‘My Perfect Secretary’ showcased a perfectly thrilling narrative from the first broadcast with the antagonistic story of Han Ji-min and Lee Jun-hyuk. The ending, where Lee Jun-hyuk, who had outsmarted Han Ji-min, appeared as her new secretary, heightened curiosity for the next episode.
The first episode of SBS drama ‘My Perfect Secretary’ (directed by Ham Joon-ho and Kim Jae-hong, written by Ji Eun), which aired on the 3rd, recorded a nationwide rating of 5.2%, peaking at 7.3%, and a 2049 rating of 1.7%, marking a pleasant start. (Provided by Nielsen Korea)
The new faces of Han Ji-min and Lee Jun-hyuk delivered more fun than expected. Han Ji-min played the role of the cold CEO Kang Ji-yoon of ‘Peoples’, delivering an impressive performance. Her strong appearance, showcasing her top-notch skills in line with her belief that the criteria for recommending talent is “someone worth the money,” drew significant attention. Lee Jun-hyuk also exuded romantic potential as the perfect character Eun-ho. His kind gestures, such as catching a flying baseball with one hand to protect a neighbor and shining his phone light on Ji-yoon in a dark mountain path, perfectly captured the hearts of female viewers.
The broadcast opened with a special appearance by actor Lee Hee-joon, leading viewers into the intriguing world of headhunting, which is rarely seen in dramas. CEO Ji-yoon of the search firm ‘Peoples’ meticulously assessed the personality and background of Peter Kwon (Lee Hee-joon), the first Asian design director of an F1 team, to scout him as the overall design director for Korean automobiles. As a result, she devised a strategy to “stimulate his competitive spirit,” successfully facilitating his job change by touching on the sharp realities he faced.
While Ji-yoon was perfect in her work, the twist that she was a mess in everything else brought laughter. She often confused her own car with others, was embarrassed to ride someone else's car, bumped into things in her chaotic office, cut her hand on paper, and even found her lost phone in the trash can. It was clear that she needed a secretary to take care of her as soon as possible. The problem was that her picky and irritable personality had led to several secretaries quitting, and now the company could no longer find applicants.
In the midst of this, the appearance of Han Soo Electronics' HR manager Eun-ho was nothing short of perfect. Eun-ho, a shining presence on the weary commute to work and school, possessed a ‘guilty face’ that made passersby turn around. He had the skills to neatly arrange all household items, prepare a breakfast table that catered to health, taste, and aesthetics, and even skillfully tie his daughter Byeol-i's (Ki So-yu) hair beautifully, which fathers could never do. His perfection garnered cheers from female colleagues at the company, neighboring mothers, and viewers alike.
Everyone loved Eun-ho, except for Ji-yoon. In stark contrast to Ji-yoon, who valued monetary worth, Eun-ho emphasized the values and loyalty of the organization. He had to prevent the core developer Yang Team Leader from leaving the company and intervened in his meeting with Ji-yoon. He appealed to values that could not be explained solely by the logic of the capitalist market, saying, “The company still has many stories to write with you, senior,” and even sent a snack truck to his son's school under the company's name to support the busy father. Due to his efforts, Yang Team Leader's heart began to turn, leading Ji-yoon to fail to achieve this month's sales target, and she reached a boiling point at the mere sight of Eun-ho's business card.
A little later, Eun-ho came to find Ji-yoon, extremely angry. He thought he had prevented Yang Team Leader's departure, but he had submitted his resignation and moved to a Chinese company. Han Soo Electronics was thrown into chaos over the serious issue of potential information leaks. Eun-ho, who had overheard Yang Team Leader talking to Ji-yoon, confronted her, saying, “Is this how headhunters usually work? Don’t you have a shred of conscience?”
However, the truth was that Yang Team Leader had been intentionally excluded from work and had decided to move to China with no intention of working in Korea again. The one who facilitated this was not Ji-yoon, but Hye-jin (Park Bo-kyung), the representative of ‘Career Way’, who was trying to bring her down. Eun-ho, who was already facing resentment from Manager Song (Song Young-kyu) for taking parental leave at a crucial time, was also falsely accused of giving Yang Team Leader time to leak information and was dismissed.
At the end of the broadcast, an exciting ending unfolded as Ji-yoon, who was disgusted, said, “Let’s not see each other twice,” and welcomed Eun-ho as her new secretary. The contrast between Ji-yoon, surprised by the unexpected appearance of Eun-ho, and Eun-ho, who greeted her brightly with “Good morning, CEO,” as if nothing had happened, heightened curiosity for the next chapter of their antagonistic relationship.
‘My Perfect Secretary’ Episode 2 will air today (4th) at 9:50 PM.
