When we first meet Search engine optimisation Dong-ju (Park Hyung-sik), he’s clinging on to life after being washed ashore on a secluded seashore, the glimmer of his designer watch catching the attention of a fisherman. Leaping again in time, he’s launched because the clever and succesful right-hand man to Cha Gang-cheon, the eccentric CEO of prime conglomerate Daesan Group. Whereas most of his colleagues know him as a devoted and passionate employee, he harbours a secret ambition to take over the group.
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Moments into the opening episode, he’s proven to be an irreplaceable asset in Daesan Group’s arsenal, stopping at nothing (and succeeding) to shift the highlight away from a controversial merger involving powerbroker Yeom Jangseon(Huh Joon-ho), a legislation college professor and former Nationwide Intelligence Service director. Whereas seemingly retired from political and authorized profession, Jangseon continues to drag the strings of main enterprise and political dealings within the nation.
We additionally meet Yeo Eun-nam, (Hong Hwa-yeon) an worker at Daesan who’s secretly in a relationship with Dong-ju. It’s the one a part of his life he permits himself to be honest, although plenty of tense telephone calls taken in secret reveal there’s extra to Eun-nam than meets the attention. Simply as every little thing appears to be arising roses for Dong-ju, he wakes up sooner or later to a merciless, soul-crushing betrayal that he later learns was largely orchestrated by Jangseon– and thus begins Dong-ju’s quest for revenge towards the scheming professor.
Buried Hearts spends a lot of treasured first impressions placing its items into place, introducing its characters and their ambitions to present context to no matter’s to come back later within the collection. However as it’s, there are a handful of plot threads that require you to droop some perception, and the overlapping connections between characters really feel moderately convoluted at instances – although, widespread in revenge Ok-dramas targeted on the mega-rich.
Regardless of falling sufferer to overused tropes, credit score the place it’s due, the forged of Buried Hearts make the collection much more compelling than it needs to be. Park Hyung-sik empathically embodies Dong-ju’s each emotion, from his dedication within the office to his honest, puppy-like dedication to Eun-nam in a manner that makes it unimaginable to not root for him. The confusion, harm and rage that overwhelms him when confronted with the last word betrayal is palpable because it occurs.

And there’s additionally Huh Joon-ho’s Yeom Jangseon, who’s calculated and quietly domineering. At instances, he performs the genial previous man, adored by his loving niece and nephew and at others, a chilly and manipulative determine who clearly takes nice pleasure in puppeteering these round him to his will. Whereas the villains in these dramas are sometimes one-dimensional and nearly cartoonish of their motivations, Huh imbues Yeom with an essence that’s really scary.
Buried Hearts is actually an entertaining Ok-drama, with a gifted forged who’ve carried out brilliantly and introduced life to the fabric up to now. That stated, the collection is unlikely to transcend something different Korean soaps about revenge already serve up on the common.
Buried Hearts is on the market to stream on Disney+.
The publish ‘Buried Hearts’ evaluation: a tangled internet of deceit appeared first on NME.