Recap Korean Drama The Heavenly Idol 2023 Episode 1

Episode 1 of The Heavenly Idol starts with an introduction to “The Other World.” It is a fantasy world where magic and mysterious beings live. In this world, there is Pontifex Lembrary who serves the divine powers of Lord Redrin and there is also The Evil one who comes from black magic. The Evil one was asleep for a long time but he will soon awaken.

We are introduced to Pontifex Lembrary who is praying for the new boys who have vowed to serve Lord Redrin. He comes off as a man who loves others and never looks down on anyone. The prayers are interrupted by a woman warrior, Redlin who takes Pontifex Lembrary to heal a boy possessed by black magic.

Redlin worries that many people have been possessed by black magic lately and it could be a sign that  The Evil One is about to return. Using his divine powers, ​Pontifex Lembrary heals the young boy. On their way back to the shrine, there is an earthquake and a volcanic explosion. Pontifex Lembrary and Redlin ride their horses to the site and find The Evil One making his grand return with his army.

A battle ensues and Pontifex Lembrary manages to lure The Evil One away from the battlefield and into a forest. Their fight is intense and there are a few instances that look like Pontifex Lembrary is about to lose. Pontifex Lembrary finally manages to gather his strength and when The Evil one is on the verge of dissipating, Pontifex Lembrary gets a headache and finds himself on earth.

He is shocked to see himself dressed in different clothes, wearing make up and being referred to as Woo Yeon-woo. Woo Yeon-woo is a member of a failed Idol group, Wild Animals and they are about to take to the stage and perform. This is their last chance and every member is doing their best to make sure they kill it on stage.

Pontifex Lembrary is still in shock and doesn’t understand what is happening. Their manager drags him to their backstage room and asks him to get it together. Everyone thinks that Yeon-woo is acting and trying to cause trouble. He is speaking as if he is in a historical drama and can’t seem to recognize his members or himself.  He keeps telling them he doesn’t remember anything and he is not Yeon-woo but they don’t have time to deal with his crisis.

His member, Jung-seo tries to calmly explain to him but Tae-in loses his temper with Yeon-woo. Their manager tries to talk to Yeon-woo and rushes the group to the stage. Once they take the stage, the other members start passionately performing but Yeon-woo remains standing still. His members try to ask him to dance and the manager does his best to signal to him.

Sadly, Pontifex Lembrary doesn’t know how to dance. In the middle of the performance, tired of being nagged, he shouts, “ I don’t know how to dance! ” Among the people watching the performance live is Kim Dal who is a big fan of Wild Animal. Her bias is Yeon-woo and she is really shocked by what happened.

After the performance, Yeon-woo members lose their patience and lash out at him for ruining their last chance of being idols. Their manager, Jong-woo deserts them and the executives of the show blacklist them. The CEO of their agency, Im Sun-ja calls them and asks them to come back to the agency.

In the meantime, Kim Dal secretly follows the group trying to find out what happened. She is spotted by a man who refers to her as an employee of MF entertainment. She quickly tells him that he has her confused with someone else and tries to hide in the parking lot. She watches as the boys drag and force Yeon-woo into the car and head to the agency. She decides to go home but she is still worried about why Yeon-woo messed up the live show.  She checks online and is more anguished after seeing Yeon-woo being heavily criticized on social media.

At the agency, Sun-ja rips a new one into Yeon-woo. Pontifex Lembrary explains that he was fighting with the  Evil One and was thrown into a bizarre world. Sun-ja and his members don’t understand what he is talking about and think he must be faking it or suddenly developed mental issues.  Sun-ja asks Yeon-woo if he is faking it but he denies it. Sun-ja is so shocked by his mannerism and asks Jung-seo to take him to the hospital.

At the hospital, Pontifex Lembrary opts to pray and ask Lord Redrin to help him escape the trial he is facing. Jung-seo books a doctor’s appointment for him and after various tests, the doctor confirms that there is nothing wrong with Yeon-woo.  While at the hospital, Yeon-woo checks if he still has his divine powers and is glad that they are intact. He even heals a boy with a fractured arm.

Jung-seo takes him to their dorm and Pontifex Lembrary is shocked by the state of the house and how the boys live. He refuses to share the room with his fellow members so they let him sleep on the balcony. Pontifex Lembrary decides to pray hoping to end his nightmare.

On the other hand, Sun-ja tries to get the group another chance but everyone in the industry has already turned their backs on them. She laments that the group is only taking away resources but not bringing in any money. She decides to call the boys for a meeting and tells them her decision to disband the group. The boys try to convince her otherwise and blame Yeon-woo for how things turned out.

As they discuss, a staff member rushes in and informs Sun-ja that there is a remixed video of Yeon-woo’s dramatic proclamation on stage. The video has since gone viral and is trending at number 1.

At home, Kim Dal sees the video and for a moment thinks the new album by the group is finally being recognized but, unfortunately, the buzz is about Yeon-woo’s mistake. She gets a call from her sister asking her to come back home. She asks if Kim Dal is doing fine after what happened to Yeon-woo.

We learn from a flashback that two years ago, Kim Dal used to work for MF Entertainment. An artist she was managing tried to commit suicide and she was blamed for it. Kim Dal also blames herself for what happened, this is why she quit her job.

After the news that Yeon-woo is trending, Sun-ja calls her team to a meeting and they strategize how to take full advantage of the moment. They decide to let Yeon-woo do an interview with a video creator, Makka known for saucy interviews.

Meanwhile, Pontifex Lembrary tries to figure out what happened to him. He uses his divine powers to find answers and briefly connects to the shrine.  His member, Cash interrupts him and they do a live show. Pontifex Lembrary is unaware of how a live show works so he thinks Cash is talking to himself. Kim Dal watches the live and learns Yeon-woo is not himself and will be doing an interview with Makka. She decides to go to the shooting for the interview.

She sneaks in and watches the interview where Yeon-woo speaks openly about the criticism he faced from his members after his mistake on the live show. He also says that he is not close to the members and their living conditions are deplorable. Jung-seo stops the interview to ask for those answers to be edited out.

At that moment, time freezes and Pontifex Lembrary senses the presence of the Evil One. It turns out that the Evil One has also come to earth. After time unfreezes, Pontifex Lembrary sees on the news that there was volcanic activity detected. He decides that this is not the time to be a member of a boy band. He rushes out of the building and heads to the broadcasting station.

He is denied entry and as he argues with the guard, he sees a man and senses the Evil One again. He watches the man and sees that he is wearing a ring and the people around him have red eyes. Unfortunately, he is unable to see the man’s face.

Kim Dal arrives at that moment and explains to him that he can’t go inside the building without a pass. Pontifex Lembrary asks for her help getting in but Kim Dal realizes that something is off. He is not Yeon-woo and asks where the real Yeon-woo is.

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The Episode Review

This was a fun episode and a great introduction to the show and its characters. I can’t help but feel sorry for Pontifex Lembrary. He is in a new world with no idea how it works and to make matters worse, he is an idol group member. At this point, he will have to learn how to dance and make this work until he finds a way to go back home.

The appearance of the Evil One in this world is a good reason for him to remain and rescue the humans from him. I am curious about what the Evil One is planning and if Pontifex Lembrary will be able to fight him in this world.  It is bound to be exciting and I can’t wait. Lastly, where is the real Yeon-woo?