Heartbeat (가슴이 뛴다 / My Heart is Beating) is a fantasy rom-com Korean drama series written by Kim Ha-na and Jung Seung-joo, directed by Lee Hyun-seok and Lee Min-soo, and stars Ok Taec-yeon (Taecyeon) and Won Ji-an in lead roles, along with Park Kang-hyun and Yoon So-hee. Heartbeat episode 9 has a runtime of 62 minutes.
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 9 Recap
Heartbeat episode 9 starts with Woo-hyeol remembering Yang-nam’s words regarding his fragile mortality as he survives in between a vampire and a human. He promises to do anything possible to live while Do-sik rushes to meet In-hae and Woo-hyeol after being left shocked at what he saw in the previous episode. With Woo-hyeol nowhere to be found, he takes In-hae aside and broaches the topic of who (or what) he is. However, In-hae brushes all of his tensions aside and tells him that everyone has a side to themselves that they’d rather hide.
However, Do-sik can’t just give up on the truth that he has seen with his own eyes – he is convinced that Woo-hyeol is a vampire. At Shaded Oasis, In-hae is left concerned for Woo-hyeol, who reaches home late at night looking frazzled. Unfortunately, the next morning, too, he isn’t his usual self, and In-hae grows more concerned and asks him what is bothering him. Although he tries to skirt past the conversation at first, he eventually returns to somewhat his own self, and In-hae takes the opportunity to divide the responsibilities of the guest house.
However, Woo-hyeol is left baffled when he mentions In-hae going on dates with Do-sik, and she mentions that they don’t share a relationship like that. The puzzled vampire can’t believe his ears, but In-hae doesn’t have the time to think about such frivolous things! Later on, Hae-won visits Shaded Oasis and, with Woo-hyeol not there, she chats with In-hae and asks her about Woo-hyeol and what he is actually like. She also asks about her thoughts regarding Do-sik and mentions that he likes her quite a bit.
Unfortunately for Woo-hyeol, who makes an appearance right then, In-hae mentions that she is not in the mood to date at that moment and would rather focus on the guest house. He feels let down and then goes out with Hae-won, who is very open and honest about her clear interest in him. Either way, Woo-hyeol can’t feel not sad, even while walking down a garden of daffodils in full bloom. However, Hae-won continues to share her feelings for him and tells him that she was perhaps drawn to the house because of him.
This gives Woo-hyeol hope that maybe Hae-won does remember her in some capacity, and the two of them hug while Woo-hyeol asks her to wait a bit more so that he can finish something first. Elsewhere, Do-sik tells his aide to figure out whether there are other vampires around Woo-hyeol and report everything to him. In the meantime, Hae-won wonders what Woo-hyeol is hiding and asks Man-hwi to look into it for her.
Back at home, In-hae nags Woo-hyeol to work and asks him whether he had too much fun to work now, which angers him, and he asks him whether he looks like he’s having fun – his heart is broken into a million pieces. Hurt, In-hae mentions that she knows that the closer he gets to Hae-won, the more he loathes her for causing this mess. Angered further, he blames her for the same and tells her that it’s true that because of her that things are in disarray, which leaves In-hae looking extremely sad.
Also Read: Heartbeat Episode 8 Recap and Review: Ok Taec-yeon’s Vampire Has Been Warned!
As Woo-hyeol goes to meet his friends and get “drunk”, a disheartened In-hae looks at the lack of reservations in the guest house and thinks back to everything Woo-hyeol had accused her of. As she thinks about these things, she gets a new guest who is a bit too friendly with her, but as it turns out, he just misses his own daughter. The next morning, the chatty guest serves both In-hae and the other guest toast, which they are both left stunned after eating! Either way, she is left concerned later on when she realises that Woo-hyeol is yet to come home.
The next morning, Woo-hyeol wakes up after a drunk night and realises that he might have been a bit too harsh with In-hae. He tiptoes back home but is caught by her. However, In-hae isn’t in the mood to let him explain anything. But this time, Woo-hyeol starts to work around the hotel, giving it his 100% concentration. That night, In-hae chats with the male guest, who shares his heartbreaking situation with her. She shares her own ordeal with her father with him, which Woo-hyeol overhears, and he feels bad for her.
That night, they are both called for the neighbourhood patrol, during which Woo-hyeol apologises to In-hae, and she gives him a piece of her mind for eating human food again. Following this, annoyed, In-hae tells him that he is not allowed to leave work during work hours anymore, and he must inform him before going somewhere since she doesn’t want people to disappear from her life again. Woo-hyeol wholeheartedly agrees to these conditions and looks rather happy at just being forgiven!
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At the guest house, Man-hwi makes an appearance and goes through Woo-hyeol’s room in order to get some dirt on him and finds Hae-sun’s drawing. Outside, Woo-hyeol and In-hae talk about dating and money, and she mentions how it almost feels impossible for her to experience love in any form – she doesn’t even love herself. The thought leaves Woo-hyeol feeling a bit sad; however, he experiences an odd and loud sound out of the blue, realising it’s probably his body giving up.
The next morning, In-hae finds his male guest’s room empty with a sweet note for her while Do-sik fondly looks at a tie that In-hae had gifted him. Unfortunately, he suddenly feels discomfort in his chest and collapses on the ground. When taken to the hospital, the doctors are baffled since they are unable to find anything wrong with him. He asks his aide to get the old book which has everything that he needs to heal this cursed illness… which might just be tearing a half-vampire’s heart out and drinking their blood!
Heartbeat Episode 9 Ending
Meanwhile, at the guest house, In-hae is left shocked to see that Woo-hyeol has adorned a dead tree with beautiful lights, representing flowers, in response to their conversation from the night before. The sweet gesture leaves her feeling happy. As Do-sik wonders whether Woo-hyeol is the solution to his unique problem, Woo-hyeol tells In-hae that it is possible for her to be loved as well. In response, she asks him how he can become a human because she wants to help him. Intrigued, Woo-hyeol straight-up tells her that he needs her love.
Heartbeat Episode 9 Review
As the days are progressing, the storyline is getting more serious by the minute. Now that things are getting real for Woo-hyeol, he is working on overdrive to become a human by whatever means necessary. However, his plans of making In-hae fall for Do-sik seem to be going nowhere and, on top of that, it seems like he and In-hae are falling for each other. I am mostly interested to know how Hae-won works in this equation and how In-hae has Hae-sun’s blood in her. Plus, what is it with taking a vampire’s heart out and eating the blood?
All in all, with little humour present, Heartbeat is sometimes heartfelt but oftentimes feels a bit too mainstream and tried and tested. Although it doesn’t seem all too interesting at the moment, hopefully, future episodes will focus more on the problem at hand rather than random other things that it is doing right now. All in all, episode 9 had its moments and character backstories are always welcome, especially when it concerns heart-ripping and blood-drinking!
Heartbeat is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in select regions and on KBS2 in Korea.