Heartbeat – K-Drama Episode 8 Recap & Review

Woo-hyeol Gets An Ultimatum

Episode 8 of Heartbeat picks back up from the moment when Hae-won nearly falls and Woo-hyeol rushes in with his super speed to catch her. He does so but then his vision blurs and he passes out. While he sleeps, In-hae bids Hae-won and Do-sik goodbye. When she returns, Woo-hyeol says Hae-sun’s name in his sleep. In-hae throws a pillow at him and leaves frustrated.

Back home, Do-sik remembers seeing Woo-hyeol rush by him and wonders if he imagined it. Woo-hyeol finally wakes up in the morning and is horrified at his behaviour the night before. In-hae is still angry and rails at him for breaking all the rules she set out.

At Dong-seop’s shop, Sang-hae shows Rose the whisker he found in Woo-hyeol’s mansion. She thinks he’s jumping to conclusions. At that moment, Ko Yang-nam turns up. At work, Do-sik asks his secretary, Mr. Goo, if he believes in supernatural creatures. He doesn’t but he says he would believe his own eyes if he saw something.

Sang-hae interrogates Yang-nam about the gold in the mansion. Yang-nam admits being in the basement but he only went there to check on Woo-hyeol. Through some more cryptic musings, he tells the lot of them to keep an eye on Woo-hyeol since he’s in danger.

In-hae meets Do-sik to discuss the mansion’s remodelling. He says the construction work would take a week and offers one of his company’s empty apartments for her to stay in for the time being.

Woo-hyeol goes to the butcher shop to buy some ox blood, looking pale and tired. On the way back, he gets a call from Hae-won who inquires about his health. She wants to give him a gift for saving her and asks him if he’s free the next day. He says he is. He meets In-hae on the way home and she informs him about the construction. He declines her offer of staying at the apartment and says he’ll stay with his friends instead.

In her room, In-hae seems annoyed that Woo-hyeol wants to be alone. She then sees the photograph of her father and wonders why he didn’t sell the mansion for redevelopment. In the basement, Woo-hyeol thinks about why he can see his reflection only in In-hae’s eyes.

Man-hwi calls Hae-won and is dismayed to hear she is going to meet Woo-hyeol. She meets him at an art gallery. Man-hwi watches them and confirms his suspicions that it is Woo-hyeol. Inside, the two talk about art and Woo-hyeol remembers painting Hae-sun’s portrait.

Hae-won asks why he looks at her so longingly and he blames his expressive eyes. When she sees a painting of the yellow flowers Hae-sun used to like, she exclaims that they look like stars in bloom — the same thing Hae-sun had once said. It shocks Woo-hyeol. She decides to buy it as a gift for him.

Do-sik takes In-hae to the empty apartment, which turns out to be quite fancy. They then go to an expensive restaurant for dinner. He asks a few questions about Woo-hyeol and then they talk about their college days. He used to visit the restaurant where In-hae worked every single day and Do-sik reveals he went there to see her. He asks about the bicycle incident as well.

A flashback shows him trying to get In-hae to have lunch with him until his scar from the bicycle fall heals. The younger In-hae sternly rebukes him and leaves. At present, they laugh about it. Do-sik confesses he wants to make her smile more. While walking outside, he asks her if she wants to go for a drive. She gently tells him she wants to focus on the guest house and repay him for his help. He understands.  

Dong-seop and Sang-hae come home to find Woo-hyeol waiting for them. They talk about Hae-won and then the other two tell him about their meeting with Yang-nam. They proclaim their support for Woo-hyeol and hug him.

In-hae wonders if she should call Woo-hyeol and ask how his date went. Meanwhile, Woo-hyeol can’t sleep because of his friend’s loud snoring. He steps outside and wonders how In-hae and Do-sik would be getting along. He then gets a text from In-hae who asks about his date.

Since he doesn’t know how to text back, he gives her a call. They talk about his date with Hae-won and she praises him for following the rules. They talk about In-hae’s apartment and she mentions she’s there just for a few days. Woo-hyeol says even a day can feel like a hundred years.

The next day they meet by the mansion and admit that they missed it.  A car arrives and the driver informs Woo-hyeol that Hae-won has gifted him not just the painting but also the car. He calls her and thanks her for the gift. In-hae wants to sell the car due to all the accompanying costs but Woo-hyeol refuses and she instructs him to get a driver’s licence. Later, he sees her and Do-sik working together but doesn’t seem happy.

Woo-hyeol, still not an accomplished driver, drives himself and In-hae to the mansion with some difficulty. It’s finally the guest house’s opening day. They even name it ‘The Shaded Oasis’. Ki-suk and Gwang-ok come over to have a look. Just when Ki-suk comments on the lack of flowers for the opening day, delivery men enter with flowers from Do-sik and Hae-won.

In-hae thanks Do-sik for the flowers and he texts back that he will visit soon. She then worries about no one coming to the guest house and Woo-hyeol advises her to be patient and rest. He then steps out to distribute rice cakes and we see that Secretary Goo is following him, on Do-sik’s orders. Man-hwi is waiting in a car nearby and calls out to Woo-hyeol.

He then hints that he knows Hae-won but Woo-hyeol doesn’t catch on. When he walks away, Man-hwi drives straight at him and Woo-hyeol is forced to use his super strength to stop him. Man-hwi laughs and says that he’s grown weaker and then leaves. Secretary Goo, who was watching the whole thing, is taken aback.

A woman comes to the guest house looking to be a long-term guest. She shows In-hae a handwritten poster made by Woo-hyeol. In-hae takes her to a room where the woman asks her about security at the guest house. Meanwhile, Secretary Goo stops Do-sik from going to meet In-hae and claims he must show him something. Do-sik watches the video of Woo-hyeol.

Woo-hyeol meets Yang-nam on his way home and the latter realises he’s weak from his encounter with Man-hwi. He holds Woo-hyeol’s hand and tells him that he must drink In-hae’s love-fueled blood before the coming blood moon, or he’ll die.


The Episode Review

Episode 8 of Heartbeat is a well-paced, engaging episode. Things are moving along — Do-sik is getting closer to the truth about Woo-hyeol and Man-hwi is bound to create more problems. For a midway mark, the story seems a little behind on the romance but Woo-hyeol and In-hae share a lovely dynamic, which is enough for now.

When it comes to the new girl who takes up the first room at the guest house, I’m not too sure. This seems like an attempt by the showrunners to add new stories and make things more interesting. But I have a feeling it may just detract from the primary tale which is more than interesting by itself. However, it all depends on how they handle it. 

This episode, particularly the end, is upping the stakes which is a good change to the flow of the story. Now that the guest house has been made and In-hae and Woo-hyeol have been on good terms for a while, a higher intensity of emotions will make things more interesting.

Previous Episode

Next Episode

You can read our season 1 review of Heartbeat here!

  • Episode Rating
    (4)
4

Leave a comment