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SBS's latest thriller drama Buried Hearts premiered on February 21, 2025. It was supposed to be released last week on the 14th but was postponed by a week due to a scheduling conflict with other buzzworthy dramas.
Episode 1 of Buried Hearts begins with a sea-side shot where a conscious and suspected dead man floats on a makeshift raft. A local man finds this strange man lying face down and steals his watch. The camera zooms in on the unconscious man's watch entangled in a few octopi and we see the number "27" reflected in the small date dial on the watch.
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Buried Hearts episode 1 recap: Who is Seo Dong-ju? What is his job?
The scene in Buried Hearts episode 1 then cuts to Director Seo Dong-ju (played by Park Hyung-sik) attending an assembly cross-questioning of Heo Il-do. Seok Gu-young, a member of the Parliament (MP) brings up the energy project that took trillions of won worth of investment from the country but was able to give barely a fraction in return.
Yeom Jang-seon, a veteran law professor and former director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is listening to the entire conversation via a phone call dialed by Song-ju. He orders Director Seo to take care of the matter and make MP Seok stop.
Dong-ju visits another MP Nam Sang-cheol and bribes him to adjourn the hearing during the next session. Dong-ju has to resort to some blackmail and some violence to get his end of the bargain but he eventually succeeds. Both Heo Il-do and Seo Dong-ju are wearing similar watches as found on the dead man earlier.
Further, in Buried Hearts episode 1, we see that the next day MP Nam creates a ruckus as asked of him and gets the hearing adjourned. Seo Dong-ju informs Jang-seon about the latest update as Heo Il-do comes out of the assembly room. He verifies if Dong-ju spoke to MP Nam earlier. He smiles at Dong-ju but his face changes to anger as he leaves.
Il-do's wife Cha Deok-hui invites him to a special champagne sent by her father in celebration of the adjourned hearing. Il-do is not as delighted as his wife seems to be. He takes the champagne and the glasses to Dong-ju who is waiting in the chairman's office.
Meanwhile, Dong-ju is greeted by Secretary Gong at the office as she brings him egg yolks and water. Heo Il-do is not happy with Dong-ju having such close access to his father-in-law, Chairman Cha Gang-cheon of Daesan Group.
The scene cuts to a few days ago when the news of the energy project scandal broke. The chairman invites Dong-ju to discuss the matter. Both Il-do and his wife are not happy to find out that Dong-ju is summoned before Il-do is. But Il-do conceals it better than his wife.
Seo Dong-ju in Buried Hearts: The insider or the pawn?
Back to the present in Buried Hearts episode 1, Il-do, Dong-ju, and Chairman Cha are having drinks to celebrate the end of the hearing. Deok-hui enters the meeting and asks Dong-ju to leave to discuss a private matter. Il-do says that Jang-seon spoke to him about a matter. He promptly waits outside, all the while hoping that he will be called back inside. But he is informed to wrap up the day instead.
The next day, we find Dong-ju and a senior colleague cross paths with Yeo Eun-nam, who works at the Daesan Energy Seoul HQ. Dong-ju notices her bracelet. They share small talk when the colleague informs that Dong-ju had caught an error in the report that got her a scolding from the higher-ups in the company.
Dong-ju visits Chairman Cha and finds Yeom Jang-seon and Il-do already present. The quartet convenes inside a secure room to talk about the merger between Daesan Chemical and Yuseong Chemical. The room blocks all signals as well. Chairman Cha does not mince his words and issues a discreet warning to Jang-seon.
Jang-jeon says he has to talk to someone named The Elder and heads out to sort his end of the bargain. Chairman Cha warns Il-do to be cautious around Jang-seon. Jang-seon comes back to the secure room and informs Chairman Cha that the merger will happen as planned.
Buried Hearts episode 1: Will Dong-ju suffer a heartbreak?
Dong-ju goes home to find his girlfriend having completed an oil painting of a lone man sailing away on a boat in a wide, blue sea. He feels happy to see the painting and the girlfriend is revealed to be Eun-nam. As they settle in for dinner, she comments that he wore the watch in the shower and he adds that he did and he is surprised at the watch's durability despite being a knockoff.
Then, he talks about getting her a real diamond bracelet instead of relying on a fake gemstone-encrusted piece. Dong-ju receives a phone call detailing Chairman Cha Gang-cheon's granddaughter's wedding. He has to leave his girlfriend waiting and she looks away with a dejected expression on her face.
Dong-ju's senior mentions that the wedding would be a private affair only. He also recalls Dong-ju's dream to marry the said granddaughter and eventually inherit Daesan Group. He asks Dong-ju why he gave up that dream, and we find that he gave up that chance to be with Eun-nam.
The next day we see Dong-ju meet with a bank official to secure a loan for the earlier merger. He reaches his office to find Cha Deok-hui sitting in his office. He certainly knows her but keeps his loyalty to Chairman Cha ahead of everything else. When she tells him to be on his side, he tells her that he will think about it.
Dong-ju's future at Daesan is threatened in Buried Hearts episode 1
Later, we see Chairman Cha walking barefoot on the grass as Dong-ju arrives to talk to him. Cha mentions making Heo Il-do the vice-chairman of the company to see if he can handle being the chairman of the company in the future. He says that even though Il-do is the son-in-law he would still wield better power than an outsider. This comment stings Dong-ju.
Chairman Cha orders Dong-ju to dig into Heo's power and activities in his current role as the CEO and take a measure if he would be suitable for the promotion. Dong-ju diligently follows the orders and hops onto a helicopter with Il-do. Il-do demands to know what urgent errand brought Dong-ju to his helipad, and Dong-ju answers right away, mentioning he would be busy for the next 10 days. He is surprised and offers Dong-ju the helicopter for the task.
Dong-ju is busy over the next 10 days to get the checks done. When he reaches the office helipad, his girlfriend Eun-nam is waiting for him. She says that she could not wait to see him again so she arrived at the office right away. The two indulge in a steaming kiss as Dong-ju's phone call interrupts their session. He is called away on another urgent matter. She is once again left dejected.
Buried Hearts episode 1 also informs the viewers about Dong-ju's passion for power. Dong-ju speaks to the senior colleague and reveals the Chairman's plan to hand over the power to Il-do soon. The colleague is angry. Dong-ju asks him to suggest his (Dong-ju's) name if Deok-hui steps down as the CEO of Daesan Chemical. He in turn offers to make the colleague the president if Il-do becomes the vice-chairman.
What happened to Dong-ju and Eun-nam's romance in Buried Hearts episode 1?
Further in Buried Hearts episode 1, we see that Eun-nam and Dong-ju are enjoying a private moment when Eun-nam asks him what he would do about his tattoo and his life if they ever broke up. He jokes that he would kill himself but then says that he will take revenge by making her regret leaving him. She tells him that if they ever break up, it will be because of her.
He instead tells her that he will stay single if he cannot marry her. The two get dressed and she offers to dry his hair for him. She heads to receive a phone call and Dong-ju looks to make a quick snack in the kitchen. Eun-nam is distressed by whatever the person is saying and she angrily replies that she will keep up her end of the bargain.
Meanwhile, Dong-ju picks up a packet from the fridge to make a sandwich. Eun-nam returns to find Dong-ju on the floor, suffering from an allergy attack. She rushes him to the hospital.
There is a flashback to the day when Dong-ju first met Eun-nam. He was busy in a meeting but his attention kept shifting to Eun-nam who was mimicking the movements of a violin player rather animatedly, a few tables away. In this meeting, a man informs Dong-ju about a woman named Jennifer Huh who lives in New York. She is the chairman's granddaughter and Dong-ju has to visit her.
Later, Eun-nam catches Dong-ju in the parking lot and bluntly requests him to come to her if he finds any further mistakes in her work than to go to the chairman directly. He agrees to do so and also offers to take her out for food. The two get into the car and Dong-ju decides to not go to New York anymore.
In the present day in Buried Hearts episode 1, Dong-ju wakes up in the hospital after recovering from the earlier allergic reaction. Eun-nam and he go back to their home and share a night of intimacy. Dong-ju wakes up to a phone call about the upcoming wedding and a few changes. He finds Eun-nam away and drops her a text that he will see her at dinner that night.
Who is Chairman Cha's daughter-in-law in Buried Hearts episode 1?
The climax of Buried Hearts episode 1 is also of the wedding. Dong-ju meets his former high school classmate Yeom Hui-cheol. Hui-cheol provokes him by saying that he is a prosecutor now. He also says that Dong-ju is a thug who can never rise to power and he would remain a servant to the Daesan group. Dong-ju retaliates by saying he might just reach the pinnacle and become the president.
Hui-cheol provokes Dong-ju again by saying that he is marrying the Chairman's granddaughter that day. He also threatens Dong-ju by saying that his entry into the Daesan group will make Dong-ju's life difficult. Hui-cheol is Jang-seon's nephew. Dong-ju punches Hui-cheol In the face. Dong-ju says he paid back Hui-cheol with the punch for what Hui-cheol did to him in high school.
Dong-ju goes to the wedding hall and stations himself at a side, carefully watching the crowd and keeping an eye on Chairman Cha, Jang-seon, and others. As the emcee announces the beginning of the wedding rituals, Jang-seon gets up and gives an order to his bodyguard.
The emcee announces the bride and the groom. Dong-ju is stunned to see that Jennifer Huh is none other than Eun-nam. The bodyguards restrain Dong-ju as Eun-nam walks down the aisle. Buried Hearts episode 1 ends with a heartbreak for Seo Dong-ju.
Buried Hearts airs on SBS TV every Friday and Saturday at 10 PM (KST). It is also available for streaming on Disney+ in selected regions.
