The Haunted Palace- Episodes 9-10

Confessions, Kidnappings, and Our First Kiss (!!!) 💘🐉👻

If you weren’t already emotionally destroyed by this drama, Episode 9 said: “Let me finish the job.” We got heartfelt regrets, power plays, sibling sabotage, ghost drama, and a long-awaited kiss that had me screaming into the void.

Let’s rewind.

The episode opens with a flashback—young Prince Lee Sung witnesses his grandfather, Minister Kim, punishing Pung-san for illegal shaman rituals. But when the 8-foot ghost shows up? Kim wants it summoned. Yep, Grandpa’s been evil since before the opening credits.

In the present, Pung-san spills the beans: Neop-deok’s death? All part of Kim’s plan. Oh, and Yeo-ri is the thorn in their side—and she’s protected by an Imugi. Trouble.

Yeo-ri, meanwhile, is still shaken by the truth of her grandmother’s murder. King Lee Sung opens up: Neop-deok once helped his possessed father regain control. He’s done denying the ghost’s presence—and asks Yeo-ri to help end it for good.

And then there’s Gangcheori, who FINALLY admits to Bibi that he saw the ghost arrive in Yongdam years ago… but didn’t warn Neop-deok. Why? Because he was bitter Yeo-ri rejected him. (Sir, your villain origin story is soemotionally messy.)

Yeo-ri confronts him. He lied to keep her from chasing the ghost. She starts crying—he panics—and in a shocking twist, asks Bibi to babysit her while he pulls himself together. 😂 (Spoiler: Bibi has zero chill.)

Yeo-ri’s feelings are in full meltdown mode. She tells Ok-im she’s confused—she spent years hating Gangcheori for a crime he didn’t commit. Ok-im teases her, “So you’re in love with an Imugi now?” YES, GIRL, SHE IS.

Meanwhile, Bibi is 100% not amused and wants his brother to stop simping and start ascending. 😂

On the political side: the King begs Choi Won-u to help carry out his father’s anti-slavery reforms. Choi agrees—until the Queen Mother (plot twist: she’s his niece!) threatens him. Pung-san and Minister Kim play her like a fiddle, and Choi backs out, leaving the King crushed.

Then the chaos hits hard.

1. Mrs. Yoon gets kidnapped.

2. In-seon shows up being all “I brought snacks~” and throws shade at Yeo-ri.

3. Yeo-ri gets jealous.

4. Gangcheori pretends to flirt back. (Why are these two so emotionally stunted?!)

5. Then Yeo-ri leaves to help Minister Kim—BIG mistake.

She’s attacked by assassins. Bibi shows up (finally useful!) and helps her escape.

Gangcheori gets a ransom note about Mrs. Yoon. He goes full reluctant hero (“Ugh, I’ll miss her cooking”) and heads out. In-seon tries to flirt again—he straight-up shuts her down and scolds her for disrespecting Yeo-ri. KING BEHAVIOR.

Onto the rescue, Gangcheori is tired of Kwak’s games and is about to introduce himself as the infamous Imugi. On seeing Mrs. Yoon crying for him, he stops and gets to rescuing her. However, Kwak’s talisman weakens him and he is unable to call his wind power. Mrs. Yoon tries to help but Kwak knocks her out.

Bibi shows up in his Imugi glory and Kwak runs off. Unfortunately, the assassins catch up with Yeo-ri. The King is on his way back from trying to find Choi Won-u when he spots her. He jumps into the fray and saves her.

Yeo-ri comes home to find a beaten-up Gangcheori and Mrs. Yoon. She is flustered as he retrieves her lost optician kit and tries to nurse her injuries. Confused by his kindness, she lashes out. She should be worried about her grandma. Instead, she feels relieved that she doesn’t have to feel guilty about liking him. He wipes her tears and kisses her.

Almost Kisses, Candy Chaos, and a Ghost with a Grudge 💋🐉🔥

Episode 10 of The Haunted Palace begins exactly where our hearts left off—with THE KISS. Well, almost kiss. Yeo-ri and Gangcheori are just about to go full romantic drama when they both panic and run off in opposite directions. Classic. 😭

Yeo-ri’s left spiraling, while Gangcheori is literally blushing and giggling like a schoolboy. He tells Bibi, who is less than thrilled. (“Mortals are fickle! She’ll break your heart!”—Bibi, every five seconds.)

Meanwhile, Kwak pays a visit to Pung-san (yep, still alive and still the worst). He doesn’t believe in Imugis but takes some “protective powder” anyway. You know this is going to backfire.

The next morning, Mrs. Yoon—forever the MVP—tells Gangcheori to stay close to Yeo-ri. On their way to the palace, he tries so hard to hold her hand it’s honestly painful to watch. She’s shy, he’s trying to impress her, and everyone else is just watching like 😏.

In the palace, things are tense. Gangcheori awkwardly tries to thank the King for saving Yeo-ri, but it flops. They switch gears and start digging into the 8-foot ghost’s identity. From his fighting skills, they suspect he was once a military officer. Gangcheori zones out thinking about his dragon pearl (again), and Yeo-ri hilariously drags him off by the hand. Everyone is very entertained.

Back in villain-ville, Minister Kim recruits Yi Hwa-seong, the King’s distant cousin with daddy issues and zero clout. Kim offers him a comeback—and Hwa-seong makes a fake emotional appearance at Prince Yeong-in’s memorial, immediately catching the Queen Mother’s eye. He’s in.

Time for revenge. Gangcheori uses Yeo-ri’s shaman mirror to bust Kwak’s talisman and goes full storm mode. Pung-san’s powder? Useless. Gangcheori wrecks Kwak, and then Bibi finishes the job—literally devouring him. 🐍🔥

Minister Kim and the King are both furious about Kwak’s death—though for very different reasons. The King wanted to punish Kwak publicly; Kim just doesn’t like his plans being interrupted. Meanwhile, the Queen Mother and Hwa-seong are quietly bonding over shared ambition.

At the Yoon household, things go full rom-com. The family is broke, but Gangcheori finally gets paid—and immediately spends it on candy, a hairpin for Mrs. Yoon, and shoes for Yeo-ri. Mrs. Yoon loses it. He’s like, “It’s to replace what you sold for me 😒.” The monks Ga-seop and Noh show up (because why not?), and in the chaos, they hand Yeo-ri back her lost ghostbane stone.

We then get a gut punch: Ga-seop confesses he knew Neop-deok would die. He’s the one who recommended her for the exorcism that killed her. Yeo-ri is shook.

Elsewhere, Gangcheori and Bibi discover Pung-san is behind the anti-Imugi talismans and has unnaturally strong fire energy. Suspicious. They celebrate their victory over Kwak and have a rare heart-to-heart. Gangcheori even promises to help Bibi ascend—but wants it kept secret from Yeo-ri.

Later that night, Yeo-ri is admiring the shoes he bought her. She wants to return them (because: money), but Gangcheori stops her. He remembers her admiring similar ones last summer. She’s touched—and realizes he’s always been there, even when she thought she was alone.

She promises to help him ascend, after saving Neop-deok and Yoon Gap. He leans in to kiss her again—but the ghostbane stone pushes him back. She moves it aside with a smirk and says, “Wanna try again?” He teases her instead. 😳💗

Next day, the King and Gangcheori start piecing together a new plan: track down victims of suspicious deaths like Hwa-seong’s father to trace the 8-foot ghost’s grudge. But Yeo-ri’s gone—kidnapped by Pung-san’s assistant. Why? Because she figured out he’s the infamous Blind Yapper.

The King tries to confront Pung-san, who’s conveniently hiding behind Queen Mother’s skirts. Gangcheori and Seo search for Yeo-ri, who leaves a trail leading them to the Blind Fortune Tellers’ Association. There, they discover Pung-san’s creepy underground shrine hidden behind a painting.

And then—BOOM. Pung-san appears, now possessed by the 8-foot ghost. Gangcheori fights, but the ghost hits him with a revelation: when the ghost was born 100 years ago, he saw Gangcheori fall. And worse—the royal family caused Gangcheori’s demotion.

Cue ending credits and a collective gasp.

DramaZen's Opinion

I AM UNWELL. I REPEAT: I AM UNWELL 😭😭😭

Episodes 9 and 10 of The Haunted Palace gave us THE KISS, adorable blushing Imugi energy, and enough slow-burn payoff to last a lifetime—and then yanked us right back into ghost-fueled chaos!!!

First off: Gangcheori giggling like a teen after kissing Yeo-ri?? STOP IT I’M MELTING 😭💕
And the way he bought her shoes and remembered she liked them LAST SUMMER??? HELLO?? WHO GAVE THIS ANCIENT DRAGON FEELINGS??

Also, Bibi being the salty third wheel with a snack addiction and exactly zero patience for romance?? HILARIOUS. Protect him at all costs (even if he did eat a guy).

But then—plot twist central! Pung-san gets possessed, the 8-foot ghost drops a MAJOR truth bomb about Gangcheori’s fall being the royal family’s fault, and now everything hurts again. 😩

Between awkward hand-holding attempts, midnight bickering, and literal life-or-death fights in underground shrines… this drama has EVERYTHING.

I’m crying, laughing, and fully shipping it.
Episodes 9 & 10 = 100000/10.
Give me more sweet moments. Give me more possessed villains. Give me Gangcheori carrying Yeo-ri again, PLEASE. 😭💘🔥

— A deliriously in-love fan girl 🐉❤️