The Haunted Palace: Episodes 7-8
by mistyisles
They weren’t kidding after they referred to as this palace haunted — our leads have loads of ghosts on their fingers along with THE evil spirit they’re making an attempt to defeat. Whereas a few of these ghosts are useful, others are serving to their enemies. And contemplating they don’t even know who all of their enemies are, they’ve positively acquired their work lower out for them.
EPISODES 7-8
This week, the Colossal Shadow retains to the background, recovering from its newest setback. In the meantime, our leads have a vicious water spirit to cope with and no thought who made it goal the queen and her unborn youngster. Interrogating the palace maids yields no outcomes, for the reason that lady who was threatened into planting the cranium within the queen’s pillow is poisoned earlier than she could be tortured into telling the reality.
Yeo-ri does get just a few hints from an cute, if exasperating, youngster ghost who runs round stealing sneakers. However Yeo-ri’s not the one individual making an attempt to stiff out clues across the palace. The blind shaman has caught wind of not solely Yeo-ri’s non secular connection, but in addition the truth that there are presently two imoogis within the palace. In spite of everything, there are sufficient corrupt nobles over the age of 60 right here that Bi-bi can take his choose and meet his quota very quickly. (Not that he needs to ascend with out Kang-cheol, although, which implies that as Kang-cheol’s fondness for Yeo-ri turns into extra apparent, Bi-bi’s resentment towards her additionally will increase.)
Then the queen falls gravely unwell. When the royal doctor can provide no clarification for the blisters that cowl one facet of her neck and torso, the king sends for Yeo-ri. Bother is, the queen dowager summoned her first, so the king finally ends up having to go and fetch Yeo-ri himself. He’s panicking internally, however he can’t inform the queen dowager why he wants his glasses craftswoman so urgently, so he maintains his composure and makes up an excuse about fearing that the queen’s ailment is likely to be contagious.
Sadly, his excuse hits nearer to the reality than he anticipated. The “black water” that the water spirit likes to spit on the faces of its victims is definitely a curse, and each the queen and Yeo-ri have been struck by it. Earlier than they make it again to the queen’s chambers, Yeo-ri faints, the telltale blisters exhibiting alongside her neck. That leaves Kang-cheol and the king to discover a technique to break the curse. Working collectively is the very last thing both needs to do (they’d a lot somewhat kill one another, and say so in no unsure phrases), however work collectively they have to or the queen and Yeo-ri will die. Thus, they set a entice by the river with the king himself as bait.
Besides, this isn’t an bizarre water spirit, and so they’re those strolling right into a entice. Yeo-ri figures it out earlier than they do, however by the point she arrives to cease them, the king has already been dragged below the water and rescued, and Kang-cheol has been subjected to the black water curse. Simply in time, Yeo-ri traps the water spirit in a scarecrow and breaks all of its curses. Then she throws her arms round Kang-cheol’s neck, sobbing with reduction that he’s alive. Again on the palace, the queen recovers, and she or he and the king share a tearful embrace of their very own.
Now at Yeo-ri and Kang-cheol’s mercy, the water spirit guarantees to reply their questions in the event that they’ll grant his want: ship his stays to his daughter, whom he died saving from a flood. Yeo-ri does as he asks, even permitting him to briefly possess her and say goodbye to his daughter. Happy, he tells her the blind shaman’s identify. Or, somewhat, one of the blind shaman’s names, and a secret one at that. The king arrests all the affiliation of blind fortune tellers, to no avail. As a result of so many nobles profit from their providers, the interrogation is extraordinarily unpopular, and shortly the king is pressured into releasing them with out gaining any substantial data.
Whereas all of this is occurring, Yeo-ri and Kang-cheol’s relationship is slowly shifting. They’ve shared just a few near-death experiences now, and Yeo-ri is inching nearer to admitting to herself that not all the things she feels for Kang-cheol is residual affection for Gab. After they grant the water spirit’s want, they linger at an inn and lapse into mild banter and almost-confessions whereas they anticipate the rain to cross. (Okay, Yeo-ri waits for the rain to cross. Kang-cheol actively retains the rain going, including in just a few rolls of thunder right here and there for good measure, so she’ll relaxation as a substitute of pushing herself too exhausting.)
However as soon as they’re again on the palace, Yeo-ri is reminded of her grandmother, and all of that goodwill comes crashing down. Instantly, she’s overcome with guilt for considering of him as something however her grandmother’s killer. She guarantees to proceed holding up her facet of their discount, however lets Kang-cheol surprise why she’s giving him the chilly shoulder seemingly out of nowhere.
Fortunately, this doesn’t final lengthy. Seems, Kang-cheol wasn’t the one who killed her grandmother, despite the fact that he advised her he was. Because of a tip from the shoe-stealing ghost, Yeo-ri will get the reality straight from the king: the Colossal Shadow had possessed his father, and her grandmother had fought in opposition to it — just for the Colossal Shadow to chase her down for revenge.
And talking of getting solutions, we additionally study the identification of the “Elder” directing the blind shaman to curse the royal household. It’s not Lord Choi as I suspected, however one other member of the royal household — the king’s grandfather, Chief State Minister KIM BONG-IN (Sohn Byung-ho). Contemplating how a lot the king respects and leans on him, that betrayal is actually going harm when it’s uncovered. However for now, the blind shaman begs for one final probability to do away with the prince, providing his information of Yeo-ri’s identification as proof that he can get the job carried out. In response to her grandmother’s identify, the brazier he makes use of to speak with the Colossal Shadow roars to life.
Generational grudges has been a giant theme of this present for the reason that starting, and we’ve acquired just a few of them floating round now — e.g., the one following Lord Choi round and making an attempt to kill him, and the one linking Yeo-ri, Kang-cheol, and the king by way of Yeo-ri’s grandmother and the Colossal Shadow. However I feel it’s attention-grabbing that most of the “grudges” inflicting spirits to linger haven’t been about revenge a lot as closure. And I respect that Kang-cheol appears to be slowly realizing (nonetheless reluctantly) that he’s depriving individuals of that very closure by possessing Gab’s corpse. Everybody from Yeo-ri to the king to Gab’s mom can’t correctly mourn him as a result of a part of him continues to be strolling round and looking out as if nothing occurred to him. They will’t even punish his assassin as a result of, formally, he’s nonetheless alive.
On one other word, I wasn’t shocked that Kang-cheol didn’t kill Yeo-ri’s grandmother, however I used to be pleasantly shocked that she discovered so quickly. With that misunderstanding (largely) out of the way in which, although, I’m guessing some exterior forces are about to attempt to come between them as a substitute.
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