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This drama is a very fun watch. The cast did an amazing job as I love the whole cast! I love all the silly sound effects in the drama. Up until about episide 12 or 13 I was binging the show but the last 3 or 4 episodes were kind of meh. I couldnt wait for it to be over.
While this drama was fun I will most likely not watch it again. I think the kidnapping mystery is what held my attention the most.
Nice ending and enjoyable side stories. Wish the siblings had side stories!
Maybe spoilers:
Somethings I really loved was the rich parents supporting the romance and there barely being 3rd wheels at all.
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Nostalgia
This review will be biased just because this was my first ever webtoon and it really introduced me into the world of manhwa and such. I read the manhwa first and watched this oh so many years after lol but it mostly kept to the og story which I loved! I haven't delved into a story yet that has gotten into a deep twist or dark story but that's okay! I feel for this story it was well written and interesting, I loved all the characters and they each had their quirks to them imo. This drama def gave me fangirl moments and had me geeking at my screen. Park Seo Joon is an amazing actor so I just thought he played the part so good and instantly was my fav character in the whole show. Also the 2 unexpected side romances was so funny and cute I loved it. I would rewatch this again since i'm so attached to this manhwa and Park Seo Joon lol. Please watch it I recommend it as an easy watch!Was this review helpful to you?
A Fun and Charming Rom-Com Elevated by Its Cast
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim is a lighthearted and entertaining romantic comedy that delivers exactly what it promises. While it may not reinvent the genre, it succeeds in being a thoroughly enjoyable watch thanks to its charismatic leads and well-executed comedic timing.Story (7/10): The premise of a narcissistic vice chairman trying to keep his capable secretary from quitting is a classic setup. The story follows familiar rom-com beats with the rich-male-lead-falls-for-ordinary-girl trope, and the childhood connection subplot feels somewhat forced. However, the pacing keeps things moving briskly, and the comedy elements land consistently well. The drama knows what it is and leans into its strengths rather than trying to be something overly profound.
Acting/Cast (9/10): This is where the drama truly shines. Park Seo Joon is perfectly cast as the hilariously self-absorbed Lee Young Joon, bringing both comedic flair and genuine warmth to the role. Park Min Young matches him scene for scene as the composed and capable Kim Mi So. Their chemistry is electric and carries the show even through its weaker plot points. The supporting cast, including the office colleagues and the rival brother subplot, adds additional layers of humor and heart.
Music (8/10): The soundtrack complements the mood of the drama nicely. While there is no single standout track that becomes iconic, the OST does a solid job of enhancing romantic moments and comedic scenes alike. The music selections feel appropriate and well-timed throughout the series.
Rewatch Value (7/10): Secretary Kim is the kind of drama you reach for when you want something comfortable and feel-good. The comedy holds up on repeat viewings, though knowing all the plot twists diminishes some of the excitement. It works well as a background comfort watch.
Overall (8/10): A well-crafted rom-com that excels through its cast performances and comedic writing. Recommended for anyone looking for a lighthearted, fun drama that will keep you smiling throughout its 16 episodes.
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Worth the investment of your time.
This was was such a beautiful love story. So pure, so enduring. His love for her was aged to perfection like wine. He watched and kept her close for 9 years. Their dating life was laid out realistically because they had an intimate scene that artistically showed the culmination of his years of longing and loving her. It’s more mature, more realistic than most kdrama love stories where they don’t show bed scenes (Romance is a Bonus Book). Why??!! This is the highest form of showing ones love especially after years of just waiting for the right time. They had a very tasteful bed scene on ep 13 and 14. “If you go in my house tonight, I can’t control my pace and I won’t stop”. And she proceeded to go inside his house. And just before he proceeded with what was inevitable, he says I love you. Such a beautiful, meaningful love scene. I am not specially fond of the one night stand scenes where they enter the door and they are stripping, almost injuring themselves as they trip on furniture — that’s so unrealistic! But this bed scene was so artistically and romantically created. And the story ended in a wedding. It’s full circle and you are left feeling happy and satisfied. Such a wonderful love story. No wonder it’s still 9.8/10 from 500k reviewers on Viki. That’s why I chose to watch it.Was this review helpful to you?
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I feel like this is THE office drama
Little spolers, I'm sorryThis is the standard office drama: he the CEO and she the secretary. Nothing new but a classic drama, an evergreen. The comedy part is really good, enjoyable and pleasant, it doesn’t feel too much, everything makes sense related to the characters. The relationships are strong and feel coherent. For example, I love the friendship between the Lee Young-Jun and Park Yu-Sik. Also, the atmosphere inside the work team is genuine and not toxic at all. Lastly, the two side couples are funny, cute and concrete (they don’t feel like just a ‘filling the episodes’ thing).
The family drama is well done. Young-Jun parents facing their mistakes, apologising for what happened with both brothers and these two talking things out. They all start a new path as a family, Young-Jun’s brother goes to therapy, wants to find himself.
The main couple is good (ofc) but, for me, there should have been a change that I don’t see: good work/private balance. After they get together, it feels like they still are boss and employee after work hours. She is apologising for things that should be nothing. The output is to have him often right and she, somehow, wrong, even when the apology is mutual. I see him trying to be different and being rejected by her behaviour. She is the one that doesn’t understand that, since they’re a couple now, things should be different. Not at work, I only mean this for private stuffs. For example, she was late for the fitting because of work, why is he mad? And why does she apologies? And why did he pick her dress and hairstyle for the wedding? I don’t find this right.
The acting was definitely the highlight of this show, fantastic. Nothing to say, it was all great and marvellous, everyone did a great job. Every character is singular somehow and it’s not just due to the idea itself but also to how it was portraited. Moving moments were well acted. Park Seo-Jun and Park Min-Young are amazing. I love her so much, I saw other works of her but he was a surprise. I’m going to watch other dramas of his now. I have to say something about the kissing and stuff: I’m amazed. I have seen other dramas, and this show is from 2018 so…I’m impressed of how the kisses are good (except for maybe two, the ones that starts her and I don’t know how to explain this to myself). The hugs re fine as well, quite natural even though he never lays his chin on her shoulder (왜요??).
The songs are good; the sound and graphic effects are great (i particulrly like Park Seo-Jun singing, but i can see it is recorded and the lipsing isn't perfect). The settings are fine, nothing that catch my eyes except for Kim Mi-So’s home and the rooftop apt with all those plants. I don’t like some scenes and editing stuffs. Sometimes I see angles that don’t make sense, I feel like some shootings could have been better if directed in a different way, and there is a wrong-edited part (a repetition of a take from the same pov. You can see that is wrong since there’s a gap, the face moved, just a little).
I’m writing this review after watching it for the second time (first time at least five years ago). As I said before, I feel like it’s an evergreen. This dynamic is frequently used but those two (main couple) aren’t easily forgettable.
Thank you for reading <3
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all in all, it's a fun series and you should definitely watch it!!!
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I also like how the main couple's personalities didn't change drastically at the end of the show. No matter how hopelessly romantic one might be, it's not that easy to change your personality within a few months of dating, especially when you are an adult. Since dramas were all just fiction, I didn't say anything much when the main lead suddenly changes from a narcissistic CEO to a "kind" or "nice" person by the end of 16 eps but honestly, its very unrealistic and I'm glad I can finally say this today.
If you are a lover of rom coms, give this one a try, you will most likely love it!
I would have given it a 9-9.5/10 because I didn't like what they did with Lee Sung Yeon's character but since I always rate dramas purely based on my enjoyment, this drama is 100000000000000/10 for me! :D
I think a rating of 8.7/10 for this drama on mydramalist is just right. It's not really the best drama considering the plot itself isn't that great but for a rom com, this is one of the best. It didn't change genres from rom com to melo then rom com at the last ep like a lot of rom coms I've watched. It was funny from start to the end and stayed true to the rom com genre.
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Bad storyline
First off, the actors did a great job and played their roles really well, especially Mr. Lee's friend: Yoo Shik. The story didn't develop as well as I thought it would. It was abrupt and I didn't get this whole thing revolving the brothers, and why the parent's kept them in the dark about the kidnapping. The reason was a bit silly and wasn't impactful. They should've just left the brother out, and made this about the main girl finding the guy that she got kidnapped with. And this could've just been a sweet romance drama without the extra nonsense.They took all these difference genres and smacked them all together. I felt myself skipping parts of the drama especially towards the end as it seemed very rushed and forced. I just couldn't get into this drama as I wasn't emotionally immersed in it.
The music was nice, none of the songs really stood out to me.
I don't think I'll ever rewatch this drama. There wasn't anything that made me feel connected to it.
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THE SHOW IS GREAT, BUT SO PLAIN?!
The show revolves around the Vice Chairman and Kim Mi So, and how they've been lovers from the start and how they become husband and wife. But it's just so plain.It's like a boss/employee relationship. Nothing special much to be honest. The show started strong with the couple and on how Kim Mi So thought The Vice Chairman's brother was her oppa and Lee Young Joon denying his feelings for Kim Mi So and more.
The last few episodes were pretty boring, as I feel it was fast paced. Episode 11 is when Kim Mi So finds out the Vice Chairman was her Oppa and not his brother. After that, theirs no plot. I mean if you wanna count his brother finding the truth about the kidnapping thing and the co-workers finding out about Kim Mi So and Vice Chairman then sure. But it was a bore episodes 14-15, maybe even Episode 13. It was just the Main Couple being lovely together. I mean if you love them THAT much then waste your time watching those Episodes but I feel like after Kim Mi So found out about her real Oppa, theirs no plot after that expect for the side couples which I somewhat barely care about. The way people say that this is the best kdrama romance, I might have to disagree with that. This show isn't really anything mind-blowing. As some characters, or most aren't even that relateable. I also feel like the whole kidnapping thing shouldn't have been their in the first place. After Episode 11, it wasn't even plot anymore. It was just a fill in, the drama is still light/soft though.
The re watch value, I would say low. As I said, it's plain so there's not really any moments you'll like to re watch besides the main couple.
The series isn't original but it is alright to watch. It was light to be honest and the music was good to! There's a lot of funny moments in the show that I loved. It's plain but if you're into a light, comedy, romance drama with a bit of a tragic past and a good ending. Watch this!
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A great watch if you don't mind the overbearing narcissism
While an extremely entertaining office drama, the biggest problem I had with this was the problematic narcissist main male lead – Lee Young – Joon. It was rather difficult (and slightly worrying) to understand how the female lead – Kim Mi-so could fall in love with him. Sure he goes through some character developments but honestly he’s such as ass at the start and it barely minimizes throughout the rest of the series. It’s only made tolerable by the fact that Kim Mi-so seems to be the only one able to put him in his place. However, it is not without its charm. If you’re willing to overlook the narcissism, there is plenty of heart and warmth in the story. There are plenty of swoomworthy moments – and despite my best intentions, I too did swoon (maybe it was just because its PSJ?). It is truly heart-warming to see the cold and rude boss become a more caring person (even if the recipient to this is only Mi-so herself) and once the plot twists come, it unravels some intense character development. The subplot presents an interesting and admittedly darker plot twist than you’d expect. It was a good twist but I felt like in some cases they used this to explain away his problematic behaviour.The cast and performance:
Park Seo-joon and Park Min - young deliver stunning performances and while I might not have loved his character, you can’t hate on Park Seo-joon. His performance is masterful as we undoubtedly feel all kinds of things towards Lee Young-joon. Park Min-young again shows way she is a fan favourite. Her performance is wonderful and we have to credit her for being able to spend much of the series running in killer high heels!
Despite some of my reservations about the characterisation, the soundtrack does not disappoint. There are some wonderful ballads on here.
Final thoughts
Overall, a good show with some delightfully humorous moments and equally heartfelt moments.
For a seemingly innocent office drama- there is a lot of heart to be found within the story. As I understand it, this drama is a must see for those who enjoy the ‘office -romance’ trope. I can agree with to some extent, however, I’d say if you want something entirely wholesome and sweet with the ‘office/workplace romance’ without all the red flags go watch Business Proposal.
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