When the Stars Gossip- Episodes 9-10

A Daring Rescue, Space Secrets, and a Messy Homecoming

Episode 9 of When the Stars Gossip takes us on yet another rollercoaster ride of survival, love, and scandal—both in space and back on Earth. From a high-stakes rescue mission to shocking revelations, this episode delivers tension, humor, and romance in equal measure. Let’s break it all down!

Lost in Space: Ryong and Eve’s Fight for Survival

We pick up with confirmation that Eve and Ryong have been stranded for 40 hours. The space station is set to pass over Seoul, but thanks to power failures, it won’t be visible to the naked eye. Meanwhile, Chairman Jae-ryong is thrilled when he receives a signal from the freezer, confirming that the fertilized embryo has developed into a 16-cell morula. He rushes to the lab to see the images for himself—now all that’s left is bringing it back to Earth. Easier said than done when Ryong and Eve are still trapped in orbit.

Back at Mission Control, tensions run high as Go-eun furiously confronts Dong-a for leaving Ryong behind. She demands answers and insists on speaking to someone higher up. Enter Tae-hui, who finds herself getting chewed out for the serious breach in protocol—after all, the tourist was supposed to be the first one evacuated.

Meanwhile, the returning astronauts are dealing with their own struggles. While they’re being taken back to Korea, they struggle to adjust to Earth’s gravity, feeling dizzy but otherwise in stable condition. However, the guilt of leaving Ryong behind still looms over them.

Back in space, things are getting desperate. Ryong and Eve only have 13% oxygen left, and the rescue ship still hasn’t launched. Given the time it takes to reach them, they’d be long gone before help arrives. The team on the ground hatches a risky plan: launch the rescue rocket at the exact right moment when the space station passes over the country. If it works, they could reduce the travel time from seven days to just one. The downside? The G-force would be insane, the shuttle would be moving at breakneck speed, and manual docking would be required. Oh, and they just lost one of their robotic arms en route. No big deal, right?

A Space Rescue and a… Scandal?

While this life-or-death scenario unfolds in space, we take a brief detour for some comic relief as Ryong’s moms almost set their kitchen on fire. Instead of putting it out correctly, they decide to throw water on a grease fire. Absolute chaos. Thankfully, Go-eun arrives just in time to save them—though not without getting burned in the process.

Meanwhile, Dong-a is chosen to lead the mission to retrieve Eve and Ryong. Before leaving, he has a dramatic heart-to-heart with Tae-hui, confessing his love for Eve and claiming his past constant cheating (including kissing Tae-hui in Eve’s apartment!) was a mistake. A mistake, Dong-a? Seriously?

As the rescue mission kicks into high gear, all of Mission Control holds its breath. Against all odds, Dong-a manages to dock the shuttle and finds Eve and Ryong alive. But there’s a catch—when he opens the insulated tent, he finds them naked and wrapped up together. Oh, and because why not add more chaos, the entire moment is broadcast live back on Earth.

Cue collective gasps.

Despite the extreme cold in the station, Dong-a manages to drag the two onto the shuttle, dress them in space suits, and get them the oxygen they desperately need. However, the mission isn’t over yet. As the Maru begins its descent, the control system malfunctions, the rocket burns up on reentry, and the parachute barely deploys in time. After a harrowing landing in the ocean, communication is lost again.

But, of course, all three survive. Because we still have plenty of drama left to unpack!

The Aftermath: A Hero’s Welcome or a Nightmare?

Episode 10 brings us back down to Earth, where Ryong and Eve are reunited with their friends, family, and an army of reporters. While Dong-a lays it on thick, proclaiming his undying love for Eve (ugh), Ryong finds himself trapped as Go-eun publicly reaffirms their marriage. Awkward.

Flashbacks reveal that Ryong actually took the missing lottery ticket after finding it in the vents. Meanwhile, in the hospital at Mission Control, Dong-a helps Ryong to the bathroom—only to threaten him in private, warning him to stay away from Eve. Classic insecure ex move.

Jae-ryong soon arrives, and in a hilariously gross scene, Ryong hands over the morula hidden inside his sock, disguising it as vomit. Mission accomplished. However, Go-eun isn’t letting Ryong off easy. She confronts him about what happened with Eve, and while he doesn’t explicitly admit to sleeping with her, he tells Go-eun she’s wasting her time with him.

Go-eun loses it, calling him a coward for refusing to admit his feelings for Eve and intentionally leaving out the truth about their relationship. She storms off in tears—right into the path of Kang-su, who immediately realizes what must have happened.

Secrets, Regrets, and an Uncertain Future

Meanwhile, Tae-hui starts digging into what Ryong was doing on the space station and questions Eve about it. She also notices that there were no one-hour oxygen tanks available, leading to more suspicions. However, Eve doesn’t reveal anything, though she can’t help but smile when Ryong leaves her a cute note with her dinner.

Then comes Dong-a’s big moment of desperation. He drops to his knees in front of Eve, gives an Oscar-worthy speech about how sorry he is, and begs her to cut him some slack. Eve, understandably, is not impressed.

Later, Ryong and Eve are placed in a pressurized chamber to stabilize their oxygen levels, but peace is short-lived when Kang-su storms in and punches Ryong in the face. Let’s be honest, Ryong kinda had this coming. Eve doesn’t even try to defend him, basically saying, Yeah, you deserved that.

Is This the End for Ryong and Eve?

Amidst all this, investigations into why Ryong wasn’t on the original rescue shuttle continue, and unfortunately, his phone—which contains an unsent message about his embryo experiments—is still on the space station.

Elsewhere, Mina somehow gets the missing lottery ticket and passes it to Tae-hui. Meanwhile, the gang gathers for Dong-a’s painfully awkward birthday celebration, featuring a guilt-trippy video of him crying about how much he loves Eve.

Seeing this throws Ryong into a spiral. He starts questioning his place in Eve’s life, remembering their time in space. Just as he’s reeling, Eve rolls into his hospital room and suggests they go eat hot noodles together, fulfilling their promise. But then comes the heartbreak:

Eve tells Ryong they should just pretend it never happened. That their time together was like a good dream. She insists they have good partners waiting for them and that they shouldn’t hurt the people who have been waiting for them.

So… is this the end of Ryong and Eve’s romance?

DramaZen's Opinion

My Heart Can’t Take This!

Okay, this was a lot. The rescue mission had me screaming, the live broadcast of naked Ryong and Eve killed me, and Go-eun’s breakdown broke me. And Eve, girl, why are you lying to yourself about your feelings?! 😭

Ryong and Eve’s romance is so messy, and I love it. The angst, the tension, the misunderstandings—it’s peak K-drama perfection. But now we’re at a crossroads, and I need to know: will they fight for each other or let expectations pull them apart?

This show owns me. 10/10, I’m stressed and obsessed. 🚀💔