The Heirs (상속자들): Plot, Characters and Cast
The Heirs (상속자들, Sangsokjadeul) is a teen romance drama that SBS aired from October to December 2013, in 20 episodes. It was written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Kang Shin-hyo and Boo Sung-chul. Its full Korean title reads roughly as "whoever wants to wear the crown must bear its weight." Netflix lists it as Herederos in Latin America and Herdeiros in Brazil. Here you have the plot, the characters, the cast and a playful Saju for each one.
- Cast
- Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, Kim Woo-bin, Kim Ji-won, Choi Jin-hyuk
- SBS
- 2013 · 20 episodes
Plot (no spoilers)
Kim Tan is the younger son of the owner of Jeguk Group, but he lives far from all of it: his older half-brother, Kim Won, has sent him to the United States to keep him out of the way. In Los Angeles he runs into Cha Eun-sang, a girl who arrives with little money and a lot of worries. She takes any job she can to support herself and help her mother. Something sparks between them, the kind of thing nobody goes looking for.
Back in Seoul, chance throws them together again. Eun-sang enters an elite high school on a welfare scholarship, a place full of the children of the country's richest families, kids getting ready to inherit empires. Rachel is there, the fiancée Tan's parents picked for him, and so is Choi Young-do, heir to a hotel chain, who used to be Tan's best friend and is now his rival and the terror of the hallways. Tan has to decide what weighs more: the family name and its duties, or his feelings for a girl who doesn't fit into his world. The series plays with that question in every hallway, every party and every family dinner.
Characters and their Saju
Kim Tan 김탄
Lee Min-ho · Yang Fire · The Sun
Tan is the heir to Jeguk Group, impulsive and quick to anger, but with a warmer heart than he lets on. He is engaged to Rachel through a family deal, though he doesn't love her. When he meets Eun-sang, he starts questioning everything he was born to inherit.
If Tan had a Saju card, it would be Yang Fire · The Sun: he shines bright, warms whoever is close and sometimes burns without meaning to. A sun like that can't hide behind the clouds, not even when his family asks him to.
Cha Eun-sang 차은상
Park Shin-hye · Yin Water · The Rain
Eun-sang works part-time jobs to get by and studies on a welfare scholarship at a school full of millionaires. Her mother is the housekeeper in the Kim family home, so she lives right next to a world that isn't hers. She is discreet, hardworking and prefers not to draw attention.
If Eun-sang had a Saju card, it would be Yin Water · The Rain: quiet, steady, never making a fuss. Nobody sees her coming, but little by little she soaks into everything. Her strength isn't in pushing, it's in never giving up.
Choi Young-do 최영도
Kim Woo-bin · Yang Metal · The Sword
Young-do is the heir to Zeus Hotel Group, sharp-witted and feared at school for the way he bullies others. He was Tan's best friend, but something drove them apart, and now they are rivals. Behind his mocking grin there is more loneliness than he will admit.
If Young-do had a Saju card, it would be Yang Metal · The Sword: sharp, fast and always ready to strike. A sword without a sheath cuts even the hand that holds it; what he needs is someone who teaches him to put it away.
Yoo Rachel 유라헬
Kim Ji-won · Yin Metal · The Jewel
Rachel is the heiress of RS International and Tan's fiancée by family arrangement. She is proud, polished and rules the school hallways. She can't stand Eun-sang, who threatens a place Rachel took for granted. Her coldness hides more insecurity than it seems.
If Rachel had a Saju card, it would be Yin Metal · The Jewel: polished, expensive and made to be admired behind glass. But a jewel feels the cold of the display case too. Her challenge is to shine for who she is, not for the box she comes in.
Kim Won 김원
Choi Jin-hyuk · Yang Earth · The Mountain
Won is Tan's older half-brother and the one running Jeguk Group day to day. Serious and controlled, he carries the pressure of proving the seat belongs to him. He sees Tan as a threat, which is why he keeps him far away. His story is about someone who can never let his guard down.
If Won had a Saju card, it would be Yang Earth · The Mountain: firm, heavy and determined not to budge. He holds an entire empire on his back. But even a mountain needs the sun to touch its peak someday.
And what would your Saju be? Find out free with your birth date.
Why so many people fell for it
The Heirs takes the classic rich-meets-poor romance and drops it into a school where everyone is set to inherit something, from companies to grudges. The triangle between Tan, Eun-sang and Young-do, plus a cast full of faces who later became big stars, explains why it's still watched today. Netflix offers it in Latin America as Herederos and in Brazil as Herdeiros. In Korea, its final episode reached a 25.6% nationwide rating, the show's highest.
Facts
- It was the first Korean drama co-produced by the American streaming platform DramaFever.
- Its rights were sold to 13 countries; Japan paid about US$30,000 per episode, the highest price for a 2013 Korean drama.
- By January 2014 it had passed one billion views on Youku, China's biggest video streaming site.
Ending (spoilers)
Show the ending
Spoiler: after family pressure and the rivalry with Young-do, Tan and Eun-sang end up together. The final episode closes with the two of them promising each other a shared future. It's a happy ending with no bitter twists, made for everyone who rooted for this couple since Los Angeles.
If you liked it, watch next
- Boys Over Flowers 2009 · KBS2
- Descendants of the Sun 2016 · KBS2
- Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) 2016 · tvN
Frequently asked questions
What is The Heirs about?
Kim Tan, heir to Jeguk Group, meets Cha Eun-sang, a girl with no money, in Los Angeles. Back in Seoul they end up at the same elite high school, where he must choose between his family and his feelings for her.
How many episodes does The Heirs have?
The Heirs has 20 episodes. SBS aired it from October to December 2013, and its final episode reached a 25.6% nationwide rating in South Korea.
Is The Heirs on Netflix?
Yes, in several regions. In Latin America Netflix lists it as Herederos, and in Brazil as Herdeiros. Availability can change from country to country.
Who's who in The Heirs cast?
Lee Min-ho is Kim Tan, Park Shin-hye is Cha Eun-sang, Kim Woo-bin is Choi Young-do, Kim Ji-won is Yoo Rachel and Choi Jin-hyuk is Kim Won.
