Love Song for Illusion (2024) K Drama Episode 13

Episode 13 of Love Song For Illusion starts with Yeon Wol hugging Sajo Hyun at the beach and realising he does not remember her. She thinks he is joking and continues to hold her hand as she leads him to shade and asks questions about what happened to him and whether he is still sharing his body with Ak-hee.

When Eunuch Neung arrives, she realises that Sajo Hyun has lost all memories of her, and he says that she cannot be his lover since he is already married to the Queen. Sajo Hyun dislikes the clothes she is wearing, and he leads her to his drapery to measure her new clothes. Yeon Wol is a little upset because Sajo Hyun remembers little details about her but does not remember her. When she is around him, his heart starts to beat unreasonably fast, and he almost kisses her but pulls away at the last minute. Sajo Hyun asks Yeon Wol to stay as his guest for a few more days until he finishes making her clothes. 

On her way out, Yeon Wol bumps into Eunuch Neung and asks about what happened on the day she took the antidote to Sajo Hyun. In a flashback, we see that after Yein Wol escapes from the chamber, the Queen and Sajo Yoong decide to take Sajo Hyun to the house outside the palace so he can recover from his illness. Eunuch Neung could only give him the antidote later that night after the Queen left, after which Sajo Hyun slept for days before waking up with no memory.

He remembers as much as he does because Eunuch Neung constantly told him about his status as the King. However, before he can tell him about Sajo Yoong and the Queen’s ill motives, they arrive at the house posing as the only people he trusts and threaten Neung’s family to ensure that he never speaks a word about the past, especially Yeon Wol. Consequently, they locked Jin-seo in prison to stop him from getting close to Sajo Hyun. 

Yeon Wol chooses not to tell the Sajo Hyun about them since she will leave in a few days to keep her promise to Prince Ga-ron. Meanwhile, as Sajo Hyun is making her the dress, he suddenly remembers a dress in the storage that resembles the current idea he has in mind about the dress he wants to make for Yeon Wol. He gets more confused when the dress he has in his closet matches Yeon Wol’s measurements. He wonders why his heart races when he thinks about her since he believes she could not be her lover because he already has Geum-hwa. 

Yeon Wol runs into Chung Ta as she lurks around Sajo Hyun’s residence and sends her a message to Sajo Yoong. She says she will leave Asatae in a few days and update them about Ak-hee vanishing. Sajo Yoong is excited as he heads to the assembly the following morning since he has finally taken over the world as he always wanted. However, the head minister, Moo-dal, has some plans underway against Sajo Yoong, and he holds Sajo Yoong’s father captive. 

Geum-hwa visits Jin-seo in prison and tells him about her pregnancy. She asks him to find a way to survive so he can help her protect the child, and Jin-seo concludes that the baby she is carrying is his. Sajo Yoond sees her leave the dungeons and asks his man to watch Jin-seo since he might become useful. Elsewhere, as Sajo Hyun stays up at night making Yeon Wol the dress, he gets glimpses of memories about him and Yeon Wol.

He confronts her but with the assumption that even though they liked each other, Sajo Hyun must have broken up with her since he did not want to hurt his Queen, who is kind and has a good heart. Yeon Wol refuses to clarify their relationship for Sajo Hyun, asking him to strive and get his memories. She speaks ill of Sajo Yoong, insinuating that he is untrustworthy, which angers Sajo Hyun, and he asks her to leave his house first thing the following morning. 

After briefly visiting his mother’s chambers, Sajo Yong learns that Geum-hwa is pregnant when his mother tells him she no longer eats peaches. In a surprising twist, we learn from Chung Ta that Prince Ga-ron is Shaman Ta Ya of Jinhoi, which means that he played tricks and deceived Sajo Yoong. Moreover, Prince Ga-ron is at the border waiting for Yeon Wol, and he sends her a note asking to meet up as she had promised. Sajo Yoong starts to get anxious, unaware of what Yeon Wol might do, especially about restoring Sajo Hyun’s memories now that she is to marry Shaman Ta Ya. 

Sajo Hyun gifts Yeon Wol the dress and asks her to wear it if she forgives him for his harsh words the previous day. After changing to the new clothes, Yeon Wol asks to enter Sajo Hyun’s chamber and hug him one last time. She tries to get Ak-hee to summon him to the mind space, and in a glimpse, we see Ak-hee unconscious on the floor. Yeon Wol silently apologises to Sajo Hyun for failing to help him regain his memories, and the following morning, they wake up to an empty room with a note asking Sajo Hyun to be careful and a map showing him the safe places he can visit around the mountains. 

Immediately, Sajo Hyun realises that his life might be in danger. He asks Neung about it, and when he hesitates, he ventures into the forest, where he sees Yeon Wol talking to Jae-yi and Ha Rang. Sajo Hyun hysterically calls out to them, and they show up when he almost gives up.

Meanwhile, Yeon Wol arrives at the meet-up with Prince Ga-ron, but she does not come to fulfil their promise but to end things since Prince Ga-ron did not hold her end of the bargain. She says she would rather he kill her, and just as he calls out for his men to detain her in the warehouse, Sajo Hyun enters, followed by Jae-yi and Ha Rang.

Sajo Hyun knows that Prince Ga-ron is Shaman Ta Ya, and he takes Yeon Wol away. When Ta Ya tries to protest, Ha Rang and jae-yi hold him back as Sajo Hyun walks out with Yeon Wol. Surprisingly, Sajo Hyun has not recovered his memories, but he can sense that he loves Yeon Wol deary and that she is someone dear to him. At the end of the episode, Sajo Hyun summons Ak-hee. 

The Episode Review

The episode introduces the aftermath of Sajo Hyun losing his memory and forgetting Yeon Wol. Sajo Yoong seems to finally have a shot at becoming the King. However, the threats to his ascension are still piling up, such as the possibility of Sajo Hyun regaining his memories through Ta Ya’s help and the Queen’s pregnancy.

The series continues to become increasingly bland and uninteresting, with the plot spiralling in all directions. The script is unpredictable, not thrillingly and mysteriously, but in a way that increases confusion. The viewers have no idea what to look forward to next. The only question worth asking is whether or not it was a good idea to let Ak-hee out at the end of the episode.