Gyeongseong Creature K-Drama 2023 Episode 9 with Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee

Episode 9 of Gyeongseong Creature begins with footage of Korean prisoners undergoing experiments at the hands of the Japanese. Kato describes to Lady Maeda the discovery of the Najin and how it could help humans evolve. Maeda tells Kato that Ichiro will be sent back to Japan and Kato can take his place instead. In return, he needs to make sure Seishin will obey Maeda.

While trying to run away, Akiko finds herself surrounded by policemen and Ishikawa. He seems disgusted by the state she’s in and decides to send her and her baby back to Onseong. The policemen bring out a cage for her to get into. She flies into a rage and attacks Ishikawa instead. A barrage of bullets fly into her and she ends up in the cage.

Chae-ok goes home to find that her father has gone back to the hospital to find his wife. He leaves a note telling Chae-ok to move on with her life. Joong-won approaches the hospital and lets himself be taken in to see Kato. Kato lets him face Seishin and Joong-won is, of course, horrified. He’s later put into a prison cell. As Seishin grows more and more agitated, Kato concludes that she’s looking for Chae-ok.

Back at the pawnshop, Mori has had his injured eye bandaged. Mrs. Nawol berates him for standing by while people are hurt. She doesn’t want Tae-sang to be in danger again but Tae-sang says they have to do something.  

Ichiro’s team is desperately trying to heal Ishikawa but it doesn’t look likely. He conveys the same to Maeda, who doesn’t seem very affected. Instead, she flips through a photobook until she comes across a snap of her, as a young girl, along with Seishin. She then receives a message from Mr. Shiro.

Tae-sang talks with Chae-ok, discussing what they can do about the hospital. Tae-sang then takes her to his vault where he gives her a silver bracelet. It’s got an opal, which he says stands for good luck. Chae-ok makes him promise that if either of them dies, the other must remember that person. He is more optimistic about them both surviving to see good times as well. After sharing this emotional moment, the two kiss.  

Afterward, Tae-sang bids the others goodbye and leaves the pawnshop. Mrs. Nawol leaves as well. We realise that Chae-ok has taken a gun from Tae-sang’s vault. Tae-sang meets with Jun-taek, who seems much better now, at Young-chun’s bar.

Ishikawa does indeed die and his funeral takes place. However, a flashback shows that Ishikawa didn’t die due to his injuries. It was because of something Ichiro injected him with, on Maeda’s orders. Maeda tells the police to pretend he died an honorable death.

At Young-chun’s bar, Tae-san and Jun-taek discuss the situation. Tae-sang claims to have a plan which can keep Chae-ok safe. Tae-sang is introduced to Jun-taek’s comrades. Chae-ok, meanwhile, takes the gun and walks up to Ichiro, shooting him point blank. Another gunshot is heard and Chae-ok is shown falling to the ground. In the hospital, Seishin successfully breaks out of her prison cell.

Tae-sang tells the comrades that he wants to use their bombs to wipe Onseong Hospital off the map. Young-chun enters and gives Tae-sang the news about Chae-ok. Naturally, he runs out of the place all the way to the funeral venue. Mori pulls him aside and tells him Chae-ok vanished after shooting the director. The police are searching for her now and even ransacking Tae-sang’s pawnshop to do so.

Lieutenant Kato grows frustrated when he learns that Seishin escaped her cell and is stuck on the lower floor, but can’t be seen anywhere by his soldiers.  

Government officials around Maeda discuss how to move forward. She then gets another message from Mr.Shiro. The man turns out to be none other than Beom-o, who has betrayed the House of Golden Treasure. Beom-o’s phone conversation is overheard by Ga-pyeong.

While two officers try to pull Joong-won out of his cell, he takes them by surprise and overpowers them. Chae-ok wakes up elsewhere, in a room where another woman has been tied and tortured. Maeda comes to see her.

Tae-sang learns that the police have stopped looking for Chae-ok even though there is no news about her. He receives a visit from Maeda herself. She delivers shocking news and tells Tae-sang that Chae-ok is dead. He insists on seeing her body but she refuses. Before she leaves, Tae-sang promises to find Chae-ok no matter what. While questioning what power he has, Maeda reveals that Mrs. Nawol ratted out Tae-sang’s mother, Ga-pyeong betrayed him during the torture, and Beom-o betrayed him to find his mother in Japan. Tae-sang retorts that his friends should have never been put in that position in the first place.

Saying so, he goes back inside. Mrs. Nawol realises he’s known the truth for a very long time and never blamed her for it. Ga-pyeong promises to look for Chae-ok. Beom-o, too, had been standing outside listening to the whole conversation.

At the hospital, Chae-ok is brought in front of Kato, courtesy of Maeda. Her presence elicits some movement from Seishin on the floor below, as the soldier watch it through the mesh flooring. All of a sudden, Seishin bursts straight through the metal floor.

The Episode Review

Episode 9 brings back some of the show’s earlier momentum. Once again, the stakes seem high and tension between the characters rises. It’s during such moments the drama is at its best — with high-octane scenes, intense emotions, and scintillating conversation. The script is still not as tight as it was during the earlier episodes set inside the hospital, but the story manages to keep a tight hold on the viewer’s attention. 

While I do think it was not the smartest move for Tae-sang to openly declare war on Maeda, the confrontation between the two of them is a fantastic scene. The back and forth between them, using dialogues that are charged with sentiment, has been executed really well. Park Seo-joon and Soo Hyun are entirely captivating, with the latter finally getting a chance to show her range as Maeda’s feelings about Tae-sang come pouring out.

It does still feel like there is too much to be resolved before the end of the season. We don’t know much about Maeda’s relationship with Seishin and why she is so interested in having the creature obey her. Jun-taek and the rebel’s plan of attack, Tae-sang finding Chae-ok, Seishin’s fate — I wonder if the finale can shoulder it all.