'Undercover Miss Hong' adds a different kind of fun with a secret shrouded in an unpredictable veil.
The tvN weekend drama 'Undercover Miss Hong' (directed by Park Seon-ho, written by Moon Hyun-kyung), which premiered on the 17th, captivated viewers with a fresh office comedy that captures the landscape of Yeouido in the 1990s and a parade of lively characters.
According to FlixPatrol (an OTT service ranking aggregation site) charts, 'Undercover Miss Hong' ranked No. 8 worldwide in the Netflix "TV SHOWS" category three days after its release (as of Jan. 20). In particular, it entered the top 10 in a total of 41 countries, proving its global box-office appeal. In addition, FUNdex, the official platform of Good Data Corporation, released its third week of January buzz rankings and the show placed fifth in the TV-OTT drama buzz category, successfully landing in the hearts of viewers not only in Korea but around the world.
In particular, Hong Geum-bo (Park Shinhye) is driving the flow of the story with a tense undercover operation that stimulates viewers' interest. It was revealed that the 35-year-old elite securities inspector temporarily put down her dazzling career and had no choice but to take a disguised job as a 20-year-old junior employee at Hanmin Securities. We examined the various hidden incidents Hong Geum-bo, who must enter enemy territory bare-handed and fight a lonely battle, will encounter.
▲The shocking death of CEO Kang, a cooperative witness in the Hanmin Securities corruption investigation
The death of CEO Kang Myeong-hwi (Choi Won-young), who reached out to Hong Geum-bo saying he would cooperate in exposing Hanmin Securities' corruption, delivered a shock from the early episodes. The death sparked controversy over the securities regulator's excessive pressure in its investigation and became a decisive factor that temporarily brought the rising Hong Geum-bo to a halt. To make matters worse, the anonymous whistleblower who sent Hong Geum-bo an email and whom CEO Kang identified as his own aide, "Yeppi," has also disappeared. Attention is focused on whether CEO Kang's death was a simple accidental death as it appears on the surface or a deliberately planned act to prevent the exposure of Hanmin Securities' corruption.
▲The ultimate goal of the undercover operation is to find the "slush fund ledger"!
Hong Geum-bo remembered that CEO Kang had said before his death that he had left the slush fund accounting ledger proving Hanmin Securities' corruption in his office on the 12th floor, but the ledger did not appear during the seizure search, which made the situation even more awkward. Eventually, Hong Geum-bo covertly infiltrated Hanmin Securities to find the slush fund ledger that CEO Kang had organized with "Yeppi," and began searching for clues by prowling around people suspected to be "Yeppi" and around the CEO's office. However, in episode 2 it was revealed in a twist that the CEO's personal secretary, Go Bok-hee (Ha Yoon-Kyung), had gotten hold of the slush fund ledger. Having a history of being reported for embezzlement at her previous workplace and being an ambitious woman who wants to take a large sum of money to achieve her dreams, it is now intriguing how Go Bok-hee will use the slush fund ledger, how she came to possess it, and whether Hong Geum-bo will be able to find the ledger.
▲An invisible power struggle in the Hanmin Securities family that requires a new succession structure
Having lost his son CEO Kang, Hanmin Securities Chairman Kang Pil-beom (Lee Duk-hwa) needed a new succession structure to follow him, and he secretly had his biological daughter Kang Nola (Choi Ji-su) join the company to gain experience. But on the other hand, he wanted to leave the company to his grandson Albeot O (Cho Han-gyeol), and he revealed his intentions by calling the new CEO Shin Jeong-woo (Ko Kyung-pyo) and asking him to mentor Albeot O well. In contrast to his innocent children, the subtle rivalry between Albeot O's ambitious father, Executive Director Oh Deok-gyu (Kim Hyung-mook), and Kang Nola's mother, Choi In-ja (Byun Jung-soo), as well as Song Ju-ran (Park Mi-hyun), the secretary-general who assists Chairman Kang as an unelected power broker, add tension to the power struggle within the Hanmin Securities family. All eyes are on how the power war within Hanmin Securities, triggered by CEO Kang's death, will unfold.
[Photo] tvN 'Undercover Miss Hong' broadcast capture
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