Dear Hongrang – K-drama Episode 9 Recap & Review
Episode 9 of Dear Hongrang begins with Yeol-guk believing that Hong-rang has taken Jae-yi hostage. Mu-jin claims to have proof of Hong-rang's fake identity. But in exchange, he wants to be reinstated as the guildmaster. He also wants Yeol-guk to disown him so he can marry Jae-yi. Yeol-guk agrees and sends him to capture Hong-rang.
But Yeon-ui believes that Yeol-guk has framed her son. She orders Yuk-son to take all her guards to rescue Hong-rang and kill Jae-yi and Mu-jin.
We even have Kkot-nim who orders Gyu-ha to use the distraction to find Yeol-guk's main patron. She is also colluding with the Deputy Leader and orders him to slow down Yeol-guk and Yeon-ui's men, find Hong-rang and kill Jae-yi. At the last command, In-hoe looks worried.
Meanwhile, Hong-rang and Jae-yi camp for the night. He wonders if she regrets running away. She doesn't, as he showed her what love is. She believes she can survive anything with him. Their peace is interrupted as Mu-jin, Yeon-ui and Kkot-nim's men get close. Thankfully, Jae-yi and Hong-rang are able to escape as the three troops try to thwart each other.
Mu-jin re-reads Jae-yi's farewell note which says that she has found her purpose with Hong-rang. She hopes Mu-jin can find his purpose apart from the guild. He wishes he could have told her that he doesn't want the guild but her. He secretly orders his aide to misguide Yeon-ui's men and the assassins so that he can get to Jae-yi before them.
The couple's luck runs out when Jae-yi is identified when she heads into a town for supplies. She narrowly escapes but she is poisoned. Hong-rang hides her in a cave and nurses her. Once she recovers, he lures the troops away. He then confronts his assassins and promises to return and complete their mission after she is safe. They agree and he heads back.
However, she is missing and he panics. She finds him, having gone searching for him. Relieved, they sleep together in the cave. But Hong-rang keeps his back tattoo covered throughout it.
Yeol-guk is frustrated by the endless search and asks the Grand Prince for an army. The prince wants to punish Yeol-guk for his impudence but he has leverage. Turns out, Hong-rang's back tattoo is the Grand Prince's yin-yang masterpiece.
In the woods, some travellers take mercy and point Hong-rang and Jae-yi to an abandoned house in the mountains. It is peaceful and they settle in. Jae-yi is playful and Hong-rang indulges her. That night, she cries for her brother and Hong-rang promises not to leave her. It cuts to a montage of them being cute and domestic. Hong-rang even finds a peddler and buys a hairpin for her. One day, he coughs and his vision blurs for a second. The scar on his neck is inflamed and he looks worried.
Bad news follows as Mu-jin's aide finds the travellers. He forces them to drug Jae-yi and attempts to kidnap her. Hong-rang tries to stop him but he is too busy fighting Mu-jin's men. Yeon-ui's men attack and it is a bloodbath as they try to kill Jae-yi. The Grand Prince's royal guards arrive in full force and take the couple to the Sims.
At the end of Dear Hongrang Episode 9, Yeol-guk demands a confession but Hong-rang just smirks. In retaliation, he tears Hong-rang's shirt which reveals his tattooed back. Both Yeon-ui and Jae-yi are horrified. Hong-rang is ashamed and tries to cover himself up. He believes that his torture makes him inhuman.
The Episode Review
Dear Hongrang Episode 9 is the calm before the storm as it focuses on the chase and allows the couple some happiness. And this chapter proves that Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah have the chemistry for a sweet romance as much as for the enemies-to-lovers bickering. Poor Mu-jin just didn't have a chance.
Unfortunately, with only 2 episodes left, we doubt there will be any more romance as the show needs to pack in the Painter's diabolical schemes and his potential downfall. Let's not forget that the real Hong-rang is still missing and Kkot-nim is yet to enact her revenge on the Min Guild.
We also have to talk about this chapter's ending which is most definitely the highlight. We get the big reveal which is not only the confirmation that the Grand Prince is the Evil Painter but also the artist behind Hong-rang's tattoo. It is beautiful and gruesome, in line with the Grand Prince's warped ideals about art.
We also get a snippet of Hong-rang's thought process and why he keeps his tattoo a secret. Poor guy just cannot catch a break. And what was the coughing and hazy vision thing? Boy, we sure do hope it isn't anything bad…
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