Heartbeat (가슴이 뛴다) 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 and Won Ji-an in lead roles, along with Park Kang-hyun and Yoon So-hee. Heartbeat episode 4 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 4 Recap
Heartbeat episode 4 starts with Woo-hyeol kissing In-hae accidentally, thanks to the drop of blood on her lip and realises that she is connected to Hae-sun somehow. As he tries to wrap his head around how he could’ve felt the connection, he tries to go in for another “kiss” and immediately gets slapped and then beaten up by In-hae, who is mortified by the entire encounter.
He later discusses his feelings with Dong-seob and Sang-hae, who tell him that they have never seen flashes of anyone’s past or present after drinking their blood. they deny having such an experience, and Woo-hyeol is also forced to let it go, thinking it might be because of 100 years without blood. After feasting on Rh- blood thanks to Rose, they discuss the possibility of taking up doing deliveries, which Hae-sun denies letting him do.
They then ask him to march back to the mansion and ask for his house back and to face the issue head-on. Woo-hyeol rushes back home with determination, but when he tries to tiptoe back inside, In-hae, looking extremely annoyed, catches him trying to sneak in. She mentions that he is dangerous to be around since he kissed her just for a drop of blood, and he assures her that he might have lost control, but he doesn’t understand the meaning of love or its feeling since he has never felt so.
Either way, In-hae agrees to forget the encounter and calls him a mosquito which he takes offence to. In retaliation, she tells him to start earning money if he wants to be called a human and to quit living like a mosquito. The outburst leaves Woo-hyeol completely flabbergasted, and he mumbles to himself that In-hae can never be Hae-sun!
Elsewhere, Do-sik studies a vampire book passed down in his family for generations, and the audience gets an exposition dump which reveals that there’s a curse in his family that results in the men dying from heart attacks at a very young age. Although his results all come back clean, he is still left tensed, thanks to his chest feeling unnaturally tight. In the car back home, he gets news that Na Hae-won is coming back to Korea this week.
Also Read: Heartbeat Episode 3 Recap and Review: Eccentric Vampire Gets a Taste of Shopping… and Debt!
Meanwhile, while delivering food from Dong-seob’s restaurant, Woo-hyeol finds out about In-hae’s occupation and starts to ask around whether there are any jobs at the school that he can take up. In the end, he ends up working as the janitor and, of course, attracts the attention of all the girls in the school, who can’t stop fawning over him. When In-hae realises that he has started working at the school, she is left absolutely mortified. Elsewhere, Do-sik shyly asks In-hae out for dinner, and she accepts, much to his excitement.
As the two of them try out fancy wines that In-hae has no idea about, Woo-hyeol gets roped into an unfortunate conversation with the next-door neighbours, thanks to the delicious-smelling ox blood. When he comes back home, he meets Yang-nam and tells him about Hae-sun and how he felt Hae-sun in In-hae’s blood. Looking deeper, Yang-nam warns Woo-hyeol not to covet her blood until she falls in love. He must drink her blood after her blood is filled with “passionate love”; only then will he become a human.
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Meanwhile, Do-sik drops In-hae home and gives her a thoughtful housewarming gift that touches her heart. At home, In-hae and Woo-hyeol get into a fight about him working at the school, and she threatens him to work somewhere else, leaving Woo-hyeol frustrated.
Heartbeat Episode 4 Ending
The next day at the school, Woo-hyeol’s soft side impresses In-hae, who helps his badly-bruised colleague when she arrives at the nurse’s office. Meanwhile, Woo-hyeol finds out about his bully’s hiding spot but chooses to stay quiet. Unfortunately, this results in the storage room catching fire thanks to a rogue cigarette, and the bully ends up lying to the principal and placing the blame on Woo-hyeol. He and his colleagues get screamed at in front of everyone, but thankfully, In-hae catches the main culprit and proves Woo-hyeol’s innocence.
That night, Woo-hyeol’s mixed feelings regarding In-hae and is left astonished at the similarities between Hae-sun and her. He goes up to In-hae and asks her whether she is Hae-sun, and she looks at him bewildered. Meanwhile, Do-sik picks Hae-won from the airport.
Heartbeat Episode 4 Review
Again, a rather entertaining episode that also pushes the story forward just a tiny bit. I have come to expect less for Heartbeat and thus am always happily rewarded with Ok Taec-yeon being goofy and constantly holding on to his canines for dear life – it’s never not entertaining. On the other hand, Won Ji-an’s In-hae is equally delightful and a female lead you’d relate to and life to follow. Of course, sharing a house with a vampire is definitely not relatable, but with a funny vampire series, that’s something that we need to suspend our disbelief about.
I am quite interested to know how Do-sik and Hae-won factor into the storyline at this point. Are they vampire hunters, or is there something less bloody in the mix?
Regardless, every time the three vampires hiss with their fangs out, I break down in fits of laughter. It’s always the hissing that gets me – and with lower expectations, it’s a great break for 60 minutes!
Heartbeat is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in select regions and on KBS2 in Korea.