Buried Hearts Episode 2 Recap & Review: Dong-ju Gets Attacked From All Sides

Eun-nam confronts Il-do over Sun-ho’s death and Dong-ju’s ties

Il-do comes into the room to check on Eun-nam as she gets ready for her wedding. He whispers that now he can confront Sun-ho, which blindsides Eun-nam. She snaps, “I thought you couldn’t face Sun-ho when he was alive.” This suggests Il-do may have had a hand in her father’s death. Her stepfather, Il-do, married her mother only after Sun-ho’s death. Instead of answering her, Il-do stumbles his way through a question about Dong-ju, making it very clear he wants to avoid talking about their relationship details.

Dong-ju’s heartbreak and anger as Eun-nam marries Il-do’s rival

Startled, Eun-nam asks whether the chairman — her grandfather — has been notified about the incident. Il-do comforts her, saying he hasn’t heard, but her mother does. At the lavish wedding, Dong-ju looks on forlornly as Eun-nam proceeds down the aisle to wed Mr. Yeom’s grandson, a competitor in the impending presidential race. Reeling with emotion, Dong-ju is locked inside a secure room, heartbroken. After the reception, he finally gets a moment alone with Eun-nam, but rather than a rational conversation, he verbally berates her, accusing her of being someone who “slept over with him and married someone else in the morning.”

Eun-nam’s forced marriage and Dong-ju’s emotional breakdown

So Eun-nam, heartbroken, explains to Dong-ju that she married Mr. Yeom’s grandson to keep her shares in Daesan Enterprises. Hurt and furious, Dong-ju walks off, making his way to the church where his sister, a nun, tries to comfort him. He spills details about what went down with Eun-nam, spending some time in her presence to collect himself. That evening, as Dong-ju drives home, the president calls her about the safe — it is empty.

Eun-nam’s family dinner secrets unravel as Dong-ju’s past surfaces

Cornered by his superior, Dong-ju climbs the head of the college with two bottles of soju, but before the end of September, a new problem faces him — the combination lock on the safe has been altered. Eun-nam is getting ready for a family meal with her family and her in-laws. She comes across her step-brother Tae-hyun, who thinks she hates him. Hye Oi tries to engage him in conversation, but his surprise mention of Dong-ju’s name stings Eun-nam. Before Eun-nam can answer, their mother intervenes, but Eun-nam feels exposed — how does Tae-hyun know about her relationship with Dong-ju?

Dong-ju’s secrets exposed as the chairman uncovers his relationship with Eun-nam

After dinner, the chairman asks Dong-ju to come and drink with them until they are all unconscious. Ironically, it is his adversary who takes him to bed. The following morning, Dong-ju awakens from a vivid dream, a dream so vivid that it now feels like he can even touch it. As his work falls apart, he makes his way to the chairman’s office and tries the safe a second time.

But the chairman sees him, looks at him strangely and asks him if he’s worried about the changed combination. In a shocking twist, the chairman says that he has been aware of Dong-ju’s connection with Eun-nam the whole time.

Dong-ju’s confession leads to unexpected revelations and a new alliance

When asked about his motives, Dong-ju says he had planned to marry another granddaughter of the chairman’s, Jennifer Huh, but she is in New York now. He would be a stranger without her. Yet destiny brought him to Eun-nam, and he was instantly smitted by her without knowing she was also the chairman’s granddaughter. The chairman, touched by Dong-ju’s true affection, can’t fire him. He brings Dong-ju to an unexpected trip to a bakery instead. A confused Dong-ju asks why they have come. The chairman blithely confesses to how he cheated with the bakery owner, and then introduces his son, the biologically named Cha Seo-nu to his horse. The chairman’s end game is to fuse Seo-nu into Daesan Group.

Dong-ju fights back against Mr. Yeom’s trap, finding a clue

Il-do is angry, but what can he do? He tells Mr. Yeom about the situation, who just laughs in appreciation of Dong-ju’s cleverness. Realizing Dong-ju will not intervene, Mr. Yeom takes matters into his own hands and lays a trap. With the promise of an interview with Secretary-General Yoo, a high official, he maneuvers Dong-ju into an apartment. But when Dong-ju shows up, he’s set upon by a bunch of dudes. Refusing to go down as easily as he seems he should, he fights back with the strength of a man half his age. Amid the chaos, a phone belonging to one of the attackers rings, and curiosity leads Dong-ju to answer it.

Buried Hearts Episode 2 Honest Review

Right from the beginning Buried Hearts mixes corporate rivalry, betrayal, a struggle for love and manages to keep viewers invested until the end. The build-up of sadness and regret out of the tension between Eun-nam and Dong-ju peakes. At the same time, Il-do’s questionable background, including his potential connection to Sun-ho’s death, makes his character mysterious. Chaemin probes the chairman’s calculated tactics like revealing an illegitimate son when you think the power balance inside Daesan Group couldn’t possibly tilt any further.