The Haunted Palace Episode 14 Review: The Series Gears Up for the Final Fight

The Haunted Palace Episode 14 Review: The Series Gears Up for the Final Fight | Leisurebyte

Director: Yoon Sung-shik

Date Created: 2025-05-31 18:30

Editor's Rating:
4

Episode 13 dives deep into the tragic origin of the eight-legged spirit, revealing a century-old royal betrayal that led to the massacre of Yongdam’s villagers, sacrificed by King Yeonjeong for his own survival. In the present, the truth shatters King Lee Seong, while Yeo-ri and Gangcheol uncover emotional and spiritual layers of the haunting. Amid growing supernatural turmoil, the serpent spirit’s power seems tied to an ancient flower blooming out of season, and Yoon Gap’s tormented soul teeters on the edge of despair.

As Poong San manipulates events from the shadows, a dark ritual orchestrated by Minister Suk-joo forcibly restores Yoon Gap to his body, leaving Gangcheol’s fate ominously uncertain, and the serpent spirit’s new vessel a terrifying mystery.

The Haunted Palace Episode 14 has a runtime of around 60 minutes.

This new Korean drama has 16 episodes and will be released every Friday and Saturday.

The Haunted Palace Episode 14 Recap

Episode 14 opens on a bittersweet note, with Yoon Gap waking up in his own body for the first time in months. His mother is overcome with emotion—finally, her son is back. But while his return brings joy, it also stirs up unresolved heartache. As Yoon Gap and Yeo-ri head to the palace together, he finally apologises for not telling her the truth about the King’s situation back when he first brought her to the capital. Yeo-ri quietly cries, her thoughts filled with Gangcheol—the man now trapped inside him.

When Yoon Gap tries to gently wipe away her tears, she steps back, making it clear that her heart now belongs to someone else. Adding to the heartbreak, he removes the bracelet she had once given Gangcheol and returns it to her—a symbolic and silent goodbye. At the palace, King Lee Seong and his guards are visibly relieved to see Yoon Gap alive and well. The King embraces him, but their reunion is cut short when Yoon Gap recoils from a sharp pain at the touch.

Yeo-ri quickly realises the cause: the King’s warding stone, which repels spirits and undead beings, is affecting Yoon Gap, who has already brushed shoulders with death. Despite the odd discomfort, the King is eager to share something meaningful—the slave reform bill. When Yoon Gap reads it, he praises the King’s compassion and vision, validating the monarch’s efforts with heartfelt admiration. Though gratified, the King can’t help but feel the absence of Gangcheol, whose words of encouragement still echo in his mind.

Elsewhere in the palace, even the head eunuch finds himself reminiscing about Gangcheol, particularly his cheeky nickname “grilled abalone.” The weight of Gangcheol’s absence is felt across the board. Later, while carrying some books, Yoon Gap experiences a sudden, searing pain in his ears. That night, Poong San appears and offers to “help,” relieving the pain. He tells Yoon Gap that the fire he planted inside him allows him to hear every conversation, making Yoon Gap an unwilling conduit of information. Through this, Poong San learns about the warding stone and concocts a new plan.

He offers Yoon Gap a bottle of ritual wine and commands him to pour it over the King’s warding stone, destroying the last true protection against spiritual forces. In exchange, Poong San promises that Yoon Gap can retain his mortal body forever. But Yoon Gap, still wrestling with morality, hurls the bottle to the ground, shattering it.

That night, as his mother lovingly watches over him, Yeo-ri prays, hoping to reach Gangcheol’s spirit. Her fervent prayers stir something inside Yoon Gap, waking the dormant soul of Gangcheol. Hearing strange noises from Yoon Gap’s room, Yeo-ri rushes in—and what she witnesses shakes her to the core. Gangcheol and Yoon Gap are fighting, both trapped within the same body, struggling for control. Horrified, Yeo-ri realises the full scope of their torment.

Poong San, sensing Gangcheol’s awakening, retaliates by inflicting unbearable pain on Yoon Gap, forcing him into submission. In agony and confusion, Yoon Gap retrieves another bottle of the cursed wine and prepares to carry out Poong San’s command. The next day, in the King’s chamber, he approaches the warding stone under the guise of reading the King’s latest proposal. As he lifts the wine to pour, his own hand violently resists. In a miraculous moment of inner defiance, Yoon Gap’s soul is expelled, and Gangcheol takes full control once more. The fire spirit exits through his ear like smoke. The King is stunned, unable to comprehend the spiritual battle that just unfolded before his eyes.

Outside, Yeo-ri—now aware of Poong San’s wicked scheme—rushes to find Yoon Gap. Alongside Gangcheol, she locates him. Yoon Gap, filled with shame and remorse, pleads with them to help send his spirit away for good. Gangcheol insists that it wasn’t he who stopped the ritual—it was Yoon Gap himself, proving he still had goodness within. Despite the absolution, Yoon Gap cannot forgive himself. He begs Yeo-ri to perform a farewell ritual and release him from the mortal coil.

That night, his mother realises the devastating truth: the son she just got back is already gone. She sobs uncontrollably, begging Yeo-ri and Gangcheol to return her son. Watching this heartbreaking scene, Yoon Gap’s spirit weeps too. In a solemn and sacred ceremony, the monks and Yeo-ri prepare the ritual. Yoon Gap appears one final time to say his goodbyes. He tells Yeo-ri not to carry guilt and embraces his mother one last time.

As his soul ascends to the afterlife, Gangcheol asks why he never confessed his feelings to Yeo-ri. Yoon Gap’s reply is both humble and heartbreaking: he couldn’t bear to confuse a woman who clearly loved someone else. The following day, Yeo-ri and Gangcheol decide to leave Yoon Gap’s house. They don’t want to add to his mother’s burden—living reminders of the son she lost. Meanwhile, the King learns of Yoon Gap’s death and privately mourns the loss of his dear friend.

That night, Gangcheol and Yeo-ri take shelter at a local inn. As they sit together in heavy silence, Gangcheol asks her a question that catches her off guard: if he chooses to abandon his divine destiny and remain human, would she stay by his side forever? Before she can answer, the door swings open. It’s Yoon Gap’s mother, scolding them playfully but sternly. She insists they come home immediately; she won’t have an unmarried couple tarnishing their reputations by staying alone together. Despite the tension, the scene ends with a hint of laughter.

The next morning, the King entrusts the warding stone to the Queen, wanting to protect her from any future spiritual attacks. Meanwhile, Poong San activates his next sinister move. He instructs Minister Suk-joo’s guard, Sa-soon, to secretly pour the cursed wine over the Queen’s warding stone.

During a ritual to pacify the eight-legged spirit, led by Yeo-ri and the palace monk, the unthinkable happens. The spirit, now fully enraged, possesses Sa-soon and charges into the Queen’s chambers. As Gangcheol tries to stop him, Sa-soon slashes the Queen’s abdomen, leaving her bleeding and the palace in stunned horror.

The episode closes with gasps, chaos, and the chilling realisation that the spirit’s wrath has only just begun. As the Queen lies wounded and vulnerable, the final battle looms on the horizon, where love, loyalty, and lives will be put to the ultimate test.

The Haunted Palace Episode 14 Review

Yoon Gap’s final farewell is one of the most heart-wrenching moments of the series. His quiet acceptance of death, his decision not to interfere with Yeo-ri’s heart, and his tearful goodbye to his mother leave a haunting imprint. There’s something profoundly tragic about a man who, despite having fought his way back to life, chooses to let go for the sake of others. The scenes of him watching his mother cry and whispering to Yeo-ri not to feel guilty are unbearably poignant. It’s a farewell laced with love, regret, and a silent heroism that makes his departure all the more painful.

But the sadness doesn’t end there. Just when peace seems within reach, the cruel twist of fate strikes again—this time through the Queen. As the enraged spirit takes over Sa-soon and slices through the palace’s last line of protection, blood is spilt, and the Queen’s injury shocks everyone into silence. The episode leaves viewers with a sense of grief not just for Yoon Gap’s departure, but also for the growing darkness closing in around the King and those he loves. What began as a farewell turns into a harrowing reminder that in this palace, no joy comes without a shadow.

The Haunted Palace is streaming on Viki.

Also read: All The Haunted Palace Reviews