A sweet love story about two emotionally needy people who gain strength and support from their relationship with each other. That’s what we get from Heart to Heart.
Choi Kang-Hee has suffered from severe blushing since she was a young child. Because of that, she dropped out of high school and remained shut off from the world, inside her home. After the death of the hard-working grandmother that raised her she is only able to face the outside world by either dressing up as an old woman or wearing a motorcycle helmet with the face shield down wherever she goes. She secures a part time job masquerading as the elderly Mrs. Oh, typing a rich old man’s memoirs. Kang-Hee wants to overcome her illness so she can talk to the man she loves, Detective Jang Doo-Soo. They met seven years earlier when her house was burglarized and she has been bringing him homemade food and gifts ever since. But she’s never been able to say a single word to him. In order for her to conquer her phobia, Cha Hong-Do seeks the help of famous psychiatrist, Go Yi-Seok, and thus begins a very charming rollercoaster ride of a relationship.
Handsome, wealthy psychiatrist Go Yi-Seok earned his degree from Harvard University and has a very successful practice in the Gangnam district. He chose his profession as a young man, wanting to be able to help his mentally ill mother. But underneath his egocentric facade, Yi-Seok suffers from insecurity and the pain of feeling inferior to his twin brother, the one he believes his parents loved more than they did him.
Jang Doo-Soo is a handsome detective who lives near Hong-Do. He enjoys his friendship with Hong-Do even though he’s the one that does all the talking. He looks forward to the side dishes she makes for him and the fleeting “hello” he may sometimes get to say to her. He enjoys the relationship they have even though it’s a distant one. And Doo-Soo has yet to realize just how much he has come to care for Hong-Do over the years.
I loved the secure, mature attitude of Go Se-Ro, Yi-Seok’s younger sister. I found her character very refreshing. Finally, a woman who is unwilling to win a man’s love through lies and deceit. She’s honest, kind, understanding, personable, patient, and has a healthy dose of self-esteem. She was a breath of fresh air in this drama. Se-Ro has a crush on Doo-Soo and try’s to win his heart, all through honest means.
Chun Jung-Myung very convincingly plays the egotistical psychiatrist Go Yi-Seok. His first acting job was in the Kdrama School 2 and then he went on to star in several other things in both major motion pictures and other dramas. I loved him in What’s Up Fox? and Glory Jane. The man’s eyes are big, black, and absolutely dreamy! Yep, he gets you with those eyes!
Sweet Cha Hong-Do and her darling alter-ego, Ms. Oh Young-Rae, is played by Choi Kang-Hee. Aside from being an actress in both film and TV dramas, Kang-Hee is also a radio DJ on KBS Cool FM and she has her own clothing brand, Nowhere333. In 2006 the Korea National Red Cross gave her a silver medal for the many blood donations she had made and she’s also the first Korean celebrity to donate bone marrow! Awesome, awesome, generous lady! She’s totally earned my love and respect.
Heart to Heart starts out as a lighthearted romantic comedy but close to the end there’s a scene where I was fighting back tears. There’s something special about Yi-Seok and Hong-Do’s relationship. (I remember feeling the same way watching Choi Seung-Hee and Kim Bok-Shil’s relationship in Which Star Are You From?) I’m sure the writer is partly responsible for that but the main thing lies with Chun Jung-Myung and Choi Kang-Hee, themselves. Their chemistry is such that I completely believed Yi-Seok and Hong-Do truly loved each other. That doesn’t happen very often but when it does, that’s when the drama draws your heart into the characters lives and their happiness becomes important to you. And that’s what makes Heart to Heart‘s love story special.
Sadly, I really disliked the soundtrack. There were a lot of songs sung in English that didn’t make any sense, gramatically, and that drove me nuts. The actual music wasn’t anything very enjoyable either. Sorry, but this soundtrack was a bust for me, personally.
The best part of the scenery is the little stone pathway in front of Hong-Do’s apartment. It’s a bunch of huge rectangle-shaped cement slabs that go across some water. It is quite charming and a very romantic backdrop for some scenes.
As far as romantic stories go, this is one of the better ones I’ve seen in the past year. You’ll enjoy the characters and have fun with the unusual romantic relationships they share. Watching Heart to Heart is definitely time well spent.
Score: 8.5
The Good:
Fresh, interesting plot
Great acting
Chun Jung-Myung and Choi Kang-Hee’s chemistry
Wonderful, real kisses
Experience extreem emotions (happy/heartbroken)
The Bad:
Bit of a slow start
Soundtrack
Heart and Seoul 