7 Ways "Hotel Del Luna" Episodes 7 And 8 Tugged At Our Hearts

We’re already at the halfway point for tvN’s “Hotel Del Luna,” and we knew this drama wasn’t going to let us off without at least a little emotional trauma. But that’s all part of the fun, right? Betrayal and revenge were the themes of this week, and as Jang Man Wol (IU) comes face to face with her past, her future is in more jeopardy than ever. If anyone can help her help herself, it’s Goo Chan Sung (Yeo Jin Goo), but that won’t be easy — especially when the divine beings who are in charge around here have obscure and conflicting motives of their own. Here are the ways in which “Hotel Del Luna” tugged at our hearts this week!

Warning: spoilers for “Hotel Del Luna” Episodes 7 and 8 below!

1. When the drama tackled a very relevant issue

“Hotel Del Luna” may well be responding directly to the recent scandals in K-pop regarding illegally filmed videos of women, with this week’s story of a ghost who seeks revenge on the men who spread spy camera footage of her. Thankfully, Chan Sung had us cheering when he won over our hearts once again with his strong sense of right and wrong.

But Chan Sung’s moral integrity doesn’t make us any less disgusted with the complete lack of remorse shown by the man responsible for spreading the footage, who can’t even remember that a woman killed herself because of what he did. It’s a painful scene to watch, and only when the divine being Ma Go (Seo Yi Sook) causes the man to be killed himself do we feel any sense of justice.

2. Yoo Na’s puppy love

Kim Yoo Na (gugudan’s Mina) and Ji Hyun Joong (Block B’s P.O) continue to win over our hearts with their sweet relationship, with Hyun Joong protecting and comforting Yoo Na when she needs him most. She clearly has a giant crush on him, and he is clueless — which we hope doesn’t mean that he won’t eventually reciprocate the feelings. Is it a blossoming romance, or does he just view her in the same way as the younger sister that features so prominently in his flashbacks?

3. Chung Myung’s betrayal

We were too busy shipping Chung Myung (Lee Do Hyun) and Man Wol to suspect that Chung Myung was just getting Man Wol to trust him so he could use her to get to her band of thieves. But after making Man Wol fall completely in love with him, Chung Myung teams up with Princess Song Hwa (Park Yoo Na) to capture and kill everyone Man Wol holds dear.

It’s possible that Chung Myung is bluffing to protect Man Wol, and negotiated a deal with Song Hwa that would at least spare Man Wol’s life (we can only hope!). But that doesn’t soften the blow of having to watch Yeon Woo (Lee Tae Sun), who loved and trusted her unconditionally, bravely smile at Man Wol as he is about to be hanged.

4. Man Wol’s cruelty

The princess has been reborn into the body of none other than Chan Sung’s ex-girlfriend Mi Ra, who is annoying to say the least, persistently sticking around Chan Sung and incessantly borrowing money. But Mi Ra also has no recollection of her past life, which makes Man Wol particularly cruel when she attempts to curse her by planting false, devastatingly sad childhood memories: from Mi Ra’s mother telling her she never should have been born to her parents abandoning her at an amusement park. Even knowing why Man Wol despises Mi Ra so strongly, this treatment feels excessively spiteful, and it’s hard to see Man Wol at her worst. We don’t blame her completely, but it would have been nice if she had learned some lesson about forgiveness over the past thousand years.

5. Chan Sung’s selflessness

Chan Sung also hates to see Man Wol this way, but he refuses to give up on her and run away in this touching moment:

Determined to prevent Man Wol from doing the wrong thing, Chan Sung bravely (perhaps stupidly) hugs Man Wol’s evil creation before Mi Ra can, incurring the curse himself.

6. The fourth Ma Go

There’s a new Ma Go (Yeo Yi Sook) in town, and this version is far more ruthless than her three sisters. We watched her punish the ghost of the spy camera victim by extinguishing her soul, despite the fact that this ghost had only harmed the men who had caused her so much suffering when she was alive. And now this no-nonsense Ma Go is determined to believe that Man Wol’s soul will face an equally severe fate.

The arrival of this Ma Go clouds our idea of what the gods actually want: she is uncompromisingly harsh towards souls like the spy camera victim or Man Wol, whose crimes were against those who had severely wronged them during their lives — would it not be more just to, as the other versions of Ma Go seem to wish, allow Man Wol to learn to forgive Mi Ra this lifetime around? Which Ma Go will win out?

7. Man Wol’s disappearance

For her part, Man Wol is determined not to let those she cares about get hurt because of her this time around, and since Chan Sung won’t run away from her, she decides to run away from him. Hopefully the ever-frustrating separation trope won’t last for too long, but after seeing just how huge Man Wol’s capacity for self-centeredness is, it’s heart-wrenching to see her finally care so much about someone else that she would do anything to protect him.

When you get ghosted by the only other non-ghost at the Hotel Del Luna.

Hey Soompiers, what are your theories about “Hotel Del Luna”? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

Catch this week’s episodes of “Hotel Del Luna”:

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hgordon stays up way too late on weeknights marathoning K-dramas and trying to keep up with the latest K-pop releases. Follow her adventures in Seoul on Instagram.

Currently watching: “Hotel Del Luna” and “Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung.”
All-time favorite dramas: “Scarlet Heart: Goryeo,” “Goblin,” and “Hwayugi.”
Looking forward to: “Vagabond.”