Viața Secretă a Secretarei Mele (2019)

Trope fest but surprisingly sound and good

I always say to viewers that are watching office romances that you have to enjoy the tropes so the drama can actually land. Same goes for school dramas- you have to appreciate the bullying tropes , love hate angles for the school dramas to really land .

That being said - Secret Life of My Secretary is a typical office romance . Mean and ambitious boss who is secretly self sacrificing who has a secretary who is super diligent , embarrassing and reliable. TYPICAL but it goes above that and that was so surprising . It explores with delicacy conditions, forgiveness , patience and the virtue of being truthful and honest whilst outlining the stark emotive differences between honesty and truthfulness.

The main leads journeys regarding themselves and each other were refreshing and the warmness that this drama exuded was very refreshing . The subplots of the office intrigues brilliantly brought out the overall themes and it was very pleasant how this whole drama was handled.

The cast had great chemistry and every story was enjoyable . Particularly loved the second leads romance and the doctor .

However - it was not too swoon worthy but all basic and warm. Lets just say that I am not going to look for Youtube MVs of the couples . The music was also meh . That makes it score a 7.5 but a hot 7.5 leaning to a 8.

If you like an office romance - then this is definitely a handy one to have in your list !

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I always thought that the female lead JKJ is cute and also a good actress. I love that she doesn't mind playing like a goof that she is in the first episode. I also love watching a drama with possibility of a blooming relationship between the boss and his secretary. It's a lighthearted and heartwarming story. The main leads have great and comfortable chemistry. Their acting isn't forced and they look adorable together. The other members of the cast are doing a fabulous job as well. I also like Veronica Park's fun character who's very spoiled, falls for men easily but successful at the same time. The story is well-paced and flows nicely. I couldn't resist rewatching earlier episodes while waiting for new ones. This drama is really worth your while.

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Uma comédia romântica para se apaixonar (e suspirar)!

The Secret Life of My Secretary foi um drama que entrou na minha listinha desde o anúncio do elenco, então meu queridinho Kim Young Kwang como um dos protagonistas, e à seguir pela premissa clichê de relacionamento entre chefe e secretária, com o diferencial da nossa mocinha ser a única a quem o moço confia após sofrer um acidente e não conseguir mais reconhecer o rosto de ninguém. Parece uma pegada de drama, mas vai por mim quando digo que a história é bem mais sobre romance e as desavenças na empresa onde o moço é diretor. ⠀
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Eu tinha expectativas de pelo menos gostar do drama, uma vez que fazia tempo que eu também não assistia nada com o ator, mas acabei me vendo apaixonada por tudo, desde a história aos personagens, e inclusive a trilha sonora mais amorzinho de todas! Jung Gal Hee, nossa mocinha, me cativou logo nos primeiros episódios, me fazendo torcer pelo seu sucesso rumo a, também, melhorar a vida de seus irmãos após o falecimento da mãe. Ela é muito determinada, trabalhadora, enérgica e um tanto atrapalhada às vezes, mas competente no que faz, e aos poucos acaba ganhando não só a confiança, como ainda a atenção e carinho do chefe, o Do Min Ik. Sobre ele, eu tinha receio de ser mais um chefe arrogante e esnobe, mas fui surpreendida por vê-lo se derreter mais a cada episódio e se mostrar alguém tão doce e atencioso, e não só com a Gal Hee. ⠀
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Como se eles já não tivessem me encantado o suficiente, ainda tivemos mais um casal, composto pela icônica Verônica Park, que passou longe do estereótipo de riquinha esnobe e também me cativou cada vez mais, e pelo Gi Dae Joo, um moço que me cativou pela lealdade e consideração por Do Min Ik, além de ser muito humilde, trabalhador e um doce. ⠀
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E como eu falei, ainda teve a OST que segue até hoje na minha playlist com as faixas Start Now, What Are You Doing? e Tell Me You Love Me. Um drama muiti gostosinho e fofinho de ver, e mais um queridinho meu nesse ano de 2019!

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Wow
Although I wasn't in a drama mood
I enjoyed it so much
I had many butterflies while watching
Although nothing new at the story but
Kim Young Kwang was one of those unique actors who can turn any normal drama to a spectacular one

The romance was amazing the story was smooth
No Childish attitude, no love triangle, no meaningless separation for too long, no childhood love, no stupid time jump for too long
Which made me enjoy it so much

The 2nd FL character was new and so funny
Annoying in a lovely way
I enjoyed her scenes so much and laughed many times

Mainly it talked about important issue
Employee rights

The end was happy and satisfying EXCEPT..
I GOT bothered so much from
The ML'S mother and uncle
I wished he left her
And his uncle got prisoned
But didn't happen ??

I loved the bromance so much between both MLs

Highly recommended ❤️❤️??

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It was Aweeeesomeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know, perfection in a drama isn't just about fancy technical stuff or having the most mind-blowing plot. When I first laid eyes on this drama, I thought, "Okay, it's not reinventing the wheel here." But you know what? It's like that comfy, worn-out sweater you can't let go of—the charm is in the irresistible chemistry between the main characters.

What's even better? No irritating love triangle drama. The second leads? Pure gems. Do Min Ik and his secretary? Now that's a dynamic duo. Despite his big-shot boss image, Do Min Ik's got this dorky side that fits his secretary like a puzzle piece.

Fake Veronica Park? Nah, didn't do it for me. It was like a bland salad—no spark, no flavor. But the real deal? Now, she's a character! Exaggerated but oh-so-memorable. Kudos to the actress for bringing her to life.

And the side characters, especially those secretaries? They brought the laughs without going overboard. No stereotypical evil co-workers here, just a bunch of lovely colleagues. Veronica Park's mom and Gal Hee's bold sister and confident blind brother? Talk about a mix of eccentricity and charm.

Do Min Ik's doctor? Quirky personality on point. Now, the whole health condition thing? Medically questionable, but hey, this is a drama, not a medical journal. And that darker storyline? Surprise, surprise! Injecting some seriousness without overshadowing the romance. Kept us guessing with those hints dropped like breadcrumbs.

Now, the romance? Ah, a slow burn that didn't rush into a cheesy fairy-tale ending. It's like a well-cooked meal—just the right balance. The conclusion? Tied up with a neat little bow.

In a nutshell, the romance was innocent, deep, and mature. Bonus points for throwing in some unique twists. This drama? It's not just a watch; it's an experience that hit all the right notes.

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Sweet fluffy romcom

I initially picked this kdrama for the fluffy romance part that I'd read about. A lot of people had mentioned how the story is not unique and that it follows the typical romcom kdrama. However, I personally really liked both the fluff and the story!

Yes, it does follow the same mean-boss-and-underappreciated-secretary story, but it's built in a really cute and intresting manner (has a twist to). The story flows easily and it has a good balance of comedy, romance and suspense. There is a bit of deceiving from the FL's side, but it wasn't very far fetched and gets resolved in a smooth manner, which I liked. And they compensate for it very well in the last 2 episodes with lots of fluff that will keep you smiling and grinning at the cute couple. The comedy portion was also very satisfying, especially all of Veronica Park moments (have to say she was my favourite, I laughed a lot at all her parts!)

All in all I really enjoyed the entire kdrama, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a light watch to pass their time.

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Review of "The secret life of my secretary". (Spanish, English, French)

(Spanish)
“The secret life of my secretary” es un drama coreano con elementos de romance y comedia. La pareja protagonista está compuesta por el CEO Do Min Ik y su secretaria Jung Gal Hee. Do Min Ik, tras un ataque contra su vida, tiene prosopagnosia y solo puede reconocer la cara de Jung Gal Hee, lo que los mantiene más unidos.
La trama de la serie es original ya que el protagonista masculino es incapaz de reconocer rostros, lo que hace que limite su vida cotidiana y le trae complejidades cuando se relaciona con los demás. Además, gracias a esta enfermedad, irónicamente acaba conociendo más profundamente a la gente que le rodea. La secretaria, por su parte, trata de ayudarlo, pero sin querer termina mintiendo a su jefe, así que su relación se enreda. No obstante tengo que decir que me gusta cómo se desenlaza todo, el guion está bien escrito. En cuanto al resto de personajes, en mayor o menor medida, todos tienen un desarrollo y un propósito, no son un adorno.
Las actuaciones y la producción están bien hechas y dirigidas. De lo único que no estoy contenta es que los 32 capítulos se me han hecho un poco largos y he sentido algo de aburrimiento. Pero, hay varios momentos de química entre los protagonistas, con más emoción de lo que podrías encontrar en otros dramas y hay ciertas escenas que se quedarán en mi memoria.

(English)
“The secret life of my secretary” is a Korean drama with elements of romance and comedy. The protagonist couple is made up of CEO Do Min Ik and his secretary Jung Gal Hee. Do Min Ik, after an attack on his life, has prosopagnosia and can only recognize Jung Gal Hee's face, which keeps them closer.
The plot of the series is original since the male protagonist is unable to recognize faces, which limits his daily life and brings complexities when he interacts with others. Furthermore, thanks to this illness, he ironically ends up getting to know the people around him more deeply. The secretary, for her part, tries to help him, but inadvertently ends up lying to her boss, so their relationship becomes entangled. However, I have to say that I like how everything unfolds, the script is well written. As for the rest of the characters, to a greater or lesser extent, they all have a development and a purpose, they are not an ornament.
The performances and production are well done and directed. The only thing I'm not happy about is that the 32 chapters have seemed a bit long and I've felt a bit bored. But, there are several moments of chemistry between the leads, with more emotion than you could find in other dramas and there are certain scenes that will stay in my memory.

(French)
« The secret life of my secretary » est un drame coréen avec des éléments de romance et de comédie. Le couple protagoniste est composé du PDG Do Min Ik et de son secrétaire Jung Gal Hee. Do Min Ik, après une attaque contre sa vie, souffre de prosopagnosie et ne peut reconnaître que le visage de Jung Gal Hee, ce qui les rapproche.
L'intrigue de la série est originale puisque le protagoniste masculin est incapable de reconnaître les visages, ce qui limite sa vie quotidienne et lui apporte des complexités dans ses relations avec les autres. De plus, grâce à cette maladie, il finit ironiquement par mieux connaître les gens qui l'entourent. La secrétaire, de son côté, essaie de l'aider, mais finit par accidentellement mentir à son patron, leur relation s'enchevêtre. Cependant, je dois dire que j'aime la façon dont tout se déroule, le scénario est bien écrit. Quant au reste des personnages, à des degrés divers, ils ont tous un développement et une finalité, ils ne sont pas un ornement.
Les performances et la production sont bien réalisées et dirigées. La seule chose qui ne me plaît pas, c'est que les 32 chapitres m'ont semblé un peu longs et que je me suis un peu ennuyé. Mais il y a plusieurs moments d'alchimie entre les protagonistes, avec plus d'émotion que l'on pourrait trouver dans d'autres dramas et il y a certaines scènes qui resteront dans ma mémoire.

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If you hate misunderstandings I would avoid this show

TLDR: Every issue in this show could be solved by someone saying one sentence at the right time but everyone refuses to open their mouths.

Disclaimer: I give average shows a 5 so everything above that is pretty good to excellent while everything below that is pretty bad to horrendous. Everything is also in reference to other shows. I am not an expert in film making so I cannot say how well the technical aspects were executed, but I can give my opinion on how they compare to other things I've watched and how much I enjoyed them relative to other shows even if I can't put into words the exact technique used that made it more/less enjoyable.

Overall: I would say this is a slightly above average drama with some fun elements and an interesting premise. Unfortunately it overstays its welcome and can't find a way to move things along which makes the middle of the show drag.

Story: The premise is interesting and entertaining at first. I has its own charm and its fun to see the FL try to navigate all the obstacles of her own making. But at some point it starts to go from fun to frustrating. Most K dramas have some element of misunderstanding/miscommunication that sparks the romantic plot and this one is no exception. However, it quickly becomes redundant as the character find themselves in the exact same situation over and over and over all while wondering how they're going to fix things when the answer is immediately obvious to anyone with a functioning brain. If the characters were reasonably intelligent for 30 seconds the episode count could have comfortably been cut from 16 to 10 without feeling rushed. Instead we are left with many episodes in the middle that feel like the the FL says "this time, I'll tell him the truth..." and then proceeds to not change or do anything. (side note: you know that whenever someone says they're doing something tomorrow that shit aint getting done). The only time the ongoing misunderstandings seem remotely organic is when the 2nd FL has a hand in it because it fits with her character. Outside of this, any cliche you've ever seen in a drama is present here (dead phone battery, ML protecting FL from car, tripping into close up, etc.) and it can get annoying.

The mystery elements of the story were interwoven throughout the story, but I never felt like they got the gravity they deserved. This is a pretty common theme in Kdramas but if someone is out to kill you that's not the time to brush it off and say that you're gonna be fine. The opposite is also true in that if there is a simple problem to fix its not the time to break out the sad violins and pretend like the world is ending. In this instance the tone falls into the former where there is some pretty serious stuff going on but the characters don't really seem to care which results in even more life threatening situations and makes it tough to know how to feel about it given the dichotomy between their reactions and what is actually going on. Spoiler: But like, if some guy has already tried to kill your boss, and he comes to your home with a weapon, saying your blind brother has trouble getting used to new places is not a valid reason to stay. Or imo if you use that reason then you kind of deserve to get killed the next time he comes. The mystery was also overall super predictable. It was pretty obvious who was going to be good and who was a red herring from the outset so some of the dramatic reveals felt more cringe than anything.

I would say my fundamental problem with the romance side of the story is that the emotional investment it tries to make you feel as the plot progresses don't feel earned. They try to make it seem like the characters are making tough decisions and grappling with lots of emotions, but then you realize that its a rerun of the previous 4 episodes so why should I care. Watching a character make the same mistakes over and over and over all while telling themselves and the audience how they are going to change requires fantastic writing/acting or a more comedic tone in order to keep the viewer invested. This show does not quite hit the mark on either of these leading to a frustrating rather than fun viewing experience at times. During every emotional or dramatic reveal instead of feeling sad/happy/whatever else they wanted me to feel, I just get annoyed that it didn't happen 3 episodes earlier when there was a perfect window and no good reason for it not to happen.

Characters: I liked all the lead characters. The FL is charming and charismatic in a bubbly kind of way that allowed me to still like the character despite the many questionable things she does throughout the show. She manages to play both versions of her character well and both were believable identities. The ML is ok, but I did feel like he was more of a passenger in the show being yanked around in whichever direction the plot needed him to go. He was supposedly instrumental in most of the plot threads but never seemed to actually have any agency in what was going on. Looking back, the only real things he does throughout the entire show is try to cure is illness so he can chase after a girl. (spoiler: perfect example but the secret org is scared that the ML is onto them as he reasonably should be, but we the viewers know that he hasn't given the file a second thought after finding it a few episodes prior and will only start to care about it once its convenient for that plot thread to wrap itself up) The second FL is probably the standout for me. The actress looked like she was having a blast playing the role and it definitely shows. She is over the top and quirky in the best way possible and I love her chemistry with the second ML. She steals most every scene she is in all while filling the comedic relief role in a show that could've used more lighthearted moments. The second ML is good as well. I think he is used by the story to add suspense and mystery to the show multiple times which actually worked initially because the actor can pull off the guilty without trying to be aura really well. Their chemistry was also great and I liked all the second leads scenes together.

My favorite side characters were probably the FLs family. Her sister was great as the mature kid trying to be the adult and the brother was funny while also being the voice of reason when the story needed to give the FL a push. The slow mo secretary scene is also goated. Most other side characters don't get much screen time so its hard to say much about them, but the second FLs mother was also quite funny.

Music: I'm not a huge music person and I also watch at faster speeds 1.5x so can't really comment on the music much but I assume it was good.

Rewatch: This would probably be on the lower end of the rewatch list for me, but not at the very bottom. The story is certainly not a reason to rewatch and the characters aren't good enough to justify rewatching this show over others.

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