Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is A Business Proposal. Read on for the review of Volume 4 of the manhwa. (For other reviews of the series, click here.)
Back Cover Blurb
Hari is about to finally end it with Taemu when disaster strikes. Sudden news of her parents’ accident throws her into a panic, but thankfully, her capable CEO is there to get things under control! Taemu proves with grace and efficiency that he really is good at everything―crisis management, emotional support…and frying chicken…? With her parents in the hospital, Hari needs all the help she can get to keep the restaurant open, and Taemu is determined to use this as a chance to rack up brownie points! However, things get heated when Minwoo joins in, increasingly possessive of his “best friend”…
The Review
Talk about an emotional roller coaster. Taemu and Hari steam up the first two pages with what was meant to be a goodbye kiss. Fortunately for Taemu, he gets the opportunity to keep the relationship going when Hari gets the sudden news her parents were injured in a kitchen accident. Yes, it is a conveniently timed crisis, but it allows Mr. CEO to demonstrate how serious he is about Hari, both in conventional rich person fashion (taking care of her parents’ medical care) and a more unusual way (rolling up his sleeves at the restaurant to help keep the family business going). Actually, everyone rallies to support Hari and her brother, so the entire swoon-worthy cast ends up in aprons. If you wanted to see the CEO and his secretary frying chicken together, this is your volume!
In addition to the crisis keeping Taemu and Hari together, it allows Sunghoon and Yeongsuh to cross paths and ultimately clear up their misunderstanding. With that, they kiss and make up – in a way that burns up the pages. The book definitely earns its “Older Teen” rating with their bedroom scene at the opening of Chapter 43. So things are just peachy for the pair – except for the fact that Yeongsuh’s dad doesn’t consider Sunghoon ideal husband material. Rich girl’s daddy has made a move yet, but it is imminent.
Also crossing paths during the restaurant crisis are Taemu and Minwoo. After everything poor Hari has been through, it’s satisfying to watch the two guys fight over her in between washing dishes and passing out restaurant flyers. However, the romantic tension with Minwoo comes to an abrupt end when he breaks up with his girlfriend and professes love to Hari. I expected more out of this scene, especially since he is the person Hari has obsessed over so long, but his confession is unexpectedly disappointing. By the end of it, he truly does seem like a squid. But at the very least, it allows Hari to make a clean break from him and focus on her situation with Taemu, which is complicated enough.
In Summary
An accident at Haha Chicken brings everyone to the restaurant to help Hari keep her family’s business afloat. In between our gorgeous characters dazzling customers as they clean tables and marinate chicken, Sunghoon and Yeongsuh light up the bedroom, and Taemu and Minwoo exhibit jealous behavior over Hari. Ultimately, things with Minwoo come to an unsatisfying and disappointing conclusion, but the progress between Sunghoon/Yeongsuh and Taemu/Hari are plenty to keep the drama going.
First published at the Fandom Post.
Keeping It In Canon ...mostly 