Filing for Love

A breath of fresh air amidst boring dramas

It's not the drama of the year, but it's hooked me as if it were. The protagonists go from hating each other to loving each other, office romance, plots of corruption and abuse of power... all this added to very funny moments. It's true that at first I wasn't a big fan of the main couple, I didn't feel they had much chemistry, but in the end I've come to see their point. If you don't want to watch the typical office romance, this is definitely your kdrama.

(If I had to criticize anything, it would be the secondary couple. Girl, you don't have to be a pushover to be liked.)

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Shin Hae-sun, full stop.
...
One of the best actresses around today, in any category. She's phenomenal as an authoritarian, ruthless, even hurtful, boss. You can't possibly contradict her when she gives orders. She's so funny in this role. A complete contrast to The Art of Sarah, yet still excellent. Gong Myung broke my heart in Way Back Love ; he's also a brilliant comic actor. Both are flawless in every respect. Great chemistry ! I didn't know it was possible to end up in each other's arms quite so inadvertently. What a pair of clumsy fools !

"Isn't it be easier to be honest ?" I often ask myself that question, too.

There's nothing particularly original about this K-drama, but it's a good rom-com. They make a huge fuss about their relationship, even though they're both single. It always surprises me. You're not committing any crime, you know ? It's no big deal. Just love each other ! (my French side coming out, sorry)
For the most part, I really enjoyed the way the story unfolds day by day, with genuine conversations between them. They talk all the time, about everything. Literally. What chatterboxes ! They share so much. I'm not so keen on the melodrama at the end ; it felt unnecessary. But judging by the bloopers at least, the atmosphere on set must have been a lot of fun.

Still. South Korea. A country where beating and abusing someone doesn't land you in court, but where a mere suspicion of infidelity costs you your job and all your friends. Such hypocrisy. On the other hand, defamation is a very serious matter in the eyes of the law ! Which makes sense, since a defamation lawsuit is the weapon of the guilty. All's well that ends well for half of the population.

12 episodes where practically nothing happens, and it almost felt too short to me. Yet office dramas really stress me out, and how ! The trauma of those years trying to work despite my disability ; I totally burned out my brain and body with all that nonsense. Anyway.

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subrang ganda

episode 1 palang nakakatawa na subrang ganda ...🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🤣🤣🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

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It's a very middling corporate romance carried by Shin Hye Sun..

The corporate plot is pretty weak, but the 12 episode format makes the usual fare tolerable. I have certainly witnessed far far worse corporate plots in my kdrama history. Also think the basic concept of the show is ridiculous, more specifically the audit team's various investigations feel like they are the virtue police & then the drama romance is about a boss-subordinate relationship in that setting & then everyone is just okay with it, I mean come on. While focusing on the romance itself ignoring all the weird crap, I can say it's decently fun at times, however the chemistry between the leads is really not great. The triangle is not too bad, it's more tolerable than average, though not having one would've been vastly preferred of course.

Also the supporting cast is really on the boring side. The only interesting character is -the technically second FL- vice president's secretary. I somewhat understand what the production team wanted with her character, sort of using her as a mood setter, but it was just too weird. Normally I'd say her character has gotten sacrificed on the altar of live filming, but this is a pre-produced show, maybe they forgot to tell the writer. Maybe the script had been written alongside the filming, completely negating any benefit of filming a show before airing it.

So why is it a 6.5 instead of 3? Well SHS even on a bad day is still one of the best kdrama actresses there are & oh boy she sure is carrying very hard. (though not as hard as in Angel's Last Mission if I want to be entirely honest)

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Filing for Contradictions.

I’m only on ep 4, but honestly, I’m struggling to understand why this drama is being praised as “well written.” My biggest issue is how incoherent its workplace logic feels.

Going into it, I expected something lighthearted like " What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim " the kind of romcom where you can switch your brain off, enjoy the chemistry, and don’t think too deeply about realism. I hadn’t even read the synopsis, so I genuinely didn’t know what kind of drama this would be. But the moment the story started taking its audit/workplace angle seriously, the contradictions became impossible for me to ignore.

The drama revolves around audits, ethics, workplace misconduct, and conflicts of interest, yet both main couples are built on clear superior/subordinate dynamics. In real workplaces, those relationships are considered sensitive because of the power imbalance and the potential for favoritism, conflicts of interest, unfair evaluations, or pressure tied to hierarchy. In many companies, these relationships must be disclosed to HR, and sometimes they’re not even allowed.

As a result, the premise ends up feeling contradictory. The story wants me to take its professional and ethical themes seriously while casually brushing past the exact kinds of workplace dynamics that would realistically raise concerns. A secretary openly pursuing her superior or a department head developing feelings for a subordinate should logically be treated as ethically complicated within the context of this story, but the drama barely acknowledges it.

What makes it even more frustrating is that the actors are genuinely doing a great job. The performances are solid, and you can tell they’re trying to make the material work. But despite that, I personally don’t feel any real chemistry between the main couple. They come across more like coworkers or friends, so the romance feels forced instead of natural. The progression of the relationship also feels awkwardly written , rushed , and poorly executed, which makes it difficult to get emotionally invested.

That’s why the whole thing feels like wasted potential to me. The cast is capable, but the writing undermines what the drama is trying to accomplish. If the series had fully embraced being a simple unrealistic romcom, I probably could’ve overlooked all of this. But once you build your story around audits, ethics, and professional accountability, it becomes hard to ignore when the main relationships directly contradict the themes the drama itself is pushing.

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Decent rom com, Wickedly funny satire/parody/office rom com, great acting, camera, music

THIS DRAMA IS INCREDIBLY WICKEDLY FUNNY, such a satire and parody on so many things!!!! I was laughing in ep 1
It is a decent rom-com, not a masterpiece, but it is still worth a watch. ML actor is a fantastic actor and comedian and he gives a great performance here. FL actress is ... hm.. not my favorite.... to cold. She has some moments where she acts deeper but by ep 6, not enough for me to actually enjoy her acting

==== WRITTEN AFTER EP 6 ========
The cliches are there - FL has a past, is cold and reserved to ML, who is chasing her, i.e. he is trying a lot harder than she is - the classic trope.
Still there are some refreshing takes - FL is a competent professional and his boss.. ML is a green flag, speaks his mind directly, and is a rather realistic male

===WRITTEN AFTER EP 1 =====
There are zillion enthusiastic comments in the Discussion yet 166 ppl gave 7.6 rating, and online 25 ppl gave 6 and 3.5 stars for ep 1 and 2 - CLEARLY THERE ARE ORGANIZED TROLL GROUPS, FAKE ACCOUNTS, WHO DOWNGRADE SUCCESSFUL KDRAMAS
So i wrote this review after just ep 1. the drama is too good to pass :) Dont Believe MDL rating!!!!

yeah there are many issues in the drama, e.g. FL is the only female on her team, etc etc - and I am not sure if HRs really investigate this kind of stuff for real LMAO
but you don't have time to think of that bc it is just so wickedly funny

And the acting, camera and music is amazing! ML actor is such a great actor and a phenomenal comedian. FL actress provides comedic effect in contrast with him. Her character would not be funny at all on its own.
And then there are other great actors in there, like Once Again bro.

I think FL denoted ML bc she/someone saw the staircase kiss, and I suspect she is already hitting on him. He is definitely a catch :)

And... last but not least... isnt it nice to see a real man as ML and a man who CAN ACT a wide range... an not a porcelain doll with plasticized glazed androgenous triangular face and super skinny body AND ONE FACIAL EXPRESSION - gloomy serious. Pursuit of Jade kind that will be replaced by AI bc they all look alike and cannot act. I am so glad we dont have to watch plasticized ppl in this drama. FL kinda smells of it but her acting luckily is ok for her tsundere role.

The reversal of gender roles is hilarious

=====================================
The drama is built on amazing surprises, it is like a roller coaster...

I understand why Koreans are concerned that the end of ep3 can start a new wave of dramas trying to up each other and going the lewd way of Hwood... We already have lots of scenes of guys in a shower, Dynamite Kiss pushed the envelope into bed, now FL almost doing a striptease,.... so what's next... I understand why Koreans are worried we are standing too close to the cliff edge of turning into Hwood cheap.....

I personally think that end of ep 3 was on the edge of acceptable, and it was cheesy, and to me it was made hilariously funny by the comments of the audience, who totally nailed it. Omg the comments are better than the drama in those scenes LMAO

I analyzed why the scene at the end of ep 3 was funny - bc it was so unexpected, bc the drama baited us to believe something else.. yet trained us to trust the drama :) So being so swindled was funny.... See https://mydramalist.com/793102-secret-gratitude#comment-25998698
(Hm why is the comment labeled as "secret gratitude"??? )

Also, notice the SOPHISTICATION of this wickedly funny humor and also very compassionate and revealing. The last scene in ep 3 is effective precisely bc we see only their faces. Hwood would destroy that scene by showing everything. Then all the mystery and the fun of seeing their faces very closely and for a long time and feeling compassion and comraderie with the characters would have been GONE.

This sophisticated humor is the trademark of kdramas, it is a certain elegance and intelligence, parody, satire, jestering, exposing difficult heavy serious issues with tact and compassion, that only kdramas have.

In any case, whoever thought of this script, is a mastermind manipulator and jester :) sooo familiar with people and how to play them and in that contrast, make it super funny and also super educational. A master storyteller :) And the director and camera and production and the actors are the same kind, on the same page, they totally understand the concept. VERY VERY VERY SKILLED TEAM.

RESPECT!!!!!

And the audience here in their comments showed they understand the concept too. Very impressive. This is one of the best chat rooms. Respect!!!

On its own, the end scene in ep 3 to me is on the edge of acceptable and also very cheesy, one more step and it would have been gone off the deep end cliff of Hwood
To me, that last scene became funny bc of the comments of the audience - so incredibly funny.

I hope that other dramas will not start a competition to updo this drama... We already have plenty dramas with scenes of guys in the shower, etc... I would stay on this side of the cliff, not go any further, would rather use the time for quality content.

FYI I find it very funny, my review has 11 likes and yet was listed last. Why was that so? I reviewed 1 ep out of 12 and the others reviewed 2 or mistakenly 12.

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Mix of explosive chemistry and comedy

Safe to say, I’m having the best time with this drama right now.

I had seen the trailer when it first dropped, so it was already on my radar, but I was originally saving it until at least the halfway mark, however thanks to a very boring Friday night, I unconsciously hit play and I'm officially obsessed.

Now I have to say, I'm a sucker for office romance. The more secretive the better, like the tension alone is too delicious to watch, so I already knew this would be right up my alley. There is also the added flavour of Shin Hae Sun's character Ju In-a being the work superior and Gong Myung's character Gi Jun being the younger, ambitious and fiery junior. It was really nice seeing a decent switchup of a usually pretty overdone cliche in dramaland.

This show also had a great twist for me; it is HILARIOUS. I honestly laughed out loud so many times in the episodes that even I was surprised by the sheer volume of my laughter. Crazy...

I’m obsessed with Ju In-a. She’s such a layered character and I’m genuinely so excited to see where they take her. I’m also slightly nervous because if they ruin her badass character, I will take it personally. Women who are brutal and exceptional at their jobs will always do it for me, and she really is all that. It's the perfect role for someone as talented as Shin Hae Sun.

Gong Myoung is also surprising me in the best way possible. He’s so well cast here and he's definitely on my radar now. I loved how Ju In-a absolutely crashed into his perfect life and turned everything upside down. The way he handles the whole thing is hilarious to watch, and his comedic timing is genuinely great. I love that the show is not holding back on the humor. If anything, it’s fully leaning into it, which makes everything feel more fun. I really hope they keep that energy going.

And the chemistry is already OFF THE CHARTS. We barely started and I’ve caught myself holding my breath during a lot of their scenes (cough..the art room..cough). It’s the kind of buzzy tension where you can feel it building constantly. Their dynamic is just so enjoyable and I’m already excited thinking about where it's going to go. With a premise like this...the possibilities are endless. Also, I'm so ready to see them team up properly and do some badass auditing together which we're already getting a taste of.

Speaking of which, I’m really enjoying the audit team as a whole. There’s a lot of personality, and the team dynamics feel pretty good for now, I'm excited to see where that goes as well. The cases are also looking interesting and serve as a nice layout for the main storyline and keep each episode very entertaining. It has a detective vibe to it, which I enjoy so so much. I'm glad that the auditing parts are just as entertaining and engaging as the main leads dynamic.

I’ve always enjoyed corporate politics in dramas. The messy relationships, the quiet power plays, people being shady in suits… it just works for me. Add in the detective vibes of the audit team, and the comedy and I'm left with no choice but to be obsessed. They've just hit all the marks for me, so I have no way of resisting this show.

The only part I’m not fully connecting with right now is Kim Jae uck’s character, and his secretary. I love love love LOVE him as an actor, but something about that storyline isn’t landing for me yet. It's just falling a bit flat compared to the rest of the dynamic feel of the show. That said, it’s still early, so I’m keeping an open mind.

I'll update my review as the show goes on, and again PLEASE DON'T CRASH AND BURN.

Post Finale Update:

I think my thoughts remain the same, I adore Gi-jun and I-na's dynamic, they were so good until the very end. My only criticism would be that they kind of did let go a bit of the humor after the halfway mark, which was a fear of mine. I also really wanted to see more audits, especially more in depth ones, laced throughout the episodes to keep the fun tone alive. However, because I enjoyed the characters a lot, I CAN look past this.

The VP and his secretary remained kind of forgettable characters for me, as I predicted. They just didn't carry any impact for me and I genuinely did not care what happened to them. I think those 2 characters were the missed opportunity and the biggest weak link of this drama as a whole. I think the actors did a good job, it just came down to the characters themselves and the script in my opinion.

Overall, this was extremely fun and I loved waiting all week for Saturday to come.

(A bit of a side tangent but am I the only one who thinks Audit Team 3's Chief, kind of looks a bit like Ji Chang Wook? I think he could definitely play his dad in a future project. Or maybe it's the hair styling? Idk)

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A fresh romcom that sucks you in!

Initial Review at the Halfway Point (Will Post Concluding thoughts after Finale):

I don’t really know what I expected from this, but it’s been a blast so far. I’m really optimistic heading into the second half.

Pros:
• A fresh dynamic of the leads — We’ve got a role reversal drama here that took me by surprise. Our ML is NOT the normal K-Drama male lead, and, frankly, I’m here for it. Our FL? She is not our normal female lead, and, again, I’m here for it. The female is a domineering boss with secrets to spare and plenty of hurts while our ML is a cocky employee who has a thing for strong women (not that he’d admit it) and is more in touch with his feelings because he was raised by and around strong women.
• Chemistry — Oh my goodness. The chemistry is there. It is so there, and do NOT get me started on the kiss scene in episode 4. Good grief. These two are dynamite together. I can’t wait to see their dating era.
• Subplots — To my surprise, this show has kept me engaged so far in basically all its subplots. That is no easy feat.
• Production — Just wanted to shout out the overall production of this. The acting, directing, music, cinematography, etc. is very very good.

Cons:
• Slow start — This wasn’t a huge dea, but the pilot is a bit slow for a romcom. In fact, it isn’t until episode 4 that we really get to know the FL’s character (this begins as a male centric narrative and part of the story is the mystery around her). If it would have dragged out longer, I would have been annoyed.
• A potentially very messy love square — Already I find it weird as heck that the ML allowed his ex girlfriend to move into his apartment in episode 1. For the fist five episodes though, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Now it looks like we are about to dive into a very messy love square that has not been introduced very well so I have fear that it could do some damage in the last half. Here’s to hoping not.

Anyway, I am PUMPED for the second half.


Final Review:

This show was a gem, a literal gem. They handled the dynamics of all the shifting relationships with incredible finesse, and the writers/cast truly delivered a stellar second half. The ex-GF drove me crazy, but I actually have to admit they handled her downfall and eventual subtle redemption very well.

Our couple’s dating era was PEAK. And NO messy breakup!! The scene where Ki Jun is defending Inah in the police station had me in tears, and the finale had me cheesy grinning over and over. We got an awesome ending—starting in a similar way it began—with our two leads now a bickering couple. It was adorable and so wholesome. Well worth the watch. It’s my fave K-Drama of the year so far.

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Well, I guess it was entertaining... for a bit

So, whats to say about it? The FL carried the show. Oh, and the scenes with the topless ML. And maybe the 2nd FL a little. And the cameos helped too. But surely there's more.

Visuals. It looks good enough. Normal colour palette. The cinematography is good I guess. Some interesting shots and angles. Lots of good shots when its about emotions going on. I don't know if it was added in post or not, and though it was not a close-up, I even noticed a person sweating, its not something easily notable, but because of the angle and the lighting etc. Yes, I pick on the stupidest of details (like I saw about the portraits in the art class)... So, most of the times: good stuff.

**Personal point. I hate the scenes where the Sun is involved. Episode 6 (?). sunset, they are walking, she sees something, she runs, he "hey, where are you going?", runs after her, next second full dark. Thats like 3 hours in the span of 2 seconds. From the cinematography standpoint, it looks better this way, sure, but that means the writing is at fault. Same for the sunrise scene in episode 8(?). Thats not how the sunrise works! Two hours timeline crammed in 2 minutes of screen time. I'm saying 2 minutes to be nice. More exactly, she is walking, the sky looks like at least 1h (I'm being generous) before sunrise, she stops, she turns around, the sky looks like 30 min before sunrise, in the next second we get a wide-shot and the Sun is already up, it looks like 30 min after sunrise... I know why it was needed and done like that, but it was bad. Another one is about a couple of portraits in the art class having the wrong orientation (one even smiling). And a few other scenes (like an elevator, or football game) where some characters move faster than possible, on or off screen, to catch up to someone. Nitpicks, not problems, I know, but I had to say it. Also also, the thing with her first day of work. I wont spoil it. Knowing what we know later, how the fk did it all happened? Does it involve teleportation? If not, thats a plot hole. And a major one... But I digress.**

Audio. The sound design is ok. Meh OP and ED, nothing special, but on par with the theme, I guess. The rest is better, nice selection for tracks. Also, nice balance mixing, no track will blow your ears off with some loud volume right after a quiet dialogue, or something.
High production value. World building? No, not really. The usual pacing. You wont get a sense of how much time is passing, coupled with a lot of boring (slice-of-life like) scenes. No, really. Horrible pacing and horrible editing, some scenes just keep dragging on.

Now, the good parts. The story is meh. I get that it must have drama, but it kinda goes over the top. Everyone cheating on everyone, all the time, all around and they gotta deal with it. Something usual irl Korea. Ok, fine, sure. Lets pretend its an interesting concept. The execution of that idea on paper is bad. Ok, maybe not bad, just boring. It is all saved by the acting. Good casting. The main FL stole the show. Apart from some scenes, where she is supposed to be sad/desperate/whatever but she can't really do it, everything else is done great. Body language, mannerism, speech, even her face. Any other actress wouldn't have been this geat for this specific role. There are a few other good actors here, sure, but its like having Anthony Hopkins and some random, normal people around. Especially in the first episodes. Her sarcasm, body language, the way she changes her demeanor in one second, all of that will make you love her and want to keep watching the show. That and the other eye candies. Plus, as I've mentioned earlier, the cameos. Talented actors that bring their own fans. But like I said, the script is meh. A couple of plot contrivances here and there. Stuff like that. You'll enjoy it for the actors and for the feeling of "they got what they deserved" payoff in regards of some of the cheaters. Oh, also, expect lots of red herring. Not a bad thing per se, but it gets predictable.
Character development. There are a few of decent ones. Also, a lot of really lousy ones. One-dimension kind of bad. The best of it is the fact that you shouldn't think you know how someone is. There were a few surprises. Both good and bad. And as the story progresses, it changes to worse... A lot of character assassination, one of them culminating in dumb stuff, even saying something cringe like "I realised I wasn't as bad a person as I thought". Like I said, sometimes the writing is horrible, with lots of exposition dump, pathetic dialogue and forced events occurring.
Comedy. Anything decent mostly involves the FL. The other bits are the typical cringy kdrama stuff. Honorable mention, his sisters. Really funny.
Romance. Well, the chemistry is there. Some nice dialogue at key moments, nice acting and it feels like it has a natural progression. Also, even the stuff thats less than romance, involving other cast, is nicely done.

To sum it all up. Uninteresting premise, ok-ish execution, with some plot contrivances and plot holes. All supported mainly by the FL, a few other cast and the cameo ones. Thats it. Apart from episode 8. That was pure nonsense, as writing, pacing, execution. Time has no meaning, stuff happens or it is shown without explaining what that was. Nothing works. Plot holes, manipulative editing, who knows? And it leaks over to the next episode (for example, I checked for two scenes.38 seconds for: ending the call, going back inside or not, paying up or not, convincing the colleagues to leave, getting their coats on, going outside all the way up to the street to find a cab. 38 seconds... Then 33 more until leaving the last 2 people. Exactly what we're to infer how long it takes in a different setting for a person to go from answering the door, inviting some one in, taking his shoes off, walking inside living room. Then, 103 seconds for: leaving the group (already happening), arriving before the building, going up stairs/elevator (because 2508-2509 it usually means 25 floor, right? Also seeing that she is an executive something in a respectable company, something we see in other kdramas, they all try to live somewhere high up. Also also, the view from her window), entering... How tf is that possible? But hey, "drama is needed, lets force it", right? Right). And the next episode, and the next. *sigh* Basically, the second half its not the same drama. The same teleportation plot devices, character assassination, a lot more contrivances and plot holes. But at least its not the kind of drama that has the "fake marriage contract comes to light & creates problems" trope, right? * wink wink* A better writing would've been if the plot was that he had a colder personality and a more "data" approach in his investigations, learning from her how to "understand" people more. And maybe the 2nd FL to have a better role/dialogue, because from the few scenes where she was playful, it looked like she could do it. Anyway....

It gets a rating of 6. Barely. It should be even lower thanks to its progression. Enjoyable for the first half, cringe and full of tropes in the second one. Maybe you'll rewatch it once more, mostly for the FL. Maybe.
I should mention that there's a difference between enjoyment and quality when talking about media. You can also enjoy bad media (my guilty pleasure), and there's nothing wrong with that. This review is about its quality (as all reviews should be), so keep that in mind.

Have a lovely day.

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