The Haunted Palace- Episodes 3-4

Ghosts, Lies, and One Very Hungry Demon Boyfriend

Whew. If you thought The Haunted Palace was going to slow down after that wild Episode 2 cliffhanger—think again. Episode 3 is packed with possession battles, creepy exorcisms, shady royals, and Gangcheori eating his feelings (again). Let’s dive in.

We kick off with Yeo-ri doing her shaman thing—praying hard to locate Yoon Gap’s soul. Meanwhile, inside the palace, the possessed Crown Prince literally vomits out Yoon Gap’s spirit like he’s bad sushi. Our boy doesn’t stick around—he sprints. The Blind Shaman senses the disturbance in the ghost force.

Yeo-ri, recalling that the Drowned Ghost said the 8-foot ghost is in the palace, races toward the chaos—and finds Yoon Gap on the run. It’s a brief reunion though, because the 8-foot ghost suddenly appears and snatches him back. Gangcheori blocks Yeo-ri from chasing him, revealing that her prayer was just a temporary fix. The ghost is way too strong.

At the Queen Mother’s, the Blind Shaman drops a truth bomb: the 8-foot ghost won’t leave until it kills the Crown Prince. The Queen Mother looks troubled, but not surprised. Her loyalty is clearly with her other son, Prince Yeong-in. If a ghost has to handle her dirty work? So be it.

Back with Yeo-ri and Gangcheori, tensions are high. She’s furious that he knew about the 8-foot ghost and said nothing. He blames Yoon Gap, saying he wanted to use her to exorcise it. She’s not buying it—and goes full ice queen.

Mrs. Yoon walks in mid-fight and mistakes it for a lovers’ quarrel. Not totally wrong, TBH. To distract herself, Yeo-ri offers to wash Yoon Gap’s bloodied clothes—and finds his old bracelet. Cue the tears and a heart-wrenching flashback: young Yeo-ri giving Yoon Gap her longevity cord as he promised to return. Spoiler alert: he didn’t.

Gangcheori sees her crying and misreads the situation—he thinks she’s giving up. Joke’s on him.

The next morning, he finds Yeo-ri missing but gets blocked by Mrs. Yoon offering him breakfast. They bicker (adorably), and he tries to zap her in frustration—but his powers fizzle out. He flees, blaming her cooking. She’s weirdly thrilled. Finally, someone to argue with like her son used to.

At the royal workshop, Head Eunuch Kim hands over the King's glasses for repair, and Yeo-ri spots the Ghostbane Stone lenses. She hatches a plan: she’ll help the Drowned Ghost take revenge, and in return, get info.

She tracks down Yeong-in being a spoiled brat on the field and summons the Drowned Ghost with a jar of water. The ghost drags him toward the jar, ready to drown him. Turns out, he abused and assaulted her before she died. But Yeo-ri breaks the jar, sparing him—barely. She has a vision of his dead body and realizes things may already be in motion.

Later, the Drowned Ghost, now in Yeo-ri’s debt, tells her where the Crown Prince’s laundry is done. Progress!

Meanwhile, Gangcheori’s off causing chaos—arguing with palace staff and getting into scraps. He eventually finds Yeo-ri and gets scolded for draining Yoon Gap’s body. She tends to his injured ankle and he… blushes?! Sir. You’re a vengeful spirit. Pull yourself together.

Yeo-ri calls in Head Eunuch Kim to drag him back to the palace.

Meanwhile, the King has his eyes on War Minister Kwak and subtly accuses him of being involved in the stabbing. Gangcheori shows up mid-snack and dodges questions like a pro. But when asked about slavery reforms, he scoffs, saying humans are naturally cruel. The King takes it in stride—but his suspicions grow.

Later, a flashback shows the real Yoon Gap being deeply moved by the King’s plans to abolish slavery. As an illegitimate son, it meant everything to him. Present-day King orders his people to keep an eye on the very suspicious “Yoon Gap.”

Elsewhere, the Blind Shaman drops another bomb: the 8-foot ghost is actually the Warrior Deity. Thirteen years ago, someone strong enough managed to defeat him temporarily—just like Yeo-ri did earlier with Yoon Gap’s soul. We’re dealing with ancient rage here.

Back to Yeo-ri, she’s mulling over Gangcheori’s accusation that Yoon Gap used her. Her solution? Confront the ghost and her feelings. She grabs the Crown Prince’s laundry and the Ghostbane lenses, and heads to the woods to bait the spirit.

Gangcheori catches wind of this after overhearing Eunuch Kim’s meltdown. He instantly knows Yeo-ri’s in danger (again) and runs to find her. The Crown Prince, possessed, also hears a bell and bolts—right to Yeo-ri.

She pretends to serve him, but the ghost catches on and goes in for the kill. Gangcheori intervenes just in time. So does the King. Chaos explodes as Yeo-ri performs the exorcism while Gangcheori threatens the Prince.

A guard fires. Gangcheori takes the hit. The Blind Shaman senses the power shift. The ghost leaves the Crown Prince... and possesses the KING.

And just like that, Episode 3 ends with the possessed King charging at Gangcheori. 🫨

Exorcisms, Arrest Warrants, and Candy Bribes (Yes, Really)

Episode 4 of The Haunted Palace wastes no time—it kicks off mid-exorcism chaos as the 8-foot ghost takes over the King himself. Gangcheori zaps him with lightning, Yeo-ri charges in with her trusty shamanic blade, and together they pull off a double whammy that ejects the ghost. It starts raining, the King’s left dazed, and the palace is this close to falling apart. So… just your average Tuesday.

Naturally, the heroes get rewarded by being tossed into a cell. Gangcheori moans dramatically about his arrow wound while Yeo-ri patches him up, getting a little too close for his comfort. His heart thumps, and because he’s emotionally stunted and 1,000 years old, he decides it must be a human weakness and shoves her away. Classic.

Outside, Gangcheori suggests skipping town now that the ghost has Yeo-ri marked. But she’s not leaving without Yoon Gap—her one real anchor in life. Gangcheori’s not happy. And when the King barges in, ready to confront “Yoon Gap,” Gangcheori spills the tea: Yoon Gap is dead, Kwak murdered him, and the 8-foot ghost is very real. Yeo-ri backs him, and so do the Queen and Crown Prince Gwang, confirming Gangcheori’s not totally crazy. Even the King’s loyal guard admits he was out of his mind during the possession.

Gangcheori and Yeo-ri are cleared, and while he’s off soaking in a stream to heal (shirtless, of course), Yeo-ri stares. He catches her, she panics, and then she offers a deal: she’ll serve him as his shaman until he ascends—if he helps her defeat the ghost and save Yoon Gap. It’s practical. Gangcheori? Absolutely livid. He refuses, accusing her of selling her soul for a manipulative guy like Gap. Big ouch.

Flash forward three days: King Lee is watching over Crown Prince Gwang’s lessons with Royal Tutor Kim—who also happens to be his great-grandfather. Yeah, no pressure.

Over in the Queen Mother’s shady lair, she’s not thrilled the ghost disappeared. She confronts the Blind Shaman, who offers to bring the spirit back to finish off Gwang. We learn she absolutely hates the King and wants her precious Yeong-in on the throne. But even she draws the line at ghostly murder. Sort of. Her hesitation annoys the shaman, who lets Yeong-in’s anti-possession ritual clothes go up in flames. Oops.

Back at Chez Yoon, Yeo-ri tries bribing Gangcheori into helping her with a possession feast and candy. He’s tempted but plays hardball: he wants a longevity cord bracelet. Cute or creepy? You decide.

But trouble’s brewing: someone reports Yeo-ri for illegal shamanic rites. Shamanism = outlawed. So now there's an arrest warrant for both her and Gangcheori.

While Yeo-ri’s out hanging with the Drowned Ghost (as one does), Gangcheori insults Mrs. Yoon again and earns himself another spat with Yeo-ri. The fun gets cut short when guards barge in and arrest them. The King is furious—he feels betrayed. Yeo-ri tries warning him that the ghost is still a threat, but the law is the law. They're exiled. She begs the royal guard to keep the ghostbane glasses near the King just in case.

Plot twist: Gangcheori planned the ceremony to get them exiled. Why? He doesn’t say, but it’s giving “I care in denial” vibes. Yeo-ri insists they need backup, so she drags him to see her mentor, Sage Ga-seop, who’s guarding her late grandmother’s shaman tools.

Meanwhile, Prince Yeong-in is unraveling. Traumatized from nearly drowning, he lashes out. When the Queen Mother learns what he did to Ok-im (aka the Drowned Ghost), she slaps him and calls him pathetic. He responds by beating Ok-im’s father in front of her, knowing she can’t retaliate on land. Pure villain energy.

In the forest, Yeo-ri gets spooked by a tiger. Gangcheori shoos it off with lightning like it’s a bug. Later at camp, she gives him candy and confronts him about something she’s long suspected—he was always nearby when she was in danger as a child. Turns out, he was secretly protecting her all along. He shrugs it off, pretending it was no big deal. (It was.)

Then things get weird(er). An old man steals their candy. Gangcheori chases him, only to get knocked out by a monk. Turns out, the monk is Ga-seop, Yeo-ri’s mentor, and the candy thief is Sage Noh. They’re both harmless. Ga-seop agrees to help and reveals he’s hidden Neop-deok’s tools on a mountaintop.

But while Team Ghostbusters regroups, chaos reigns back at the palace. A drunk Yeong-in stumbles through the halls, ranting. Ok-im glares at him from the shadows as he threatens to torch her family home. At that exact moment, the Blind Shaman holds another ritual—and this time, the 8-foot ghost answers. It appears, and begins choking Yeong-in to death.

DramaZen's Opinion

HELLOOOOO fellow ghost drama addicts!! 😭✨ Can we please SCREAM together about The Haunted Palace Episodes 3 and 4 because—no, seriously—my soul has left my body, possessed by this show just like the Crown Prince got hijacked by the 8-foot ghost. 😩💀

Episode 3 = Straight chaos in the BEST way.
Yeo-ri was out here PRAYING with all her might like a boss, and then BAM—Yoon Gap's soul gets yeeted out of the Prince’s body like it was Taco Tuesday gone wrong. AND THEN the 8-foot ghost snatches him back again?! I am never emotionally safe with this drama.

Gangcheori blocking Yeo-ri like, “No, babe, it’s too dangerous 😒” while also totally blushing whenever she patches him up??? SIR. Pick a side. Be terrifying or be adorable, not both!!

Also, can we appreciate how Yeo-ri was ready to make a deal with the devil dragon worm (Gangcheori) just to save Yoon Gap?! Girl’s got priorities. But then Gangcheori’s all offended like “Wow, you sold your morals for a guy?” Sir, aren’t you literally squatting in said guy’s corpse?

AND THEN EPISODE 4??? PEAK DRAMA.
The King getting possessed? Yeo-ri and Gangcheori tag-teaming an exorcism like they're in Shaman Avengers? ICONIC. 🔥
Then they get arrested and Gangcheori’s being all dramatic with his lightning wounds and heart palpitations and she’s just like “Let me bandage your ghost arm.” AND HE BLUSHES. STOP IT. NO DON’T STOP.

I am also obsessed with how Yeo-ri tries to bribe him with candy and a “possession feast” to get him to cooperate. This man is 1,000 years old and still gets weak over sweets. He really said, “I won’t help you unless you make me a bracelet.” OKAY TODDLER DRAGON, SIT DOWN.

Also the King being like “Yeo-ri I trusted you 🥺” and she’s like “Sir there is a literal death ghost targeting your entire bloodline can we focus??” ICON.

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT PRINCE YEONG-IN being the actual worst?? Abusing Ok-im, then trying to beat up her DAD after she died because of him??? May the 8-foot ghost permanently haunt his dreams. Actually scratch that—THE GHOST DID ONE BETTER AND STARTED CHOKING HIM AT THE END. 😭👏

Final Thoughts:
Yeo-ri? Legendary.
Gangcheori? Unstable snack demon I’d totally date.
Yoon Gap’s soul? Still floating in misery.
8-foot ghost? ICONIC MENACE.
Candy as a bargaining tool? New life goal.

Honestly, if The Haunted Palace keeps up this level of madness, I’m gonna need my own ghostbane stone to survive. Can’t wait for next week!!! 💀🍬🔥