The Haunted Palace – K-drama Episode 9 Recap & Review

The Review Geek

18-05-2025

Episode 9
Episode 9 of The Haunted Palace begins with a flashback. King Lee Sung is a princely teen and is witnessing his grandfather, Minister Kim Bong-in punishing Pung-san for illegal shamanic rituals. The shaman sees the 8-foot ghost follow the prince and warns Kim. However, Kim wants him to summon the ghost.
At present, Pung-san tells Kim how Yeo-ri is behind their recent failures and that she is protected by an Imugi. We also learn that on Kim's order, Pung-san helped the 8-foot ghost kill and devour Neop-deok.
The King tells Yeo-ri how Neop-deok helped his possessed father temporarily regain control. He has been in denial for too long and asks Yeo-ri's help in dealing with the ghost. She is still in shock by the truth of her grandmother's death.
Meanwhile, Gangcheori confesses to Bibi that he wanted to warn Neop-deok when the 8-foot ghost arrived in Yongdam Village. However, he was bitter about Yeo-ri rejecting him which is why he kept quiet. He now regrets it.
He runs into Yeo-ri and she confronts him. He lied to her as he didn't want her to go after the 8-foot ghost. Surprised by his concern, she starts crying. He is worried for her and enlists Bibi to babysit her. The younger Imugi agrees only so he can try and turn Yeo-ri against Gangcheori.
However, Yeo-ri cannot stop thinking about him. She confesses to Ok-im that she doesn't know how to feel, as she spent years hating Gangcheori for a murder he didn't commit. Ok-im teases her that she has fallen for the Imugi. Bibi overhears and is annoyed as he wants his brother to focus on ascending.
Onto the court politics, we learn that the previous king planned to implement anti-slavery reforms with Choi Won-u. King Lee Sung begs Choi to help fulfil his father's wishes and the former minister gives in.
The King confides in his grandfather about it and declares that he is making Choi the Left State Councillor. Minister Kim is clearly against it and claims it is a bad idea. However, the King is adamant and Kim pretends to acquiesce. As he leaves, he notes Gangcheori barging in to rant about Yeo-ri.
Alone, the Imugi berates the King for revealing the truth of Neop-deok's murder. The King points out that Yeo-ri figured it out. Gangcheori rambles and the King teases him that he cares for her. Gangcheori claims he simply doesn't know how to handle a crying woman and the King advises him to offer hugs and a listening ear.
At home, Gangcheori is awkward around Yeo-ri and both Bibi and Mrs. Yoon notice. Bibi tries to enact his scheme of separating them but Yeo-ri sees through it. Annoyed, he heads out to devour someone and notices the anti-Imugi talismans. He tells Gangcheori how all noblemen over age 60 have it.
Meanwhile, Minister Kim and Kwak meet and we learn they led a rebellion against the previous king to stop the anti-slave reforms. Kwak is obsessed with Yoon Gap and Kim hints that his weakness is Mrs. Yoon. Kim knows that Gangcheori cares for Yeo-ri and will try to rescue Mrs. Yoon for her sake. While he is busy, Kim's men will kidnap Yeo-ri.
As for Choi Won-u, Kim has Pung-san spin a tale to Queen Mother that the King will become invincible with Choi at his side. And then she won't be able to avenge Prince Yeong-in's death. Turns out, Choi is her uncle and she threatens him to stay away from the King. Afraid for his family, he gives in and rejects the King's offer via a note.
The next day is quite tumultuous. Mrs. Yoon is kidnapped. In-seon shows up with sweets to bid Gangcheori farewell and is rude to Yeo-ri. Yeo-ri gets jealous and ignores Gangcheori. He gets annoyed and pretends to indulge In-seon.
Right then, Minister Kim asks for Yeo-ri's optician services and she leaves. Assassins show up and try to kidnap her. Bibi hesitates but gives in and helps her run.
Back home, Gangcheori gets a note about Mrs. Yoon's kidnapping. He reasons that he would miss her cooking and decides to rescue her. In-seon tries to shoot her shot but he bluntly rejects her and calls her out for being rude to Yeo-ri.
Onto the rescue, Gangcheori is tired of Kwak's games and is about to introduce himself as the infamous Imugi. On seeing Mrs. Yoon crying for him, he stops and gets to rescuing her. However, Kwak's talisman weakens him and he is unable to call his wind power. Mrs. Yoon tries to help but Kwak knocks her out. Bibi shows up in his Imugi glory and Kwak runs off.
Unfortunately, the assassins catch up with Yeo-ri. The King is on his way back from trying to find Choi Won-u when he spots her. He jumps into the fray and saves her.
Yeo-ri comes home to find a beaten-up Gangcheori and Mrs. Yoon. She is flustered as he retrieves her lost optician kit and tries to nurse her injuries. Confused by his kindness, she lashes out. She should be worried about her grandma. Instead, she feels relieved that she doesn't have to feel guilty about liking him. He wipes her tears and kisses her at the end of The Haunted Palace Episode 9.
The Episode Review
The Haunted Palace Episode 9 is a strong start to the second half of the K-drama. Secrets are out, feelings are confessed and backstories are revealed. The comedy is still spot-on as Gangcheori would rather claim he saved Mrs. Yoon for her cooking instead of the fact that he has started liking her. The King and Ok-im teasing our couple is pretty hilarious as well. The build-up is been sweet and funny and it is about time Yeo-ri and Gangcheori confessed their feelings.
After binge-watching the historical K-drama, Dear Hongrang, The Haunted Palace feels like a breath of fresh air with its slower pace and longer duration. The 8-12 episode format truly is affecting epic stories by cramming in way too many subplots and plot twists for sensationalism. What used to be the usual style of 16 to 20 episodes, allowing a slow but steady plot development, has now become quite rare, and we wonder why.
The Haunted Palace is doing well (so far) because it has the time to flesh out characters, chart out different acts, and thoroughly unravel convoluted subplots. There are no plot holes or hasty conclusions or speedy showdowns.
OTTs are anyway ruining the TVsphere with short seasons, large time gaps between seasons, cancellations and oversaturation. Let K-dramas stay in their little bubble, with the standardised formula, meant for K-drama fans, please!
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