What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? 김비서가 왜 그럴까 - Review

 

Title: What's Wrong With Secretary Kim 김비서가 왜 그럴까

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Friendship, Business

Release: 2018

Starring (Main Cast): 

Park Seo Joon as Lee Young Joon

Park Min Young as Kim Mi So

Lee Tae Hwan as Lee Sung Yeon

Kang Ki Young as Park Yoo Shik

Director: Park Joon Hwa

Writer: Baek Sun Woo, Choi Bo Rim

Rakuten Viki Rating: 9.7/10

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Audience Rating: 4.8/5

MyDramaList Rating: 8.5/10

Rakuten Viki Synopsis: Click Here

Watch with VIKIPASS Standard on Rakuten Viki: What's Wrong With Secretary Kim 

Episodes: 16 (abt. 1 hour - 1 hour & 15 min each)

Content Rating: PG-13

Violence: Hitting, yelling

Sexual Content: some serious kissing, hugging, strong verbal references, bedroom scene (no nudity)

Language: Mild

Ending: Happy, satisfying

My Synopsis

After nine years of service to the narcissistic Vice President, Lee Young Joon (Park Seo Joon), of Yoomyung Group, Secretary Kim (Park Min Young) decides it is time to resign. However, Vice President Lee has become very dependent on her, in more ways than one. Panicking over the upcoming loss of the only woman he has ever been close to, he desperately seeks a way to keep her, forcing himself to acknowledge the feelings he has had for her for years. Can he earn Secretary Kim's love before her last day of work arrives? And what will happen to their relationship when a hidden past is reveled?

Trailer

My Review: 8.5/10

As you have noticed, I have given this a bit lower rating then the general consensus. This is due to the fact that this particular drama violated one of the main reasons I like the Korean dramas I have watched. It is a personal preference, and my reason for docking it might be the same reason someone else gave it a higher rating. The reason being the sexual content and the character of Vice President Lee Young Joon. I will go into this more when I speak on his character and the actor who played him.

As for the plotline, I would definitely give it a higher rating. Secretary Kim has finally paid off her family debt and after nine years of dedicating her life to a narcissistic man and his company she is ready to move on and do something she loves. However, it turns out this man has a secret connection to her past. One he is aware of, but she is not, and in turn a secret affection he has carried for her all those years as well. In a desperate attempt to keep her close he must acknowledge those feelings and work to get hers in return before she passes her job onto her trainee. In the meantime his estranged brother also becomes a contender and he must fight against a lifetime of misunderstanding and hurt to make things right.

First, I want to say that I really do like Park Seo Joon as an actor. Following this drama I happened to watch another starring him called Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and it was awesome to see him in that dynamic as well. I felt he did pull off the narcissistic character of Lee Young Joon well and still somehow made him likable, which I feel is hard to do with that personality type. However, the written character of Lee Young Joon also is a "bulldozer" (a term also used for him within the drama). This is where my downgrade in my personal rating comes from. *SPOILER ALERT* I have really enjoyed Korean dramas that focus more on the person and the relationship that does NOT revolve around getting into someone's bed. However, once a relationship is finally established between our two leads, Lee Young Joon's desire for the next step kicks in and he is eager to step up the pace. He is very up front with what he wants next and that personally made me like him a little less. It made Secretary Kim uncomfortable and yes... she does finally give in. After he states he would not be able to control himself, we get a very intense lead up scene to what you know came next. The inability to control yourself is a character flaw, in my opinion and so, for me, his character image took a big hit.

Park Min Young is a very beautiful and talented actress. She is probably one of the most popular actresses in Korea right now. I have seen her in three different dramas so far with my favorite being Healer. I felt she fit the role of Secretary Kim much better than the role I saw her in previously, which was Mok Hae Won in I'll Go to You When the Weather is Nice. She definitely looks the part of Secretary Kim and she did an excellent job really making this character her own. She was professional and likable, yet did awesome in the scenes where she could let her character relax. She is probably known for her great acting when it comes to romance, and as usual, she did a great job with it here, as well.

Apart from the "bulldozer" mentality I did enjoy the relationship between these two characters. They had great chemistry. Park Seo Joon has a natural commanding presence to him which I felt really came in handy for this role He took the lead in the relationship, which was nice, though I didn't always like the direction.

Though not considered a main role, I have to give credit to Kang Ki Young who made my list of top favorite side characters in a Korean Drama. He plays the character Park Yoo Shik who is probably the Vice President's best friend. Vice President Lee frequently goes to him for advice. Yoo Shik is always willing to help, even though he really does not get any help in return... him having some troubles in his own life as well. He provides some great fun comedic moments and he was a huge highlight to the drama. He probably is my favorite character.

Overall, I would recommend it. It was a good story, just maybe needs a little note of warning regarding Vice President Lee's "bulldozer" personality. Probably something that would not bother others near so much as me. If you have seen it... what did you think?

Awards Won

Park Seo Joon - Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries (6th APAN Star Awards)

Park Min Young - K Star Award, Actress (6th APAN Star Awards); Best Actress of the Year (14th annual Soompi Awards)

Hwang Chan Sung - Excellence Award, Actor and Hallyu Star Award (11th Korea Drama Awards)

Pyo Ye Jin - Popular Character Award - Female (11th Korea Drama Awards)

안녕! - 줄스