tvN’s new Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Head Over Heels’ premiered last week, and it already feels like the kind of romance we’ve been waiting for. Aired on June 23, the show has already garnered an average nationwide viewership rating of 4.3 percent.
Cast: Cho Yi-hyun, Choo Young-woo
Episodes: 12
New Episodes on: Airs every Monday and Tuesday at 20:50 KST (17:20 IST)
Airing On: tvN
Available On: TVING, Amazon Prime Video
Starring Cho Yi-hyun and Choo Young-woo, this fantasy romance drama is based on a webtoon ‘Gyeon-woo and the Fairy’. It tells the story of Park Seong A (played by Cho Yi-hyun), a bubbly high school student who is a shaman by night, and Bae Gyeon U (played by Choo Young-woo), a handsome boy who is plagued by misfortune and fated to die. As the story follows the young shaman trying to save the boy, I’m sure secrets would unravel, mysteries would slowly unfold, and love is bound to happen — and after all, aren’t we all sitting tight, waiting for it to happen?
Episode 1: Meeting Our Main Characters
The first episode opens with a shamanic ceremony that felt unbelievably intense and raw. Right from the very first scene, bright colors and rich cultural details flood the screen. This is where we are introduced to our female lead, a high school girl who leads a double life as a shaman by night. Park Seong A, aka Fairy Cheonji.
I must say she is an interesting character. Despite having the supernatural “gift” and her mother always urging her to prioritise her shamanic calling over anything else, it’s fascinating how she still longs for a normal life and dreams of getting into any four-year university. However, since business is booming at the Heaven and Earth Fairy Shrine, Seong A barely gets any sleep, so she is unable to concentrate on her studies and often has to sneak into school. Since her time is mostly consumed by shamanic activities, dating would feel impossible. And yet she’s got an ideal type: a handsome guy. Thus, her falling head over heels for our leading man at first sight was inevitable.
Enter: Bae Gyeon U — the one who feels like the complete opposite of Seong A. He was born with misfortune and has suffered many near-death experiences. As he steps into the shrine, he starts walking upside down – from Seong A’ spiritual eyes – revealing that he has only 21 days left to live. Unfazed, Seong A vows to save him and not let the world lose such handsomeness — Girl, we get it.
And as if the heavens heard her, the next day, Gyeon U shows up in her class as a transfer student!
Off To A Rough Start
Despite Seong A’s decision to rescue Gyeon U, the latter behaves rudely with Fairy Cheonji and accuses her of exploiting people for money. Yet, unshaken and determined, our female lead ends up saving him twice: once from a near accident on the way back home and another time from a water ghost.
PS: Just a quick heads-up: the scene where a student encounters the water ghost in the bathroom is spine-tingling.
Episode 2: Unexpected Heartbreak and Rising Tension
The second episode had a mix of ups and downs. Even though Gyeon U reminded Seong A to stay away from him, it was heartwarming to see Seong A and her friend, Pyo Ji-ho (played by Chan Kang-yoon) to be invited by Gyeon U’s grandmother to have a meal at their place. Another brighter side of the episode was how, despite the rumors spreading at school about Gyeon U being kicked out of his previous school due to arson, both Seong A and Ji-ho sat with him during school lunch.
Usually, you wouldn’t expect a burst of worked-up scene, especially in the second episode, but when Gyeon U was trapped by the fire ghost in the school’s storage shed and when Seong A ran out of her magic salt, the tension was palpable. This scene was a reminder that Gyeon U is indeed cursed and would always be plagued by such near-death situations.
If there was one thing that truly caught me off guard was the death of Gyeon U’s grandmother. That was an emotional blow that felt too soon. Even with just a handful of scenes, her bond with Gyeon U is clear. Her desperation to save her grandson, his reliance on her grandmother and the way she was his only light in the midst of his cursed fate. And now, she’s gone.
Final Thoughts
So much has already happened in the first two episodes. And, given the grim and emotionally weighty premise — Gyeon U fated to die and Seong A trying her best to save him, even though her last attempt at saving a person who walked upside down ended in failure — you can already sense that the path ahead isn’t going to be easy. And now with the grandmother gone, the atmosphere grew somehow a little bit darker. There will be new ghostly attacks, new near-death experiences, and probably more cruel ways death will try to keep tightening its grip on Gyeon U.
Nevertheless, if there’s one thing I’m looking forward to, it is the romance blooming between the two leads, especially with the rough start they had. I’m also curious about Gyeon U’s character development. So far, we’ve seen how he seems to have accepted his fate, and the root of this attitude probably goes back to the trauma of his parents abandoning him due to his misfortune. But, maybe once he realises the lengths to which Seong A is going to save him, he will let go of that sense of fatalism and resignation.
Honestly, the last time I was this excited for a K-drama was for ‘Lovely Runner’, and this show has me totally hooked. What about you?
Written by Diksha Gangadeen
Connect with us on Instagram | X | YouTube for more content, interviews, & news.
