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With only four episodes left, “Moon River” is pulling back major secrets while giving its characters the chance to step into their full potential, and the results are nothing short of shocking. From finally learning why the Left Minister (Jin Goo) appears to wield more power than the king himself to Dal I (Kim Se Jeong) uncovering the true mechanism behind her and Lee Gang’s (Kang Tae Oh) accidental body swaps, the latest episodes delivered twist after twist.
Here are four moments from “Moon River” that left us completely stunned.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
The Left Minister’s plan backfires
For weeks, viewers have been watching the Left Minister seemingly glide two steps ahead of everyone, calm and collected, as the mystery of the Zhen Bird loomed over the palace. Up until the latest episode, there was no clue why he seemed so unconcerned about the prince discovering the bird’s location. It turns out, the Left Minister had a plan all along and intended to turn the incident of the Zhen Bird into a political move, framing either the prince or Dal I to gain the upper hand.
But just when it seems like he has everything perfectly orchestrated, the story takes an unexpected twist. The prince, who appears to have lost all leverage, with the Zhen Bird dead and the cave destroyed, seizes the moment for his own advantage.
In a bold and almost cheeky move, he declars the bird’s escape a dire omen and postpones the royal wedding, turning what seemed like a disaster into an opportunity to stall his rivals and regroup.
It’s a classic case of overconfidence backfiring, proving once again that in palace politics, even the smartest schemers can be outwitted.
Prince Lee Gang’s peculiar yet thoughtful proposal
Not every shocking moment in the latest episodes came from palace scheming or dramatic confrontations. Some hit us right in the heart instead. One of the most unexpectedly touching moments was Prince Lee Gang’s proposal to Dal I, which was equal parts peculiar and profoundly thoughtful.
It starts subtly: the prince requests a special pair of shoes, delicately decorated with flowers. At first, it seems like just another one of his charming gifts, something he often does for Dal I. But everything clicks when he leads her down a garden path lined with pairs of these floral shoes. At the end awaits another pair, and this time, inside is a ring. The proposal is both playful and deeply personal, tying back to Dal I’s earlier wish to wear flower shoes instead of straw sandals and live a happy, free life.
It’s a scene that reminds viewers that Prince Lee Gang isn’t just clever or bold, he’s attentive, sentimental, and surprisingly in tune with the heart.
The secret process of the body swap
At long last, the mystery behind Prince Lee Gang and Dal I’s accidental, involuntary body swaps has been revealed, and it’s all thanks to Dal I’s quick thinking.
In the latest episode, the two switch bodies once again, but this time the circumstances are so hilariously chaotic that viewers immediately knew something important was happening.
It starts with Dal I cooking for the prince, only for the dish to turn out blazingly spicy. The poor prince ends up clutching his stomach, and Dal I, being the multitasking genius she is, tries to ease his pain with a bit of impromptu acupuncture. The comedic twist? The needle makes his thumb bleed, and Dal I’s hands are already cut from preparing the meal. When both of their bleeding hands accidentally dip into the same bowl of water… boom. Another swap.
This moment leads Dal I to finally piece it together: the trigger isn’t just water, but water mixed with their blood. It’s a revelation born from chaos, perfectly fitting for our chaotic duo.
The reason why the Left Minister holds so much power
One of the biggest mysteries since the drama’s beginning has been why the Left Minister wields power that seems to overshadow even the king. The recent episodes finally pull back the curtain. After Prince Lee Gang has the Left Minister jailed for his involvement with the Zhen Bird cave, the minister is released the very next day by royal order, a baffling moment that finally makes sense once the truth is revealed.
In a flashback to the Gyesa Year incident, we learn the Left Minister poisoned several noble family members, clearing the path for the current king’s rise. He also threatened the king by hiding the poison in his quarters, making him the prime suspect and forcing him to sign a written pact in exchange for removing the false evidence. That contract, a political noose, is why the king obeys him to this day.
The Left Minister’s daughter, Kim U Hui (Hong Su Zu), and Lee Eun (Lee Shin Young) finally made their long-awaited attempt to run away together in the recent episodes. But the very contract that threatens the king’s authority and Lee Gang’s safety also casts a dangerous shadow over our second couple. The moment the Left Minister is released from jail, he wastes no time tracking down U Hui and her beloved, dragging her back home and forcing her toward a marriage she desperately does not want.
With our main couple finally together and happier than ever, we can’t help but hope the last four episodes give U Hui and Lee Eun the freedom, and the ending, they deserve.
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
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