In ‘My Perfect Secretary’, the perfect CEO Han Ji-min and secretary Lee Jun-hyuk have started a secret office romance.
In the 8th episode of SBS's Friday-Saturday drama ‘My Perfect Secretary’ (written by Ji Eun, directed by Ham Joon-ho and Kim Jae-hong), which aired on the 25th, the work and love of Ji-yoon (played by Han Ji-min) and Eun-ho (played by Lee Jun-hyuk), who began a thrilling secret office romance, consistently brought smiles. In particular, the ending where Eun-ho stood up against the investor Woo (played by Jo Seung-yeon), who was pressuring Ji-yoon, drew cheers. On this day, the viewership rating recorded 10.9% nationwide and 10.6% in the metropolitan area according to Nielsen Korea, peaking at 12.3%, continuing its upward trend. The target viewership rating for the 2049 demographic, a key indicator of channel competitiveness and popularity, also showed 3.9%, maintaining the top spot among all Saturday programs.
Ji-yoon, who was used to being alone, and Eun-ho, who only had his daughter Byeol (played by Ki So-yu), decided to simply focus on their mutual feelings without overthinking. They also agreed to clearly separate work and personal matters in the office. However, it is said that sneezes and love cannot be hidden, and the two could not conceal their overflowing feelings. When Eun-ho used his secret signal, Ji-yoon said, “Let’s not show it too much and be serious,” but she couldn’t help but smile. They secretly exchanged winks when no one was watching and held hands during outings. Even when they entered ‘after-work mode’, they boldly expressed their affection with back hugs and kisses on the terrace of the CEO's office. With the office copier likely knowing their secret romance, it was uncertain how long Ji-yoon and Eun-ho could keep it under wraps as they continued their thrilling relationship.
The two also performed perfectly at work. In this episode, the job transition project of lawyer Sun-woo (played by Kim Shin-rok) was underway. She requested to reduce her workload to half after 4 PM and to assign two junior lawyers to her, which was not easy to negotiate, no matter how competent she was. The background was a custody dispute due to a divorce lawsuit. Sun-woo was attacked for neglecting her child due to work, even though she was getting divorced because of her husband's infidelity. Therefore, she had to prove that she was trying to reduce her work to spend more time with her child. However, she suddenly chose to resign instead of transitioning jobs because her son Tae-yoon (played by Kwon Eun-sung) decided he wanted to live with his father.
Tae-yoon also had his own story. Tae-yoon, who came to find Ji-yoon at ‘People’s’, earnestly asked, “Please let my mom work.” After hearing a conversation between Sun-woo and Ji-yoon, he thought that if he wasn’t around, his mom, who didn’t want to miss work, could continue working. Sun-woo, who willingly chose to sacrifice for her son, and Tae-yoon, who deeply thought about his mother despite his young age, moved Ji-yoon, who then recommended a corporate lawyer. Eun-ho, who empathized with Sun-woo’s feelings as a mother suffering from the difficult process of raising a child alone, had specially prepared a position for her. Ji-yoon and Eun-ho successfully transitioned Sun-woo to a position that had regular working hours, fewer lawsuits and trials compared to a law firm, and allowed her to expand her expertise. In this way, they protected both work and parenting, successfully completing the project.
However, at the end of this episode, a crisis for Ji-yoon was hinted at. The incident began when Ji-yoon rejected the personnel recommendation from investor Woo for reasons of trust and fairness. Woo created a disruption by notifying her of an event he was hosting just the day before, forcing Ji-yoon to rearrange her previously scheduled plans. Ji-yoon felt anxious because she knew Woo’s intentions behind such actions. As the major shareholder of ‘People’s’, Woo could shake the company if he wanted to. Eun-ho firmly reassured Ji-yoon, saying, “There’s no one else in the world who can lead ‘People’s’ like you. You’re doing great.” Ji-yoon’s playful request to “let me leave work early” eventually made her smile.
However, the Woo she met at the event was not easy to deal with. He mocked Ji-yoon, saying that a headhunter is someone who finds people for a fee, asking her to find a son-in-law for his acquaintances and a personal golf instructor. When Ji-yoon, angry, tried to leave, he pressed her down, saying, “Stay until the end. You seem to have enough sense to know your place.” At that moment, when the tension was about to explode, Eun-ho stepped in, saying that he couldn’t organize the schedule due to his mistake and that Ji-yoon had to leave immediately.
When Woo sarcastically commented on Eun-ho’s excessive loyalty, Ji-yoon delivered a stunning comeback, saying, “A secretary learns that the person they serve is the top priority.” Everyone present at the event was surprised, but viewers cheered for Eun-ho, who became a strong support for Ji-yoon. Even with Woo and Hye-jin (played by Park Bo-kyung), the representative of ‘Career Way’, who was trying to bring Ji-yoon down, the ending was one of perfect reassurance, despite the predicted thorny path ahead for Ji-yoon.
SBS ‘My Perfect Secretary’ airs every Friday at 10 PM and Saturday at 9:50 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]