The Haunted Palace- Episodes 7-8

Curses, Confessions, and the King Takes a Dive 🩸👻🐉

Okay, The Haunted Palace is officially unhinged in the best way. Episode 7 starts with a bang—Yeo-ri gets hit with a black-water curse from the male drowned ghost (ew) and Gangcheori absolutely pummels the thing until it runs off. Romantic? No. Effective? Very.

Naturally, Pung-san (evil snake shaman™) senses the whole thing and is thrilled that his curse is working. Yeo-ri, now weakened, gets princess-carried by Gangcheori, which is adorable until she ruins the moment by rambling that she’s only into him because he’s in Yoon Gap’s body. Gangcheori is... amused. (And maybe a little offended.)

Meanwhile, back in the palace, it’s full-blown chaos. The King is torturing the court ladies trying to root out the mole. We find out Aeng-du was double-crossed—first bribed by the Queen Mother, then bought off by Pung-san to plant a skull in the Queen’s quarters. When she thinks she’s being rescued, she ends up poisoned instead. This palace has no chill.

Outside the palace, Mrs. Yoon is still on her “let me fix my ghost son” mission. She sells her hairpin for medicine—even though she knows it probably won’t work. Gangcheori acts annoyed but drinks it anyway. Peak tsundere behavior. Meanwhile, Yeo-ri is lowkey pining and pretending it’s just about Yoon Gap. Sure, babe. We all believe you. 😏

In ghostland: Gangcheori wants Bibi’s help fighting the 8-foot ghost, but Bibi’s still convinced his brother’s just stringing Yeo-ri along. Pung-san gets scolded by the Queen Mother for targeting an unborn baby, but he flips it on her and makes it her idea. Gaslight level: expert. She’s rattled but not out yet.

We get a touching moment as the King performs a private ritual for Yoon Gap. Turns out they were actual friends—and the King is genuinely grieving.

Back on ghost patrol, Yeo-ri sees a mischievous kid ghost and gets an idea. But before she can follow through, she catches Bibi trying to devour Minister Kim. Gangcheori actually sides with her and convinces Bibi to back off. Pung-san, creepily watching from afar, now thinks Yeo-ri is running a whole Imugi squad.

Yeo-ri believes Bibi’s making a mistake since Minister Kim has a good rep, but later Kwak and friends gossip that another minister—Kang—was eaten by “Yoon Gap,” aka Bibi. They think Gangcheori is the one behind the possession. Messy, messy politics.

Meanwhile, the King visits Choi Won-u to talk about slave reform. Choi’s like “lol no” and fakes an illness. As the King leaves, the one-legged ghost tries to attack Choi but is blocked by a guard. The ghost is annoyed and plotting.

Yeo-ri finally captures the kid ghost, but the only clue he gives her is that the person placing talismans has blackened fingertips. Cut to: Pung-san’s assistant, covered in ash. Confirmed.

Then the Queen falls mysteriously ill—nightmares, blisters, the works. Yeo-ri is called, but the Queen Mother summons her first. While the Queen Mother tries to get a read on her, the King storms in like an angry husband in a K-drama. He knows Queen Mother planted a mole, but he still shows respect. That respect is exactly why she knows he’d never hurt his brother.

Yeo-ri collapses shortly after, showing the same cursed blisters as the Queen. The male drowned ghost’s curse is spreading.

Realizing time is short, Gangcheori proposes using the King as bait to lure the ghost. The King, desperate to save his wife, agrees. Meanwhile, Bibi calls out Gangcheori for catching feelings, and Gangcheori… kind of loses it. He’s definitely in love and definitely not ready to deal with it.

That night, the King, Gangcheori, and two guards head to the riverbank. To complete the bait plan, the King needs to give up his ghostbane stone, which freaks everyone out. Gangcheori taunts him into doing it by calling him a coward—because that’s how men solve things, apparently.

Then they argue. The King throws down: “I hate you. Yoon Gap was my real friend.” Ouch. Gangcheori’s been hearing that from everyone—Yeo-ri, the King—and he’s over it.

They trade jabs while waiting for the ghost. Gangcheori finds it weird that the King seems genuinely in love with the Queen. The King explains that she came to the palace as a child, and he’s always protected her. We also learn that he and Yeo-ri share some kind of ancestral curse.

Meanwhile, Yeo-ri wakes from a vision, panicked. She rushes to the riverbank, but it’s too late.

In the final moments, the King cuts his hand to draw the ghost, and it works. The male drowned ghost drags him underwater.

Cue credits. Screaming. Me throwing a pillow at my TV.

Curses Lifted, Secrets Revealed, and Feelings (Finally) Admitted 👻❤️🔥

Okay, The Haunted Palace Episode 8 is a full-course meal of drama, ghost fights, confessions, and a side of betrayal that left me reeling. Let’s dig in.

We pick up with Yeo-ri and the eunuchs scrambling to break the curse, and Head Eunuch Kim casually drops a bomb: Gangcheori has been worried sick about her. 😳 Yeo-ri’s surprised. We’re not.

Meanwhile, at the riverbank, the male drowned ghost goes after the King on Pung-san’s orders, then tries to curse Gangcheori too. But Gangcheori and the King actually team up and manage to trap the ghost. I know, right? Growth!

Yeo-ri arrives just in time to break the curse and revive Gangcheori. The moment he opens his eyes, she hugs him—and he is absolutely short-circuiting. The King and his crew watch, totally entertained by this hot mess of emotions.

Truce achieved. King’s wife saved. Ghost defeated. Hugs exchanged. All good, right?

WRONG.

Pung-san finds out and flips. He blames Yeo-ri’s success on her being from Yongdam—something clearly went down there. Flashback: Pung-san was watching Neop-deok die. Yep. This man has layers of evil.

Later, Gangcheori and Yeo-ri question the drowned ghost. Turns out it was his skull in the pillow used to curse the Queen. He agrees to spill if Yeo-ri reunites him with his daughter. She agrees. Gangcheori’s NOT a fan of fatherly sentimentality, but Yeo-ri claps back: “Just because humans don’t live for centuries doesn’t mean we don’t care.” Tell him.

When they do return his spirit to his daughter, he briefly possesses Yeo-ri to comfort her. It’s sweet… until he reveals a blind "yapper" has been using him. Yeo-ri realizes it’s the same figure the 8-foot ghost mentioned before. Pung-san, anyone?

Turns out, the “yapper” is busy peddling ghost repellents to rich, shady nobles. Everyone from mistresses to ministers has been using him for curses and blessings. Kwak doesn’t believe any of it, but still takes a talisman like a good hypocrite.

Elsewhere, Lord Choi Won-u is acting shady in the market, obsessing over a book touched by someone suspicious. While he panics, the one-legged ghost attacks—again. Luckily, Ga-seop and Sage Noh show up to save him. Ga-seop gives Choi the world’s softest threat: repent or else.

Later that night, Gangcheori and Yeo-ri stop for dinner. They bicker, of course. She wants to go, he wants to eat everything. He sneakily makes it rain so they’ll have to stay. 😂 But when she dozes off, he stares (lovingly, duh), and they finally talk feelings. Sort of.

He admits he might be falling for her but blames it on Yoon Gap’s body. Then asks, “When you smile at me… is it for Yoon Gap or Gangcheori?” Cue blushing. Cue awkward silence. Cue ME screaming.

Meanwhile in jail, the blind shamans call out Pung-san for getting too bold. But the nobles he’s blackmailing start backing him. Even Minister Kim says it's politically too risky to touch the Queen Mother’s name. So, the King frees them—but quietly orders his people to find the real blind yapper.

Yeo-ri realizes something awful: Neop-deok died in the Year of the Water Rabbit… the same year the King’s father died. And she’s been getting way too cozy with the man who might’ve killed her grandmother. She goes cold on Gangcheori. He’s confused, hurt, and vents to Bibi, who immediately asks: “Do you regret lying about it?”

YEP. HE LIED. 😬

Yeo-ri runs to the King and asks about 13 years ago. The answer? The 8-foot ghost possessed the previous king. Neop-deok was called in to exorcise it… and died mysteriously a month later. Official story: fire accident. Real story? Probably murder. The ghost’s true master is behind all of it.

And just when you think it can’t get darker…

BOOM. Final twist:

Minister Kim shows his true colors. He kills the fire protecting the 8-foot ghost, beats the living hell out of Pung-san, and admits it:

• He’s the one who hired Pung-san to kill the Crown Prince.

• He’s been working with the 8-foot ghost all along.

• He knows Yeo-ri is Neop-deok’s granddaughter.

• AND the 8-foot ghost has a master plan—and its fire is only getting stronger. 🔥

DramaZen's Opinion

SOMEONE HOLD ME—I am not okay after Episodes 7 & 8!!! The emotional whiplash is REAL and I am LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT.

First off, Yeo-ri hugging Gangcheori when he wakes up??? Instant replay material. My cold, dead heart? ALIVE AGAIN. And Gangcheori being confused but also kinda loving it? HELP. He’s so down bad and doesn’t even know it. 😭

Then there's Bibi, the ultimate chaos gremlin, lurking in the background like, “Bro, you're in love.” And he’s RIGHT. The love triangle? Delicious. The ghost drama? Unmatched. And don’t even get me started on Pung-san and Minister Kim—TWO EVIL MEN, ONE BURNING SECRET. 🔥

Also, the late-night inn scene?? Rain trap + sleepy stares + “Are your smiles for Yoon Gap or me?” = ME SCREAMING INTO A PILLOW.

Yeo-ri deserves all the love, Gangcheori deserves a redemption arc, and Pung-san deserves a haunted wedgie.

That’s all. 10/10. I’ll never emotionally recover and I don’t want to. 💀💕👻