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The Review Geek
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Dear Hongrang – K-drama Episode 9 Recap & Review
Episode 9 Episode 9 of Dear Hongrang begins with Yeol-guk believing that Hong-rang has taken Jae-yi hostage. Mu-jin claims to have proof of Hong-rang's fake identity. But in exchange, he wants to be reinstated as the guildmaster. He also wants Yeol-guk to disown him so he can marry Jae-yi. Yeol-guk agrees and sends him to capture Hong-rang. But Yeon-ui believes that Yeol-guk has framed her son. She orders Yuk-son to take all her guards to rescue Hong-rang and kill Jae-yi and Mu-jin. We even have Kkot-nim who orders Gyu-ha to use the distraction to find Yeol-guk's main patron. She is also colluding with the Deputy Leader and orders him to slow down Yeol-guk and Yeon-ui's men, find Hong-rang and kill Jae-yi. At the last command, In-hoe looks worried. Meanwhile, Hong-rang and Jae-yi camp for the night. He wonders if she regrets running away. She doesn't, as he showed her what love is. She believes she can survive anything with him. Their peace is interrupted as Mu-jin, Yeon-ui and Kkot-nim's men get close. Thankfully, Jae-yi and Hong-rang are able to escape as the three troops try to thwart each other. Mu-jin re-reads Jae-yi's farewell note which says that she has found her purpose with Hong-rang. She hopes Mu-jin can find his purpose apart from the guild. He wishes he could have told her that he doesn't want the guild but her. He secretly orders his aide to misguide Yeon-ui's men and the assassins so that he can get to Jae-yi before them. The couple's luck runs out when Jae-yi is identified when she heads into a town for supplies. She narrowly escapes but she is poisoned. Hong-rang hides her in a cave and nurses her. Once she recovers, he lures the troops away. He then confronts his assassins and promises to return and complete their mission after she is safe. They agree and he heads back. However, she is missing and he panics. She finds him, having gone searching for him. Relieved, they sleep together in the cave. But Hong-rang keeps his back tattoo covered throughout it. Yeol-guk is frustrated by the endless search and asks the Grand Prince for an army. The prince wants to punish Yeol-guk for his impudence but he has leverage. Turns out, Hong-rang's back tattoo is the Grand Prince's yin-yang masterpiece. In the woods, some travellers take mercy and point Hong-rang and Jae-yi to an abandoned house in the mountains. It is peaceful and they settle in. Jae-yi is playful and Hong-rang indulges her. That night, she cries for her brother and Hong-rang promises not to leave her. It cuts to a montage of them being cute and domestic. Hong-rang even finds a peddler and buys a hairpin for her. One day, he coughs and his vision blurs for a second. The scar on his neck is inflamed and he looks worried. Bad news follows as Mu-jin's aide finds the travellers. He forces them to drug Jae-yi and attempts to kidnap her. Hong-rang tries to stop him but he is too busy fighting Mu-jin's men. Yeon-ui's men attack and it is a bloodbath as they try to kill Jae-yi. The Grand Prince's royal guards arrive in full force and take the couple to the Sims. At the end of Dear Hongrang Episode 9, Yeol-guk demands a confession but Hong-rang just smirks. In retaliation, he tears Hong-rang's shirt which reveals his tattooed back. Both Yeon-ui and Jae-yi are horrified. Hong-rang is ashamed and tries to cover himself up. He believes that his torture makes him inhuman. The Episode Review Dear Hongrang Episode 9 is the calm before the storm as it focuses on the chase and allows the couple some happiness. And this chapter proves that Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah have the chemistry for a sweet romance as much as for the enemies-to-lovers bickering. Poor Mu-jin just didn't have a chance. Unfortunately, with only 2 episodes left, we doubt there will be any more romance as the show needs to pack in the Painter's diabolical schemes and his potential downfall. Let's not forget that the real Hong-rang is still missing and Kkot-nim is yet to enact her revenge on the Min Guild. We also have to talk about this chapter's ending which is most definitely the highlight. We get the big reveal which is not only the confirmation that the Grand Prince is the Evil Painter but also the artist behind Hong-rang's tattoo. It is beautiful and gruesome, in line with the Grand Prince's warped ideals about art. We also get a snippet of Hong-rang's thought process and why he keeps his tattoo a secret. Poor guy just cannot catch a break. And what was the coughing and hazy vision thing? Boy, we sure do hope it isn't anything bad… Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
The Review Geek
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Dear Hongrang – K-drama Episode 5 Recap & Review
Episode 5 Episode 5 of Dear Hongrang begins with Yeon-ui's assistant, Yuk-son, stabbing a pregnant Kkot-nim in the stomach. He claims that it is Yeol-guk's order. She survives but loses her child. She adopts Fake Hong-rang who is an orphan and has just escaped his captors. At present, she warns him not to be distracted by Jae-yi. Her plan is to kill the Sim kids and have Hong-rang take over the Min Guild. Hong-rang insists that they can use Jae-yi. Kkot-nim indulges him but orders her assassins to kill Jae-yi should she step out of line. Meanwhile, Mu-jin is upset with his aide for the kill order. He hates that he accidentally put Jae-yi's life in jeopardy. Coincidentally, she is thinking about Hong-rang's Soulless Reaper rumour and asks Mu-jin about it. He tells her how Hong-rang is an assassin but this just causes her to worry for him. She confesses that while she doesn't recognise Hong-rang as her brother, her heart seems to know him. This saddens Mu-jin as he vies for her heart. As for Hong-rang, he snoops around Jae-yi's secret cave and finds paintings of Little Hong-rang. The kid has a sachet and he recognises it. Jae-yi spots him and he tries to gaslight her into thinking his memories are returning. She wants to know of his assassin past to accept the new image of her brother but he deflects. But he has a plan as he asks the cook about the sachet. It is a protection amulet given by the family. Little Hong-rang lost his and he always wore Jae-yi's. A flashback shows Kkot-nim and Fake Hong-rang burying the sachet Yeol-guk had made for Kkot-nim's child. The Min Guild is in trouble as the patrons have lost their trust. Yeon-ui kills the Jin verifier and fakes a suicide note stating that the Sims did not know about the forgeries. The patrons feel guilty for doubting them and go back to the guild. In exchange for saving Yeol-guk's reputation, Yeon-ui wants Jae-yi to be wed. He is furious as he doesn't want Jae-yi to be used as a pawn. However, he knows not to rile Yeon-ui up. Instead, he focuses on Gyu-ha as he thinks he is up to no good. Meanwhile, Hong-rang finds the buried sachet. Since Jae-yi believes that only one sachet exists, she will believe that he is the real Hong-rang. He is about to give it to her when he sees her and Mu-jin act like lovers. He is jealous and confesses to Goldie, the pet dog, that he doesn't want to give the sachet yet. If he does, Jae-yi will see him as her brother. One night, Jae-yi asks about the Soulless Reaper at a gambling den. Everyone is too afraid to answer. Right then, she is kidnapped by Bang-suk who claims to have found the real Hong-rang. He wants revenge on Fake Hong-rang in exchange for the evidence. However, Jae-yi ends up tricking him as she confesses to Hong-rang that she doesn't want him hurt, even if he is an impostor. She has grown to care for him. The gamble pays off as Bang-suk had lied about the real Hong-rang. Soon, a fight ensues between Hong-rang and Bang-suk's thugs. Kkot-nim's assassins help take them down and then try to kill Jae-yi. Hong-rangs begs her to accept him and knows she will die if she doesn't. To seal the deal, he gives the Sim sachet and tells her about the Soulless Reaper. It is enough and she accepts that he is her brother. Relieved, In-hoe orders the assassins to back off. It cuts to a montage of Jae-yi doting on Hong-rang. Mu-jin is still suspicious but agrees to give the guild to him. Jae-yi takes Hong-rang to her secret picnic spot. Having realised his attraction to her, he keeps crossing the line by wiping her lips and licking sugar off her fingers. She is flustered and confused by his actions. Kkot-nim is furious; her vengeance against the Sims includes killing Jae-yi. She orders In-hoe to kill her regardless. He is troubled but Gyu-ha comes to his rescue. Jae-yi is being married into an unsavoury family. The man is Choi Ju-yeol. He does his best to impress Jae-yi, talking about art and Du-ryeong. He finally confesses that he knows what it is to lose someone, and she is more agreeable. Mu-jin wants to stop it but Yeol-guk claims it is a good marriage. Should the Chois violate the prenup, they lose their land to the Sims. But both Mu-jin and Hong-rang conduct separate investigations. Turns out, Ju-yeol is a cruel man. All 3 of his wives have mysteriously died or disappeared. Hong-rang finds the third wife, Lady Ko, whose face has been torn off. Right before the ceremony, Ju-yeol beats a servant and smiles. At the end of Dear Hongrang Episode 5, the wedding begins. The Episode Review Dear Hongrang Episode 5 introduces a third antagonist but Kkot-nim is even more complex than Yeon-ui and the Grand Prince, given that she is a victim. The emotional rollercoaster she sends Hong-rang and In-hoe on is exciting while also frustrating. A pretty cool observation is that while Yeon-ui is responsible for killing her unborn child, her revenge against Yeol-guk is still valid. This episode shows that in his passivity, Yeol-guk does more harm than good to those he cares about. Having been caught by his wife, he decides to stay with her rather than live a life of poverty with Kkot-nim. He cares for Jae-yi but not enough to stop Yeon-ui from hurting her or marrying her off without looking into Ju-yeol. And this is why Kkot-nim becomes the antagonist since her vengeance includes our heroine, poor Jae-yi, who already has it tough. Especially in this episode, with that whiplash she gets from Hong-rang flirting with her. To top it off, she is being married off to a monster. By the way, is Ju-yeol the same creepy painter, Du-ryeong? We are never clearly shown Du-ryeong's face, are we? The chapter also works as a great mid-season finale, as most of the initial mystery is resolved. Fake Hong-rang's identity is confirmed, Kkot-nim's revenge is explained, and so is Yeon-ui's master plan now that her 'son' is back. The second half of the K-drama is now free to address the mystery of Snow Man and Evil Painter, the real Hong-rang's whereabouts and Fake Hong-rang's final showdown with his captors. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
