One thing K Dramas are really REALLY good at is fantasy. While it’s not something too many BL dramas have touched on (though there are a few) it’s prevalent in the BG dramas, and a lot of what I’ve seen are very good. So, I Couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the Spooky Season with the 2023 series vampire series Heartbeat (가슴이 뛴다).
Seon Woo Hyeol (Ok Taec Yeon) is a vampire and of three things he was absolutely sure. First, he loved Yook Hae Sun (Yoon So Hee) with all his heart. Second, after her death, he’s wanted nothing more than to become human. Third, he has no idea how to make that happen.
Perhaps it’s best to start at the beginning.
In the past, before cellphones, earbuds, television, or indoor plumbing, Immortal beings lived alongside humans. It was peaceful, until the humans, greedy as they were, thought that drinking the immortal’s blood would bless them with immortality as well and a group of these humans hunted Woo Hyeol for that very reason.
With his beautiful Hae Sun (a human) at his side, Woo Hyeol was on the run. To save him, Hae Sun sacrificed herself, promising she would find him again, in her next life, with her last breath. Dying in his arms, Woo Hyeol decided, he wanted to become human, so that he too, could experience death.
He tried everything. He took off his clothes in the sunlight, attempting to choke on garlic, and praying, for hundreds of years for an answer which never came. Still, he pushed forward and in the 1920s, started a nightclub “Shaded Oasis” which appealed to those who enjoyed the night more than the daytime. Luckily, his two faithful vampire servants Park Dong Seop (Go Gyu Pil) and Lee Sang Hae (Yoon Byung Hee) are always there to make sure he survives.
Note: Some of the established tropes of vampirism have been altered. Vampires only need a small amount of blood to survive. The amount needed increases if they spend any time in the sunlight as it dehydrates (but does not kill) them. Also, while humans can see a vampire’s reflection in a mirror, a vampire cannot.
After watching his friends and patrons enjoy his club, Woo-hyeol sits up on the roof of his home, to people watch. He loves seeing young couples in love. While taking a stroll, he meets a cat, Mr. Ko, who ends up also being a shapeshifter (played by Kim In Kwon) who reveals that the only way to do that is to sleep for 100 years in a hawthorn coffin.
Excited a the new prospect, Woo-hyeol plans everything out, including leaving his beloved mansion to his human Butler, Joo (Park Chul Min) who promises that after himself, his children, their children, and their children’s children will all look after him, making sure he has everything he needs when he wakes up. He even goes to sleep with a mirror, so he can see just how handsome he is when he wakes up.
But, even the best-laid plans go astray.
Enter, Joo In Hae (Won Ji An) the descendent of Woo Hyeol’s most trusted butler. A down-on-her-luck school nurse, who’s inherited the vampire’s beloved mansion after her father (who’s been missing for years) was declared legally dead. Though the mansion is in shambles, it’s a welcome blessing since she was swindled out of all her money by her landlord.
On her first night in the house, In Hae is led into the basement by a strange light, where she finds the coffin Woo Hyeol has been slumbering in for the last 99 years and 364 days. Out of some morning sense of curiosity, she opens it, causing the Vampire’s eyes to open. Believing he’s slept for the entire 100 years, Woo Hyeol is thrilled to be human and even offers her a wish for taking such good care of his home while he was in slumber.
Obviously shocked, it’s nothing compared to the fact that Woo Hyeol has discovered that, not only does In Hae have no idea who he is, but he also can still smell her blood (something a human shouldn’t be able to do) and can only see a blurry reflection in the mirror. He then realizes it’s not 9 December, but 8 December. In Hae woke him up a day early, so the magic wasn’t able to fully work. Angry, he no longer wants to grant her a wish, but instead punish her by drinking her blood. Instead, she bites him and the episode ends with Woo Hyeol tapping out and groaning in pain.
Originally airing on KBS2 (Amazon for international viewers), this 16 episode series started off with a banger for an opening song “I Revive” by HAN SEUNG YUN (한승윤). It’s haunting, it’s rocking, and it’s fun AF.
Quick Take: It’s smart, and funny, and an interesting take on the vampire mythology. Plus, Taec Yeon in a tailored suit and a tilted fedora, well, as Lizzie McGuire says “…is what dreams are made of.”
What will Will Woo Hyeol do now that he’s not a human? Will In-hae finally believe him – or did her bite kill him anyway? Find out in Episode 2!
More Heartbeat soon so…
Stay Tuned!
Life In Cartoon Motion 