Branding in Seongsu Episode 9 picks up where the previous episode left off. Shortly after Yeol-sup said she’d been holding on for far too long, we get a short glimpse of her. We watch both her and the rabbit that has undergone cosmetic testing. She may have some sort of relation to the man with the rabbit mask who tried to murder Na-eon previously, according to the scene.
The next scene follows Na-eon and Eun-ho as they kiss to return to their former forms. Unfortunately, they find themselves trapped in each other’s bodies as the switch fails. Following this, we witness Na-eon, who is now inhabiting Eun-ho’s body, attempting to determine her killer. Since Yu-mi stood to gain the most from it, she is the main suspect in her mind. On the other hand, she does note that Yu-mi didn’t pull it off without help and that someone undoubtedly helped her carry out the plan.
Soon after, at Seongsu Agency, Eun-ho—who is now inhabiting Na-eon’s body—is called upon. Considering Eun-ho’s demeanour, he promptly declares his intention to head the underground squad. Meanwhile, everyone, even Yu-mi, is taken aback by Na-eon’s sudden shift in attitude and character. However, Yu-mi continues to be threatened. After this, marketing sex toys becomes Na-eon’s first task as leader of the underground squad.
Being in Na-eon’s body is somewhat challenging for Eun-ho, who struggles to imitate Na-eon’s behaviour and is therefore perceived as strange by the team and the office as a whole. On the other hand, Na-eon, who’s in Eun-ho’s body, is extremely dominating and very unlike Eun-ho, which raises some eyebrows as well. Additionally, it’s shocking how submissive Na-eon acts while Eun-ho acts like the boss throughout the endeavour.
The underground team arrives to speak with the sex toys store owner. While the woman describes the company’s inner workings, they gather in the basement and pay close attention. To get the project done, Eun-ho assigns assignments to everyone instead of Na-eon. This is strange because Na-eon is supposed to be the one doing that. Consequently, Na-eon acts as if to yell at Eun-ho. As they are away, Na-eon ties her hand to Eun-ho’s with the sex toy and keeps the key for herself, taunting him as the episode ends.
In episode 9, Na-eon and Eun-ho continue to be stuck in each other’s bodies. All signs point to Yeol-sup being involved in the disaster. As part of her new assignment, Na-eon must market sex toys. Eun-ho’s persistence in displaying authority is giving his coworkers the impression that something is amiss.
Just like in earlier episodes, the show’s plot is imbalanced between the main storyline and the secondary plot, which includes the office plot. Furthermore, the supernatural narrative has further muddled things and, to top it all off, it feels really out of place in the story.
Additionally, there is a lack of development in both the characters and their stories. Given the plot, it needs to be able to make us care about the characters, but it hasn’t done that, at least not yet. With any luck, things will improve from here on out. However, at this point, the show is simply mediocre.