The real father of Park Hyung-sik in 'Buried Hearts' was not Joo Sang-wook but Lee Hae-Young.
On March 30, Nielsen Korea, a ratings research company, reported that the 12th episode of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Buried Hearts' (written by Lee Myung-hee, directed by Jin Chang-kyu, produced by Studio S, A2Z Entertainment, Purumir Workshop), which aired on March 29, recorded nationwide ratings of 12.7%, 12.5% in the metropolitan area, and peaked at 13.8%, securing the number one spot among all channels and Saturday mini-series during the same time slot. Notably, the channel competitiveness key indicator, 2049 ratings, hit a record high of 3.3%, ranking first among all programs aired on Saturday, further proving the overwhelming popularity of 'Buried Hearts.'
In the broadcast that day, the true secret of Seo Dong-ju's (played by Park Hyung-sik) birth was revealed. Seo Dong-ju's real father was not the deceased Yeosun-ho (played by Joo Sang-wook) but Heo Il-do (played by Lee Hae-Young), who had tried to kill Seo Dong-ju multiple times. Above all, the cruelty of Yeom Jang-seon (played by Heo Joon-ho), who, knowing all these facts, handed a gun to Heo Il-do to kill Seo Dong-ju, shocked the home drama audience.
Through hypnosis, Seo Dong-ju recalled all the memories of the night Yeosun-ho died and trembled with a feeling of vengeance against Heo Il-do. Seo Dong-ju then went to find Heo Il-do and revealed that he was the child Sung-hyun who was in Yeosun-ho's car 'that night,' and that he remembered all the wrongdoings Heo Il-do committed that day. In a situation he did not want to believe, Heo Il-do desperately denied, but Seo Dong-ju even mimicked the act of holding a tissue in his mouth just before Heo Il-do pushed the car.
Seo Dong-ju did not stop there and pressured Heo Il-do by saying, 'Return everything you received from Dae-san and leave Dae-san.' Driven to the edge, Heo Il-do went to find Yeom Jang-seon and demanded a gun. This time, he was determined to kill Seo Dong-ju. Heo Il-do suggested to Yeom Jang-seon a plan to make it look like Seo Dong-ju, knowing that he was the half-sibling of Yeon-nam (played by Hong Hwa-yeon), committed suicide.
However, Yeom Jang-seon and Heo Il-do did not act immediately. They first had to hasten the marriage between Chairman Cha Gang-cheon (played by Woo Hyun) and Ji Young-soo (played by Do Ji-won), who had an extramarital child with him, to take over the Dae-san Group. Not knowing this plan, Seo Dong-ju decided to keep all the truths hidden from Yeon-nam to prevent her from suffering. After finishing Chairman Cha Gang-cheon's wedding ceremony, Heo Il-do took the gun given by Yeom Jang-seon and summoned Seo Dong-ju.
The real twist began from this point. It was revealed through the Dandelion data that Seo Dong-ju was Heo Il-do’s biological child. The transcript of the Dandelion data included a conversation between someone asking Yeom Jang-seon, 'Does Heo Il-do not know he is his son?' The child Choo Sung-hyun, who was thought to be dead, was actually Seo Dong-ju, Heo Il-do's biological child. Seo Dong-ju could not hide his despair even after confirming the DNA test results.
Finally, Seo Dong-ju and Heo Il-do faced off. Yeom Jang-seon provoked Heo Il-do by saying, 'Take aim. You'll succeed this time, right?' Heo Il-do replied, 'If I fail to kill him again, I will suffer an even harsher humiliation,' and shot at Seo Dong-ju. Seo Dong-ju collapsed as he was struck. Yeom Jang-seon, watching the situation with a chilling smile, pretended to be urgent and said, 'Don't shoot. Seo Dong-ju is said to be your child,' intervening late.
At that moment, Seo Dong-ju rose from his seat. Laughing grotesquely, Seo Dong-ju said to Heo Il-do, 'What are you doing? I'm not dead yet. Hurry up and shoot me more, father.' Seo Dong-ju, Yeom Jang-seon, and Heo Il-do. The crazy faces of the three men intersected as episode 12 of 'Buried Hearts' ended. It was truly a shocking ending that gripped the viewers' breath.
Episode 12 of 'Buried Hearts' erupted with bombshell revelations, escalating the tension built up until now. Then, it made a definitive impact with an unimaginable, extremely powerful ending. As the story progressed towards its climax, the increasingly powerful performances from the actors kept viewers glued to 'Buried Hearts' every second. With an outpouring of praise and explosive reactions, there is curiosity and anticipation for what shocking stories 'Buried Hearts' will unfold in the remaining four episodes. The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Buried Hearts' airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.
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