises several questions about life and death – if you knew you were going to die in 100 days, what would you do?; What are you willing to sacrifice for your happiness?; And if you have to run away from everything and everyone that you love in order to live, is that really living?  The soundtrack is also great, with “Breaking Down” by Ailee (a Korean-American singer-songwriter) and “Love Sight” by Tomorrow X Together, as two standout tracks.  Though I did not discuss it in this review due to length restraints, there is a wonderful love triangle for the Secondary Couple, that flows smoothly in and out of the Lead Couple’s story.  The surrounding cast of family and friends is wonderfully dynamic and interesting and adds much to the overall story.  “Doom” is absolutely a MUST WATCH for any K-drama fan, particularly those who like strong love stories with a supernatural element.

So there it is, our review of “Doom at Your Service.”  What did you think?!  Thank you for joining us on this journey. 

Have a favorite K-drama you think we should review, comment down below!!  We look forward to seeing you back again next week!

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