Just when it seemed like Reborn Rookie couldn’t make its family power struggle any messier, Episode 9 raises the stakes with betrayal, grief, and another major shift inside Choiseong Group. The episode spends a lot of time dealing with the fallout of Yong-ho’s apparent death, but it also quietly moves several key players into position for what looks like the final battle.
What surprised me most wasn’t simply the funeral itself. It was watching everyone react so differently to Yong-ho’s death. Some characters openly mourn him, others immediately start fighting over power, and a few seem to be hiding much more than they’re willing to admit.
Reborn Rookie Episode 9 Recap
The episode opens in complete chaos.
After Yong-ho’s body is officially declared dead, Jun-hyeon—whose body now carries Yong-ho’s soul, collapses. Bong-ki immediately rushes him to the hospital, hoping he’ll regain consciousness.
At the same time, Bang-geul races toward her father’s hospital room while Sun-hee breaks down beside Yong-ho’s lifeless body. The atmosphere is filled with disbelief, and before anyone has a chance to process what happened, events begin moving far too quickly.
Once Jun-hyeon wakes up, he runs straight to Yong-ho’s room, only to arrive too late. Suk-do has already removed the body, leaving Yong-ho helpless as he watches everything unfold from someone else’s body.
News of Yong-ho’s death spreads almost instantly.
Jae-gyeong Doesn’t Hide Her Ambition
While the family should be mourning, the siblings immediately turn against each other.
Jae-seong accuses Jae-gyeong of murdering their father, but instead of denying it, she redirects the blame. According to her, Yong-ho’s death happened because Jae-seong falsely linked the slush fund scandal to him in the first place.
She insists it’s time for the two of them to work together and eliminate Sun-hee and Bang-geul, whom she calls the real burden on Choiseong.
What makes the conversation unsettling is that Jae-gyeong almost sounds as if she’s admitting responsibility. She coldly remarks that their father would have made the same decision himself, making it difficult to ignore what she’s implying.
A flashback fills in another piece of the puzzle.
Earlier, Jae-gyeong visited Yong-ho’s hospital room and discovered the hidden CCTV camera he had secretly installed. In the present, Jun-hyeon reviews the recorded footage and sees the exact moment she found it, confirming his suspicions.
Meanwhile, Suk-do publicly announces Yong-ho’s death to the media while Jae-gyeong performs the role of the grieving daughter, asking reporters to stop speculating about her father’s passing.
Watching the scene, Yong-ho quietly wonders whether Jae-gyeong ever truly loved him at all.
Yong-ho Keeps His Promise to Jun-hyeon
The episode briefly steps away from corporate politics for one of its more emotional moments.
Sun-ok’s smartwatch suddenly reveals her location near the football stadium. Yong-ho rushes there and finds her unconscious on the street.
When she regains consciousness, she mistakes him for Jun-hyeon. Instead of correcting her immediately, Yong-ho apologizes for everything that happened to her grandson.
The guilt he’s carrying feels especially heavy here.
He later brings Sun-ok back to the rooftop apartment, where memories of Jun-hyeon’s life begin flooding back. Yong-ho reflects on the young athlete’s dreams, the sacrifices his grandmother made to support him, and how the hit-and-run accident changed everything.
Only now does Yong-ho finally understand why Jun-hyeon could never give up on football or put a price on his dream.
It’s a quiet sequence, but I thought it was one of the strongest emotional moments in the episode because it focuses less on revenge and more on regret.
The Funeral Turns Into Another Family War
Any hope for a peaceful funeral disappears almost immediately.
Sun-hee openly accuses Jae-gyeong of murdering Yong-ho, while Bang-geul points out that Jae-gyeong was the last person seen entering his hospital room before his death.
Jae-gyeong refuses to back down.
Instead, she warns both women that they’ll regret publicly humiliating her. Sun-hee storms after her in anger, with Bang-geul following close behind as tensions continue to rise.
Jae-gyeong wastes no time striking back.
She orders one of her IT employees to search Bang-geul’s belongings for the CCTV recording from the hospital visit. At the same time, she confiscates important legal papers and banking documents, effectively cutting Sun-hee and Bang-geul off financially.
The attack isn’t physical, it targets their ability to fight back.
No One Trusts Each Other Anymore
Inside the church, even Yong-ho’s funeral becomes another battlefield.
Jae-seong and Eun-se sit beside the casket arguing over their betrayals. Eun-se admits she can’t stand Jae-gyeong despite Byung-mo choosing to cooperate with her.
Bang-geul has heard enough. She throws both of them out, accusing them of pretending to grieve a man they repeatedly betrayed while he was alive.
At Choiseong Group, the board begins discussing how to deal with everyone connected to the slush fund investigation. Jae-gyeong boldly challenges the directors to investigate every single member of the Kang family, even promising to surrender her inheritance if she’s found guilty. Afterward, she meets Suk-do, who confidently celebrates her expected rise to the chairman’s position once the funeral is over.
Another flashback then reveals Suk-do rushing into Yong-ho’s hospital room after discovering the ventilator disconnected. He desperately tries to save Yong-ho but ultimately fails.
Back in the present, Jae-gyeong notices something strange about her husband’s behavior, suggesting she may be starting to question whether she truly knows everything that happened that night.
The story only gets more intense from here, with Yong-ho making a risky alliance, Sun-hee taking the blame for the slush fund case, Bang-geul believing she’s been betrayed, and Jae-gyeong officially taking control of Choiseong.
Yong-ho Says Goodbye to Jun-hyeon
Away from the corporate battles, another heartbreaking moment unfolds.
Sang-jae wants to attend Yong-ho’s funeral, but Bong-ki convinces him to stay away. Since Sang-jae is expected to testify in the slush fund case, showing up could complicate the investigation. Reluctantly, he agrees, though his biggest concern remains Jun-hyeon.
Later that night, Yong-ho quietly visits the church after everyone else has left.
Standing before Jun-hyeon’s memorial, he finally lets his emotions spill over. He thanks the young man whose body he now inhabits, promises to take care of Sun-ok, and asks Jun-hyeon to rest peacefully.
I thought this scene carried far more emotional weight than many of the louder confrontations earlier in the episode. There are no dramatic speeches or shocking twists, just a man burdened by guilt trying to honor someone who lost everything.
Trying to Give Sun-ok a Better Life
The following morning, Yong-ho attempts to repay the kindness Sun-ok showed her grandson.
He brings her to a luxurious house and asks her to live there comfortably from now on. But Sun-ok doesn’t recognize the place or understand why she’s there. All she wants is to see her grandson again.
Rather than forcing the issue, Yong-ho spends the day with her instead. He takes her shopping, brings her to the salon, and later returns with her to the rooftop apartment, making sure she has everything she needs, including her medication.
These quieter scenes slow the pace considerably, but they also remind us how much Yong-ho has changed since the beginning of the series. His priorities no longer revolve around money or status.
A Daughter Mourns While the Family Fights Over Power
One evening, Yong-ho visits his favorite bar and unexpectedly finds Bang-geul drinking alone. She’s overwhelmed with regret, wondering why she never got the chance to spend more time with her father while he was alive. Unable to reveal his true identity, Yong-ho can only watch her grieve from a distance.
It’s frustrating because the audience knows exactly how much he wants to comfort her, yet doing so would expose everything.
The next day, the Kang family gathers for the reading of Yong-ho’s will. Before the attorney even begins, another shock lands. Sun-hee learns that Yong-ho’s body has already been cremated without her knowledge, leaving her no opportunity to say one final goodbye. The attorney then reveals how Yong-ho divided his estate.
Property is left to Sun-hee, Bang-geul, the twins, Suk-do, and Eun-se. Each grandson receives a one percent share in Choiseong, while the remaining ninety-eight percent will belong to whoever becomes the company’s next chairman.
Not everyone takes the announcement well, especially Eun-se, whose disappointment is impossible to hide.
Sun-hee Becomes the Next Target
The reading of the will is interrupted almost immediately. Prosecutors arrive to arrest Sun-hee over her alleged involvement in the slush fund case.
Bang-geul immediately blames Jae-gyeong for framing her mother, but what shocks her even more is Jae-seong stepping in to defend Jae-gyeong. As if that weren’t enough, Bang-geul soon realizes that Sun-hee’s bank seal and important financial documents have disappeared from their room. She quickly informs Sang-jae, realizing someone has been carefully stripping away every advantage they had left.
Meanwhile, Sun-hee decides to shoulder the blame herself. She tells investigators she’ll accept responsibility if it means clearing Yong-ho’s name, though she desperately tries, and fails, to reach Jun-hyeon.
Jae-seong Makes a Secret Confession
One of the episode’s biggest surprises comes later. Jae-seong secretly visits Bang-geul and claims his loyalty to Jae-gyeong is nothing more than an act. According to him, pretending to stand beside his sister is the only way to deceive her from within. Swearing on Yong-ho’s grave, he promises Bang-geul that he’ll eventually make Jae-gyeong pay. He even hands Bang-geul a bag of cash, urging her to find somewhere safe to stay for the time being.
Before leaving, he delivers another important piece of news.
Jae-gyeong has officially been appointed interim chairman of Choiseong, giving her enormous authority over the company.
Yong-ho Makes the Most Dangerous Move Yet
Bang-geul realizes she has very few options left. She offers to surrender Smile Investment’s stake in Choiseong if Jae-gyeong agrees to withdraw every charge against Sun-hee. Jae-gyeong accepts the proposal.
Moments later, she formally addresses Choiseong employees during her inauguration ceremony as interim chairman. Then comes a twist that completely changes how everyone sees Jun-hyeon.
Standing before the employees, Jae-gyeong introduces him as the new Head of Choiseong’s Business Team and describes him as the company’s future control tower. The reactions are immediate.
Bang-geul and Bong-ki are stunned, convinced their friend has chosen to side with the woman they believe murdered Yong-ho.
A flashback explains what really happened.
Yong-ho deliberately approached Jae-gyeong and offered his cooperation. He even suggested targeting Sun-hee because he knew it would pressure Bang-geul into giving up her shares in the company. From the outside, it looks like pure betrayal.
In reality, Yong-ho is setting himself up to get closer to Jae-gyeong while waiting for the right moment to destroy her from within. That doesn’t make his decision any less painful for the people who trust him. When Bang-geul confronts him after the ceremony, she accuses him of betraying both her and Yong-ho by siding with a murderer. Yong-ho refuses to explain himself.
Instead, he coldly replies that he’s free to work with anyone he chooses.
Watching Bang-geul walk away believing she’d been abandoned was honestly one of the hardest moments in the episode.
A New Position, and a New Neighbor
Jae-gyeong immediately starts reshaping the company. She transfers Bang-geul and Bong-ki’s team to an old office while introducing Jun-hyeon to Choiseong’s board of directors.
His business instincts quickly impress the executives, and Jae-gyeong compliments him on adapting so quickly despite his young age. Yong-ho, however, never lets his guard down. He knows Jae-gyeong isn’t offering trust without expecting something in return, and he’s already wondering what test she’ll throw at him next.
Later, Byung-mo arrives to congratulate the new interim chairman.
Yong-ho introduces himself with a hint of sarcasm before Jae-gyeong reminds Byung-mo to fulfill their agreement by paying for Choiseong’s hydrogen business acquisition. Yong-ho even jokingly offers his own services should Byung-mo ever need them, making their awkward encounter even more interesting.
Not long afterward, Sang-jae informs Yong-ho that Sun-hee has been released.
Fearing Jae-gyeong may target them again, Yong-ho asks Sang-jae to help move both Sun-hee and Bang-geul safely to the United States. Before that can happen, Yong-ho secretly visits the sauna where they’re temporarily staying.
Unfortunately, Bang-geul mistakes him for someone trying to harm her mother and immediately attacks him, forcing him to flee before he can explain anything. By the following morning, another surprise is waiting.
After returning from his jog, Yong-ho discovers that Bang-geul and Sun-hee have moved into the rooftop apartment right next door to where he and Sun-ok are living.
It’s a small twist compared to everything else that happened, but it sets up an interesting situation for the episodes ahead. They’re finally closer than ever, yet the truth between them has never felt farther away.
Reborn Rookie Episode 9 Review
Episode 9 is a strange chapter because it spends almost the entire runtime dealing with the aftermath of Yong-ho’s apparent death instead of pushing the main story forward. Whether that’s a good thing probably depends on what you’ve been enjoying most about Reborn Rookie.
Personally, I found the emotional moments much stronger than the corporate power struggle this week.
The scenes between Yong-ho and Sun-ok were easily the highlight of the episode. Ever since the body swap happened, Yong-ho has slowly become a different person, but this episode makes that transformation feel complete. Watching him understand Jun-hyeon’s dreams and the sacrifices Sun-ok made gave those quiet moments real emotional weight. They weren’t flashy, but they were sincere, and the drama needed that after several episodes focused almost entirely on revenge and business politics.
Bang-geul also continues to be one of the easiest characters to sympathize with. She loses her father, watches her mother get arrested, believes her closest ally has betrayed her, and has almost every source of financial support taken away in a matter of days. The audience knows there’s more happening behind the scenes, but from her perspective, every decision made by Jun-hyeon looks like another painful betrayal. That misunderstanding gives the final act much of its emotional tension.
The biggest question, though, is still Yong-ho himself.
His decision to work alongside Jae-gyeong is clearly part of a larger strategy. The flashback reveals that he intentionally suggested targeting Sun-hee in order to pressure Bang-geul into surrendering her shares, allowing him to earn Jae-gyeong’s trust from the inside. It’s a dangerous gamble because it damages his relationships with the very people he’s trying to protect. Whether that sacrifice ultimately pays off remains to be seen, but it certainly raises the stakes for the remaining episodes.
Jae-gyeong, meanwhile, continues to be the story’s driving force. She rarely loses control, and every move she makes feels calculated. Even after becoming interim chairman, she never appears completely comfortable. Her growing suspicion toward Suk-do hints that she may not have the full picture surrounding Yong-ho’s death, which adds another layer of uncertainty heading into the final stretch.
That uncertainty extends to the drama’s biggest mystery.
The series tells us that Yong-ho’s body has been cremated, yet viewers never actually see what happens after Suk-do removes it from the hospital. At the same time, Suk-do’s behavior remains unusually secretive, while Jae-seong suddenly claims he’s only pretending to support Jae-gyeong. Those details make it difficult to accept everything at face value.
I couldn’t help wondering whether the drama is intentionally hiding something about Yong-ho’s body. If it truly has been cremated, the body-swap storyline becomes much harder to resolve. If not, then the series may still have one major surprise left before the finale.
At this point, it’s impossible to know which direction the writers will take because the episode doesn’t provide enough answers.
That said, I do think the pacing is becoming an issue.
With only three episodes remaining, the story still spends a surprising amount of time on scenes that don’t significantly move the central conflict forward. There are touching character moments throughout the episode, but the momentum occasionally stalls when the narrative should be building toward its climax.
The attempts at lighter comedy also don’t land as well as they did earlier in the series. They briefly relieve the tension, but they rarely add much to the overall story. As the finale gets closer, I’d rather see the drama focus on resolving its biggest mysteries than pause for comedic beats that don’t leave much of an impression.
Even so, Episode 9 succeeds in one important way, it changes the relationships between nearly every major character. Yong-ho willingly becomes the villain in Bang-geul’s eyes, Jae-gyeong gains almost complete control of Choiseong, Sun-hee sacrifices herself to protect her late husband’s reputation, and the remaining members of the Kang family continue choosing sides.
Those shifting alliances may end up being more important than any single corporate battle.
If the final episodes can capitalize on those emotional conflicts while finally answering the lingering questions surrounding Yong-ho’s fate, Reborn Rookie still has a chance to deliver a satisfying ending.
Rating: 8/10
