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This review may contain spoilers
We All Need Someone to Listen to Us!
Life is about two things: connecting with your Self and connecting with others. In the end, you find that they are both the same thing. However, until you are able to connect with your Self, you will find that it is impossible to connect with anyone else.
Mystic Pop-Up Bar is a delightfully sweet series about Wol Ju, who is sentenced to resolve the grudges and grievances of 100,000 people to avoid eternal damnation. Yes, you just have to go with the Judeo-Christian spin on things. Responsible for committing suicide, destroying the Sacred Tree 500 years ago, and inadvertently causing the deaths of 100,000 people, she’s required to make amends. Chef Gwi, the bar's primary cook, serves with her. The bar pops up on various street corners, hoping to bring in customers who have grudges and grievances to be resolved.
Wol Ju is a somewhat temperamental woman, who finds her task to be tedious, especially among humans, whom she appears to have a great disdain for. However, we quickly learn that she cares much more than she lets on. She’s simply blinded by her own resentment and grudge from her lifetime 500 years ago, in which her mother was murdered, which caused her to commit suicide. She also harbors a grievance against the Crown Prince of that time period, a man she fell in love with, and who promised to protect her.
Chef Gwi is a lighthearted and kind man who endeavors to do all he can to help Wol Ju achieve her goal and avoid eternal torment. It’s fairly obvious that there is something between the two, but this doesn’t come out until the end of the series. We also find out that Chef Gwi is also a reaper who occasionally assists in the capture of evil spirits.
Finally, we have Han Gang Bae, a likeable but fairly naïve young man who works the customer service counter at a local supermarket. Whenever he touches someone, he compels the person to share their innermost thoughts and feelings in a completely truthful way. As soon as Wol Ju finds out about his abilities, she recruits him to help her find people who have grudges to settle. Wol Ju promises to help Gang Bae get rid of his ability in exchange for his services.
The episodes are beautiful as the trio begin to find and help people in dire need. The series reminded me of “Tomorrow” another wonderful K-Drama in which a trio helps others. There are a number of touching and heartfelt moments. People enter the bar, have a drink, along with some food, and find themselves disclosing what is troubling them most. It’s not nearly as superficial as someone walking into a bar, settling down for a drink, and then disclosing their problems to the local bartender, or perhaps someone wandering into a church to talk to a priest or minister for the same reason. In short, we realize that everyone needs someone to listen to us, and that is the focal point of this series, and why it is so thought-provoking and relatable.
We also come to realize that the real reason Wol Ju is so determined to make her goal is to stop the pain and suffering of her child, who was conceived by herself and the Crown Prince, and who was an unintended victim of Wol Ju’s suicide. It’s ironic how things always tend to come “full circle.” Wol Ju learns that Chef Gwi was the Crown Prince in their previous incarnation, and Gang Bae is actually their son. Families are never formed by accident.
This is a truly uplifting series that demonstrates that, no matter what “sins” we’ve committed, nothing is truly unforgivable. We must also remember that our thoughts, words, and deeds are like boomerangs and will come back upon us at some point. Such is the Law of Karma. Mystic Pop-Up Bar endeavors to show us that we should appreciate those who are in our lives, and not waste a single moment. Learn to love and appreciate all of them!
Mystic Pop-Up Bar is a delightfully sweet series about Wol Ju, who is sentenced to resolve the grudges and grievances of 100,000 people to avoid eternal damnation. Yes, you just have to go with the Judeo-Christian spin on things. Responsible for committing suicide, destroying the Sacred Tree 500 years ago, and inadvertently causing the deaths of 100,000 people, she’s required to make amends. Chef Gwi, the bar's primary cook, serves with her. The bar pops up on various street corners, hoping to bring in customers who have grudges and grievances to be resolved.
Wol Ju is a somewhat temperamental woman, who finds her task to be tedious, especially among humans, whom she appears to have a great disdain for. However, we quickly learn that she cares much more than she lets on. She’s simply blinded by her own resentment and grudge from her lifetime 500 years ago, in which her mother was murdered, which caused her to commit suicide. She also harbors a grievance against the Crown Prince of that time period, a man she fell in love with, and who promised to protect her.
Chef Gwi is a lighthearted and kind man who endeavors to do all he can to help Wol Ju achieve her goal and avoid eternal torment. It’s fairly obvious that there is something between the two, but this doesn’t come out until the end of the series. We also find out that Chef Gwi is also a reaper who occasionally assists in the capture of evil spirits.
Finally, we have Han Gang Bae, a likeable but fairly naïve young man who works the customer service counter at a local supermarket. Whenever he touches someone, he compels the person to share their innermost thoughts and feelings in a completely truthful way. As soon as Wol Ju finds out about his abilities, she recruits him to help her find people who have grudges to settle. Wol Ju promises to help Gang Bae get rid of his ability in exchange for his services.
The episodes are beautiful as the trio begin to find and help people in dire need. The series reminded me of “Tomorrow” another wonderful K-Drama in which a trio helps others. There are a number of touching and heartfelt moments. People enter the bar, have a drink, along with some food, and find themselves disclosing what is troubling them most. It’s not nearly as superficial as someone walking into a bar, settling down for a drink, and then disclosing their problems to the local bartender, or perhaps someone wandering into a church to talk to a priest or minister for the same reason. In short, we realize that everyone needs someone to listen to us, and that is the focal point of this series, and why it is so thought-provoking and relatable.
We also come to realize that the real reason Wol Ju is so determined to make her goal is to stop the pain and suffering of her child, who was conceived by herself and the Crown Prince, and who was an unintended victim of Wol Ju’s suicide. It’s ironic how things always tend to come “full circle.” Wol Ju learns that Chef Gwi was the Crown Prince in their previous incarnation, and Gang Bae is actually their son. Families are never formed by accident.
This is a truly uplifting series that demonstrates that, no matter what “sins” we’ve committed, nothing is truly unforgivable. We must also remember that our thoughts, words, and deeds are like boomerangs and will come back upon us at some point. Such is the Law of Karma. Mystic Pop-Up Bar endeavors to show us that we should appreciate those who are in our lives, and not waste a single moment. Learn to love and appreciate all of them!
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