By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
June 1, 2019
Leave it to South Korea to make a romantic comedy that revolves around a character who suffers from prosopagnosia. Say what? The condition is more commonly known as face blindness, which prevents the person from recognizing family members, friends and — sometimes — themselves.
But such is the plot for “The Secret Life of My Secretary.” The K-Drama focuses on the burgeoning romance between chaebol boss Do Min-Yik (played with icy coolness by Kim Young-Kwang) and his harried secretary Jung Gal-Hee (portrayed by Jin Ki-Joo).
Kim — who had suffered from second lead syndrome to Lee Jong-Suk in “Pinocchio” — is very good as the leading man, even if his character starts off as an obnoxious jerk. Yes, he’s good looking and wealthy. But just because he’s well connected, it doesn’t give him the right to treat his staff like dirt. There is a very uncomfortable scene where he needs something to lean on while he tries on new shoes. Gal-Hee puts up with all the demands of her job so that she can earn enough money to put her younger sister through college. Knowing what’s expected of her, she kneels down and offers him her head to lean on. A good person would help her get up. But this guy? He puts all of his bodyweight on her small frame, even though that’s clearly causing her pain.
K-Drama fans probably remember Jin Ki-Joo as the female lead in “Come and Hug Me,” where she played an actress suffering from panic disorder. She has a lot to do emotionally in this series as she transforms from a mousy secretary who is always at her boss’ beck and call, to a glamorous film company CEO.
Plot twist: She’s not the real CEO, Virginia Park (played by Kim Jae-Kyung), but pretends to be, after Min-Yik recognizes her as such (because of his issues with face blindness and all).
One of the delightful elements of Korean dramas is that there’s a Cinderella element that feeds into fantasies. A poor woman meets a rich, handsome man whose family disapproves of their relationship. But they deal with the prejudice together and end up pretty much happily ever after.
But one of the things I really dislike is how many of these men are not nice people … but are given backstories to explain away their behavior. A good man doesn’t require his employees to be on call 24/7. And good people don’t treat attractive people better than ones who don’t have the time, money or inclination to doll up for work every single day.
So far, Min-Yik falls somewhere in between these tropes. But I’m still not sure he’s worthy of Gal-Hee’s love.
Note: I was very happy to see Kim Ji-Min portraying Gal-Hee’s younger sister. She played a wholly different sibling in last year’s “Gangnam Beauty.”
The series finale is set for June 25, 2019.
The tender moments, the playful comedic scenes, and the overall sweetness of this show is so endearing that it makes you want to binge watch all the episodes in search of clues or hints that he has secretly loved her all of this time. The secret life of a boss in love with my secretary.