What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim

ADAPTED from a webtoon, this rom-com has been generating pretty good ratings since it first aired.

One can see why – a strong cast, funny scenes and a mysterious element. However, it is not to say it’s without those cheesy bits so entrenched in most K-dramas.

In What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, Lee Young-joon (Park Seojoon) is an egocentric, second son ina chaebol (family-owned conglomerate) who is running the company as vice-chairman.

His very capable and patient secretary for the past nine years is Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young), who smiles through every annoying habit of his, including over-the-top self-praises.

One day, she announces that she wants to resign to focus on herself and hopefully start a relationship with a regular guy.

Lee does not take the news too well, and at the advice of his close friend and colleague, Park Yoo-sik (Kang Ki-young), tries to change her mind by being the person whom she can see herself settling down with!

The mystery appears in the form of the main leads’ shared traumatic past, which is also linked to Lee’s elder brother Sung-yeon (Lee Taehwan), a best-selling author.

Lee and Kim make a compatible couple on-screen as they navigate their rocky relationship between being boss-secretary and lovers.

The laugh-out-loud scenes revolving supporting characters Bong Se-ra (Hwang Bo-ra) and Yang Cheol (Kang Hong-suk), who work in the same firm, are a real bonus.

You probably need to be a bit patient with the flashbacks, which, although add a nice element of suspense to the drama, tend to be repetitive in the first few episodes.

But as the story unfolds, the drama’s pace does get better. – Wong Li Za

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim airs every Thurday and Friday at 9.50pm on tvN (Astro Ch 395).