The Premise: When Your First Love Is Marked for Death
Imagine being a high school student by day and a shaman by night. That’s the life of Park Seong-ah (Cho Yi-hyun), who feels trapped in a monotonous routine of exorcisms and homework until transfer student Bae Gyeon-u (Choo Young-woo) literally walks into her shrine upside down. In shaman vision, seeing someone inverted means one thing: their death is imminent.
Despite his exceptionally handsome appearance, Gyeon-u is cursed with catastrophically bad luck. Fires break out around him. Accidents follow him everywhere. His father recently died at his own funeral. And according to Seong-ah’s supernatural sight, he doesn’t have much time left.
What does our high school shaman do? She falls head over heels in love and vows to become his human amulet, protecting him from certain death through constant physical contact. Holding hands, linking arms, staying close—it’s all part of her mission to keep the evil spirits at bay.
It’s a fresh twist on the protective romance trope: the girl saves the guy instead of the other way around. Add in Korean shamanism, supernatural threats, and high school romance, and you’ve got a recipe for something special.
Or at least, that’s what it seemed like for the first half.
A Tale of Two Dramas
The most common criticism of Head Over Heels is that it feels like two completely different shows awkwardly stitched together. Viewers consistently note that the drama loses direction around episodes 9-10, transforming from the story they signed up for into something entirely different.
The First Half: A tightly-focused supernatural romance about Seong-ah struggling with her dual identity as shaman and student while desperately trying to save Gyeon-u from his deadly fate. The chemistry sparkles, the supernatural elements feel fresh, and the premise delivers on its promise. Gyeon-u hates shamans due to painful family history, making Seong-ah’s secret identity a source of genuine conflict. The romance develops naturally through their constant proximity, and you genuinely care about whether she can save him.
The Second Half: An evil spirit named Bong-su possesses Gyeon-u’s body and the entire show pivots to focus on this new character. Suddenly the drama becomes about whether Bong-su deserves to become human, sidelining Gyeon-u’s original death curse problem. People around them start preferring the possessed version of Gyeon-u, and Seong-ah must protect both the spirit and the boy she loves.
One reviewer captured the frustration perfectly: the initial story has nothing to do with Bong-su, and his arc feels like it could be an entirely separate drama. While Bong-su is admittedly fun to watch (Choo Young-woo’s portrayal of the mischievous bad-boy spirit earned praise), his extended presence meant Gyeon-u’s actual problem got pushed aside.
The Bong-su Problem
Let’s talk about this controversial plot development. Around episode 7, an evil spirit takes over Gyeon-u’s body, and rather than being a brief obstacle, this possession becomes the drama’s focus for nearly half its runtime. Gyeon-u can only emerge when he touches Seong-ah’s hand, leading to increasingly complicated situations.
What worked: Choo Young-woo showcased impressive range, clearly differentiating between the shy, unlucky Gyeon-u and the confident, sexy bad-boy Bong-su. The possession arc had comedic moments and interesting questions about identity and humanity. Bong-su’s desire to become human added emotional complexity.
What didn’t work: The possession dragged on far too long. What should have been a two-episode arc stretched across five or six episodes. More critically, it completely derailed the central narrative. Remember how Seong-ah was desperately trying to save Gyeon-u from dying? That plot point essentially disappears, replaced by protecting Bong-su and helping him achieve humanity.
The romance suffered most. Seong-ah and Gyeon-u barely got meaningful scenes together in the second half without Bong-su interrupting. Their relationship development stalled just when it should have been deepening. Fans felt cheated out of the love story they’d invested in.
The Villain Who Vanished
Another major stumbling block is Yeom-hwa (Cha Kang-yoon), the series’ antagonist. She’s a fellow shaman who has been tormenting Gyeon-u and causing his bad luck, motivated by jealousy and daddy issues with the head shaman.
For most of the drama, Yeom-hwa commits genuinely evil acts—relishing Gyeon-u’s suffering, causing deliberate harm, threatening our protagonists. She’s established as a serious threat. Then, in the final episodes, she abruptly switches sides and essentially disappears without facing meaningful consequences. The head shaman suddenly becomes maternal toward her despite years of neglect, forgiving everything because of their blood connection.
Multiple viewers called this resolution jarring and idiotic. Characters acted out of character to facilitate Yeom-hwa’s convenient redemption. It felt like the writers didn’t know how to handle her, so they just… didn’t. For a character who caused so much pain, her storyline deserved better closure.
What They Got Right: Cho Yi-hyun Shines
If there’s universal agreement on anything about Head Over Heels, it’s that Cho Yi-hyun absolutely kills it as Park Seong-ah. The praise for her performance is overwhelming and consistent across every review platform.
Viewers describe her acting as quietly powerful, noting you can’t look away when she’s on screen. She doesn’t overact—every emotion feels nuanced and sincere. Her eyes alone convey entire stories. She balances vulnerability and strength beautifully, making Seong-ah feel like a complete, complex person rather than just a stock character.
Whether she’s performing exorcisms, navigating first love, confronting supernatural threats, or dealing with heartbreak, Cho Yi-hyun brings depth and authenticity to every scene. For many viewers, her performance alone makes the drama worth watching despite its narrative flaws.
Several reviews specifically called for more recognition for Cho Yi-hyun, arguing she deserves to be a much bigger star. Head Over Heels showcases her range and screen presence in ways that should launch her into leading lady status.
The Chemistry Question
Opinions on the lead couple’s chemistry divide sharply. Many fans absolutely loved Cho Yi-hyun and Choo Young-woo together, praising their natural rapport and expressive eye acting. Comments flooded in about how even their eyes seemed to communicate without dialogue, and fans desperately want to see them reunited in another drama.
However, other viewers found Choo Young-woo lacking, criticizing what they perceived as lackluster expressions and limited emotional range as Gyeon-u. One harsh review called his performance abysmal and claimed he ruined the series. The age difference also bothered some viewers—at 30, Choo Young-woo playing a high schooler felt unconvincing to certain audiences.
The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Choo Young-woo seems better suited to playing Bong-su’s confident bad-boy persona than Gyeon-u’s shy, unlucky character. His chemistry with Cho Yi-hyun works in specific moments but doesn’t consistently crackle throughout the series.
Production Values and Atmosphere
On the technical side, Head Over Heels delivers consistently. The visual quality remains high throughout all twelve episodes, with effective cinematography that captures both the mundane high school setting and the supernatural elements. The shamanic rituals feel authentic and visually interesting without becoming repetitive.
The drama successfully creates an immersive world where Korean shamanism exists alongside everyday teenage life. The supernatural horror elements work well when they appear, providing genuine creepy moments without overwhelming the romantic core. The series manages to blend coming-of-age story, romance, comedy, and supernatural horror in a way that feels cohesive—at least in the first half.
The pacing in early episodes keeps viewers hooked. The show doesn’t drag or bore during its initial setup, quickly establishing the stakes and getting the main romance underway. It’s only when the Bong-su arc takes over that the momentum falters.
The Supporting Cast and Wasted Potential
Multiple reviewers noted that too many side characters received screen time that could have been better used developing the main story. While none of the supporting cast is bad, their subplots often feel like filler in a drama that needed to be tightly focused given its 12-episode length.
The head shaman, Seong-ah’s grandmother figure, has an interesting relationship with Yeom-hwa that’s never properly explored. Gyeon-u’s family tragedy and his hatred of shamans deserved more depth. Various school friends and secondary characters pop in and out without making meaningful contributions.
In a longer drama, these expanded character arcs might work. In a 12-episode series already struggling with focus issues, they’re distractions from what viewers actually cared about: Seong-ah and Gyeon-u’s relationship and whether she could save him from his fate.
The Ending: Rushed and Unsatisfying
Without spoiling specifics, the finale attempts to wrap up multiple plot threads while delivering a happy ending. Most viewers found it rushed and unnecessarily complicated. Deaths that felt excessive, resolutions that came too easily, and explanations that didn’t quite add up characterized the final episodes.
The show does end happily, which satisfied some viewers who just wanted to see their couple together. But the journey to get there felt haphazard, with the final stretch coasting on goodwill rather than building toward a satisfying crescendo.
One reviewer captured it well: all the ingredients for greatness were there, but the recipe wasn’t followed through to the end. The momentum from earlier episodes was gone, and instead of building toward something spectacular, the drama drifted to a conclusion.
Should You Watch It?
Head Over Heels is a drama that will reward you for about six episodes, frustrate you for the next four, and leave you with mixed feelings by the end. It’s the kind of show you watch for the characters and performances rather than the plot, hoping the story pulls itself together even as evidence mounts that it won’t.
Watch it if you:
- Love Cho Yi-hyun and want to see her shine
- Enjoy supernatural romance with shamanism elements
- Appreciate role-reversal where the girl protects the guy
- Can forgive narrative problems for great chemistry
- Want something different from typical high school romances
- Don’t mind stories that lose focus midway
Skip it if you:
- Need tight, well-structured plotting
- Can’t tolerate dragging possession arcs
- Want villains to face proper consequences
- Prefer dramas that maintain consistency throughout
- Need every episode to be equally strong
- Expect webtoon adaptations to be flawless
The Verdict
Head Over Heels represents both the promise and pitfalls of webtoon adaptations. It takes an intriguing premise with fresh supernatural elements and initially delivers an engaging, charming romance. Cho Yi-hyun’s standout performance and the unique shamanism angle make it stand out from crowded high school romance field.
But somewhere around the midpoint, the drama loses its way. The Bong-su possession overstays its welcome, the villain’s arc fizzles out, and the central love story gets sidelined for subplots that don’t pay off. What could have been a tight, focused 12-episode supernatural romance becomes a frustrating example of squandered potential.
Despite its flaws, many viewers found Head Over Heels genuinely enjoyable. It’s not tedious or boring—it pulls you in and keeps you watching even when you’re frustrated. The first half is genuinely great television. The lead performances, especially Cho Yi-hyun’s, elevate the material throughout.
It’s an underrated gem with some serious cracks, a drama that will leave you saying both “I really enjoyed that” and “It could have been so much better” in the same breath. Sometimes that’s the most interesting kind of show to discuss.
Best For: Fans of supernatural romance, Cho Yi-hyun stans, and viewers who can enjoy the journey despite destination disappointment.
Similar Dramas: Lovely Runner, Extraordinary You, The Uncanny Counter, Tale of the Nine-Tailed
Did you fall head over heels for this drama, or did it leave you upside down like Gyeon-u in Seong-ah’s vision? Share your thoughts on the controversial Bong-su arc in the comments below!
