This review may contain spoilers
Just adorable!
So basically I have finished this in 3 days with 3 sleepiness nights (do not try this at home, thanks Netflix) and I really enjoyed watching the two leads. I just thought they were absolutely adorable together like their interactions were just wholesome and natural. Ki-joo Jin and Young-kwang Kim did such a adorable job for playing the characters, especially holding out for a steamy kiss at the end there ;)I even loved the Veronica Park character ,like you hardly see confident and laid back flirty girls in any romance show I've seen. She made me laugh y'all with her nonsense that she comes out with, including the other secretaries and the mother xD
However I will say that there were quite a few downfalls in this like when two people died in different scenes, they didn't add enough emotion to them.. I mean I nearly dropped this kromcom because the way they treated the tragic death scenes in this, weren't taken seriously and were quickly forgotten about. Also I didn't think that broken elevator scene in the end was really that necessary to end a story, I mean the guy got help and lived happily ever after!
Regardless of those complaints, this is such a very cute kdrama. It's very animated in some parts but it's very entertaining to watch at just 16 episodes. Give it a try if you want your heart to bloom!v
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A light romantic comedy to watch without overthinking !
I really hesitated before starting this one as I saw some really bad comments about the ethic of it and how it was boring at the end blablabla. I've finaly started watching it because of a MV I saw on Youtube displaying the amazing chemistry between the leads and thanks to some positive reviews here and I am glad I did !I am gonna start with the story/writing : Prosopagnosia is quite popular lately in dramas and director/secretary stories are around for quite a long time so I would not say it is particulary original. There is a lot of plot holes/scenes that are completely wtf (like how come he cannot reconize his voice/hair) that I think bothered a lot of us watching . But once you stop asking yourself all those questions that clearly won't have an answer you can sure enjoy it and all the cute and funny moments that the drama has to offer. There is a little bit of "mystery" with a police investigation all along that managed to keep me engaged in the story and I think we had all the answers at the end and that is was quite "realistic" nothing too dramatical. As for the lying part, it's the same, do not overthink, it didn't bother me more than that as the intentions where not bad at all imo.
Acting/cast : Its 4 leads and their chemistry is clearly for me the strength of this drama.
The leads chemistry is really something but I think Kim Young Kwang is the type of actor that can make you believe he is in love with any female lead (you know what kind of actor I am talking about) their kiss scene where really believable and a special mention to the hand washing sccene :)
I knew Kim Young Kwang from its support roles in a lot of dramas and in white christhmas where I discovered him. He his really charismatic and I didn't managed to hate him, even in the beginning where he was suppose to act like a "cold" boss. His role was not cliché at all and he was more on the "nice male lead" side. Of course the looks are helping :p. Really liked his acting and I can't wait to see him in an other lead role.
It was my first time seeing Jin Ki Joo on screen. She was cute even tho sometimes annoying in the last episodes. Her loyalty to her boss & colleagues made me like her even when I found her annoying
A special SHOUT OUT to Veronica Park "speaking". My favorite character after the male lead. She was sooo funny and I would re watch some scenes for sure. She reminded me a lot of Shong Song Yi from my love from the stars. Her storyline with Gi Dae Ju was cute and I liked her friendship with the female lead.
I really enjoyed the last episode and the last scene, and didn't feel like it was rushed. I would even watch it if they give us a second season !
Overall a cute drama, very funny and it's exactly what I needed. If you can switch your brain off and just enjoy good chemistry and funny scenes then watch it !!!
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Starting is nice .End of first episode make so much curious in a way that you can't wait for next episode ,such interesting story will find at starting 2 to 3 episodes then too much of hide and seek story that little make bore...After that love story started between Minik/Galhee and Daeju/Veronica... Introduction of veronica character is so funny and that character is also hillarious specially the dialogue "phang wa yo",veronica park hai yo..something like that..and "Awesome" one .Last change of president scene which makes negative character shock that's also nice.As a whole it is not too good but no too bad....drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I watched this for Kim Young Kwang not gonna lie. I first saw him in Good Doctor and fell in love with him. But what made me stay for this show was Jin Ki Joo. She is amazing!! Also Koo Ja Sung. He is so cute - his smile is sooooo cute. *********SPOILERS*************
The story is kinda meh. It's about a demanding boss with a chip on his shoulder who falls in love with his secretary, over played plot. Boss is well known to be able to read people. Secretary is super awesome at her job but still gets fired because Boss has trust issues. Due to some reason boss losses his ability to see faces, and the only face he does see is his secretary's - so he can't fire her.
Boss has been set up on a blind date by his family. Blind date doesn't show up. Secretary who was out with her friends and is dressed up shows up to inform him, but he mistakes her for his date, and for the first time in her life he treats her well so she plays along. He only recognizes her for her when she's in her secretary outfit - red cardigan.
Other side of town Boss's best friend is having a date/business meeting with Boss's blind date. It's a hot mess.
*********END OF SPOILERS***********
I enjoyed the premise. I loved the acting. I loved how the actors elevated the mediocre script. All the actors were BRILLIANT! Kim Young Kwang, Jin Ki Joo, Koo Ja Sung, Kim Jae Kyung. Amazing. All. Around! VP was meant to be a little cheesy and slapstick and OTT. And they both did a great job pulling that off. And when they needed to bring her brilliant moments to light they totally did that too. AMAZING JOB.
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I believe the guy was also in the movie "your wedding" and a drama about a poor man who married the female leads mother..he was way better than this romcom. Actually i was expecting a lot from this drama i guess thats why it flopped on my list its because the "mystery/suspense" part of the series lacks "substance" they didnt put enough effort for it. Its a good series but not good enough to rewatch again.
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This review may contain spoilers
Drama that cleverly subverts some tropes...but never goes deep enough
Is The Secret Life of My Secretary for you?If you are in need of something lighthearted with attractive cast and a truly iconic second female lead, sure, go for it! Just don't expect anything too deep or memorable. Also, the FL lies to the ML (he becomes faceblind and she pretends she is someone she is not while also maintaining her "secretary" persona) and the lies become tedious and take way too long to resolve. Consider this a fair warning if you are sensitive about that.
THE GOOD: SUBVERSION OF SOME TROPES & VERONICA PARK
– The first two episodes make very clear (at least for me) that the seeds of romance between the two leads have already been there for some time. Especially from the ML's side. They are both just too dumb to realize it. The FL's elaborate (and stupid) lie just allowed them to explore the off-work side of their relationship and get closer.
– The drama is not at all about an arrogant, abusive boss who spends his days bullying his poor secretary as you might think from a synopsis. No, it STARTS with your average perfectionist boss and his overworked, pushover secretary AND THEN the field is somewhat evened when he fires her, then begs her to come back and they team up to help him overcome his disease and get him the chairman's post. It's made very clear that he only made things harder for her because he intended to fire her after one year (it's still wrong) and didn't want them to form an attachment (they still did). And during the course of the series they mostly support and help each other, which is refreshing in this genre.
- The heroine's "frumpy" self is not called "ugly" by the other characters and they have no trouble recognizing her when she's "dolled up".
- The ML's abusive adoptive mother never interferes significantly with the plot, which I am profoundly grateful for. His family doesn't even try to ruin his relationship with the FL....simply because they never learn about it during the course of the show :P.
- The second female lead, the one and only Veronica Park, easily became a scene-stealer and one of the greatest, most memorable characters in the whole dramaland. On the outside, she presents herself as a loud, dramatic and self-confident person, but occasionally she also shows her vulnerable and mature side. She actually surprised me by her serious approach to the FL's dilemma – she didn't excuse the FL's questionable behaviour or made it easy for her (FL pretended to be Veronica in front of her face-blind boss) but she nevertheless supported the FL and spoke up for her when the truth was revealed. Veronica's romance with the ML's friend is sweet and believable and their storyline is one of the highlights of the show (personally, I liked them better than the main couple, which rarely happens).
THE BAD: THEY SHOULD HAVE DIG A LITTLE DEEPER
- The show fortunately never gets too boring, but there ARE slower parts. The big lie shenanigans drag for way too long. And the "crime subplot" surrounding the ML's accident, a mysterious USB and a secretary team is rather stupid.
- However, my main problem is that the first two thirds of the show (until the big lie reveal in EP 24) hyped us a lot about the main couple's relationship. They had sizzling chemistry, sparks flew everytime they were on screen together and their kiss was super hot.
- But once they started to date in the last episodes, they somehow became more awkward around each other? Seriously, they were like two inexperienced teenagers, instead of two adults around 30! I didn't really feel the intimacy between them, and I don't just mean the physical kind. They seemed unsure of each other and never talked deeply about anything. She never even told him she loved him. I was waiting for it, but it never happened. And they still called each other "Director" and "Secretary Jeong" respectively, never even discussed calling each other by first names!
- I also find deeply troubling that they stayed in their employer-employee relationship. There MIGHT be couples that could make it work, but I am not certain if these two dummies can always separate professional and private lives. (Not to mention that her financial situation is dependent on him and that her professional life revolves around his...)
If The Secret Life of My Secretary went deeper in the final episodes, I might consider rating it 8 or more. As it is, I will probably rewatch some parts with Veronica Park but likely not the entire drama.
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The first few eps had me wanting to see more. At first, I really had the urge to keep watching because I felt like this drama would be the RomCom I'm looking for. The acting was great, and the FL was good in portraying her bubbly character. I also liked how determined she was in the beginning and I almost cried on that one scene when she's talking about her struggles to her boss when he's talking about removing her from work. However, I nearly dropped this drama when I was already at its middle, specifically when Gal Hee started acting like Veronica Park. The constant “I’m telling him everything tomorrow” and then nothing happens the next day puts me off, it's so draggy and frustrating that I almost want to just stop watching. But then, I gave it a chance thinking that it is the main point of the story; the secretary acting like someone else infront of her boss, so I let it off the hook. Since then, and even later when everything was spilled, I find the story getting dull and uninteresting. Aside from the cute moments we had from the side characters, specifically Veronica Park & Dae Ju, as well as Gal Hee's siblings, everything else was getting boring. Sometimes, I don't see the chemistry between the main leads, also some other times with Veronica Park and Dae Ju. Yes the main leads acting was good individually, but when they had those lovey dovey moments, I can't feel the spark. I feel like the romance didn't get to develop smoothly, like Gal Hee was just determined to remain to her job at first but when the crazy part of the plot started, she suddenly wants to protect her boss and falling for him eventually. Same is true with Do Min Ik. He was just acting like the boss that he is then suddenly, he's so confused with the two girls (Gal Hee as the secretary and Gal Hee as Veronica Park). I didn't get why he fell for the fake Veronica Park just because he sees his secretary in her, when he didn't even care about his secretary at first. Maybe because he couldn't imagine a chaebol daughter acting pure and humble with him? I feel like him having feelings was rushed. I don't know if it's just me. For the rest, when everything was revealed and we're only left with some side stories, I didn't find something that's interesting enough for me to love this drama, even the main plot was made frustrating and draggy to me. Overall, I think the story went downhill. The only thing that barely made this drama worth watching for me is the acting. Was this review helpful to you?
VERONICA PARK SPEAKING SAVED THIS DRAMA
I give this a higher rating because of Veronica park she is the reason why i was so entertained in this drama, she has her own style of being fabulous , and the way she pronounce korean and english is so hilariously good it reminds of one character from mean girls lmao big salute to the actress who played her character, and so addictive to watch they should have shorten the episodes until 12 becoz it became more cliche and draggy from the last 4 episodes but ill take it atleast its cute fluffy romcom show with flair of suspense or mystery. The first couple had a sweet chemistry but i was more into the second couple because the way Veronica park flirt with her boyfriend is so satisfying to watch i cant lmao. That is all thank you.Was this review helpful to you?
This drama is a very cliche RomCom but i still loved it. I generally love Kim Young Kwang, the actor who played Do Min Ik the main male lead. I was also looking forward to the second main role for female lead Jin Ki Joo, whom i loved in come and hug me. she was great as Jeong Gal hee. Acting was great story was good, it was nice cute and bubble nothing super bad.
What I liked:
- The side character VeRRRonica Park :D she was Awweeeesomeee!!! <3 i love her she became my favorite character. i was expecting her to be the annoying second female who get jealous and does bad stuff, but nope she was Aweeesome!! (Bangawoyo Original VeRRonica Park - i yeyo~~")
- The side character Gi Dae Joo, Veronica's love interest and Do min Ik's best friend. He was so cute haha the innocent and all goody guy :)
- Do Min Ik and Jeong Gal hee themselves they were so cute!
- Secretary squad
- Invisible Confidence Coat that gave confidence to anyone who wears it <3 haha so cute
-Jeong Gal Hee's sister's relationship with veronica park and her cursing in that play.
-Woo Hyun's cameo in the sauna as Jeong Gal Hee's date (the little actor who played Lee bang ji in tree with deep roots and who was chosen as the ugliest person in Infinite challenge lol) he is so cute. lol
- Ending
What i didn't like:
-Do Min Ik's extremely cute side lol i like cuteness but not that much xD i kinda prefer manliness, but this is only my own preference so this doesn't count as a minus for this drama
-Jeong Gal Hee's too much crying in the middle parts of the drama. Well i do understand her being sorry but being unable to tell, but it was taken to too many episodes i almost lost my attention, BUT Verrrronica Park kept me :D
-Jeong Gal Hee's brother... lol i understand he can't see and is kinda cute pretending to be manly strange and quirky but sometimes it was too much for me haha he added lots of comedy though.
-Do Min Ik's mother, well their relationship was too much but Min Ik made it better at the end. (this also is personal preference haha)
Well actually all the above in "what i didn't like" is mostly personal preferences so don't make them keep you from watching this drama.
Overall:
It was Aaawesomeeee (in Original VeRRRonica Park's voice)
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This review may contain spoilers
I've been dying to see this drama ever since I watched the trailer, and thought that maybe Viki would release the drama maybe a few months after it's release for standard members as the drama was only for premium...and I refused to upgrade my plan. But more and more dramas started to pile up that I wanted to watch, but I didn't have the right sub and they weren't releasing it for everyone. So I finally caved in for the holidays as there will be a second anniversary major 2 week binge session coming up for me.Unfortunately, I follow a few korean drama instagram handles that will give major spoilers for each episode of dramas. I've been getting better at avoiding them, but unfortunately for this drama, I knew the major plot points. I knew how Do Min Ik would react when he found out that his secretary had been lying to him and secretly dating him as Veronica Park. It was almost like watching Nice to Meet You - how they played the wedding/leaving at the alter scene in the first few minutes, and then started the drama 6 months before as the wedding. It made it painful to watch as you knew the first 30 something episodes were of how they met and fell in love, but in the back of your mind, you knew that something huge happened for the main guy to break off the wedding, during the wedding. So during those those 30 something episodes...it was hard for me to believe the main guy when he said he loved her and nothing she could do would make him want to leave her. Luckily, in this drama...it wasn't as painful as the other drama. But unfortunately, I didn't understand Jung Gal Hee reasoning for doing what she did unlike the main girl in Nice to Meet You. I think since the start of the drama, Jung Gal Hee was playing an innocent trick on Do Min Ik, her boss, because he couldn't recognize faces and expected to have the worst possible date and he would never call her again. And yes, as she kept meeting him because he had fallen for her version of Veronica Park, she felt worse and worse about leading him on and eventually wanted to tell him the truth, but that was after like 4 dates. All I could think about is...how the hell is she going to get herself out of this one. I felt like Do Min Ik's reaction was fair as his prosopagnosia was fresh and emotionally he hadn't come to accept it completely and Jung Gal Hee knew that. He felt as if it was a crutch in his life as well as his work, so it doesn't help that the one person who he trusted the most basically made him fall in love with her saying she was someone else. Given he is a man in his mid 30's and has no reason to be a child, but yes...Jung Gal Hee did not have a justified reason for what she did and she is lucky that he forgave her and decided he wanted to be with her only an episode (2 half eps) later. I also personally think it also hurt cause all Do Min Ik wanted was a normal family life, and he wanted to love of his step mother who had raised him after his father's death. He knew that their relationship was manipulative, but he still became the perfect son so one day she would say that he was her son and not step son. In this timeline, his mother wanted him to became head chairman of his father's company (take it away from his uncle) as well as marry into a family with high status, and decided to set up an arranged marriage with Veronica Park (CEO of biggest film company in Korea). Even though he knew about Veronica Park's demeanor, he still gave her a shot because he so badly wanted to please his mother. I think that is maybe why he fell for her so hard and so quick, he so badly wanted it to work out, so when Jung Gal Hee decided to act in the place of Veronica Park (while the real one was on a date with Ki Dae Joo) and he sensed a speck niceness (something that he lacks in his family life, but craves for), he was like, "this is my wifey."
I believe this was Do Min Ik's only flaw though...for me at least. I loved every character in this drama, Do Min Ik's especially. But there were a few flaws or character development holes that I didn't understand. For Do Mink Ik, I loved his loving and bubbly attitude, and went through his little character development - after a secretary he trusted for many years betrayed him, he had a hard time trusting secretaries, and only signed a one year contract with each. Normal stuff. I loved his goofy smile and cute personality that he always had towards his best friend Ki Dae Joo and once he got prosopagnosia, he started to lean and trust more on Jung Gal Hee and showed her this side as well. He was basically a puppy who wanted to be loved. He did throw little tantrums here and there, which wasn't my favorite, but he got better at them. I also think another thing I wasn't very fond of was his stance on the whole secretary unfairness issue towards the end. He only really helped out because he saw his girl suffering in the protest. Yes, that is very sweet, but nowhere did he mention that he did what he did to help her as well as all the other secretaries because it was wrong. Yes, what he did created a domino effect that helped all the other secretaries...but it was a domino effect, not the sole reason why he did it. Maybe he did do it for both reasons and I am reading the signs wrong, but Min Ik wore his feelings on his sleeve so the fact that he didn't come out and say it was also for the secretaries, makes me think it was a side note.
I liked Gal Hee's can-do and quirky attitude. She always wanted to help and she was great at it. She saved Min Ik's ass on many occasions. I just didn't like how her "reason" for pretending to be Veronica Park was so she could experience just once , what it was like to be on the receiving end of her boss's good side. Instead of her pulling out his chair, he pulled out hers. Instead of her making reservations and picking out the fanciest wines for him and a quest, she would drink a fancy wine. Not...really...the best reason so I wasn't super into their fake romance plot. Min Ik was being hella cute...but I couldn't get past it. It's wild if you think about it - if Gal Hee went that day and said that Veronica Park couldn't make it, I know that Gal Hee and Min Ik's romance would have still happened and it would have been cleaner and sweeter as he started to fall for her when she told him she would help him becoming head chairman. Plus Gal Hee's heart would have broken less because she wouldn't see her boss falling in love with someone else. But...I guess...if we want to think about it in a positive way, her pretending to be Veronica Park made her gain confidence in herself that she was lacking? But a counterpoint would be that she gained a lot of that confidence when she was helping him strategize how to maneuver the chairman meetings.
Veronica Park was annoying the beginning, she she went through a lot of development as she started to get a clue when she met Ki Dae Joo. I didn't really believe their romance in the beginning. For Veronica, it seemed like the very basic troupe, I can get any man I want, but you keep rejecting me so I want you. So she kept pestering him while he only wanted to talk business with her. Eventually, we find out that Dae Joo actually likes her because he thinks she is the "coolest woman he has ever met," he he wanted something serious with her and not to be her "play thing." After they decided to be "serious" they became actually really cute, but also their conversations turned suggestive and they became rabbits. Ki Dae Joo was just a homie to Min Ik and I loved everything about their bromance and how they called each other wifey. It was unfortunate that Min Ik started to distrust Dae Joo, as we all did, but to be fair, Dae Joo was being extremely suspect when he didn't need to be. Yes, that added drama to the drama...but we could have saved a lot more time if he just said exactly what happened from the get go. Plus, it would have helped if Lee Eul Wang would have told most of the truth form the get go because she seemed hella suspect from the get go, making us think that she was out here murdering people left and right.
This drama was very interesting in that; it made you think that there was this huge plot in which a lot of people from the company were a part of, with the main goal of getting rid of Min Ik. But in reality, there was only one bad guy who was an asshole, but that was his only crime, while everything else ended up being a huge misunderstanding, but no one wanted to come out and say anything because they wanted to protect one another. That's what this whole drama was about...a HUGE misunderstanding that created this chain reaction because no one wanted to say anything and Min Ik ended up getting the worst of it. For that 8.5/10. Still a great drama; it got me in the feels whenever Gal Hee needed advice and the ghost of her mother would come back and comfort her. I nearly teared up every time, especially towards the end when it seemed like Min Ik imagined Gal Hee's mother giving him advice (when it was really Gal Hee's older brother) about how you shouldn't concentrate on the things you have lost, but be thankful for the things you still have. I believe that was a huge revelation to Min Ik. He was always trying to chase love from people who didn't give it to him, that he didn't see the people who already did love him. The love of his best friend and the love from Gal Hee as well as the newfound love and acceptance he found in her family. Definitely will watch this drama again in the future as I need more Kim Young Kwang and his goofy smiles in my life <3
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