12 timestamped notes explaining the Korean cultural context in this episode — customs, idioms, food, honorifics, and history, at the moment each appears on screen. These notes discuss events across the whole episode. To see them revealed scene-by-scene as you watch, use the episode page to find an airing.
In Korean folk belief, a branch from a peach tree is one of the most powerful tools for warding off ghosts and evil spirits. Shamans (무당, mudang) traditionally use it in exorcism rituals. The Grim Reaper's comment about getting smacked with one at a shaman's house is a self-deprecating nod to this very old superstition — peach wood is basically kryptonite for supernatural beings like him.
In Korean mythology, a 저승사자 (jeoseungsaja, messenger of the underworld) is not a neutral death angel — the role is understood as a punishment. The belief is that a person who committed a grave sin in their lifetime is condemned to escort souls to the afterlife, stripped of their own identity and memories. The Reaper's reminder that 'we are all sinners' reflects this traditional lore.
The crowd cries out to 칠성님 (Chilseong-nim, the Seven Stars deity linked to the Big Dipper and human fate) and 천지신명 (Cheonji sinmyeong, the divine spirits of heaven and earth). These are traditional Korean shamanistic and folk-religious invocations — ordinary people calling on every power in the cosmos for help, much like shouting 'Oh God!' covers all bases in English.
연초 (yeoncho) literally means 'the beginning of the year.' One of the Reapers grumbles that accidents and incidents spike at this time of year — a relatable Korean sentiment, since the Lunar New Year holiday season involves heavy travel, family stress, and late-night drinking, keeping emergency services very busy.
Goblin reads aloud what sounds like a gravestone inscription — praising the deceased as someone who was good in every moment of this life. Korean epitaphs (비문, bimun) typically emphasize moral character and virtue rather than career achievements. The solemn, formal phrasing here reflects classical Korean literary style, signalling deep personal respect from Goblin toward Chairman Yoo.
Eun-tak tells Kim Shin that living well — laughing, being brave — is 예의 (yeui), a word meaning courtesy or proper conduct. In Korean culture, 예의 governs how you treat others, but she's applying it to honoring the memory of someone who loved you. The idea is that falling apart would be disrespectful to the love Chairman Yoo gave; thriving is the correct repayment.
The letter instructs that when a man with the surname Kim (金) and the character '信' (faith/trust) in his name comes to claim his belongings, everything must be given to him. Leaving detailed instructions for a supernatural benefactor across generations is a trope rooted in real Korean aristocratic and merchant family tradition, where oral and written covenants with a patron — divine or human — were passed down as household duty.
Kim Do-young tells Woo-shik he was given the job, car, and house because he 'saved the country in a past life.' This is a stock Korean humorous phrase — 전생에 나라를 구했나 (jeongsaenge narareul guhessna, 'Did you save the nation in a past life?') — used when someone has extraordinary good luck. Here the drama plays it completely straight, because it turns out to be literally true.
Goblin casually name-drops Hwang Hui (황희, 1363–1452) and Maeng Sa-seong (맹사성, 1360–1438), two of the most celebrated Joseon-era statesmen, famous for their integrity and wisdom. Korean schoolchildren learn about them the way American kids learn about Benjamin Franklin. Goblin claiming he spotted their future greatness early is his very on-brand way of bragging about his 900-plus years of talent-scouting experience.
Sunny rattles off 노리개 (norigae — a decorative ornament worn on hanbok), 약과 (yakgwa — a honey-glazed traditional confection), and 버선 (beoseon — traditional Korean socks). These are the kinds of old-fashioned gifts a Joseon-era nobleman might bring a younger female relative. Sunny is gently teasing her 'brother' for showing up century after century with antiquated offerings, which tells us this reunion visit is not his first.
Deok-hwa reveals that Goblin visits a Buddhist temple once a year to light 등불 (deungbul, lanterns or candles) in memory of people he wronged. This is a real Korean Buddhist practice — lighting a candle or hanging a lotus lantern (연등, yeondeung) is an offering that guides and comforts the souls of the departed. Doing it privately, once a year, on a specific date, shows the depth of Goblin's quiet grief and guilt.
The word 곤마 (gonma) refers to a group of stones in 바둑 (baduk, the Korean name for the board game Go) that is surrounded and cannot escape — effectively dead. It is used here as a quiet metaphor: whoever is 'surrounded' in the current situation has no way out. Baduk carries rich strategic symbolism in Korean culture and is often invoked to describe inescapable life situations.