5 Surprising Consequences Of The Sealing Ceremony In Episodes 13-14 Of "Lovers Of The Red Sky"

The Sealing Ceremony gets underway in this week’s episodes of “Lovers of the Red Sky” as Ha Ram’s (Ahn Hyo Seop) plans of vengeance and Prince Juhyang’s (Kwak Si Yang) plans of staging a coup collide. With Kim Seongjo (Jo Sung Ha) out of commission due to illness, the burden of standing against both Ha Ram and Juhyang falls on Prince Yangmyung (Gong Myung) and Hong Chun Gi (Kim Yoo Jung). But are the two of them enough to stop what’s coming?

Here’s what we found most surprising this week!

Warning: spoilers for episodes 13-14 below.

1. Chun Gi starts to go against Ha Ram’s decisions

Chun Gi hasn’t been privy to Ha Ram’s grand plan this entire time, so she’s understandably shocked to discover that he’s planning on handing Ma Wang over to Juhyang. The fact that he keeps everything from her and the way she’s too headstrong to politick is honestly what makes this couple so frustrating.

He’s determined that she shouldn’t attend the Sealing Ceremony. She’s equally determined to see Ma Wang sealed no matter what it requires of her. He keeps assuring her that he has a plan and that he’ll fix everything, but as she discovers, his plans all involve placing his revenge first and the general welfare of others second.

The ugly truth is that Ha Ram views every possible course of action through the lens of his master plan and acts only then. The only exception to this rule is where Chun Gi is concerned, but he doesn’t think far enough to care for her loved ones. He whisks her away post-Ceremony knowing that Juhyang will brand her as a traitor but neglects to provide for her ailing father or her friends from the Baekyu Painter’s Society. It’s a given that Juhyang would capture them and using them as bait to lure out Chun Gi and thereby nab Ha Ram. But for all his spymaster shenanigans, Ha Ram doesn’t seem to provide for that very real possibility.

On the other hand, Chun Gi is selfless to the extreme. She can’t live with herself if anyone is placed in danger or injured because of her. This worsens after Juhyang kills her father. She’s more determined than ever to ensure that no one else dies, and he’s equally determined to closet her away. They’ve never been more opposite, which is a really strange dynamic to showcase this close to the end of the show.

2. The inevitable sageuk death arrives early

Every fantasy sageuk demands a death, and it was a given that either Moo Young (Song Won Seok) or Mae Hyang (Ha Yul Ri) would die. This week, it was the former. Poor Moo Young valiantly sacrifices himself to ensure that Ha Ram and Chun Gi can get away safely and dies a tragic, unappreciated death.

Mae Hyang, on the other hand, goes the opposite route by turning into the classic jealous second female lead. When Ha Ram tries to hide the fact that Chun Gi’s father was taken by Juhyang because he knows it’s a trap, Mae Hyang immediately informs Chun Gi. Naturally, our painter heads off, gets herself captured, and has to be rescued. Mae Hyang pins it all on Ha Ram for not sticking to their plan and forgetting the reason they began all this (which we frankly don’t know because this show didn’t give us their backstories). She’s not entirely wrong in that Ha Ram alternates between vengeance, and Chun Gi can’t seem to accomplish, but her move was frankly unnecessary.

3. The divine painting tears

The Sealing Ceremony comes with many surprises, but the greatest one is when the divine painting that Chun Gi poured her heart and soul into tears into pieces. Wol Seon (Kim Geum Soon), the palace shaman, advises Prince Yangmyung that there must be another secret object required for sealing the demon. The only issue is that Wol Seon lost her powers, so she can’t spearhead a second Sealing Ceremony.

We know that Samshin has plans for Chun Gi to paint a vessel to hold the demon for eternity. Perhaps this could be the secret object in question? Either that, or Chun Gi must make a deal with Hwacha in order for the painting not to tear when faced with containing Ma Wang.

4. Prince Yangmyung outsmarts everyone

At this point, Prince Yangmyung shines as the most levelheaded character in this drama. He isn’t the best love interest for Chun Gi but shows all the makings of a fine ruler. He listens to the advice of those around him and comes to his own opinion without jumping to conclusions. Upon being informed that Ha Ram is the infamous Il Wolseong, he doesn’t immediately assume the worst but instead tries to place himself in Ha Ram’s shoes, wondering what might have led him to live a double life.

He goes the extra mile and apologizes to Ha Ram for what he’s suffered on behalf of his family despite not being complicit in any of the tragic events 19 years ago. It’s telling that Yangmyung is willing to bow his head while being innocent, while Ha Ram targets him for revenge despite knowing he’s innocent.

Like Chun Gi, Yangmyung also puts his life on the line to stab Ma Wang when it resurfaces in Ha Ram’s body. Wol Seon tells him that the blade’s power correlates to his spite, meaning that he has to hate Ha Ram in order for the blade to kill Ma Wang. Worse, the blade could also kill him in the process. Once again, Yangmyung’s strength of character comes out in that Ha Ram survives the wound, and Yangmyung’s willingness to sacrifice himself prevents further bloodshed at the Ceremony.

He even predicts that Juhyang will exile him and has a plan in place such that he can sneak back into the city and make provisions to take his brother down. The man is succeeding on all counts here. Perhaps Ha Ram should have thought to team up with him against Juhyang. Now that would have been a much better plan because Ha Ram’s painfully out of depth, and it’s starting to cost lives.

5. The King is back

The more this drama unfolds, the more it seems to appear that Ha Ram and Chun Gi are minor characters in a larger game that has played out over centuries. The white-haired prisoner in the cell opposite Ha Ram’s is clearly a deity who’ll likely be crucial to this story’s end, as evidenced in him healing the king just as things start to get really bad.

Could this be the missing (presumed dead) balance god? It’s unclear, but he gets the king up and running again.

With everyone’s cards out in the open, the final episodes have a plethora of questions to answer. How does Hwacha factor into everything? Who will head the second Sealing Ceremony? Just how many divine portraits is Chun Gi going to have to paint? The poor girl is on her third! Will she be able to rescue her friends? And most importantly, will Prince Juhyang ever get the demon of his dreams? Honestly, Juhyang and Ma Wang have such a great love line. He even cried when the demon didn’t enter him. Now that’s love.

(Find a man who looks at you the way Juhyang looks at Ma Wang.)

But will Juhyang succeed? Will Ha Ram have his revenge? Only next week can tell!

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What did you think of this week’s episodes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Shalini_A is a long time Asian-drama addict. When not watching dramas, she works as a lawyer, fangirls over Ji Sung, and attempts to write the greatest fantasy romance of all time. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and feel free to ask her anything!

Currently Watching:  “Lovers of the Red Sky,” “The Veil”
Looking Forward to:  “The Red Sleeve Cuff,” “Big Mouth,” Ji Sung’s next drama