PrettyCarEye

Again the criticisms about how horrible the ML is are totally unwarranted.

Imagine someone single-handedly orchestrating the downfall of your family's entire livelihood. Their farm and their reputation were ruined - nobody wanted to have anything to do with them & the family was plunged into debt & despair. Imagine those wicked actions of greedy corporations causing the death of your father at the hands of loan sharks and your mother to lose her mind.

The ML wanted justice for his family, as anyone in his situation would, and rightfully so. Justice which nobody was giving him because those greedy bastards were good at covering their tracks & hiding their misdeeds from the law so the police could do nothing for him. It took him 12 yrs to land a job that paid him well enough to buy back his family farm, he had to get into bed with the devil (Tang) to bring Lin Man out of hiding so that she can be prosecuted for her despicable actions. He had to live with his own mother disowning him & blaming him for killing his father (which he didn't do) ... wouldn't shit like that make you angry at the world & make you want to destroy the people who did this to you?

Sadly, the FL got caught up in the firestorm, but instead of blaming the ML you should blame her worthless mother who didn't even have the decency, or cared enough about her own daughter, to ensure her safety & protection before she ran off to the Philippines to save her own skin!

Every vengeful action the ML took against the FL and her mother in the early stages of the drama were within the law, and justified.

Were some of his tactics ice cold? Yes. Vengeance is always a cold endeavour. If you start feeling sympathy for your enemy, you'll never be able to bring them down. As the saying goes: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Well, that's what that opening scene is all about. The ML was on the side of the lynch mob because like him, they were a victim of her mother's crimes. He, therefore, had no reason to care if they beat the crap out of her, as she - as far as he knew - was part of the people who ruined his life. If it were me, I'd've probably gotten out of the car & killed the b*tch myself!

You can't judge the guy without understanding the context of the situation & his state of mind. Besides, as the drama progressed he learned his own lessons and grew from where he started to a better version of himself.

Sometimes I have to wonder if you guys here on MDL live in a dream world. Some of these comments sound really ignorant & dumb af. It just shows that some of you really know nothing about the real world at all!

Good revenge plot, but lacks intensity & mood.
Nice romance, good kisses, but too little kisses at the same time too! Good chemistry between the leads, however, development of romance can sometimes be a bit slow.
Female lead started out as a sheltered, privileged, naive rich girl who is very trusting of people. She has no guile & doesn't seem to understand how to operate in the real world where people lie & deceive. As the show progresses, she learns a few hard lessons and grows stronger. I loved her growth. Though, she grew smarter, she never lost that inherent goodness she had about her. That was her core strength, because by being who she was, she inspired the people around her to want to be better. All this talk about her being dumb & weak is totally unfounded and shows a lack of insight into human nature & her character as a whole. The male lead also went through a transformation, and I think he learned his own lessons, esp that very important one about revenge: when you dig a hole for your enemies, make sure you dig one for yourself too.

People on MDL love criticizing and labeling lead characters as 'jerks' or 'weak' for all kinds of stupid reasons. The ML didn't pull his need for revenge out of his ass; he had very valid reasons to go after the people who wronged him. A FL doesn't have to act all feisty & fighting with her fists to be so-called 'STRONG'. Nothing is wrong with being feisty or being able to fight, but strength comes in many different ways! The FL here is an inherently good, decent person ... she made mistakes and she learned and grew from them. THAT is the very definition of STRENGTH! Half the time it's annoying AF reading some of these dumbass comments. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's really what they are.

Imagine someone single-handedly orchestrating the downfall of your family's entire livelihood. Their farm and their reputation were ruined - nobody wanted to have anything to do with them & the family was plunged into debt & despair. Imagine those wicked actions of greedy corporations causing the death of your father at the hands of loan sharks and your mother to lose her mind.

The ML wanted justice for his family, as anyone in his situation would, and rightfully so. Justice which nobody was giving him because those greedy bastards were good at covering their tracks & hiding their misdeeds from the law so the police could do nothing for him. It took him 12 yrs to land a job that paid him well enough to buy back his family farm, he had to get into bed with the devil (Tang) to bring Lin Man out of hiding so that she can be prosecuted for her despicable actions. He had to live with his own mother disowning him & blaming him for killing his father (which he didn't do) ... wouldn't shit like that make you angry at the world & make you want to destroy the people who did this to you?

Sadly, the FL got caught up in the firestorm, but instead of blaming the ML you should blame her worthless mother who didn't even have the decency, or cared enough about her own daughter, to ensure her safety & protection before she ran off to the Philippines to save her own skin!

Every vengeful action the ML took against the FL and her mother in the early stages of the drama were within the law, and justified.

Were some of his tactics ice cold? Yes. Vengeance is always a cold endeavour. If you start feeling sympathy for your enemy, you'll never be able to bring them down. As the saying goes: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Well, that's what that opening scene is all about. The ML was on the side of the lynch mob because like him, they were a victim of her mother's crimes. He, therefore, had no reason to care if they beat the crap out of her, as she - as far as he knew - was part of the people who ruined his life. If it were me, I'd've probably gotten out of the car & killed the b*tch myself!

You can't judge the guy without understanding the context of the situation & his state of mind. Besides, as the drama progressed he learned his own lessons and grew from where he started to a better version of himself.

Sometimes I have to wonder if you guys here on MDL live in a dream world. Some of these comments sound really ignorant & foolish. It just shows that some of you really know nothing about the real world at all!

Best kisser in K-dramaland ... nah, but good kisser, yeah!
Y'all should see these guys kiss ... Sung Joon, Ji Chang Wook, Kim Ræ Won, Jung Kyung Ho, Ji Sung, Hyun Bin. You will die!

Lord, relax! He isn't that bad nor was he being serious! If you hadn't dropped the drama you'd've seen that she wore what she wanted and talked to other guys as she pleased. And although she stopped calling other guys a certain name to please him ... that's just something silly & minor that most people in love would do to humour the one they love. She also made demands on him too. You must have never had a boyfriend. lol

You should update the title then, and give this as the reason! I don't know why 'the' is there, just makes it sounds awkward. There's no connotation from the original Korean title that there should a 'the', and Memories of Alhambra sounds like a more grammatically correct translation to me, someone who is a learner of the Korean language. People always mess up the titles of things on MDL.

You did not. Madam X was a red herring thrown to us by an incompetent writer.

That's why you shouldn't eat sweets.

I'm a romance fan, and usually some amount of romance in pretty much all the dramas I watch is must, but yeah, I had to force my way to the end of Secretary Kim as well. If it's the first time you're watching a K-drama then I imagine it would be really fun, but for an established viewer like me ... it was a real bore. I couldn't give it more than a 6/10. Most K-dramas in this genre will only get a 6 from me, if there aren't any fresh spins on the usual cliches. For eg, I recently completed a romcom in which the ML was determined to be a self-made man rather than live off his family wealth. In fact, the chairman of the family conglomerate donated his entire fortune to charity instead of allowing his kids & grand kids to inherit. This was new to me, and quite interesting ... given that most of these arrogant chæbol MLs wouldn't be so successful if they weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths. And in a cutthroat, competitive place like South Korea, where people are always looking for the easiest way into wealth, power & prestige, to actually have a ML who wanted to & was determined to be his own man, that was a fresh new idea that I have only seen presented in one other k-drama before this ... so I rated the drama a little higher - 7/10 rather than the usual 6.

There was also another romcom in which the chæbol FL seriously threatened to cut ties with her family, because they were using money to coerce her into living life on their terms and she wasn't having any of it. She wanted to live true to herself and what made her happy, and she was willing to fight for that, even if it meant cutting ties. In the end, she didn't walk away as I hoped she would, which was a disappointment ... but I loved that the show challenged this horrible mindset that these parents tend to have. I really hate that parents given such free reign to treat their grown children like property, but what I hate even more is the fact that these grown children always condone this behaviour & never, ever challenge it. Yes, I understand that filial piety & respect for elders are important values in SK society, but humans have a natural instinct to buck against force & coercion ... so for once seeing an adult child check their parents in this way (as I am sure happens irl) was new & refreshing to me. So for that, I rated the drama a little higher too. This is the only way a drama in this genre can net a higher score from me. Unfortunately, Secretary Kim had none of this. Nothing new, nothing fresh, nothing groundbreaking.

They can also net a higher score if they portray the intimate, sexual side of the romantic relationship in a realistic way. Nothing I can't stand more than a couple who are in the early stages of love and are crazy for one another, but their physical interactions are either non-existent or reminiscent of children on a playground. I mean, WTF ... ? These days I won't even start a drama if I check the kiss scenes and they're not up to par! Thankfully, Secretary Kim did NOT have this problem, which is probably why it got the 6 it got.

I think that was the point though, regarding the relationship between Ji Woo & Eun Gyo. It wasn't meant to be a 'relationship' based on 'warm feelings' / love. It was purely a sexual release for them both, therefore there was no need develop their relationship any further. Eun Gyo probably hoped that he had some feelings for her & for him she was just a warm body. Like he said he was lonely, but I also think for Ji Woo a big part of sleeping with her was to spite Gramps. He knew how much Gramps cherished Eun Gyo & because of his guilt & own feelings of inadequacy & inferiority, he wanted to f**k her as a slap in the face to Gramps. That's one of the many reasons why Gramps was infuriated when he saw them in the act, I believe. He knew Ji Woo didn't love, and probably couldn't love, anyone but himself. And not only did the bastard 'stole' her away from him, just like he did the short story, he also used & defiled her, for his own purpose. If he had genuinely loved and cared for her, probably Gramps wouldn't have minded as much because he wanted to see her happy. But he knew Ji Woo was a snake, whose only aim was to taint Eun Gyo's sweet innocence.

Hello there, this is not review, but a commentary on the movie that totally spoils the entire plot for audiences who have not scene the film! Not only should you add a spoiler warning to this commentary/review, you should also write in an additional warning that lets the reader know you discuss key plot points. I almost read what you wrote before completing the movie. I'm so glad I decided against it otherwise you would have ruined the movie for me. PLEASE rewrite the review all together (without spoilers) or edit the current one & include the appropriate warnings. Thank you!

LMAO ... girl, what???

A very dark, foreboding movie with a heartbreaking conclusion, but a great addition to the suspense/thriller genre.

I feel like the main leads in this drama get a lot of undeserved flack so I want to provide an alternative perspective to the regular complaints of them being boring & having no chemistry. First let me say, your liking of this drama will boil down to taste and what you look for in your leading couple.

For me, the main couple in High Society is far more interesting than the 2nd couple, and I'll tell you exactly why. The 2nd couple is your typical cheesy, cutesy romcom couple ... chæbol guy falls for bubbly poor girl, they bicker, banter & go back and forth until they fall in love & live happily ever after. Sure, their interactions are cute to watch, but they lack substance, that emotional oomphf that reaffirms their bond. You've seen this couple & this somewhat childish dynamic between them a million times before. If you only like this type of romcom - then the 2nd couple will appeal to you more.

The main couple, on the other hand, are a bit more grounded and mature in their process of falling in love. The passion for one another is a calmer burn, rather than a roaring fire. The chemistry IS there - in every casual touch, the way he secretly looks at her, forcing himself not to notice her beauty, her kindness; falling for her anyway, in spite of himself. The way he makes her flustered, shy - when she's not the shy, shrinking violet type at all ... but his essence simply overwhelms her. The way they support and have each other's backs against outside forces ... in this calm, centering & reassuring manner. It makes me feel like they have this deeper connection & that they are each other's anchor in the eye of the storm. I just loved this dynamic between them because it's so atypical for the genre.

I'd say this couple is for the grown folks who've lived a little life & have moved passed the cutesy stage of romance. They offer a refreshing change of pace from the regular cheesy romcom dynamic that this genre never seems to want to break away from.

Both, and the hypocrisy. You guys would crucify a man if he does this. I'm all for women finding & living for themselves (within reason), but leave the kids out of it, man. For an immature, (cognitively) underdeveloped 15 yr old having sex with an older wo/man may seem like a great opportunity, but it does mess with their lives in ways that aren't always apparent, right away. I'm sure women can find men within their own age group to understand their feelings & sexually satisfy them. Pursuing relationships with minors should absolutely not be encouraged or normalized. I don't even know why that's even up for discussion.

Does it have to be with kids, though? I'm sure if the genders were reversed, you and many others wouldn't be singing the same tune.

Well, I've seen Healer, Something About 1% and Devil Beside You.
Unfortunately (for it), I couldn't finish DBY. While I agree the chemistry between Mike He & the FL (can't remember the actress's name) was hot, the gimmicky acting, esp on Mike He's part, and poor filmmaking got on my nerves so I dropped it.
HEALER was just fine for me, I neither liked nor disliked the couple. Healer, the character, was alright, but the actor isn't really my type of man so I was mostly just indifferent to this couple.
I recently finished SOMETHING ABOUT 1%, thanks to this article! Jæ In & DaDa would be my favourite couple of the 3. I loved their banter & interactions ... and how ornery, but cute Jæ In was. His bark was always bigger than his bite. Most of all, though, I loved that there was no love triangle. The characters only had eyes for each other & would clearly and unequivocally shut down anyone who tried to interfere with their relationship. There was no niceness or friendliness toward the 3rd wheel, just a "sorry, not interested, now get lost" type of vibe which I loved. I wish more dramas would take this approach and stop with all the annoying triangles that really add nothing to the plot!

As for the other dramas:

SEIGE THE FOG - sounds like my type of drama, but will pass, don't do tragedies
WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY - not my type of drama, too childish
ADDICTED HEROIN - not my type of drama
DESCENDANT OF THE SUN - usually this would be my type of drama, but to me SHK & SJK have no chemistry. Next to that babyface of his, she looks too much like his older sister. Not my type couple.
BEHIND YOUR SMILE - will watch, again thanks to this article!
AGE OF YOUTH - I'm considering this, but not quite 100% sold
NOBLE, MY LOVE - my type of drama, but all that fake kissing kills any prospect of me ever watching it. Yup, I am damn shallow like that. No real & decent kissing = no watch.

Thanks for the clarification, but I really will have to pass. The word "manchild" associated with a character who will be constantly hanging around being annoying for some 30 odd episodes, good grief. No. I can't do it. That was pretty much another nail the coffin. Not only do I hate 2nd leads ... 3rd wheels, whatever you want to call them, with a mountainous passion ... there is nothing I hate more than whiny, effeminate, irritating manchildish 2nd leads that's always hanging around the lead & generally just being a pest. Gosh, that's the worst thing ever. I'm sorry, but I can't do it. I deal with way too many manchildren in real life. I need an escape. Thank you for your efforts with this article. You write really well, in a way that piques one's interest for the drama you're reviewing! I look forward to your next installment.

P.S.: By the way, there's a minor typo in one of your headings. "Carismatic" should be charismatic.

Great article. Sounds like a drama I could potentially enjoy ... under normal circumstances, but love triangles completely drive me up the wall. I just don't have the patience. Too bad.

I find it interesting that in a society like Korea, where status, money & power comes before all else that

A) the chairman donated his most of his shares & personal fortune to charity, leaving nothing but the company itself to Jæ In and
B) Jæ In was surprised, but perfectly fine with it ... , he wasn't angry or begrudging of what the chairman did. He always had the ambition to create his own wealth, to be self-made, so this only provided further motivation to continue on that path. This also means that Jæ In wasn't necessarily handed a silver spoon of wealth & privilege (not all the way at least). Yes, he gets to inherit a successful company, but it is now up to him to keep it successful & maintain/grow his wealth, just like the Chairman did.

I also liked the fact that he worked really hard to make the hotel successful before joining SH & that the hotel is his and his alone ... so if SH Group goes bust, he has something - which he built himself - to fall back on. I loved this! It made me respect Jæ In as a man even more. I love it because while I don't mind chæbol MLs, in general, I always look twice at them for being so spoiled and arrogant ... when if it wasn't for their parents' money they'd probably be broke AF just like the rest of us and not feel so entitled to act all high & mighty.