Welcome back to our deep dive into The Haunted Palace, the Korean palace thriller that’s part ghost story, part political chess game. Episodes 3 and 4 push the pedal to the metal as our reluctant duo—Yeo-ri, the almost-shaman, and Kang-cheol, the imoogi in human form—race against shadows, arrows, and palace politics. If you thought the first two episodes were spooky, buckle up: things get genuinely unhinged here.
1. A Relentless Hunt for the Colossal Shadow
First off, let’s talk about the Big Bad: the colossal evil spirit. It’s been christened “Colossal Shadow” by the YouTube-commentary-in-my-head crowd, and “Celestial General” by that blind shaman who sounds like he’s one sneeze away from a fake German accent. Whatever you call it, this spirit’s got range: it possesses the young prince (Gab) and drags him through palace grounds like a ragdoll.
Yeo-ri spots Gab’s ghost bolting away—finally some hope. But just as she’s celebrating, Mr. Shadow swoops in, throat-grabs the prince, and yanks him right back into darkness. Cue dramatic camera angle, cue Yeo-ri’s battle cry. Cue Kang-cheol manning the bench, wrestling her back before she can face-plant into a bottomless pit of doom.
2. Secrets and Lies Under the Palace Roof
Here’s the twist: Kang-cheol knew the spirit’s identity all along. He tried to talk Yeo-ri out of tagging along. Why? Because in his dragon-ish wisdom, he foresaw disaster. And Gab? He might’ve pampered our heroine with sugar-coated flattery to get her inside those palace walls. Talk about mixed motives.
Yet, nothing’s simple. Even Yeo-ri’s sleuthing chops can’t fully convince her that Gab played her. Her faith wavers. Meanwhile, Kang-cheol’s performance as the prince is, erm, theatrical genius—if your idea of genius is refusing to bow, scoffing at royal decrees, and treating the king’s grand abolition plan like a stand-up comedy routine.
3. Courtly Cynicism vs. Royal Idealism
Imagine Prince Gab weeping tears of gratitude when the king pledges to end slavery. Now meet Kang-cheol: stone-faced, immune to sentiment, lacking all manners. The king tries to reconcile the amnesia explanation with this full-blown personality transplant. “Could someone forget they care about human rights?” he wonders aloud. No, Your Majesty—that’s not amnesia, that’s an emo reboot.
Still, the king can’t ignore Kang-cheol’s razor-sharp cynicism. Underneath the sarcasm lies insight: power corrupts, and empty promises litter the history of monarchies. But lacking proof, the king can only watch and investigate the original attack on Gab.
4. Ritual Dance and Arrow: A Dance with Danger
While court intrigues simmer, Yeo-ri goes full “MacGyver with talismans.” She crafts a ritual to lure the Colossal Shadow out—baiting it with herself. Brave or bonkers? You decide. Once the spirit hops into Gab’s body (convenient for continuity), Yeo-ri offers herself as its guardian spirit. A mutual-pact ritual dance ensues: swirling robes, whispered chants, and—drumroll—a rope circle trap.
Just as victory tastes sweet, the spirit senses the noose. It lunges. Cue Kang-cheol’s superhero moment: he leaps between Yeo-ri and doom. An arrow lodges into his chest. Does he flinch? Nope. Let it protrude like a horror-movie trophy.
5. When the King Becomes the Vessel
Victory? Not quite. The Colossal Shadow burns through Yeo-ri’s binding ropes. With Gab’s body off limits, it needs a new host. Enter the king. Remember that ward stone in his glasses? Yeo-ri borrowed it for her ritual. Whoops. Now the king’s defenseless. In a blink, he’s possessed. A spirit-fueled duel erupts: Kang-cheol’s lightning against kingly authority. Yeo-ri’s knives twirl. Ultimately, exorcism succeeds. But watch your step—this is only a battle, not the war.
6. Aftermath: Pardon, Banished, and Banter
After the dust settles, Yeo-ri patches up Kang-cheol—his shirt splattered, spirit-bond rope still singed. The king demands explanations. Kang-cheol fesses up: “Gab is dead. Minister Kwak killed him. I’m using his body.” Brutally honest. The prince’s surviving testimony softens the king. He pardons them.
Moments later, guards arrest Yeo-ri and Kang-cheol. Shamanism is illegal, ritual tools are missing from the palace grounds, and someone—cough, Kang-cheol—secretly restashed them last night. The crime? Banishment. Reward? A meager pouch of money that Kang-cheol immediately decries as “less than what a palace eunuch tip must be.”
7. Roadside Revelations and Tiger Scares
Exiled from the palace, our heroes trudge down the road. Kang-cheol grumbles about the cash while Yeo-ri wonders where to set up camp. Suddenly: tiger roar. No Big Cat Lookup App needed—this is real danger. Kang-cheol steps in, eyes glowing, and scares it off. Afterward, he confesses he’s fought tigers like this “a few dozen times.” Protecting Yeo-ri isn’t just transactional anymore. There’s a spark—he blushes when she thanks him. Let’s call it…unexpected character development.
8. Grandma’s Relics: A Monastic Pit Stop
Next stop: a mountain monastery. Yeo-ri hopes to borrow her grandmother’s ritual objects from an elderly monk. The meet-and-greet goes sideways—another monk filches Kang-cheol’s pumpkin taffy stash, and Kang-cheol eats dirt trying to defend it. Yeo-ri smooths things over. The rightful monk then welcomes them, promising to unearth sacred relics.
In palace dramas, monasteries always hold secrets. Here, they also hold better snacks.
9. Court Machinations: Blind Shaman & Royal Schemes
Back at the palace, subplots churn. The blind shaman (you know, the one who imagines the spirit salute with a fake trumpet) has been conspiring with the Queen Dowager. Their plan? Keep the Colossal Shadow tethered to Gab’s body. Why? So Grand Prince Young-in—her actual favorite—can ascend the throne.
Young-in is a royal disaster: sexual assault, emotional neglect, and general creepiness. He’s the kind of entitled brat whose only redeeming feature is giving us something to hate. The Queen Dowager? She’s traumatized by a past incident tied to these spirits. But if her son’s an evil prince who accidentally births ghosts from drowned maids, maybe her trauma makes sense.
10. The Ghost Well: Vengeance in the Depths
Side quest alert: Yeo-ri befriends the well ghost, a maid who drowned after being assaulted by Young-in. Together, they nearly drown Young-in in the same well. It’s grisly, cathartic justice. But before that ghost can level up into a full-blown evil entity, the Colossal Shadow crashes the party—possessing our despised grand prince. Prophecy says he won’t be a living vessel for long. That’s foreshadowing with foreshadowing.
11. The Stakes Rise: Themes & Symbolism
Through these madcap episodes, several themes bubble to the surface:
- Power & Corruption: Kang-cheol’s cynicism exposes the gap between royal rhetoric and reality.
- Identity & Memory: What makes you “you”? When memories vanish, does your soul follow?
- Sacrifice & Loyalty: Yeo-ri risks everything—her safety, her future—to save a boy she barely knows.
- Ghosts as Metaphor: The spirits mirror hidden trauma. The well ghost channels suppressed rage; the Colossal Shadow embodies systemic evil.
12. My Personal Take
I’ll be honest. I’m torn. On one hand, I want Yeo-ri to save Gab—he’s sweet, earnest, and loyal. Betrayal sting aside, he’s the emotional anchor she needs. On the other, the electric chemistry between Yeo-ri and Kang-cheol is palpable. Their bickering banter, those stolen glances when she thanks him for scaring off tigers or nursing him back to health—it’s textbook “enemies-to-lovers,” and I’m here for it.
Plus, Kang-cheol’s reluctant hero routine? Chef’s kiss. He pretends to be aloof, but his blush says otherwise. And really, who doesn’t love a grumpy guardian spirit with a soft spot?
13. What’s Next? Eyes on Episode 5
With banishment doing what exile does best—forcing self-reflection—Yeo-ri and Kang-cheol will likely sharpen their strategy. Will they gather more shaman relics? Betrayals loom large: the Queen Dowager’s agenda, Minister Kwak’s murderous coup, and now the grand prince as host. The stakes are higher than ever.
I, for one, can’t wait to see if the king swaps skepticism for a sword in hand. Because honestly, there’s nothing like a power-drunk monarch possessed by a shadow to make you rethink your life choices.
Closing Thoughts:
Episodes 3 and 4 of The Haunted Palace serve up a potent mix of supernatural chills, palace intrigue, and reluctant heroism. Between the saber-sharp wit, the rope-trap rituals, and that unforgettable arrow-through-the-chest moment, this drama reminds us why we binge-watch Korean palace thrillers.
So grab your ward stones, memorize your chants, and stay tuned. The ghosts aren’t done haunting—nor are the schemers done scheming. And we haven’t even gotten to the third eye of the storm yet.
