SBS's Friday-Saturday drama 'Haunted Palace' saw Yook Sung-jae point a sword at King Kim Ji-hoon, who was possessed by a eight-footed demon. The electrifying twist ending provided spectacular thrills, raising expectations for the drama's full-fledged start.
In the third episode of SBS's 'Haunted Palace' (written by Yoon Soo-jung, directed by Yoon Sung-sik), aired on the 25th, the scene of Lee Mu-gi, who possessed Yoon Gap (played by Yook Sung-jae), facing the massive eight-footed demon that swallowed the palace alongside Yeori (played by Kim Ji-yeon) was thrillingly depicted. Additionally, the third episode of 'Haunted Palace' recorded a peak viewership rating of 10.4%, with a national rating of 9.3% and a capital region rating of 9.0%, setting a new record for its highest rating. This proved to be the drama with the top viewership rating in its time slot and the number one mini-series drama aired during the week, establishing itself as a trendsetting drama, according to Nielsen Korea.
Yeori prayed earnestly in the palace to find Yoon Gap's spirit. This unsettled the eight-footed demon, and Yoon Gap's spirit, which had been swallowed by the demon, appeared once again in this world. Yeori witnessed Yoon Gap's spirit, which was wandering around the palace, being dragged away by the eight-footed demon, but she could only watch helplessly under the restraint of Kang Cheol-i.
At the same time, the greedy ambitions of those surrounding the eight-footed demon were revealed. The blind diviner Poongsan (played by Kim Sang-ho) had conspired with the queen dowager (played by Han Soo-yeon) to have the eight-footed demon possess Won-ja (played by Park Jae-joon), and the queen dowager was using such sorcery to harm Won-ja and protect her son, Prince Yeong-in (played by Kim Seon-bin). While Poongsan was pleased with how the plan was unfolding, he sensed the eight-footed demon's strange agitation and grew tense, questioning the reason behind it.
Meanwhile, Yeori fell into deep shock and sadness. Kang Cheol-i told her that the reason Yoon Gap initially wanted to bring her to the palace was to exorcise the eight-footed demon and that Yeori was deceived by Yoon Gap. However, Yeori desperately denied Kang Cheol-i's words, and he sadly watched her as she suffered.
Yeori composed herself and returned to the palace once again. She had made a pact to seek help from Ouk-im (played by Song Soo-yi) in rescuing Yoon Gap's spirit in exchange for resolving Ouk-im's grudge. Yeori learned that the one who caused Ouk-im's unjust death was Prince Yeong-in and succeeded in summoning the trapped Ouk-im using a water jar, scaring Prince Yeong-in significantly. As Ouk-im's grudge eased, she expressed deep gratitude to Yeori and informed her about the whereabouts of Won-ja's ceremonial robe. After witnessing Prince Yeong-in actually lose his life, Yeori warned Ouk-im, saying, "Do not approach him again. If you harm humans once more, you will become an evil spirit without turning back."
Meanwhile, Kang Cheol-i, who realized Yeori had entered the palace, was anxious that she might be in danger from the eight-footed demon. When he discovered Yeori, whom he had been searching for tirelessly, he rushed over like a puppy finding its owner, eliciting laughter. Moreover, as Kang Cheol-i worried about Yoon Gap's condition and Yeori touched various parts of his body, he blushed, showing signs of affection. Unaware of Kang Cheol-i's feelings, Yeori was only planning to get rid of him and ended up leaving him to Sang-seon (played by Kim In-kwon), who came looking for Kang Cheol-i at the request of King Lee Jung (played by Kim Ji-hoon), further amusing the audience.
The king suspected that the Minister of the Army, Kwak Sang-chung (played by Yoon Seung), was behind the attack on Yoon Gap and arranged a meeting between Kang Cheol-i and Kwak Sang-chung. However, since Kang Cheol-i pretended not to know Kwak Sang-chung on purpose, he could not catch him. Hearing the story that 'Yoon Gap had lost his memory,' the king tested Kang Cheol-i. He handed over a political reform proposal that he was promoting with Yoon Gap in the past and asked for his opinion, while Kang Cheol-i, maintaining an arrogant attitude that ignored court protocol, boldly retorted, "That's just idle chatter," even daring to speak back to the king. Through this meeting, Kang Cheol-i realized that the grudge held by the eight-footed demon stemmed from the king's ancestors. Moreover, the king began to scrutinize the seemingly disoriented Kang Cheol-i, suspecting that there was something deeper beneath his changed demeanor.
At the same time, Yeori secretly prayed to summon the eight-footed demon, using Won-ja's ceremonial robe and a spirit stone taken from the king's glasses. This was part of her plan to retrieve Yoon Gap's spirit, which had been consumed by the eight-footed demon, using herself as bait. Realizing something suspicious too late, Kang Cheol-i set out to find Yeori, while at the same time, the eight-footed demon possessing Won-ja heard Yeori's bell sound and rushed out of the palace. Yeori asked the approaching eight-footed demon to be her apprentice and eased its guard, attempting to trap it with a golden thread when it was distracted. However, the eight-footed demon noticed the plan and it fell apart, and just as it was about to go on a rampage in anger, Kang Cheol-i appeared and barely saved Yeori, heightening the tension.
In the midst of this, King Lee Jung and military officers, who had chased after the news of Won-ja, pointed their swords at Kang Cheol-i and Yeori, bringing tension to its peak. This was while Kang Cheol-i had the eight-footed demon, which had possessed Won-ja, under control. In the suffocating standoff, Yeori began the exorcism ritual using the spirit stone, and Kang Cheol-i protected her by blocking arrows shot by the officers with his body, enabling her to complete the ritual. As a result, Won-ja vomited out the eight-footed demon, but a chilling twist occurred at that moment. The eight-footed demon, having escaped from Won-ja's body, burned the golden thread and possessed the king. Consequently, Kang Cheol-i and the king possessed by the eight-footed demon aimed their swords at each other, ending the episode and raising curiosity for future developments.
The shocking and chilling ending of the third episode of 'Haunted Palace' has led to various comments on online communities and social media, with many praising the drama: "'Haunted Palace' is so fun; how much better will episode 4 be? I want it to be tomorrow already," "It keeps getting better; time flies too fast," "'Haunted Palace' is absolutely crazy. The genre is really diverse, mixing exorcism, romance, and comedy well, and the setup is interesting," "Today was funny, scary, Yook Sung-jae was cute, thrilling, incredible, it had everything," "I'm not good with ghosts, but I can watch 'Haunted Palace' easily. Now, the ghosts feel like my friends," "The plot progresses quickly, the story is engaging, and the acting is great; 'Haunted Palace' is fantastic," "The ending is really well crafted; it's a dopamine burst."
'Haunted Palace' is a fantasy romantic comedy in which Yeori, a shaman who rejects her fate, and Lee Mu-gi, who is trapped in the body of her first love Yoon Gap, face the eight-footed demon that harbors a grudge against the royal family, leading to a tangle of body and spirit. Episode 4 will be aired today (26th) at 9:55 p.m.
[Photo] 'Haunted Palace'
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