Love Song for Illusion (2024) K Drama Episode 7

Episode 7 of Love Song for Illusion starts three days after Sajo Hyun becomes King. Sajo Hyun is getting ready for the assembly when he starts to see visions of his father and hears voices in his head telling him that he is a half-wit and not fit to rule the Kingdom. During the assembly, he raises the issue of increasing rice for the poor by increasing taxes collected from the officials and the noblemen. The ministers are unhappy with the suggestion, and the situation worsens when Sajo Hyun loses his cool because of the voices in his head. 

After the assembly, Sajo Yoong meets up with the ministers on his side, and they hatch a plan to trick Sajo Hyun and make him crumble. Meanwhile, the head minister, Moo-dal, attempts to talk Sajo Hyun out of increasing the taxes, saying that he should try and appease the ministers supporting Sajo Yoong and bring them back to his side and suggesting that the tax increase will only further agitate them.

Sajo Hyun hurriedly leaves the palace so that he can watch Gye-ra from afar as she comes from doing the laundry with other court maids. In a slight flashback, we learn that Sajo Hyun wanted to make her Consort Hyo again, but she refused, saying being a palace maid will make her a better spy so he can help Sajo Hyun gather information as he works to set the country right.

The head of the palace maids bullies Gye-ra, but she does not fight back. Geum-hwa’s royal assistant reports about Gye-ra and Sajo Yoong’s mother, who is still in jail. She asks them to keep giving Consort Cheong more food so she can become fat.

Sajo Hyun calls Sajo Yoong into his chamber, and Yoong tries to use the meeting to figure out Sajo-hyun’s madness. He knows that Sajo Hyun has not slept for three days and wants to trick him so he can figure out who promised him the Kingdom. Ak-hee watches the interaction from a mirror and is furious because of Sajo Yoong’s persistence. However, Sajo Hyun is perceptive of Sajo Yoong’s intent and shows no weakness. At the end of the conversation, Sajo Hyun orders Yoong to release his mother, and when he tries to protest, Sajo Hyun tells him that it is not a request but a royal decree. 

Jin-seo arrives back at the palace with information from Chung Ta about Ak-hee. Since Sajo Hyun willingly released Ak-hee from Bonghamsal, the locking ritual will no longer work. Chung Ta goes through the shaman book to try and figure out how to deal with Ak-hee and finds the note Ak-hee left for his alter ego, female Chung Ta. Male Chung-ta gets angry at his alter, saying it is her fault for falling in love with Ak-hee in the past. 

Jae-yi brings Gye-ra an update from the villages and finds out that Sajo Yoong has never helped anyone and that his men spread a rumour. In addition, the amusement women Sajo Hyun released on his first day as King did not arrive at their homes. Later that night, the palace maids assigned Gye-ra to sewing duty.

Meanwhile, Sajo Hun does not want to sleep, afraid that Ak-hee will take over, so he lets Jin-seo pretend to be him to fool Sajo Yoong’s men outside his room. He slips out of his room and into Gye-ra’s room. They spend the night having small talk while sewing clothes and Sajo Hyun making jokes about how Gye-ra would be happy if Ak-hee took over his body. He calls her by her real name, Yeon Wol, and Gye-ra smiles, saying that she likes hearing him call her name. Geum-hwa knows that Sajo Hyun spent the night with Gye-ra. 

During the next meeting, the minister’s trick idea is to give the poor more crops but have them repay as labour in the following year. Sajo Hyun asks how they will deal with those who cannot pay, and they suggest turning to low-interest loans. Sajo Hyun sees through their plan to make people who are already starving drown in more debt, which agitates him. After the assembly, Moo-dal confronts Sajo Hyun about making enemies of the officials since he went against his advice to appease them and bring them to his side. Moo-dal threatens to do as he is told, or he will end up like the late King. 

Sajo Yoong plans to hunt with the ministers, and Neung tells him that his father took charge of the hunts and coordinated everything. Sajo Hyun decides to go on the hunt and, upon arrival, warns Sajo Yoong to show courtesy and not try to do things that are supposed to be done by the King. A black deer appears on the mountain, and instead of killing it for sport, Sajo Hyun stops Sajo Yoong’s arrow.

While everyone looks disappointed that he let the deer escape, Sajo Hyun remembers Gye-ra’s words. She had advised him to do what gives him peace and what he thinks is fitting since it is the only way to make the people and Asatae peaceful. Therefore, Sajo Hyun makes another unexpected declaration. He will no longer allow hunting for sports within the palace grounds. 

When Sajo Hyun arrives at the palace, Neung tells him that the Queen has called him to her chambers so they can spend the night together since that night is an auspicious day. Sajo Hyun immediately rejects the invitation and heads to the tailor shop. Gye-ra hears about Sajo Hyun’s refusal to spend the night with Geum-hwa, and she looks for him that night. She quickly realises that the person in his chambers is not Sajo Hyun, and she knows where to find him.

Meanwhile, Chung Ta puts Sajo Hyun to sleep moments before Gye-ra arrives, and Ak-hee takes over. Gye-ra confesses her feelings to Ak-hee, thinking it is Sajo-hyun, but tells him that he should sleep with the Queen so she will not be sent away from the palace and unable to stay by his side. Ak-hee is furious that Gye-ra loves Sajo-hyun instead of AK-hee, and he makes a hasty decision to sleep with the Queen.

Knowing that the King is on his way to her chamber, Geum-hwa asks her assistant to bring Gye-ra to her cambers to help him prepare for the King’s arrival. Ak-hee is surprised to see Gye-ra in the Queen’s chamber, but it does not stop him from going ahead with the plan. At the end of the episode, Ak-hee and Geum-hwa are inside the Queen’s chamber while Gye-ra and No Ri-sa wait outside the door. 

The Episode Review

Well, Sajo Hyun made some bold decisions as the new King in this episode. He is not afraid of the ministers or Sajo Yoong’s trickery. However, the politics of a dynasty are always complex, and he might not be able to keep his power if he keeps rubbing shoulders the wrong way with the Royal Officials. Also, are Gye-ra and Sajo-hyun star-crossed lovers in this series? With each episode, the possibility of a love blossoming between the two keeps dwindling.

It will likely get worse now that Ak-hee has taken over the body, and he is furious that Gye-ra has feelings for Sajo-hyun. However, does it feel like Gye-ra takes Sajo Hyun and Ak-hee as one person and is in love with the Crown Prince regardless of who takes control of the body? I think Sajo Hyun and Ak-hee need to stop thinking about themselves as individuals and figure out how to share the body and allow Gye-ra to love them. The episode was okay but not exciting. Will the plot thicken in the next episode or continue sluggish?