Episode 5 of My Royal Nemesis opens with the ominous star still hanging in the sky, continuing the thread of bad luck and destiny that has followed Kang Dan-sim and Se-gye from the beginning. While everyone else worries about what the star might mean, Mun-do is busy watching Dan-sim’s house from afar. He’s especially entertained when Se-gye secretly visits her, clearly unable to stay away no matter how hard he tries.
Se-gye himself seems confused by his own behavior. Every time he decides to distance himself from Kang, he somehow ends up running back to her. Meanwhile, Dal-su is relieved that there’s supposedly nothing serious happening between his grandson and someone as “ordinary” as Seo-ri.
Back in the present timeline, Se-gye finally admits the truth, he likes Kang Dan-sim. Kang clearly has feelings for him too, but instead of being honest, she denies everything and rejects him outright. The rejection hits Se-gye hard. For someone used to getting whatever he wants, hearing “no” leaves him completely stunned.
The next morning, Se-gye’s bruised ego turns him into a nightmare for everyone around him. He’s irritated, cold, and impossible to deal with at work.
At the same time, Mun-do continues plotting behind the scenes. After bribing the company lawyer, he discovers Dal-su’s plan to eventually transfer all his shares and authority to Se-gye. Naturally, this only strengthens Mun-do’s determination to take Se-gye down before that happens.
Meanwhile, Kang decides she has to actively avoid Se-gye. She hires a fortune teller to perform a ritual meant to ward off bad luck and dangerous fate. Through this, we learn more about her painful childhood. Having been sold as a child, Kang grew up believing that kindness always came with conditions and consequences. Because of that fear, she convinces herself that staying away from Se-gye is the only way to keep them both safe from Mun-do’s schemes.
She also repairs her strained relationship with Grandma Nam by pretending she is still just Seo-ri, the quirky girl who happened to learn martial arts by chance. Kang tries hard to return everything to “normal,” even though her feelings are becoming harder to suppress.
Another scandal suddenly explodes around Se-gye’s company. The businessman who attempted to cheat him earlier in the series publicly claims that he was actually the victim. Se-gye retaliates immediately by exposing the businessman’s dirty secrets and illegal dealings, crushing the accusation before it can spread further.
But despite the corporate chaos, Se-gye’s real focus is still Kang.
Convinced that she’s simply “playing hard to get,” he asks Son for romantic advice. Unfortunately, Son’s guidance is terrible. He suggests dramatic begging and overwhelming her with affection until she gives in.
Determined to win her over, Se-gye prepares for what Son jokingly calls a “mating war.” During this process, a wealthy young woman accidentally spills coffee on his expensive suit, but Se-gye barely notices her because his entire mind is occupied with Kang.
The story then shifts to the filming set of Season 2 of Ji-hyo’s historical drama, where Kang has landed a small acting role. Even though she’s only a minor cast member, Kang keeps correcting historical inaccuracies during filming, which irritates the already abusive director. Ji-hyo steps in to calm the situation, though she also humiliates Kang in the process.
Kang’s emotions become a complete roller coaster when Se-gye suddenly sends a coffee truck to the set. The crew immediately warms up to her after realizing someone powerful is supporting her. Se-gye proudly announces that this is his way of courting her.
Kang rejects him again.
Frustrated and embarrassed, Se-gye angrily shoves a bouquet of roses into her arms before storming away like an upset teenager. Ji-hyo, who is dealing with heartbreak after being cheated on, misunderstands the situation and becomes jealous, assuming Kang is secretly dating some rich man.
Meanwhile, the mysterious girl from the tailor shop appears again after lightly crashing into Se-gye’s car. This time, it’s revealed that she’s actually Se-gye’s arranged blind date, personally set up by Dal-su in hopes of forcing a romantic connection.
Se-gye later vents his frustrations to his psychiatrist, but the doctor mistakenly assumes he’s talking about his company’s scandals instead of his love life. Jeong-hyeon casually suggests creating a new scandal to distract the public, and Se-gye hilariously applies the advice to romance by agreeing to the blind date.
Unfortunately, while distracted and emotionally overwhelmed, Se-gye accidentally takes poisoned medication that had been planted by a bribed nurse.
Elsewhere, Kang quietly remembers her past with Prince Cheongheon. In a touching flashback, we see him helping her bury a stray dog before giving her flowers. It’s one of the softer moments in the episode and explains why flowers continue to hold emotional meaning for her.
Soon after, Kang heads to Jeju for a commercial shoot and decides to bring the persistent Gwang-nam along as her manager. Coincidentally, the commercial is organized by Se-gye’s company, meaning he’ll be on the same flight.
Naturally, Se-gye enjoys the comfort of business class while Kang complains from economy.
Then disaster strikes.
Mid-flight, Se-gye suddenly collapses after taking the poisoned pills. Panic spreads through the cabin. Kang immediately rushes to help and pretends to be a doctor because of her acupuncture knowledge. But despite her confidence, she completely loses composure once she realizes how serious the situation is.
In one of the episode’s most chaotic scenes, Kang slaps Se-gye repeatedly while begging him to wake up. Half-conscious, Se-gye briefly opens his eyes only to complain that she never leaves him alone.
As the flight attendants prepare a defibrillator, Kang grabs his hand. The electric shock hits both of them, and in that instant, Kang realizes she truly needs to protect her heart from him. Moments later, Se-gye wakes up completely, shocked to see her by his side.
The epilogue returns to the past and reveals that the flowers Prince Cheongheon gave Kang were meant for the stray dog’s grave. Even though Kang tries to maintain distance between them, the prince gently gives her another rose and sweetly asks to stay by her side as her companion.
Episode 5 Review
Episode 5 mostly belongs to Se-gye, and Heo Nam-jun does a solid job carrying the emotional weight of the hour. The actual plot barely moves forward, but the entertainment comes from watching Se-gye completely unravel over his feelings for Kang. One moment he’s arrogant, the next he’s jealous, confused, angry, or desperately trying to impress her. His emotional whiplash creates some genuinely funny interactions with both Son and Kang.
The romance, however, walks a very thin line. The drama clearly frames Se-gye’s relentless pursuit as comedic and charming, but some of his behavior, especially the love bombing and refusal to accept rejection, would normally be major red flags outside of rom-com logic.
Lim Ji-yeon’s performance is also a little inconsistent in this episode. Kang shifts so dramatically between childish awkwardness, royal dignity, and cranky grandmother energy that the character sometimes feels exaggerated rather than layered. The comedy occasionally pushes her into caricature territory instead of balancing humor with emotional realism.
The ending scene on the plane is probably the weakest part of the episode. The drama wants the sequence to feel both funny and emotional, but the over-the-top reactions and physical comedy make it more awkward than impactful. Kang slapping an unconscious man while screaming in panic feels less like romantic chaos and more like pure secondhand embarrassment.
Still, despite the messy execution, Episode 5 remains entertaining because of the chemistry between the leads. Even when the writing stumbles, Se-gye and Kang’s chaotic dynamic continues to keep the drama fun to watch.