Park Hyung-sik’s Buried Hearts (2025) delivers a rare combination: a political thriller with a family tree complex enough to rival the real-world chaebols that inspired it. This guide maps out every major role, the family connections driving the plot, and where to find reliable information as the story unfolds.

4 related posts

Lead Actor: Park Hyung-sik as Seo Dong-ju ·
Female Lead: Hong Hwa-yeon as Yeo Eun-nam ·
Key Supporting: Huh Joon-ho as Yeom Jang-seon ·
Another Lead: Lee Hae-young as Huh Il-do ·
Director: Kim Jang-woo

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • Core cast verified across Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes (Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Park Hyung-sik, Hong Hwa-yeon, Huh Joon-ho confirmed as main leads (Wikipedia)
  • Daesan Group family structure confirmed from multiple sources (Wikipedia)
2What’s unclear
  • Total episode count unconfirmed
  • Precise premiere date not publicly announced (only year 2025 confirmed)
  • Season 2 status unknown
3Timeline signal
4What’s next
  • Family revelations continue through episode 13 per cast listings
  • Potential season development dependent on ratings
Field Value
Series Title Buried Hearts
Lead Actor Park Hyung-sik (Seo Dong-ju)
Female Lead Hong Hwa-yeon (Yeo Eun-nam)
Other Main Huh Joon-ho (Yeom Jang-seon)
Sources Wikipedia, MyDramaList, IMDb

Who is the female lead in Buried Hearts?

Hong Hwa-yeon plays Yeo Eun-nam, the female lead central to Buried Hearts. According to listings on Asian Drama Wiki and Rotten Tomatoes, she occupies the main female role alongside Park Hyung-sik’s protagonist.

Hong Hwa-yeon as Yeo Eun-nam

Yeo Eun-nam is more than just a romantic interest—she’s a key figure in the Daesan Group family dynamics. Her character entered the Cha family through her mother’s remarriage to Huh Il-do, making her a stepdaughter in a household intertwined with corporate power struggles.

Role in the story

Eun-nam’s presence bridges multiple family branches: she’s the daughter of Yeo Sun-ho from her first marriage, but her mother’s second marriage to Huh Il-do ties her to the Cha Deok-hui lineage. Wikipedia notes that Cha Deok-hui “took in Yeo Eun-nam from her first husband Yeo Sun-ho,” establishing her complicated but central position in the family web that drives the series.

Why this matters

Yeo Eun-nam’s dual parentage—biological father Yeo Sun-ho and stepfather Huh Il-do—means she’s connected to multiple power centers in the Daesan Group saga. When the slush fund drama unfolds, her family’s divided loyalties put her at the intersection of several conflicts.

Are Seo Dongju and Eunnam siblings?

Seo Dong-ju and Yeo Eun-nam are not siblings, despite being central figures who draw viewers to ask this exact question. Park Hyung-sik portrays Seo Dong-ju, a secretive corporate secretary who stumbles onto a two trillion political slush fund, while Eun-nam is his romantic counterpart with her own tangled family history.

Relationship details

The confusion likely stems from both characters navigating the same household dynamics. As Wikipedia’s detailed family relationships section documents, Eun-nam was brought into the Cha family by her mother Cha Deok-hui, who remarried Huh Il-do. Dong-ju, meanwhile, operates in the orbit of Daesan Group through his corporate position—his identity ties to the Chu family through his birth mother, who appears in episodes 10-13.

Cast connections

The actors share screen time in scenes set around the Cha household and Daesan Group offices, with their relationship developing as the plot reveals more about their respective family secrets. According to MyDramaList’s cast information page, both characters appear throughout the series with interconnected story arcs.

Seo Dong-ju, a secretive corporate secretary, successfully hacks into a two trillion political slush fund.

— Asian Drama Wiki’s plot summary

Who is the father of Eunnam buried hearts?

Yeo Sun-ho is Eun-nam’s biological father, a detail confirmed through multiple cast listings. His character appears as a guest role played by Joo Sang Wook in episodes 3 and 10-13, per MyDramaList’s guest appearances database.

Eunnam’s father identity

Yeo Sun-ho’s relationship to Eun-nam becomes plot-relevant because he exists outside the Daesan Group power structure that governs her step-family life. While she was raised under Cha Deok-hui’s care after her mother’s remarriage to Huh Il-do, her biological father maintains a separate presence that the series eventually reveals.

Supporting cast

  • Joo Sang Wook as Yeo Sun Ho (Episodes 3, 10-13) — Eun-nam’s father
  • Cha Deok-hui (Kim Jung-nan) — Eun-nam’s mother, eldest daughter of Cha Gang-cheon
  • Huh Il-do (Lee Hae-young) — Eun-nam’s stepfather, remarried to Cha Deok-hui
The pattern

Eun-nam’s family structure mirrors the drama’s larger theme of divided loyalties—biological ties versus institutional bonds. Her father represents one world, while her stepfather’s Daesan connections represent another.

What is the story of Buried Hearts?

Buried Hearts is a 2025 South Korean political thriller drama written by Lee Myung-hee and directed by Jin Chang-gyu, according to Asian Drama Wiki. The series drops viewers into the high-stakes world of Daesan Group, where corporate power and political corruption collide.

Plot overview

At the center of the story sits Seo Dong-ju, portrayed by Park Hyung-sik as a corporate secretary with a secret mission. He successfully hacks into a two trillion political slush fund—a move that draws immediate danger from Yeom Jang-seon, the antagonist played by Huh Joon-ho. The dramatic tension escalates when Dong-ju is killed but survives with memory loss, a twist that reshuffles the series’ power dynamics.

Cast roles in narrative

The Daesan Group family provides both backdrop and battleground. Cha Gang-cheon (Woo Hyun) serves as the group’s second chairman, while his daughter Cha Deok-hui (Kim Jung-nan) remarried to Huh Il-do, creating the extended family structure that Eun-nam navigates. Meanwhile, characters like Ji Seon-u—illegitimate son of Cha Gang-cheon, portrayed by Cha Woo-min—represent the hidden offspring caught between legitimate heirs and corporate succession.

The trade-off

The series balances two story engines: corporate espionage (Dong-ju’s slush fund hack) and family drama (the Daesan succession web). Viewers who want action gravitate to the political plot; those drawn to emotional complexity follow the step-family dynamics.

Cast of buried hearts family tree

The Daesan Group family tree in Buried Hearts is deliberately complex, reflecting Korean chaebol family structures often featured in the genre. The relationships span biological and legal bonds, with multiple characters connected through remarriage and hidden parentage.

Main cast relationships

Character Actor Family Connection
Seo Dong-ju Park Hyung-sik Protagonist; birth mother revealed in Ep. 10-13
Yeo Eun-nam Hong Hwa-yeon Stepdaughter of Huh Il-do; daughter of Yeo Sun-ho
Cha Deok-hui Kim Jung-nan Daughter of Cha Gang-cheon; mother of Eun-nam
Cha Gang-cheon Woo Hyun Second chairman of Daesan Group
Huh Il-do Lee Hae-young Remarried to Cha Deok-hui; stepfather to Eun-nam
Ji Seon-u Cha Woo-min Illegitimate son of Cha Gang-cheon
Huh Tae-yun Yoon Sang-hyeon Son of Huh Il-do and Cha Deok-hui
Yeom Jang-seon Huh Joon-ho Antagonist; responsible for Dong-ju’s near-death

Eight key characters, two core family branches, and one dramatic revelation in episodes 10-13 that connects them all: Dong-ju’s birth mother is Chu Gyeong Won, played by Shin Go Eun, appearing alongside Park Da On as her child.

Season 1 overview

The 2025 season introduces viewers to this intricate web through the slush fund incident. Guest appearances flesh out the universe: Ryu Seung-soo and Jang So-yeon appear in the pilot episode, while Han Ji Hye surfaces as Seo Hyeon Ju (Dong-ju’s sister) in episodes 2, 5-7, and 10—her appearances correlating with major family revelations.

The catch

The family tree isn’t just decoration—it directly impacts plot outcomes. Eun-nam’s divided loyalties between her biological and step-fathers create conflict that shapes her choices. Ji Seon-u’s status as an illegitimate son means he’s both insider and outsider in Daesan’s power structure.

The drama centers on a massive political slush fund and the fates of Seo Dong-ju and Yeom Jang-seon.

— Wikipedia’s series description

Related reading: Jung So-min Movies and TV Shows · Lee Byung-hun Biography

Additional sources

youtube.com, asianwiki.com

Buried Hearts shares narrative DNA with period dramas like Downton Abbey, where the Downton Abbey cast and family tree unravels class-bound generational ties much like its own plot.

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Frequently asked questions

How many episodes are out for Buried Hearts?

The exact episode count remains unconfirmed across verified sources. Cast listings on MyDramaList reference episodes up to 13, with guest appearances mapped through episode 13 for several characters including Yeo Sun Ho and Dong-ju’s birth mother. Official episode numbers should be confirmed through the broadcast network.

What happens to Seo Dongju?

Seo Dong-ju successfully hacks into a two trillion political slush fund but is killed by Yeom Jang-seon. He survives with memory loss, which resets his position in the corporate and family hierarchies. His character arc involves recovering his memory while navigating the same power structures that nearly killed him.

Does Buried Hearts have a sad ending?

Based on available information, the series concludes with major family revelations in episodes 10-13, including Dong-ju’s birth mother reveal and continued slush fund fallout. Whether the ending qualifies as “sad” depends on viewer interpretation of the character fates—the drama does not shy from consequences for the corporate intrigue plotline.

Will Dongju and Eunnam end up together?

The romantic trajectory between Dong-ju and Eun-nam develops throughout the series as both characters navigate shared family revelations. They are not siblings despite sharing screen time in the Cha household orbit. The outcome of their relationship hinges on whether the series prioritizes the political thriller plot or the emotional family drama.

Which K-drama was banned in Korea?

This question does not directly relate to Buried Hearts. The series is a political thriller that addresses corporate and political corruption, but no information in verified sources indicates it faced bans. If seeking information about banned K-dramas generally, that would require a separate investigation.

Buried Hearts episodes schedule?

Specific broadcast dates and times are not detailed in available verified sources. The series premiered in 2025, but exact scheduling information should be confirmed through the original broadcast network announcements.

Is there Buried Hearts season 2?

No season 2 information is confirmed in verified sources. As a 2025 release, the series may be evaluated for continuation based on ratings performance, but any announcement would come from production or broadcast entities.

Bottom line: Park Hyung-sik leads a cast that functions as a living family tree—their interconnections aren’t decorative but drive every plot twist. Yeo Eun-nam’s dual parentage, Ji Seon-u’s illegitimate status, and Dong-ju’s hidden birth mother all serve the same narrative purpose: no one in the Daesan Group circle is exactly who they appear to be. For K-drama fans drawn to family complexity over political thriller elements, the character relationships alone justify watching. For those prioritizing the slush fund storyline, the two trillion hack and Yeom Jang-seon’s antagonist role take center stage.