Heartbeat (2023) K Drama Episode 8

The drama follows half-human, half-vampire Seon Woo-hyul who desperately wants to become a human but missed his chance to switch due to unfortunate circumstances. Meanwhile, Joo In-hae, having lived a difficult life since she was young, is a cold-hearted high-school nurse who owns a guest house. Thanks to certain events, they start to share a house together which changes both of their lives for the better and makes them a little more human than they started out with.

Ok Taec-yeon was last seen in 2022’s Blind, wherein he played the role of Ryu Sung-joon while Won Ji-an’s last role was as Ha Joon-kyung in 2022’s If You Wish Upon Me. Heartbeat takes over KBS2’s Monday-Tuesday 9:50 PM timeslot previously occupied by My Perfect Stranger, starring Kim Dong-wook and Jin Ki-joo.

Heartbeat Episode 8 Recap

Heartbeat episode 8 starts with Woo-hyeol saving Hae-won from the light bulb burst and In-hae and Do-sik finding themselves in a very awkward position. However, that awkwardness is short-lived when Woo-hyeol suddenly falls unconscious. However, the night turns out to be a success, and Hae-won and Do-sik don’t seem to be too flustered with whatever happened in the house. After bidding them adieu, an angry In-hae goes back inside and throws a pillow at Woo-hyeol for not heeding her warnings about not drinking alcohol.

Elsewhere, Hae-won and Do-sik can’t stop thinking about Woo-hyeol, but for very different reasons. In-hae, too, repeats the incidents of the night, unable to forget Woo-hyeol and his rush to save Hae-won.

The next morning, Woo-hyeol curses himself for acting like a fool in front of Hae-won again. That’s not all; In-hae is still angry at him, so much so that she constantly screams at him for embarrassing her and creating a scene last night. Meanwhile, Do-sik is still confused and concerned about what he saw the other night and wonders whether he misrepresented what he saw or whether he should truly trust his eyes. Elsewhere, Sang-hae accuses Yang-nam of stealing Woo-hyeol’s gold; he denies the accusation and instead tells them that they need to support Woo-hyeol because he is going through a crucial time.

Later on, In-hae meets Do-sik, who tells her that the renovations at her house will take at least a week and that she should move into one of the flats that his company owns. In-hae agrees to do so, which takes Do-sik by surprise. Woo-hyeol, meanwhile, gets some ox blood to cure his “hangover” and gets a call from Hae-won, who asks him to meet her the next day so as to express her gratitude for saving her. On her way home, In-hae hears this fact and is taken aback. However, she tells him to move with him to the flat because of the renovations, which he refuses to do.

In-hae gets visibly upset at him refusing her offer but lets it go when Woo-hyeol gets confused at her insistence. That night, she packs a bag in order to move and wonders why the mansion was never sold. In another part of the house, Woo-hyeol wonders why he can see his reflection in In-hae’s eyes but not in Hae-won’s.

The next morning, Hae-won gets ready for the date, and the mere mention of it to Man-hwi makes the latter tense. Either way, when the time rolls around, Woo-hyeol is stunned to see Hae-won, thinking about Hae-sun walking toward him. Close by, Man-hwi recognises Woo-hyeol and doesn’t look happy. Inside the gallery, Hae-won and Woo-hyeol talk about painting, and she asks him why he looks at her like he has known her for a long time. The question takes Woo-hyeol by surprise, and he tries to skirt past the question. Moreover, he still isn’t able to see his reflection in her eyes. However, the similarities just keep piling up for him to look the other way.

Meanwhile, In-hae gets settled in her new flat and goes out for dinner with Do-sik. He starts to recount their past interactions and mentions how he used to do a lot of things just to be near her. In fact, he couldn’t ask her out because she used to be so scary back then! However, he is happy that they have reconnected and being with her makes her happy – he wants to take responsibility for making her smile, and he loves seeing her as such.

Unfortunately for Do-sik, he gets turned down again, and In-hae tells him that she wants to focus on the guest house first so that it turns out to be a success. Do-sik is understanding but is still heartbroken later on. Elsewhere, Woo-hyeol can’t stop thinking about his interaction with Hae-won. That night, In-hae contacts Woo-hyeol to learn about his date with Hae-won and whether he slipped up. However, she is left thankful that he has adhered to the rules. In the end, it is sort of clear that they miss each other’s company and promise to meet each other the next day at the house.

The next day, at the house, In-hae and Woo-hyeol are left shocked when they get a car with the painting as a gift. In-hae, especially, is quite excited, but only because they can sell so that he can pay her back. Woo-hyeol refuses to let it get sold and convinces In-hae to keep it. However, when the time comes to discuss driving the car, he tries to put In-hae to work, who promptly asks him to get a license. Of course, we can all assume how driving class goes!

Either way, after some hard work and renovations, Shaded Oasis Guest House is finally open for business, and both In-hae and Woo-hyeol are left extremely proud of the transformation. Woo-hyeol goes out to distribute rice cakes in the neighbourhood and is followed by Do-sik’s assistant, who wants an objective assessment from him. On the other hand, Woo-hyeol comes across Man-hwi, who threatens him but is left embarrassed instead. However, Man-hwi tries to run him over, and Woo-hyeol stops the car with one hand. Although no harm comes to him, the entire incident is caught on Do-sik’s assistant’s dashcam, who looks very traumatised.

Heartbeat Episode 8 Ending

Meanwhile, Shaded Oasis gets its first guest, who seems to have an odd twist to her. That night, as Do-sik watches the tape and is left shocked, Yang-nam congratulates Woo-hyeol but is left concerned about his health. He warns him that he cannot stay in the middle of two different beings and he must drink In-hae blood within the night of the blood moon; otherwise, he will never see the moon again. The warning fills Woo-hyeol’s heart with fear while In-hae, oblivious, proudly looks at her new guest house.

Heartbeat Episode 8 Review

As things start to get more serious with Woo-hyeol, it’s bound to affect those surrounding him. His secret identity, although an enigma for Hae-won, is not unseen by Do-sik, who now knows something that he definitely shouldn’t. Plus, this ticking time bomb that Woo-hyeol is walking around with puts the storyline on a tight time schedule – our goofy vampire will now have to ensure that In-hae falls in love by hook or by crook. However, with the lovey-dovey eyes being exchanged, it feels like our protagonists are sharing some very romantic feelings that they are yet to be aware of.

I am most interested in knowing Man-hwi’s endgame and Do-sik’s illness. The latter, it seems, has something to do with vampires and an ancient curse or something. Is Do-sik some ancient creature as well? Because if he is a werewolf, I will lose my mind. When it comes to Man-hwi, I am still unsure about his point in the story till now. Like, I get it – there’s probably some bad blood that we will get to see later on. But he doesn’t seem like an important character yet, so you know.

Either way, Heartbeat episode 8 is goofy enough to get a few chuckles out of but it isn’t totally a fluff episode. Surprisingly, I liked the series more when it was actually a fluff piece!