Dear Hongrang- Episodes 9-10

Episode 9 of Dear Hongrang hits like a runaway horse. What starts as a romantic hideaway in the mountains quickly turns into a battlefield of betrayal, poison, royal interference, and a final twist that leaves everyone—especially Jae-yi—reeling. Let’s unpack the chaos.

We open with Yeol-guk assuming the worst: Hong-rang has kidnapped Jae-yi. Mu-jin offers up the truth—Hong-rang isn’t who he says he is. But he wants something in return: his position as guildmaster and Yeol-guk’s blessing to marry Jae-yi. Bold. Yeol-guk agrees and sends him off to track the couple down.

But Yeon-ui isn't buying it. She thinks Yeol-guk framed her precious son. Her solution? Send Yuk-son and every guard she has to rescue Hong-rang—and kill Jae-yi and Mu-jin.

Not to be outdone, Kkot-nim also joins the chaos, ordering Gyu-ha to use the distraction to identify Yeol-guk’s main patron. She’s teamed up with the Deputy Leader and tells him to slow down Yeon-ui’s men, find Hong-rang, and—of course—kill Jae-yi. In-hoe, her loyal blade, looks... conflicted.

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware of the storm heading their way, Hong-rang and Jae-yi camp in the woods. He asks if she regrets running away. She doesn’t. “You showed me love,” she says. “I can survive anything now.” (Cue emotional damage.)

But their peaceful night is short-lived. Troops from all three factions close in. Luckily, the chaos between them buys the couple enough time to escape again.

Mu-jin, left behind, rereads Jae-yi’s farewell note. She’s found her purpose with Hong-rang and hopes he finds his beyond the guild. But Mu-jin isn’t done yet. He secretly orders his aide to sabotage Yeon-ui’s men—he wants to find Jae-yi first.

Jae-yi’s luck runs out when she’s recognized while trying to buy supplies. She escapes, but not without being poisoned. Hong-rang finds a cave and nurses her back to health, vowing to protect her. He even faces his own assassins and asks for time—he’ll return to finish the mission after she’s safe.

When he comes back, she’s gone. Panic. But she reappears—she’d gone looking for him. Reunited, they finally sleep together in the cave. One detail: he keeps his back covered the entire time. Wonder why?

Elsewhere, Yeol-guk, growing impatient, begs the Grand Prince for military support. The Prince is annoyed—but Yeol-guk has leverage: the mysterious tattoo on Hong-rang’s back is none other than the Prince’s long-lost yin-yang masterpiece. Yep, it’s not just art—it’s a royal secret.

Some kind strangers help the couple find an abandoned mountain house. And for a brief, shining moment, things are wholesome. We get playful Jae-yi, soft Hong-rang, and quiet countryside peace. He buys her a hairpin. They laugh, cook, cuddle. The domestic dream.

But there’s a warning sign: Hong-rang’s scar starts to burn, and his vision wavers. Something’s wrong.

Just when we’re getting comfortable, Mu-jin’s aide finds the couple’s trail and forces their former rescuers to drug Jae-yi. Hong-rang, mid-fight with Mu-jin’s men, struggles to protect her. Then Yeon-ui’s guards show up—and all hell breaks loose. It’s a full-on bloodbath, with Jae-yi caught in the middle.

Cue the cavalry: the Grand Prince’s royal guards sweep in and arrest the couple.

Back at the Sim estate, Yeol-guk demands a confession. Hong-rang simply smirks. So Yeol-guk rips his shirt open—and reveals the tattoos.

Jae-yi freezes. Yeon-ui is horrified. Hong-rang scrambles to cover himself, full of shame. To him, the tattoos are proof that he’s been defiled, broken, inhuman.

To Jae-yi? They might be proof that everything she believed in—the love, the escape, the future—is a lie.

🩸 Dear Hongrang Episode 10 Recap: Rituals, Revelations & The Real Hong-rang (At Last)

Buckle up, because Episode 10 of Dear Hongrang is the wildest ride yet—featuring tattooed human sacrifices, a prince with a god complex, emotional stabbings (and literal ones), and the heartbreaking truth we’ve all been dreading: the real Hong-rang is gone.

Let’s get into it.

We open with a flashback that hits like a branding iron: the Grand Prince himself tattooing and marking a young Hong-rang—Fake Hong-rang, that is. At present, Yeol-guk is torturing him, convinced those marks prove he's a fraud. It clicks—Yeol-guk knows the Evil Painter, and he's in on it.

To cement Hong-rang’s slave origins, the Yu family is brought in and confirms he and In-hoe were their property. Yeon-ui refuses to believe it, but Yeol-guk? Unbothered. Maybe because there’s a hint that he might not even be the real Hong-rang’s dad. (It might be... Yuk-son?!)

With Yeon-ui sidelined under house arrest, Yeol-guk plans to keep Hong-rang as a bargaining chip to curry favor with the Grand Prince—who suspiciously insisted that Hong-rang be brought in alive and untouched.

The cook tells Jae-yi that it was Mu-jin who exposed Hong-rang. She’s crushed. Deep down, she’s still hoping the man she loves is her real brother. But there’s no time to unpack that—Mu-jin corners her and demands marriage. “It’s the only way you’ll survive,” he insists. Romantic, right?

He pushes Yeol-guk for permission. Surprisingly, Yeol-guk checks if Jae-yi has agreed first. When Mu-jin gets pushy, Yeol-guk shuts him down hard.

The Grand Prince isn’t waiting around. His men steal Hong-rang in the dead of night. The assassins and Jae-yi follow and catch up just in time to see the truth: the Grand Prince is the Evil Painter.

Cue panic. Kkot-nim is devastated—without Hong-rang, her revenge plan and the Min Guild deed are toast. Meanwhile, Mu-jin’s getting cozy with the villain, trying to prove he’s a better lackey than Yeol-guk. He’s assigned to assist in a creepy ritual that involves six tattooed "human talismans."

Jae-yi catches Mu-jin in the act, but he spins lies, claiming Hong-rang is using her. When she refuses to believe him, he goes full petty. She’s furious. So is Yeol-guk, who now sees Mu-jin as a traitor.

Back in the palace, Hong-rang escapes his cell and discovers kids being held captive, talisman paintings, and bizarre offerings: copper, baby animals, virgin hair. This is no cult—it’s an ascension ritual to turn men into gods.

Shaman Gwigokja explains it all: the six talisman hosts are to be melted in bronze. Hong-rang included. But she’s done hoping for his rescue. “He’s a sacrifice now.”

Enter: Jae-yi, with a plan.

She convinces Yeon-ui to help by lying that Hong-rang is her real brother and presenting the original protection sachet as proof. Yuk-son sneaks her into the palace. She finds Hong-rang and gives him a blade—plus insider info on how to retrieve the Min Guild deed.

As the twisted ritual begins, the Sims attend. Hong-rang breaks free and takes out guards. The Prince warns not to kill him, but Mu-jin? He doesn’t listen. He attacks Hong-rang just as the assassins crash the scene.

In the chaos:

• The Prince flees.

• Hong-rang kills the Snow Man.

• In-hoe begins freeing the human talismans.

• And Mu-jin STABS In-hoe. (Seriously, Mu-jin??)

Jae-yi and Hong-rang reunite at Kkot-nim’s hideout. She breaks down, ashamed of Yeol-guk’s crimes. Hong-rang just hugs her.

Kkot-nim sees Jae-yi’s sincerity. She promises Hong-rang his freedom once he delivers the Min Guild deed. He asks one last favor: Tell me the truth about the real Hong-rang. Kkot-nim knows. She always has.

Cut to the final gut-punch: the Sims drain one of their wells. At the bottom? A skeleton. The real Hong-rang.

Jae-yi sobs over the remains, whispering an apology for finding him too late.

DramaZen's Opinion

I have one question: How is everyone in this show still standing? Because after Episodes 9 and 10, I’m emotionally curled up in a fetal position.

Episode 9 gave us:

• Romantic cottagecore dreams with Jae-yi and Hong-rang playing house in the mountains (cutest hairpin moment ever 😭).

• One sweet cave sleepover (with a very suspiciously covered back).

• And then BAM—poison, betrayal, and full royal guard ambush. Mood shift: dramatic.

Episode 10 said “you liked the romance?” Too bad. Here’s:

• A culty prince trying to melt tattooed humans in bronze to become a god.

• Mu-jin going full villain arc with bonus stabbing.

• Hong-rang shirtless and ashamed (but still somehow noble and tragic).

• AND the ultimate twist: the real Hong-rang has been at the bottom of a well this whole time?? I need a minute.

Also, Jae-yi lying to Yeon-ui and smuggling herself into a palace as a fake worker? ICONIC.

In summary: Hong-rang might not be the real brother, but he’s the real emotional damage. And I’m still rooting for him. This show is unhinged, unpredictable, and I love it more with every messy, tear-filled episode.