What's Wrong with Secretary Kim

김비서가 왜 그럴까 ‧ Drama ‧ 2018
Dropped 5/16
8392225
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 12, 2023
5 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Did not pique any interest in me in any way

The synopsis didn't sound promising: Can 9 years of nothing develop into something more? More than what, sounds the first question. Hundred times zero is still zero... Still, I tried 1 episode of this.

About the secretary from this drama's title, whom the ML keeps for 9 years: First time she showed up, I realized it was Kim Na Na. From 'City Hunter'. Don't remember the actual actress' name... About 32 years old, now. Actually older than the lead guy. No wonder that she no longer wants to be all work no play. "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim"? She'd probably like to have a life, now.

Now, we are shown she's such kind of a personal assistant who personally selects a necktie for the guy every morning, and puts it on him, too (that looks kinda husband-and-wifey:) At the beginning, we watch one of those mornings. He seems to be active in being pleased with himself. My, after 9 years, she must be TIRED with him. Yet she never loses her polite smile no matter what he says, and overall seems extremely well adjusted to his ways and never fails to meet his expectations. Her behavior is absolutely flawless, you have to admire her. After first 15 minutes of the runtime, she informs him of her decision to quit.

I must say that as an viewer, I was not even looking forward a possible romance, here. Both ML and FL were of age when most people are already married and/or have a kid, and neither of them was my type so much that I'd be particularly keen on watching their office romance. Actually, the only cast member I was pleased to see was Kang Ki Young, whom I remembered from his previous funny roles. He indeed brings funny moments in here. Else, the first episode consists mainly of the ML trying to find out the reason why his secretary wants to leave. In the end, she tells him the truth: something I wrote in my 2nd paragraph. Nothing's wrong with her in the slightest. But, what's up with the boss?:-) To be continued...

Episode 2: Kang Ki Young keeps to amuse me and after all, even ML amuses me. It's good that he's such a narcissist. It's funny. Also, he's actually secluded in that, with his secretary being the only woman close to him (he also has some kind of phobia preventing him from skinship with women). Oddly enough, his total self-conceit actually gives him some kind of innocence. It's good that the writer thought of such story, else his interest in bland, couple years older woman would not look believable. Episode 2, secretary Kim is already training her successor. We watch her early flashback when she was a newbie herself. In other words, when she was still human. She had to turn into stone to serve him with such perfection all those years. She in fact would have quit immediatelly, had she not needed to pay off some family debt... Now with that debt finally gone, it is high time for her to become alive again, to LIVE her life, before she's too old for it... Her boss, on the other hand, is in state of barely covered panic, upon losing all the safety & convenience she provided. So, when hearing that she'd like to marry, he proposes to her. When hearing (from his subordinate/only friend) it's needed from him to date her first, he tries to somehow court her. When the whole office goes out for a drink (which itself is questionable: who needs to see their coworker's ugly side when drunk?) he joins, to everyone's poorly covered dismay. During the party, he tries to accommodate secretary Kim clumsily, while everyone around keeps getting drunk. I wondered whether she'll get drunk too, and plainly tell him that she had to sacrifice her best years to him, and how much she now wants to be free from his slavery. She stays sober, though. Merely asks him why did he do everything he usually does not, that night. His response is like it's confirming that he lives on a different planet from her. She learned to cope with that well in work-related matters. But what to do now when he means to get personal? Maybe, it would be better if she got drunk. Instead, they text each other like a pair of teenagers... Resulting in next morning, he addresses her personal rebuke as work-related. He does not understand that she meant those traits unacceptable for her boyfriend to have, not for her boss. Then he tells HER to refrain from speaking of personal matters at work, LOL. Ugh... Anyone wanna date their boss? I'd say it's generally irksome with any personality or situation. Thank god for all these far-fetched drama elements which actually make it somehow bearable. The bottom line of this episode: We were given a couple of hints in the flashbacks. First, when she yelled back at him, he actually responded with respect. Second, she was the one first offering to tie his necktie. He didn't require it from the new secretary...

Episode 3: The boss is trying to be all romantic and takes his chosen one on a date according to her preferences. Turns out, secretary Kim has a totally childish taste (riding a merry-go-round, watching fireworks, receiving stuffed animal) which isn't a good fit neither with the character nor with the 32 year old portraying actress. She doesn't look the same like in 'City Hunter' anymore... Also, that ponytail she keeps wearing at work, it looks like fake hair. Same for Park Seo Joon, he looked cute in 2 years earlier 'Witch's Romance', interesting what difference can 2 years make. His looks remind me of a porcelain doll. Nice, but not very manly... Overall, looking at the main couple, we can see two people who already started aging. So, they don't have that much time for nonsense.

Episode 4: Getting bored... Don't really care whether these two would start to date. Putting this on hold.

Episode 5: After putting the show on ice for 3 months, I watched episodes 4 & 5. And... This show just does not stir any interest in me in any way.

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Dropped 3/16
emberzmars
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 23, 2024
3 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 2.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 3.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Can't stand narcisstic boss and doormat secretary

There were so many rave reviews about What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. I had never watched Park Seo Joon's dramas so this was my first. I also watched it for Chansung because I liked him in My Holo Love.

I gave up What's Wrong with Secretary Kim after episode 3. If you are looking for boss-secretary romance drama, go watch 'The Secret Life of My Secretary'.

What I liked:
1) Supporting cast - Many wonderful actors and actresses in this drama e.g. Pyo Ye Jin, Kang Ki Young, Chansung, Hwang Bo Ra (she was captivating)

What I dislike:
1) Male lead characterisation - I couldn't stand his narcistic personality and arrogant attitude. So self-absorbed.
2) Female lead characterisation - She was a doormat. I don't understand why was she still in touch with her ex-boss after resignation. If she was required to train new secretary, then she should just handle training and not give in to boss's work demands.
3) Childhood connectrion trope - Why was this trope used when the trio had not even maintained friendship as they grew older?
4) Romance - I feel like Park Minyoung was wrongfully cast for this series. I couldn't see any "romantic sparks" between her and Park Seo Joon.

Favourite scene
The only memorable scene from the 3 episodes that I watched was the sports day.

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Ongoing 6/16
ViOna Keith
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 31, 2018
6 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 6.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
Biasa aj menang di ganteng sama cantik.. Alur cerita ga menantang.. Drama in disuguhin cuma untuk liat seo jung sama min young kolaborasi bareng si ganteng dan si cantik.. Sweeet? Yes but not click in heart.. Sayang sekali pemain bagus acting bagus tapi kisahnya basi membosankan.. Jangan di tonton karena ujung2nya sangkut paut sama masa lalu kaya ga ad aja jodohnya.. Gw ikut nonton karena ikut2an temen pd blg bagus. Tapi setelah episode 6 yah koq gini amat ga ad tantangannyaaa.. Harusnya seo jon dan min young main melodrama itu baru passs
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Ongoing 1/16
Tejuoso Ayomide
3 people found this review helpful
Jun 6, 2018
1 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
Episode 1 came out today and I have to say, I feel somewhat disappointed. After forcing myself through the first episode, I could tell immediately that the writers for the show were incompetent and juvenile. The characters lack depth, complexity and allure, It feels as if the writers forced lines (aimless and stupid) to 6 year old actors. The cast is great, except for the female lead. I am afraid that her bad acting in Healer, would repeat its self again (but then again, that may have been the fault of the writers). I hope that this show gets better. But I can not deny the fact that the story-line seems very cheesy and fun

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Completed
Ko Luwei-Tae
5 people found this review helpful
Jan 21, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Dorama maravilhoso e muito completo. Quem ama uma história entre destinados vai amar em dobro.

Cara, que dorama. Eu já tinha visto um e estava muito apegada a ele, por isso mesmo que eu achava que esse dorama NUNCA iria ultrapassar as expectativas que eu tive.
Ok, de primeira eu não fui muito surpreendida, mas aos poucos você fica dependente da série! MDS!
Fora que tem muito humor equilibrado (equilibrado porque tem uns doramas de romance que colocam tanto humor que fica mais comédia do que tudo) com o próprio Vice-Diretor.
Olha, confesso que essa protagonista é muito bem construída porque ela tem a própria opinião, sabe? Ela não se deixa levar simplesmente e faz o que tem vontade. Ela é eficiente, tem maturidade e ainda assim sabe se divertir. Eu amei a Kim!
O protagonista é aquele cara que você quer um na sua vida, mano. Ele SEMPRE protegeu demais a Kim, mas pensa num cara que só sabia pensar na secretária? Era ele. O único problema é que ele nunca soube demonstrar bem isso. Mas pensar numa criança protegendo outra tão bem..., ah mano.
Fora que (SPOILER, SPOILER SPOILER TREMENDO)


imagina só uma criança que teve que se rastejar até o outro lado da sala só para pegar uma tesoura, fora que ele nem poderia olhar para cima porque tinha o cadáver de uma mulher pendurado ali...., cara. Ele simplesmente guardou tudo para si durante todo esse tempo e só protegeu todo mundo! FORA QUE ELE É O CARA MAIS ENGENHOSO COM AQUELE *AUREA*.

Eu simplesmente não tenho palavras para descrever esse dorama. Ele é muito fofo mesmo, tem tudo que eu amo que é duas pessoas destinadas, te prende do início até o fim, tem tanto início-meio-fim bem definidos e sem ter algo fora de nexo, sabe? Eu sinto falta de doramas de escritório nesse estilo.
Destaco a produção perfeita!
Figurinos lindos, cenários perfeitos, MUITA química entre os personagens, MUITA emoção, MUITA risadaria com aquele protagonista e sua *AUREA*, amei aqueles efeitos de emoji voando pela tela e amei cada música que soube se adequar a cada tipo de situação.

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Completed
Simona Leila
5 people found this review helpful
Apr 2, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 10
Ritrovarsi alle due del mattino a trattenere le risate per non svegliare tutto il palazzo, mi mancava guardando un drama. Per di più un drama romantico.
Mi aspettavo qualcosa di decisamente più spinto e poco divertente, invece alcuni personaggi tra cui il protagonista maschile mi hanno fatto scompisciare xD Anzi, diciamo che è pure tutto merito suo e delle situazioni che intrattiene con diversi personaggi che gli ruotano attorno. Inoltre la coppia tra lui e Park Min Young è stata fenomenale, la loro chimica era perfetta. Lei l'avevo già vista acerba in Healer e non posso non ammettere che abbia fatto passi da gigante: sarà per l'accoppiata con Lee Young Joo, ma è stata fantastica.
Se cercate un drama romantico che vi faccia ridere e scoppiare il cuore, l'avete trovato! ♡

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Completed
Enjoy little things
4 people found this review helpful
Apr 22, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Touchant et divertissant

Ce drama s'inscrit dans la lignée des histoires romantiques sans surprise ou rebondissement.

Et pourtant… Pourtant je me suis laissé embarquer dans cette histoire avec plaisir, et sans jamais m'ennuyer. C'est vraiment un drama plein de fraicheur, et le couple principal fonctionne vraiment bien. D'ailleurs, c'est un des dramas, où l'amour se ressent vraiment dans leurs gestes d'attachements, tout comme dans les scènes des baisers, qui sont clairement plus véridiques que dans certains dramas.

L'histoire des leads est recherchée, et change un peu des histoires habituelles.

Park Seo Joon porte très bien son rôle d'égocentrique qui une fois qu'il est sur le point de perdre quelque chose, se rend compte de la valeur de celle-ci, et fait tout même si c'est maladroitement, pour montrer son amour à la femme qu'il ne veut pas perdre.

Le tout saupoudré d'humour et de scène rigolotes où j'avoue avoir bien ri. Sincèrement j'ai passé un bon moment, contrairement à d'autres dramas où la romance ne nous embarque pas à ce point là.

A découvrir pour se vider la tête, et se laisser porter par une simple, mais jolie histoire d'amour.

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Completed
DonnaK2O
4 people found this review helpful
Sep 25, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

EU PENSEI QUE SERIA SÓ MAIS UM ROMANCE DE ESCRITÓRIO

No início pensei "Como vai nascer um romance disso?", eles são muito diferentes, ele é todo egocêntrico e arrogante, se ama tanto que chega a ser chato no início, mas depois a gente acaba se apaixonando por como ele é apaixonado por si mesmo hahahah. Ela é uma secretária muito "Secretária", é eficiente, focada no trabalho e sempre está com um sorrisinho simpático na boca, mesmo quando o chefe fala algo muito nada a ver, ela sorri e concorda, como a gente trataria uma criança que inventa histórias. Cheguei a pensar que com o andamento da história, ele mudaria esse lago egocêntrico, mas não, ele fica assim até o final e a gente aprende a gostar dele do jeito que ele é.

Há muita comédia, ri demais com esses dois e com a turma do escritório. Não houve um momento de barriga na história, talvez no penúltimo episódeo apenas... Os secundários fazem um conjunto muito cativante, e me deixou com muita saudade.

Há um plot no meio da série referente ao mistério dos pesadelos que envolvem o triângulo amoroso, chorei o episodio inteiro! E olha que para eu chorar em dorama tem que ser algo muito sério hahaha...

Já assisti 2x e agora estou lendo o mangá para não perder nenhum detalhezinho. ...A música do casal do nada vem na minha cabeça e não consigo tirar...

Então por que 8,5? Há 3 casais que se formam na história além dos protas (pelo que eu me lembro), 2 deles não me cativou muito e achei chato. Faltou alguma coisa no final do irmão escritor, as últimas cenas dele tem um clima de "despedida merecida "que não lhe cabe pelo andamento da história. Parecia que ele ainda "culpava" o protagonista por algo, como se o protagonista ainda "devesse" algo para ele, e isso me deixou furiosa.

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Completed
AlexCruzDeMalta
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 9, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

10/10 Captivating

10/10 Captivating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the second series starring Park Seo Joon that I have watched (before I watched She Was Pretty) and I am amazed not only of the high calibre of the young stars but the beauty of filming and the perfection of the production.
The love stories are similar but still leave the viewer spellbound and anxious for the next episode. The Koreans should export these productions world-wide, as audiences everywhere will totally enjoy these beautiful young actors and actresses mesmerise the viewers with their performances. Thanks for great entertainment!

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Completed
Katniss El
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 27, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

Un'iniezione di positività

Una rom-com classica e una serie cult, in cui si prende il clichè della "segretaria amante dell'uomo di potere" e lo si trasforma in un'intensa storia d'amore che affonda le radici in un passato traumatico. Dai protagonisti, con le superstar Park Seo-Joon e Park Min-Young, al cast secondario, gli attori sono tutti in parte, anche nei ruoli sopra le righe.

La serie è divertente, leggera, scorrevole, soprattutto fino all'episodio 11: le tensioni sono poche e si risolvono con facilità. Il ritmo scende un po' negli ultimi episodi. Non mancano due flashback struggenti, di cui uno particolarmente tragico.

Un drama ambientato sul posto di lavoro ma senza essere ansiogeno, con un'atsmofera bucolica e un gruppo di colleghi che tutti vorrebbero avere.

Ci sono diversi cameo interessanti, soprattutto di Lee Min-Ki e Jung So-Min.

Certo, guardare questo prodotto a distanza di 8 anni fa percepire anche qualche anacronismo nelle dinamiche tra i protagonisti: lui sembra un po' possessivo e lei sempre in posizione subalterna.

Resta comunque una serie leggendaria che ha dato vita a diversi remake.
Se avete bisogno di un'atmosfera positiva e rilassante si può recuperare o farne il rewatch.
Io comincerò il remake thailandese e valuterò il risultato. Le recensioni mi preoccupano un po', vedremo ;)

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Completed
Triz
1 people found this review helpful
Jun 19, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

EU AMO UM BOM ROMANCE DE ESCRITÓRIO

Essa é uma série de 2018, ou seja, fazem 8 anos, e ainda sim ela consegue ser melhor que muitos romances lançados recentemente. Romance entre CEO e funcionária é um clássico e nunca sai de moda, eu adorei cada segundo.

Lee Young Joon é um vice presidente narcisista e perfeccionista, e são justamente essas características que dão a ele um lado cômico e cativante, o personagem foi muito bem construído. E temos também a Kim Mi So que é sua secretária e está cansada de trabalhar para ele, mas quanto mais ela fica com ele mais apaixonada ela se encontra. E no meio disso temos uma trama de sequestro e trauma acontecendo que é essencial para alinhar a história e os sentimentos dos protagonistas.

A série em si é simples e divertida, mas a subtrama da trauma dos protagonistas adiciona uma camada muito bem vinda de densidade para o roteiro. Foi muito bem feito.

Temos também os personagens secundários, que são o resto da equipe, que são extremamente cativantes e você ama todos eles. Se eu tivesse que pontuar algo de negativo sobre essa série seria apenas as pontas soltas que tiveram em algumas narrativas e o Lee Sung Yeon que é o irmão do Lee Young Joon e teve sua história pouco desenvolvida. Eu queria ter visto um fechamento de arco entendendo 100% do personagem porque até o último episódio eu não o achava alguém 100% bom e um bom irmão, a todo momento eu sentia uma onda de falsidade a seu redor.

De resto é tudo excelente e merece todo o reconhecimento que tem. A química é boa, os diálogos são bons, temos cenas amáveis, mas também temos cenas profundas e um romance que começou no escritório e finalizou ainda dentro dele. A coisa que eu mais detesto nos romances de chefe e funcionária é quando a protagonista decide sair da empresa para continuar com o romance, e aqui não temos isso, ela continua lá e esse é um ponto muito positivo para mim.

Definitivamente um clássico.

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Completed
14753464
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 29, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 5.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 3.5

البطلة غثيثة

التقييم دا عشان البطل وتمثيله يعني والله شايل المسلسل على أكتافه من كوميديا ل مواقف لتعابير وجه لتمثيل لبكاء لضحك

اما البطلة يعني تقريبا عندها ريأكشنين بس بتشتغل بيهم واحد ريأكشن الخجل و ريأكشن المفاجاة و دة ف كل أعمالها تقريبا مبقدرش اتفرج عليها وهي بتمثل ( لو كانت بتعرف تمثل اصلا)
القصة حلوة و ممتعة بس لتقضية الوقت يعني مش حاجة تتفرج عليها وتحس انها وااو لكن لذيذ خفيف كدا لكسر الملل

صديق البطل لطيف و كوميدي عامل أجواء للمسلسل بحب مشاهدته هو و السكرتيرة المساعدة بتاعت البطلة

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What's Wrong with Secretary Kim poster

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  • Score: 8.5 (scored by 159,599 users)
  • Ranked: #699
  • Popularity: #5
  • Watchers: 283,666

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