Heartbeat Episode 16 Recap and Review: A Respectful Ending For Our Goofy Protagonist

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 16 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 16 Review Contains Major Spoilers –

Heartbeat Episode 16 Recap

Heartbeat episode 16 starts with In-hae walking in on Do-sik trying to hurt Woo-hyeol. Well, she doesn’t see him doing anything bad, but Do-sik does mention that he asked to meet the half-vampire to warn him so as not to put her life in danger. In-hae clarifies that that’s not the case and that she will clear things up with him some other day.

The next morning, the three vampires at Shaded Oasis discuss what to do about the neighbourhood’s hatred of them and wonder what they can do. As they are left in a pickle, Hae-won gets a call from Man-hwi, who informs her that Woo-hyeol will die soon; the news makes her sit up and take notice. Elsewhere, Do-sik’s secretary tells him that Hae-won has been telling everyone in In-hae’s neighbourhood about Woo-hyeol’s true identity which prompts him to set up a meeting with her that evening.

Meanwhile, Woo-hyeol meets his neighbours and tells them about his fond memories of the place and implores them not to give anyone a hard time because of him, since he will be leaving soon anyway. On the other hand, Hae-won, looking frazzled, barges into Shaded Oasis and tries to find Woo-hyeol, only to be met with In-hae informing her that he has stepped out. Hae-won enquires whether the news about Woo-hyeol is true and then berates her for putting his life in danger.

In return, however, In-hae tells her that she is the one who has made Woo-hyeol’s life unbearable by trying to take away his mansion and telling everyone the truth and that she doesn’t deserve to love him. This makes Hae-won do a second take, and she looks heartbroken at the revelation. As she leaves, she comes across Woo-hyeol on the driveway, and the two of them talk – Hae-won implores him to drink In-hae’s blood in order to live, but Woo-hyeol tells her that there is love in this world that is worth dying for.

Also Read: Heartbeat Episode 15 Recap and Review: Odd Characters Don’t Create Expected Impact

Meanwhile, Do-sik meets Hae-won and the two hurl insults at each other. As they blame each other for In-hae and Woo-hyeol’s miseries, Man-hwi makes an appearance and demands his money. Hae-won refuses and asks him to leave, which irks Man-hwi who threatens the two of them, and as he is about to drink Hae-won’s blood, Do-sik stabs him in the heart with the special knife, destroying him in the process. The trauma makes Hae-won take the help of some alcohol, and the next day, In-hae’s neighbours get the news that the redevelopment has been cancelled.

At Shaded Oasis, Woo-hyeol starts to distribute his things among his friends, who are heartbroken at the implications. Soon, he receives a call from Hae-won and meets her at a cafe. She informs him that she is leaving for the US and wanted to bid him farewell. She further tells him that maybe she couldn’t let go of him or the mansion because only looking at them made her happy. The two talk about love and yearning, and, in the end, she informs him about Do-sik’s plans.

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Woo-hyeol meets Do-sik after he learns the truth and straight-up asks him about his plans. That night, he bids goodbye to Yang-nam and thanks him for all the good things that he has done for him. That night, he proposes to In-hae to go on a trip, and the two of them go off on their couple’s vacation the very next day. But, at first, he bids farewell to Sang-hae and Dong-seop, who tearfully thank him for his love and friendship all of these years.

At the beach, the two spend a relaxing and romantic time together, just having fun and not thinking about anything else. They also discuss Woo-hyeol’s time as a half-vampire and the love that he shared with In-hae. However, their happy moments come to a sudden halt when Woo-hyeol starts to feel unwell, and In-hae, later on, decides to feed him her blood, which makes him remember his past with Hae-sun. That night, while In-hae is sleeping, Woo-hyeol decides to run off again and meets Do-sik to help him break his curse before he dies. It’s a discussion they have had the last time they met at Do-sik’s office, the one that left him absolutely baffled.

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However, just as Do-sik is about to stab Woo-hyeol, In-hae arrives, which makes both of them do a double take. Not wasting any more time, Woo-hyeol forces the blade into his chest, leaving the humans shocked. In-hae rushes toward him, but she isn’t able to stop him from his fate. As Woo-hyeol starts to fade away, In-hae breaks down in heartbreaking sobs.

The next day, Woo-hyeol’s loved ones hold a funeral for him and reminisce about the time they have spent together. A while later, at Shaded Oasis, Yang-nam delivers a suitcase full of Woo-hyeol’s gold and, as it turns out, Woo-hyeol had known about it from the first day, yet decided to keep it a secret in order to spend more time with her.

Some unspecified time later, Dong-seop is seen running his own restaurant. Meanwhile, Do-sik has also used his new lease of life to do good for children with heart diseases and indirectly thanks Woo-hyeol for being kind to him all those years ago. In-hae, on the other hand, is also doing well with Shaded Oasis, and the guest house seems to be doing great – even the neighbours have taken a liking to In-hae and her beloved guest house.

Heartbeat Episode 16 Ending

One night, as In-hae throws a party, she looks down at her guests having fun and reminisces about Woo-hyeol and how Shaded Oasis is doing exceedingly well. As she goes down to the basement, she looks around and thinks about waiting for the one she loves. As she walks outside once more, she sees imagines Woo-hyeol standing above all of them, looking down at her with a smile. It makes her smile as well and we see a picture of the two of them at the beach, where once the picture of the flowers were.

Heartbeat Finale Review

I mean, how dare you not give us fans a purely happy and sappy ending?! This seems absolutely unfair, but probably the sweetest and most heartfelt end to Woo-hyeol’s journey, and it also makes sense in the context of who he was.

I enjoyed this episode, I think it pays tribute to Woo-hyeol’s character, addresses In-hae’s devotion to him as well as role reversal for them. I don’t know what they did with Hae-won and Do-sik; the former just seems to have been there to be petty for no reason. The latter’s story was just… forgotten after Woo-hyeol died. Like, did he drink his blood? I mean, I guess he did, considering he’s still alive. But how did it affect him, given we spend so much time learning about his hereditary curse and all that?

Also… why did Hae-won and Do-sik think they can just demean a vampire? Like, Man-hwi drinks human blood and, in general, is quite powerful. It’s hilarious how the two of them had this superior air over him. Very confusing choice and a dangerous hill to die on, I must say!

All in all, Heartbeat is a fun and cute K-drama that is good for anyone who wants a chill time without too much hassle. Things just conveniently happen, and that’s ok – only if you don’t try to go too deep into it!

Heartbeat is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in select regions and on KBS2 in Korea.

Also: Read All of Our Heartbeat Reviews