Have you, your family or friends heard about K-Pop Demon Hunters?

According to Vanity Fair, as of August 2025 it has become Netflix’s most watched film of all time with over 236 million views. For most people it’s a fun story about three K-Pop stars overcoming personal (and literal) demons to defeat an almighty demon king through the power of song and friendship.

For many others, K-Pop Demon Hunters has struck a chord (pun intended) as the movie also tells a deeply emotional tale of three young people with vastly different pasts and emotional scars coming together to find acceptance and healing. While Zoey and Mira each find their own forms of acceptance — through creativity and self-expression — Rumi’s journey is more complicated, revealing how denial and shame can keep us stuck.

Denial

While both Zoey and Mira found acceptance and healing by the time the song ‘Golden’ is released to the public by the group, the audience learns that Rumi has a perceived flaw that she is in denial of and hides from everyone except her foster mother Celine. Rumi has purple patterns that signify that she is part demon, and its alluded to that she has those because her father was a demon.

While the movie doesn’t explore too much into what this means or why it’s a bad thing, Rumi’s shame around the ‘patterns’ is communicated vaguely enough that the audience can self-ascribe any of their own perceived personal ‘flaws’ and empathise with Rumi. Anyone who has felt ‘othered’ immediately empathises with Rumi in flashbacks where her foster mother ‘Celine’ teaches Rumi the mantra ‘We are Hunters. Voices strong. Our faults and fears must never be seen.’ This outright denial of Rumi’s faults or ‘patterns’ weighs heavily on Rumi as she desperately wants to be open, honest, and accepted by her friends, but she hides her shame out of fear her friends would see her as a demon. They are demon hunters after all.

So Rumi is stuck, living with her ‘patterns’, lying to her friends, in denial and believing everything will be fixed if they release the perfect song ‘Golden’ and seal the Honmoon (a magical barrier that seals away demons). But right as they get ready to launch the new song, Rumi’s voice begins to fail. The ‘patterns’ grow, and she becomes distraught and further ashamed of herself.

Opening up

I won’t spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it, because it is genuinely a joyful and emotional ride. But for those who have seen it, they know that through Rumi learning to accept herself and her ‘patterns’ by being open and vulnerable with Jinu (love interest/antagonist/lead of the rival boyband Saja Boys) she regains her voice and the strength to save everyone in their darkest hour.

The healing journey for Rumi isn’t a straightforward one. She lies, she is betrayed, she loses herself completely, she comes back to herself. Healing through trauma is rarely a straightforward journey. Accepting the pain, the loss, the anger, and learning to tolerate the discomfort without completing shutting down or exploding takes time and patience from both us and those around us. 

However, denying our ‘patterns’ can often lead to a further fragmentation of the self, leading to further dysregulation and turmoil. By accepting what has happened to us without judgement, accepting the feelings as part of us, and overcoming this denial and choosing instead to acknowledge this part of ourselves, this is when the healing process can begin.

Acceptance

This switch from denial to acceptance is beautifully exemplified in the chorus of the final song ‘What it sounds like’:

We broke into a million pieces, and we can’t go back. But now I’m seeing all the beauty in the broken glass. The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony. My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like.

This acceptance that Rumi can never go back to how things were, but she can find beauty and meaning in the fragments of her life she has remaining. Just like in the Japanese art form of Kintsugi whereby items are fixed with gold, a person or thing isn’t amazing because its flawless, its imperfections and quirks are what make it part of a more interesting and complete whole.

By the end of the movie, Rumi still has her ‘patterns’ but she displays them honestly and in doing so they have changed and become more subtle. It’s unclear whether Rumi is entirely accepting of her patterns or if she is just at the start of her healing journey, but by starting to accept all parts of herself (perceived flaws and all) she regains her voice, saves the world, and has a deeper and more honest relationship with her friends, with who she can finally go to the bathhouse with.

Starting your own healing journey

If you’ve made it this far, I hope you take the chance to reflect on your ‘patterns’. I hope you find the self-compassion to accept them for what they are and as part of you. 

If you find the process difficult or distressing, psychologists trained in trauma recovery can help you identify your ‘patterns’ help you build your tolerance towards your discomfort. It all starts with acceptance that there is something that can be done about it. I hope that when you feel ready, you make the choice to start your healing journey.

If you feel like you’re ready to start your own healing journey you can click here to book an intake call with one of our friendly clinicians to start your journey.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Osborn is a registered psychologist passionate about helping young people and adults embrace their strengths, navigate challenges, and thrive through a collaborative, neuroaffirming approach.