Her Private Life

Synopsis: Sung Deok-Mi leads a life of dual interests. First, her lifelong passion for art led her to her current career as a highly capable museum curator. Not afraid to roll up her sleeves to get a task done, she does all of the work a curator, general staff, and that of the director (but without the pay or title, we'll circle back to this in a bit). When she is on her own time, all of her remaining passion and energy is poured into supporting her idol, Cha Si An, a singer and performer for the fictional band White Ocean. Deok-Mi isn’t just any ordinary fan, we are talking the ultimate fangirl. She is the photographer, moderator, and owner of mega fan site, Chi Si An is my Road. Thousands of her personal dollars are spent on camera equipment and photo editing software just to capture the perfect moment of her beloved Cha Si An. She keeps her super fandom a secret, because she feels one day, she'll meet Si An in a professional capacity. When she does, she wants to meet him as Museum Curator Deok-Mi (not by her other persona).

When her over-the-top Museum Director, Uhm So-hye, is caught up in her husband's embezzlement lawsuit and slush funds (which she may or may not have been a part of), she is forced to resign as director. With the director spot open, now seems like the right time for Deok-Mi to get the credit and the role which she deserves. However, it's instead given to Ryan Gold. Korean born, but adopted into an American family around the age of seven, this is Director Gold's first visit back to South Korean. Let's just say he isn't at the museum to make friends. He sees it as his opportunity to take a break from the New York scene, and find another way to pursue his similar passion for art. In many artistic circles, Ryan is renowned for his own artistic ability as a modern and contemporary painter. However, for a mysterious reason, he hasn't been able to pick up a brush in the past three years.

From their first encounter, Deok-Mi and Ryan are at-odds with eachother. Being passed over for the role, Deok-Mi feels is rightfully hers. Whereas Ryan almost sees Deok-Mi as bitter and antgonistic. When Deok-Mi disobeys Ryan's first memos, he fires her on the spot as he dramatically rips away her employee ID. Combine a couple of museum mishaps and a caffeine crisis, our two leads find a mutual understanding of eachother, and Deok-Mi is given back her position as curator. As luck would have it, after their reunion, their first client happens to be superstar, Cha Si An.

The Good: The details in this series were excellent. There is no doubt of fangirling as Deok-mi’s apartment is covered with pictures, pillows, and other paraphernalia of Cha Si An literally covering nearly every available surface. Deft touches include the half-finished portrait on her work space and the framed tickets on her bookshelf.

- What was very fun was how the sense of style is reflected through the characters. From the understated professionalism of Deok-mi to the outrageous Director, there was some finite attention to wardrobe. I'll forgive Ryan Gold's lack of undershirts with suit jackets, or eek, no socks with $500 pair of shoes.

- While I'm about to start digging into some of the flaws of this series (and there are a few), this show was fun to watch, and again, just what you want to see in a romantic comedy. I do love that there are multiple storylines that revolve around strong and interesting female characters. Starting with the epic fangirling of the main lead. Typically, we see this in a negative view, either male Otakus or geeky fanboys who aren't able to integrate into quote/unquote normal society. To see a character like our heroine, who is (for the most part) unashamed of her epic idol love, but at the same time be highly confident in her daily life as a museum curator, was refreshing.

The Not So Good:

- A loving amount of detail was given to Deok-mi, but the character solidifying of our romantic duo, seemed rushed and one-dimensional. It's interesting, because usually the female leads get some of the washier development in television. Ryan Gold's drastic change from the domineering and untrusting boss to love interest felt unconvincing. Almost like someone flipped a switch. He goes from perfectionist art critique to loving boyfriend and long-lost brother? Even in moments of anger, the audience is compelled to forgive him because of an immediate backstory or reason to justify his cold and in-explainable behavior.

- When actress Park Min-young is going to be in the show, it's usually going to be good. This her most recent since What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (which is adored by everyone), however, this one was missing the zing and a bit of a let-down. As a veteran K-drama actress and someone who could be deemed as Korea's sweetheart, she lands roles that center on her character versus being the accessory. For example, in an action drama where female actresses usually get delegated to the damsel in distress. This felt a bit beneath her talents as an actress.

- Along with her viewership, there is sure sure to be companies vying for advertisement spots. I don't mind them, unless it's a blatant advertisement and the writers do a decent job of integrating them into the story. In this case though, they might as well stop and do the 1960s advertisement trend of breaking the fourth wall and spewing off a cheesy line. The product placement and script for these were an abysmal attempt to hide or integrate into the show. It's not surprising even the actors had a hard time naturally delivering the lines. I found this highly distracting a big detraction to what otherwise would've been sweet moments between the characters.

These flaws can be easily forgiven because of the awesome details, solid cast & acting, decent plot, and just the right amount of quirkiness to keep you coming back to see how the story will end. Have fun and enjoy watching Her Private Life.