Manhwa Review: What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? Vol. 3

Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?. Read on for the review of Volume 3 of the manhwa. (For other reviews of this series, click here.)

Back Cover Blurb

Youngjun continues to woo Secretary Kim, but he’s got some stiff competition! Miso happens to run into her favorite author, Morpheus—and what’s more, when she flips through Morpheus’s debut anthology, certain eerily familiar details in a story about a kidnapping catch her eye…

The Review

If your rich, handsome lead has an equally good-looking single brother, of course, that brother’s going to take an interest in the leading lady. However, things don’t quite head into the usual love triangle territory. SungYeon’s interest in Miso very much has an I-only-want-her-because-my-brother-has-her vibe. Plus, she immediately rebuffs his attempts to charm her. It’s only when she reads in SungYeon’s autobiography that he was kidnapped as a child that he grabs her attention.

But instead of clarity, SungYeon only raises more questions. Key facts line up, like the time and place of the kidnapping, so Miso’s certain she’s found the right person. However, SungYeon has zero memory of Miso being held captive with him.

To further muddy the waters of the past, YoungJun apparently forgot everything about his brother’s kidnapping shortly after the incident. And although YoungJun wasn’t the one kidnapped, he’s dealing with his own trauma, with actual scars on his ankles to match. Miso also discovers YoungJun had a hand in her becoming his personal secretary nine years ago even though she is far from qualified for the position. Moreover, his mother seems to hold some critical information but is being tightlipped about it.

So there’s certainly a mystery within the Lee family. All the mismatching puzzle pieces will keep readers intrigued as YoungJun’s focus switches from Operation: Sweep Miso Off Her Feet to Keep Miso Away From My Brother. Not to say there are no romantic moments. Through the power of money and corporate clout, YoungJun finagles a second date with Miso, but whereas their first date was over-the-top in every way, Miso takes the reins to force her high-class boss into commoner territory.

Extras include illustration gallery, next volume preview, artist’s note, and translation notes.

In Summary

Rom-com steps aside for mystery when SungYeon reveals to Miso that he was the kidnapped Lee son. But he has no memory of Miso. And his accounts of his childhood years contradict with YoungJun’s. It’s not a love triangle between the three, but the lack of clarity on their history keeps things engaging.

First published at the Fandom Post.

Manhwa Review: What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? Vol. 2

Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?. Read on for the review of Volume 2 of the manhwa. (For other reviews of this series, click here.)

Back Cover Blurb

Operation: Sweep Miso Off Her Feet is in full force! Winning over his secretary’s affection has proven to be a tough task, but Youngjun’s pulling out all the stops and re-creating her perfect date—whatever it takes for her to stay! Though Miso finds her heart fluttering at his advances, her dreams are haunted by the memories of a boy from her past, one she feels too compelled to remember…

The Review

Armed with survey information and his vast resources, YoungJun pulls out all the stops in creating Miso’s perfect date! But YoungJun being his self-absorbed YoungJun self manages to sabotage the mood more than once. Like a good romantic comedy, our main couple is never quite able to get in step with each other, yet each does manage to see the other in a romantic light, if at different moments.

In the end, Operation: Sweep Miso Off Her Feet doesn’t do the job of convincing her to be his girlfriend. However, it still serves a purpose. Shortly thereafter, Miso goes on a blind date and later gets asked out by a handsome coworker. Though both men would make excellent boyfriend material, Miso can’t help but compare them to YoungJun. All part of YoungJun’s grand scheme… though it’s a rom-com so Miso’s comparisons don’t always portray YoungJun in a positive light.

Then the narrative shifts away from dating comedy to phobias and dark memories. Miso gets distracted from her search for Mr. Right when her friend’s journalist fiancé discovers a possible connection between the mysterious boy of her past and an incident hushed up by YoungJun’s family. At the same time, YoungJun’s older brother returns to Korea for the first time in three years. Unlike YoungJun, this Lee son resides in France, has nothing to do with the family business, and has a charming personality. Oh, and he and YoungJun hate each other’s guts. It’s an enmity that goes back to their childhood, and those elements combined with glimpses of our characters’ dreams create a compelling element of mystery in the story.

Extras include illustration gallery, next volume preview, artist’s note, and translation notes.

In Summary

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? continues the rom-com with YoungJun simultaneously creating and flubbing up Miso’s dream date. However, halfway through the volume, the tone shifts from humor to mystery as YoungJun’s older brother enters the story. Phobias, nightmares, and intensely bad blood between the brothers will soon have you pondering What’s Wrong with the Lee Brothers?

First published at the Fandom Post.

Manhwa Review: What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? Vol. 1

Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?. Read on for the review of Volume 1 of the manhwa.

Back Cover Blurb

Star secretary Miso Kim has been by vice-chairman Youngjun Lee’s side through thick and thin for nine years…until she suddenly quits! Her unexpected declaration throws Youngjun for a loop. After all, what more could she want in life to abandon an excellent job working for a boss like him? So when Miso reveals she’s leaving to finally live her own life and find love, he sets out to prove that he’s the ultimate catch―whatever it takes to convince her to stay!

The Review

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? began as a novel and spun off a Webtoon comic and a 2018 K-drama. I binged the TV series a couple years ago, and now that Yen Press has released the translated comic in print format, I get to see artist MyeongMi Kim’s take on the story as well.

This workplace rom-com is a variant of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Specifically, the couple goes from slave driver boss and harried subordinate to lovers. 33-year-old Vice Chairman YoungJun is handsome, wealthy, brilliant, and completely full of himself. He’s used to having things exactly the way he wants, when he wants it. That includes his long-suffering secretary, Miso Kim, being at his beck and call 24/7, 365 days a year.

For nine years, Miso’s given the job her all, mainly because of her family’s crushing debts. But their finances have finally stabilized, and for the 29-year-old secretary, it’s now or never if she’s going to find a husband and start a family. So she gives her notice (so she can actually go out and date). At first, YoungJun refuses to accept it. When he realizes there’s nothing he can actually do to compel her to stay, he puts himself out as a boyfriend candidate.

As far as characters go, YoungJun and Miso fall in fairly familiar categories. YoungJun is the brilliant, arrogant, rich executive who is running the family financial empire. Miso is the hard-working, attractive-though-not-gorgeous heroine who is devoted to her lower-class family that has that one person who always needs to be bailed out. The thing that’s unusual about this starring pair is that they’ve already worked together nearly a decade at the time the story opens.

Thus, the narrative is not about them getting to know one another. Rather, it’s what happens when Miso’s able to speak and act freely without having to worry about workplace power dynamics. The artist plays it up by showing YoungJun’s high-handed behavior both in and out of the workplace and the self-centered temper tantrum he throws at receiving Miso’s notice. Anyone who has ever had a boss with zero self-awareness will enjoy Miso tearing into him as she lists all the reasons she’s leaving and why she would never date him.

YoungJun’s “romantic” pursuit of Miso begins with the comic tone of an overgrown brat trying to get what he wants, but you quickly get the sense there’s more at play. After all, he has an unusual quirk in that he doesn’t let any other woman touch him, not even his supermodel escorts. (And no, he’s not gay). Plus, a flashback to Miso’s first days at the company hints that the insensitive YoungJun can be considerate of Miso (in his own brusque way). But until those hidden elements come to light, you can laugh at YoungJun’s appalling attempts to win Miso’s affections.

I can’t make comparisons to the novel, but Volume 1 of the Yen Press translation does follow the TV series fairly closely. The main difference is that the comic has more visuals to convey comedic scenes. For instance, YoungJun’s divorced friend/relationship advisor/workplace subordinate Yusik has laughable fashion sense, and the drawings of post-rejection YoungJun are hilarious.

Illustrations in general are funny and heart-pounding as the plot demands it. They are rendered in full color on glossy paper, which makes for a nice-looking but hefty book.

In Summary

After nine years of tireless service to her demanding boss, Miso’s quitting the corporate life to find a husband and settle down. Problem is her boss won’t let her go! If you’re looking for a workplace rom-com that throws the boss-employee dynamic for a loop, give What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? a try.

First published at the Fandom Post.