K-DRAMA RECAP: “Moon River” Episodes 7 and 8

Our crown prince makes headway in his revenge plans. Yet his opponent isn’t one to be taken lightly, consistently plotting nefarious deeds that culminate in an intense situation where our male lead must choose between the revenge he has sought for so long and protecting his lady love.

Will he follow with heart? Or will he succumb to his desire for revenge?

Bunny S. watches Moon River on Viki

Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 |

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Moon River Episodes 7 and 8 Highlights

“That must be why our bodies switched. So I would get hurt instead of you.”

Watching Kang faint on her shoulder, Dal-yi is frantically worried and remains by his side until he opens his eyes. The moment Kang regains consciousness, he figures that Han-cheol will definitely try to harm “Dal-yi” again now that his plan to make her barren has failed. For now, Kang can protect her and take a hit in her place, but what about when they switch back bodies? Kang can’t go head-to-head with Han-cheol. Neither can he stand by and watch as Dal-yi suffers. So, he resolves to stand in the middle even if it might make him a coward.

Having experienced the humiliation firsthand, Kang’s fear for Dal-yi’s life and guilt for Yeon-wol’s sacrifice grow deeper. But rather than find a way to protect Dal-yi, Kang treats her coldly, further confusing her and prompting a rant. At least Kang knows he was mean to Dal-yi, yet he only regrets it when he is alone without apologizing to her.

“I cannot just keep putting off my revenge.”

For the next few days, it is a hide-and-seek game where Kang avoids Dal-yi, and she follows him around. Racking her brain, Dal-yi figures the only way to see Kang is to set up a meeting with Woon to discuss the revenge plans.

Speaking of whom, Woon found more evidence to prove Han-cheol’s crimes. If he reports those findings to Kang, they can prove Han-cheol’s crimes and take him down. But it will also subject Woo-hee to enslavement. Yet if he keeps this intel from Kang, Woon will be betraying his trust. Torn, Woon opts to delay the inevitable and avoid Kang until the wedding is over. But he can’t slip out of this meeting.

Though he has nothing against her, Woon isn’t that fond of “Dal-yi” joining the meeting. But it isn’t like they can tell him they have switched bodies. Anyway, Woon reports only half the findings and lies about the other half.

Long story short, there is a venomous bird from which one can extract undetectable poison. Han-cheol bought that bird from an old man in Qing and then set the man’s house on fire, killing off his family and the rest of the birds. Except the man’s son survived and attacked Woon after learning he was looking into that matter. The boy wants revenge, but Woon is worried about Woo-hee, so he lies about the boy going missing, even though he is hiding in Woon’s place.

Sensing something is off, the Qing Boy follows Woon and calls him out on lying to him and hiding his existence. Rightfully, Kang/”Dal-yi” is livid and demands that Woon explain his actions. But he then retorts that nothing will justify Woon’s betrayal for the sake of a woman.

Storming off, Kang has Qing Boy taken to a safe place for questioning. He tries to act tough, but Dal-yi can see through him, urging him to cry if he feels like it and then hugging him tightly to comfort him. Kang is shaken for a moment and hugs her back, but then he is reminded of the infertility potion incident and pulls away, telling Dal-yi not to cross the line.

“What was the point if you were just going to betray us?”

Feeling awful, Woon drops by the palace to see “Kang.” But both our leads attend the meeting because of the body swap. Handing over a book containing all the intel he gathered on the bird, Woon wants “Kang” to promise to spare Woo-hee. But Dal-yi currently occupies Kang’s body, so she tells Woon she will deliberate on that matter and then decide.

Following him out, Kang/”Dal-yi” denounces Woon, wondering why he wrote the book if he was going to betray them. And Woon argues he was stuck in the middle between his feelings for Woo-hee and his loyalty to Kang and couldn’t pick a side. So he kept putting it off, calling himself a coward. Something Kang can relate to, wondering if cowardice runs in the family.

Later on, Dal-yi tries to soften Kang’s heart toward Woon, arguing that he keeps taking all the intel from Woon without guaranteeing Woo-hee’s safety. So, it is also a kind of betrayal. But Kang counters that revenge is his top priority, and he won’t let anything hold him back. He doesn’t even care if people call him a coward or someone pulling dirty tricks.

Once again, Dal-yi comforts Kang with her words. Evil people do terrible things as if it is nothing. So, how can one play fair? It is okay to play dirty or stoop to their level sometimes. Also, if something happens, she will be the one taking the heat since she is now in Kang’s body. Moved to tears, Kang muses that Dal-yi keeps breaking his walls. But instead of admitting it, he pushes her away.

“He would not just let it roam free.”

While reading through the book, Kang deduces that Han-cheol must be keeping the bird alive somewhere. But if so, it must be caged, and someone must be looking after it. So, Dal-yi suggests they find the bird keeper first. Since a court lady can travel more easily than the crown prince, who is always under scrutiny, Kang/”Dal-yi” is assigned to that task.

The only clue our leads have is a sketch of the mask the bird keeper wears to hide his identity. But, unluckily, they pick up on the search and cover their tracks by committing some murders. The only thing Kang/”Dal-yi” finds is a scent pouch the bird keeper dropped while fleeing. Which we later learn was given to the palace staff by the king on the dowager’s birthday.

On the way back, Kang/”Dal-yi” comes across Dal-yi’s adoptive parents and aunt. And our leads are forced to come clean. Though skeptical, they buy our leads’ story about switching bodies. And the aunt is relieved that Dal-yi hasn’t recovered her memories, and Kang doesn’t seem to suspect she is Yeon-wol. Worried, Kang brings Dal-yi’s family to a safe place where Han-cheol can’t find them. And Dal-yi is bursting with relief after initially accusing Kang of locking them up.

“Because you keep doing this, you make my heart weak.”

In fact, Kang feels guilty about the lives lost because of his search for the bird keeper. If he hadn’t gone poking around, those people would be alive. So, Dal-yi argues the bird keeper is to blame. But Kang retorts that he failed to protect anyone. So, Dal-yi mentions how he fought off the court ladies and protected her till the end. (Kang wanted to keep the infertility potion incident from Dal-yi, but she ended up learning about it from the dowager.)

Hearing Kang did it to protect her dream of settling down with her family, Dal-yi is touched. But she also can’t take it anymore, confronting him about confusing her with his actions. Because he keeps making her heart flutter with his actions, Dal-yi hopes for the impossible — that Kang might like her. She was going to endure everything she faced and turn old and grey like that. But now, Dal-yi wants to be comforted, and she wants Kang to be the one to do it.

Before Kang can give Dal-yi his answer, though, they are interrupted by the chief court lady, who is there to arrest “Dal-yi” on the charges of having an illicit affair with Woon. Of course, Han-cheol is behind it, aiming to kill two birds with one stone. That way, he can get rid of Woon, who is like a thorn in his side, and also Dal-yi, whose resemblance to the late crown princess unnerves him.

“My feelings for you cannot be allowed to hold you down.”

The only way out of this plight is to turn to the dowager for help. But she will jump at the opportunity and appoint Dal-yi as a concubine. And if she refuses, the dowager will have her beheaded. Kang opposes the idea, going as far as to say he hates the idea of taking a concubine he doesn’t like, referring to Dal-yi. But she refuses to take it lying down this time and talks back to him. After Dal-yi leaves, Kang muses that he must hide his feelings for her no matter what, as it might put her in danger.

Going through Kang’s belongings, Dal-yi spots the dress and accessories he had gifted her in week 2, along with a handwritten letter. She finds their portraits tucked inside the envelope, making her wonder whether Kang might indeed have written this poem for her rather than his late wife. (Kang indeed wrote that letter while thinking about Dal-yi.)

Resolving to put out the more urgent fire first, Dal-yi/ “Kang” visits the dowager and agrees on the concubine appointment. The dowager is elated to hear that, ordering Dal-yi’s” release at once. But the thing is: the chief court lady is having her flogged or more precisely, Kang is getting flogged in Dal-yi’s body.

Rushing over amidst heavy rain, Dal-yi shields Kang with her body, or shall we say, his body. So the flogging stops. And during that intense moment, our leads switch back to their original bodies and faint. Kang regains consciousness right away and swears vengeance on the chief court lady and each of the court maids involved in that incident.

“I received this before I entered the palace. This one thing is mine.”

Kang stays by Dal-yi’s side while she is unconscious and nurses her himself. And in the meantime, he conducts an investigation that points to the chief court lady as the masked bird keeper. But before Kang can get a confession out of her, Han-cheol has cut her off and covered up her death as a suicide. Feeling rushed, Kang orders another investigation. He can’t risk Dal-yi getting hurt again, so he wants to end it all quickly and catch Han-cheol.

Meanwhile, Dal-yi has dreams about her time as Yeon-wol, but she brushes them off as a side effect of the body swap. Opening her eyes, Dal-yi is relieved that they switched back. But Kang is mad about her getting hurt and says some callous words as usual. Dal-yi offers to leave, yet Kang won’t let her go. He is going to make her a concubine to keep her in his sight. He needs to keep her close to protect her, asserting he will be her shield and she will hide behind him.

Later, Dal-yi asks Kang about the letter she found. Did he perhaps write it for her? But instead of a hasty confession, Kang wants to focus on eliminating Han-cheol first and then tell Dal-yi about his feelings. So, he lies about it, and Dal-yi assumes he is making her a concubine just because she has nowhere to go. And Kang doesn’t correct her, arguing he is doing it to take responsibility for what happened to her, which sends her into another rant.

The king tries to change Kang’s mind about the concubine appointment, warning him not to cross Han-cheol. But Kang is determined. He will make sure to protect Dal-yi this time. So, the king relents and officially appoints Dal-yi as a concubine of the junior fifth rank.

“After all, there is no stronger leash than a weakness.”

Oddly, Han-cheol neither opposes Dal-yi’s appointment nor makes a move, though the royal wedding is just around the corner. Instead, he plans to use Dal-yi to put Kang on a leash. He summons Dal-yi out of the blue, and Kang rushes there the moment he hears about it and has Dal-yi leave.

Having confirmed that Kang holds Dal-yi in his heart, Han-cheol takes his leave, yet not before making a snide remark about how Kang keeps taking on weaknesses despite his soft heart. In response, Kang claims he lost all his love and laughter after Yeon-wol died. He only made Dal-yi his concubine because she got hurt, and he wanted to take responsibility for her since she saved his life. Han-cheol can see through Kang’s lies. But the worst part is Dal-yi hearing Kang’s words while waiting outside.

“For now, our best bet is to use the chick to find its mother.”

Kang’s investigation into the chief court lady and the bird yields more results, but Han-cheol has set her up as a scapegoat and kept his record clean. Still, they find a fledgling of the venomous bird inside a dungeon under the palace. But it is a warning from Han-cheol not to look into the bird anymore.

Luckily, Qing Boy shares some crucial intel. The chick is weak and can’t kill people, so the mother bird protects it. Once, a chick was sold far away. So, the mother found it and brought it back home. They were 8 km apart but could hear each other’s cries. Since the mother bird and the chick can communicate over long distances, the mother bird might be in a mountain cave somewhere while the chick is in the palace.

Kang plans to narrow down the locations where the mother bird could be caged and use the chick to find its mother. Once the mother bird is caught alive, he will prove that Han-cheol is linked to it and take him down. Dal-yi wants to help, but Kang takes her off the revenge because he is worried about her safety. Not that he explains his reasons to her, but only claims he put his life on the line for that revenge and wants it to go well. (Kang later learns that Dal-yi secretly guards the chick lest Han-cheol get rid of it.)

“I discovered all that thanks to the book you wrote.”

In happier news, Kang and Woon reconcile after the former acknowledges the latter’s efforts in coming that far, as the book helped them a great deal. Sharing the revenge plans with Woon, Kang wants him to take Woo-hee’s (his woman) hand and elope once their revenge is over.

Wasting no time, Woon grabs Woo-hee’s hand and goes to their secret hideout, admitting he didn’t mean the mean words he told her. Han-cheol will crumble and lose his power, and after that, he wants Woo-hee to elope with him and live happily together. Though she is skeptical about her father’s downfall, Woo-hee holds onto hope that they can have their happy ending.

“I told you not to help! I told you repeatedly to stay out.”

Staying true to her nature, Woo-hee doesn’t regret her past actions. Still, she offers a deal to Kang. She will tell him where the mother bird is if he guarantees she and Woon can escape and live safely after Han-cheol is eliminated. Kang agrees, and the deal is sealed.

Heading to the place Woo-hee mentioned, it is sealed. Turns out, Han-cheol expected Kang might find the mother bird. So, he had the real bird keeper (who turns out to be much alive and isn’t the chief court lady but another woman) seal all the passages leading to the cave where the mother bird is caged.

Figuring out a way, Kang reaches the place where the mother bird is kept. But Han-cheol prepared for this outcome, ordering Bird Keeper to destroy the place and have Kang release the mother bird himself. Bird Keeper attempts to blow up the place, so Kang has no choice but to break the lock and get inside, as he needs the mother bird alive. But it escapes and heads to the palace, in its chick’s direction.

The cave and the passage leading to it are blown up just as Kang gets out, making the situation worse. But all he can think about is how Dal-yi might be in danger.

The following sequence is terrifying, to say the least. The mother bird attacks the palace, and Dal-yi, against better judgment, tries to lure it with the chick so the guards can capture it alive. But the mother bird is too strong for them to defeat. It is about to attack Dal-yi, but luckily Kang arrives and hunts it down. He almost lost his mind with worry over Dal-yi, but it seems like his love language has changed to callous words because Kang scolds Dal-yi for nearly ruining his plans.

But then, the mother bird hears the chick’s cries and breaks free. So, Kang sets it on fire, choosing Dal-yi’s safety over his revenge. Later that night, he visits “Yeon-wol’s grave”, wishing she could rest in peace.

“The most important thing to you, Your Highness, was avenging the crown princess.”

Back in the palace, Dal-yi sobs her eyes out, blaming herself for messing up. The revenge was the most important thing to Kang, yet she ruined it all. But he assures her he protected what was most important, referring to her life. If Dal-yi had died, Kang would have nowhere left to go.

Dal-yi thought Kang was furious at her and wouldn’t want to see her face again. But actually, he was mad at himself for always putting her in harm’s way. Kang meant to confess to Dal-yi after the revenge was over, but given how she keeps having foolish thoughts, Kang tells Dal-yi he is deeply in love with her. And she reciprocates his feelings.

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Moon River Episodes 7 and 8 Musings

We have a confession here, and the best part is that it is addressed to Dal-yi, not Yeon-wol ‘s lookalike. Kang has come to love Dal-yi as herself, and the moment he shot the mother bird with a fire arrow speaks volumes about the depth of his feelings. Also, Dal-yi loves Kang in a way that is both similar and different from the way she loved him as Yeon-wol.

We felt for Dal-yi a lot this week, during the moments when she was confused about Kang’s actions, got hurt by his callous words, and questioned why he did all those things to her when he supposedly had no feelings for her. And we both hated and understood Kang for treating Dal-yi coldly. After losing Yeon-wol like that, he was scarred deeply, and he couldn’t risk losing Dal-yi too. Their story is raw, authentic, and sweet all along. And one can’t help but root for them to be together.

On a more serious note, this week proved once again why Han-cheol is such a formidable adversary. He sees several steps ahead and thinks carefully before making a move. To defeat him, Woo-hee’s help was needed, so we are glad she joined the revenge plans. The mother bird might be dead now, but sure enough, there is another way to banish Han-cheol.

One thing we are curious about is the Bird Keeper’s identity. The drama keeps emphasizing how important her role is, to the point that Han-cheol spares her even after she almost got caught. It isn’t clear if Woo-hee knows who she is. But if so, we hope she shares that info with Kang and the others so they can prepare their next move.

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Photos and Videos: MBC Drama