Ngao Phrai

Sakya (Sornram Teppitak) returns to Thailand after receiving news of the death of his biological grandfather, Commander Luang Sinadchonlayut, who left him the Sinadchonlayut estate and a portion of his wealth. His cousin, Nitsara (Aphisara Chaweewong), also inherits some assets, while 1 million baht is bequeathed to Lop (Kittisak Cheewasatjasakul), a dear friend and benefactor whom they have yet to locate. Luang Sinad's will also explicitly instructs Sakya to take all the mystical talismans kept in the backyard hut and sink them at the estuary. However, when Ta Jon (Krailas Kriangkrai), the caretaker, takes Sakya to dispose of the items as ordered, Sakya secretly holds back a porcelain jar. He notices smoke billowing from it before vanishing into thin air. Later, Sakya tries to sell the jar to his old high school friend, Ratchat (Kiatkamol Lata), but Ratchat declines after noticing a crack in it. It is there that Sakya meets Pimpatra (Jacqueline Muench), Ratchat’s girlfriend, and instantly falls for her.
Taking the porcelain jar home, Sakya sees bizarre, worm-like entities swimming inside. Terrified, he throws the jar, shattering it to pieces. One night, he dreams of his grandfather scolding him for not sinking the glass receptacle into the water. Feeling that the house is haunted, he consults Ratchat about selling it. Ratchat, feeling it's a waste, offers to rent the house to use as an office for his home decoration company. Sakya immediately agrees. That night, Sakya encounters a Prai (a demonic spirit). The spirit tells him it can grant his every desire. Sakya tests it and actually gets what he wants, but he keeps the entity a secret.
Later, Sakya meets Rain, also known as Wassa (Rasri Balenciaga), Ratchat's assistant. Sakya has the Prai help him track down the descendants of his grandfather’s friend to hand over the inheritance, discovering that Rain is actually Lop's descendant. Lop had no other family except for his younger brother, Ta Lert (Chumporn Theppitak), who is Rain’s biological grandfather. One evening, while Rain is overseeing the office decorations, she encounters a creature with the body of a child but the face of an old man. It tricks her into trying to hang herself from a large tree. Fortunately, Sakya arrives in time to save her. When Ta Jon finds out, he is furious and reprimands Sakya for failing to dispose of the cursed objects. He urges Sakya to sell the house and return to New Zealand for his own safety. Sakya dismisses the old man as crazy and attempts to tear down the spirit house, ignoring Ta Jon's pleas. Later, the local guardian spirit warns Ta Jon to leave the house immediately because it can no longer protect him. Ultimately, Ta Jon fails to escape the deadly clutches of the Prai.
Afterward, Sakya uses the Prai to achieve massive success and wealth in his career. The Prai later attempts to take Ratchat's life, but Sakya intervenes to save his friend. Instead, the Prai claims the life of Wai, a young servant at Ratchat's house. At Wai’s cremation ceremony, Sakya suddenly feels a burning sensation as if engulfed in flames, develops a high fever, and loses consciousness. When he wakes up, he finds Pim nursing him, causing him to fall deeply in love with her. Their relationship rapidly develops in secret, completely hidden from Ratchat and Rain. One day, Khaemthong, Wai’s girlfriend, overhears Sakya talking to the Prai. Already suspicious of him, she reports to Ratchat that Sakya talks to himself, but Ratchat dismisses it. Sakya wants to eliminate Khaemthong, but she manages to avoid him. Furthermore, Ratchat's mother sends Khaemthong to work at her bakery, completely removing her from Sakya's reach.
The Prai advises Sakya on stock market investments, quietly and rapidly multiplying his wealth without anyone knowing. Meanwhile, Sakya takes Ta Lert to visit his grandfather's house. Ta Lert shares a story about the grandfather's friend, Aon, who foolishly took a skull from a banana grove. When Aon tried to return it, he couldn't find his way out and starved to death—acting as a substitute for the violent ghost that owned the skull. After the police failed to determine the cause of death, Sakya's grandfather burned the entire banana grove to the ground. Ta Lert notices the spirit house is missing and points out that Luang Sinad's portrait looks unusually sorrowful. Sakya gives his grandfather’s walking cane to Ta Lert and provides Rain and her grandfather with a temporary detached house while they look for a new home, as Ta Lert refuses to stay in the Sinad estate due to an inexplicable, oppressive heat.
Ratchat's business faces mounting obstacles, and his father is suddenly hospitalized. Conversely, Sakya thrives because the Prai constantly whispers advice to him. The demon advises Sakya to continue investing in stocks and to buy out Ratchat’s real estate business under the name "SY Real Estate." Ratchat has no idea that Sakya is the owner of SY until Sakya boldly announces it in Ratchat's own office. Sakya gloats and offers to hire Ratchat and Rain as employees in the company that once belonged to Ratchat's parents. Deeply hurt and offended, Ratchat rejects the offer. Sakya feigns generosity by allowing Ratchat to continue using the Sinad house as an office rent-free, but Rain and Ratchat no longer want to stay there and begin looking for a new location.
Pim breaks up with Ratchat, citing his lack of time for her. Rain knows Pim is now dating Sakya but doesn't dare tell her boss. Khaemthong moves to work at Rain's new office after Ratchat's mother's business goes under. Ta Lert occasionally visits the office to help out and feels something is amiss, especially after hearing Khaemthong's strange stories. Sakya and Pim's relationship becomes serious, and she is known as his bride-to-be. Having granted Sakya everything he asked for, the Prai returns to collect the woman it had demanded in exchange. Sakya tricks Khaemthong, murders her, and disposes of her body in a black garbage bag. When summoned by the police for questioning, Sakya asks the Prai to hide the bloodstains in the warehouse where the murder took place. The Prai suggests burning the warehouse down to destroy all evidence—which means burning the entire house. Regretful but desperate to avoid complications, Sakya agrees. The police are left with no clues to find the real killer.
Ratchat moves his office to a small townhouse and promotes Rain to business partner, bringing them closer together. Later, Sakya marries Pim. Upon hearing the news, Pilai (Penpak Sirikul), Sakya’s mother, calls to scold him for marrying without telling her. Sakya makes the excuse that he didn't want her to close her shop and that the bride’s family covered all expenses. However, Maenroek (Phanudeth Wattanasuchart), Sakya's stepfather, suspects something fishy and convinces Pilai to travel to Thailand. Meanwhile, Ta Lert and Rain move into their new home. Ta Lert befriends the neighbors and hires Kasem and his wife to help look after the house. They hit it off, and Ta Lert discovers Kasem is Ta Jon’s son. Hearing the truth about Ta Jon from Kasem makes Ta Lert even more suspicious, though he keeps it from Rain. One night, Ta Jon's ghost appears to Ratchat, Rain, and Ta Lert, warning them to flee as far away as possible. Both Ta Lert and Rain refuse to leave, so Ratchat volunteers to move in to protect them. One day, Ta Lert is nearly hit by a speeding pickup truck but survives by using Luang Sinad's cane to brace himself. He realizes the evil demon is targeting him next.
Maenroek and Pilai arrive in Thailand. Maenroek visits his daughter—who turns out to be Rain! He manipulates Pilai into asking Sakya for a house, claiming they want to sell their restaurant abroad and move back to Thailand permanently. Seeing through the ploy, Sakya refuses. One day, Maenroek asks Rain to drop him off at the house, where they run into Sakya and Pilai. Sakya and Rain finally realize that Sakya’s stepfather is Rain’s biological father. Over the course of a month, Maenroek squanders a massive amount of his stepson’s money. Furious, Sakya vents to the Prai, wishing Maenroek would go to hell. The Prai obliges, drowning Maenroek. One night, the Prai appears in Sakya’s dream, demanding he destroy Ta Lert's cane as a toll. Sakya manages to steal a cane and burn it, unaware that Ta Lert had kept Luang Sinad's real cane safe and Sakya had only burned Ta Lert's ordinary walking stick.
When Ratchat contacts Pim, Sakya is consumed by jealousy, leading to a massive fight. Pim runs away from home. Sakya orders the Prai to track her down and, if she is with a lover, to kill them both. Will Pim survive the demon's wrath? What will be the ultimate fate of Sakya and the Prai?
Tune in to find out in the drama "Ngao Prai" (Shadow of the Demon), airing every Monday and Tuesday at 8:30 PM on Thai TV Color Channel 3. The first episode premieres on Tuesday, May 31.