A Business Proposal (2022)

Love It But Don't Be Fooled...

Okay, first off, I didn't read the webtoon so I can't compare. I do say that this is a refreshing show but it does have its drawbacks. You may fall in love with all the fluff but there are some negatives to point out. BTW, I originally gave this a 9.0 rating from EP 10 and by EP 12, I changed it to a 7.5

So, briefly explaining the plot, the FL, Ha-Ri, decides to go on a blind date in place of her best friend. Apparently, they do this switch-a-roo because Ha-Ri is good at acting and making all the blind dates fail. However, of course, that one blind date goes awry because as you already know, the blind date is with the ML, Tae-M.oo who is the CEO of her company.

Now from the get-go, while Ha-Ri's antics to get him to dislike her is funny and hilarious, you don't get to know what his first impression was of her. You do get to hear the inner monologue of the FL and the first impression she has of him but you don't know what he thinks of her. So despite all her silly antics, he decides that he wants to marry her anyway. Of course, she refuses him flat out. He finds out later that she wasn't the original person he was supposed to meet and using that, he binds the FL into a contractual fake relationship so that his grandfather will stop arranging blind dates for him.

Ha-Ri still doesn't tell him that she works for his company, so she constantly tries to hide from him at work and of course, later he finds out.

There's the second FL, Young Seo who is Ha-Ri's best friend and has a crush on the second ML, Sung Hoon, who just happens to be Tae-Moo's secretary and best friend.

So as of this writing, I've watched up to EP6 of 12 episodes.

So here are some drawbacks:

-There's a part where a voyeur secretly films the SFL and later gets caught. The SFL is actually a rich heiress. When she's on the way to the police station with evidence that she was videotaped, the voyeur stops her and of course, she gets pushed down and now the second ML, Sung Hoon comes running to her rescue. Then later, the ML, Tae-Moo sweeps in and finishes off the bad guy at the police station using his connections and money. IMO, this is something that the rich SFL could've done herself. But falling for the "damsel in distress" trope, they make the SFL into more of a victim rather than a woman who could've dealt with the bad guy just like the ML did. Instead, it could've been written that the SFL decides NOT to be a victim of this voyeur or at least make the bad guy very regretful he ever crossed her. She's a rich heiress and a powerful businesswoman too.

-There's a dress montage where the ML picks out dresses for the FL and she tries them all on and he picks which one HE likes because of course, it's a fake anniversary gift to HER. They turn this moment of him looking at her like she looks gorgeous in this dress so it's all so lovey-dovey... but don't be fooled. From another vantage point, the FL agrees that she likes the dress too even though the dress is too small and she can hardly breathe, let alone eat in it but who is she to say anything? After all, he's buying. The dress later rips and he's a "hero" for covering her backside, and later they "laugh" about it but does he apologize for kinda forcing that dress on her or ask her why she didn't say something earlier? Why not write it like he's sorry for making her wear it and she says, "I should've said something and now I know better." Something where they both learn and grow together?

-At one point, Ha-Ri tries to hide out in the bathroom when the CEO's grandfather has to use it and she refuses to open the door. She's afraid he'll find out who she is so she tries to keep the door closed even though the grandfather badly needs to use the bathroom. The door finally bursts open and the grandfather falls and hurts himself and Ha-Ri doesn't reach out to grab him because she wants to just hide her face. Not a cool scene at all. There was a lot of fuss over this about disrespecting the elderly and I agree. I mean, she could've just dashed out but whatever.

-There's the ML's reaction when he finds out Ha-Ri works for him and that she lied and hid her real identity from him. He abuses his authority as a boss making her overworked and stressed emotionally. Not the best writing. Same ol' cliché of the rich boss being bad while the female employee puts up with it. She even begs him to keep her job because of course she lied to him so it's ALL her fault. Would've been better if she had quit and he begs her to come back.

-The FL's drunken confession of telling the ML who she really is, (btw, Netflix gave away this spoiler and put it in the details as the episode was released so I read it first and was disappointed finding out how the ML finds out the truth before I watched it). Anyway, of course, the FL admits who she really is to the ML but she's drunk and she thinks she's dreaming and she forgets the next day. It would've been better had she been sober.

-The SFL has an embarrassing moment where she really needs to go to the bathroom and the bathroom is locked. Of course, the SML "saves" her again in the nick of time. Oh btw, he also "saved" the SFL from a CGI cockroach in her apartment. So in total, he saved the SFL from the cockroach, the voyeur, and from the bathroom fiasco and if we include him catching up to her while she's walking home drunk, that would be 4 times. Also, as for the FL, when Ha-Ri's friends run into her, they ask her about her "rich boyfriend" which was actually a lie that the SFL made up for her bestie, but luckily the ML steps in front of Ha-Ri's friends and pretends to be her boyfriend. So basically all the women get the embarrassing and humiliating moments but none of the guys really. They just fall into the "heroes" tropes all the time.

-The SFL kisses the SML while she's drunk now you have a love connection between the two. I'm not liking the fact that the second ML reciprocated the drunken kiss. Would've been better if he was a "gentleman" and didn't give in to a drunk woman. Like WTF is with the women having to be drunk in pivotal moments?

-You hear all about the SFL's feelings about the SML but you don't hear much about him and how he feels about her really. Everything is focused on the second female lead's feelings.

Okay, so don't get me wrong, I do love this rom-com but I'm being unbiased in some moments where it could've been better. I'm not sure if this is the fault of the writers of the show or because it's following the webtoon. As previously mentioned, I've never seen the webtoon so I can't say. Also, I'm not a fan of the OST... it just isn't as memorable or catchy. I still can't remember it even now.

Btw, I'm a huge fan of Paul Anh (Anh Hyo Seop) and I think Kim Se Jeong is perfect for this role!

Update:
I just finished watching this and I found the last two episodes lacking. It wasn't rushed but I felt like it was unsatisfying to watch at the end. Something was just missing. The whole grandfather's disapproval was dumb, dumb, dumb... Can someone tell me what was the point of showing us scenes where the grandfather is watching his fave kdrama if it really didn't contribute to the main story? I thought maybe the grandfather would've approved of Ha-ri after seeing how Shin Geum-hi was treated on that show. Pointless scenes if you ask me.

Anyways, all in all, it was funny and cute but I do have to say that the last two episodes were just so-so and missing something. The OST was barely memorable as well.

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A fan of the webtoon, not a fan of this adaptation

My review headline is a disclaimer on my perspective.

I am a fan of the source webtoon and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. So, in finding out they were creating a drama adaptation, I was both excited and terrified. I have watched many adaptations to know source content will change. Some creators make really good adaptations and others make really bad ones. This drama, in my opinion, falls into the bad side of that spectrum. It upsets me.

The things that I loved about the webtoon was changed (for the worse) or completely omitted and replaced by typical, tired and annoying kdrama tropes. The source material, while having some cliches, was nowhere near as unbearable as this drama adaptation. I can't understand why they did this. The creators of this drama had perfectly good source material to use which was more original in its story devices. The only reasoning that I could imagine was that they were purposely trying to see how many cliches they could throw into one drama, like a game.

Although part of me still really wants to, I couldn't give this 1 star just because of my original love of the webtoon. But this was not an enjoyable adaptation for me. I will not be watching this again. If you want a good story, skip the drama and read the webtoon.

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A rom com cliche fest

This is just one of these easy to watch, easy to binge type of dramas with lovely visuals and high entertainment value... but very little depth... A feast for all usäs cliche lovers.. let's just say that if I had a made a game board with drama cliches I wold not only get BINGO but an all clear... as the cliches come one after the other. Some of the cliches have their own little spin others no.. Making sure that you can guess the twist 80% of the 20% that differs may just help keep you on your toes for the whole drama,

The Leads are mostly lovely, fun to watch and cute... there is some cringe and second hand embarrassment here and there but it did not make me loose interest in them as they were just so much fun to watch the other 95% or the time making me almost forget and definitely forgive those 5%.

The Friendships in this drama are overall great, fun to watch, easy to fall in love with as there is both a sismance and bromance worthy of the mances hall of fame. And a found family to die for...

There are some annoying elements and side characters that are there to be comic relief but kind of got on my nerves instead, however again this was at an acceptable level.

in numbers:
Bingeabilaty: 10
Annoying elements: low to medium
Romance: 9
Friendship: 10
Entertainment. 10


So not a must watch but definitely something for all us rom com cliches lovers out there.

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"OVER HYPED NETFLIX DRAMA "

Drag drag and just drag ... Somehow I completed this drama with the hope of something interesting based on how much this drama got 8.8 on MDL .
DOES THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE?

I think those who've given this drama high ratings are new Kdrama fans because it's totally filled with clichés and bland storyline... everything is predictable. If you're a new fan you'll probably laugh and get excited for next episode but for me ( old Kdrama fan) it was interesting in just first two episodes not bearable after that.
So disappointed with characters I mean it's 2022 guys and what is this ?
The only different character was that eng - Korean speaking girl .

And ROMANCE ??
I couldn't handle it ಥ‿ಥ how can romance be this null ? I'm really speechless ! Zero efforts by leads .

Waste of time
Better watch WWWSK, MY SECRET ROMANCE, SECRET LIFE OF MY SECRETARY.

Never gonna watch it again.

Netflix is really wrongly representing rom com Kdrama .

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kind of disappointing

Now, I’m writing this as someone who read the manhwa the series is based on, I truly love the story and was really exited to hear it was getting a drama. But I’m so disappointed in what we got. I absolutely recommend reading the manhwa if you can, the first season is around 100 chapters then after that the second season starts.

Anyways, over to my review !
I love the actors who were casted but I don’t think the roles fit them. I generally thought Hari and Taemu were so annoying during the entire show in the way they were written. i get that its suposed to be a comedy, but i didnt really find any of the jokes funny. i love both Ahn Hyoseop and Kim Sejeong, but these rols werent really the best for them. infact, while reading the manhwa i never imagened Ahn Hyoseop as Taemu, i was more seeing someone like Jung Haein, Woo DoHwan, or even Kim Minkyu who portraied Cha Sunghoon i feel like woulve been a better choice for Taemu.

There were small cute deatails that were lost, like Hari's family chicken resturant was called "HaHa Chicken" in the Manhwa. and was named after Hari and her brother, Hamin. In the drama it was changed to "Goobne" (which is a real resturant chain, so im guessing it was advertisment... (?))
There were also bigger plot points that was changed form the manhwa to the drama which didn’t make sense (to me)

So, spoilers ahead for both the drama and manhwa !!
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Hari’s whole thing during the manhwa was that she doesn't want to marry Taemu. She said Taemu wasn't allowed to to even mention marrige if she didn't bring it up first, and told Taemu to not ask her to marry him, which he respected.
So the ending of season 1 of the manhwa, Hari was the one who proposed to Taemu, which was a huge part of the entire plot.
In the drama, Taemu proposed and Hari at the end of the first season and she just said, yes ? Without question, the entire plot of the manhwa was just thrown out the window. Why make that change ?


I did relly look forward for the addaption and i had huge hopes for the drama but I was honestly so disappointed.

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Funny but nothing memorable

GOOD;

- Silly tone and clichés well managed making the whole thing fun to watch.
- The main actors : if not for Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Se Jeong, I would have dropped this. Their chemistry is very good. physically I liked the couple they make: not siblings like. Different physical features. It made them magic on screen.
- The two main leads: Kang Tae Moo and Shin Ha Ri. Their interactions are silly and funny but also meaningful at times. A few cringe moments but they are so cute I will forgive that.
- Second couple is decent. They have their own story and challenges. They are a more mature couple compared to the main couple so I don't really mind their story closes with an "open ending".
- The parents and bro of Shin Ha Ri. They are the funny elements.
- Lee Min Woo and his gf: a rather realistic and sorry couple but I liked them. They are like some couple really are in real life.

NOT SO GOOD:
- No character's depth of psychology
- No character's development apart for SFL with a small one
- Team developpers 1 was ok but a bit too much at times.
- Grandpa and president Kang : a lot of potential wasted here. The last ep brought some fun moments but It could have been better.
- Ending a bit rushed.

OVERALL: A very silly and fun drama to watch if you want to smile and laugh but not a very memorable one. The story is full of clichés and there is not development to really make the characters stick in your mind. 9/10 for the fun ride.

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Full of Cliché

Hella Overrated... Maybe bcoz of netflix..& their new viewers ?
Honestly, I was excited to see this one but it was soo disappointing.
There wasn't anything new. Writer picked each part from different dramas like WWWSK, True Beauty, SLOMS, etc. Many scenes was easily predictable.
& Last but not the least, what's with that ending ?? Stupid social scandal & overseas business!!
First few episodes was interesting and but with time it lost it's track! It seemed like I'm watching a Cdrama! Like accidentally kiss, cold ML, fluffy FL,fireworks, parents disapproval, childhood trauma... ML's character was so similar to WWWSK's Park seo joon. My heart didn't fluttered while watching Lead couple's chemistry. Second couple were better though.

Overall, this drama is only for new watchers, if you're also one of them who've watched so many dramas, you'll probably get disappointed. Coz it's full of fillers & cliché. Even cliché's aren't that old these days, it seems like my expectations from kdrama's are decreasing these days. Waiting for some good one's.

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The classic romcom we were all craving for

I said in a comment prior of the drama that everyone was saying they hoped it would be as good as the webtoon.. and I said I hoped it would be better.
As I said before, the webtoon had a cliché story but good characters, so the actors could make it or break it - since it would depend a lot on chemistry and acting.

Fortunately... they gave us so much more!

For me the best surprise was the comical parts - specially in the early episodes - they were really funny and fresh. The actors did a superb job (special praises to the main girls duo, imo) and also overall writing and directing.

The only downside compared to the webtoon was the change in Taemoo's grandfather final storyline. Originally he supported Taemoo and Hari's relationship and also defended Sunghoon from Young Seo's father (this last one was really touching). Such a shame his character lost all depth...

Nevertheless, a must watch for romcom addicts like me. A Business Proposal, you will be missed! :)

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A typical kdrama rom-com that i may re-watch years later, up to episode 10, when i need a good laugh

A typical kdrama rom-com packed with cliches and super hilarious moments and an easy, light-hearted watch with just 60mins x12-episode run. I would say the second couple sizzled more than the lead couple after the lead couple got together, and the hilarious moments that made this drama also fizzled out towards the end, plus the 2-minute bed scene for the lead couple is totally unnecessary, spoiling an otherwise family-friendly drama, and totally trashed the credibility of this drama.

What happened to that bandaged hand that had the FML-SML’s bromance scene just a few scenes earlier? Doesn't the hand hurt when driving around looking for the FL and carrying the FL with her heavy-duty long shirt and skirt around in the room?

Good to see Im Ki Hong again in his comedic role, after watching Lawless Lawyer less than a month ago, and his hairstyle seems the same after 4 years!

Maybe i will re-watch it years later, up to episode 10 only, when i need a good laugh.

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|| OVERALL ||

A well executed textbook romantic comedy. I usually prefer when there is one main couple as I feel too many other storylines will take away from fully exploring the main couple's relationship. However, despite there being two prominent couples the second couple was well explored and did not take away from the main couple given they all know each other. The pace was faster as there are only 12 episodes, and I felt there were just enough of everything - humour, romance, steam, family bonding, work life. Among the cast, Kim Se Jeong was the highlight - her reactions and expressions are very funny and realistic.

**I recommend this drama to those that like light-hearted romantic comedies. It has all the components of a good romantic comedy and I felt it was interesting from beginning to end. I didn't fast forward much for this drama.


|| DETAILS ||

= Story =
*Premise - To be honest the plot is nothing too unique. Mainly just a blind date that ended up being a happy mistake.
*Genre - A textbook romantic comedy that was well executed and definitely above average.
*Main plot - As the drama is only 12 episodes, I do like the faster pace and the less time wasted approach. There were just enough funny scenes and just enough romantic scenes of various intensities which I enjoyed. Also I found over the course of the drama there were multiple points in which I was surprised at the maturity of the romance and the funny twist to scenes that I anticipated cliché responses. It was also a nice touch to have the drama in a drama. That is not to say, typical of rom-coms there are over the top and ridiculous scenes, but already anticipating that before I start any rom-com, it didn't take much away from my enjoyment of the drama.
*Love lines - I didn't really care much for the main couple initially as there character seemed a bit too over the top, but they slowly grew on me, which I feel is exactly the aim. Usually they portray characters as very one dimensional then as the drama progresses viewers see that there is more to them i.e. why they act the way they do. Also I usually get annoyed with the secondary love line and want to skip their scenes, but I truly enjoyed this one. They were close friends and had their own funny and steamy scenes. It was clear they were secondary but they had a good amount of screentime too. I realized I enjoy the jealousy scenes much more when they are with insignificant characters as having them with second leads would drag the story too much.
*Ending - Simple ending, but in all honesty I found it rather abrupt. The whole episode felt slow until the very end when everything suddenly just ended or got wrapped up.


= Cast =
*Acting - I would have to say Kim Se Jeong was the best at acting. I think of all the dramas I have seen, among the younger actors and actresses her acting is so far the most realistic - the reactions , facial expressions, body language, and comedic timing are on point. The best acting is when the actor / actress can let go of their "celebrity baggage" and just be free and I feel she does that. Seol In Ha also does a great job. In contrast the guys didn't stand out as much in my eyes and were flatter, perhaps also due to their character profile. I couldn't help but compare the main couple to What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, and despite doing well, Ahn Hyo Seop was a bit lacking as a chaebol compared to Park Seo Joon. Otherwise, the supporting actors and actresses contributed well to the plot.
*Chemistry - Again, I couldn't help but compare with What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, and though they had good chemistry it felt a little lacking somehow.


= OST =
I enjoyed the music - there were multiple renditions to "Love, Maybe" and I liked all of them.


|| A LESSON ABOUT OPTIMISM ||

Many unexpected situations happen in life. Shin Ha Ri's life has not been easy - giving up on her true passion due to her family's financial situation, having a crush on someone who she thought didn't reciprocate her feelings, falling in love with someone she knows she shouldn't, being gossiped about at work, being disapproved of by her boyfriend's family. However, one thing that seems to guide her through it all was her optimism and in the end it paid off. Not only does her optimism help herself get through difficult situations, she is also able to positively affect those around her.

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A romcom gem

If you’re looking for a short, fun and well executed rom-com then this is the show for you.
Recently I’ve been watching a lot of kdramas that are emotional and can be difficult to watch mentally, however ‘A Business proposal’, was the complete opposite.

First off this drama is absolutely hilarious somtimes I find it difficult to laugh at kdramas because so many are not my type of humour but this show surprised me. The special effects are probably my favourite from any drama I’ve watched and it really gave the show character. It’s full of cliches but the effects were definitely something that made the show unique. Like I said before the show is very cliche, stereotypical and full of tropes that are common in the world of kdramas but that doesn’t take away from how good the execution was.

The characters were great as well as the acting. Hari was a very likeable and Taemoo wasn’t typically mean, like male characters usually are in Boss-employee relationships. Sejeong is a great actress and I’ll definitely look out for her future shows. In terms of chemistry they were okay, sometimes I did find their kiss scenes a little awkward but it didn’t take away from how cute of a couple they were. On the other hand, the second couple definitely stole the show in terms of chemistry and I loved their storyline which didn’t drag at all.

Now, there were a few things I didn’t enjoy. The idea of Taemoo not recognising Hari and Geumhui were the same person was silly, although that storyline didn’t drag on for too long. Also the story about the pervert and Young Seo clearly effected by it wasn’t taken as seriously. I do understand that the show is a comedy and the light hearted element probably would have disappeared. But that storyline should have been handled with a bit more care. Yongseo was self conscious about using the toilet after being watched for days unbeknownst to her and then that was it. It would have been nice seeing how she handled overcoming that difficult situation. The last few episodes for me were maybe a little bit more draggy and boring and different from the previous fast paced episodes. I still enjoyed them but I just wasn’t as hooked. I do also think the second couples engagement was a little quick.

Despite me being pedantic and picking a few negatives the show was very enjoyable!! It was definitely a comfort show for a lot of people and a great form of escapism. It was light hearted, exciting and a breath of fresh air. Some times it’s okay to enjoy a drama that isn’t overly dramatic with important relevant themes and that is very simple. It really made me enjoy Mondays and Tuesdays.

I recommend this drama for people who want to watch something short and sweet.

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