Park Hyung-sik’s Birth Secret? ‘Buried Hearts’ Soars to 14.7%, Tops Charts

A Korean drama is making waves with a jaw-dropping twist and record-breaking viewership.

SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama ‘Buried Hearts’ hit a new high with its 10th episode, which aired on March 22. According to Nielsen Korea, the episode scored a nationwide rating of 13.1%, with a peak of 14.7% and 13% in the Seoul metropolitan area. The show also secured the top spot in the 2049 demographic (ages 20–49), with a 2.8% rating, and ranked No.1 across Saturday mini-series, same time slot, and weekly drama categories.

‘Buried Hearts’ is an action revenge thriller that follows a man who hacks into a secret political slush fund worth 2 trillion KRW to survive—only to be killed by a powerful figure unaware of the hack, permanently erasing the fortune. The drama airs as the follow-up to ‘Love Scout’.

In episode 10, key secrets surrounding protagonist Seo Dong-joo (played by Park Hyung-sik) begin to unravel, shocking viewers with intense revelations and emotional drama. His pursuit of revenge continues to build tension, drawing audiences deeper into the story.

Seo Dong-joo previously declared to Yeom Jang-seon (Huh Jun-ho), “What I want is revenge. I’ll only kill you when your life is worth that revenge.” He also threatened Heo Il-do (Kim Young-hoon), saying, “You attempted to murder me. I plan to use that weakness very well.” Now back at Daesan Group, Seo moves to promote Chief Choi (Kim Min-sang) to vice president, following the will of Chairman Cha Kang-chun (Woo Hyun). At the same time, he approaches Ji Young-soo (Do Ji-won) to leverage Cha’s illegitimate son, Ji Sun-woo (Cha Woo-min), and comes face-to-face with Cha’s daughter and Heo Il-do’s wife, Cha Deok-hee (Kim Jung-nan), making the couple increasingly uneasy.

Meanwhile, Seo uses Administrator (Sung No-jin) and Jo Yang-chun (Kim Ki-moo) to pressure Yeom Jang-seon. They mention a secret file called “Dandelion,” containing surveillance records on key political figures by the former National Security Agency—Yeom included. With this, Seo crafts an even more calculated path to revenge.

It’s also revealed that Seo Dong-joo had already regained his memory when he saved Heo Il-do from drowning. He rescued the very man who once shot him, solely for the sake of revenge. When asked why, he answered coldly, “You’ll find out soon—so painfully you’ll feel it in your bones.”

Later, Seo begins to suspect the man named Seong-hyeon, mentioned by the Administrator, may be his biological father. He had believed he and his late sister shared the same father—but they were not biologically related. After discovering an old photo of himself as a child being held by Yeo Soon-ho (Joo Sang-wook), the character known as "Madam Pi" (Son Ji-na) suggests that Yeo might be his real father. When Seo shows the photo to Yeo Eun-nam (Hong Hwa-yeon), she says, “That’s my dad,” leaving Seo in complete shock.

The episode drew praise for its bold storytelling and intricate revenge plot, powered by emotionally charged performances that kept viewers glued to their screens from start to finish.

Online reactions reflected the excitement, with fans commenting, “Wish this aired every day,” “An hour flies by,” “Yeom Jang-seon being the twist? Genius,” and “Over 14% ratings? Insane.” Others added, “I’m binge-watching now—glad I started,” “How do I wait a week for the next episode?” and “That ending tho 😱.” Some were left stunned, writing, “Can’t believe the twist,” “At least it’s only 16 episodes,” and “Please don’t let them be siblings 😭.”

‘Buried Hearts’ also ranked No.1 on Kinolights’ integrated content chart for the third week of March, outperforming other popular shows.

The Kinolights chart ranks weekly content trends across Korea’s major OTT platforms, including Netflix, Wavve, TVING, Disney+, Watcha, and Coupang Play. Rankings are based on over 100,000 data points from film, drama, and TV shows across domestic and global media trends.

Coming in second was ‘Lim Young-woong | I'm Hero: The Stadium’, a concert film capturing the singer’s first stadium performance at Seoul World Cup Stadium in May 2023 in front of 100,000 fans.

Third place went to MBC’s ‘Undercover High School’, which follows an NIS agent disguised as a high schooler to uncover missing gold from the Joseon era. The show marks the return of actor Seo Kang-joon after a three-year hiatus and has been praised for his intense action scenes and comedic charm.

Netflix’s ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ ranked fourth, resonating with audiences through its heartfelt, family-focused storytelling—a welcome alternative in a market filled with heavy thrillers. The series topped the Netflix TV chart in 10 countries including Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and ranked sixth globally.

In fifth was JTBC’s weekend drama ‘The Art of Negotiation’, which centers around a legendary corporate negotiator and their M&A team. Following were the film ‘Mickey 17’ at No. 6, ‘Handsome Trot’ from tvN STORY, MBC’s variety show ‘I Live Alone’, the film ‘Sixth Sense’, and MBN’s ‘King of Veterans 2’ filling out the top 10.