Han Ji-min from ‘My Perfect Secretary’ has stepped down from her position as CEO. Her remarkable decision to protect ‘my people’ led to a peak viewership rating of 13.9%.
In the SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘My Perfect Secretary’ (written by Ji Eun, directed by Ham Joon-ho and Kim Jae-hong), a life-and-death crisis hit ‘People’s’. Nevertheless, CEO Ji-yoon (Han Ji-min) was able to withstand the pressure thanks to Eun-ho (Lee Joon-hyuk) and the employees of ‘People’s’ who stood firmly by her side. The viewership ratings recorded 11.7% nationwide, 11.6% in the metropolitan area, a peak of 13.9%, and 3.4% among the 2049 target demographic, securing the top spot in its time slot and for weekly mini-series.
When Young-min (Ko Sang-ho), the CEO of ‘Iconic Bio’, embezzled 20 billion won and went missing, Ji-yoon, who was in charge of recruitment at ‘People’s’, could not escape the suspicion of investment fraud. Above all, when ‘Iconic Bio’ was attracting investments, they actively used the names of ‘People’s’ and Ji-yoon, leading many to invest based on that reputation. With clients bombarding them with inquiries about contract cancellations due to the search and seizure, it seemed difficult for ‘People’s’ to regain their lost credibility. Judging that normal operations could no longer continue, Ji-yoon announced remote work for all employees.
Ji-yoon also faced personal issues. Investors from ‘Iconic Bio’ somehow found out where she lived and caused a commotion at her home in the middle of the night. Once again, the perfect white knight Eun-ho intervened, blocking the door to Ji-yoon’s house and mediating the chaos. He then took Ji-yoon back to her home, where she was treated to a warm healing night with a ‘Superpower Vitamin’ made by Byeol (Ki So-yu) and a lullaby sung just for her.
However, the next day, another article about Ji-yoon broke out, reigniting the investment fraud controversy from five years ago involving ‘Career Way’. As Ji-yoon suspected, this was a scheme by Hye-jin (Park Bo-kyung) to bring ‘People’s’ down at all costs. Hye-jin had her eyes on Young-min, who was struggling with financial difficulties, and lured him into a trap with sweet words, knowing he couldn’t even pay his employees’ salaries.
The reason Hye-jin went this far lay in the truth from five years ago. Ji-yoon already knew that Hye-jin was the internal employee who had been shrouded in the death of the former CEO during the ‘Career Way’ investment fraud incident. Despite this, Ji-yoon did not use it as leverage to blackmail Hye-jin, which Hye-jin despised. So, when Ji-yoon came to see her, Hye-jin dug at her wounds, saying, “You don’t see your employees as people. Do you think people will stay by your side after ‘People’s’ collapses? You know, in the end, we’re the same kind.” Ji-yoon, looking at the empty company, felt a pang in her heart as Hye-jin’s words echoed in her mind.
But Ji-yoon, who thought she was alone, was not. One day, while visiting a bookstore, she discovered Eun-ho, Mi-ae (Lee Sang-hee), and ‘People’s’ Team 1 members Young-soo (Heo Dong-won), Kwang-hee (Ko Geon-han), Kyung-hwa (Seo Hye-won), and Gyu-rim (Yoon Ga-i) gathered there brainstorming solutions.
They questioned whether ‘Iconic Bio’ had hired real employees to show a connection with ‘People’s’ as a trap and took it upon themselves to investigate the situation. As they uncovered the connection between Young-min and Hye-jin, they shouted, “We will protect ‘People’s’,” which deeply moved Ji-yoon. She realized that growing and protecting the company was not solely her responsibility.
Meanwhile, Chairman Woo (Jo Seung-yeon), who had been watching the ‘People’s’ situation, urged Ji-yoon to resign as CEO, stating that if losses were expected, he would make a decision. He believed that business is based on trust, and since Ji-yoon’s company had already lost credibility, it no longer held value as a search firm.
Additionally, Hye-jin from ‘Career Way’ expressed her intention to acquire ‘People’s’ for its permanent dissolution, making Ji-yoon’s resignation a condition. From Chairman Woo’s perspective, there was nothing to lose by thoroughly weighing the pros and cons. He offered to guarantee 100% employment succession for the employees while asking Ji-yoon to transfer her shares and management rights, casting a shadow of concern over Ji-yoon’s face.
Eventually, Ji-yoon made a decision and announced to her employees that they would be working from home. However, the first thing she said in front of her excited employees the next day was a shocking declaration: “I am resigning from my position as CEO of ‘People’s’ effective today.”
Having never allowed anyone to get close, Ji-yoon met the warm Eun-ho and grew into a true adult, ultimately deciding to step down from her position as CEO of ‘People’s’, which she had passionately built to protect her people. This decision left a deep impression on Saturday night and heightened anticipation for the final episode. It will air on the 14th at 10 PM.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
