Business Proposal

Started out ok but...

By the time I was on episode 7, I was barely tolerating this drama and was watching it just to finish it.

I've been an avid K-drama consumer since the early 2000s, so when I see so many comments about people saying this drama is all the "cliches done right", I couldn't disagree more. What irks me the most is that the FL spends over 50% of the drama lying (to the ML, to her parents, etc.) and is indecisive, and has low self-esteem (to the point where the feels like she needs to reject the ML because she's not "good enough"). I loved the actress in "Uncanny Counter" and I feel like she's more fitting for the strong FL roles, rather than this meek one.

The ML was ok - it's my first time watching Ahn Hyo Seop and I don't know any of his previous work to compare, but I thought his acting was on par with the character he was trying to portray. Granted, it's the chaebol role that we've seen millions of times before, but acting wise, it wasn't bad.

Let's talk about the chemistry (or lack thereof) between the leads. There was almost zero to little buildup for their relationship and the ML just all of a sudden decided he liked the FL (even though all she did in the beginning was pretend to be a person she wasn't). I didn't sense any chemistry between them at all, tbh. I'm just so confused how/why he ended up falling for her. If you love slow-burn romances, this is the furthest thing from it and it doesn't make much sense either, so don't keep your hopes high.

Overall, it is a lighthearted, and cute drama but far too unrealistic for me and borderline annoying at some points.

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Barely resembles the webtoon on which it's supposedly based

Frankly, it's like watching badly written fanfiction in which the author does not understand the personality or motives of a central character. Taemu is the driving force in this webtoon - everyone is reacting to his decision that he's going to marry Ha-Ri come hell or high water. That's part of his tiger personality, the reason he's an effective CEO, he makes decisions quickly and sticks to them, no wavering. The humor comes when Ha-Ri is trying to run away from this crazy man who won't take 'no' for an answer even though she's falling for him. Part of what makes Taemu special is his single-minded determination to marry the woman he had a blind date with. Even when he finds out she's his employee and she was lying to him, he's still determined to marry her. At this point, the drama is just another 'contractual engagement/marriage' plot, which isn't at all unique. It's Taemu's obstinate pursuit of Ha-Ri which makes the webtoon fantastic as well as his flirtatious banter with her. You take away his marriage badgering, and you've taken away the guts of this webtoon.

Starting at episode 3, be prepared for the drama to diverge widely off the webtoon. Ha-Ri does not meet Grandpa while in her fake identity. Taemu/Cha never made a fake backstory for her or their romance either - because that would make Taemu a hypocrite. It's stated several times in the toon that he hates lying, but what is he doing right now to Grandpa? He's lying - that's out of character. It's true he hired her to play the role of girlfriend, but to him, she wasn't fake. It was merely a means to an end - he played along to get what he wanted. Same with the contractual dating that Ha-Ri later suggested. Drama Taemu is far too cold to Ha-Ri. Taemu warmed up to her very quickly in the webtoon, giving her charming smiles and bantering flirtatiously with her. He also preferred pursuing her to his work. I love in the toon where he tells Cha - 'if work is my first love, Ha-Ri's my last love.' He's always completely in control - just like a cat/tiger with a mouse/rabbit, and he never has to think about making their fake relationship real. It's always been real to him. He would never, ever snap at her like he does in this episode after her rain comment to Grandpa. The webtoon Taemu did not get flustered (surprised a times and overheated from a kiss maybe, but not flustered) nor would he ever wear a coat with zebra patterned lapels (Grandpa, yes, Taemu, no). To me, Taemu is right up there with Mr. Darcy - perfect in every way and not open to character tweaking by a director/screenwriter. To make matters worse, Young Seo and Cha's relationship is totally different from the webtoon - so boring I even fast forwarded through their scenes.

Just an aside. Taemu in the webtoon could be forgiven for not recognizing Ha-Ri in her pink wig. Taemu of the drama is apparently as blind as Lois Lane.

So much is being cut out, which doesn't need to be. Typical K-dramas run 16 episodes; this one is 12 so there was plenty of time to leave the toon as originally written instead of inventing things like how Taemu parents died. I guess webtoonTaemu was just too perfect so they had to invent this ridiculous rain phobia. No doubt he'll have to prove his love for Ha-Ri by running through the rain. It just feels like this was a hurriedly slapped together drama that I'm currently finding a BIG disappointment. It's hard for me to continue watching because they're butchering Taemu's character as well as the plot.

FINAL UPDATE - I don't know who this guy is masquerading as Kang Taemu, but he's not the character we all love and adore. Same goes for Secretary Cha (actually, he's even worse than Taemu). Heck, Min-Woo isn't even the squid we know even though they've given him a professional upgrade. Same goes for Young Seo's rival - she was not a Korean version of a Valley girl. They have totally gone off the cliff as far as following the original storyline. They've basically taken a romantic comedy template based on a contractual relationship, given the characters the names of those in the webtoon and thrown in a bunch of tropes that you find in the typical Chinese Rom-Com because I guess that's what the audience needs to make their hearts flutter or something. Did the Chinese produce this? We have MC falling on top of each other and accidentally kissing, we have imaginary umbrella scenes, we have Taemu suddenly afraid of the rain (did they get that from "She Was Pretty"?) and ML giving FL medication to put on her bruise (and him looking like an awkward schoolboy while doing so; if there's one thing Taemu never lacked it was confidence, Director/Writer!). I'm surprised it wasn't the old 'high heels rubbing a blister on the girl's foot so the guy applies a Band-Aid' trope, but we did manage to squeeze in the fireworks (another Chinese fav). And don't get me started with the MC's kisses. Taemu and Ha-Ri shared some pretty hot kisses in the toon; their Kdrama kisses are like watching siblings kiss. If the actor/actress didn't want to kiss in a believable way then get someone else to play the part. Their love scene was painful to watch as well - so awkward and forced. Really these two had very little chemistry.

FINAL, FINAL UPDATE: Episode 11 made me pull my hair out, and I'm now bald (just kidding). This is SO not in the webtoon. Grandpa is suddenly a baddie, when he was absolute sweetheart in the comic. They have SO missed the comedy that Grandpa provided as he worked to assist (not destroy) Taemu and Cha's romances. Taemu never pleaded with Grandpa to accept his choice. He was a tiger to Grandpa's lion, and he would have fought Grandpa tooth and nail for Ha-Ri, but Grandpa was faking his disapproval just to get a little revenge. I'm now convinced it was written and produced for the Chinese viewing audience because it has everything a typical C-drama has in it - accidental kisses while falling, umbrellas, fireworks, tyrannical parent trying to separate couple, and now a social media scandal caused by a vindictive female love rival (but not Taemu's, Min-Woo's) leading to this silly 'send Taemu back to the US' idea. Come on, Netflix, Korean Rom-Coms have progressed beyond this kind of stuff so I can only conclude this was based on a Chinese Rom-Com template. If you can't do a better job, just keep your hands off Korean drama, ok?

The webtoon was fresh and lively, had brilliant dialogue, memorable characters and was above all - FUNNY; the drama has none of that except for some tropey comedic moments. Apparently, someone decided that the webtoon 'as is' wasn't interesting enough to hold an audience (although there's tons of us out here who LOVE the webtoon and wanted to see it come to life) so they had to throw in a bunch of stuff that never happened. If I were the author of the webtoon, they couldn't pay me enough money to let them butcher my lead men and plot like this.

If you've never read the webtoon, then you'll probably be happy with it even though it's the same old cold CEO/Cinderella story that's been told numerous times in Asian drama. It's got all the cliches and tropes, most of which did not happen in the webtoon. Go read the webtoon, and you'll understand why I'm ranting. If you have read the webtoon and still want to continue on, I suggest you tell yourself that this is happening in a parallel universe to get yourself through it - that's what I've been doing anyway. I literally weep at what they did to Taemu's character. They've made him into a vindictive, petty, unsophisticated, romantically awkward, weak, easily flustered, hypocritical man-child, which is totally opposite of what he is in the comic.

Stars reduced to 4 because it's so wildly different than the webtoon on which it's based. I would drop it lower except for the fact that, if you didn't already know and love the comic, it's an average Rom-Com that hits all the cliché/trope buttons, making most viewers happy. Speaking of viewers, it's interesting that those reviewers who give a low rating are complaining about the storyline rather than how it's butchering the original webtoon. Same goes for those reviewers giving high marks.

My biggest fear is that viewers will think this drama is a true reflection of the webtoon - IT'S NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM! I can't stress that enough, and it just burns me up that, for the most part, 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim' followed the original webtoon, but my all time favorite comic gets butchered to the point of making it unrecognizable because it's being forced to follow a template rather than allowing it to be its wonderfully delightful and hilarious self.

I'm going to have to re-read the webtoon to cleanse my eyes from this dramaland hatchet job.

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"OVER HYPED NETFLIX DRAMA "

Drag drag and just drag ... Somehow I completed this drama with the hope of something interesting based on how much this drama got 8.8 on MDL .
DOES THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE?

I think those who've given this drama high ratings are new Kdrama fans because it's totally filled with clichés and bland storyline... everything is predictable. If you're a new fan you'll probably laugh and get excited for next episode but for me ( old Kdrama fan) it was interesting in just first two episodes not bearable after that.
So disappointed with characters I mean it's 2022 guys and what is this ?
The only different character was that eng - Korean speaking girl .

And ROMANCE ??
I couldn't handle it ಥ‿ಥ how can romance be this null ? I'm really speechless ! Zero efforts by leads .

Waste of time
Better watch WWWSK, MY SECRET ROMANCE, SECRET LIFE OF MY SECRETARY.

Never gonna watch it again.

Netflix is really wrongly representing rom com Kdrama .

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kind of disappointing

Now, I’m writing this as someone who read the manhwa the series is based on, I truly love the story and was really exited to hear it was getting a drama. But I’m so disappointed in what we got. I absolutely recommend reading the manhwa if you can, the first season is around 100 chapters then after that the second season starts.

Anyways, over to my review !
I love the actors who were casted but I don’t think the roles fit them. I generally thought Hari and Taemu were so annoying during the entire show in the way they were written. i get that its suposed to be a comedy, but i didnt really find any of the jokes funny. i love both Ahn Hyoseop and Kim Sejeong, but these rols werent really the best for them. infact, while reading the manhwa i never imagened Ahn Hyoseop as Taemu, i was more seeing someone like Jung Haein, Woo DoHwan, or even Kim Minkyu who portraied Cha Sunghoon i feel like woulve been a better choice for Taemu.

There were small cute deatails that were lost, like Hari's family chicken resturant was called "HaHa Chicken" in the Manhwa. and was named after Hari and her brother, Hamin. In the drama it was changed to "Goobne" (which is a real resturant chain, so im guessing it was advertisment... (?))
There were also bigger plot points that was changed form the manhwa to the drama which didn’t make sense (to me)

So, spoilers ahead for both the drama and manhwa !!
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Hari’s whole thing during the manhwa was that she doesn't want to marry Taemu. She said Taemu wasn't allowed to to even mention marrige if she didn't bring it up first, and told Taemu to not ask her to marry him, which he respected.
So the ending of season 1 of the manhwa, Hari was the one who proposed to Taemu, which was a huge part of the entire plot.
In the drama, Taemu proposed and Hari at the end of the first season and she just said, yes ? Without question, the entire plot of the manhwa was just thrown out the window. Why make that change ?


I did relly look forward for the addaption and i had huge hopes for the drama but I was honestly so disappointed.

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I struggled so hard to get through Business Proposal. I skipped so many scenes because I was determined to finish it so I could rate it. I don't hate cheesiness or tons of tropes, there was just something about this that really didn't work for me.

I know a lot of people loved the second leads, but there was a conversation related to consent that bothered me so much I could barely watch the two of them after that.

The main couple I did not find very interesting and there were a couple points at which I feel that relationship would have been over. Spoiler: at one point he kicks her out of the car in the middle of nowhere, at night, without a phone while they are supposed to be on a date. Regardless of the reason, she could've died! The love triangle was also incredibly boring and I didn't care about it in the slightest.

I think the character relationships just all had deal breaking moments for me that really put me off the show. There were parts that I enjoy, because there were some scenes where the main couple had good chemistry. Her team at work was pretty entertaining to watch.

While there were some entertaining and humorous parts of the story, I found the characters shallow and relationships problematic.

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Boring!!!!

Okay, I watched this because of the funny clips I saw. But, it stopped being funny after episode 5. I blazed through the rest just to get through it. I can't believe how overhyped this is. I'm sorry, I would've never considered it bad if that nonsense in the last episode hadn't happened. It was actually somewhat watchable even until ep11, despite me fast forwarding it just to feel something. I could've given it a solid seven if that whole "going away and coming back" nonsensical thing didn't happen. I just can't believe the rate at which people talk about this when the only thing it has going for it is the looks of the people involved and funny one liners from someone they didn't even bother to give an ending to?

Seriously, let's raise our standards from this boring, overdone crap.

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Funny but nothing memorable

GOOD;

- Silly tone and clichés well managed making the whole thing fun to watch.
- The main actors : if not for Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Se Jeong, I would have dropped this. Their chemistry is very good. physically I liked the couple they make: not siblings like. Different physical features. It made them magic on screen.
- The two main leads: Kang Tae Moo and Shin Ha Ri. Their interactions are silly and funny but also meaningful at times. A few cringe moments but they are so cute I will forgive that.
- Second couple is decent. They have their own story and challenges. They are a more mature couple compared to the main couple so I don't really mind their story closes with an "open ending".
- The parents and bro of Shin Ha Ri. They are the funny elements.
- Lee Min Woo and his gf: a rather realistic and sorry couple but I liked them. They are like some couple really are in real life.

NOT SO GOOD:
- No character's depth of psychology
- No character's development apart for SFL with a small one
- Team developpers 1 was ok but a bit too much at times.
- Grandpa and president Kang : a lot of potential wasted here. The last ep brought some fun moments but It could have been better.
- Ending a bit rushed.

OVERALL: A very silly and fun drama to watch if you want to smile and laugh but not a very memorable one. The story is full of clichés and there is not development to really make the characters stick in your mind. 9/10 for the fun ride.

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Full of Cliché

Hella Overrated... Maybe bcoz of netflix..& their new viewers ?
Honestly, I was excited to see this one but it was soo disappointing.
There wasn't anything new. Writer picked each part from different dramas like WWWSK, True Beauty, SLOMS, etc. Many scenes was easily predictable.
& Last but not the least, what's with that ending ?? Stupid social scandal & overseas business!!
First few episodes was interesting and but with time it lost it's track! It seemed like I'm watching a Cdrama! Like accidentally kiss, cold ML, fluffy FL,fireworks, parents disapproval, childhood trauma... ML's character was so similar to WWWSK's Park seo joon. My heart didn't fluttered while watching Lead couple's chemistry. Second couple were better though.

Overall, this drama is only for new watchers, if you're also one of them who've watched so many dramas, you'll probably get disappointed. Coz it's full of fillers & cliché. Even cliché's aren't that old these days, it seems like my expectations from kdrama's are decreasing these days. Waiting for some good one's.

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The only drama where I wished had MORE episodes :):)

Yes it has all the usual cliches - accidental fall and kiss✔️, contract bf/gf then really falling in love✔️, pretending to be someone else on a blind date✔️, rich guy CEO normal girl from “poor” family✔️, crazy colleagues✔️... maybe the one cliche it didn’t have was the bitchy ex or the love rival?! BUT!! Even with all the cliches, this drama is SO SO GOOD!!

1) It has only 12 episodes, so the pace is really fast. This is the first drama that I wished was longer!!! 2) It’s super hilarious- slapstick comedy as well as witty humour. 3) The four main leads have such awesome chemistry and VISUALS!! They look so good! 4) The romance between both couples is so sweet and done just exactly right! 5) The side characters are NOT AT ALL boring! I’ve seen so many dramas where the supporting casts are so annoying or such a let down. These support casts are great and funny!!

It really really is an epic rom-com. The ratings nationwide in SKorea is the highest! It has only two episodes left so if you have been contemplating, start now!! Highly highly recommended :):):)

Update: the final episode was just too rushed. Was expecting more after all the hype and build up from the entire series. There should have been a few more to wrap it up nicely. :(

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Perfect Drama to relieve your stress and lift your spirits

Completed - 4/5/2022 - 8.75

I am liking the current K-drama trends of having only 12 episodes instead of the long-drawn out, draggy 16-episode drama format. This is especially true for comedies and romantic comedies. This drama is perfect if you want something light and funny, and a palate cleanser after watching something serious/tragic.

Setting/Plot - Personally, I am a big fan of the contract marriages and enemies-to-lovers tropes. The setting of this drama is right up my alley. Moreover, I also purchased dumplings from Bibigo and many other packaged Korean foods from my local K-mart. So, seeing FL being a food researcher and have that as the backdrop is interesting to me. There are many common rom-com tropes and cliches in this drama. But for the most part, the drama surprises us with not going along with the usual directions of these tropes. The drama also makes fun of these tropes/cliches by using the TV show within the the drama. It's so refreshing to see.

Likable characters - We have four very likable leads. You find them funny and sweet, and you root for their career and relationship success. ML might first appear as the classic narcissistic CEO. There are many comparisons of him to the ML in "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim". I actually like Kang Tae Moo here a lot more. His narcissism didn't really last long and he turns sweet quite soon in the series. The ML in WWWSK actually is a lot more annoying. Our two female leads have a great sismance, and are so supportive of each other. They are both independent and funny, and did not bow down to road blocks and challenges in life. Last but not the least, who doesn't like the dimples of our sweet 2ML and his kind character.

Romance - Our main leads have great chemistry, especially before they are officially an item. Once they are together, the sizzling chemistry changes to something sweeter. It's hard to find a rom-com where the secondary romance is just as interesting and fun as the main romance. There's just enough screen time for our 2ML/2FL to develop their romance, not overshadowing the main romance, and yet not so insignificant that we wish they don't exist. The two romance storylines co-exist really well in this drama and I am invested in both of them. In a way, they contrast each other pretty well: love at first sight vs slowly developed romance, theme park dates vs hiking dates, rich ML vs rich 2Fl, sweet romance vs hot/steamy romance. Additionally, we got amazing kisses in this drama with both couples. No fish kisses and the ladies also initiate kisses.

Tragic Past done well - It's not hard to guess that ML's tragic past will be part of the plot. I was initially concerned that this subplot will dampen the mood of this super funny drama. I immediately thought of how the ML's tragic/family story in "Her Private Life" is the weakest part of that otherwise amazing sweet rom-com. Fortunately, it didn't happen here. It was not dealt in a melodramatic way, but in a sweet way demonstrating how FL supports ML. The drama didn't drag this for several episodes. Instead, just several sweet scenes with flower shopping, lovely dinners and umbrellas, and a few heart-to-heart sweet conversations.

OST - lovely songs especially from MeloMance. The drama also incorporates some comedy-like noises during funny scenes.

Supporting Cast - Usually I would be annoyed with someone like 2FL's cousin. She is loud and overdramatic but for this drama, I found her hilarious. I love her craziness and her use of English in between her Korean words. Maybe I am in such a good mood enjoying this drama that she becomes tolerable and funny to me. However, others may be annoyed. Same goes to FL's mother and FL's male co-worker. They are both really loud and can be either funny or annoying.

Ending - I think the last episode is somewhat predictable. In a way, I am a tiny bit disappointed as it falls into the classic rom-com tropes. I don't want to give out spoilers, so let's just say the last episode is average compared to other episodes.

Overall, I haven't had so much fun watching a romantic comedy in a long time. I rarely give out a 9.0 to rom-coms, but I am feeling good and also in the right mood, especially while I am also watching "The Longest Day in Chang'An".

Other Observations:
1. Ahn Hyo Seop has really big hands. But why are they ALWAYS so red???
2. Hairstyle changes when you are not a narcissistic CEO anymore. AHS looks so much better when his bangs are down and not in hair gel.
3. Kim Se Jeong has such a BEAUTIFUL voice!
4. Here's a duet with Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo Seop singing "Love, Maybe". So good! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FemG1XPyvNI
5. I have those Bibigo dumplings in my freezer right now! Shown on TV in the last episode. LOL

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