South Korea · Drama · 2014
Healer
Binge Brief
- Healer aired 20 episodes on KBS2 from December 8, 2014 to February 10, 2015.
- Park Min-young won the Excellence Award for Actress in a Mid-length Drama at the 2014 KBS Drama Awards for her role as Chae Young-shin.
- Ji Chang-wook and Park Min-young shared the Best Couple award at both the 2014 KBS Drama Awards and the 4th DramaFever Awards in 2016.
- Filming began October 1, 2014, in Incheon, following a script reading on September 11, 2014, at KBS's Yeouido annex.
- The screenplay is an original work by Song Ji-na, not adapted from a webtoon or novel.
Synopsis
Healer follows Seo Jung-hoo, a freelance "night courier" who takes on jobs nobody else will touch under the alias Healer, while quietly living a second life as ordinary office worker Park Bong-soo. His work puts him on a collision course with Chae Young-shin, an online tabloid reporter chasing a story that keeps leading further back than either of them expects.
The investigation pulls in Kim Moon-ho, a veteran broadcast journalist at Young-shin's outlet who has spent decades circling a case tied to an illegal pro-democracy broadcast run during South Korea's Fifth Republic era. As Young-shin and Moon-ho work the same story from tabloid and mainstream angles, Jung-hoo is drawn deeper into a past connected to his own father.
Ms. Jo, Jung-hoo's hacker partner, keeps his courier jobs running from behind a bank of monitors, and the early episodes build tension between the professional distance Jung-hoo tries to keep from Young-shin and the personal one he can't quite maintain. Politician Moon-shik and his allies work to keep the old case buried as the reporters close in.
Healer premiered on KBS2 on December 8, 2014, and ran 20 episodes on a Monday-Tuesday slot through February 10, 2015, rated 15 and up. It picked up the Best Couple award for Ji Chang-wook and Park Min-young at the 2014 KBS Drama Awards, among other domestic and regional nominations and wins.
Healer cast
Filming locations
- The first script reading for Healer was held on September 11, 2014, at the KBS Annex Building in Yeouido, Seoul.
- Principal filming began on October 1, 2014, in Incheon, South Korea.
Themes and messages
- Healer is built around a decades-old case tied to an illegal pro-democracy broadcast operation from South Korea's Fifth Republic era, using it to show how buried political corruption still shapes the present.
- Seo Jung-hoo's double life as the courier known as Healer, alongside his cover identity Park Bong-soo, frames the drama's exploration of concealed identity and the cost of living under a false name.
- The series follows internet tabloid reporter Chae Young-shin and veteran broadcast journalist Kim Moon-ho as they chase the same story from opposite ends of the media industry, contrasting tabloid journalism with investigative reporting.
Interesting facts
- The first script reading took place on September 11, 2014, at the KBS Annex Building in Yeouido, Seoul, and filming began on October 1, 2014, in Incheon.
- In a January 3, 2015 KBS2TV interview, Ji Chang-wook said the wire work and high falls in his action scenes were genuinely frightening to perform, and thanked his stunt double, Kyung Sub, for handling the more dangerous sequences.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Have a Dream Night courier Seo Jung-hoo, known professionally as Healer, takes on what his hacker partner Ms. Jo promises will be a routine job. | 2014-12-08 | Aired | |
| 2 | Fate Continues A DNA-sample errand for Healer turns frightening for Young-shin, while Moon-ho later receives a call from the lab running the test. | 2014-12-09 | Aired | |
| 3 | The First Kiss That Day Healer starts surveilling Young-shin to find who set him up, only to realize another person is watching her too. | 2014-12-15 | Aired | |
| 4 | Because I'm Next to You Healer promises Ms. Jo his undercover plan will be brief, as Young-shin pushes her editor to run her story. | 2014-12-16 | Aired | |
| 5 | Meaning of You Moon-ho brings up Ji-an to Myeong-hee and clashes with Moon-shik, while Ms. Jo warns Healer to stay away from Young-shin over fears Bae Sang-soo is closing in. | 2014-12-22 | Aired | |
| 6 | Begin Moon-shik flips Joo Yeon-hee's case through media manipulation, prompting a cornered Young-shin to call Moon-ho for help. | 2014-12-23 | Aired | |
| 7 | We, Under the Sunset Moon-shik has Young-shin's background checked over her adoption, while Moon-ho sends Bong-soo to dig into Hwang Je-guk's private conduct. | 2014-12-29 | Aired | |
| 8 | Cannot Be Forgotten Young-shin spots an email from Healer to Moon-ho and demands to know how the two men are connected. | 2014-12-30 | Aired | |
| 9 | I Trust You Moon-ho threatens to tell Myeong-hee everything should Ji-an be harmed again, as Moon-shik's deadline to hand over Seong-cheol's killer closes in. | 2015-01-05 | Aired | |
| 10 | Can't It Be Me? Someday News waits on Young-shin's next report while Moon-shik and Boss watch Kim Eui-chan's candidacy announcement air live. | 2015-01-06 | Aired | |
| 11 | In the Darkness Moon-ho comes home to find someone broke in, then gets an anonymous call asking about the events of 1992. | 2015-01-12 | Aired | |
| 12 | I Don't Know How to Escape Moon-ho is angry that his brother showed up at Someday News, while Jung-hoo meets a close friend of his late father's. | 2015-01-13 | Aired | |
| 13 | I'm Waiting Bae Sang-soo believes he has finally caught Healer, and Moon-shik heads to Double S Guard's headquarters to meet the man they detained. | 2015-01-19 | Aired | |
| 14 | It's Alright Even If You Cry Ms. Jo attempts to hack the police server for Young-jae's statement while Young-shin grows anxious after losing contact with Bong-soo. | 2015-01-20 | Aired | |
| 15 | I Remember Jung-hoo weighs how and when to reveal his true self to Young-shin, as Someday News readies its exposé on Moon-shik's campaign. | 2015-01-26 | Aired | |
| 16 | To You Again A lead from Moon-ho sends Jung-hoo after the truth of his father's case, while Ms. Jo spots something wrong with Young-shin's tracker. | 2015-01-27 | Aired | |
| 17 | Won't You Answer Me? Jung-hoo can't shake Young-shin's stunned reaction as he pushes to secure his father's statement, while Young-shin pays Myeong-hee a visit at home. | 2015-02-02 | Aired | |
| 18 | Just Like the Others Jung-hoo confronts Boss directly, Young-shin tries to follow him in out of worry, and Moon-ho broadcasts the audiotape's contents on live news. | 2015-02-03 | Aired | |
| 19 | I'll Protect You Jung-hoo traces Moon-ho's phone to an empty Someday office, and an anonymous call comes through on Moon-ho's line. | 2015-02-09 | Aired | |
| 20 | Goodbye Healer With his attempts to clear his name blocked at every turn, Jung-hoo switches to a backup plan as those closest to him come under attack. | 2015-02-10 | Aired |
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