Main Cast:
Ahn Hyo Seop/안효섭/安孝燮 – Kang Tae Moo/姜泰武
Kim Se Jong/김세정/金世正 – Shin Ha Ri 申夏莉 /Shin Geum Hee 申金熙
Kim Min Kyu/김민규/金旻奎 – Cha Sung Hoon/車成勳
Seol In Ah/설인아/薛仁雅 – Jin Young Seo/陈映书
Lee Deok Hwa/李德華 – Chairman Kang Da Goo/姜多俱
Song Won Seok/宋元錫 – Lee Min Woo/李民宇
Kim Hyun Sook/金賢淑 – Yeol Ei Ju/呂依主
Kim Ki Hong/任基鴻 – Gye Bin/季彬
Yoong Sang Jeong/尹相貞 – Kim Hye Ji/金惠知
Kim Kwang Kyu/金光奎 – Shin Joong Hae/申重楷
Jung Young Joo/鄭英珠 – Han Mi Mo/韓薇慕
Choi Byun Chan/崔秉燦 – Shim Ha Min/申夏民
Bae Woo Hee/裴優熙 – Koh Yoo Ra/高宥羅
Seo Hye Won/徐慧媛 – Jo Yoo Jung/趙友貞
Ratings for the Show:
Acting: 7.5
Storyline: 7
Overall: 7.5
Grade: B
*Disclaimer: Review contains spoilers. Please read only after you have completed the drama.
Rom Coms never get old, especially those that are light-hearted and give you light-headedness like a glass of wine.
Would you accept a business proposal that guarantees a release of endorphins to relieve stress, gives you a good belly laugh and “happy hormones” such as dopamine to keep you in the sea of love for 12 straight hours?
Most would gladly sign on the dotted line, even if it comes with the price of having panda eyes.
Much as “A Business Proposal” belonging to 101-clichéd romance comedy genre, about a chaebol fake dating his employee, the SBS drama ended on a high note at an average nationwide rating of 11.4%. It is currently ranked as the third-most-watched Netflix show worldwide.
The plot is as old-fashioned as Ha Ri going on a blind date on behalf of her friend, Young Seo. Her blind date turned out to be her company CEO, Tae Moo and they ended up fake-dating to cover up for their previous lies. Young Seo subsequently dated Tae Moo’s secretary, Sung Hoon, who’s also his long-time buddy.
A concoction to a successful rom-com requires 4 tablespoons of delectable cast, a pinch of humour, 6 cubes of endearing moments, 2 cups of heart fluttering kiss scenes, a sprinkle of magical chemistry and a dash of mad fun.
A cliched drama with some creative knacks infused, would undoubtedly get into your good books.
The CGI and sound effects incorporated added a tinge of fun, for example the appearance of the “始祖鸟/Archaeopteryx” whenever Tae Moo called or appeared before Ha Ri, when hearts and flowers sprouted when Young Seo and Sung Hoon met each other, wordings beside Yoo Jung whenever she exclaims.
The most fundamental is the impeccable camaraderie between the main leads and how the supporting roles add on to the set atmosphere.
While Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Se Jong are rising stars, Kim Min Kyu and Seol In Ah are popular 2nd leads’ choices, they have yet to move up to the ranks of “A-Listers”.
Why did “Business Proposal” not flop like many other like dramas even without A-Listers?
It’s not a big production and is being frequently compared to “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, but I enjoyed this much more, though both didn’t hit me hard enough to have them etched in my head.
What makes it more FUN than “Secretary Kim” is the exchange of energy and camaraderie between the 4 leads being more energetic and absolutely natural. That flow of synergy was so smooth and strong throughout.
Though they are make-believe couples, the interactions seem so much like real-life couples. We could almost see the imaginary pink bubbles popping around our 2nd lead couple especially.
Rom Coms never get old, because a fantasy re-ignites hope and an escapade from the harsh reality that we live in.
There’s a girl who yearns for some sweet romance in every lady’s heart. Just like how a boy who loves super heroes would always live in a grown man’s heart.
It’s a feel-good drama which gives you happy vibes. The exuberance from Shin Ha Ri makes you feel so young all over again. 顿时会觉得，年轻真好。
We can almost predict how the story would go, or even improvise fanfic versions with a more interesting finale, especially for the last 2 episodes, but we still love it for what it originally is.It’s hilariously funny for the 1st half, though absolutely predictable & a-okay for the 2nd half.
An imaginary scene whereby her “dual” personalities was being exposed.
You will love Kim Sejong as the female lead. Her vigour will infect you with some happy virus. Seol In Ah is another happy pill/girl crush that you would grow so fond of. When the 2 of them get together, it’s unstoppable chaos.
Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Min Kyu are more 闷骚 compared to the ladies’ liveliness, but all 4 leads tick on our likable checklist. We quite like their Bromance too.
It’s comprehensible why the drama was shortened to 12 episodes instead of 16, but since the other 4 episodes were already filmed, many viewers wouldn’t mind watching even if it may seem draggy.
There are many happy, sweet, lovey dovey moments, but also the realities and difficulties that the leads have to face up to.
Maybe because we are much older now, or we have watched too many Rom-Coms, such genres don’t seem as interesting as thrillers now.
BUT, You will watch it for the hilarious moments.
What’s Lacking?
Credibility is definitely one element that’s lacking.
You need to go back to your younger self’s mentality when you watch this.
Prepped myself mentally that the character development & story arc would be weak for rom coms, so I didn’t get too disappointed.
Everything that transpired in the drama falls back a lot on destiny, coincidences and twists that are hard for us to “make-believe”, but you just got to cast your rationality aside and watch it with a bag of popcorns.
If we were still in our teens or early 20s, this “principle” would be more easily digestible.
Wasn’t expecting something as “shallow” as a rom com to give you some life reflections to ponder over. Rewatching scenes gave me more insights about life in general.
It’s presumably got to do with age and life experiences that allow us to better relate to some of the “happenings”, and see things from different perspectives.
What are some of the more memorable scenes?
8 Most Hilarious/ Cringe-worthy But Cute Moments
1) The hilarious blind date between Tae Moo and Ha Ri/Geum Hee which got us laughing out loud
“Rachel and Samantha” will always be etched in our minds. =X
I almost spilled my green tea while watching this scene.
Ha Ri did all the things that she assumed men would detest, but those were exactly what Tae Moo felt were “special” about her.
She had made a super impressionable entrance and ended it with a bang.
Even the viewers find it unforgettable, let alone Tae Moo who’s used to all the ladies fawning over him. Only Geum Hee was “unpretentious” and dared to be herself before him.
2) Young Seo always ended up in embarrassing moments before Sung Hoon
We could literally feel her as we have all been here and done that.
When you want to be your best self before your crush but always end up in the most embarrassing moments, because you badly need to answer the call of nature, or you met your biggest nemesis – cockroach.
Many of us can relate to this. We often end up in awkward moments before our crush, SOMEHOW. Murphy’s Law hits at the most un-apt timings.
From the cockroach scene whereby she jumped onto Sung Hoon, and him “over-killing” the cockroach with 2 cans of pesticides which revealed that he’s afraid of them as well, to the most hilarious part when she had to hold her diarrhoea in till Sung Hoon managed to unlock the toilet door for her, it just got you roaring into laughter.
You’d wonder how she is going to face her crush in future.
3) Grandpa and Ha Ri perpetually end up in “toilet” situations
Chairman Kang/Grandpa is cute, especially his interactions with Ha Ri gave us some good belly laughs.
It’s funny how Grandpa is so pleased with Geum Hee and dotes on her as his potential future grand-daughter-in-law, but the sight of Ha Ri simply irks him to the very core.
Ha Ri always ended up in the most awkward toilet situations and incurred Grandpa’s wrath whenever they cross paths. It’s totally like Young Seo’s Murphy’s Law at work whenever she bumps into Sung Hoon.
Geum Hee and Ha Ri are the same person, but there’s a stark contrast in Grandpa’s attitude towards them. It was his pride which forbade him to acknowledge that he likes Ha Ri, but his body language gave him away.
This brings us to the saying “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”.
If you like someone, whatever they do is pleasing and they would be readily forgiven even if they did something wrong.However, if you already have misconceptions about someone, the prejudice would blind your rationality. Whatever they do is simply wrong in our eyes.
Once perceptions are formed, it’s tough to make people change their mind on how they see you.
4) Yoo Jung’s Entertaining Scenes
Yoo Jung’s the scene stealer whenever she appears on screen. Her limited screen time created a lasting impression and provided much entertainment.
You can’t help but love this irksome cousin of Young Seo.
Her deliberate Konglish accent is something we will miss. The exaggerated “Oh My God”, “WTF”, “Really” expressions make good memes.
The mix of English syllabus with Korean words, remind us of our daily Singlish conversations too.
Did you notice that although Young Seo and Yoo Jung are at loggerheads, they are like 2 sides of the same coin?
They share similarities in their “irksome and loud” personalities, taste for fashion and unfortunately, MEN too.
You would root for Young Seo when she took the initiative to fight for the love of her life, but Sung Hoon has my sympathies when you see Yoo Jung pestering him.
No doubt Yoo Jung is a 搞笑角色 or 丑角，we could feel her loneliness. The part when she said “You know, I have No chingu” was funny, yet poignant at the same time.
It brought to us the realisation that she was such an attention seeker, so that she could gain others’ acceptance, but it always ended up otherwise, whenever she tried to compare with Young Seo.
5) When your Chaebol boyfriend proclaims that his love for you is just like the black card, for there’s no upper limit.
This was comical, yet cringe-worthy. Could imagine the goosebumps if my “fake boyfriend” does that. The main point is to make Ha Ri’s friends jealous of her getting such a good catch.
6) When you need to choose between telling a white lie or the harsh truth. Either way, you would end up in trouble.
When the food that your girlfriend prepare tastes horrible, you tried to tell a white lie. However, when she wanted the truth, you ended up in trouble.
It’s not “do or die”, but “you will still die, whether you do it or not”.
I agree that it’s hard to please women. =X “女人心，海底针“。
Men are always stuck in situations whereby they needed to tell a white lie to stay “alive”, yet women just cannot accept the truth they demanded for.
Life’s contradictory, isn’t it?
You hope your other half would appreciate the hours of effort you spent on whipping up a meal for them, but it would incur your wrath and disappointment if they didn’t like what you cook.
Ideally, we hope they would compliment us for the effort and all, but what if the food really tastes horrible?
There’s no best answer, except the lady to trying the food that she cooked herself too.
7) The movie date between Tae Moo and Ha Ri which had uninvited guests
When Tae Moo asked Ha Ri out to a movie date, you knew things would be messed up when her superiors appeared at the same venue. It was hilarious how she kept hitting him to disappear from the seats and he had to crawl out of the cinema in a 狼狈 manner.
8) Sung Hoon helping the injured Tae Moo to put on his cardigan
6 Harsh Facts in Reality
1) No one is as perfect as they seem, after you get to really know them.
We are generally guided by our 1st visual impression or vibes, which lead us to being subjective.
Our Prince Charming/Dream Girl is always perfect from a distance, but not till you get to really know them. That’s when differences would surface and conflicts arising, when each hold their respective perspectives.
这也是正所谓“相爱容易，相处难“。
2) Not everyone would like you. Friends are Quality over Quantity.
Not everyone is likable and not everyone would like you. As you age, you are fortunate if you can even find a single soul to confide in. Friends come and go in life like seasons, only a handful can stay for the most part of your life like Ha Ri and Young Seo.
When Yoo Jung mentioned that she had no friends to confide in, and could only look for her loggerhead cousin, you knew how lonely she is.
3) No matter what you do or do not do, others will always have things to say about you (before or behind your backs)
It’s human nature to gossip, more so when people are either jealous over your achievements or feel imbalanced. Can you face up to societal pressures and everyone else pinpointing you?
Although Ha Ri has been an outstanding employee, tongues still wagged and many rumours about her started spreading like wildfire after the news of her being in a relationship with Tae Moo was leaked.
It is almost impossible to be totally unaffected, but it’s more of how we choose to deal with it.
Ignoring them and continue to do your thang would be the best thing to do, or take some time off.
4) Do not expect anyone else to fully understand you
Do not expect anyone else to understand or fully agree with what you do. Only you know yourself best and there isn’t really a need to explain.
If your best friend feels that you are behaving like a “stalker” for having a crush on someone for 7 years, how would you expect anyone else to understand?
Sometimes, we can only lend our listening ear or render moral support, even if we cannot fully apprehend what our friends are going through. Trust they know what they are doing and all they need is for us to be there for them.
5) Not all blood is family, not all family is blood.
Affinity cannot be forced, be it your interpersonal relationships or ties with your blood family. There are people who will sacrifice their all for their family members, but there are also others who will sacrifice their family members for what they want to attain.
To quote Young Seo “人一旦拥有的太多，就会变得更加执拗。”
When someone possesses too much, they will become more adamant about getting more, for fear of losing what they already own.
In the world of the rich, children are often used as tools to expand their business empire and fortune.
Young Seo’s father only sees her as a tool to gain more power, while she found the family she ever needs in Ha Ri’s family. He wouldn’t agree to Young Seo being with Sung Hoon, who’s just a secretary and adopted son of the Kang family. What he wanted was the Kang empire.
Ha Ri’s parents dote on Young Seo like a daughter and would celebrate her birthdays while her dad couldn’t even remember her birthday. Ha Ri also treats her like a sister cum best friend.
When she makes mistakes, Ha Ri’s mum would reprimand her just like she did to Ha Ri.
When she mentioned that she has no 父母缘 to Sung Hoon, it kinda hit a raw nerve, that both of them do not have affinity with their parents.
Sung Hoon was an oprhan since the age of 5 while her parents were divorced since she was young and she never had love from her family.
Sung Hoon was adopted and treated like a 2nd grandson to Chairman Kang and also a brother to Tae Moo, but he did not seem to be as at ease with them or open up totally as Young Seo did with Ha Ri.
While it may be a form of stereotype, it’s true that the rich has too much on their minds and couldn’t treat people genuinely as a form of defence mechanism.
Commoners like Ha Ri’s family need to worry over meeting their ends, but they are happier together, going through thick and thin together.
6) Disparity between rich and poor will always be there
While we believe that love transcends all boundaries, the realities in life would still get to you somehow. “门当户对“ has been a topic since the beginning of time and would never end.
The world that Tae Moo and Young Seo belong in, are different from Ha Ri and Sung Hoon’s.
They are professionals and experts in their own leagues, who can earn their keep and need not depend on the wealthier partner, but most people would believe that you need to have similar backgrounds in order to be compatible.
That’s a past generation thinking.
Those in our era would be more concerned if we could connect in terms of thinking and 三观 (世界观，人生观，价值观) and if the other party is self-motivated and driven (上进心).
Grandpa didn’t practise what he preached, despite him saying things differently about his favourite drama <<坚强吧，金喜>>. He did not think that Ha Ri is compatible with Tae Moo because of her background.
Sad Moment
When your crush of 7 years gifted you a pair of concert tickets on your birthday, but asked you to watch with another guy instead, you are being 100% friend-zoned.
An indirect rejection but also a cruel one. Is that considered 渣? It is to a certain extent.
While Min Woo and Ha Ri are good friends, it’s plain obvious they have feelings for each other. However, he patched up with his ex and yet couldn’t let go of Ha Ri at the same time.
When you are not willing to take another step forward or lose a friend, yet keep people hanging on and wasting their youth, this is what we would label as “selfish and cowardly”.
4 Lovey Dovey Moments
1) Tae Moo and Hari’s Playground Swing Kiss
This definitely sent hearts fluttering and work better than 壁咚 when you cannot “force” the lady to a corner.
It’s similar to when the male lead would grab the female lead’s arm and turn her around to kiss her while she was walking away. But this somehow gives a more long-lasting heart-thumping effect.
2) Sung Hoon removing his spectacles when kissing Young Seo
This was the kiss scene that has been the talk of the town.
Kim Min Kyu earned the title of “接吻匠人” with this iconic kiss scene that he improvised unintentionally.
It was as simple as him feeling uncomfortable kissing with his glasses on, thus he removed them while he said that line “我不会再让你忘记了”。It literally got ladies swooning and the focus became on him removing the glasses instead.
We can only say, Min Kyu certainly knows what it means by creating “heart fluttering moments” and making the scene looks great.
Like how Min Kyu personally acknowledged, that scene makes him sexier compared to looking good.
3) Tae Moo tying shoelaces for Ha Ri at the beach and the Hamburger Truck
Ever wondered why Tae Moo loves tying shoelaces for Ha Ri?
In his subconscious, Ha Ri is someone he wants to dote and take care of. She’s a scattered brain that he would like to take care of. He would even lowkey go through the trouble of hiring her favourite hamburger truck to the beach, so that it would make her day.
Ha Ri’s wants and wishes are simple, and he hopes to put a smile on her face.
It was a scene that brought them closer as they began to open up and better understand each other through their long chats by the beach.
Ha Ri was able to see the caring side of Tae Moo, while he got to more about this ordinary girl that he has been curious about.
4) Sung Hoon piggy backed Young Seo down the hill
It’s so old school but we totally adored the cute moments when Sung Hoon quietly piggy backed Young Seo who was still angry with him.
I frequently wonder, how is that possible that the guy could piggy back or carry someone for so long? They would probably just ask you to walk by yourself or support you down the hill at the most.
若我是 Young Seo, 心里应该会蛮甜滋滋的。
Another of Sung Hoon’s strength is that, no matter how wilful or unreasonable Young Seo could be at times, he wouldn’t lose his cool and just leave her alone to find her way out of the hill.
There are many guys who would just storm off after a quarrel, without thinking much about their partner’s safety. This is what makes him manly.
5 Lessons to Ponder
1) There needs to be a compromise when 2 persons of different upbringing stay together.
There is a 磨合期 when couples begin dating. Honeymoon period only lasts for till reality seeps in.
2) We may not share everything with our closed ones, because we do not know how to reveal our vulnerable side and are afraid that they would see us just like how everyone else does.
This is being illustrated in how Tae Moo did not explain to Ha Ri why he has a phobia of the rain, while Sung Hoon did not disclose his parentage to Young Seo initially.
3) Is there no platonic relationship between the opposite genders?
This is another topic that doesn’t have a clear answer.
I would say, yes there are platonic friendships, like many of us have with our guy friends. However, there are also cases whereby people tried to be “friends” so that they could know the person better, before making advancements.
Hence, it’s dependent on your intention and if something happens along the way that makes you change your thinking.
4) You need to make up more lies in order to cover up for a previous lie
人们一旦开始撒谎，就必需编制更多的谎言来掩盖之前的谎言。
Everyone knows this logic but not everyone could keep things honest from the beginning. It’s too tiring to have to come up with more lies to cover up for previous lies. Just a matter of time you would forget what you lied about and things would get exposed ultimately.
Why not just stay honest from the beginning?
5) There are times when we keep patronising a certain place, not because the food is tasty, but because it brings back fond memories of who you were with, at a certain point in time
It’s true that human beings look back more often than they know.
While we shouldn’t look back on the past too often, there are certain fond memories that we need to revisit, in order to spur us going forth.
The irony is, you need to look back, in order to move forward at times.
Taste, smell and photographs can bring back memories instantaneously.
“就是吃着能和过去的回忆有关联的食物时，当时那种幸福的感觉就会涌上心头，就会觉得那食物更好吃。“
You could remember what you were doing with someone, how you felt at a particular point in time.
Touching Moments
– When Hari mentioned how Tae Moo’s parents wouldn’t blame him, just like he did not blame her for the accident, because their love is so overwhelming, there’s no room for hatred.
– When Ha Ri tried to make it seem as natural as possible to accompany Tae Moo on rainy days without exposing his greatest secret and pain. He has phobia of rain since the day his parents met with the tragic accident.
– When Ha Ri’s dad was afraid that she would suffer if she gets together with a rich chaebol
A father’s love prevailed. No parent would wish their kids to suffer even in the name of true love.
– How Ha Ri’s parents treated Young Seo like their own and never failed to celebrate her birthday
New Age Healthy Relationships
In many liked-theme KDramas, the ladies would often sacrifice their dreams and passion for their chaebol other halves.
However, a more realistic stance is taken by the script writer and director in “A Business Proposal”.
Their attempt to do away with stereotypes and make things work for both ladies in more practical and feasible ways.
No relationship is perfect, just like no man is.
A healthy relationship is when you need not give up your dreams unconditionally for the other person. On the contrary, they will give you the freedom and utmost support to pursue what you like.
Both sides need to make efforts to keep the relationship going on while doing what they like.
Times have changed and the roles between genders could be reversed.
Women need not give up their careers and passions, while men can also take sabbatical breaks.
Ha Ri continues doing the job that she loves, while Young Seo ventures out on her own, with Sung Hoon as her startup’s main investor.
It was Sung Hoon who took a year hiatus and became the “man behind the successful woman”, but we do not see it as Sung Hoon depending on Young Seo instead.
That’s the disparity in perspectives that our generation vs the older generation has. The ladies do not need to worry too much about money, but would still keep their realities in check.
1st Lead Couple – 始祖鸟/Archaeopteryx Kim Tae Moo and Happy Pill Shin Ha Ri
Tae Moo is the “perfect” chaebol in many ladies’ eyes, but he has a lousy personality that’s hostile, egoistic and manipulative.
We have a typical 男尊女卑, 门不当，户不对 couple here.
Ha Ri’s so hilarious that we are all drawn towards her, not to mention Tae Moo who finds it “refreshing” that she’s so real and not hypocritical like most women he met.
This 始祖鸟/Archaeopteryx nickname suits Tae Moo perfectly.
He began bullying Ha Ri at work when he discovered that Geum Hee was her alter ego.
There were too many funny scenes that we loved between our 1st lead couple, from Ha Ri faking to be Young Seo & Geum Hee, fake dating Tae Moo, Tae Moo faking his identity as Ha Ri’s supervisor, hiding in Ha Ri’s room and all their hilarious encounters.
They complement each other quite well.
She grows up in a poor, but warm and healthy family, while he grew up mostly alone. It’s the warmth that she exudes that slowly melts him.
There are some things that wealth cannot buy. Just remember how Grandpa Chairman Kang mentioned that though he’s rich, he dines alone in such a big house.
Geum Hee has a blunt and “heck-care” attitude that’s pretty alluring to Tae Moo, while Ha Ri is a simple, positive, happy-go-lucky and hardworking lady who has an infectious laughter.
I love the overall aesthetic vibes that they have created for Ha Ri. Kim Sejong looks very pretty and sexy with that long, wavy hair, chic dressing style and loud eye makeup.
Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Sejong have this very natural flair in their acting, thus it’s quite convincing to see them as a make-believe couple. The chemistry is there for sure as co-stars who could react to ad libs too.
Most people wouldn’t know how to handle whenever Tae Moo talked about his parents. They would feel sorry and switch topics. However, Ha Ri would put herself in his shoes and relate to how happy he must have felt when eating hotdog at the carnival with his parents, just like how she enjoyed eating hamburgers while on trips.
He wished that someone could lend a listening ear, but everyone else is just afraid of raking up his sad past.
Don’t we all have people that we miss and wish to reminisce the times with them, so that they continue to not only live in our hearts, but also in others’ memories?
It’s like an acknowledgement that they existed.
He only let Ha Ri in to the secrets as to why he is scared of the rain and the story of Namsam Tower as his Xmas tree.
He did not have the courage to tell Ha Ri the reasons behind his phobia. She was thoughtful not to not talk about it but accompany him through other activities to keep him distracted.
“在我喜欢的人面前，我要怎么把我的缺陷说出来，才不显得那么难堪。”
It’s tough for us to reveal our vulnerable sides to the people we love.
When Hari mentioned how Tae Moo’s parents wouldn’t blame him, just like he did not blame her for the accident, because their love is so overwhelming, there’s no room for hatred.
It’s a sudden realisation that hits not just our leads, but all of us. Sometimes things happen by sheer accidents. People who truly love you wouldn’t blame you for something you have no control over.
What we like about Tae Moo is, he’s never afraid to stand up for Ha Ri, even when Min Woo questioned his motives for “choosing” Ha Ri as his girlfriend.
He likes her for who she is, regardless of her family background. Nonetheless, the “childish” guys would always end up in meaningless competitions to see who’s better.
A Hint of being Cinderella?
While it’s easy to see that Ha Ri would become a “Cinderella”, there were obvious hints along the way.
For example, Ha Ri keeps losing her footwear, from shoes, slippers, and how Tae Moo would often help her to wear heels or tie her shoelaces.
2nd Lead Couple – Good Guy Sung Hoon and Girl Crush Young Seo
Sung Hoon and Young Seo’s loveline grows on me because it’s more realistic.
Love isn’t as sweet as you thought it is. No one is as perfect as they seem (not even your prince charming or dream girl), after you get to really know them.
People get together as they find each other attractive at first, but when you really spend time together, you get to discover your differences, with brushes and conflicts along the way.
Young Seo was attracted by Sung Hoon’s good looks, while he was attracted by her cuteness and kindness.
While their 1st encounter was “love at first sight”, their subsequent encounters were full of embarrassing mishaps (cockroaches, diarrhoea), the “drawing lines” between each other was cute, but also childish at the same time.
His nonchalance annoyed her completely.
Opposites Attract?
Young Seo takes the lead in this relationship. She’s not afraid to voice out her opinions or be the first to confess, while Sung Hoon usually is the backbone and cushion her from falls.
Sung Hoon is considerate, meticulous and good at taking care of others (part of his job as a secretary). He would prepare track shoes, water and stuff for Young Seo before they went hiking. He would patiently explain the benefits of exercising to her, while she’s more hot-headed and do not like outdoor activities.
Perhaps he should have informed her earlier, but knowing her character, she wouldn’t have agreed to come along.
Young Seo’s a dare-devil while Sung Hoon’s more boring and the type of “tested and proven” person. He’s composed and level headed, while she’s rash, wilful, hotheaded and would not hesitate to give you lashings.
She often speaks without considering others’ feelings, while he would explain his points and how she shouldn’t jump into conclusions without finding out how Tae Moo is like.
他会对事不对人，对事情做出冷静客观的分析，但她却希望男友不论对或错，在任何情况下，都要站在自己这一边。
Sung Hoon’s character is too “压抑“ as compared to the other leads, who ARE vocal and daring to go for what they want. Sung Hoon keeps too much to himself. However, he doesn’t make empty promises.
Young Seo is vocal and ready to open up to everyone, but Sung Hoon is more reserved and always felt like a shadow beside Tae Moo.
He doesn’t speak his mind and is always putting others before self.
A subconscious inferiority complex prevails, thus he could not open up to anyone else readily and it took time for him to open up to Young Seo as well.
We do not get an indepth character development, but it’s not difficult to see why he’s more quiet. This may be due to him being an orphan who’s adopted by the Kang Family, which resulted in him staying away from the limelight and willingly be a shadow.
Guess that’s why they say “Women are from Mars, Men are from Mars”.
Sung Hoon is objective, while Young Seo very opinionated.
She has 大小姐脾气 and expects her boyfriend to side her unconditionally while he’s too honest and doesn’t know how to sugarcoat his words. 有时觉得他他很无辜，but I guess that’s just the way love is.
一个愿打，一个愿挨。
He would stay with her despite her tantrums from time to time and is always the first to apologise (even if it isn’t his fault). Not leaving her to fend for herself while she lost her way in the hills, was a good example.
She expects him to understand her, but she has never really tried to understand him, until she found out about his parentage.
The Big Quarrel
It is a form of disrespect when Sung Hoon went matchmaking on Tae Moo’s behalf and the date turned out to be Yoo Jung.
Anyone would be angry given the circumstance.
He should have told her right from the start. It was such a rude shock for Young Seo.
“无视她的存在，也没在第一时间和她老实地说。无条件地顺从 Tae Moo”.
It is also after the big quarrel when they got to know each other better, such as details of Young Seo’s background and she was hoping they would be frank with the small details in their lives in future.
This shows that, we do not know everything about the person we love.
Two-way communication is of the essence.
Same Faith in Love
Both believe in “love at first sight” and meeting the fated one.
Young Seo may be a chaebol, but she believes in meeting the fated one. Jung Hoon shares the same views as to only marrying the person you truly love and not for political marriages.
This is presumably due to lack of parental love since young. There’s a void in their hearts that they wish could be filled, with a true love.
While Murphy’s Law hits Young Seo hard whenever she’s trying to impress Sung Hoon and ended up otherwise, the Universe helped manifest her dream of meeting her fated one.
This is illustrated by the times when they would often bump into each other.
That’s considered fair enough. You get what you desire, because you believe and behave like you already own it. She’s brave enough to pursue her happiness and be with Sung Hoon regardless of her dad threatening to severe ties with her.
“男女之间不能有金钱交易“。
It’s best not to get entangled with money affairs between couples.
He became her biggest investor when he use his entire life savings to help her set up a new company. He trusted his business acumen but more importantly, he trusted the woman he loves.
It’s a form of reciprocal for her sacrifice but also a promise of commitment.
Going from a more realistic perspective, Sung Hoon’s a better catch compared to Tae Moo.
If you are an independent lady and have a stronger personality like Young Seo, you would find him a good complement. He’s a supportive partner, caring, considerate and has a milder temper compared to Tae Moo. Just that he’s a little indecisive and boring.
He’s not a chaebol but able to earn his own keep and is always able to analyse things objectively and able to ground you in a sense.
There’s a lot of hype and more pink bubbles seem to be popping around them. We don’t know for sure if they are dating in real life, but we wouldn’t be surprised by their strong chemistry in the drama.
Wished we had more double dates though.
Clichéd Rom Com Scenes
From sharing an umbrella, tying shoelaces for the female lead, piggybacks, punching rivals scenes, “A Business Proposal” has all the Clichéd scenes you can find in Rom Coms.
– Tae Moo and Ha Ri sharing an umbrella
– Tae Moo tying shoe laces for Ha Ri, Sung Hoon putting on shoes for Young Seo
– Sung Hoon piggybacking Young Seo down the hill
– Min Woo punching Tae Moo and Ha Ri stopped them in the act
What is the universal prop that works in most Kdramas with Romance Theme?
Ans : Umbrella
KDramas romanticise rain scenes a little too much.
Waiting for your Prince Charming to shelter you from the storms?
In reality, you don’t like being drenched. Most guys don’t bring brollies too, so better wake up the idea and bring your own. 😂
Why are YELLOW umbrellas so popular then?
Yellow umbrellas are used very often cos yellow signifies a happy and fated union. It also means protecting the one you love.
Another clichéd scene is this “helping female lead tie shoelace/put on heels”.
Those who are unfamiliar with KDramas may be wondering if all Kdrama female leads are 生活白痴 and 没有自主能力 till that extent. 😅
Nope, it’s probably got to do with the connotation to meeting your Prince Charming who puts on the Glass Slipper for Cinderella.
It’s believed that when your shoelaces become untied, someone is thinking of you.
Perhaps, we can link it to an act of love and caring gesture? It’s a tested and proven method that works in Dramaland.
In reality, only the shop assistant, your ice skating/ice skiing instructor/ scuba diving instructor may help you to put on footwear. That wouldn’t send your heart fluttering though.
Ending
I concur with many viewers that they ought to include the wedding and life after marriage scenes for the finale. The last 2 episodes were cramped with abrupt happenings and time fast forwarded to 1 year later in just a few seconds.
If these scenes were cut off from the 4 episodes that have yet to air, perhaps it’s a good idea to air them as special episodes.
I love the theme song “Love Maybe” so much that the tune keeps ringing in my head. Reminded me how the tune from “Perhaps Love” from “Goong” would start playing in my head instantaneously.
Kudos to the entire cast and production team for their hard work. I’m sure they had a lot of fun during filming, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to enjoy this drama so much as well.
Hope the 4 leads get to act together someday, especially for Seo In Ah & Kim Min Kyu to get another loveline together.
Grateful that the endorphins relieved us of stress for the 12 hours that we invested in this drama.
There’s no fairy tale in this world and the drama shows you the harsh realities in life, but do not lose hope in meeting the right one.
When there’s love, things will work out eventually.
