Heartbeat (2023) K Drama Episode 5

Heartbeat episode 5 starts with Woo-hyeol looking at In-hae romantically, thinking that she is indeed Hae-sun. Unfortunately, In-hae is in no mood for his mood swings and sprays pepper spray on his face, making Woo-hyeol collapse on the ground in pain. In-hae, surprised that it works on vampires as well, continues to spray on his face until he is writhing on the floor in pain, unable to move.

Afterwards, the onslaught, Woo-hyeol looks to be in pain, and In-hae apologises for dousing him with pepper spray. Eventually, Woo-hyeol tells her Hae-sun’s story and why he called her by that name and then tells her that the reason she could open the coffin in the first place might be because she is Hae-sun. In-hae is taken aback and refuses to believe him, although he continues to insist that she might be Hae-sun’s reincarnation or descendant.

Frustrated, In-hae corrects him and calls him a stalker for following her all of these years. It takes Woo-hyeol by surprise, and he promises to listen to whatever she says as long as she is Hae-sun. Creeped out further, In-hae tells him to stay away from her but later finds herself wondering whether it all can be true. Meanwhile, Woo-hyeol realises that if In-hae (or Hae-sun) feels like how she is, then there is no point in becoming a human. In between his heartbreak, Dong-seob tells him to focus on making her fall in love so that he can drink her blood.

Although the new goal distracts him, he is still left to wonder how to make her fall for him. Meanwhile, Hae-won and Do-sik head back home and shares her attachment to an old mansion in Gongcheon-dong as the reason for her sudden arrival in Korea. The address brings up red flags for Do-sik, who realises that he knows the mansion as well.

The next day at work, In-hae is left mortified when the students start to question whether she is dating the custodian (Woo-hyeol). They shower him with gifts which he takes to In-hae in order to win her over. When she mentions the rumour going around, Woo-hyeol loses his temper, and a surprised In-hae tells him that she, too, doesn’t want his attention since she is quite stressed about the contract renewal. Either way, he hands the bag over to her and leaves her perplexed.

Later on, with Sang-hae’s help, Woo-hyeol starts to deliver gifts to In-hae anonymously. After a few days, annoyed, In-hae starts to report it to the police, which the fearful Woo-hyeol stops her from doing. This pushes the three of them to start coming up with another plan, and Dong-seob asks him to show her people in love so that she is more trusting. Accordingly, Woo-hyeol asks her out to a movie, and In-hae refuses to go with him, telling him that it sounds as if they are on a date.

However, he is able to convince her to go in the end and advises her not to pay heed to the rumours about them. The conversation leaves her extremely embarrassed, and she rushes off to her room. When talking to his friends later, Woo-hyeol is advised to wear casual clothes in order to look effortlessly chic, and thankfully, Rose is there to guide the men! When they finally go out for the movie, In-hae is taken aback by Woo-hyeol’s fresh look but is left stumped, wondering where he got the clothes!

At the theatre, unfortunately, In-hae falls asleep and snores through most of it, leaving Woo-hyeol embarrassed. Meanwhile, Hae-won meets up with Ki-sook and tells her about her obsession with the old mansion that she simply can’t get over. Later that night, Yang-nam makes a surprise visit to Woo-hyeol and tells him that filling someone’s heart with love and turning their poisonous blood into warm blood full of love is not going to be easy, and he needs to put in a genuine effort to accomplish the feat. The comment leaves him in deep thought.

The next day, In-hae is heartbroken to learn that she is being kicked out of her job for standing up for what’s right. Woo-hyeol also hears about this and checks up on In-hae. He is remorseful of the turn of events, but she assures him that it’s not his fault and that people hate it when others butt into their business. After the workday, a heartbroken In-hae looks defeated while going back home. Do-sik spots her going into his bar and seems pleased that she liked it last time.

Dining alone, she decides to order whatever Do-sik had ordered last time, and she downs glass after glass of wine. Do-sik spots her drinking and realises that she might be in a tight spot. Afterwards, when she tries to pay, the bartender tells her that they are having a lucky draw and asks her to pull out a chit. The one she gets turns out to be a free pass, rendering whatever she had eaten that day free. She is overcome with happiness at this stroke of luck, and as she walks away with a huge smile on her face, it turns out that Do-sik might have had something to do with her sudden luck.

As Do-sik keeps an eye on her while she shuffles home, Woo-hyeol is extremely tense at home, wondering where In-hae is. Outside, a drunk In-hae falls on the road while staggering up their steep incline, and Do-sik helps her up and instructs her not to drink alone next time. She seems happy and shares why she has been drinking so much that day. He asks her to go back home, and on his own way home, he has a huge smile on his face.

At the mansion, a drunk In-hae shares that her heart beats every two years – during her two contract renewals. A confused Woo-hyeol asks her whether she has never experienced love. She shares her heartbreaking past with him and why she didn’t have the time or the luxury to date. It makes Woo-hyeol empathetic towards her, and as she starts to cry out of helplessness, Woo-hyeol comforts her and assures her that she is doing great.

The next day, Woo-hyeol is left confused when In-hae doesn’t wake up. When he checks up on her, he realises that she is in bed sick. He starts to make a concoction to help her get better, and that is when Do-sik also makes an appearance. Woo-hyeol is left shocked when Do-sik produces the medicine he was making in a bottle and takes everything to In-hae in order to help her get her fever down. Later that night, In-hae looks healthier thanks to Woo-hyeol’s care and even starts to bicker with him playfully. She is very much taken by his caring side, more so because no one has ever taken care of her.

Either way, In-hae goes to meet Do-sik, who asks her about the mansion and how she feels about moving. Although he tries to nudge her out of the house, she tells him that she’d rather stay there for the time being. Later on, she packs up all of her stuff from the school and has a heartwarming moment when Na-rae thanks her for paying attention to her. Meanwhile, inside the school, Woo-hyeol looks at the empty nurse’s office and is also left a bit morose.

Heartbeat Episode 5 Ending
At home, In-hae goes down to the basement to look around and finds a drawing of Hae-sun but is left startled when Woo-hyeol suddenly enters. She asks him whether that is the girl he talks about, and he uncomfortably agrees. She asks him what would happen if she really were Hae-sun – would he fall for her? Intrigued by her question, Woo-hyeol gazes into her eyes as she gazes back at him.

Heartbeat Episode 5 Review
Well, another week, another cute episode of Heartbeat. I really look forward to these episodes these days because, more than anything, they are rather light, romantic and very watchable. It’s also quite hopeful and, more often than not, puts a smile on your face.

This episode was similar – very airy and light and keeps things moving while also cutting out the time to discuss emotional backstories and balancing out the characters. In-hae, for example, isn’t just a grumpy and angry woman. Life has treated her harshly and hasn’t given her the chance to act her own age since she was young. It’s interesting watching these characters interact, more so when In-hae and Woo-hyeol open up with each other.

Of course, I love the humour as well. It’s really goofy, and Ok Taec-yeon pulls off the timing quite well. I am intrigued to know more about Do-sik, although he really is quite sweet. However, is he sweet because he genuinely cares or is it because of the house that In-hae resides in? I guess we will have to watch on to find out.