Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
The kiss leaves Bong-hwan trying to push So-yong's feelings away, while Cheoljong becomes increasingly attentive to his unpredictable wife. Byeong-in retreats from their room but remains nearby, unwilling to stop watching over her. Cheoljong's search for the corruption ledger continues at the family house. A hidden compartment proves empty, and his attention turns toward the well that already carries painful memories of his childhood and his family's destruction.
Outside the house, the queen accompanies Cheoljong into the market. He listens while strangers criticise the king, interested in hearing what they say without knowing he is present. Bong-hwan tolerates the complaints until the conversation turns against Cheoljong's family, then steps in to defend him. An encounter with thugs also exposes more of the king's fighting ability. Their outing gives Bong-hwan reasons to see the person beneath the foolish role Cheoljong performs at court.
Flashbacks reveal the childhood meeting behind Hwa-jin's importance to the king. Young So-yong climbed into the well and gave the frightened boy a reason to keep living, along with her book. When he later emerged, Hwa-jin was the girl he saw and the one he credited with helping him. Cheoljong still carries that mistaken association. Returning to the well in search of the ledger places him inside the darkness again, where his memories overwhelm the task he came to complete.