Originating as a celebrated serialized web novel before captivating global audiences as a hit digital manhwa, As The Heart Leads has firmly established its presence in the modern fantasy romance landscape, though it currently awaits a formal television anime adaptation. Also known by alternative titles among international manhwa fandoms, this supernatural romance blends political intrigue with ghostly folklore. The narrative follows Yijae Kang, an orphan cursed with the ability to see spirits and a fatal aversion to water, who suddenly finds herself reincarnated into the body of Hailey Duncan. Hailey was a disgraced noblewoman who tragically died by suicide prior to her arranged marriage to King Rodrick of Kaien, a monarch heavily burdened by malevolent ghosts clinging to his soul.

Stepping into this perilous royal court, Hailey quickly pivots from attempting to escape her fate to actively utilizing her unique spiritual sight to exorcise the wicked entities plaguing the king. As she labors to lift the crushing supernatural weight pressing down on Rodrick, the mandatory proximity transforms into genuine emotional intimacy, leaving the monarch increasingly enchanted by her resilience and tender care. Yet, beneath their budding romance lies a treacherous landscape of court intrigue and lingering dark forces that threaten to tear them apart. Readers following this gripping webcomic are treated to a high-stakes progression where Hailey must navigate courtly danger, master her spectral abilities, and protect the man she is growing to love against unseen supernatural threats.