The show hints that it will go in that direction.
Koreaboo
SBSit’s the new K-Drama, Love Scouts (also known as My perfect secretary), debuted recently and is quickly becoming a worldwide hit with its fresh take on tired clichés.
A confident and successful woman (Han Ji-Min) is the CEO of a headhunting company. To survive in the highly competitive field of headhunting, he puts everything he has into his job. Outside of his work, he doesn’t know how to do anything. She has a secretary (Lee Joon-Hyuk) who takes care of pretty much everything for her. Unlike her boss, the secretary is friendly, polite and considerate towards others. He is a single father, also good at parenting duties and housework.
— AsianWiki
Through its first three episodes, viewers praised the show for gender-swapping, a cliche turned cliche. Rather than a man playing the cold and arrogant CEO Kang Ji Yun, with a tragic past, she is actually an actress Han Ji Min (Our blues AND Behind your touch). In this story, actor Lee Joon Hyuk (Our beloved summer AND Vigilant) plays his friendly secretary, Yu Eun Ho, who he eventually falls in love with despite initially hating him.
#lovescout The first episode was literally a breath of fresh air, whether it was the roles reversed or the unique profession of a headhunter, I loved it! Lonely and arrogant CEO, girl boss and calm and collected single dad, off to a rocky start… INJECT IT pic.twitter.com/ZBp1kG9PEo
— 𓍯 (@damibeen) January 4, 2025
Female CEO with a painful past and a solemn single secretary dad who will heal her wounds? They really turned this cliché on its head and I’m here for it #lovescout pic.twitter.com/R0FHNkUJSo
— 𝑑. (@lunamoon104) January 7, 2025
every time I watched a show with the plot of a “lonely, workaholic male CEO, with no color in his life, no food in the fridge until he meets a female protagonist who brings color to his life”, I always wanted to see a show in which the roles are reversed and #LoveScout it’s just THAT show for me!! https://t.co/Vxm2PQOo3W
— Yeobeen Mumbai fan (@hiraikyung) January 5, 2025
While episode 3 ended on a positive note for viewers, as it provided another twist on the common K-Drama cliché, episode 4 disappointed some.
other kdrama couples VS #LoveScout couple pic.twitter.com/oEL7meO4BS
— Daisy Han (@kdramadaisy) January 10, 2025
the rosafong umbrella!! 🤣😂 #LoveScout pic.twitter.com/nlhrI28jad
— Daisy Han (@kdramadaisy) January 10, 2025
THE ICONIC PINKFONG UMBRELLA!!! 🩷#LoveScout #LoveScoutEp3 pic.twitter.com/Rltic1jmMf
— Daisy Han (@kdramadaisy) January 10, 2025
While Love Scouts has been praised so far for its fresh takes on overused tropes, one recent episode has some worried.
In episode 4, it was revealed that as a child Eun Ho was involved in what was apparently the same fire that killed CEO Kang’s father. Eun Ho briefly had flashbacks as the fire trucks triggered him.
I have a feeling Jiyoon’s father went to save Eunho during the fire but didn’t survive😭, oh no, the twist😱#LoveScout #LoveScoutEp4 pic.twitter.com/C28jqzZka9
— me (@moonskzk) January 11, 2025
Viewers were shocked by the brief reveal. Yet many were disappointed, as this indicated that the tracks had been connected since childhood.
wait, Kang Ji Yun’s father died in a fire because he came back to save someone and now we found out that Yoo Eun Ho has childhood trauma related to the fire🧐… it will be what I think it will be🤔#LoveScoutEp4 pic.twitter.com/L2Yj2tmg3V
— *🌙☀️ * (@winterboyksj) January 12, 2025
just read a theory that says what would happen if Eunho’s childhood fire trauma was connected to Jieun’s father’s accident and that this is like a “fated, meant to be” cliché where they heal each other from the trauma to which they are unconsciously connected #LoveScoutEp4
pic.twitter.com/1ut1ZvOwBB— t (@gyjbws) January 11, 2025
Another key K-Drama cliché is that the protagonists discover that they met or knew each other as children and have been close for a long time. Viewers are tired of this, so if Love Scouts follows this path, many will be disappointed.
I’m still thinking about this…. like, why would you add this past connection trope in the middle of this cute middle-aged office romance they have going on, like it’s necessary to have some childhood connection or something https://t.co/ WzX3LfLj1P
— t (@gyjbws) January 12, 2025
oh no, they’re using this trope. it seems like when Jiyun’s father came back to the building to save someone, and that someone is Yu Eunho? Eunho survived but Jiyun’s father was trapped inside and died 🥲🥲
oh, I can’t imagine the anguish when they both found out#LoveScout… pic.twitter.com/rhXVuE2bPN
— Daisy Han (@kdramadaisy) January 12, 2025
Kdrama writers really need to normalize two people falling in love without some forced past connection😭 like some strangers meeting and falling in love, no need to make it seem like they were “meant to be” https://t .co/QPiMFlEP1c
— damn (@geeforfreedom) January 12, 2025
Despite this, many viewers are still enjoying the show, especially with the cliffhanger ending of episode 4. Read more below.
The most breathtaking pre-kiss scene in the new SBS K-Drama makes viewers scream
