Old vs New
We didn’t know what to do for this! Like we knew we were gonna do Old and New, but old and new what? That was the issue. Lazy Unnie made a comment about looking at people’s old work vs their new work which I thought she meant plastic surgery which brought us to the idea of examining an old drama with an actor vs their newer drama. We were gonna choose Gong Yoo, but I guess there is a limit on how much I can talk about Coffee Prince. Hence, we ended up with Park Min Young, mainly because Lazy Unnie hasn’t really had the chance to look at a lot of older dramas, but she did love her some Why Secretary Kim and Her Private Life. So here you have it! Woot.
Sungkyunkwan Scandal (OLD)
Kim Yun Hee is a smart, responsible young woman with an independent drive. Since her father passed away she has worked to support her family, but also managed to do well in her studies. When her younger brother’s illness worsens and their family is in danger of being evicted from their house for lack of money. In her desperation to support him, Kim Yoon Hee decides to take the men’s only national exam under her younger brother’s name and disguises herself as a boy. On the day of the exam, Kim Yun Hee meets Lee Seon Joon and becomes friends. Lee Seon Joon comes from a privileged background and also possesses good looks. He is also arrogant. They both pass the national exam and she has to share a room together with him at Sungkyunkwan University, while hiding her true nature. There, she becomes friends with the playboy Goo Yong Ha and rebellious Moon Jae Shin.
mydramalist
I watched this drama back in 2015 I think… It was overall okay, but I couldn’t get into it due to how much I dislike Yoochun and his character here. The saving grace for me were my two babes, Song Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In. I did enjoy the overall premise of the show because I love a good gender bender story. Did Park Min Young effectively pass as a boy? No, she did not, but that’s okay. We can’t have it all, I guess. China actually has made a remake of this which I am genuinely looking forward to because this time I actually like both the female and male leads. I thought that Min Young gave a pretty decent performance and it’s nice seeing her old face from time to time. I do remember finding this drama a bit draggy and I would love to do a rewatch with this new frame of mind that I have in which I love saeguk, but I still dislike Yoochun, so there’s that. Anyways, according to MDL, I gave this 7.5 stars. Might be too generous.
Why Secretary Kim/ Her Private life
Why Secretary Kim
Lee Young-Joon’s family runs a large company and he works as the vice-president of the company. He is smart, rich and handsome, but he is arrogant. His secretary is Kim Mi-So. She has worked for him for years and she is perfect for him, but Kim Mi-So decides to quit her job.Her Private Life
Asianwiki
Sung Deok-Mi (Park Min-Young) works as a curator at an art gallery. She is a huge fan of idol group member Shi-An and secretly runs a fan website about him. Because of her affection for Shi-An, she has experienced several personal break-ups. Sung Deok-Mi now focuses only her job and doing activities as Shi-An’s fan in her private life. One day, Ryan (Kim Jae-Wook) begins work as the new director of the art gallery where Sung Deok-Mi. He was once a famous painter, but he does not paint anymore. Ryan doesn’t have much interest in other people, but he happens to learn that Sung Deok-Mi is a fan of Shi-An and runs his fan website. Ryan takes an interest in Sung Deok-Mi.
Both of these dramas aired back to back and even though I loved both of them, I felt like Park Min Young should have done one or the other or maybe they should have been spaced out more. Both characters, Kim Mi-So and Deok-Mi were basically the same person. Professional women in the role of assistant to a powerful man who she falls in love with or has always known for her whole life blah, blah, blah. Throw in some sprinkles of tragedy, steamy kisses and chemistry and you have two of the same things. Min Young’s performance in both was great. But once you saw Why Secretary Kim, you knew what to expect from Her Private Life. There were no surprises. And maybe that’s the kind of actress she is. Someone who you know what you’re getting when you decide to watch. Good old, Park Min Young. Relateable and dependable.
Unbothered Unnies 