Heartbeat (2023) K Drama Episode 1

Heartbeat episode 1 starts with Woo-hyeol and Hae-sun running through the woods with a bunch of soldiers behind them. After running for a while, the soldiers catch up to them, and without any option left, Woo-hyeol uses his powers to jump through the trees magically. However, the soldiers are equipped with silver-tipped arrows and are ready for this scenario. As Woo-hyeol flies through the air with Hae-sun in his arms, the general shoots an arrow at them, which pierces his skin, and he immediately falls to the ground.

Hae-sun implores him to run away, leaving her behind, but Woo-hyeol refuses to do so and decides to take revenge on them for trying to hurt him and Hae-sun. As he attacks the soldiers, no one is a match for him, and he murders everyone one by one, leaving Hae-sun traumatised and shocked. After he finishes everyone off, they embrace each other, only for one remaining soldier to try and shoot Woo-hyeok, which Hae-sun ultimately ends up taking in his place.

Still From Heartbeat Episode 1

As she bleeds out, Woo-hyeol is unable to stop his thirst for blood and bites her, only to wake up in the present as his friends stand over him and read his eulogy as he lies in a coffin. He hands over the key to the house to Butler Joo before lying back in the coffin in a bid to become a human once more.

We then get a rundown of what being a vampire is like in their world – the vampires in Heartbeat kdrama don’t need a ton of blood and keeping a limit extends their lifespan. They can go out in the sun, but exposure makes them more thirsty, so they need to drink blood more often. They can fly but tend not to do so in order to blend in. And They can’t see their own reflection in the mirror, although it seems like humans are able to see them. It also seems like they can control things around them.

Anyway, sometime in the past, we see Woo-hyeol waiting for someone as the night gets wild at Shaded Oasis, which happens to be their pub of sorts. Amongst the dancing and the general merriment, Woo-hyeol searches for someone who, as it happens, hasn’t arrived just yet. Going outside, he spots Ki-sook drinking from a human being and severely forbids him from repeating the same mistake.

Afterwards, he mopes about spending one more day being a human without an end in sight when he spots a couple conversing. He wonders what it would be to feel in love as all the emotions wash through your body and your heartbeat quickens. He laments that he can’t feel the same feelings since he has never lived.

Still From Heartbeat Episode 1

He remembers everything he has done to become a human and is filled with sadness that nothing has worked in his favour. Regardless, he finally comes across Ko Yang-nam, a 1000-year-old cat, and begs him to know how to become a human. After some back and forth, Yang-nam is moved by Woo-hyeol’s reasoning for wanting to become a human and tells him to sleep in a hawthorn coffin for 100 years. It’s as fatal to vampires as silver, and this makes Woo-hyeol question the advice. However, Yang-nam tells him that only those who are ready to die can be given a new life.

In the present once more, Woo-hyeol gets ready to get into the coffin while his friends are unsure of his decision. However, he assures them that this is what he truly wants and then goes into the coffin to spend 100 years.

Sometime later, we are greeted by In-hae walking up in the freezing cold and getting ready for the day. She’s clearly not doing too well since everything that she owns is on its last leg, but she still forces them to work for one more day. At school (which is her workplace), she is attacked by a random woman who turns out to be a student’s mother. It turns out to be a misunderstanding, and the mother is left embarrassed when it turns out that she has no idea that her daughter is being bullied.

Also Read: Revenant Episode 2 Recap and Review: Sad Tale of a Spirit Makes the Series Sentimental; Fear Aspect Missing

Still From Heartbeat Episode 1

Meanwhile, Sang-hae and Dong-seob are not doing too well either, as thanks to Sang-hae’s gambling addiction, they are in debt. Plus, thanks to CCTVs and dash cams, drinking fresh blood has become a hassle. However, they are excited for Woo-hyeol to finally wake up since his 100 years in the coffin are about to end in 2 days.

That night, In-hae finds her landlord making a run for it and later wonders whether her long-lost father is alive or not. Elsewhere, Do-sik gets ready to purchase some land, which, unfortunately for In-hae, includes her own flat as well. With nothing to do and no recourse at hand, she desperately tries to find a way not to be homeless. In the midst of an already horrible day, she finds out that her father has been declared dead, and she has inherited all of his assets, including some money and a mansion.

She checks out the mansion that night, which, of course, turns out to be the one where Woo-hyeol is laying in a coffin. She obviously walks straight down to the basement for some reason and finds the coffin and is left astonished to find a sleeping man inside. As she curiously checks inside, Woo-hyeol wakes up as well, taking her by surprise. As Woo-hyeol shakily climbs out of the coffin, In-hae is filled with terror at the sight of a strange man crawling out of a coffin in an abandoned mansion.

Still From Heartbeat Episode 1

Woo-hyeol figures out who In-hae is, but she is completely oblivious to his existence. However, he is unable to grasp her complete confusion and asks her for a wish that he will grant her. A now-furious In-hae asks him to leave, leaving Woo-hyeol confused and in a moment of confusion, he realises that he might not have become human.

Heartbeat Episode 1 Ending

Of course, he gets slapped in the meantime for looking at a bloody bandage on In-hae’s arm rather seductively. Realising what is happening, he looks into the mirror to find his reflection to be rather foggy. Heartbreakingly, he realises he is 1 day short of completing his 100-year sleep.

Furious, he goes in to bite In-hae in order to punish her for breaking “her” promise, only to be shockingly met with In-hae biting him in return, taking him by surprise!

Heartbeat Episode 1 Review

Still From Heartbeat Episode 1

Heartbeat shows us a world of vampires with slightly different rules than what we have seen till now in popular media. The first episode is rather entertaining, although it borders on silly sometimes. I doubt that that is a deliberate choice, though, since it’s not the comedy I have a problem with – it was fine. I think the special effects look really choppy, especially the flying scenes. They look like they have been conducted using wires and whatnot and don’t really look realistic; it’s like watching Edward Cullen run with Bella on his back. Ah, the painful memories of the past.

That being said, I think Woo-hyeol is a fine character to follow, and the first episode gives him a lot of emotional backstory, which will make fans gravitate towards him. Won Ji-an, playing In-hae, doesn’t get much in this episode but seems to be a rather hot-headed but out-of-the-box female lead. It might just be what Woo-hyeol needs after 100 years in a coffin. Other than them, the supporting characters aren’t that funny, but maybe it will grow on us.

Regardless, Heartbeat episode 1 is a little cringy thanks to the special effects, and I can’t forget Woo-hyeol slowly hovering through the sky – it was hilarious. Maybe that’s why he got shot. However, the episode ended rather humorously, and In-hae’s attack came out of left field. So, I will give it that.