Episode 9 of Season 2 of "The Fiery Priest" kicks off with a dramatic scene as Hae-il collapses from exhaustion after the menacing thugs have been momentarily dispatched. Meanwhile, Kyung-sun endures the painful shock of a taser, while Seok-hui finds himself in an unintended captor's clutches. However, the gangsters' suspicions about the Sweeper Gang remain unfounded, resting solely on Rockfish's intuition. In a quandary, Boss Park opts to imprison them temporarily until Hong-sik arrives.
At the hospital, the clergy is thrown into disarray upon discovering Hae-il's devastating diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, a condition that attacks the nervous system. Dean Lee expresses his bewilderment, questioning why Hae-il persists in his battles despite his illness. Father Han and Sister Kim then unfold the story of Hae-il's inner strength and resilience, likening him to a bellator in spirit.
Elsewhere, Du-heon attempts to curry favor with the newly appointed Chief Prosecutor Lee, who has been posted to Busan. Yet, his goodwill quickly turns sour when he learns about the seminary attack, prompting him to lambaste Hong-sik. Asserting his need for advance notice on Hong-sik's every move, Du-heon reveals an inflated sense of self-importance that irritates Hong-sik.
Martha hastily makes her way to the seminary, but her efforts are thwarted by Du-heon, who has preemptively dispatched his officers to the scene. They mock her presence, adding fuel to her frustration as Reporter Ki frames the incident as a skirmish among bullying seminary attendees, distorting the truth.
Kyung-sun awakens to find herself alone on the street, her senses gradually returning. Father Han fills her in on the latest developments, prompting her to race to the hospital. In a dream-like state, Hae-il encounters Father Lee, who wisely urges him to share his burdens. Awakening from his reverie, Hae-il resumes his playful demeanor before earnestly apologizing to Father Han and Sister Kim for concealing his illness. His thoughts are also consumed with concern for Kyung-sun, who suffered from the taser incident, prompting him to vow to stand by her side in future endeavors.
Gozhaev encounters Hae-il's investigative panel focusing on the gas tank and bomb. Driven by a desire to lend a hand, he taps his Russian connection, Dimitri, to facilitate a meeting with Boss Park. Hong-sik storms back onto the ship and summarily executes Jellyfish for his blunder at the seminary. His patience has worn thin, and he issues a ruthless order for the Sweeper Gang's liquidation, regardless of any extenuating evidence. Yet, Capelin swoops in to intervene, asserting that Mak-san bears the marks of an infamous Osaka battle scars on his back. In a dramatic twist, Gu strips to reveal his own back scar—a remnant of the accidental stabbing by Hae-il during a barbecue—thereby securing the Sweeper Gang's reprieve. They recall Capelin's glimpse of Gu's scar when he shed his shirt upon his arrival, leaving them puzzled about his motives since no such Osaka fight ever transpired. Their thoughts are interrupted as Kyung-sun updates them on Hae-il's condition. Eager to visit him, they prepare to leave but pause abruptly upon hearing Seok-hui's torturous cries, prompting them to intervene and rescue her.
Back at the hospital, Martha visits Hae-il, unburdening her soul through a soulful rendition. She has harbored a dream to dismantle the Busan drug cartels, but Boss Park's threat to eliminate her and her mother forced her into a life of servitude. Hae-il, sensing her plight, offers encouragement and vows to safeguard her mother. He further ignites her fighting spirit by divulging Hong-sik's nuclear escape plot.
That fateful night, Du-heon indulges in drinks with Chief Prosecutor Lee, who subjects him to verbal abuse. Frustrated, Du-heon confides in Kyung-sun that it's high time to leverage his contacts. Meanwhile, Hae-il resolves to discharge himself from the hospital. Despite the clerics' protests, he bolts out, converging with Chae Do-u. He unveils their plan to join Martha on the Citizen Watch Team. A shocking revelation unfolds: Martha has reassigned the Violent Crimes Team from drug-related cases, opting to spearhead a solo Narcotics team backed by the Citizen Watch Team.
As they embarked on their mission, Kyung-sun called out to Hae-il, revealing that the desolate gas station they had stumbled upon was indeed Hong-sik's hidden fuel reserve. However, their primary objective was to neutralize the ship's bomb. To buy them precious time, Kyung-sun cunningly invited Hong-sik on a date, which elated him to the point of speeding over immediately. She declared her resolve to stay in Uma indefinitely, even in the face of a nuclear cataclysm, leaving him visibly disturbed.
Elsewhere, the Narcotics team had a clear mission: to dismantle Jellyfish's ball boys' sideline drug operation. Martha, Hae-il, and Chae efficiently dispatched the entire group without much ado.
Onboard the ship, the Sweeper Gang confronted Capelin, only to be startled by his true identity as an undercover cop. He had been submerged in his disguise for four long years and was now in a precarious position. To shield his identity, there was no official record of him in the Drug Investigation Unit, and his sole vindicator had perished. The Sweeper Gang, moved by his plight, vowed to aid him in reinstating his career. Additionally, they discovered that the woman enduring torture was Seok-hui, an NIS agent, and promptly informed Hae-il.
Meanwhile, Dimitri introduced Gozhaev to Boss Park, who failed to recognize him. Gozhaev cleverly pretended to invest a staggering 400 to 500 billion won and casually mentioned the bomb-laden ship. Boss Park swiftly relayed this information to Du-heon, who was enraged by Hong-sik's betrayal. He promptly contacted Interpol with vital details about Phukha.
As for the Sweeper Gang, they devised a clever ruse to manipulate the thugs by pretending that Fire Eel's ghost was haunting the ship. To exorcise the spirit, Ja-yeong required additional shamanic assistance. And in a dramatic twist at the conclusion of The Fiery Priest Season 2 Episode 9, the shamanic reinforcements arrived in the form of Kyung-sun and Hae-il, donned in utterly exaggerated disguises.
