In the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Haunted Palace,' Yook Seong-jae and Kim Ji-yeon confirmed their feelings for each other with a tearful kiss.
In the 9th episode of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Haunted Palace' (written by Yoon Soo-jeong, directed by Yoon Seong-sik), which aired on the 16th, it was revealed that Yeori's (played by Kim Ji-yeon) grandmother Neobdeok (played by Gil Hae-yeon), who was believed to have lost her life at the hands of Kang-cheol (played by Yook Seong-jae), was killed while attempting to deliver the palchuk-gwi possessed by Seon-wang (played by Song Jae-hee), the father of Lee Jeong (played by Kim Ji-hoon). At the same time, the shocking truth led to a whirlwind of consequences, capturing the viewers' attention. Additionally, 'Haunted Palace' recorded its highest viewership rating of 11.4%, with 10.7% nationwide and 10.0% in the metropolitan area, surpassing the magical double-digit viewership and setting a new record. Notably, the crucial indicator of channel competitiveness and popularity, the viewership rating among those aged 20 to 49, reached 3.1%, maintaining the top spot for all programs aired that Friday, successfully capturing both the viewership and popularity indicators, and opening the second act amidst the heated 'Haunted Palace' frenzy. (According to Nielsen Korea)
Poongsan (played by Kim Sang-ho) informed Kim Bong-in (played by Son Byeong-ho) that Yeori is Neobdeok's granddaughter and that the Imugi is protecting Yeori, as well as the fact that the Imugi has possessed the body of the court scribe Yoon Gap (played by Yook Seong-jae). In fact, Kim Bong-in was the mastermind who had brought Poongsan, who made a living through a curse by starving children to summon ghosts, to use the palchuk-gwi to overthrow the royal family and tragically killed Neobdeok while attempting to deliver the palchuk-gwi possessed by Seon-wang (played by Song Jae-hee) due to Poongsan's scheme. This shocked Kim Bong-in, who was greatly surprised by the words 'blood of Neobdeok,' making the tension rise.
On the other hand, Yeori, who had been hurt by Lee Jeong's hiding of her grandmother's death and deeply wounded by the royal family, turned her back on Lee Jeong. In her chaotic and sorrowful situation, Yeori faced Kang-cheol and pressed him for an explanation as to why he had not clarified the misunderstandings he had carried alone. Kang-cheol confessed, "You were only thirteen. It was an age difficult for you to take care of yourself. If you had gone to save Neobdeok, who was devoured by the palchuk-gwi, what would have happened to you?" Yeori then collapsed silently and cried hard.
Struggling to figure out how to comfort the wounded heart of the woman, Kang-cheol asked Bibi (played by Jo Han-gyeol) to keep an eye on Yeori. However, Bibi was more worried about Kang-cheol's state than Yeori's. She thought that as time trapped in a human body went on, Kang-cheol's powers would weaken and he might never ascend. Nevertheless, Bibi, believing that following Yeori would only tear them apart, stayed by Yeori's side as Kang-cheol wished, and while observing Yeori consulting with the shaman Ok-im (played by Song Soo-yi) in a corner of the palace, she realized that Yeori also has feelings for Kang-cheol.
Worried about Yeori, Kang-cheol eventually received coaching from Lee Jeong, which brought a smile. Watching Kang-cheol learning the heart of a human man with interest, Lee Jeong advised, "Just warmly embrace her and listen to her with all your heart," and the mutual love illness between Kang-cheol and Yeori, visible to everyone else, melted the hearts of those watching.
Meanwhile, Kim Bong-in, who was secretly taking actions within the palace, confirmed the existence of Kang-cheol, who was possessed by the court scribe Yoon Gap, and Yeori. When he learned that Lee Jeong intended to elevate Choi Won-woo (played by Ahn Nae-sang), living in a downtrodden state in Yongdamgol, to the position of left prime minister in order to achieve his great ambition of servant reform, he drew his sword. Kim Bong-in conspired with Minister of Military Affairs Gwak Sang-chung (played by Yoon Seung) to separate Kang-cheol from Yeori and eliminate her, using Poongsan to manipulate the Dowager Queen (played by Han Soo-yeon) to block Choi Won-woo's entrance to the palace. During this process, the Dowager Queen mentioned a mysterious book titled 'Gwangammunjip' to pressure Choi Won-woo, and fearing that the book's contents would become public, Choi Won-woo decided to follow the Dowager Queen's wishes, raising curiosity about the secrets hidden in 'Gwangammunjip.'
With Choi Won-woo's return to his hometown, Kim Bong-in's chilling schemes were set into motion one by one. Yeong-geum (played by Cha Cheong-hwa) was kidnapped by thugs sent by Gwak Sang-chung. Unbeknownst to Yoon Gap, a love quarrel erupted between Kang-cheol and Yeori at Yoon Gap's house. The impending departure of In-seon (played by Shin Seul-ki) to return to her hometown led Yeori to misunderstand and become jealous of the relationship between Kang-cheol and In-seon, and because of the heartache caused by Yeori, Kang-cheol, who was also hurt, provocatively stimulated Yeori's jealousy, leading to a comical cold war.
For a moment, tensions rose as both Kang-cheol and Yeori found themselves in crisis. Yeori, responding to a request from Kim Bong-in for glasses, set out alone on a business trip and was attacked by thugs, while Kang-cheol received a letter informing him of Yeong-geum's kidnapping at the same time. Thinking it was a human matter unrelated to him, he tried to refrain from getting involved, but having unconsciously grown fond of Yeong-geum, Kang-cheol coldly rejected In-seon's feelings for him and set out to rescue Yeong-geum.
Yeori was able to escape from the thugs with the help of Bibi, who had been following her at Kang-cheol's request. On the other hand, Kang-cheol, confronted by Gwak Sang-chung's group at the place where Yeong-geum was held captive, successfully eliminated Gwak Sang-chung's subordinates with his extraordinary martial skills. However, it did not work against Gwak Sang-chung himself, as he held the 'talisman chasing Imugi,' which he received from Poongsan. In the desperate situation where his powers were ineffective, Kang-cheol was helpless, but he was saved from the crisis thanks to Bibi, who had come to help him. At the same time, Yeori, who was being chased by thugs, managed to save her life with the help of Lee Jeong and the guards who were out of the palace.
That night, Kang-cheol and Yeori returned home from their respective journeys, both exhausted in body and mind. Seeing Yeori's injured wound, Kang-cheol reached out his hand to treat her. At that moment, Yeori pushed Kang-cheol's hand away and released her pent-up feelings. Yeori said, "Do you know what drives me crazy right now? My grandmother is still being tortured by that palchuk-gwi. It hurts my heart so much to think she left so unjustly. Yet deep down inside, I’m really relieved that you didn't make my grandmother suffer like that. That thought came to me first. I'm really glad it's not sinful to feel drawn to you like this. How could this be? Is there anyone as bad as me?" and burst into tears of guilt. In that moment, Yeori's hot confession towards Kang-cheol led him to wipe her tears and comfort her with a tender kiss, confirming each other's feelings for the first time, which left the viewers with explosive excitement and a lingering emotion.
[Photo] Captured from the SBS 'Haunted Palace' broadcast
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