Dear Hongrang – K-drama Episode 8 Recap & Review
Episode 8
Episode 8 of Dear Hongrang begins with Jae-yi heading to confront Hong-rang. But she recalls their conversation on his birthday. He had been quite sad that he never had anyone. She wonders who he is.
Instead, she pleads with Yeol-guk to let her go with Mu-jin and live a normal life. She gets his approval and an angry Hong-rang confronts Mu-jin for taking her away. Mu-jin threatens him by mentioning his slave name, Rodent Scrap. However, Mu-jin promises to keep it a secret as long as Jae-yi leaves with him.
His aide still doesn't understand why he doesn't expose Hong-rang and take back the guild. Mu-jin explains that Jae-yi kept him going when life got hard. He cannot lose her. He also owes Hong-rang for saving his life.
As for Jae-yi, she confides in one of the sleuths about Hong-rang. She also reveals that she was relieved to learn they are not related, even though it means the real Hong-rang is still lost. She cannot forgive herself and that is why she needs to leave.
Onto the guild politics, the merchants gossip that Yeol-guk has lost all power as Yeon-ui elects Hong-rang as guildmaster.
The Grand Prince suddenly shows up and marvels at how perfect Hong-rang looks. It seems that he wants Hong-rang but Yeol-guk warns him. Yeol-guk also warns him of a royal investigation into the missing kids and the Snow Man, courtesy of the Songs. The Grand Prince decides to paint to restore the yin and yang balance and enlists Yeol-guk's help. The prince also recalls how he had created a yin-yang masterpiece long ago which was lost.
It cuts to Hong-rang getting a copy of the test results on Song Su-nam. His skin is burnt and has traces of limestone, alum and arsenic. The assassins search for the source of the toxic powders and it leads them to the caves where the Painter's kids were kept. Flashbacks show a young In-hoe and Hong-rang being bathed in toxic substances to turn their skin pale. The Painter then tattoos their bodies in the cave.
Meanwhile, Mu-jin gifts Jae-yi two Java sparrows. The birds mate for life and he hopes they can similarly be each other's lifelines. She agrees and Hong-rang sadly watches them.
Surprisingly, Bang-suk spins a tale to Yeol-guk that Hong-rang is fake. Some of his lies are unwittingly true, such as Hong-rang working with assassins to take over the guild. Bang-suk adds that Hong-rang plans to pin the Snow Man and Su-nam's kidnapping on Yeol-guk. As proof, Bang-suk takes him to an abandoned Min kiln where the kid was burned. Bang-suk found it from the traces on Su-man's clothes.
Seeing how close he is to the truth, Yeol-guk has the Snow Man kill Bang-suk. Turns out, Yeol-guk is in cahoots with the Evil Painter and the Snow Man. He rushes to their hideout, where Du-ryeong is painting with his left hand. Yeol-guk rebukes him for being careless with the kiln. However, Du-ryeong scoffs and claims to be invaluable.
Meanwhile, Hong-rang tracks one of the Painter's men and tortures him. The man takes him to the hideout and Hong-rang kills him. A fight ensues between Hong-rang's assassins and the Painter's men. Yeol-guk is gone by the time Hong-rang fights the Snow Man. The Snow Man is not a ghost but a really tall and pale man. His body is full of tattoos and he is one of the Painter's human canvases. Hong-rang's clothes are torn and Yeol-guk's aide spots tattoos on his back.
As more assassins arrive, the Snow Man runs off. Hong-rang finds Du-ryeong (killed by Yeol-guk). A flashback shows Hong-rang stabbing the Evil Painter on the left side of his chest. But Du-ryeong has no scar. He is not the Evil Painter but a minion who handles the kids.
A disappointed Hong-rang heads home and the cook pleads with him to patch up with Jae-yi before she departs. The next morning, he confesses everything to Jae-yi, about his enslaved past and torture. In return, she confesses that she is in love with him. He begs her not to go with Mu-jin.
Meanwhile, the aide tells Yeol-guk that Hong-rang is an impostor. Yeol-guk would have never allowed the real Hong-rang to be tattooed by the Painter. But both Hong-rang and Jae-yi are missing. Mu-jin sees that the birds are set free. There is a note and he looks angry. At the end of Dear Hongrang Episode 8, Jae-yi and Hong-rang run off on horseback.
The Episode Review
Dear Hongrang Episode 8 answers most of our burning questions, resolves the big Painter mystery and gets ready for the showdown between Hong-rang and the bad guys. Now that the K-drama is in the final stretch, there is no time left to waste, forcing all the characters to reveal their cards. Hong-rang's identity is out in the open, Mu-jin is very likely going to turn to the dark side and Yeol-guk's evil connection is revealed.
Bang-suk spinning his tale, unknowingly guessing the truth was pretty hilarious. But it is strange that all these characters just happen upon the truth at the right time. How is it that Hong-rang suddenly finds the cave and one of the henchmen? How is Bang-suk the only one to find the kiln? Why does Jae-yi take 12 years to find the real Hong-rang's satchel when it was hidden in plain sight? It all is a bit too convenient and has been happening way too frequently for viewers to constantly suspend belief.
By the way, Yeon-ui seems to have taken a backseat which is quite a shame as she has the potential to wreak even more havoc. Unfortunately, it looks like she is going to have to relinquish her spotlight to Yeol-guk and the Evil Painter. Who, by the way, is very likely the Grand Prince. It did seem odd that his demand in the previous episode went unanswered. Seeing the way he fawns over Hong-rang, he most likely wanted him as a canvas in exchange for saving Mu-jin. And like the toxic dad he is, Yeol-guk chose his 'biological' son over his adopted one.
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