My Heart Beats (2023)

Can You Sink Your Teeth Into This Vampiric Romance?

There seems to be an odd resurgence in fantasy dramas with the vampire trope. I am not one to complain. Vampire shows and narratives can be really interesting for writing if approached well, and Heartbeat certainly had an interesting premise from the offset.


Heartbeat was written by Kim Ha-na and Jung Seung-joo, and directed by Lee Hyun-seok and Lee Min-soo. The narrative focuses on Seon Woo-hyul ( Ok Taek-Yeon),
an ancient vampire who is desperate to become human and end his immortality . Having waited centuries to fulfil the wish of his beloved, Yoon Hae-seon ( Yoon So-Hee) to finally become human, Woo-Hyul enlists the help of his vampire friends Lee Sang-hae ( Yoon Byung-hee ) and Park Dong-seop ( Ko Kyu-Pil) to seal him in a coffin in order for him to finally become human.


In the present day, part-time school nurse Joo In-hae ( Won Ji-An) ends up accidentally awakening Woo-Hyul a day short from the ritual being complete. Now a half- human, In-hae and Woo-Hyul awkwardly end up living together, while beginning to slowly develop feelings for one another. However, nothing is ever simple in this relationship, and soon trouble looms on the horizon for them.


Heartbeat is a fairly lighthearted take on the fantasy vampire story. For the most part, the series is fairly easygoing and comical, playing out mostly as a slice-of-life and rom-com series. The fantasy element submerges from the depths in each episode with a small push to direct the storyline. While there are some more angsty moments in the series ( particularly around Woo-Hyul’s backstory), the series is fairly engaging on this part . However, where this issues lie comes through the second half of the series; especially in the very rushed execution and conclusion.


In many ways, this did offer a fairly good balance of genres. The comical setup highly relied on the polar opposite types of In-Hae as the cynical, cold yet surprisingly empathic individual to Woo-Hyul’s egocentric, , yet, surprisingly kindhearted role in the series. This dynamic did work well for the most part, though admittedly, building on the fantasy element and especially lore, was a little undeveloped at times. ( So many unanswered questions left hanging in the air over the vampires and their existence as well as their state of being.)


The acting of the series is decent. Ok Taek-Yeon really shines through as the main male lead. It could have been easy for Woo-Hyul to have become a somewhat irritating character with his misunderstandings and egocentricity at times, but, Taek-Yeon really adds a charismatic edge to the character through both lighthearted and more serious moments.


As a character, Woo-Hyul definitely grows on viewers. It could have been easy for the show to have fallen into old tropes with the immortal vampire being sullen or brooding for most of the series. While Woo-Hyul definitely has his more morose moments through flashbacks and backstory with Hae-Seon, his charisma definitely comes through with being able to remain fairly allured by the modern world. Woo Hyul is self-absorbed with his appearance and qualities, yet almost maintains a sense of comical naivety, to the point of annoying In-Hae beyond belief ( and leading to his shopping spree incident early on). However, despite often being egocentric, Hyul does show his kindness towards others in small acts even in the first episode .


Perhaps one annoying element of Woo-Hyul’s backstory is that while Hae-Seon is a major part of Woo-Hyul’s life, we do not see a lot else about his backstory and character prior to these events, or even in the short aftermath. Sans the necessary plot points, which could have been used instead to have shown the true impact of Hae-Seon’s influence upon his life and decisions .


Won Ji-An stood out as Joo In-Hae also, offering a fairly strong performance as the downtrodden female lead. Refreshingly, In-Hae is a character, who, similar to Woo-Hyul, is a lot more than meets the eye. She has her own personal demons ( which are touched upon slightly in the series though not to their full potential), and maintains a fairly upfront and straight- laced persona in front of Woo-Hyul. Despite appearances, In-Hae does have a softer side. Viewers see glimpses of this early on ( such as helping one student in the school after being bullied) and throughout the series during key moments. ( For example thanking Woo Hyul for taking care of her after she is bed-ridden from a fever.)


In-Hae does have her own potentially interesting backstory, but like some minor elements of the series, this was often pushed aside slightly in later episodes. This was not bad per say but it did put her backstory on the back burner a fair bit. The majority of In Hae’s development revolves around her potential romances, as well as glimpses into her softer nature.


Both main leads are interesting in their own right, and by far, enact as a major highlight of the drama’s storyline . Ji-An and Taek-Yeon have fairly good chemistry. Their characters have a good balance between being a polar comedic duo, while also learning to rely on one another and help each other out during times of the crisis. It was surprisingly sweet to see their relationship unfold in the drama and gradually develop during the series.


However touching upon the romantic element of the series, it is hard not to bring up the issue of the love triangle trope ( you could even argue love square or even pentagon depending on viewpoint). Having a complex romantic pairing and unrequited is not unusual in Korean dramas, and is a trope which is executed a lot within narratives. They are not inherently bad and can be diverse and well-written, but one problem they can often run into is whether they are truly necessary or well-resolved in the long-run.


In this case ( and for the sake of argument), love triangle/ square comes through Shin Do-sik ( Park Kang Hyun), an old classmate of In Hae and a successful real estate development specialist.


Do-Sik’s role in the series was pretty evident early on; he was to be the potential love interest as the second male lead, and the exact foil of Woo Hyul. Do-Sik is the epitome of the “ nice guy” trope at drift ; he is well-mannered, reserved and constantly looking out for In-Hae while his feelings remain apparent to everyone (except the female lead).


However , Do-Sik spends his time fawning over In Hae or practically stalking her from the shadows to the point of being more than a little obsessive. While in some cases, it is evident Do Sik is concerned about In Hae’s circumstances ( such as walking home drunk late at night) and mental well-being , he spends a lot of time watching her from the background or following her around similar to a lost puppy . Do Sik’s character arc only exists around In Hae, to the point of most of his flashbacks being centred around this too. It is a shame as while is not inherently bad, Do-Sik’s more interesting elements are often put aside and he becomes somewhat flat. The series did seem to possess some self-awareness of Do Sik’s character arc by attempting to involve him more in later episodes, but, a mixture of still being centred around In Hae at the end of the day did draw some further questions on this development as well as his antagonistic role in the series .


Another key side character includes Na Hae-won. Without major spoilers, Hae-Won is connected to the characters in more ways than one. She is a wealthy heiress who has returned from a long time of being overseas. She is an old friend of Do Sik and has an active interest in the old house. Naturally when she hears that Woo-Hyul and In-Hae want to turn it into a guest house, she helps to invest. Hae-won acts as a major driving force ( both negative and positive) within the relationship between the two main leads. It was sad to see the initial hints of Hae Won’s calm persona being driven out the window in the second half of the series, as well as her growing obsession over Woo Hyul. While I understand the series wanted development, it was cliche and sadly undermined her character in the long run.


Additional key side characters include Lee Sang-hae and Park Dong-seop, the goofy vampires and friends of Woo Hyul. Both characters enact as comedic relief in the series and while they are fairly entertaining, it would have been equally interesting to have touched upon how long they have truly known Woo Hyul, and why their friendship does run so deep. Despite this, both characters do show genuine care for Woo Hyul and do come to his aid in key moments.


Ko Yang-Nam ( Kim In Kwon), a catman being, is another key character and ally of Woo Hyul. Yang-Nam very much plays the role of the wise sage in the series. He is concerned over Woo Hyul’s predicament and begins to realise ( for conclusions he has come to even unknown even in the series), that Woo Hyul is in serious danger.



Rose ( Seung Yoo), a vampire and close friend of Woo Hyul and his friends, helps them out a fair bit on minor plot events, and Ri Man- Hwi ( Baek Seo Hoo), an antagonistic side character, who proves to be a thorn in Woo-Hyul’s side. Other side characters include the tailor Kim-Ok ( as well Young-ki) and his son ( Kim Do Geon), and the butcher Ko Ki-Sook ( Baek Hyun-Joo). There is a running comical subplot about Ki-Sook being determined to run out Woo Hyul and In Hae from the house. In all honesty while I understand this was meant to generate some laughs, it was a little irksome to see Ki-Sook constantly trying to annoy them. The fact that In Hae and Woo Hyul’s guest house could generate serious business and revenue into the area ( including for her business) seemed pretty reasonable to anyone, making it even odder than she was often condescending or rude to the duo with little reason aside from being petty . ( Despite Woo Hyul becoming one of her regular customers.)


The execution of the series was okay with a brisk sense of pacing and action and conflict development in early episodes . Perhaps my one complaint came through the romantic development. Don’t get me wrong. I like a drama to be well-paced, but it seemed the series often tried a little too hard on the trope of “ will they? Won’t they?” without giving us the time or opportunity to see these breadcrumbs in place. The ending seemed to push this romance full force before attempting to throw in a major “ plot twist” in the ending, with major questions arising over this arc development. This resulted in this second half feeling just rushed and anticlimactic and this in the long run, half-baked.


The cinematography was fairly good. It was fairly sleek for the most part and the CGI was okay too. My one complaint is that the palette schemes were a little uninspiring in some scenes and could have easily been used more carefully or frequently to match the emotional effects of scenes or key moments. The OST was fairly decent with some songs such as Hang Seung Yoon’s “ I Revive” being particularly catchy .


Overall, “ Heartbeat” is a decent romantic fantasy drama. The series has a decent plot premise and good cast, but struggled to develop and characterise beyond the limits of cliches and rushed execution. Overall, a decent watch for a binge session.

Lees verder