[News Culture] Spooky in Love has officially brought its central duo back together — this time with a centuries-old murder case waiting to be solved.
Episode 5 of the tvN weekend drama, which aired August 1, reunited Cheon Yeo-ri, played by Park Eun-bin, and Ma Kang-wook, played by Yang Se-jong. One can hear the dead; the other knows how to follow evidence. After briefly going their separate ways, the two found themselves drawn back into the same investigation, laying the groundwork for an unconventional crime-solving partnership.
Kang-wook Escapes the Ghosts, but Not His Feelings
After coming into contact with Yeo-ri and gaining access to the supernatural world, Kang-wook finally found a way to return to ordinary life. Yeo-ri, however, feared that staying close to her would place him in danger again and ended their relationship before it could deepen.
The separation did little to keep them apart. Yeo-ri continued answering requests from restless spirits, while Kang-wook pursued unresolved cases through official channels. Their work repeatedly led them to the same places — and made it increasingly clear that neither had fully moved on.
Even the smallest clue was enough to remind Kang-wook of Yeo-ri. She, too, found herself returning to moments they had shared, revealing how much had shifted beneath their uneasy goodbye.
A Reunion at the Prophecy Museum
Their paths crossed again at an artifact unveiling at the Prophecy Museum, where Yeo-ri arrived with her friend Kang Min-hwan, played by Ong Seong-wu.
Kang-wook was visibly unsettled by Min-hwan’s presence and quickly approached, while Yeo-ri tried to maintain the distance she had imposed. Kang-wook refused to let the conversation end, claiming that he was still seeing ghosts and using the excuse to draw her back into the case.
When he learned of a spirit dressed as a Joseon-era painter, he proposed that they investigate together. Yeo-ri initially hesitated, but the encounter forced her to reconsider whether working apart made sense when their abilities were so clearly complementary.
Jealousy, Danger and Another Shared Case
Their feelings surfaced just as clearly through the people around them. Kang-wook watched Min-hwan with suspicion, while Yeo-ri became conscious of prosecutor Im Seo-hyun, played by Im Chae-young, standing beside Kang-wook.
The emotional tension soon gave way to immediate danger. Yeo-ri set out alone to track a murder suspect on behalf of a ghost, while Kang-wook headed to the same location after receiving a tip.
He had quietly hoped their paths might cross again. When Yeo-ri appeared, the two slipped back into sync and worked together to apprehend the suspect.
The sequence confirmed what both had been resisting: Yeo-ri’s connection to the dead and Kang-wook’s investigative training are far more effective when used together.
A 300-Year-Old Cold Case Begins
As they left the scene, Yeo-ri returned to the unfinished story of the painter’s ghost. She then asked Kang-wook to help her solve a case that had remained buried for 300 years.
He accepted without hesitation.
The decision marks a turning point for both the romance and the mystery. Yeo-ri can hear testimony that history left behind, while Kang-wook can test those accounts against physical evidence and investigative logic. Together, they now face a case stretching back to the Joseon era — and a spirit still waiting for justice.
Episode 5 recorded an average nationwide rating of 5.5 percent and a peak of 6.2 percent. In the Seoul metropolitan area, it averaged 5.6 percent and reached a high of 6.4 percent, placing first among cable and general programming channels in its time slot for the fifth consecutive episode.
The drama also ranked first across all channels, including terrestrial broadcasters, among viewers aged 20 to 49 in both nationwide and metropolitan ratings.
Episode 6 of tvN’s Spooky in Love airs August 2 at 9:10 p.m. KST.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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