“My Secret, Terrius” (내 뒤에 테리우스)

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
December 3, 2018

☆☆☆☆
Kim Bon (played by So Ji-Sub)
Go Ae-Rin (played by Jung In-Sun)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

A spy and a widowed housewife become embroiled in espionage, kidnapping and murder. But it’s not all thrills in this breezy series (also known as “Terius Behind Me”), which offers comic relief in the form of an apartment complex full of nosy neighbors, who are almost as skilled in ferreting out secrets as the secret agents.

So Ji-Sub plays Bon — a stoic black ops agent whose code name is Terrius. Set up as a murderer, he has been hiding out and trying to clear his name. Ae-Rin (played by Jung In-Sun) becomes his unlikely ally. After her husband unwittingly witnesses a government official’s execution, he, too, is murdered. She becomes a person of interest to Bon professionally (and, later, personally).

In order to enjoy this series, it’s best to suspend your belief in reality and take everything with a grain of salt. Otherwise, we wouldn’t haven’t cute moments such as Terrius enjoying playtime as Ae-Rin’s babysitter for her highly active twins, who are as adorable as they are mischievous. Though the twins’ level of energy was played for laughs, most parents would agree that a 5-year-old child hopped up on ice cream could tire out even the most stealth secret agent. 😛

Son Ho-Jun plays Ae-Rin’s sleazy boss, who may (or may not) have a heart of gold. Son was so good in “Reply 1994” and “Go Back Couple.” Here, he is good at being bad. In real life, his actions would warrant prison time. But in the context of this drama, he’s an antihero who was clearly written to be liked. Even his victims forgive him (though I wouldn’t have).

I guessed all the plot points in this series and you probably will, too. What I will say is that while the relationship between Bon and Ae-Rin was sweet, it wasn’t the highlight for me. The best parts of this series revolved around the Kingcastle Information System (KIS) — the neighborhood watch group at Ae-Rin’s apartment complex.

Kang Ki-Young — who was so good in “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?” — is hysterical as the only male member of KIS. A stay-at-home dad, he is proud of his wife, who makes enough money to support their family.

So Ji-Sub is one of my favorite actors, but I am not a fan of his monotone delivery in roles such as this. He is such a nuanced actor that his skills seem wasted in this part, which could’ve been delivered by less-seasoned performers.

Still, he and Jung In-Sun share warm camaraderie and the series ends in a fun, hopeful way.

Airdates: Thirty-two half-hour episodes aired on MBC from September 27 to November 15, 2018.

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