Poison Plots, Secret Pasts, and the Ultimate Power Play

Hey Buried Hearts fans! 💣👀 Episode 9 just came in swinging with assassins, secret identities, family drama, and one dangerously bold phone call that flipped the entire game. If you weren’t already obsessed, buckle up—this week’s episode gave us revelations and revenge in equal measure. Let’s get into it!

😈 Jang-seon: Confident, Cruel... and Clueless

We kick things off with Jang-seon in a suspiciously good mood, fully expecting both Dong-ju and Eun-nam to be dead before dessert. (Ever the optimist, huh?)

But back in the hospital, Dong-ju is unconscious—and Tae-yun drops by to deliver some truth bombs. He reveals that Il-do never even called 911 when Dong-ju collapsed. OOF. Of course, Il-do is eavesdropping from outside the room, hearing it all.

Then… Dong-ju wakes up. 🫢

Il-do runs into the bathroom, points a syringe at his own neck (dramatic much?), then drops it. His inner monologue reveals he’s almost ready to take responsibility—for everything—but only once Daesan is handed to Tae-yun.

Meanwhile, in a total twist, Il-do actually saves Dong-ju from another assassination attempt by the Administrator. (Wasn’t expecting that, were you?)

📱 Chaos, Confusion, and a Chairman on the Loose

Chairman Cha, meanwhile, is on a different kind of journey—wandering barefoot through the city after his phone dies. (We love a lost K-drama patriarch moment.)

Back at the hospital, Dong-ju interrogates the Administrator, who warns him: Eun-nam’s next. Cue: dramatic phone call. Eun-nam’s out to dinner—with Jang-seon and an assassin hot on her tail.

But Dong-ju? He’s two steps ahead. He teams up with Eun-nam to smoke out the killer, and then turns around and orders the Administrator to back off. Power move: ✔️

Dong-ju snatches Il-do’s phone (again) and heads out. 🕵️‍♂️

🚗 The Chairman’s New Bestie & Family Fallout

As the chairman continues his shoeless trek, he runs into Ji Seon-u, who recognizes him from his mother’s restaurant. Seon-u not only gives him a ride home, but also his shoes (we love a gentleman moment).

At the Cha mansion, everyone is panicking. Deok-hui explodes at Guk-hui for keeping the chairman’s dementia a secret. Just when it’s about to get physical, Secretary Gong steps in and yells her down. (Queen behavior.)

📂 Flashbacks and Forgotten Names

While Jang-seon waits for news of Dong-ju’s demise (spoiler: it’s not coming), we get a layered flashback:

🔍 Gu-ho shows Jang-seon Dong-ju’s background file—revealing his mom, Ko You-jin, was a nightclub worker who died young.

👶 Madame Pi helped rename the children by literally buying a surname from a fellow Iris club waiter.

🧢 Jang-seon’s wife recognizes little Dong-ju as Chu Seong-hyeon, a boy who always wore a Daesan badge. Jang-seon denies it, but we still don’t know why.

Who is Seong-hyeon really? 👀

🥋 Dong-ju Fights Back… Again

At the restaurant, Dong-ju arrives just in time to protect Eun-nam from an attacker hiding in her car. He disables the guy, then calls Jang-seon from Il-do’s phone.

“You’ll pay for everything,” he says. (CHILLS.)

Meanwhile, Seon-u finally gets the chairman home, who—plot twist—confuses Seon-u for his son. And to top off the emotional rollercoaster, Seon-u hands over some cookies for Dong-ju. (Wholesome side plot alert!)

🧠 Mind Games & Power Moves

Later, Eun-nam shows up at Hui-cheol’s workplace to tell him that Jang-seon wants to see him. Spoiler: Jang-seon didn’t.

When Hui-cheol leaves, Dong-ju walks in. And right as Jang-seon is about to shoot him—

📞 Dong-ju puts his phone on speaker.

It’s none other than President Lee Cheol-yeong (a.k.a. The Elder) telling Jang-seon:

🚫 “Don’t touch Dong-ju.”
💰 “He didn’t steal the money.”
🧍 “Let me handle it.”

Game. Set. Match.

Dong-ju smirks and tells Jang-seon he’s still coming for revenge.

Slowly.

Deliciously.

(We love a patient king.)

💣 Secrets and Setups

Il-do gets home and Deok-hui gives him the lowdown.

Dong-ju visits the chairman and drops the next bombshell: he’s expediting Ji Seon-u’s entry into the family. (Plot twist incoming?)

Then he meets Il-do and basically says: “I’m keeping your murder attempt in my back pocket. Just so you know.” 😏

Meanwhile, Dr. Kang realizes Dong-ju left the hospital, and while helping her father with his phone, stumbles upon a photo:

📸 Il-do, Sun-ho (Eun-nam’s father), and a little boy who looks just like Seong-hyeon.

👀 HELLO??

Secret Pasts, Power Plays, and One Shocking Photo Reveal

Hey Buried Hearts fam! 😮‍💨✨ Episode 10 had us twisting in our seats with layers of betrayal, hidden identities, old family photos, and one very unexpected connection that changes everything. Dong-ju is playing the long game, Jang-seon is getting desperate, and secrets that were buried deep are finally clawing their way to the surface. Let’s dig in!

🧠 Dong-ju vs. Il-do: A Dangerous Game

We kick off with Dong-ju coolly reminding Il-do that he knows about the attempted murder—and plans to make good use of that information.

Il-do, rattled, asks if Dong-ju ever really lost his memory. Dong-ju confirms he did, and we flash back to that moment when he chose to save Il-do from drowning, knowing who he was. (That mercy? Purely for revenge. Cold. As. Ice.)

🧊 Tensions at Daesan & Boardroom Bombs

Next up, Daesan HQ is heating up. Il-do overhears Dong-ju telling Gi-hyeon that he’s calling a board meeting to finalize Gi-hyeon’s promotion to vice-chairman.

Meanwhile, Jang-seon struts into Daesan, smugly announcing he’s approving crude oil imports. But plot twist—it’s not his idea. The Elder told him to. 😏

Chairman Cha, ever the gentleman, offers to wire money to Jang-seon’s Swiss account… which he doesn’t have access to anymore. (Yikes.)

Jang-seon’s good mood goes out the window when he hears Gi-hyeon’s getting the vice-chairman title. He flips out on Il-do, even hitting him. Flashback alert:

We see how young Il-do first met Jang-seon—getting beaten up by police, only for Jang-seon to beat him up worse. (So much for a meet-cute.)

🍞 Cookies, Threats, and Marriage Proposals

At the bakery, Ji Seon-u tells his mom about the encounter with Chairman Cha. Moments later, Deok-hui shows up like the ultimate K-drama mother-in-law from hell, returning Seon-u’s sneakers and delivering veiled death threats.

On her way out, she runs into Dong-ju and warns him to stay away from her family. Naturally, Dong-ju ignores her and proposes a bold plan to Ji Yeong-su:

💍 Legally marry Chairman Cha, so Seon-u can be his heir.

Yes. That happened. 💥

They tell Seon-u the truth about his dad—and it’s a lot.

📱Hacking, Hidden Files & Dandelion Secrets

Dong-ju meets hacker queen Tae-geum, who works her magic and pulls everything off Il-do’s phone—including a photo of young Seong-hyeon with Il-do, Sun-ho, and Kang Seong. 😳

She also uncovers Il-do and Jang-seon’s entire real estate empire, because of course she does. (MVP alert!)

Then, in a jaw-dropping turn, Dong-ju interrogates Yang-chun (still held captive), who spills about a now-defunct NSA unit called the Dandelion Team, which tracked Korea’s most powerful elites.

And yes, they have a file on Jang-seon.

Dong-ju confronts the Administrator, who is revealed to be Oh Jung-ho, the former Dandelion Team leader. Dong-ju offers a trade: Yang-chun for the file. Jung-ho demands a phone call with Yang-chun first… but secretly tips off Jang-seon.

🔒 Lock ‘Em Up: Dong-ju Style

Won-bae sets up the call, but Jung-ho uses it to track Yang-chun’s location. Just as he’s about to kill him for leaking Dandelion secrets—

💥 Dong-ju arrives and locks them BOTH up.

Before he leaves, Jung-ho makes a suspicious comment:
“I knew your father well.”

Um. EXCUSE ME?! 😱

🖼️ The Photo That Changes Everything

Later that night, Kang Seong sends Deok-hui a photo—because Il-do “lost” his phone. In the photo? Il-do, Sun-ho, Kang Seong, and a little boy… Seong-hyeon.

And Deok-hui? She’s the one who took it. 👀

Back home, Dong-ju is reeling. A flashback shows a moment with his sister, where he asks about Professor Lee Sup-yung—a man he once spotted on a university website and suspects is linked to his past.

He goes to visit Sup-yung… but runs into Hui-cheol’s father instead. Plot twist: he’s Jang-seon’s brother. He tells Dong-ju the truth:

💥 Sup-yung isn’t your real dad.
💥 Ko You-jin isn’t your real mom.
💥 She adopted you.

Cue identity crisis.

📦 What Was Left Behind

Dong-ju visits Madame Pi, desperate for answers. She tells him that as a child, he simply walked into the house one day. He had nothing but:

👕 Some clothes
📌 A Daesan pin
📸 And… the same photo he found on Il-do’s phone

🤯🤯🤯

📞 Power Struggles & The Elder Gets a Wake-Up Call

Meanwhile, Jang-seon meets with The Elder and finds himself on the receiving end of some very pointed questions. Turns out, Jang-seon called for an investigation into The Elder’s nephew. Just to remind him who holds the real power.

Later, Jang-seon is seen calling… Ji Yeong-su. (Why? WHY?!)

💔 Divorce, Decisions & A Car Confession

Hui-cheol asks Eun-nam why she came back. She confesses she would’ve had to pay a financial penalty. He says he’ll file the divorce himself—no strings, no guilt—and tells her to go. (Honestly, respectful king for once.)

Eun-nam returns home to find Dong-ju parked outside. She gets in and tells him she’s getting a divorce. He shows her the photo—

📸 The one where the man holding Seong-hyeon is… her father.

GASP. END SCENE. 😱

DramaZen's Opinion

This Drama Is Unhinged and I’m Living for It 🔥

Episodes 9 and 10 of Buried Hearts were pure chaos in the best way possible. The layers of betrayal, hidden identities, secret government files, AND that final photo reveal?! My jaw is still on the floor.

First of all, Dong-ju locking up two trained agents like it’s a Tuesday? Iconic. The man is single-handedly dismantling an entire shadow network and still finding time to emotionally devastate us.

And that twist with Eun-nam’s father holding little Seong-hyeon in the photo? 💀 Please. I screamed. If this leads to a “we might be related” plotline, I don’t know if my heart can take it.

Il-do continues to be the most confusing villain ever, Deok-hui is terrifying, and I need to know more about The Elder and his shady puppet-master moves.

Buried Hearts is insane, stressful, addictive, and I’m not leaving until I get every answer and Dong-ju gets the peace (and revenge) he deserves. 😤👏