The ninth episode of "Head Over Heels" unfolds with an intriguing twist as Gyeon-woo, inexplicably endowed with the ability to perceive ghosts, encounters Sung-ah just moments before his competition commences. Unbeknownst to him, Yeom-hwa had intended to cast a uniting spell upon him, but Sung-ah, acting as his shield for the day, intercepts it, absorbing the curse herself while Gyeon-woo triumphs in his contest.
Observing Sung-ah's spiritual aura darkening, Gyeon-woo seeks the guidance of Sung-ah's mother's elderly spiritual sister to alleviate her plight. The spiritual sister confiscates Sung-ah's human amulet from Gyeon-woo, intending to invoke the blessings of her patron deities to safeguard both Sung-ah and Gyeon-woo. However, she issues a stern warning to Gyeon-woo: to steer clear of malevolent spirits and, should he inadvertently cross their path, to avoid witnessing or shedding blood in their company, lest he finds himself irretrievably ensnared. She urges him to exercise utmost caution until the deities see fit to close his heightened spiritual senses.
Meanwhile, Sung-ah returns home, her cursed state undeniable to all who behold her. At home, she catches a glimpse of Yeom-hwa carrying an invisible wooden box and confides in her about the eerie sight. Yeom-hwa's world collapses upon realizing that the coffin she bears contains the spirit of her deceased child, trapped ever since she performed the ritual that transformed it into a ghostly prison.
Her spiritual mother reveals a harrowing truth: the deities have punished Yeom-hwa by condemning her to endure her child's suffering as a consequence of her actions. Enraged, Yeom-hwa vows to curse her own spiritual mother in retaliation.
Gyeon-woo later visits Sung-ah's house, carefully concealing his newfound spiritual awareness from her. Their evening takes an unexpected turn as they inadvertently fall asleep next to each other, only to be discovered by Sung-ah's mother, who berates them as they hastily depart for school.
At school, Sung-ah pens her aspirations of graduating from high school and embarking on a college journey, while Bong-su scribbles down his dream of becoming an adult. Amidst these revelations, Sung-ah begins to suffer from a fever and spots a haunting suicide specter trailing her classmate, Beom-su, who is enduring relentless bullying from a clique of students from his former institution. Determined to intervene, she approaches Beom-su, who has snatched a kitchen knife, as Gyeon-woo hesitates, repelled by the ghostly presence but ultimately steps forward to shield her while she converses with the distressed Beom-su. Bong-su eggs Beom-su on, leading to an accident where Gyeon-woo accidentally slices his hand, resulting in droplets of blood splattering onto the floor before he collapses, awakening a mystical sense of smell and taste within him.
He awakens in the infirmary, where his concerns quickly shift to Sung-ah's ailing state. Taking pity on her, he brings her home and nurses her back to health over the course of three days, his hand clasped tightly in hers. Once she regains her strength, Sung-ah insists on accompanying Gyeon-woo to his archery practice, only to realize that it is actually Bong-su, given his oversight of his usual palm-stretching ritual before practice. The episode concludes with a chilling confession from Bong-su, acknowledging that he has somehow "consumed" Gyeon-woo.
