Heir’s Desire, Guard’s Secret
starring: JULIA GULACSI & KEVIN DOCKRY
Cassie lost everything after her father’s passing. Her evil stepmother forces an engagement with Felix, a ruthless billionaire. Cassie can’t stand living with this monster, but everything changes when she meets Josh, Felix’s bodyguard…
REVIEW
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a beautiful mood piece that reminded me of a play as most of the story is focused on the interaction between the 4 main characters.
I love Julia Gulacsi’s portrayal of Cassie as she takes her from someone who is so meek it is almost hard to watch, to someone who fights for those around her, and turns the tables on her fiancé.
And Stefan Weller is brilliant as Felix, who starts off bad and soon gets much worse. He reminded me of Joffrey in Game of Thrones, a spoilt brat who desperately needs someone to say no.
Unfortunately he has teamed up with Anne (살리 / Sally) who brings out the worst in him, using him for her own gain. One of the funniest moments is when she switches her focus to Josh and hangs off the poor man in hysterics claiming she has loved him all along.
Kevin Dockry is superb - look the role is a dream but then you cast Kevin and it goes to another level. There are elements of my beloved Chinese/Korean dramas here stoical suffering, intense respect and gentleness. It's sooooo good.
And finally we have Jessica (Raluca Ioana) who I adore because she plays everyone off against each other.
This is a great, smart and tidy vertical. There is violence here, but crucially it serves the story and is not there for shock value or marketing.
Super work on TheCrispy which is a new Korean based vertical drama app. More reviews coming!
💖 Top swoonworthy moment:
Josh is the moral heart of this story - stopping all abuse, dealing with Felix’s tantrums for Cassie and saying the most perfect lines: “Can I keep loving you?” (respectfully asking if he can love her from afar); “I was happy to meet you” (when we think he might die).
🦹🏼♂️ Top villain award:
Felix is terrifying, particularly when he tries to break Josh and provoke him into attacking him so that he gets fired. He feels like a spoilt kid, who no one has ever said no to. Then you have Anne, the brains of the operation, who shows no hesitation in moving on to a new mark when she thinks that will bring her more money…
😂 Comedy gold:
There isn’t comedy in this one, but I do adore Jessica, who basically gets my dream role in a vertical - FALLING ASLEEP ON THE SOFA. I also love that she has no loyalty and will spill for whoever pays her the most.
🎺 Unsung hero:
I actually want to say Cassie. She starts off so meek at the beginning it is a little hard to watch, but then we have this wonderful journey where she slowly becomes more confident, stands up for Josh and herself and takes action. There is a wonderful moment near the end when she smiles at Josh in the hospital, it is the first time she had been truly happy in the story, and her whole face lights up.
✍🏼 DETAILS
Director Lee Yoo-yeon | 2025
Available on TheCrispy
