"The Haunted Palace" End-of-Season Highlights: Bona & Yook Sung Jae Blend Romance with Spine-Tingling Mystery!

In a chilling twist, Bona's reluctant shaman, Yeo Ri, springs onto the royal palace scene with her adoring childhood friend—only he's possessed by a demon whose terrifying grip on him is matched only by its shocking, undeniable romantic obsession with her. Let's dive in and take a closer look at the end-of-season highlights!

Image: The Haunted Palace - Photo: SBS Korea

What is the show about?

The Haunted Palace is a fantasy drama, that showcases the Joseon King being haunted by evil and demanding spirits. When a shaman is called to the palace to help, she must confront the government official who was once in love with her. Seems easy? Well, think again. He is also now possessed by an imoogi, which is a mythical serpent-like creature, and the two of them together must help to solve the palace mystery.

Cast: Yook Sung Jae, Bona, Kim Ji Hoon

Image: The Haunted Palace - Photo: SBS Korea

So what are fans of the show saying?

Many fans of the fantasy K-drama have been impressed with the brilliant level of screenwriting of the show, as it seamlessly combines supernatural and romance elements, which also plays to the advantage of the main characters' electric chemistry.

What happened during the dramatic season? (Spoilers!)

During the intense season of The Haunted Palace, we have been on a journey of mystery. A determined trip have been tasked with unravelling the palace's ghostly secrets in order to stop further terrifying incidents from taking place, and what started with one spirit quickly spirals out of control.

The plot later thickens as the season progressed, and the imoogi and shaman team uncovered what was perhaps more than what they set out for, as they finally discovered the truth behind the evil spirit, and in doing so discover more about their love.

The thirteen year old mystery had been unravelling and as viewers find out the truth about the shaman, kidnapping and transforming young children into evil spirits, a secret deal had been struck with Minister Kim who is the Kings grandfather. The deal was a pardon in exchange for helping the royal family escape the shadow which has plagued them for many years. But did he just want to control the spirt?

Image: The Haunted Palace - Photo: SBS Korea

This sinister pact had ensured the Colossal Shadow continued to torment the royal family, driving the once-benevolent king (our current king's father) into murderous madness. Only Yeo Ri’s grandmother had managed to offer a reprieve. As the current king heartbreakingly revealed to Yeo Ri, the shadow relentlessly returned, eventually taking back control of his son. The nightmare, it seemed, was far from over, and as a result, it had kept viewers hooked to the edge of their seats!

For some of the Dojeon team, the king became our favorite character of the show, as he demonstrated his bravery and shared his burdens openly with Yeo Ri. Explaining that he had overall responsibility to protect his people from the shadow, although he did need her help. As Yeo Ri decided it was best to flee, only to confront Kang Cheo about his lies, the anger turned into sadness, which was the moment the King hilariously advised him on from personal, tearful experience.

Let's check out some of the funniest moments from the series!

Talk about a rude awakening! Kang Cheol only realizes something's wrong when a ransom note-carrying arrow is thrown over the palace wall. After a quick internal debate, he's off to rescue the hostage.

As viewers witnessed a brutal fight, Minister Kwak's special talisman weakened Kang Cheol, and his conscience stopped him from revealing his true self to Gab's mom. Thankfully, Bi Bi swooped in, freeing Yeo Ri and therefore scaring off Minister Kwak's crew with a whirlwind. Yeo Ri, however, was not out of the woods yet, though as her kidnappers almost recaptured her until the King himself, sliced his hand in the process, and two guards bravely intervened. Talk about a brutal scene!

Our final thoughts

The heart of the mystery: Who is the Colossal Shadow, and why does he seek revenge? Kang Cheol and Yeo Ri believed that evil spirits carried a solvable grudge, and clues later surfaced. We witnessed the Shadow attack the household when the baby spotted Kang Cheol, but not all of the royal relatives. Was this a family curse bigger for them? A big question remained for much of the series: would releasing the spirit's grudge be enough, or would Kang Cheol have to sacrifice his life force to end this centuries-long struggle? What are your thoughts on this long-lasting storyline?

The Haunted Palace ended with a whirlwind finale. During the finale, we saw the Colossal Shadow family finally defeated after many years of generational torment and pain. The finale also brought closure to Yeo Ri and Kang Cheol, who throughout the show faced their biggest challenge, with Kang Cheol seemingly deciding to sacrifice himself before an unexpected return later on.

Ultimately, as we learnt, the past wrongs were righted, and the kingdom, along with our beloved couple, found peace and a happy future like most K-dramas tend to do during the finale.

What were your best plot twists of the show? Comment below and let the Dojeon team know!

#TheHauntedPalace #KDramaMystery #Bona #YookSungjae #SupernaturalRomance #더_하운티드_팰리스 #K드라마미스터리 #보나 #육성재 #초자연로맨스