What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)

Needed more plot

My main complaint with the show is that it reached its logical conclusion in episode 12. This is when ML and FL were already a couple and the mystery behind the kidnapping was resolved. The rest of the episodes were just filler without a plot. When there is no conflict and nothing to resolve, the story becomes stale. There wasn't even that much conflict with the older brother. He just kind of became irrelevant after the kidnapping mystery was resolved. The animosity between the brothers also looked forced because of the lack of plot development. When Young Joon told Mi So that his brother was a "bastard" and there were issues with their childhood friends, it implied that there might've been past bulling or some other conflict which had nothing to do with the kidnapping. But, it was just the kidnapping. To make matters worse, the issue between the brothers was forced on them by their parents who lied about the kidnapping for their own good, which was a pretty stupid plot device because it did not justify all the animosity. And, after it was resolved, everyone acted like nothing happened for the last 4 episodes, which was especially disappointing because the kidnapping and resulting trauma were an important plot point central to ML's and FL's character development and the writers made it completely superficial and unimportant at the end.

The resolution to the plotline of Mi So wanting to find herself felt like a cop out. At the beginning, she wanted to leave the company to find a husband. Then, that plotline was abandoned just to resurface at the end where Mi So realized she wanted to continue being Young Joon's secretary because she loved him. And, she remained his secretary after marrying him. This was rather a strange choice for a wife of a CEO to have the same position as his office employees, instead of holding a higher position for which she was actually qualified.

One of the things I liked was that FL had enough sense to pick up on the nuisances about ML's behavior to discern that there was a lot more to the kidnapping story than what she was told. I loved that she did not just blindly believe everything she was told and started having a crush on the older brother, which would've resulted in a very stupid love triangle. She suspected from the very beginning that Young Joon was the one who was kidnapped, which led her to the truth. In return, Young Joon transformed from a self-centered person to a thoughtful and caring boyfriend and employer. The main couple also had very nice chemistry and some very steamy scenes.

Other than that, there wasn't much else going on. The side characters were not interesting enough to carry the plot. I ended up skipping most of scenes in episodes 13-16 and just watched the ones with the main couple to get to the end faster.

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It may not be perfect, but it was perfect for me

I don't get the negative reviews here, but to each their own.

This show was recommended to me after I watched King the Land, which I absolutely adore. I've come to need good rom-coms in my life; I've had it with hackneyed dramas with their manufactured angst and cliche story-lines. This show, for me, filled in all the blanks. ALL OF THEM.

I came to fall in love with the cast, their stories, the direction, photography, locations, etc. The OST was not quite as good as KtL, but it's background score was better, especially her theme (available on YouTube). The show correctly and perfectly developed not only the leads, but the supporting cast as well and included them in the leads story so well and logically. We came to care about them TOO.

I don't feel the story let down after the background mystery was resolved - in fact, how it was finally resolved and confessed brought tears to my eyes. And the lead's journey after that, was no less compelling. His love for her, that had been so long in coming, that he dare not reveal, was at time heart-rending for him. Her confusion about the past and her deep feelings for him kept us coming back for more and more.

Everybody talks about "chemistry". Not only did the leads have great chemistry, but this extended to the supporting cast as well. The scenes between the VC & President were not only funny, but touching and realistic. Everyone played off each other so well; I've never seen a show like this before. Kudos to the casting director!

Their fumbling and stumbling thru their relationship (the first one for each, despite their ages) was relatable. Was he a "toxic" person? No, he's just a dork. He's a clueless rich guy, whose intelligence is matched by his social awkwardness. And he was traumatized by events in his past that would have shattered lesser personalities. Is she a cold-hearted, selfish woman? Seriously? She is trying to deal with her long-time boss being someone who is more than he seems and trying to balance her affection for him with her sense of duty and uncertainty in falling in love for the first time.

The webtoon goes well past their marriage, and tells us their story in the future. I still hope that maybe, someone, will pick up on this and give us a Season 2.

I only wish KBS would give us something more like this instead of what passes for K-dramas on their network these days. I eagerly await the Filipino Version!

PS - I liked it so much I bought the DVD (tip: the translations on the DVD are OK, but not as good as those on the online streaming sites).

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For me, this drama is a bit of a mixed bag.

On the one hand, I find the writing for Lee Young Joon (the ML) and the complex relationship that he has with Kim Mi So (the FL) is very good.
Seeing how love changes people is always a treat for me, even though most of the times the characters that undergo this kind of transformation shift their personality 180 degrees, basically becoming a new character in the end. On the contrary, in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, ML's character growth is done is such a way that he gets to keep his cocky personality throughout the whole story, but he gradually shifts from vanity, self-centeredness into a playful overconfidence that he gets to use in a very adorable way, childishly hoping to impress the FL with its boldness. Lee Young Joon is a many-sided character and despite the arrogance that he displays in various circumstances, he remains a very likeable character from the beginning till the end. Not for a second have I hated him or considered him despicable in any way.
The relationship between the main leads is also complex and multi-faceted. They have overall a very healthy connection and the topics chosen to showcase how one learns to overcome the difficulties of being in a relationship are right on point. Compromising, quick forgiveness to avoid extending conflicts indefinitely, putting your partner's need above yours, sacrificing your own desires, being considerate of your partner's feelings - these are all very well presented and even those that have a long experience in dating could learn a thing of two from this drama.

On the other hand, everything that did not involve the main leads was extremely nonsensical, annoying, unfunny and straight up boring. The various secondary office romances were just not interesting and felt much more of a filler than in any other drama I previously watched. Apart from one endearing character (Yang Cheol), I wanted to skip basically every scene involving these characters. The writing was so different from the one regarding ML+FL pairing that it always felt that one writer (a good one) was tasked to write the main leads story, and another writer (an unskilled one) had to handle everything else.

Lastly, even if "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim" is often compared to "Business Proposal" or "The Secret Life of My Secretary", I find these three dramas quite different from each other (despite them having common elements and even identical scenes). "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim" focuses on complex relationship development, while "Business Proposal" and "The Secret Life of My Secretary" gravitate around the idea of a double identity. They're all lightweight dramas, without any substantial plot and all three have a cold-hearted boss as ML with more or less a childhood trauma, but each of them has its own unique charm. "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim" probably has the deepest meaning, "Business Proposal" has the most likeable ML and "The Secret Life of My Secretary" the most memorable side-character (one can never forget the legendary "Veronica Park speaking").

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It could have been better and shorter

I mean it is not a drama that I regret watch but not that great

Everything that needed a conclusion ended within ep 13..but it was dragged until 16
I watched till thirteen and rest of the episodes I read the written update..just because I didn't want to have a lingering feeling

The romance was awesome
Kisses were ultimate
Chemistry too

The thing that impressed me the most was FL acting!!
I mean such a feminine secretary she played
How perfect it can be!!
She played a ton boyish bubbly and unkept girl in healer and it's exactly the opposite how she played secretary her!!

The story was good but it needed some power
It was a light watch and good enough for those who are new to kdramas

You can give it a try if you like good and real kisses..also for good acting

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It’s a trope fest so you gotta appreciate tropes to actually see this drama for the beauty it is.

As the headline states - to be honest with you , it is a real trope fest ! I’m talking chaebol, fate,noble sacrifice, second bananas, rich and poor etc . The whole shebang !I really appreciated the tongue-in-cheek honesty and found this refreshing.

As for my review- This is a really fluid watch hence the utter high marks I give it .Its not strenuous in the slightest nor is it frustrating. To me , fluidity and the feelings aroused are very important points in my drama forays. WWWSK passes it all.

STORY- well , the synopsis is not much to chew on and I advise those wanting to watch to go in with the low expectation the synopsis provides. You will be surprised by the elements that this drama brings. What you see is also not what you get as well in regards to the OTP.It really isn’t all about a secretary and her boss but let me keep quiet before I spoil. I especially loved its honesty in knowing it was a trope filled rom com and I loved the truthfulness of spinning each trope (knowingly with a wink to the viewer) on its head . I loved how the story was really inclusive of the viewer .I almost felt like a cast member hence WWWSK is engaging . It’s a bright , fluffy and really entertaining watch. The elements of it being based on a web toon added the X factor to the refreshing aspect of WWWSK.To juxtapose - I like the seriousness and thoughtfulness that the main leads incorporate .To be specific - I liked how the main OTPs actually listen to each other when they express feelings or opinions,. There are no plot holes and everything is all very satisfying. Such stellar romantic quotes and flooring declarations plus revelations enough to make you swoon to the gods. Moreover - the subsidiary stories were fun to watch hence the 10.

ACTING - lovely! For once not a stiff wooden female lead and I am soooo grateful for that . She actually closes her eyes when kissing ! In my view - the cast was flawless . They had so much energy and charisma plus geled really well together . The cast is dare I say almost iconic ? Like , I was nearly convinced they were actually really really firm chums in real life having a ball working together . Loved the expressive Park Min Young and the depth and charismatic range Park Seo Joon .

MUSIC - great OST . Loved every tune especially the poignant and profundity that is Its You by Jeong Sewoon. This song actually tells the whole story if one is paying close attention.

FASHION - 10 as well. All the outfits really communicated the characters portraits very well. The fun office girl wore shorts suits , the cutesy one wore baby doll blouses ,chaebol never really got casual etc you get the picture. Office wear was also done in a very approachable manner fit for any Pinterest board. Plus really loved all the accessories as well . Pretty earrings and great handbags . Young Jun’s suits were also really good though I loved his take on casual which wasn’t casual but really communicated the ethos of his character.

REWATCH - yes . I will definitely revisit sometime . It will be fun watching trying to figure out and pin point when and where exactly all the characters really fell for each other . Plus Park Seo Joon has really funny lines .

OVERALL- Personally a firm fave of mine . It’s going into my lists for fave dramas and OTPs . Perhaps the only critique I can give is that the final episodes did delve into some sort of fan service of some sort . Some may say towards the end there was no plot development but what do you want from a rom com ? A masked serial killer ? I personally want cute scenes and resolve and if it means an overload of pretty cute scenes that are actually coherent and reflective then bring on the fan service !

Go watch . It’s better than The Heirs which I dropped and found in its pathetic stead - this gem WWWSK. HA !

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Funny and touching but nonsense.

The story is supposed to be funny with romance and maybe a little bit of drama. I can see where they tried, but the whole premise is off. The romance is fine, I actually think they had decent chemistry but if you watch it more than once, it will be more and more difficult to get into the fun of it. The side characters and romances were fun and some people said they were more interesting than the main pairing, but I have to disagree. I think they added to the show, but they weren't so interesting that they stole it. The main couple: Secretary Kim and Narassistic Boss don't have much character arc, considering the content of the show, but it was still very interesting and I enjoyed watching the entire series once. The music was good, but not outstanding. The acting was also good and I thought very in character. To understand why the underlying story behind the main couple, you have to hear some spoilers, but without spoilers, I can say it wasn't well done and was so nonsensical as to have been ridiculous. I would watch it once, but not twice because those moments of understanding will annoy you more if you rewatch.

With spoilers: the main couple have a history. This explains why a totally arrogant and impatient boss would pick a secretary who wasn't fluent in English and experienced enough in the field. She needed to work super hard to catch up to his needs. Over time as they work together, he grows used to how amazing she is and when he thinks of his life without her, he doesn't want her to quit. He tries mulitiple ways to get her to stay and eventually realizes that he loves her. Naturally, he has to overcome his gigantic ego to get to that point, but still. The process is funny and entertaining. She begins to fall in love with him as she sees his emotional sides. Naturally, the catalyst needed to make them both realize how they feel is the return of the boss's self-centered brother who decides that he wants Secretary Kim. Either because he's so arrogant as to think he can have anyone or because he wants to take her from his brother -- he causes problems between them just as they are getting closer.

The actual spoiler is why the premise is really messed up and nonsensical. You see, way back when Secretary Kim was 4-5 years old and her boss was 9-10 and self-centered brother was maybe 11-12, the brother bullies the young boy boss and eventually leaves him in a deserted street where he is kidnapped. Then baby girl Mi So (Secretary Kim) is also kidnapped. They help each other through the experience and end up home safe and sound but naturally with fears. Why Mi So's family doesn't tell her the truth when she asks if she was ever kidnapped makes absolutely no sense to me. Until you recognize and accept that you've been hurt you will never be able to deal with it on an emotional level. So keeping it from her is like telling her to pretend she doesn't feel the pain rather than taking her to the doctor. The young boss hires her because he remembers her, but she doesn't remember and he also doesn't explain. No reason, but that's more excusable. Last, boss's mom and dad who are supposed to be good, normal, loving parents, are actually full time idiots with hateful and stupid notions about family. When older brother feels bad for what he did, he has a mental break and decides that he was the one who was kidnapped. Then mom and dad decide that it's better to pretend that their arrogant, self-centered older son was actually kidnapped than to make him face his wrongdoing. Which is to say that young boss who was the one who was wronged, has to deal with an insufferable prick brother who treats boss as though he were the one in the wrong. Why would the parents take the side of the bully child over the one who has an actual trauma that needs to be dealt with? Because they are stupid, thoughtless, self-centered, and hateful bullies themselves. I mean, they did raise two sons who think they are perfect and hate each other. Who comes up with these plots? If you're going to make them thoughtless bullies, don't have the main character pretend with them. He was an adult, he should have told them the truth and said that their behavior was stupid and hurtful and then told them they needed to tell the truth and stop pandering to their favorite child (obviously the self-centered brother). I will never understand why people who are supposed to be smart and strong and well mannered never can seem to stand up for themselves or say no when something is wrong. Then again, if they were all people who had backbone and common sense and courage, the show would have been over in 3 episodes. Still, that's why I can't watch it twice. I want to ring the mother's neck and kick the older brother very hard in his self-centered face. I get too angry and annoyed at their behavior to be able to watch it twice, but that's me.

Ok, rant over. If you can deal with this amount of stupidity for the background story, the rest is really wonderful. I think they had great chemisty. I thought it was super funny and well acted. I enjoyed it so much that I was tempted to watch it twice (then I tried and had to go bake for 2 hours to get rid of my frustration).

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A fun representation of all of K drama classic tropes

Kim Mi Soo is a capable secretary of a narcissistic vice president of a family-owned company, Lee Young Joon. After 9 years of working diligently for him, Mi So now wants to resign to focus on her personal life & romance. But twist, Lee Young Joon actually finds her presence irreplaceable in his life.

Now, there are a few other layers of convoluted messy chilhood connections happening with the show, as expected by the K-drama formula, but I'm not going to touch on those because they could be considered as spoiler. And if you want to know a bit more about the show, you can just watch the trailer, which will give a bit more information about the plot setup than I just gave. I'm going to go right into my pros and cons briefly as I should be doing schoolwork.

Pros:
- Fun and entertaining to watch
- Very good chemistry between the leads
- Nostalgic feeling for fans of classic K-drama tropes
- Enjoyable friendships between characters, both leads and supporting

Cons:
- Forgettable characters and plot
- Lack of emotional investment
- Pacing slows down in later episodes

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minor spoiler

meh not the best I've seen not the worst. It was a while ago i watched it but from what i remember it was enjoyable, cute and funny. Though I feel like they could have left it at that. I wasn't bothered by the whole rich ceo, "poor" secretary trope. Its alright once in a while but the whole kidnapping and them knowing eachother when they were younger felt a little out of place. Like they could have left it as it was. People can fall in love without having the whole "childhood friends/lovers reunited" thing. It just felt unnecessary. It could have been left alone as a little cute love story but they had to mash in the dark truamatic experience they had as kids together. Overall i wouldn't rewatch. It can be really enjoyable for certain people just wasn't my cup of tea. Actors did a good job as per ususal from what i remember and i think i liked the ost? nothing super memorable tho.

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Recomendo

Demorei pra ver mas gostei muito, super levinha e legal, confesso que o primeiro ep não me prendeu muito, eu ate demorei um pouco pra continuar, mas a parti do 2 eu começei a gostar mais e me fez querer assistir todo dia

Os personagens são super divertidos e engraçados, todo ep eu dava uma risada, os personagens principais tbm foram perfeitos

Park Min Young é maravilhosa, concerteza vou querer ver mais trabalhos dela, e o Park Seo Joon super lindo 😍

Outra coisa q eu gostei muito foi das Ost's do dorama, a unica coisa que eu achei meio confuso foi sobre o principal e o irmao dele nessa confusao de quem tinha sido sequestrado, mas enfim, muito bom recomendo

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Perfectly balanced mixture of laughter, romance , peculiar weirdness, diverse characters, good acting skills and timing. Maybe the script was not that great as many say and story not so unique but sufficiently different to others. So even though drama follows some common rom-com elements, it still managed to shine. There wouldn't be so many recommendations across the world if it wouldn't, right? 😁

When it comes to the leads, I definately prefer Kim Mi So over Lee Young Joon. His character was great don't get me wrong. Fantastic performance. But! Kim Mi So was way more realistic, current and common. He was a kdrama character all the way 😅 The further you go in the drama the more you notice that the story is shown from more her point of view than his. The focus went from her work, to her house, from the family to Young Joon. We slowly could see what is actually wrong with secretary Kim 😏 Mr Lee of course played a big role and there was a nice balance present through out whole serie but she was the centerpiece.

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I know that WWWSK is a classic and I’m glad I watched it, but it’s a bit of a hot mess. Park Seo-joon is a beautiful man but there was nothing appealing about his character besides the fact that he’s rich. This was the first show of his I’d ever seen and I didn’t realize what a good actor he could be until watching some of his other work because his character is so over the top.

I think what really works for this show is Park Min-young. She is the queen of rom coms for a reason. She has amazing chemistry with everyone she’s ever worked with and Park Seo-joon is no exception. Their chemistry was the main thing that kept me watching the show.

The workplace dynamics were pretty fun to watch. I really struggled with the second Secretary Kim’s romance storyline. Maybe it’s a cultural difference, but that cheap man with one outfit and no personality was so unbelievable as an office heartthrob. On the other hand, I loved Bo ra’s romance storyline so much and I’m sad there was so little of it! I found that couple more interesting than the mains.

The childhood connection storyline started off somewhat interesting and then went off the rails so badly by the end. Everything about it was executed so poorly and it was dragged out so long. The entire brother part of it was the worst and it made me hate the entire family.

WWWSK would have been more successful if it was a shorter show, since parts of it were cute but it was incredibly boring by the end. There was not enough story to fill up that many episodes and it resulted in such drawn out, uninteresting plot lines. The ending also felt very unsatisfying, as it seemed like the whole point for Secretary Kim was to be able to go out on her own and figure out what she wants to do but then they just decided that she didn’t need to do that anymore.

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