What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? Review: A Delightfully Competent Cast Works Where The Story Lacks

Every once in a while there comes a drama which you love so much that you wish to be one of the characters in it. What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? or Why Secretary Kim? is one such cheerful drama that made me wish I was a part of it. Everything about this drama exudes a very ‘feel good’ vibe. This drama follows the general rules of an entertaining rom-com which is why it has earned a special place in the hearts of viewers. 

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? (Why Secretary Kim?) (2018) (16 Episodes)

Image Courtesy

Lee Young Joon (Park Seo Joon), the Vice President of a conglomerate, is a self-obsessed and self-centered person who cares about nothing but himself. His lavish cocoon is shaken when his secretary of 9 years, Kim Mi Soo (Park Min Young) puts down her papers. He feels completely rattled by the idea of Mi Soo leaving him. At first, he acts cool on the outside but is very restless on the inside. In a desperate attempt to stop Mi Soo from quitting he decides to propose to her hoping to change her decision. Mi Soo, however, is tired of working for Young Joon and adamant about leaving despite his proposal for marriage. What will Young Joon do to make her change her mind?

Let’s weigh What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? on our drama beam balance and see what makes this drama such a hit with viewers.

Good Weights

I enjoyed watching What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? because…

…it was super entertaining. I am not talking about the story here. The story was decent enough to watch but what drove this drama was the screenplay and cast. I LOVED every character in the show including the intern, who appears in the drama for barely a few seconds. The level of comedy in this drama was average but the cast did such a fantabulous job that you I would crack up by just watching their crazy antics. Of the three love stories in this drama I personally loved Mi Soo’s replacement Kim Ji Ah and her love interest Gwi Naam’s story. The most unlikely couple of Bong Se Ra and Yang Cheol were also cute.

…the Park-Park couple nailed their characters and chemistry. Even though I wasn’t fully convinced of Seo Joon’s self-obsessed attitude, I think he still did tremendously well in the drama. The subtle expressions that he brings on his face prove how versatile an actor he is.

However, the show stealer of this drama was Park Min Young. Her wide-smile, lip bite, eye-roll and occasional chuckle made her a delight to watch on screen. She was simply perfect for the endearing role of the pretty secretary, Mi Soo. I have always loved Park Min Young and after this drama, I love her even more. How can she be so awfully cute all the time?

Together Seo Joon and Min Young shared an amazing chemistry which added so much to this rom-com.

Bad Weights

I did NOT LIKE What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? because…

…it lacked a strong storyline. The drama was enjoyable mainly because of its cast and screenplay. But if you try to find the story it ran on for 16 episodes then you might be a little disappointed there. I honestly got a little bored towards the end of the drama and often speed watched it. The drama lacked depth which is fine when it comes to rom-coms but you can’t take it on for 16 long episodes. There has to be something to motivate you to want you to keep going back to it. I will not go back to a drama just to see a couple kiss. I want more. By which I mean I want to see something that defines a couple and their love for each other. I found myself going back to the drama mostly to know the development of Kim Ji Ah and Gwi Naam’s love story. Mi Soo and Young Joon’s love story was good too but after a point, it got a little bland. The two main leads were good, no doubt about that. But their story did not do much for them.

…I think the drama was unnecessarily mean to the second-lead. Young Joon’s elder brother, Sung Yeon looked worse than any regular villain. First of all, my main problem was the fact that they cast Lee Tae Hwan as Park Seo Joon’s elder brother. From which angle does Tae Hwan look older than Seo Joon? He is just taller than him. He does not look like an elder brother at all. Tae Hwan acts decently well but was totally wasted in this drama. In an attempt to make Young Joon look like a noble hero, in contrast with his narcissistic image, the writers showed the elder brother to be a completely deceiving character that viewers would come to hate. This was something I could not digest at all.

 

I give What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? 3.5 out of 5 rating. This drama may not be the best-written drama but it undoubtedly is high on entertainment value. Even its cliché and silliness are enjoyable. Rom-com lovers, please head in this direction for a delightful drama.

 

Feature Image Courtesy

 

Screenshots Courtesy: tVN

 

Also Read: