Destined With You 2023 Episode 8

Episode 8 of Destined With You starts where we left off with Sin-yu and Hong-jo making out. Hong-jo finally comes to her senses, pulling back from the kiss and accuses Sin-yu of messing with her feelings. She is shocked when she learns that Sin-yu has broken up with Na-yeon.

Hong-jo tells Sin-yu that he needs to tell her the whole truth about the spells. Sin-yu claims that he really had feelings for her but Hong-jo shuts him down and leaves, asking Sin-yu to give her space.

The following morning, Sin-yu meets up with Na-yeon and asks her about the photo. He learns that it was sent to her from an unknown number. Na-yeon is appalled by the fact that Sin-yu is more interested in the photos than in saving their relationship. She asks for some time out and tells Sin-yu that she won’t be showing up to the City Hall for work for a while.

That night, Sin-yu thinks about his feelings for Hong-jo while Hong-jo can’t put herself to sleep thinking about her kiss with Sin-yu. She recalls how Na-yeon had slapped and text her, asking to see the interior designer.

The next morning, Hong-jo and Na-yeon meet at a cafe where Hong-jo tells her the whole truth about the spells and Sin-yu’s medical condition. She also warns Na-yeon for slapping her and asks her to think before acting rashly.

Later that day, Sin-yu asks to see Hong-jo at the rooftop but she refuses to meet informally. Instead, Hong-jo keeps the conversation formal and talks to Sin-yu about work. She mentions a cat shelter and asks Sin-yu to offer legal advice on the issue. Hong-jo also asks Sin-yu to keep their interactions limited to official emails instead of personal calls and texts. Sin-yu is dejected by the comment but agrees to do as Hong-jo says. Hong-jo leaves the cabin and runs into Jae-kyung who tries hard to flirt with her but fails.

As the two chat, Sin-yu opens the door to his cabin which prompts Hong-jo to leave. Meanwhile, Hong-jo’s colleagues wait for her to join their meeting. There, Seo-goo tells Sae-byeol and Se-jeong that he has just come from his date. Eun-young joins the trio and chides Seo-goo for focusing on his dating life a little too much. She learns that Seo-goo has failed to oversee the edits in a brochure and yells at him for being careless.

At the same time, Hong-jo is out inspecting the park for a cat shelter. She meets a young kid there and who discusses his romantic troubles with her. Hong-jo concludes that the child was denying his true feelings for the girl he likes and suddenly comes to the shocking realisation that she too was denying her true feelings for Sin-yu.

On the other hand, Sin-yu gets legal help to find the sender of the image in order to nab the person who was stalking him and Hong-jo. Later that night, Hong-jo grows uncomfortable waiting at the bus stop because of Na-yeon’s comment about her being stalked.

However, Jae-kyung shows up out of nowhere and offers Hong-jo a ride back home. The ride is quite uncomfortable as Hong-jo tries her best to opt out of going on a date with Jae-kyung who practically forces her to hang out with him. On the other hand, Se-heon bails on Yoon-jo because of work, leaving her to go to the meteor shower show alone.

At the event, Yoon-jo meets Wook and the two have a fun time watching the falling stars in each other’s company. Once she is back home, Yoon-jo is upset to see Se-heon sleeping when he claims he is working late.  The next day, Sin-yu meets Eun-wol and asks her to take the wooden box back as Hong-jo no longer wants to keep it. He tells her that the spell book has no spells but Eun-wol asks him to put the box back where he found it.

Hong-jo tells Sin-yu that he’s destined to be with Hong-jo and that their destinies can’t be severed. Sin-yu does not make much of the conversation and takes the box back home. On the other hand, Hong-jo gets a call from Sin-yu who asks her to meet him outside her house. Sin-yu tells Hong-jo that he will put the box back and insists on joining her.

Together, the two go back to the site of the demolished shrine and try to retrace their steps in order to put the box back into it’s original location. However, Hong-jo trips and the box is broken. Inside the box, Hong-jo finds a second book with evil spells, particularly ones that revolve around black magic.

Sin-yu asks her to put both books into the box and they go back to looking for a location to hide it. However, a sudden noise startles both of them and they discover a scarecrow with Sin-yu’s name on it. The scarecrow is hanging from a tree and had a ritualistic sign on that wishes for Sin-yu’s death. Hong-jo claims that the clothes worn by the scarecrow are her missing set of pyjamas.

The duo report the crime to the cops but the police officers claim they would not be able to do much as it was a ritual. The duo bring the box back home and discusses the possible suspects who could perform that ritual against Sin-yu. Sin-yu stops by at a store and purchases pepper spray for Hong-jo. He drops her home and checks her doors and windows.

After determining that Hong-jo was living in unsafe conditions, Sin-yu tells Hong-jo that he would install some grills and locks for Hong-jo the following day. She claims that Jae-kyung lived downstairs and she was not in danger but Sin-yu claims that it was highly possible for him to be her stalker. Sin-yu asks Hong-jo out on a fake date in order to throw the stalker off and make them believe that she doesn’t live alone.

The next day, Sin-yu picks Hong-jo up from her house for a date and the two eat at a fancy restaurant. During their meal, the two chat and Sin-yu try to get to know Hong-jo better. Later that evening, the two go out and have a fun time together.

The two share a romantic moment and Hong-jo asks Sin-yu to stop looking at her in a way that makes her feel confused about her feelings for him. Sin-yu confesses that his feelings for her were genuine and that he initially thought they were all because of the love spell. He tells Hong-jo that he really does not want to be away from her and finds it hard to control himself when he is around her.

Hong-jo tells Sin-yu that she no longer wants the tag of stealing someone’s boyfriend and believes it best to keep a formal work relationship with him and nothing more. Sin-yu drops Hong-jo home and sticks around outside for Jae-kyung to show up. He asks Jae-kyung where he was over the last few days and reveals the truth about the stalker.

Sin-yu asks for Jae-kyung’s permission to install a few security cameras for Hong-jo’s safety but Jae-kyung decides he’ll install them by himself if he finds the need for it.

That night, Sin-yu shows up at the garden shop owner, Joong-beom’s place, and finds some hay lying outside. He asks Joong-beom about the hay which the latter finds absurd.

The episode cuts to the following morning when Hong-jo learns that Sin-yu had skipped work because he was unwell. She is concerned when she learns that Sin-yu isn’t going to be coming to work for a while because of his health. The episode ends with Hong-jo going out for a work-related inspection, where she’s followed by a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

The Episode Review

The show is finally getting interesting and I cannot help but wonder what will happen next. From the chances of Jae-kyung being the stalker to Joong-beom’s involvement in Sin-yu’s health suddenly deteriorating, the episode gave very little away in its final moments leaving us viewers curious. 

From the promo to the next episode, it is likely that we see a flashback from the Joseon dynasty period with Sin-yu and Hong-jo’s ancestors. Moreover, it looks like Hyun-seo is a lot more than just the guy Na-yeon is hooking up with. Having reached the mid-season part of the show, there is a lot to unpack in the remaining 8 episodes of the show.