Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Re-watch value: 0.5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis
*partially taken from Dramafever*
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Cha Jin Wook (Sung Hoon from Oh My Venus, Noble My Love) is a second-generation chaebol. His family owns a large nutritional company. Once, he was a playful guy who thought only of partying. For him, love was a short-term thing. He met a beautiful girl at a Jeju resort. They spent the night together. He fell for her and she left him. He was never the same.
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Lee Yoo Mi (Song Ji Eun from from the K-pop group Secret) never had a boyfriend. She was the epitome of innocence. And she came under Cha Jin Wook’s slick spells three years ago at a Jeju resort. Or so he thought. After spending the night together, Cha Jin Wook found himself alone, as Yoo Mi had disappeared.
Fast forward three years: Cha Jin Wook has changed. He is now a stone-cold businessman, focusing only on the work of his company. The party-loving chaebol died on that Jeju resort all those years ago, and what’s left is a seriously focused CEO. The company cafeteria hires a new nutritionist and it is none other than Lee Yoo Mi, the girl whose betrayal ended Cha Jin Wook’s partying ways. When their eyes meet, the two pretend to not recognize each other, but some secrets are hard to keep.
Can the one-night lovers clear up their misconceptions, and finally learn whether or not what they had was real? Or was this romance so weak that it should best be kept a secret?
Rambling
*beware of spoilers*
If I had to describe this drama in one word it would be “basic.” This is going to be short because the staleness of My Secret Romance is not worth getting upset about.
Define “Basic”
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Jin-wook is the typical ass-hole chaebol (of course), and to set him straight and prep him to take over the company, his father makes him work undercover at their seaside resort. ::yawn::
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Jin-wook falls in love with Yoo-mi within a matter of days after a series of “coincidental” encounters at his father’s resort. Excuse me, but that’s just too fast and too furious. He was then flabbergasted when she disappeared after the ensuing one-night stand. Can you really blame this troubled, insecure girl?
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It’s baffling why he subconsciously waits three years to cross paths with her again, all the while creepily stroking her bra stuffer and reminiscing about their two seconds together. Get over it.
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Song Ji-eun didn’t show much range as an actress. I got tired of seeing her walking around with brows furrowed. Her pitiful, worried face was her only face.
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Jin-wook makes Yoo-mi his personal nutritionist for the sole purpose to get close to her (and also out of spite because she ditched him after their one-night stand). Been there, done that.
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The workplace romance was not outstanding. Throw a rock and you’ll hit another K-drama that did it and did it better.
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There is our quintessential second male lead being perfect and cowardly, never letting [insert generic female lead here] know about his feelings. Did I expect something different?
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The chairman disapproves of their relationship because of course he does.
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Their relationship get exposed in the media, who promptly cut Yoo-mi to pieces. She disappears to get away from the shame and collect herself. Why am I not surprised?
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[Insert reconciliation, kiss, and happy ending here]
Eyebrow-Raising Differences
Yoo-mi’s mother is a porn star, and while Yoo-mi exhibits an overactive amount of embarrassment, her mother is proud of it. In fact, her mother doesn’t really understand why her daughter is so ashamed of her and her many failed marriages. To that end, she continually tries to utilize her five minutes of fame because she loves and craves the limelight. How about that for a mother figure? I’ve never seen a K-drama eomma so infatuated with herself and her ridiculous sinful youth. Very scandalous indeed.
Our second male lead becomes drinking buddies with our second female lead. However, their relationship believably turns romantic. I was more invested in their mildly sexually charged talks and their open-ended “travel the world with me” outcome than I was with our leads.
At 13 episodes, it’s real easy to squeak through this show, but I wouldn’t recommend it, even if Sung Hoon’s jawline is exquisite.
Did you see My Secret Romance? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!
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