Jealousy
Hotel Del Luna returns for episode 6, a well written dose of Korean drama that effortlessly weaves a jealous Man-Wol into the narrative and feels destined to end in tears at the end. After escorting a random ghost to the Hotel Del Luna, Chan Sung is cornered by Man-Wol, determined to eat out and have a delicious dish of webfoot octopus. Of course, this is simply an excuse to spend more time with Chan whom she grows jealous of thanks to finding out he has a girlfriend. However, when she learns that her favourite cook is in town, she charges off down the street to find him. After a fruitless search, she sits down to eat dinner with Chan, warning him not to grow too close with the ghosts incase they turn hostile. Upon hearing that the dangerous guest has escaped, the grim reaper warns the hotel staff that things could get messy. Unfortunately Man-Wol’s financial situation takes centre stage for now and in truth, it appears pretty bleak. Chan Sung suggests she sell some cars as a way of making money but instead, she tells Chan to charge half the asking price for the painting. The hotel then buzzes with excitement as a VVIP arrives – The King has come to the Hotel. Of course, as we know he’s actually an actor which causes some pretty amusing scenes to follow as the staff cater to his every beck and call. Man-Wol does eventually work out he’s an actor and she, along with Chan, get to work fulfilling the ghost’s wishes of performing a perfect scene for the camera. They head to the film shoot and the ghost possesses the man chosen to fill in for him. His complexion changes immediately and the scene is performed perfectly. Thanks to his glorious performance, Man-Wol decides to get paid for her services and kill two birds with one stone. While meeting back up with his girlfriend again, Chan spots the famous Kim Joon, the chef Man-Wol desperately want an autograph from, and gets him to write her a note (and snap a picture for evidence). Meanwhile, Man-Wol heads back to sit under the tree, deep in thought. As she reminisces of times gone by, we see the tree finally blossom as the flower sisters comment on its miraculous change. Chan later show her the autograph and she’s grateful, however as she stares at the artificial ocean her expression is tinged in poignant regret, telling him she’s sad that the ocean looks more beautiful than it did earlier. With elements of horror blended into the story, courtesy of some scenes that take a page right out of The Ring, Hotel Del Luna does well to set up its antagonistic conflict to come. Given Chan Sung has only really helped passive ghosts so far, it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the dangerous, escaped ghost who’s terrorizing her victims through the internet. The relationship between Man-Wol and Chan Sung continues to delight though and this week it’s all about Man-Wol’s rage and jealousy. Whether it be yesterday’s hump over Chan carrying the ghost or today’s episode with Sanchez telling her about Chan’s girlfriend, the episodes really do well to strengthen Man-Wol’s character whilst never losing sight of the humour in the process. It’s worth mentioning the soundtrack too which has been great all the way through this, injecting the series with some really nice K-Pop at the end of every episode. Quite where the story is likely to go remains to be seen but I’d imagine we may get something akin to a Romeo and Juliet tragedy at the end given what we’ve seen so far. With another agonizing week to wait for the next episode, Hotel Del Luna keeps the suspense high with another highly enjoyable slice of drama.
