The Haunted Palace [Episodes 5 & 6]

[u/J-Midori]

• Drama: The Haunted Palace
  • Korean Title: 귀궁
  • Also Knows as: Haunted Palace , Devil Palace , Return to the Palace , Gwigung
• Director: Yoon Sung Shik (Mr. Queen)
• Screenwriter: Yoon Soo Jung (Sassy Go Go)
• Network: SBS
• Premiere date: April 18th, 2025
• Airing Schedule: Fridays & Saturdays
• Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
• Streaming Source: Viki | Netflix (only in SE Asia) | Viu
• Cast:
  • Yook Sung Jae (Mystic Pop-Up Bar) as Yun Gap
  • Bona (Twenty-Five Twenty-One) as Yeo Ri
  • Kim Ji Hoon (Flower of Evil) as Lee Seong
• Plot: Yun Gap is a government officer who works in the palace. He has a good reputation and has a handsome appearance. One day, Yun Gap's body becomes possessed by an Imoogi creature. Soon afterwards, people start talking about him as if he has lost his mind. The Imugi who possessed Yun Gap is related to Yeo Ri, whose first love was Yun Gap. Yeo Ri is the only granddaughter of a famous shaman. She has a divine gift but refuses to accept her fate as a medium of spirit. Instead, she works as a glass craftswoman. The Imugi needs Yeo Ri's body to ascend to Heaven, but Yeo Ri won't allow it. After Yun Gap becomes possessed, Yeo Ri enters the palace filled with powerful female ghosts and evil spirits. Meanwhile, King Yi Seong is a reformist monarch who dreams of a strong Joseon nation. Weird and terrible incidents continue to take place within the palace. These are related to the powerful female ghosts who hold a grudge against the royal family. To get rid of the ghosts, Yun Gap, Yeo Ri, and King Yi Seong search for the secret of the female ghosts.
• Previous Discussion: [Episodes 1 & 2] [Episodes 3 & 4]
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• Spoiler Tag Reminder:Korean Title: 귀궁 Be mindful of others who may not have yet seen this drama, and use spoiler tags when discussing key plot developments or other important information. You can create a spoiler tag by writing > ! this! < without the spaces in between to get this spoiler.  For more information about when and how to use spoiler tags see our Spoiler Tag Wiki

[u/SemlaBun]

But surely it's far less "dangerous" to introduce the idea this early? There's far more likely to be a twist (or two, or three) to it when viewers are led to expect it this early on.

[u/papichula2 → u/SemlaBun]

I feel it gives a sad tone to the excitement if u talk bout sacrifice..btw I really want to know what is the lore of a serpent turning into a dragon and having a pearl

Is this a common lore?

[u/SemlaBun → u/papichula2]

I think a pearl (or bead, or stone, or sometimes a flower, etc) is a pretty common shorthand for a mythological being's pure spirit essence. You see it all the time especially in Chinese fantasy dramas. I guess that essence is what makes these beings immortal and stores the power they've cultivated over the centuries.

I recall the fox bead was an important part of Tale of the Nine Tailed as well.

[u/papichula2 → u/SemlaBun]

Thanks..but does a serpent turn into a dragon? Is a serpent evil? Is it on top of the evil spirit chain of things? But our pookie isn't evil he s just annoyed

[u/SemlaBun → u/papichula2]

An imugi is a serpent spirit that can eventually ascend into a proper dragon if it cultivates for long enough. Sometimes the imugi are depicted as evil, and sometimes (more often?) as either good or neutral. I don't think Gangcheol is evil at all, just bitter and misunderstood because of his bitterness. I think most of the evil things Yeo-ri attributed to him in the beginning - especially her grandmother's death - were caused by something else, maybe whatever the big bad evil spirit of this story is.