Heartbeat K-Drama Full Review: A Vampire Love Story with a Twist

In the supernatural K-drama genre, Heartbeat brings a refreshing twist by blending vampire, romance and a dash of comedy. Unlike the typical vampire stories Heartbeat comes with a lighthearted yet emotional approach. Starring Taecyeon and Won Ji Ah this drama follows the journey of a vampire who desperately wants to be a human to feel human emotions. But does the story live up to the hype? Let’s explore this answer together in this article, Heartbeat full review. Let’s find out whether this unique vampire love story is a must-watch or just another normal fantasy drama!

Plot Summary

Sun Woo Hyeol is a vampire who once loved a human and unfortunately, they could not be together. After that incident, he wants to be a human because he wants the heartbeat like a human. To do so he locked himself in a coffin because after 100 years he would become a human by that particular ritual. But just one day before the 100 year will be complete Joo In Hae opens the coffin and Woo Hyeol fails to become a human, rather he becomes a half-human and half-vampire. Joo In Hae works in a school as a nurse but is financially broke. She somehow inherited the mansion of Woo Hyeol. They start disliking each other as soon as they meet but still stay under the same roof. They together turn that mansion into a guest house. As they now live together they start feeling a connection between them that lastly took them to the path of love. And their destiny also connects to each other and puts their lives in the most difficult position.

Character Analysis

The well-crafted characters and the performance of the cast are some of the strongest aspects of the drama Heartbeat. Each of the characters successfully brings depth and charm to the story. Let me introduce you to some of them.

The Protagonist: The Vampire with a Heart

The talented actor Ok Taecyeon plays the role of Sun Woo Hyeol, the vampire who wants to be a human. He wants to be so because he wants to experience the true emotions that a human feels. He is different from the typical dark and brooding vampires. Once he used to be so powerful that the other vampires used to fear him but now he is weaker than before because now he has become a half-vampire and a half-human. His characters are both mysterious and comic and this change of personality happens as he interacts with humans, especially with Joo In Hae.

Strengths: Handsome, Charismatic, humorous and emotionally complex characters. Weaknesses: Struggles with adapting to human life and his own emotions. 

The Female Lead: A Strong and Independent Heroine

Beautiful actress Won Ji An played the role of Joo In Hae, a cold and calm heroine. She is practical and so hardworking, she never loses hope. She has her own struggles and dreams with a strong personality. She unexpectedly meets with the vampire who desperately wants to be a human. But she makes one mistake that ruins his years of hard work in cultivation. She opens the coffin just one day before he could become a human. However, she does not believe in supernatural things so she laughs when the vampire gives her his identity. She thinks he is telling lies to stay in this mansion. But things start changing as they start living together and their relationship develops. 

Strengths: Independent, intelligent and emotionally resilient.

Weakness: Gets triggered when it comes to love or past experience. 

Supporting Cast: Bringing Depth and Humor

The supporting characters also put their efforts into making this drama stand out in the genre of fantasy. The main themes of the drama are quite serious and even the plot is serious too. But some of the supporting characters worked like comic relief, some made the drama more serious and some worked like they had all the answers that the audience could have.

Lee Sang Hee, Park Dong Seob and Rose – The Best Friends 

These three surely worked as comic relief in the serious tone of the drama. Lee Sang Hee and Park Dong Seob are the best friends of the vampire Sun Woo Hyeol, they are vampires too. But they are weaker than Woo Hyeol. They were always with him from the beginning of their lives. When he was locked in the coffin for 100 years they waited for him with full support. Even after he came back they taught him the modern lifestyle. Rose is one of the friends of Woo Hyeol who made their life easy among the humans. They provide comic relief with their unusual vampire antics. They offer emotional support to the leads when they are in a crucial moment of their lives. 

Ri Man Hwi – The Mysterious Antagonist / Rival

Ri Man Hwi is the rival of Sun Woo Hyeol, he always thinks Hyeol is his competitor. From the very past of their lives they are rivals. As now both are living in modern life in the midst of humans, these vampires still do not like each other. He has his own hidden motives that make him cruel and add suspense to the story. 

Core Themes Explored in Heartbeat

The drama Heartbeat is totally wrapped in a fantasy-romance package but it also deals with some meaningful themes that resonate on a human level. Let’s explore these key themes of the drama.

Humanity and the Desire to Belong

Humanity is actually a blessing that other beings do not have and this is quite evident in this drama as we see the most powerful vampire is desperate to become a human. Sun Woo Hyeol wants to become a human because he wants to feel the heartbeat and love like a human. He wants to feel the feeling of belonging. He willingly spent 100 years in a tiny coffin that was full of pain and suffering. His journey is not only physical but also emotional and philosophical. He wants to know the answer, “What does it really mean to be a human and what does it actually feel like?” 

Love Beyond Differences

Does love happen after calculating anything? I guess not, because love is love that happens between two people even if they are totally opposite of each other. In this drama, we see love in a completely different shape. Two people fall in love but they are two different species, one is a human and the other is a vampire. And the chemistry or love between these two uneven species is the heart of the story. The drama showed us how love can overcome all the boundaries, fear and even biology, even if they belong to two different times and universes. In the end, we all crave love and connection and this drama skillfully explores this longing. 

Loneliness vs. Companionship

As the drama begins we witness how lonely both Sun Woo Hyeol and Joo In Hae were. Woo Hyeol is the most powerful vampire who lived the longest life without having anyone to love or be loved by. And this loneliness pushed him to want to live like a human for once. He even sacrificed 100 years just to do so. On the other hand, In Hae is a cold and strong woman who has no one by her side, all she has is just a picture of her father and a lot of debt. She grew up all alone, which made her a cold person. But when both of them met and started living together their personalities changed and they were happier than ever with each other. To people who were isolated by immortality and the harsh realities of life now are complete with each other’s company.

Humor as a Coping Mechanism

This drama deals with some serious themes and passes some serious messages and the humorous moments worked like a tool for healing and connection. This drama shows that humor and daughter can exist even in the dark and confusing times. Whether it’s a character or just a moment that makes the theme lighter is a comic relief. Such as the time when In Hae opens the door of the coffin and ruins the 100 years of efforts of Woo Hyeol. The situation is quite serious and the audience also was not ready for it. But this serious situation is filled with laughter when the vampire bites a human and the human also bites the neck of the vampire. 

Cinematography & Direction: Breathing Life into the Supernatural

As the drama deals with fantasy and supernatural ideas, the cinematography and direction have to be strong. And the cinematography and direction of the drama Heartbeat did play its role quite perfectly. The cinematography and direction are some of the most appealing aspects of the drama that successfully elevate the storyline. From the lighting to the symbolic framing everything worked perfectly. Let’s talk about it.

A Dreamy Visual Style

Heartbeat embraces a magical palette with a soft tone and colors that effortlessly blends fantasy and realism. As the plot is related to the vampires the scenes feature the vampire lead using shadows, glowing lights, and ethereal blue tones to symbolize his otherworldliness. But on the other hand, the heroine, who is a human, her world is full of warm and earthy tones. And this contrast shows how different they are from each other. But as their world begins to merge with their love the colors of their worlds also combine. 

Symbolic Framing & Visual Metaphors

The mirror, the window and the thresholds of the mansion, everything bears a meaning with it. They represent the longing of the vampire to cross over into humanity. He wants to cross the boundary of the universe. The close-up shots help to convey internal struggles frequently, especially the emotional growth of the vampires. Nature such as raindrops, moonlight and nighttime cityscape also serve so many metaphors like loneliness, longing and romance. 

Action and Special Effects

Heartbeat is a lighthearted fantasy drama that does not include so many action scenes but it includes some occasional supernatural scenes such as the vampiric speed and strength and the transformation. These supernatural scenes are shown by the minimalist yet effective CGI. The effect does not feel like exaggerating anything but skillfully focuses on each character’s emotion and interaction. The fight between the hero and his rival is also minimal but effective. 

The Soundtrack That Sets the Mood

For any drama soundtracks play a huge role in conveying the message or the feeling or the emotions of the plot and the characters smoothly. Music can do much more than dialogue. And in this section, the Heartbeat features a rich and diverse OST album that enhances the drama’s narrative and emotional depth. 

The OSTs of Heartbeat are divided into seven different parts and each of them is released separately. And those are: 

Part 1 (Release Date: June 27, 2023)

• I Revive – Han Seung Yoon
• I Revive – Instrumental 

Part 2 (Release Date: July 4, 2023)

• Heart Race – Byul Eun 
• Heart Race – Instrumental

Part 3 (Release Date: July 11, 2023)

• I’m Always By Your Side – Jeon Si Ha
• I’m Always By Your Side – Instrumental

Part 4 (Release Date: July 18, 2023)

• Walking Again – Chan
• Walking Again – Instrumental

Part 5 (Release Date: July 25, 2023)

• Vampire – Park Kang Hyun
• Vampire – instrumental

Part 6 (Release Date: August 1, 2023)

• That Night – Grizzy
• That Night – Instrumental 

Part 7 (Release Date: August 8, 2023)

• I Know It’s You – Standing Egg
• I Know It’s You – Instrumental

Along with this main vocal and instrumental version this drama includes so many instrumental scores that makes the number of the OSTs a total of 100. And you can find it on any of your favorite streaming platforms. 

To sum up, Heartbeat is not just a fantasy Kdrama; rather it’s a beautifully woven tale of what it means to feel alive, to love, and to long for connection. From the very first episode, it drew the attention of the audience in a good way. The unique storyline, character growth and the chemistry between the leads and the OSTs everything worked finely for this drama. The best part of the drama is you will feel every kind of emotion watching this drama. In one episode you will be serious, in another you will be angry while in another you are going to laugh out loud and lastly, in some episodes you will cry so hard, so this drama comes with a full package. 

To many fans, this drama is so perfect while some of the fans are not satisfied with the open ending but no one can deny how good the drama is. So if you are looking for something fresh and good then I will suggest you to go for the drama Heartbeat. And I am sure this lighthearted drama will make a little place in the list of your most favorite drama. And if you already watched it, let me know your experience. Was it able to make your heart skip a beat?