Aahana Swrup
Directed by Nam Ki Hoon, ‘Destined with You’ is a South Korean romantic comedy show about an unlikely pair bound by fate, mystery, and magic. Jang Shin-yu, a successful lawyer at a big firm with an impeccable track record, is full of promise and potential. However, a deadly family curse plagues him, casting a dark shadow over his future. Therefore, things take a weird turn when he discovers that a regular civil servant, Lee Hong-jo, may hold the solution to his ailment. Uncovering a mystical spell book infused with knowledge passed down from a generation-old Shaman into the mix, the duo has a chaotic journey in front of them that promises to uncover secrets of the past and change their lives forever.
Within the first two episodes, the show establishes the protagonists and their storylines while keeping plenty of intrigue alive. If you’re curious to learn what happens in episodes 1 and 2 of ‘Destined with You,’ here is everything you need to know. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Destined With You Episodes 1 and 2 Recap
Following a transfer to the City Hall, civil servant Lee Hong-jo finds herself joining the department that belongs to the one superior who has a bone to pick with her: Mr. Gong. Meanwhile, high-profile lawyer Jang Shin-yu deals with yet another lawsuit, ruthlessly defending a corporation with inadequate safety regulations against a deceased employee’s family. Despite their mismatched lives, the duo’s paths cross when a MeTuber’s harrowing death at a remote shrine, dubbed a “haunted house,” results in community outrage.
As the victim’s parents and numerous individuals clamor for the site’s demolition, Hong-jo volunteers to deal with the case to try and return to Mr. Gong’s good graces. Consequently, she arrives at the allegedly haunted shrine one afternoon to assess the location. However, due to the place’s inherent spooky disposition, Hong-jo takes a fall after catching a glimpse of a figure in the shadows. In her sluggish state, the woman briefly interacts with Shin-yu, mistaking him for a handsome grim reaper.
Nevertheless, Shin-yu ignores the interaction and returns for a meeting with his father, who lectures him for failing to keep watch over the shrine, a family property passed down to Shin-yu years ago. Still, the hotshot lawyer has bigger things to worry about, such as the eerie bloodied hand from a different realm that continues to haunt him or the genetic disorder in his brain that has left him with a perpetually trembling right hand. As such, when Hong-jo shows up at his office, looking to demolish his family shrine, it’s about the last thing Shin-yu needs.
Nonetheless, Shin-yu humors the woman after enough pestering from her side and shares the Shrine’s Shaman, Eun-wol’s location. Shin-yu obviously expects Eun-wol to refuse to comply with Hong-jo’s request but finds himself surprised when Hong-jo reveals the shaman has agreed to the shrine’s demolition. When Shin-yu confronts Eun-wol about the same, the former replies with a cryptic message about the mystical bloodied hand, Shin-yu’s ailment, and the solution to both: the arrival of a special wooden box’ owner.
Soon, after a farewell ceremony at the Shrine, Shin-yu discovers an ancient wooden box buried near the building’s grounds. Decrypting Eun-wol’s obscure words to realize Hong-jo may be the rightful owner of the box, Shin-yu gifts the box to the latter. Meanwhile, Hong-jo’s workplace continues to be toxic, with the boss and her coworkers constantly excluding her from group activities. Therefore, when one of her dreamy superiors, Kwon Jae-kyung, starts showing her kindness and appreciation, Hong-jo rapidly develops a crush on him.
Destined With You Episode 2 Ending: What Is In The Wooden Box?
Since Hong-jo and Shin-yu get off on the wrong foot, the former has a lasting dislike for the latter. As a result, Shin-yu finds it rather difficult to convince Hong-jo to accept the wooden box as a gift without using the Shaman’s name. Furthermore, given her inherent distrust for the man, Hong-jo refrains from opening the box until she remembers the kindness and comfort she received from Eun-wol. Even so, opening the perplexing lock on the box presents a seemingly impossible challenge to Hong-jo. Soon, the woman exhausts every option she can think of, short of bashing the box open with a hammer.
As such, Hong-jo decides to let the box be despite Shin-yu’s consistent nagging about it. Since Shin-yu has swapped his soulless job at Haum for a position at the City Hall as the legal advisor, the pair keep running into each other more than ever, opening up more avenues for interaction. Eventually, one unfortunate night, Hong-jo tries to fix her overhead ceiling bulb by herself and falls to the floor, shattering the bulb and her thinly-held emotional well-being.
Hong-jo lives all alone in her house without family and has always led a very lonely life. Worse yet, her situation at the City Hall, with a vindictive boss and mean coworkers, worsens her isolated feelings further. The lightbulb accident puts Hong-jo’s loneliness into the limelight, leading to a breakdown. Following Hong-jo’s breakdown, the box magically opens for her, allowing her access to the prize inside.
Within the box, Hong-jo discovers an old book, “Spells of Heavens,” written by a shaman named Aeng-cho. The writing in the book is Old Korean, reminiscent of the Joseon Dynasty, and Hong-jo finds different spells that can apparently perform a number of miracles, from inducing pregnancy to helping the caster pass their exams.
When Shin-yu learns about the same and confirms the legitimacy of Aeng-cho as a shaman, he convinces Hong-jo to allow him into her house to see the spellbook. Once the former finds a spell that can allegedly cure diseases, he asks Hong-jo to give him one of the spells without naming the one he wants. On the other hand, Hong-jo continues to believe the spellbook is a hoax until she arrives at a position where she is in need of a spell herself.
Does Lee Hong-jo Cast a Spell From The Spellbook?
Hong-jo is skeptical of most of the spells she finds inside the ancient book due to their shallow nature. However, the page about a “love spell” catches her attention, leading her to look into the book more. Although her transfer to the City Hall mostly comes with drawbacks, the Mayor’s aide, Kwon Jae-kyung, becomes the highlight of her days. Their first interaction is short and awkward after Hong-jo puts herself in front of a drink that a protestor throws at Jae-kyung.
Although the meet-cute is unconventional, it paves the way for some pleasant conversations and interactions. In fact, Jae-kyung posts a message praising Hong-jo’s work ethic on the company’s message board to show his appreciation for her work. Given the rest of her coworkers’ flippancy toward Hong-jo, Jae-kyung’s singular compliment becomes a big deal for the civil servant, who finds immense happiness through it.
Therefore, when Jae-kyung presents Hong-jo with a shirt he buys to replace the one ruined during their first meeting, the latter fails to maintain a handle on her emotions and blurts out her feelings to him at a diner’s parking lot. Even though Hong-jo is horrified at the confession, she believes Jae-kyung’s actions have been hinting toward him reciprocating her feelings. Consequently, when it turns out Jae-kyung only sees her as a friend, it tugs on Hong-jo’s spirits.
The next morning, Hong-jo finds out that someone caught her faux pas on camera and posted pictures of the same online. Hong-jo is already having a hard time at the office, and this instance only adds salt to her public humiliation wound. As a result, when Hong-jo comes into possession of some fresh goat milk and other organic food the following night, she decides to perform the spell despite its moral implications.
Under the full moon, Hong-jo dones ceremonial robes and cooks up a concoction of ingredients before burning the love spell page into the mixture. In the end, Hong-jo succeeds in performing a spell and acquires a love potion for Jae-kyung in return. Simultaneously, Shin-yu suffers from another attack caused by his condition, resulting in a harmless car crash. The two protagonists end the episode in drastically different places, but their paths can only intertwine further from here.
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