Dear Hongrang- Episodes 1-2

Welcome to the twisted world of “Dear Hongrang,” where family loyalty gets tangled in lies, trauma, and maybe even a dash of the supernatural. Episode 1 sets the tone with mystery, high drama, and a burning question: Who really is Hong-rang?

The show opens in classic thriller fashion: a young boy, Hong-rang, sprints through the woods, terrified. He runs headlong into a towering, ghostly figure with long white hair. Just before everything goes dark, he calls out for his sister.

That single, desperate moment haunts the entire Sim family for the next 12 years.

We learn the Sims are art-world royalty, running the powerful Min Guild. When Hong-rang vanishes, his mother Min Yeon-ui turns to shamans, while his older half-sister, Jae-yi, risks everything—injuring herself and wandering the wilderness—trying to find him.

A flashback gives us a tender glimpse into their bond: a rooftop game of hide-and-seek. Jae-yi always finds him, and he always lights up.

But years later, things have changed. Yeon-ui is now strung out and unstable. Jae-yi is in disguise, hustling for cash to keep searching. Their father, Sim Yeol-guk, is snapping—beating up con men pretending to be Hong-rang. And rumors swirl that Jae-yi is some cursed witch who devours boys.

The drama escalates when the flaky but dangerous Grand Prince murders Yeol-guk’s hired men and demands free art in return for not killing more. Back at home, Jae-yi narrowly escapes a thug named Cho Bang-suk, rescued just in time by her adoptive brother Mu-jin—the loyal heir, the steady hand, and clearly in love with Jae-yi.

Meanwhile, Yeon-ui is trying to reclaim power. Cleaned up and more manipulative than ever, she hijacks Mu-jin and Yeol-guk’s political alliance and reclaims her throne as guild leader. Flashbacks reveal just how cruel she was to young Jae-yi, calling her cursed and unworthy—a concubine’s daughter marked by bad luck.

In the present, Mu-jin submits to Yeon-ui's dominance—literally letting her step on him to enter a palanquin—to protect Jae-yi from her wrath. His loyalty is heartbreaking. His plan? Play the long game, wait for Yeon-ui to crack, and take over.

Then, the game-changer: a bounty hunter claims he’s found Hong-rang. The man looks right, has the right scars, even matches Yeol-guk’s blood. But… he remembers nothing. Raised in a brothel, trained as a soldier, now an assassin—his past is a blank slate. Yeon-ui is convinced. Jae-yi isn’t buying it.

She grills him. He vaguely remembers having a sister, but that’s it. Still, he’s willing to walk away if he’s not the real deal. That honesty only deepens Yeon-ui’s belief—and Jae-yi’s suspicion.

Jae-yi’s gut tells her: this man is not Hong-rang. Her connection with her brother was deep—telepathic, almost. And it’s gone. But Yeon-ui lashes out, accusing her of jealousy.

The stranger makes himself at home, introduces his silent aide In-hoe, and plays the role of the prodigal son. He even pretends to recognize Jae-yi’s old dog, Goldie, just to mess with her. When she finds a birthmark matching Hong-rang’s, he dismisses it as a scar. Every new clue makes things messier.

Mu-jin confronts him—furious, protective, ready to fight. But the man smirks, hinting that he's already taken Mu-jin’s place in everything that matters.

The episode closes with a quiet, chilling scene. A servant tucks in a noble child… and then, the white-haired figure from the forest appears. The screen fades to black with a scream.

🩸 Dear Hongrang Episode 2 Recap: Ghosts, Guilt, and a Grim Reunion

Episode 2 of “Dear Hongrang” picks up the pace and turns up the heat—pulling us deeper into a world where truth hides behind ghost stories, and trust is a dangerous gamble. From haunted flashbacks to a chilling graveyard trap, this episode is a rollercoaster of suspicion, sibling bonds, and shadowy revenge.

Hong-rang and his silent aide In-hoe are on a mission—this time looking for a missing child named Seol-ki. Their search leads them to a grim destination: an underground slave market. Meanwhile, Jae-yi is digging too, partnering with a gang of clever street sleuths. The case hits close to home—too close. The kid’s disappearance eerily mirrors Hong-rang’s. The only twist? A maid claims she saw a white-haired ghost.

While the sleuths stage a fake police investigation, Jae-yi sneaks into the household and finds the maid buried alive—punished for “failing” to protect the child. Jae-yi saves her and hides her in a cave, where the woman speaks of the ghost. The memory jolts Jae-yi—Little Hong-rang used to dream about a white-haired figure too.

While Jae-yi gathers stories, Hong-rang takes action. He and In-hoe dismantle the trafficking ring from the inside. In-hoe frees the children. Hong-rang, in full fury, confronts the auctioneer—who whispers that the Snow Man, the ghostly white-haired figure, took Seol-ki. It rattles Hong-rang. In a brutal blaze, he burns the man alive. Flashbacks show a terrified child Hong-rang fleeing that same ghost.

A guilt-ridden Jae-yi remembers how Hong-rang once woke up crying about the Snow Man three months before he vanished. She brushed it off. Now it haunts her.

One of the rescued boys tells Hong-rang about a strange room that reeked of ink. Seol-ki was taken there. The boy was deemed useless and sent back. This confirms Hong-rang’s growing suspicion: the same people who took him are still operating. He remembers not just the Snow Man, but a mysterious painter.

Back at the Sim estate, Mu-jin urges their father to investigate Hong-rang’s past. Yeon-ui? She’s still trying to oust Mu-jin. Yeol-guk pushes back, reminding her the guild can’t survive without them. They're locked in a stalemate, clinging to power.

Later, Yeon-ui lures Hong-rang to a temple and shows him a painting of her father. To her delight, Hong-rang instantly bows to it and describes sitting on the man’s lap—right down to the scent of pine. Even Mu-jin starts to waver. But Jae-yi doesn’t budge. To her, this is all an act.

Their tension explodes when Hong-rang rips a blanket she’s washing during a heated argument. Meanwhile, the cook picks up on a clue: Hong-rang’s sweet tooth, just like Little Hong-rang. He asks about Jae-yi’s sourness, and the cook explains—she grew up in abuse, neglected, punished. Only Hong-rang ever showed her kindness.

That night, Hong-rang has another nightmare—this time of the painter. He wakes and follows Jae-yi to a cave where she prays at her mother’s memorial, whispering into the dark, “Please return my brother. I’m so lonely.”

Trouble brews fast. The thug Bang-suk spots Jae-yi and realizes the Sim family’s golden boy, Mu-jin, might be “romancing” his actual sister. Jackpot. He sends his men to spy on them for blackmail.

Jae-yi, meanwhile, is planning to smuggle out the rescued maid, Jjo-kkan. Hong-rang catches sight of them—and so does Bang-suk’s spy. We learn Jjo-kkan saw part of a tattoo on the Snow Man’s neck. It read: “One.”

Elsewhere, Mu-jin hunts down a former comrade of Hong-rang’s. The man flees in fear, calling Hong-rang a soul reaperwho kills without hesitation. Mu-jin rushes home and—panicking—draws a sword on Hong-rang before he can interrogate Jae-yi. Hong-rang calmly covers for him when Yeol-guk walks in. Once alone, Mu-jin pleads with Jae-yi: Stay away from him.

Bang-suk tortures Jjo-kkan until she spills everything about the Snow Man. He spreads a rumor: the ghost appears when it rains, near a child’s grave. Jae-yi takes the bait. She gets a mysterious note—the tattoo reads “One Death”—along with a map.

Ignoring Mu-jin and the sleuths, Jae-yi runs to the site alone. She doesn’t find the Snow Man. She finds Jjo-kkan’s corpse.

Bang-suk springs the trap. He plans to kill Jae-yi and then “discover” her body for a reward. Just as things go south, Hong-rang arrives in full assassin mode. He slashes Bang-suk and looms over him, vowing vengeance: “Touch my sister again, and you die.”

DramaZen's Opinion

Okay, let’s talk about Dear Hongrang—because WOW, the drama came in hot and did not let up.

Episode 1 drops us straight into spooky forest chaos with baby Hong-rang running from a terrifying white-haired ghost (???) and calling out for his sister like it’s a K-drama horror-fantasy crossover—and honestly, I was into it. The vibes? Moody. The mystery? Juicy. The family? One emotional trauma away from a full meltdown.

We’ve got:

• A missing boy.

• A sister who will fight the world to find him.

• A mom who’s part sorceress, part disaster.

• A maybe-Hong-rang who shows up looking suspiciously handsome and suspiciously suspicious.

Then Episode 2 hits and things get even wilder. We've got underground slave markets, ghost stories, rooftop crying sessions, sword fights, and of course—secret neck tattoos. There’s a thug named Bang-suk (yes, really) who is both awful and kind of hilarious, a maid buried alive (she’s okay... for a while), and sleuthing street kids pretending to be cops.

Also, I’m weirdly loving Hong-rang’s silent sidekick In-hoe. The dude says nothing but gives major “I’ve seen things” energy. Icon.

Biggest question: Is this guy actually Hong-rang? Or is he just way too good at faking it? Jae-yi doesn’t trust him, Mu-jin’s spiraling, and I’m just here like 🍿 watching it all fall apart beautifully.

Two episodes in and I’m emotionally invested, slightly confused, and already terrified of pine-scented ghosts. 10/10, will continue yelling at my screen.