O Iubire ca-n Afaceri (2022)

Barely resembles the webtoon on which it's supposedly based

Frankly, it's like watching badly written fanfiction in which the author does not understand the personality or motives of a central character. Taemu is the driving force in this webtoon - everyone is reacting to his decision that he's going to marry Ha-Ri come hell or high water. That's part of his tiger personality, the reason he's an effective CEO, he makes decisions quickly and sticks to them, no wavering. The humor comes when Ha-Ri is trying to run away from this crazy man who won't take 'no' for an answer even though she's falling for him. Part of what makes Taemu special is his single-minded determination to marry the woman he had a blind date with. Even when he finds out she's his employee and she was lying to him, he's still determined to marry her. At this point, the drama is just another 'contractual engagement/marriage' plot, which isn't at all unique. It's Taemu's obstinate pursuit of Ha-Ri which makes the webtoon fantastic as well as his flirtatious banter with her. You take away his marriage badgering, and you've taken away the guts of this webtoon.

Starting at episode 3, be prepared for the drama to diverge widely off the webtoon. Ha-Ri does not meet Grandpa while in her fake identity. Taemu/Cha never made a fake backstory for her or their romance either - because that would make Taemu a hypocrite. It's stated several times in the toon that he hates lying, but what is he doing right now to Grandpa? He's lying - that's out of character. It's true he hired her to play the role of girlfriend, but to him, she wasn't fake. It was merely a means to an end - he played along to get what he wanted. Same with the contractual dating that Ha-Ri later suggested. Drama Taemu is far too cold to Ha-Ri. Taemu warmed up to her very quickly in the webtoon, giving her charming smiles and bantering flirtatiously with her. He also preferred pursuing her to his work. I love in the toon where he tells Cha - 'if work is my first love, Ha-Ri's my last love.' He's always completely in control - just like a cat/tiger with a mouse/rabbit, and he never has to think about making their fake relationship real. It's always been real to him. He would never, ever snap at her like he does in this episode after her rain comment to Grandpa. The webtoon Taemu did not get flustered (surprised a times and overheated from a kiss maybe, but not flustered) nor would he ever wear a coat with zebra patterned lapels (Grandpa, yes, Taemu, no). To me, Taemu is right up there with Mr. Darcy - perfect in every way and not open to character tweaking by a director/screenwriter. To make matters worse, Young Seo and Cha's relationship is totally different from the webtoon - so boring I even fast forwarded through their scenes.

Just an aside. Taemu in the webtoon could be forgiven for not recognizing Ha-Ri in her pink wig. Taemu of the drama is apparently as blind as Lois Lane.

So much is being cut out, which doesn't need to be. Typical K-dramas run 16 episodes; this one is 12 so there was plenty of time to leave the toon as originally written instead of inventing things like how Taemu parents died. I guess webtoonTaemu was just too perfect so they had to invent this ridiculous rain phobia. No doubt he'll have to prove his love for Ha-Ri by running through the rain. It just feels like this was a hurriedly slapped together drama that I'm currently finding a BIG disappointment. It's hard for me to continue watching because they're butchering Taemu's character as well as the plot.

FINAL UPDATE - I don't know who this guy is masquerading as Kang Taemu, but he's not the character we all love and adore. Same goes for Secretary Cha (actually, he's even worse than Taemu). Heck, Min-Woo isn't even the squid we know even though they've given him a professional upgrade. Same goes for Young Seo's rival - she was not a Korean version of a Valley girl. They have totally gone off the cliff as far as following the original storyline. They've basically taken a romantic comedy template based on a contractual relationship, given the characters the names of those in the webtoon and thrown in a bunch of tropes that you find in the typical Chinese Rom-Com because I guess that's what the audience needs to make their hearts flutter or something. Did the Chinese produce this? We have MC falling on top of each other and accidentally kissing, we have imaginary umbrella scenes, we have Taemu suddenly afraid of the rain (did they get that from "She Was Pretty"?) and ML giving FL medication to put on her bruise (and him looking like an awkward schoolboy while doing so; if there's one thing Taemu never lacked it was confidence, Director/Writer!). I'm surprised it wasn't the old 'high heels rubbing a blister on the girl's foot so the guy applies a Band-Aid' trope, but we did manage to squeeze in the fireworks (another Chinese fav). And don't get me started with the MC's kisses. Taemu and Ha-Ri shared some pretty hot kisses in the toon; their Kdrama kisses are like watching siblings kiss. If the actor/actress didn't want to kiss in a believable way then get someone else to play the part. Their love scene was painful to watch as well - so awkward and forced. Really these two had very little chemistry.

FINAL, FINAL UPDATE: Episode 11 made me pull my hair out, and I'm now bald (just kidding). This is SO not in the webtoon. Grandpa is suddenly a baddie, when he was absolute sweetheart in the comic. They have SO missed the comedy that Grandpa provided as he worked to assist (not destroy) Taemu and Cha's romances. Taemu never pleaded with Grandpa to accept his choice. He was a tiger to Grandpa's lion, and he would have fought Grandpa tooth and nail for Ha-Ri, but Grandpa was faking his disapproval just to get a little revenge. I'm now convinced it was written and produced for the Chinese viewing audience because it has everything a typical C-drama has in it - accidental kisses while falling, umbrellas, fireworks, tyrannical parent trying to separate couple, and now a social media scandal caused by a vindictive female love rival (but not Taemu's, Min-Woo's) leading to this silly 'send Taemu back to the US' idea. Come on, Netflix, Korean Rom-Coms have progressed beyond this kind of stuff so I can only conclude this was based on a Chinese Rom-Com template. If you can't do a better job, just keep your hands off Korean drama, ok?

The webtoon was fresh and lively, had brilliant dialogue, memorable characters and was above all - FUNNY; the drama has none of that except for some tropey comedic moments. Apparently, someone decided that the webtoon 'as is' wasn't interesting enough to hold an audience (although there's tons of us out here who LOVE the webtoon and wanted to see it come to life) so they had to throw in a bunch of stuff that never happened. If I were the author of the webtoon, they couldn't pay me enough money to let them butcher my lead men and plot like this.

If you've never read the webtoon, then you'll probably be happy with it even though it's the same old cold CEO/Cinderella story that's been told numerous times in Asian drama. It's got all the cliches and tropes, most of which did not happen in the webtoon. Go read the webtoon, and you'll understand why I'm ranting. If you have read the webtoon and still want to continue on, I suggest you tell yourself that this is happening in a parallel universe to get yourself through it - that's what I've been doing anyway. I literally weep at what they did to Taemu's character. They've made him into a vindictive, petty, unsophisticated, romantically awkward, weak, easily flustered, hypocritical man-child, which is totally opposite of what he is in the comic.

Stars reduced to 4 because it's so wildly different than the webtoon on which it's based. I would drop it lower except for the fact that, if you didn't already know and love the comic, it's an average Rom-Com that hits all the cliché/trope buttons, making most viewers happy. Speaking of viewers, it's interesting that those reviewers who give a low rating are complaining about the storyline rather than how it's butchering the original webtoon. Same goes for those reviewers giving high marks.

My biggest fear is that viewers will think this drama is a true reflection of the webtoon - IT'S NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM! I can't stress that enough, and it just burns me up that, for the most part, 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim' followed the original webtoon, but my all time favorite comic gets butchered to the point of making it unrecognizable because it's being forced to follow a template rather than allowing it to be its wonderfully delightful and hilarious self.

I'm going to have to re-read the webtoon to cleanse my eyes from this dramaland hatchet job.

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The only drama where I wished had MORE episodes :):)

Yes it has all the usual cliches - accidental fall and kiss✔️, contract bf/gf then really falling in love✔️, pretending to be someone else on a blind date✔️, rich guy CEO normal girl from “poor” family✔️, crazy colleagues✔️... maybe the one cliche it didn’t have was the bitchy ex or the love rival?! BUT!! Even with all the cliches, this drama is SO SO GOOD!!

1) It has only 12 episodes, so the pace is really fast. This is the first drama that I wished was longer!!! 2) It’s super hilarious- slapstick comedy as well as witty humour. 3) The four main leads have such awesome chemistry and VISUALS!! They look so good! 4) The romance between both couples is so sweet and done just exactly right! 5) The side characters are NOT AT ALL boring! I’ve seen so many dramas where the supporting casts are so annoying or such a let down. These support casts are great and funny!!

It really really is an epic rom-com. The ratings nationwide in SKorea is the highest! It has only two episodes left so if you have been contemplating, start now!! Highly highly recommended :):):)

Update: the final episode was just too rushed. Was expecting more after all the hype and build up from the entire series. There should have been a few more to wrap it up nicely. :(

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A fan of the webtoon, not a fan of this adaptation

My review headline is a disclaimer on my perspective.

I am a fan of the source webtoon and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. So, in finding out they were creating a drama adaptation, I was both excited and terrified. I have watched many adaptations to know source content will change. Some creators make really good adaptations and others make really bad ones. This drama, in my opinion, falls into the bad side of that spectrum. It upsets me.

The things that I loved about the webtoon was changed (for the worse) or completely omitted and replaced by typical, tired and annoying kdrama tropes. The source material, while having some cliches, was nowhere near as unbearable as this drama adaptation. I can't understand why they did this. The creators of this drama had perfectly good source material to use which was more original in its story devices. The only reasoning that I could imagine was that they were purposely trying to see how many cliches they could throw into one drama, like a game.

Although part of me still really wants to, I couldn't give this 1 star just because of my original love of the webtoon. But this was not an enjoyable adaptation for me. I will not be watching this again. If you want a good story, skip the drama and read the webtoon.

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A rom com cliche fest

This is just one of these easy to watch, easy to binge type of dramas with lovely visuals and high entertainment value... but very little depth... A feast for all usäs cliche lovers.. let's just say that if I had a made a game board with drama cliches I wold not only get BINGO but an all clear... as the cliches come one after the other. Some of the cliches have their own little spin others no.. Making sure that you can guess the twist 80% of the 20% that differs may just help keep you on your toes for the whole drama,

The Leads are mostly lovely, fun to watch and cute... there is some cringe and second hand embarrassment here and there but it did not make me loose interest in them as they were just so much fun to watch the other 95% or the time making me almost forget and definitely forgive those 5%.

The Friendships in this drama are overall great, fun to watch, easy to fall in love with as there is both a sismance and bromance worthy of the mances hall of fame. And a found family to die for...

There are some annoying elements and side characters that are there to be comic relief but kind of got on my nerves instead, however again this was at an acceptable level.

in numbers:
Bingeabilaty: 10
Annoying elements: low to medium
Romance: 9
Friendship: 10
Entertainment. 10


So not a must watch but definitely something for all us rom com cliches lovers out there.

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"OVER HYPED NETFLIX DRAMA "

Drag drag and just drag ... Somehow I completed this drama with the hope of something interesting based on how much this drama got 8.8 on MDL .
DOES THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE?

I think those who've given this drama high ratings are new Kdrama fans because it's totally filled with clichés and bland storyline... everything is predictable. If you're a new fan you'll probably laugh and get excited for next episode but for me ( old Kdrama fan) it was interesting in just first two episodes not bearable after that.
So disappointed with characters I mean it's 2022 guys and what is this ?
The only different character was that eng - Korean speaking girl .

And ROMANCE ??
I couldn't handle it ಥ‿ಥ how can romance be this null ? I'm really speechless ! Zero efforts by leads .

Waste of time
Better watch WWWSK, MY SECRET ROMANCE, SECRET LIFE OF MY SECRETARY.

Never gonna watch it again.

Netflix is really wrongly representing rom com Kdrama .

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kind of disappointing

Now, I’m writing this as someone who read the manhwa the series is based on, I truly love the story and was really exited to hear it was getting a drama. But I’m so disappointed in what we got. I absolutely recommend reading the manhwa if you can, the first season is around 100 chapters then after that the second season starts.

Anyways, over to my review !
I love the actors who were casted but I don’t think the roles fit them. I generally thought Hari and Taemu were so annoying during the entire show in the way they were written. i get that its suposed to be a comedy, but i didnt really find any of the jokes funny. i love both Ahn Hyoseop and Kim Sejeong, but these rols werent really the best for them. infact, while reading the manhwa i never imagened Ahn Hyoseop as Taemu, i was more seeing someone like Jung Haein, Woo DoHwan, or even Kim Minkyu who portraied Cha Sunghoon i feel like woulve been a better choice for Taemu.

There were small cute deatails that were lost, like Hari's family chicken resturant was called "HaHa Chicken" in the Manhwa. and was named after Hari and her brother, Hamin. In the drama it was changed to "Goobne" (which is a real resturant chain, so im guessing it was advertisment... (?))
There were also bigger plot points that was changed form the manhwa to the drama which didn’t make sense (to me)

So, spoilers ahead for both the drama and manhwa !!
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Hari’s whole thing during the manhwa was that she doesn't want to marry Taemu. She said Taemu wasn't allowed to to even mention marrige if she didn't bring it up first, and told Taemu to not ask her to marry him, which he respected.
So the ending of season 1 of the manhwa, Hari was the one who proposed to Taemu, which was a huge part of the entire plot.
In the drama, Taemu proposed and Hari at the end of the first season and she just said, yes ? Without question, the entire plot of the manhwa was just thrown out the window. Why make that change ?


I did relly look forward for the addaption and i had huge hopes for the drama but I was honestly so disappointed.

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Funny but nothing memorable

GOOD;

- Silly tone and clichés well managed making the whole thing fun to watch.
- The main actors : if not for Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Se Jeong, I would have dropped this. Their chemistry is very good. physically I liked the couple they make: not siblings like. Different physical features. It made them magic on screen.
- The two main leads: Kang Tae Moo and Shin Ha Ri. Their interactions are silly and funny but also meaningful at times. A few cringe moments but they are so cute I will forgive that.
- Second couple is decent. They have their own story and challenges. They are a more mature couple compared to the main couple so I don't really mind their story closes with an "open ending".
- The parents and bro of Shin Ha Ri. They are the funny elements.
- Lee Min Woo and his gf: a rather realistic and sorry couple but I liked them. They are like some couple really are in real life.

NOT SO GOOD:
- No character's depth of psychology
- No character's development apart for SFL with a small one
- Team developpers 1 was ok but a bit too much at times.
- Grandpa and president Kang : a lot of potential wasted here. The last ep brought some fun moments but It could have been better.
- Ending a bit rushed.

OVERALL: A very silly and fun drama to watch if you want to smile and laugh but not a very memorable one. The story is full of clichés and there is not development to really make the characters stick in your mind. 9/10 for the fun ride.

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Full of Cliché

Hella Overrated... Maybe bcoz of netflix..& their new viewers ?
Honestly, I was excited to see this one but it was soo disappointing.
There wasn't anything new. Writer picked each part from different dramas like WWWSK, True Beauty, SLOMS, etc. Many scenes was easily predictable.
& Last but not the least, what's with that ending ?? Stupid social scandal & overseas business!!
First few episodes was interesting and but with time it lost it's track! It seemed like I'm watching a Cdrama! Like accidentally kiss, cold ML, fluffy FL,fireworks, parents disapproval, childhood trauma... ML's character was so similar to WWWSK's Park seo joon. My heart didn't fluttered while watching Lead couple's chemistry. Second couple were better though.

Overall, this drama is only for new watchers, if you're also one of them who've watched so many dramas, you'll probably get disappointed. Coz it's full of fillers & cliché. Even cliché's aren't that old these days, it seems like my expectations from kdrama's are decreasing these days. Waiting for some good one's.

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The classic romcom we were all craving for

I said in a comment prior of the drama that everyone was saying they hoped it would be as good as the webtoon.. and I said I hoped it would be better.
As I said before, the webtoon had a cliché story but good characters, so the actors could make it or break it - since it would depend a lot on chemistry and acting.

Fortunately... they gave us so much more!

For me the best surprise was the comical parts - specially in the early episodes - they were really funny and fresh. The actors did a superb job (special praises to the main girls duo, imo) and also overall writing and directing.

The only downside compared to the webtoon was the change in Taemoo's grandfather final storyline. Originally he supported Taemoo and Hari's relationship and also defended Sunghoon from Young Seo's father (this last one was really touching). Such a shame his character lost all depth...

Nevertheless, a must watch for romcom addicts like me. A Business Proposal, you will be missed! :)

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A typical kdrama rom-com that i may re-watch years later, up to episode 10, when i need a good laugh

A typical kdrama rom-com packed with cliches and super hilarious moments and an easy, light-hearted watch with just 60mins x12-episode run. I would say the second couple sizzled more than the lead couple after the lead couple got together, and the hilarious moments that made this drama also fizzled out towards the end, plus the 2-minute bed scene for the lead couple is totally unnecessary, spoiling an otherwise family-friendly drama, and totally trashed the credibility of this drama.

What happened to that bandaged hand that had the FML-SML’s bromance scene just a few scenes earlier? Doesn't the hand hurt when driving around looking for the FL and carrying the FL with her heavy-duty long shirt and skirt around in the room?

Good to see Im Ki Hong again in his comedic role, after watching Lawless Lawyer less than a month ago, and his hairstyle seems the same after 4 years!

Maybe i will re-watch it years later, up to episode 10 only, when i need a good laugh.

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|| OVERALL ||

A well executed textbook romantic comedy. I usually prefer when there is one main couple as I feel too many other storylines will take away from fully exploring the main couple's relationship. However, despite there being two prominent couples the second couple was well explored and did not take away from the main couple given they all know each other. The pace was faster as there are only 12 episodes, and I felt there were just enough of everything - humour, romance, steam, family bonding, work life. Among the cast, Kim Se Jeong was the highlight - her reactions and expressions are very funny and realistic.

**I recommend this drama to those that like light-hearted romantic comedies. It has all the components of a good romantic comedy and I felt it was interesting from beginning to end. I didn't fast forward much for this drama.


|| DETAILS ||

= Story =
*Premise - To be honest the plot is nothing too unique. Mainly just a blind date that ended up being a happy mistake.
*Genre - A textbook romantic comedy that was well executed and definitely above average.
*Main plot - As the drama is only 12 episodes, I do like the faster pace and the less time wasted approach. There were just enough funny scenes and just enough romantic scenes of various intensities which I enjoyed. Also I found over the course of the drama there were multiple points in which I was surprised at the maturity of the romance and the funny twist to scenes that I anticipated cliché responses. It was also a nice touch to have the drama in a drama. That is not to say, typical of rom-coms there are over the top and ridiculous scenes, but already anticipating that before I start any rom-com, it didn't take much away from my enjoyment of the drama.
*Love lines - I didn't really care much for the main couple initially as there character seemed a bit too over the top, but they slowly grew on me, which I feel is exactly the aim. Usually they portray characters as very one dimensional then as the drama progresses viewers see that there is more to them i.e. why they act the way they do. Also I usually get annoyed with the secondary love line and want to skip their scenes, but I truly enjoyed this one. They were close friends and had their own funny and steamy scenes. It was clear they were secondary but they had a good amount of screentime too. I realized I enjoy the jealousy scenes much more when they are with insignificant characters as having them with second leads would drag the story too much.
*Ending - Simple ending, but in all honesty I found it rather abrupt. The whole episode felt slow until the very end when everything suddenly just ended or got wrapped up.


= Cast =
*Acting - I would have to say Kim Se Jeong was the best at acting. I think of all the dramas I have seen, among the younger actors and actresses her acting is so far the most realistic - the reactions , facial expressions, body language, and comedic timing are on point. The best acting is when the actor / actress can let go of their "celebrity baggage" and just be free and I feel she does that. Seol In Ha also does a great job. In contrast the guys didn't stand out as much in my eyes and were flatter, perhaps also due to their character profile. I couldn't help but compare the main couple to What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, and despite doing well, Ahn Hyo Seop was a bit lacking as a chaebol compared to Park Seo Joon. Otherwise, the supporting actors and actresses contributed well to the plot.
*Chemistry - Again, I couldn't help but compare with What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, and though they had good chemistry it felt a little lacking somehow.


= OST =
I enjoyed the music - there were multiple renditions to "Love, Maybe" and I liked all of them.


|| A LESSON ABOUT OPTIMISM ||

Many unexpected situations happen in life. Shin Ha Ri's life has not been easy - giving up on her true passion due to her family's financial situation, having a crush on someone who she thought didn't reciprocate her feelings, falling in love with someone she knows she shouldn't, being gossiped about at work, being disapproved of by her boyfriend's family. However, one thing that seems to guide her through it all was her optimism and in the end it paid off. Not only does her optimism help herself get through difficult situations, she is also able to positively affect those around her.

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A romcom gem

If you’re looking for a short, fun and well executed rom-com then this is the show for you.
Recently I’ve been watching a lot of kdramas that are emotional and can be difficult to watch mentally, however ‘A Business proposal’, was the complete opposite.

First off this drama is absolutely hilarious somtimes I find it difficult to laugh at kdramas because so many are not my type of humour but this show surprised me. The special effects are probably my favourite from any drama I’ve watched and it really gave the show character. It’s full of cliches but the effects were definitely something that made the show unique. Like I said before the show is very cliche, stereotypical and full of tropes that are common in the world of kdramas but that doesn’t take away from how good the execution was.

The characters were great as well as the acting. Hari was a very likeable and Taemoo wasn’t typically mean, like male characters usually are in Boss-employee relationships. Sejeong is a great actress and I’ll definitely look out for her future shows. In terms of chemistry they were okay, sometimes I did find their kiss scenes a little awkward but it didn’t take away from how cute of a couple they were. On the other hand, the second couple definitely stole the show in terms of chemistry and I loved their storyline which didn’t drag at all.

Now, there were a few things I didn’t enjoy. The idea of Taemoo not recognising Hari and Geumhui were the same person was silly, although that storyline didn’t drag on for too long. Also the story about the pervert and Young Seo clearly effected by it wasn’t taken as seriously. I do understand that the show is a comedy and the light hearted element probably would have disappeared. But that storyline should have been handled with a bit more care. Yongseo was self conscious about using the toilet after being watched for days unbeknownst to her and then that was it. It would have been nice seeing how she handled overcoming that difficult situation. The last few episodes for me were maybe a little bit more draggy and boring and different from the previous fast paced episodes. I still enjoyed them but I just wasn’t as hooked. I do also think the second couples engagement was a little quick.

Despite me being pedantic and picking a few negatives the show was very enjoyable!! It was definitely a comfort show for a lot of people and a great form of escapism. It was light hearted, exciting and a breath of fresh air. Some times it’s okay to enjoy a drama that isn’t overly dramatic with important relevant themes and that is very simple. It really made me enjoy Mondays and Tuesdays.

I recommend this drama for people who want to watch something short and sweet.

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