A middleschool student loses her loving parents and the big brother she adores when they discover that she and another baby were accidentally switched at the hospital just after the babies were born.  She is returned to her biological mother while the family that raised her take their “real” daughter and move to the US.  Although she makes the best of her situation, she never stops missing the family who raised her.  Years later, she and her brother are reunited.  And they realize that the feelings they share have nothing to do with being siblings.  But their ill-fated relationship will be met with opposition on every side.  

Song Hye Kyo as Yoon Eun Suh / Choi Eun Suh

Yoon Eun Suh was a happy, well adjusted middle school student from a wealthy family until they discover that she isn’t actually their real daughter.  When her parents find out she was switched at the hospital shortly after she was born, they decide to return her to her biological mother.  Now she has a struggling single mother and an abusive brother.  But she does her best to live a good life, despite the many hardships.  So when she suddenly runs into Joon Suh after so many years, she is ashamed to let him see who she has become.  But eventually, her joy of seeing him again outweighs any hesitation.  She has always understood that her big brother was her first love.  But as Tae Suk, Yoo Mi, and her family get involved, she feels like she has to hide her own feelings for everyone else’s sake.  Even when she finds out she is dying, she begs Tae Suk not to let Joon Suh know.  But in the end, Joon Suh’s love for her wins out over everything else.   

Yoon Eun Suh is optimistic and cheerful, despite her difficult life.  She refuses to dwell on the negative aspects of life.  She works tirelessly and loves without question.  She also has an uncanny ability to find good in everyone, even when they don’t deserve it.  Song Hye Kyo has had a great year, and there is no question that she has talent, but I really enjoyed this tender, youthful side of her.  Her vulnerability was well portrayed and I felt a huge amount of sympathy for the character she created.  

Han Na Na as Shin Yoo Mi

Shin Yoo Mi grew up as a sheltered child before becoming an art student in college.  While at university, she met Tae Suk who introduced her to Joon Suh.  After dating through school, she and Joon Suh are now engaged.  But she immediately senses the danger in having Joon Suh spend time with Eun Suh.  Over time, Yoo Mi becomes more desperate to keep Joon Suh at her side, no matter what she has to do to make it happen.  

 ♥ Pacing

I really appreciated that this drama hit the ground running with it’s “switched at birth” plot.  There isn’t a lot of wasted set up time.  We see the switch early in the first episode, and the story takes off from there.  While the mood and dialogues of this drama are slow and subtle, the plot itself moves along at a steady pace that speeds toward the tragic conclusion.  Much like the characters themselves, we seldom get a chance to stop and take in the small moments of joy before having it be overwhelmed with life’s dramatic circumstance.  

 ♥ Tae Suk

Tae Suk is a wonderful character.  Sure, he starts as a real jerk, and there are times when he is tempted to let his own selfishness dominate his actions.  But at every turn, in the end, he protects Eun Suh’s happiness, even when it is painful for him.  I enjoyed his abiding friendship with Joon Suh and his ability to be honest and transparent about his thoughts and feelings throughout the drama.  And Won Bin did a great job of showing his constantly conflicted emotions.  This is not your average love triangle, and I loved the intricacies of Tae Suk’s character.  

Yoo Mi

While I loved Tae Suk, Yoo Mi’s character was the exact opposite.  She is greedy, obsessive, and spoiled.  I’m not sure she ever really loved Joon Suh at all.  She just wanted him and the security of a relationship.  If she had cared even an ounce about his feelings, she would have let him go the first time she saw him look at Eun Suh.  The way she continued to live in total denial was frustrating.  And it seemed obvious that Joon Suh never really cared for her beyond a close friendship.  His heart was always reserved for Eun Suh.  Tae Suk saw that quickly because he knew how to be honest with himself.  Yoo Mi on the otherhand, refused to accept what was obvious to everyone.  

Sibling Story

Okay, so let’s just get this out of the way.  There is something a little creepy about the fact that Joon Suh and Eun Suh first fell in love while they still thought they were siblings.  Sure, it didn’t end up being true, but still.  It’s a bit strange.  I would have liked it better if they fell in love after meeting as adults.  But maybe that’s just me.  Also, it seemed weird how their relationship lacked any real romantic passion.  I really feel like they act more like close siblings than lovers through most of the drama.  They do finally share one kiss, but even that lacked any real fire.  Their love was deep, pure and platonic, and that is beautiful, but I’m not convinced they felt more than that.  It just felt like their forced separation added an intensity to their relationship that made their feelings confusing.  And this theme of compounding emotional suffering over time is featured throughout this whole drama.  

Well, if you thought that you were finally going to get a happy ending to make all this emotional angst worthwhile, you will be sadly disappointed.  “Autumn in My Heart” ends on one of the saddest, most bittersweet moments I have ever seen.  But we do have a few moments of happiness along the way.  Joon Suh brings Eun Suh home to stay with him for the short amount of time she has left.  The pair have their own makeshift wedding ceremony and pledge their undying love.  We see the other characters react to Eun Suh’s impending death, but honestly none of their individual stories are really important, so I will skip a recap.  Joon Suh takes Eun Suh to the beach where they went as teenagers and she passes away quietly while Joon Suh carries her on his back and talks to her comfortingly.  Eun Suh made Joon Suh promise that he wouldn’t kill himself after she was gone, so he is left in a haze of trauma.  He leaves the funeral to say goodbye to Eun Suh in his own way.  Going back to their old neighborhood, he stops at the intersection where Eun Suh had her accident.  As Tae Suk spreads Eun Suh’s ashes in the sea, we see Joon Suh get hit by the “truck of death” (Only not white this time, surprisingly!!) and as he flies through the air, pressumably dying, we see his memories of his life with Eun Suh pass before his eyes.  And then we see two shadow sillouettes make their way happily together through the tunnel of light. The end.  Strangely, it somehow made me less sad to know that he was able to die with her without having to break his promise to her.  And that is the very essence of tragic and bittersweet.