Love Song for Illusion (2024) K Drama Episode 3

Episode 3 of Love for Illusion starts at the King’s interrogation chamber, with the Crown Prince surprising us all with how he intelligently handles the case involving Gye-ra. He does not contradict Moo-dal’s accusation even though they are made up to save the woman blackmailed to lie in front of the court.

He says that he had asked Gye-ra to wear the assassin’s clothes he had made for her at the drapery. They had met before the King’s banquet and were in a romantic relationship.

On the night of the party, Hyun thought that the woman the King chose was Gye-ra, so he hurriedly went to look for the King and asked to have her. Gye-ra collaborates with Hyun’s claims because her body remembers the drawing and the dance routine even though her mind has forgotten.

Sajo Yoong wonders what Gye-ra is planning when she admits to being in a romantic relationship with the Crown Prince. 

The concubine installation ceremony goes ahead, and Gye-ra is slowly starting to like the palace and the Crown Prince. She finds out from Hong Goon that her favourite flowers are also the Crown Prince’s, and she picks some up.

On the way back, they run into Sajo Yoong and Gye-ra’s childhood bodyguard, Yang Jae-yi, but she shows no emotion, making Yoong conclude that she has lost her memories and Yoong talks about cutting the tail before it comes back to bite them. 

Meanwhile, King Sajo confronts Consort Cheong for framing Gye-ra and wants to know who instigated the Consort. The Crown Princess, Geum-hwa, arrives before the King and says that the dancer testified falsely before the court because she was jealous that the Crown Prince chose Gye-ra. She says that she has ordered the girl to be punished for her actions, and the King commends her swift actions.

The King is furious that people after his life are now going after Consort Hyo, who might one day become the King of Asatae. At the mention of Gye-ra becoming the queen, Geum-hwa’s reaction is full of hidden rage. 

Next, Geum-hwa and her father go before the Crown Prince with the same story about the dancer lying to them because she is jealous, but he is not easy to fool like the rest. Ak-hee had put measures in place in a situation like this and had the dancer with whom Gye-ra switched places into protective custody.

Therefore, even though Geum-hwa has paid all the other dancers to collaborate on their story since the King never remembers the faces of the lowly servants, he can provide the real dancer and hear her story. He warns Geum-hwa and her father not to try to corner him since they will not like the outcome. 

Sajo Yoong confronts his mother for falling into Geum-hwa’s trap, and we realise he is after the throne. Elsewhere, Hyun is at the indoor arena practising archery, and thoughts of why Gye-ra is at the palace keep running in his mind. He wonders why she seduced Ak-hee to make her his concubine and thinks she is pretending to have lost her memory.

Gye-ra arrives at the arena to thank him for helping her in the courtroom, but Hyun says he did not do it for her but for the sake of the palace since he does not want it to fall into chaos. Hyun tells Gye-ra that she should never appear before him. Meanwhile, King Sajo starts getting hallucinations about Yeon Wol as a child, threatening him that she will take away everything from him.

Sajo Hyun orders the servants not to let Gye-ra into his house, but she sneaks in to bring him the dye she made. She hears him entering the room and hides under a table. When Hyun finds her, his memories go back to the most traumatic moment of his life when his father forced him to watch the slaughter of the royal family.

Gye-ra’s eyes remind him of the young girl he saved that day, but he still blames her for what happened to him afterwards. Hyun takes a sword and wants to smite Gye-ra, forcing Ak-hee to take over his body to save her.

Gye-ra witnesses the struggle as Hyun and AK-hee fight for the body and the change from cold to hot and the change of eye colour. Ak-hee wins the battle and acts cold towards Gye-ra when he wakes up, asking her to leave. Gye-ra cannot help thinking that suddenly, the Crown Prince looks different. 

Ak-hee is angry that Gye-ra still shows more affection towards Hyun than him when he sees the dye she made him and the letter thanking him for saving her in the courtroom. He is even more stressed when he finds out in the letter that Gye-ra will leave that night since Hyun has already permitted her to go.

Later, Ak-hee gets Jin-seo sent to prison, and Eunuch Neung is demoted to laundry duty for drugging him and forcing him to sleep.

Ak-hee plans to make Gye-ra loathe Sajo Hyun, so he tells her the story of his body being taken over by an evil spirit, but with a twist that Hyun is the evil one. However, Gye-ra does not seem to believe his words because, as she thinks back, she is more attracted to the one she is told is evil. However, it explains the changes in attitude towards her.

Ak-hee tells her that he has found a way to get rid of the evil spirit, and he can only do that with Gye-ra by his side, and she agrees to stay. Jae-yi approaches her on her way to her room and tells her that someone wants to kill her. He wants Gye-ra to go with him, but she refuses to trust anyone.

Hong Goon calls her, and Jae-yi hands her something before he leaves. Inside, she finds a dagger with a note saying she will need it when she gets her memories back.

Ak-hee plans to get rid of Sajo Hyun, take over his body, and have the privilege of being the Crown Prince. The following morning, Gye-ra dresses up as a servant and joins Neung at the river, where he is doing laundry. Neung realises that Ak-hee had told her about the dual personality.

However, he switches the truth that he is the real one and Hyun is the evil spirit, but Neung tells her the truth, which makes her even more confused that she does not know whom to trust. Neung asks for her help, making sure Ak-hee does not do anything to harm Sajo Hyun.

Later that night, Ak-hee visits Chung Ta and asks him to help lock up Sajo Hyun. Chung Ta hesitates, and Ak-hee threatens him, and he agrees to lock up Sajo Hyun in a ritual called Bonghamsal, which involves crashing an evil spirit with a divine power to lock him away.

Chung Ta asks Ak-hee to bring an object that harbours the Crown Prince’s energy, write his name, and call out Chung Ta. Chung Ta asks him not to meet with Gye-ra since feelings of love weaken him, and Bonghamsal will be unsuccessful. 

Neung sends Gye-ra to see Chung Ta and asks her to help save Sajo Hyun. On the way, she sees Ak-hee leaving Chung Ta’s place as Neung had predicted. Once she arrives, Chung Ta immediately recognises her eyes as those of someone who has lost her memory, and it seems Chung Ta has something to do with it.

Chung Ta thinks that Gyera’s visit is to ask about memory loss, and she immediately says she has nothing to do with it. Gye-ra realises that Chung Ta can help her, and she begs for her help, but Chung Ta says she will think about it and sends her on her way. Meanwhile, AK-hee finds Sajo Hyun’s precious possession, does as Chung Ta had told him, and then waits for her arrival. 

Someone attacks Gye-ra while in her room and tries to kill her as the person had previously told her. Fortunately, Chung Ta, who has come to help with her memories, coincidentally helps her deal with the assassin before heading to the Hall of Spirits to complete the ritual with Ak-hee.

At the end of the episode, Gye-ra regains her memories, and Chung Ta finishes the ritual. 

The Episode Review

I take back what I thought in the previous episode, and I like Sajo Hyun more since he is unpredictable! That shows that the different episodes can elicit different feelings from viewers, keeping them entertained through an unexpected turn of events. Park Ji-hoon embodies the versatility of dual personalities like a pro, making us fall in love with each one. 

The episode leaves us on a cliffhanger, wondering who walks out of the Hall of Spirits and who is locked up in the Bonghamsal. Who is the person that Gye-ra hugs at the end of the episode and wants to stab with her dagger for erasing her memories?

Now that her memories are back, will she start to pretend to get her revenge, or will she leave the palace? What do you think happened during the Bonghamsal?