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Cute, feel-good drama for when you want to turn your brain off
I just binged this in less than a week. I have been busy with work, and all I have done after work is binge this show. I wanted to pace myself, but I found myself staying up late to watch one more episode. I don't think the story was that unique or superb, but the acting was amazing and I really enjoyed something light-hearted and funny after a stressful day & my ever persistent SAD.*Storyline:
- I've read some reviews that appreciated the whole kidnapping subplot, and they make some good points, so I dislike it less, but I still would've preferred if it was not written in the story. I would have preferred if the plot stayed in the direction of a narcissistic CEO who slowly learns how to appreciate and value someone who had always supported him-- and fleshing out the difference between his need for control vs fear of losing someone he slowly realizes he has come to like. However, the kidnapping plot just kind of reverses the entire image of the ML and makes him into a misunderstood man who is actually sweetest and most perfect person for the FL (+ an occasional narcissism as a character quirk). It just detracted from the current relationship they built over 9 years of working together-- by playing it out as they were promised to be together since age 5. I will say that the kidnapping plot did make it more believable that ML has been single all this time & would hire the most unqualified applicant for the job.
- Another gripe I had was that towards the end, it seemed like the FL was getting cold feet. But upon second thought, it mostly seems like FL has only been responding to the affection, and only engaging/reciprocating retroactively after the ML has made a move and expressed disappointment in the non-response. I will say that I like how the FL's response to the ML's narcissism, as it makes it feel like she is the only one who can do that/finds it endearing.
- There were also a lot of cringe scenes (cue all the slow scenes of them falling onto each other), but there were also genuinely warm moments as the ML grew and learned how to love someone else. I felt like the ML progressed as a person, improving on his expressiveness, his thoughtfulness, and his ability to put others before him. It made his character super cute and likeable-- enough to overlook the continued self-absorption. The one thing I didn't like was how this character development only extended to the FL. He was still a jerk to his "best friend," which was kind of a let down. The FL also tried to reciprocate, but it was just tiring to see her do so only after something happened (ML is upset, FL doesn't know why --> FL also hears similar situation from her friends/co-workers and realizes how she had been hurtful --> makes it up). It was nice the first couple of times, because it shows them compromising/forgiving/overcoming rough patches in the relationship, but it was weird that that was always the directionality of the relationship. It gives off the feeling that he likes her way more.
- It was nice to see FL stand her ground and really take her time to figure who she was as a person, but she didn't really challenge herself to continue to grow (it would have been nice to at least see her try to do something else or pick up a new hobby). I like that she came to the conclusion of being proud of her secretarial work and chose to continue to stay in the company because of her passion for her work. It was refreshing to see that "finding yourself" doesn't mean making a 180 change, but rather finally sitting down to think about who you are and what makes you happy.
- The love stories of the sub-characters were light and fun. They weren't super fleshed out, but that's expected given the smaller screen time allotted to them.
Cast: PSJ got better and better as the series went on. I really came to like his character because of how well he was able to express the ML through his amazing facial expressions and timing. He did a really good job of delivering some of the narcissistic lines in a way that made it seem like sometimes the ML would say those things just to tease FL or had some level of self-awareness of the cringiness. I also really like PMY, but her character fell flat towards the end. It felt like she didn't do much besides smile, and even that looked forced. I think this was mainly because the camera work for PMY just tried too hard to stress her smile. PMY is already gorgeous, but blurring out the background and drawing out the scene every time she smiles just made it feel too forced. The other characters were more trope-y, but their respective actors & actresses shined when it was their time.
Pacing: Overall was pretty good! Once they became a couple, it seemed like each episode was them encountering a new rough patch that resolves by the end of the episode. I found it to be enjoyable and it felt like less time was wasted on miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Soundtrack: very heartwarming, I feel like they made the scenes more memorable and emotional for me!
Rewatch value: I usually don't like to rewatch anything, so this is no exception. I think it was a great series to help me out of a slump and was something I looked forward to after a long day. It's a cute little love story with an amazing cast, and you can always fast-forward through the cringe parts, as I think it is worth seeing the heartwarming romantic confessions (I think a lot of the ML's lines were done pretty well-- not too cheesy, but poetic enough to make your heart swell a little) and scenes.
*I do feel a little down now that I don't have something to look forward to after work now, but I also did put off some work I should have done, so I will be busy catching up anyways. I will also feel down because I want experience a fraction of the endearment ML shows to FL and get to pretend that money is just a concept-- but that is a personal issue to no fault of the series haha.
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I highly recommend you to watch it if you like comedy, fun, and romance.
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Lighthearted funny stressless romcom
Life is too short for stressful drama. Why spend all that time watching and be stressed? Don’t our lives already provide enough of that?Summary of the series:
- Light hearted rom/com; series had great flow, no stress watching it
- cute romance
- simpatico characters
- like a little bit of mystery mixed in there with the brothers and kidnapping
- no villains really, no long struggles, calamity or miscommunications to cause more drama and stress
- they try to add more drama 2nd to the last episode hence I gave it a lower rating. Should have extending the ending to let the viewers enjoy they happiness more/ more gratifying.
- its a good story about different types of love/couples getting together
very fun joyful, stressless series: recommended to watch for sure
If you are looking for gratuitous stress/drama, frequent miscommunications, insipid side stories, then this is not for you.
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I enjoyed Park Seo-Joon, playing Mr. Lee and I think that Park Min-Young was the right fit for Secretary Kim. Their chemistry was excellent which was carried throughout the drama until the very last episode. I do think that the last episode should have been further developed in terms of the story line, meaning that I was expecting more of a wow factor to close the drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Go and watch this show, it's really worth it!
I was honestly scared to watch this show. Many people were saying how good it is and I didn't want to have too big expectations. I love Park Minyoung's acting and i definitely wasn't surprised how good she was in this show. I was really invested into the story line and was hoping for every pair to get together at the end.Only thing that made me mad/sad or perhaps not happy was the fact that Yooshik get together with his ex-wife, man deserves better.
(i have to write at least 500 words so lets make it longer i guess)
I want to say, if you're not sure about watching it, just give it a try. Worst thing that can happen it's that you won't like it, but we should try everything. One drama won't kill you.
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If you definitely see this drama you fall in love with Park min young and Park seo joon
Park min young and Park seo joon acting and romance and comedy i can tell this drama is rewatch value is 100% . Story also good and supporting roles and comedy also super and park min young is amazing her angry cute is super i never see someone who is extremely cute she is very cute when she angryI really like this drama
Park min young and Park seo joon performence amazing
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light and enjoyable
There was nothing profound about this show and that is exactly why I liked it.I went into this expecting it to be a light-hearted rom-com and I wanted something that I could mindlessly enjoy and have a few laughs without having to have any deep mental investment. That's exactly what I got.
Nonetheless. it had at times some nice backstory development and altho 1 dimensional, the characters were enjoyable. I especially like the 2 lead actors, as I watched a few of their other shows and they were enjoyable in a diff way here. There were some redundant things,like, much of the MC's brother's role was useless to the show and would've made no difference to the story if he was removed altogether (not the fault of the actor).
I think if people expect too much from this show they will be disappointed, but if they want something light to enjoy then they will get it with extra.
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Not Horrible but this plot has been done better
Honestly I was not impressed by this drama. Having previously watched Business Proposal, I felt that BP was very similar to Secretary Kim but better done. The Male Lead is a good actor but his character was rather dull. The chemistry between the male and female lead was OK but nothing worth mentioning. I felt the chemistry between the side characters was better, and the storyline also better than the main storyline. The ending, like a lot of K-Dramas, felt overly long and had me wishing it would end. It wasn't a horrible show but there are so many better ones that I don't know if I'd recommend this one.Was this review helpful to you?
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Pretty Good Show.
I think this show was good and the acting/cast was great. The plot was good as I didn't feel like I was rushing to finish it, and I liked how cringe/romantic they went about it. The reason it's not a ten out of ten was because they did the weird plot thing where they someone knew each other when they were kids, it's kinda weird and wayyy overdone. I would totally recommend that if you're reading this, you should watch this drama if you haven't done this yet.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the OG's
One of my favorite kdramas. First off, can Park Min Young do wrong??This drama is such a good watch. No boring episodes. Every character had a perfect role to play! The character development for the ML was perfect. The FL and ML had such great chemistry.
A well executed office romance drama.
I could go on but I don't want to give out any spoilers.
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your classic ceo x employee office romance
i went into this show because of park seojun and i have to say, from the first episode i did not have high hopes. the acting was trashy (thats the best word i can come up with) and at times a little cringe. it did not feel genuine at all and the characters seemed very surface level. there are typical kdrama characters like the narcissistic ceo who has no concept of being poor, his employee who lives in a one bedroom apartment with no savings, a nosy coworker, etc. very predictable overall.this drama had many tropes: boss x employee, love triangle, enemies to lovers, the childhood friend soulmate trope... just a lot of things going on with no real plotline. i understand that they gave the main characters a very dark trauma from their past that acts as the "mystery" in this show but that's all it was to me—some random traumatizing past that they had to live with so they don't seem like they have a normal life (psst kdrama directors: theres nothing wrong with characters who have had a normal past btw... especially if the horrible past is smt so random that makes no sense)
i didn't like how the characters were always thinking out loud (it's like a kdrama ick of mine) or how this seemed like it was based off a poorly written wattpad story that you know exactly how it's going to end. the last few episodes i watched in 2x speed because they had already gotten together, the mystery was resolved... what else is there? there were enjoyable scenes; i shed some tears so it was not a complete waste of time.
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accidentally creating a love triangle with the boss! and other things too
"My Thoughts: I’d rate it an 8/10! While I didn’t love every part—some jokes felt cringey and the comedy was overdone at times—I still really liked it overall. The plot kept me hooked, and since it was one of my first dramas, it holds a special place for me. Despite its flaws, I’d definitely recommend giving it a watch, especially for newcomers to the genre. The charm and nostalgia outweigh the weaker moments!"Was this review helpful to you?
