'The King: Eternal Monarch' Episode 9: Lee Gon separates from Tae-eul yet again and faces Lee Lim at last
'The King: Eternal Monarch' Episode 9 sees Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho) continue on the path that he set for himself in the previous episode. He is dead set on capturing Lee Lim (Lee Jung-jin) and capturing him in the Kingdom of Corea so that he is able to punish him for killing his father. The act of treason that Lee Lim had committed is not something that Lee Gon can move on from without suffering heavy losses, considering Lee Lim is still plotting to claim the throne in Corea and solid power in the Republic of Korea as well.
The episode begins with Lee Gon and Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun) tracing back the lady who looks like Lee Gon's mother in Tae-eul's world. However, they do not find her, and instead, Lee Gon only finds more reason to return to his world sooner in order to ensure his world's safety and Lee Lim's capture. Tae-eul can read him pretty well by now as well, so when Thursday comes around, she sends him off after a date by the riverside. She also tells him to return as soon as possible. Before this, Lee Gon also asks Tae-eul why she wouldn't come with him to live with him in his world.
She feels sad that she has to part with him every time he has to go to his world, but she also tells Lee Gon that he should not ask her the same again because to leave her world behind would mean, to leave her father, her life and her career as a detective behind as well. He understands how she would feel, and so he doesn't push her any further but part, he must. This push and pull between the two of them also add to the drama around Lee Gon and Lee Lim's fight.
The most fun part of the episode, however, is the conversation between Jo yeong (Woo Do-hwan) and Jo Eun-seop (Woo Do-hwan). The two are each other's alter-ego in different worlds and are also getting ready to switch places to help Lee Gon with his plan. It is while they are learning to be each other that the episode is funniest and it is Eun-seop's charm that adds some humor to the otherwise mysterious romance. After the two of them switch places, Jo Yeong and Tae-eul continue to investigate Lee Lim and his other possible alias and connections while Lee Gon returns to wait for his uncle.
Initially, Lee Gon doesn't realize that Lee Lim hasn't aged. However, he has figured out that whenever time stops for him, it indicates that Lee Lim is traveling between two worlds, and this time, he wants to wait in Corea to get hold of his uncle. However, how would a 70-year-old man look? He has no idea how his uncle looks and it is while scouring through hundreds of surveillance videos that Lee Gon comes to the conclusion that Lee Lim must not have aged at all. He then spots Lee Lim at all the big events that Lee Gon had graced over the years.
That is how he is able to identity Lee Lim this time around. He waits patiently and as expected, time stops. He then rides on Maximus' back to find Lee Lim. When he finally does, Lee Gon's rage is palpable and we cannot wait to see what happens next!
'The King: Eternal Monarch' originally airs in South Korea on SBS at 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The show can be streamed on Netflix in the US.