Such was in the case of The Secret Life of My Secretary. It’s the story of Do Min-ik (played by Kim Young Kwang), an intelligent boss of a media company and his secretary Jung Gal-hee (played by Jin Ki Joo). As the company director, Do Min-ik has been so used to relying on his secretary for almost everything. But he only hires a secretary for year before eventually firing them. After getting into an accident, he develops Prosopagnosia, a condition that can somehow hamper his day-to-day routine. This will leave him without a choice but to negotiate the employment terms of Gal-hee, with the hope that his illness will not not be discovered by anyone or else it will cause him to lose his position in the company.
This drama is another show that has that light rom-com feels, as well as some old school element. While this involved the usual genre of office romance between the boss and his secretary, it’s worth mentioning that the show also touched the subject of disabilities and the plight of people in the working class. Issues that are a bit overlooked by society.
It depicted the reality of how most people in the workplace struggle hard to gain some recognition. And even if appreciation can be given for free, its positive value to a person who deserves it is often neglected. We should learn acknowledge the loyalty of people around us regardless of the occupation or work that they do, especially if their contributions paved way for us to grow and succeed. When Min-ik suffered from prosopagnosia (or in layman’s terms, face blindness), Gal-hee continued to perform the duties as his secretary despite being told that she’s being fired. She helped Min-ik manage the struggle associated with his condition because he is unable to see the faces of people even if he encounters them everyday.
There were two particular words of wisdom that I find to be profound while watching The Secret Life of My Secretary. One was the advice of Gal-hee’s mom to her blind brother while he was crying as he brought up the subject of being bullied by other people due to his disability. To which their mom said:
“We are all disabled, In our entire life, we will never encounter a perfect person. Whenever someone makes fun of you, you should be the first to embrace their flaws, because they're pitiful people who aren't aware of their flaws.”
The other was from the liberated chaebol heiress Veronica Park. While there were times I felt annoyed with the way she says her name (she introduces herself to people as “Veronica Park, yeah!”. I never thought to hear these words about giving your best shot:
“If you tried your best for someone, you wouldn't say that you've done enough. You would say that you'll do everything you can.”
It made me think, now this girl might be liberated and rebellious but here she talked with sense!
