Evocative, provocative, poetic, unforgettable. Daebak! Sell Your Haunted House is a tale of modern day urban fantasy featuring themes of the occult and spiritual healing that had captivated me from start to finish. Watching this drama has been an unexpectedly enthralling and almost surreal experience. From the ingenuity of the plot and characters, innovative approach to the storytelling, quality of the technical execution, compelling portrayals, expertly-engineered CGI, and finally to the beautiful music compositions, all the necessary ingredients for a well crafted production are present in abundance.

I see much resemblance to Hotel Del Luna and the US series The Ghost Whisperer, where the similarities lie in the following aspects:

- A premise that’s based on assisting wandering spirits or lost souls (referred therein as ghosts), comprising mainly the malevolent as well as some clueless types, to “crossover to the other side” via supernatural means. A shamanistic approach is adopted for this show, although the practice is completely different from what I’ve seen in The Cursed, Dark Hole and others.

- The crossover process is led by a captivating FL character who is dauntless and resolute in the face of emotional adversity as she struggles to break free from the shadows of a much troubled past.

- The FL is ably assisted by a likeable and endearing ML who, in the grander scheme of things, provide balance not only to the partnership but also the spiritual zen for the both of them. It also helps immensely that their interactions give rise to such charming chemistry.

This drama showcases a unique process for clearing out ghosts from haunted buildings. Creative, innovative, distinctive and incredibly dramatic. The tools of the trade include a prodigious amount of salt, an antique brass incense holder (the incense being the key item along with the name of the dead), a “force field” gun (which looks conspicuously like a nail gun), a hairpin dagger, a protective amulet and a (un)willing psychic. The final step in the process is the exorcism itself.

The drama starts off being a case-by-case procedural that runs between a single to two episodes. There is an underlying plot concerning both the FL and the ML’s enigmatically intertwined past that manifests into the convoluted turn of events in the present day. As the story develops, the cases become unrelentingly darker while the main mystery slowly unravels via a series of wicked twists that culminates in the shocking truth of how the leads are connected to each other.

Joining our dynamic duo in their day jobs (actually they operate at night) as well as the search for the truth are the endearingly supportive secretary of the FL, and the ML’s sidekick. Both characters contribute some of the more lighthearted and comedic as well as the heartwarming moments in the show.

As far as the portrayals are concerned, this drama was made for Jang Na Ra in the lead role of the shaman, Hong Ji Ah. While initially projecting a mostly stoic and tough exterior coupled with a heart of stone, her character eventually becomes more compassionate and sympathetic. We get to witness her icy cold disposition gradually thaw to reveal a deeply vulnerable, fragile and emotionally scarred human being. There are more than a few notable scenes where Jang Na Ra shows us her impressive range, especially that powerful and heart-wrenching scene in episode 14. She truly deserves recognition for her efforts in those scenes.

In his first drama since being discharged from military service, CNBLUE’s frontman Jung Yong Hwa plays the ML Oh In Beom. His charisma makes him the perfect choice for the role of a conman who scams the unsuspecting and gullible with cleverly made-up paranormal sightings under the guise of “academic research”, which he injects with absolute fun and glee. He makes it effortless for viewers to be captivated by the quality of his portrayal that comes with a refreshing blend of levity and maturity.

Among the supporting cast, I truly appreciated the performances by Kang Mal Geum and Baek Eun Hye who play Joo Hwa Jung and Hong Mi Jin respectively. The former has a few notable emotionally-charged scenes as well as quieter poignant moments together with Jang Na Ra particularly towards the final third of the drama. The latter, on the other hand, demonstrates remarkable versatility despite her limited screen time. She delivers two markedly different portrayals of the same character, one of whom does not even have any dialogue. I think generally the women outperform the men in this drama.

The entire soundtrack is absolutely amazing. There are a total of 10 songs, with each having its own instrumental versions. My personal favourite is of course the main theme performed by Jung Yong Hwa, I Got Ya, which gives me somewhat of an 80s vibe. Jang Na Ra’s sweet vocals can be heard in the pop number DAYDREAM while NIA gives us an emotive rendition of her beautiful love ballad, Only One. Here’s the complete list:

1. Jung Yong Hwa – I Got Ya
2. Shin Minjung – Don’t Ask
3. Jang Joonghyuk – Don’t Cry
4. Jang Nara – DAYDREAM
5. NIA – Only One
6. Jung Yi Han (The Nuts) – Someday
7. Damu – In Dream
8. Want – Home
9. Amin – If i could
10. Ju Ihyun – Again

Truth be told, Sell Your Haunted House utterly caught me by surprise. Among all the K-dramas that I had been anticipating during the first half of this year, this drama wasn’t on my priority list. In fact, I did not even have such high expectations for this one. But I’m glad that it proved me wrong and delivered a truly memorable viewing experience instead. Just in case you’re wondering, it’s not that scary (for me anyway) and it has an extremely satisfying closure. This was time well spent indeed.