The writer Ji-eun of 'My Perfect Secretary' spoke out about the casting of Han Ji-min and Lee Jun-hyuk.
SBS weekend drama 'My Perfect Secretary' (directed by Ham Joon-ho and Kim Jae-hong, written by Ji-eun, produced by Studio S and Eo Content Group) conveyed meaningful values of care and kindness that moves the world, providing deep resonance and lingering feelings to the viewers. As the author Ji-eun, who gifted such a beloved work to the world, approaches the end of the drama, she revealed behind-the-scenes details of the script.
Next is Ji-eun's Q&A.
Q: I'm curious about your feelings on the conclusion of 'My Perfect Secretary.'
A: I am just grateful for the unexpected and overwhelming love. Every actor, production staff, and crew member who participated in the drama was truly perfect. It was a beautiful process made with everyone's worries and affection. I am happy that with the viewers' love, we could beautifully conclude the outcome as well. I sincerely appreciate all the love you sent; that warmth became a great courage for me. The drama has ended, but I will probably not be able to let go of 'My Perfect Secretary' for quite a while. I will cherish the warm support and love you provided. I hope everyone's day is filled with happiness.
Q: I wonder about the beginnings of 'My Perfect Secretary' and what aspects you focused on while writing.
A: The thought 'I should tell a story about care' was the start of this story. In an increasingly harsh world, I thought it was necessary for people to warm and watch over one another, to wait patiently, and to care for each other. Therefore, I hoped the viewers would contemplate the value of care through the romance and growth of a single-dad secretary who understands the value of care, and the head of a search firm living in a quantified world that denies the value of care. I also wished for the viewers to forget reality for a while and be comforted by this warm story. So, I made an effort to not lose that message and tone until the end. I would like to thank the director and production staff who supported me to maintain that tone firmly until the end, which allowed me to convey the warm message I wanted from the start of this drama without wavering.
Q: What was it like to work with Han Ji-min and Lee Jun-hyuk as your first solo writing project?
A: I am a very fortunate person. It took a while to get to the point of solo writing, and I think the opportunity to work with both of them was a gift for the hard work I put in all that time. Working with these two veteran actors, I learned and gained a lot. They filled in parts of the script that I couldn't express through research and character considerations. Meeting Han Ji-min and Lee Jun-hyuk completed Ji-yoon and Eun-ho. Thank you for making those two characters wonderful. Thanks to you, it became a good drama.
Q: The romance scenes involving the character Ji-yoon, the 'great sister,' were a hot topic.
A: I think such scenes naturally emerged due to the social positions of the boss and the secretary. It's also a reflection of the changing times. I didn't think it was special to set Ji-yoon as a female boss. There were actually female search firm heads I met during the investigation, and I have many amazing female leaders around me. Most importantly, Ji-yoon, who doesn't run away and sincerely pursues love according to her feelings, is someone I believe many women, including myself, aspire to be. I hoped Ji-yoon would be a character who is both charming and admirable as the heroine of a romance drama, and I am very grateful to Han Ji-min for expressing and embodying exactly that point.
Q: I'm also curious about the background for the character Eun-ho, who is a living fantasy.
A: The character Eun-ho began with the fantasy of 'I wish I had someone like this beside me.' What made him a perfect man are the qualities often overlooked in everyday life: kindness, consideration, humor, respect for others, tidiness, and empathy. I feel like as we age, we realize these are truly important values and that it's challenging to find such people in reality. Through Eun-ho, I wanted to express how wonderful it is to live with these values.
Moreover, it was important that Eun-ho's strengths were not innate. Eun-ho was not a complete person from the beginning; he is a character who was formed through his own efforts. He had an inadequately cared-for childhood and started taking care of himself after receiving someone's kindness for the first time. He ultimately became who he is now while raising his daughter Byeol-yi. I think it's more special and valuable that he became a good person not because of his born circumstances but through his own efforts. The casting of Lee Jun-hyuk completed how wonderful Eun-ho is; thanks to him, I was able to portray Eun-ho as I wanted.
Q: The supporting characters Kim Do-hoon and Kim Yoon-hye in unrequited love, Park Bo-kyung from 'Career Way,' and the staff from 'People's' Lee Sang-hee, Heo Dong-won, Go Geon-han, Seo Hye-won, and Yoon Ga-i were also remarkable.
A: Jeong-hoon and Soo-hyun carry wounds, but they are healthy characters who do not consume themselves. Long-term unrequited love can lead to self-blame, but they chose to face the wounds and made courageous choices instead of avoiding them. Taking care of a sister's child, choosing a different life from a brother, and starting a new love after a failed one all demonstrated their resilience. I wanted to show that no matter what loss and failure they face, they do not hate themselves and move forward, and thanks to the performances of Kim Do-hoon and Kim Yoon-hye, that was expressed more lovingly.
'People's' staff were the best combination that enhanced the drama's completeness. In a work where balancing romance and work is essential, each character's distinct personality enriched the enjoyment of the show. Their performances were so natural and perfect, as if they were actual employees at 'People's.' Thanks to Lee Sang-hee, Heo Dong-won, Go Geon-han, Seo Hye-won, and Yoon Ga-i, viewers fell in love with 'People's,' and I too was captivated by them while watching the broadcast. Park Bo-kyung, the only antagonist, anchored the character with a strong presence. Notably, the scene in episode 11 where she reveals her inferiority complex by saying to Ji-yoon, 'I dislike you' was intense. Although there wasn't much screen time, Park Bo-kyung's acting deeply conveyed Hye-jin's emotions and narrative.
Q: How was the preliminary research on headhunting conducted, and why was Ji-yoon's company set as a search firm?
A: We interviewed many headhunters and looked through many relevant books and columns. I would like to express my gratitude especially to the headhunters who provided feedback on the script. The decision to set Ji-yoon's company as a search firm was to contrast the human values the drama wants to convey with a world that judges based on objective numbers (specifications and salaries). Additionally, I believed viewers could empathize deeply with the concerns that every office worker faces while dealing with the various occupations of candidates and the close connection to job transitions in their lives.
Q: Was there a particular scene that you personally found particularly exciting or one you poured your heart into while writing the script?
A: There are so many scenes that were exciting, but I love the restaurant scene in episode 2 and the stamp scene in episode 5 as they illustrate the narratives of the two characters and show why they need each other. In the restaurant scene, Ji-yoon instinctively pushes Eun-ho away, but in the stamp scene, she comforts him, and Eun-ho warmly responds by stamping for her, which I believe was beautifully expressed.
The ending scene in episode 6, which garnered love through the 'eye kiss,' was always meant to be filled with bright light from the very beginning. I thought it would be beautiful for Ji-yoon to realize her feelings when Eun-ho comes to her like warm sunlight, and that feeling was conveyed on screen. The moment Eun-ho walks toward Ji-yoon along with warm sunlight in the crowd and Ji-yoon's expression changes in real-time as she falls in love was simply amazing, even without any lines.
Personally, I hold the last ending sequence of episode 12 close to my heart. After showing the everyday lives of all the characters a year later, it concludes with Ji-yoon and Eun-ho hugging at a crosswalk. I wanted to depict that the characters in the drama continue to cultivate their everyday lives meaningfully. Though the drama ends here, I believe that Ji-yoon and Eun-ho, Jeong-hoon and Soo-hyun, Byeol-yi and Seo-joon, along with the 'People's' family will be fiercely living and loving somewhere. I will likely miss those friends sometimes.
Q: Was there a particularly memorable response?
A: I am truly grateful for the myriad of positive comments, from those expressing excitement to those who said it was comforting. Friends even sent me screenshots, and I looked it up myself, but what stuck with me most was the comment that said, 'My Perfect Secretary was a drama that did not forget about people.' I felt that the message I wanted to convey through this drama reached the viewers, and I was grateful for that. It also made me emotional to feel that sincerity resonated. Thanks to that warm response, I found excitement and comfort myself.
Q: How would you like 'My Perfect Secretary' to be remembered?
A: I have memories of being comforted by a simple kind greeting from someone during a tiring day. I hope 'My Perfect Secretary' is remembered as a warm drama that came to soothe your weary life with kind greetings. I hope you briefly find comfort in that greeting and think of 'My Perfect Secretary' occasionally when life feels laborious and exhausting for no reason.
[Photo] Studio S and Eo Content Group
[OSEN]