Heart Stain Series Review: Back to School Basics
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High school student Woohyun has a hopeless crush on his homeroom teacher and has no intention of acting on it. But when his best friend Doha discovers his secret, they make a bet – they will date until graduation; if U Hyeon falls for Doha by then, Doha wins; if not, they break up and go their separate ways. Who will come out on top?
Only eight episodes long, the 2025 Korean series Heart Stain (하트 스테인) is incredibly basic, somewhat fluffy, and mostly bland. Actor Kim Ji Oh plays the main protagonist, Woohyun, while K-pop idol Ha Min portrays the short, cute Doha. Kang Yeon Jae plays their homeroom teacher, a character who, despite being very good-looking, is unnervingly (maybe even creepily) nice to Woohyun – almost as if he is leading the student on.
At its core, Heart Stain explores two themes: whether finding new love is the best way to get over someone unattainable and the transition from friendship to romance. The plot is simple, and while this could have been a sweet, fluffy romantic series, the onscreen chemistry between Kim Ji Oh and Ha Min as Woohyun and Doha is lackluster. There’s mild comedy generated through their friends, who are slightly clueless about the ongoing romance between their classmates and drowning in their own personal troubles. Actor Shin Si Yea is comedically cute as Sori, the lead pair’s friend, who has a crazy crush on Woohyun’s older brother, and tries to pursue him, despite knowing he is in a relationship. Strangely, we never really get to see this older brother.
The show relies heavily on the usual ‘miscommunication’ trope to create conflict, some of which is hilariously absurd. For instance, when Doha and Woohyun have a falling out, Woohyun’s incessant calls are ignored. These are Gen-Z kids – they thrive on texts and chats. So why not just text to clear up the misunderstanding? Obviously not, then the series will lose material for two more episodes.
Now that viewers have options like ‘Love in the Big City’ and ‘The Eighth Sense’, which explore young love and queer relationships, Korean creatives really need to step up their game in the genre. A show like ‘Heart Stain’ feels ten years too late. But if you’re in the mood for a simple high-school romance which resembles shows from early 2000s, go ahead and check this out.
Rating: 4 on 10. ‘Heart Stain’ is on GagaOolala and iQIYI.
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