South Korea · Drama · 2011
Heartstrings
Synopsis
Heartstrings (2011) follows Lee Gyu-won (Park Shin-hye), a gifted gayageum player from a prestigious traditional-music family, and Lee Shin (Jung Yong-hwa), the aloof lead singer and guitarist of the university band The Stupid. When Gyu-won books Shin's band to boost turnout at a fundraiser for her professor, their first meeting turns into a clash of personalities that quickly escalates into a musical rivalry.
As the two are drawn together through a joint musical production marking their university's 100th anniversary, their antagonism gives way to attraction. Gyu-won's grandfather, a strict pansori master, disapproves of her growing interest in theater and modern music, while Shin's guarded exterior slowly gives way as he falls for a girl unlike anyone he has met.
Around them, director Kim Suk-hyun mentors the students staging the anniversary musical, ballet instructor Jung Yoon-soo navigates her own feelings for Shin, and chairman's daughter Han Hee-joo works to keep Gyu-won out of the spotlight she believes should be hers. Bandmate Yeo Jun-hee falls for Gyu-won's friend Cha Bo-woon, while Shin's mother and younger sister round out the family drama surrounding him.
Filming paused briefly in mid-July 2011 after Park Shin-hye was involved in a car accident, and a recap special filled the resulting gap in the broadcast schedule. The drama went on to win Best Single Drama at the 2013 Asian Television Awards, and Park Shin-hye received the Most Popular Actress prize at the 2012 Baeksang Arts Awards for her performance.
Heartstrings cast
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | An Unexpected Meeting With You Lee Gyu-won books Lee Shin's band for a university fundraiser and immediately clashes with his cold attitude. | 2011-06-29 | Aired | |
| 2 | That Is My World Fed up with Shin's indifference, Gyu-won challenges him to a musical duel to prove herself. | 2011-06-30 | Aired | |
| 3 | Champion Talent auditions get underway as director Suk-hyun tries to bring a former performer back into the fold. | 2011-07-06 | Aired | |
| 4 | Towards Tomorrow Jealousy grows among the drama students over Gyu-won's casting while Shin meets a guitarist hiding a secret of his own. | 2011-07-07 | Aired | |
| 5 | Confession Shin and Gyu-won each feel the first sting of romantic attraction, and of heartbreak. | 2011-07-13 | Aired | |
| 6 | With The Thought That It Must Be Forgotten Gyu-won keeps meddling in Shin's life as new neighbors move in next to her grandfather's house. | 2011-07-14 | Aired | |
| 7 | Like This... Will Be Forgotten Gyu-won starts tutoring Shin while her grandfather objects more openly to her interest in theater. | 2011-07-20 | Aired | |
| 8 | My Love, Cry Baby Working together on the closing number pulls Shin closer to Gyu-won, leaving Hee-joo feeling pushed aside. | 2011-07-27 | Aired | |
| 9 | High Speed Romance The cast and crew head off on a weekend retreat together. | 2011-07-28 | Aired | |
| 10 | Little By Little, Slowly Stepping Towards You Shin and Gyu-won officially become a couple as a sponsor's showcase puts Gyu-won in the spotlight. | 2011-08-03 | Aired | |
| 11 | That Place, That Time Tae-joon and Hee-joo's mother scheme to damage Suk-hyun's reputation and push Gyu-won out of the production. | 2011-08-04 | Aired | |
| 12 | Don't Cry Guilt over Suk-hyun's departure weighs on Gyu-won as Shin realizes where he first saw her, on Jeju Island. | 2011-08-10 | Aired | |
| 13 | Emergency Hee-joo's sudden absence puts the survival of the whole production at risk. | 2011-08-11 | Aired | |
| 14 | So Smile An offer to study abroad threatens to pull Gyu-won and Shin apart just as they've found each other. | 2011-08-17 | Aired | |
| 15 | Let Your Dreams Soar Badly injured, Shin puts Gyu-won's future ahead of his own as the story reaches its finale. | 2011-08-18 | Aired |
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