No Tail to Tell episode 1 premiered on Netflix by introducing the wicked nine-tailed fox Eun-ho and the soccer player Kang Si-yeol, whose fates appear to be intertwined.
In No Tail to Tell episode 1, titled An Inevitable Event, which premiered on January 16, Eun-ho chooses to remain a nine-tailed fox after witnessing how harsh human life can be. However, living in the human world also reveals her moral corruption, particularly in how she uses money and power. Meanwhile, Kang Si-yeol continues to pursue his dream of becoming a national soccer player, despite growing up under difficult circumstances. An unexpected accident eventually brings Eun-ho and Si-yeol together.
Also Read: No Tail to Tell Series Guide: Cast, Plot, Release Date & More
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Read at your own risk.
A Fox Who Rejects Humanity in No Tail to Tell Episode 1
No Tail to Tell episode 1 opens in the Joseon era, where Eun-ho lives as a nine-tailed fox. Like others of her kind, she hopes to cultivate virtue through good deeds and eventually become human. Her resolve wavers when her closest friend succeeds in doing just that and prepares to marry the man she loves.
However, on the day of the wedding, Eun-ho glimpses her friend’s future. She sees a life filled with hardship, pain, and endless suffering. That vision changes everything. From then on, Eun-ho views human lives as fragile and meaningless, and she abandons her desire to become human altogether.
The story then cuts to the present. Eun-ho stands unmoved as a man lies tied up, bleeding and close to death. She watches without flinching.
Eun-ho’s Power as a Nine-Tailed Fox
The narrative of No Tail to Tell episode 1 rewinds to nine years earlier. Hyeon Woo-seok appears to have it all: wealth, talent, and a promising future as a high school football player on the verge of joining the youth national team. However, his classmate Kang Si-yeol unexpectedly outshines him. Because Woo-seok’s family financially supports the school, the coach retaliates by punishing Si-yeol for threatening Woo-seok’s chances.
Soon after in No Tail To Tell episode 1, the truth about Si-yeol emerges. He lives in poverty with his sick grandmother and secretly works food delivery jobs to survive. To avoid scrutiny, he pretends to have a scholarship. When Woo-seok discovers the lie, the revelation leaves him shaken.
Meanwhile, Eun-ho has reinvented herself. She now grants wishes to the wealthy for an exorbitant price. Her latest client is Lee Yoon, the corrupt CEO of Geumsu Construction. He abuses his authority without restraint, even assaulting his driver and firing him over something as trivial as turning off the radio. Before Lee Yoon can bribe his way into securing a redevelopment project, Eun-ho steps in. She takes his money, rigs the vote in his favor, and formally accepts him as her client.
Still, Eun-ho operates under strict rules. She only grants wishes she approves. She avoids good deeds that might turn her human, and she refuses major misdeeds that could cost her powers. At this point, Eun-ho values control over conscience—and Episode 1 makes that unmistakably clear.
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Written in Fate
Next, Eun-ho wanders into a shopping district and compels a fashionable young woman to follow her around. As they browse, Eun-ho vents about the myths surrounding nine-tailed foxes. She insists she is the last of her kind and mocks the idea that fox spirits seek virtue. Instead, she openly admits that she has spent centuries using her powers to manipulate humans for amusement. When the girl bluntly remarks that Eun-ho has achieved nothing despite all that time, the comment strikes a nerve and leaves the fox visibly offended.
Meanwhile, in a nearby store, Woo-seok attempts to buy Si-yeol a new pair of shoes. Si-yeol bristles at the gesture and refuses to be treated like a charity case. He storms out, only to collide with Eun-ho moments later. The impact sends him crashing to the ground, injured by her superhuman strength. Even so, Si-yeol worries about Eun-ho first. She responds with her usual arrogance, while he apologizes without hesitation.
As Woo-seok and Si-yeol walk away, Eun-ho suddenly glimpses the future. She points to one of the boys and declares that he will become incredibly famous and wealthy. Immediately, she considers turning him into a future client, already eyeing his potential fortune. She dismisses the young woman beside her without a second thought.
However, the moment takes a turn when a supernatural figure appears and calls Eun-ho a beast. He introduces himself as Lord Pagun and delivers a warning from Heaven. According to him, Eun-ho has exploited loopholes for far too long, and the balance is finally tipping against her. Soon, she will be forced to choose between becoming human or facing annihilation. Unfazed, Eun-ho scoffs at the warning and walks away, refusing to take Heaven—or its messenger—seriously.
Si-yeol Saw Eun-ho’s Tail in No Tail to Tell Episode 1
Outside the shops, Woo-seok apologizes to Si-yeol, and the two make up by kicking a football around. As Eun-ho walks home, Si-yeol sends the ball flying too far and accidentally hits her. Woo-seok heads off, leaving Si-yeol to retrieve it. Instead of the ball, he finds an irritated Eun-ho waiting for him.
They immediately clash. Eun-ho talks down to him, while Si-yeol pushes back and declares that he will become famous someday. Unmoved, Eun-ho tells him the truth. According to the future she saw, Woo-seok—not Si-yeol—will achieve fame. Moreover, she insists that the future is fixed and cannot be changed.
Moments later, at a nearby crossing, a drunk CEO Lee Yoon slams his car into Woo-seok and speeds away. Si-yeol rushes to his friend’s side, desperate to help. When the police arrive, Si-yeol reports the hit-and-run and refuses to accept the scapegoat Lee offers in his place. Furious at the resistance, Lee contacts Eun-ho with another request. This time, he offers double her usual fee to erase Si-yeol’s memory of the accident.
Eun-ho visits Woo-seok’s hospital room and immediately recognizes Si-yeol. She smirks as she approaches him, ready to carry out the wish. However, as she attempts to alter his memories, she sees something impossible. The future has changed. Si-yeol’s fate has switched with Woo-seok’s—he is now destined to become the famous football player.
The shock overwhelms her. Eun-ho collapses in pain, and Si-yeol instinctively catches her. In that moment, her hidden tails are revealed in No Tail to Tell episode 1.
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Episode Review
No Tail to Tell episode 1 serves as an intriguing opening, even if it doesn’t push the plot very far. Instead, the episode spends its time establishing its central figure, and that choice largely works. Eun-ho is a deliberately difficult protagonist. She isn’t the witty, lovable anti-hero audiences usually forgive on sight.
In fact, there is little about her that feels redeemable at this stage. Still, the writing makes it clear that this is intentional. The groundwork is already there for the story to gradually peel back her layers and shape her into someone more complex, if not immediately likable.
The casting helps considerably. Hye-yoon brings her signature charm and screen presence, which prevents Eun-ho from becoming completely alienating. There is reason to be optimistic about how she will navigate Eun-ho’s emotional arc moving forward.
That said, the same confidence does not yet apply to Si-yeol’s character. At this point, he feels underwritten, with little narrative weight or clear personality beyond his circumstances.
Lomon has shown promise in action-heavy roles, where his strengths come through more clearly. This series may be his chance to break away from a run of forgettable rom-com performances—but for now, the show still needs to give him something substantial to work with.
Catch the next episode of No Tail to Tell on January 17 via Netflix. New episodes arrives every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM KST and 8:50 PM PHT.
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