A day after Kim Kwang-kyu of "My Grumpy Secretary" said, "I want to surpass 'I Live Alone'," his aspiration became reality.
Kim Kwang-kyu received a special award at the New Year kickoff ceremony held at SBS headquarters in Mokdong on the 2nd and said, "I haven't even managed to surpass 'I Live Alone' yet, so I am grateful to receive such a big award," adding, "If season 2 goes ahead, I will definitely try to raise the ratings," expressing his thoughts. This remark, which cheerfully revealed his special affection for "My Grumpy Secretary" along with expectations for season 2, was immediately proven by the numbers.
According to Nielsen Korea, the SBS variety show "My Grumpy Secretary" aired on the 2nd recorded a household rating of 4.1%, a peak rating of 5.4%, and a 2049 target rating of 1.5% (Seoul metropolitan area), ranking first in its time slot overall.
In the episode, Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu were shown taking part in joint childcare content filming with singer Lee Ji Hye, model Lee Hyun-i, and comedian Lee Eun-hyung. While moving to a kids' café and caring for the children, Lee Seo-jin unexpectedly displayed the qualities of a childcare expert, repeatedly smiling with dimples, and Kim Kwang-kyu elicited laughs by shouting "I will live alone" at the bitter reality of childcare. The daily lives of working moms who shoulder both work and childcare, and the two managers closely tending to them, were the highlights of the episode.
This achievement is significant not as a simple temporary rise but as the result of built-up buzz and fandom that actively reflected viewer reaction. Since the show began, "My Grumpy Secretary" invited actress Han Jimin as a guest on the Dec. 26 broadcast at viewers' steady requests, and the "real sibling" chemistry stemming from her long relationship with Lee Seo-jin drew major attention. After the broadcast, related scenes and clip videos quickly spread online, renewing interest in the program, and cumulative digital views were counted as surpassing 80 million. At the same time, "My Grumpy Secretary" has maintained a steady presence on OTT platforms, ranking second overall and first in the variety category in Netflix's "Today's Korea TOP series" since its first broadcast.
In particular, the differentiated concept of managers in their 50s providing "real, hands-on caregiving" and the close-to-life chemistry between Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu are cited as core factors that resonate with viewers. Added to this are special drama cameos and episodes touching on stars' everyday lives, which have steadily expanded the show's buzz.
Kim Kwang-kyu joked, "I started at SBS and made my place at SBS," and said, "I want to stay with the place that raised me until the end." With his characteristic cheerful resolve, expectations naturally gather for the next moves of "My Grumpy Secretary."
[Photo] SBS "My Grumpy Secretary"
[OSEN]