‘Gwigung’ Yook Seong-jae, Kim Ji-yeon, and Kim Ji-hoon joined forces to exorcise the vengeful spirit ‘Palcheokgwi’.
In the 5th episode of SBS's Friday-Saturday drama ‘Gwigung’ (written by Yoon Soo-jung, directed by Yoon Sung-sik), aired on the 2nd, Kang-cheol (played by Yook Seong-jae) accepted the wish of Yeori (played by Kim Ji-yeon) to save the spirit of his first love, Yoon-gap (also played by Yook Seong-jae), by exorcising Palcheokgwi, and decided to become her protector as her body deity.
Additionally, ‘Gwigung’ episode 5 recorded a peak rating of 9.4%, with a nationwide rating of 8.8% and a metropolitan area rating of 8.2%, maintaining the number one spot in viewership during its time slot and ranking first among all mini-series aired that week, continuing its strong momentum even during the golden holiday. (Based on Nielsen Korea)
The palace was thrown into chaos when Prince Yeong-in (played by Kim Seon-bin) was found dead. When a terrible stench emanated from Prince Yeong-in's corpse, indicating that the spirit of Won-ja (played by Park Jae-jun) had possessed Palcheokgwi, King Lee Jeong (played by Kim Ji-hoon) and the royal family instinctively sensed that the prince's death was the work of Palcheokgwi. In particular, the queen dowager (played by Han Soo-yeon), who had lost her son, went into a rage. Until then, the queen dowager had been collaborating with the shaman Pansoo (played by Kim Sang-ho), who served Palcheokgwi, with the sole intention of protecting Prince Yeong-in.
The queen dowager poured all her resentment onto Pansoo, who cunningly deceived her by claiming that Prince Yeong-in did not die because of Palcheokgwi, but rather due to the sorcerer brought into the palace by the king. This led the queen dowager to harbor resentment towards Lee Jeong, while Pansoo, who had survived, began to show interest in the identity of the sorcerer next to the king, heightening the tension.
Kang-cheol received unexpected news from Monk Gaseop (played by Lee Won-jong). To eliminate Palcheokgwi, Kang-cheol had to exhaust all the luminous jewels he was harboring inside him. In other words, it meant he had to sacrifice himself. Unaware of this fact, Yeori, who had obtained the sacred objects from her grandmother Neobdeok (played by Gil Hae-yeon), was excited about exorcising Palcheokgwi and retrieving Yoon-gap's spirit. Kang-cheol felt conflicted but soon steadied himself and promised to become her body deity and defeat Palcheokgwi as per Yeori's request.
Kang-cheol and Yeori were reborn as body deity and disciple through a shamanic ceremony. After receiving a handmade ‘Jangmyeongru’ (a bracelet made of colorful threads) from Yeori as an offering, Kang-cheol slipped a jade ring onto her finger, sparking a subtle excitement between them. For a moment, Kang-cheol warned, “No matter how much you hold Yoon-gap in your heart, I will never let you go,” and as if trying to shake off any negativity, he declared, “If you accept me as your body deity, I will completely crush that Palcheokgwi.”
Kang-cheol and Yeori devised a plan to return to the capital. During this time, a significant incident occurred between the two. They were startled to discover the royal guard Seo Jae-il (played by Han Min) and fled, hiding in Choi In-seon's (played by Shin Seul-ki) palanquin. While they were holding their breath in the cramped palanquin, Kang-cheol, unable to control his surging emotions, gently touched Yeori's lips, causing her to gasp in surprise and get caught by Seo Jae-il.
Seo Jae-il was searching for the two on the secret orders of the queen (played by Han So-eun), and Kang-cheol and Yeori returned to the palace. Yeori discovered a talisman used by Palcheokgwi in Prince Yeong-in's quarters and, through the testimony of the shaman Ok-im (played by Song Su-i), realized the truth behind Prince Yeong-in's death. Upon learning of Kang-cheol and Yeori's return, the king became furious. At that moment, the queen stepped in, pleading with tears that it was to protect the king and the crown prince, which softened the king's heart. Along with this, Kang-cheol and Yeori learned that someone aiding Palcheokgwi was within the palace, and the king finally decided to join forces with them to confront this threat, creating a thrilling moment.
As Kang-cheol and Yeori returned home and resumed their daily lives, Kang-cheol could not control his racing heart whenever he saw Yeori. Eventually, he exclaimed, “Why do I keep feeling this way? Whenever I’m near that girl, something inside me flares up. It feels like I want to just devour her, but why is this happening?” causing laughter. On the other hand, Yeori also felt excitement towards Kang-cheol and tried to dismiss her emotional turmoil, saying, “I’m confused, I’m confused. I’m mixing up with Yoon-gap,” which added a sweet romantic tension that delighted viewers.
Kang-cheol, Yeori, and the king solidified their plan to eliminate Palcheokgwi. They intended to lure Palcheokgwi to the shrine and exorcise it using Neobdeok's lunar sword and Kang-cheol's luminous jewels, while also capturing the colluding forces. On the day of the showdown, as expected, Palcheokgwi appeared at the shrine, and Yeori successfully trapped Palcheokgwi in a pre-set iron net (a paper artifact used to capture spirits).
Kang-cheol infused the power of the luminous jewels into the lunar sword and stabbed Palcheokgwi through the iron net. However, overwhelmed by the tremendous heat emitted by Palcheokgwi, Kang-cheol collapsed to the ground, and the words of Monk Gaseop, “You must completely exhaust the luminous jewels to eliminate Palcheokgwi,” echoed in his mind, but he desperately denied it. Meanwhile, Palcheokgwi struggled to break free from the iron net, creating a sense of imminent crisis as the episode ended, leaving viewers wondering if they would be safe from Palcheokgwi's counterattack.
In this episode, the existence of a shadowy figure referred to as the ‘Elder’ behind Pansoo was revealed, heightening the tension. Additionally, the suspicious actions of former Prime Minister Choi Won-woo (played by Ahn Nae-sang), who came to the capital under the pretext of mourning Prince Yeong-in, and the relentless pursuit of the one-legged spirit added to the intrigue. Furthermore, the Minister of Military Affairs, Gwak Sang-chung (played by Yoon Seung), learned of Kang-cheol's return to the palace, and the queen dowager discovered the queen's pregnancy, leading to a series of precarious events that kept viewers on edge.
‘Gwigung’ is a fantasy romantic comedy about Yeori, a shaman who rejects the fate of a medium, and Kang-cheol, a dragon trapped in the body of Yeori's first love, Yoon-gap, facing the vengeful spirit Palcheokgwi, resulting in a tangled battle for body and soul. The 6th episode will air today (3rd) at 9:55 PM.
