Episode 8 of "To My Beloved Thief" begins with a chaotic fight erupting between Jae-I and Prince Yi-yeol. The victor decides Eun-jo's fate, determining where she will spend the rest of her days. Eun-jo tries to intervene, but neither party listens until Min-jik steps in.
Min-jik drags Eun-jo home and chastises himself as punishment for her ill-fated marriage, until Dae-II intervenes to stop him. It transpires that not long after the body swap, Prince Yi-yeol wrote to Min-jik, impersonating Eun-jo, instructing him to return home. Now that he's back and knows the truth about the wedding, he takes the blame on her behalf since she deserved punishment for deceiving her master.
The Hong household is deeply emotional, and even Dae-II can't bring himself to punish Eun-jo. Her mother urges her to take a walk, giving everyone time to calm down. Prince Yi-yeol silently follows and observes her smile amidst the turmoil. He recalls her mother's words that Eun-jo suppresses all her pain and hides it away.
Later, Min-jik seeks help from his former colleagues to dissolve Eun-jo's marriage, but none are willing to assist. Suddenly, his cousin Sang-II appears and gifts him land. He uses this land to dissolve the marriage contract with the Im family. It turns out that Prince Yi-yeol gifted the land through Min-jik's cousin.
Upon learning that Min-jik is trading a valuable piece of land that could sustain the family for the rest of their lives for her freedom, Eun-jo tries to convince him to take it back since the marriage was her choice. When she persists, Min-jik sternly tells her to stop disgracing herself.
The family has never mistreated her, regardless of her status as a concubine's daughter. He urges her to respect herself and forget whatever happened at the Im's house.
Eun-jo returns to work at Hyeminseo and encounters an old friend who begs for her help with the sick at a leper camp outside the capital. Prince Yi-yeol accompanies her but is not allowed inside due to the area being quarantined. A physician had previously visited the camp and declared a plague breakout, so he sent Dae-chu to investigate. As he waits, he notices a group of children eating tree bark.
As Eun-jo arrives to collect him after treating the sick, she finds him assisting the children in picking berries, their joyous interactions filling the air with laughter as they address him as "hyung." Eun-jo is captivated by the sight of him smiling as he helps the children, a stark contrast to his usual reserved demeanor.
As for the plague, it turns out that the water from the valley had gone bad. When the people drank it, they all fell ill with dysentery, and she needed to head to the Hyeminseo for the herbs. On the way, they encounter Min-jik, who requests to speak with Prince Yi-yeol. Earlier, he had found the proposal letter after Eun-jo accidentally dropped it. Min-jik understands that His Majesty can use Eun-jo against Prince Yi-yeol and refuses to agree to the marriage. He warns that if Yi-yeol insists on the marriage, he will threaten to kill himself or actually commit suicide if the marriage happens.
Prince Yi-yeol runs into Eun-jo on his way out and spends a long time walking and chatting in the night. He does not tell her about her father's request, but he starts to avoid her after that night. Later, Eun-jo realizes that she dropped the marriage proposal and starts looking for it. Min-jik finds her and reminds her of the promise she made to stay at home with him and her mother for her whole life, without wanting a marriage. He makes her agree to keep that promise.
Meanwhile, Hae-rim receives a summons to meet the Queen Dowager at the palace. The Queen Dowager still believes that Prince Yi-yeol and Hae-rim had a night of fun together and plans to get them married.
Yi-yeol boldly rejects the marriage proposal, his heart bound to a love that he cherishes and shall never forget. The Queen Dowager, frustrated by this unexpected turn of events, orders for Hong-si's immediate return from her sick leave. Hae-rim, heartbroken by the rejection, wonders about the woman that Yi-yeol holds so dear.
At the leper camp, the children receive an anonymous gift of rice sufficient to feed them for a year. The villagers are thrilled and promptly attribute it to Gil-dong's generosity. New rumors surface, weaving tales of Gil-dong's miraculous resurrection or his immortality. Meanwhile, Seung-jae and Jae-I devise a plan to create a new hunting ground by eliminating the leper camp. Seung-jae desires hunting grounds closer to the capital, fearing his influence wanes without Min-jik's control through Eun-jo. Jae-I suggests making Eun-jo his concubine instead.
Later, a mysterious woman who had previously sent her underling to recruit Gil-dong approaches Eun-jo at the temple. She introduces herself as a debtor to Min-jik for his selflessness during the Gyeongo year. She recounts His Majesty's brutal purge, killing all officials who opposed him and their families, surrounding himself with corrupt men. A flashback shows the horrifying events of the Gyeonggo year.
Using the plague as a pretext, Seung-jae sends Jae-I to wipe out the villagers at the leper camp and raze the land. Eun-jo learns of this and rushes to the village, attempting to evacuate the villagers. Meanwhile, Yoon-bok is briefed on the plan and rushes to inform Prince Yi-yeol.
Before the villagers can escape, Jae-I and his men start firing plain arrows into the village. The camp becomes chaotic as villagers rush through the back gate. An arrow pierces a woman trying to save her child. Eun-jo takes the child and runs to safety.
Outside, Jae-I personally fires a fire-tipped arrow, aiming straight for Eun-jo's back. Realizing she cannot outrun it, Eun-jo shields the child and braces for impact. Just in time, Prince Yi-yeol arrives, knocking the arrow out of the air, saving Eun-jo.
