Second Episode of The Haunted Palace Peaks at 10.3% Viewership
SBS’s new Friday-Saturday drama The Haunted Palace is already making waves, picking up right where Buried Hearts left off in terms of popularity.
According to Nielsen Korea, the second episode, which aired on the 19th, hit a nationwide viewership rating of 8.3%, with 8.4% in the metro area and even peaked at 10.3%. That locked it in as the top Saturday drama in its time slot. Just two episodes in, The Haunted Palace is already getting good feedback from viewers, and it’s looking like SBS might be keeping its lucky streak going with these Friday-Saturday hits.
So what’s this show about? The Haunted Palace is a fantasy romance set in the Joseon era. It follows Yeo-ri (played by Bona), a shaman who doesn’t want to accept her fate as a spirit medium; her first love, Yoon-gap (played by Yook Sung-jae); and Kang Cheol, an Imoogi (a mythical Korean serpent) who’s taken over Yoon-gap’s body—yep, Yook Sung-jae’s playing both roles.
Where Buried Hearts had that classic revenge drama vibe, The Haunted Palace is leaning into the K-fantasy side, with wild elements like an Imoogi, an eight-foot ghost, and a creepy water demon. All this wrapped in a period drama setting really gives it a fresh twist.
In episode two, we see Kang Cheol (the Imoogi) trying to adjust to life in a human body, and a bunch of weird stuff starts going down in the palace. One funny moment was when he tasted broth for the first time and went, “What a glorious thing this is!” But it wasn’t all laughs—he also sensed the presence of that tall ghost and literally threw himself in front of Yeo-ri to protect her during a dangerous moment. Meanwhile, Yeo-ri’s still keeping her guard up around Kang Cheol, since she’s desperately searching for Yoon-gap’s spirit. All this just keeps adding to the tension.
A lot of viewers are praising Yook Sung-jae for his solid acting. He’s pulling off two totally different characters—Yoon-gap, the kind and smart royal inspector, and Kang Cheol, the evil spirit who’s just now experiencing human feelings. People are loving how he uses small changes in facial expressions, voice, and even his eyes to show which character he’s playing. It’s definitely helping people get more into the story.
That said, opinions about the plot are kinda split. Some folks are loving the “fresh premise” and say it’s super interesting, while others think the story’s a bit “predictable” and feel like the “character settings are childish.” Still, the undeniable chemistry between Yook Sung-jae and Bona, the spooky palace happenings, and the mystery around the identity of that tall ghost are keeping people curious.
And things got even more intense at the end of the episode. The water demon Ok-im (played by Song Su Yi) dropped a big hint that Yoon-gap’s spirit might’ve been eaten by the Palcheokgwi. Then, to top it off, the show ended with Crown Prince Yi Gwang having a seizure that overlapped with a super creepy shot of the blood-soaked Palcheokgwi. Definitely a goosebumps moment.
So now all eyes are on whether The Haunted Palace can keep the momentum going for SBS’s Friday-Saturday lineup, right after My Perfect Secretary and Buried Hearts. The show’s got a solid start, but we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out.
Source (1)
