“An office girl by day, a fangirl everyday.”
As a certified fan, how will you describe yourself?
When I first read the news about this series, I knew that it is something to look forward to. Afterall, Park Min Young has proven so many times that romcom is her genre. With the fresh success of What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, an interesting plot and a promising leading man to work with, the makings of another high-rating series seems to be certain.
In this drama, Seung Deok Mi (played by Park Min Young) works as the chief curator of Cheum Museum of Art. While full of talent, her efforts are usually left unrecognized because of her socialite, attention-seeking, credit-grabbing boss, Director Uhm (played by Kim Sun Young). Despite the everyday office drama, not everyone knows that she’s also very immersed in another passion project: running “Shi-An Is My Life”, a fan website dedicated for Cha Shi An (played by One) of White Ocean, her ultimate bias.
When Director Uhm got investigated for embezzlement, a new Gallery Director named Ryan Gold (played by Kim Jae Wook) came into the picture. A retired painter who grew up in New York, Ryan has a keen eye on art and is very strict at work. He seems too hard to get along with but is actually troubled by a painful past. He knows great art when he sees one but is particularly fascinated on the paintings made by an artist named Lee Sol.
As Deok-Mi and Ryan started working together in the gallery, they found themselves becoming more interested with each other as they deal with finding “Lee Sol’s complete set of paintings”, sort out a “dating scandal”, play around with a “stalker officemate”, shut down a “gossip website” and keep by all means “Shi-An Is My Life’s identity” as private as possible.
If there’s anything that made this drama worth watching, it is Kim Jae Wook’s portrayal of Ryan Gold and her undeniable chemistry with Park Min Young. He made hearts flutter and set the bar higher for what a DREAM GUY should be. Someone pogi with a much poging soul (Someone handsome but with an even more handsome heart), that’s how I can define Ryan Gold.
Her Private Life is light-hearted, funny and sweet. Park Min Young proved that she’s a natural in doing romcoms. Kim Jae Wook, on the other hand, has proven that he has what it takes to make it as one of Korea’s A-list actors. Not only because he is good-looking but because he is deserving of this lead role. A first of many, I hope.
The supporting characters also played huge roles in making this series worth-watching. Learn from Deok-Mi’s BFF (played by Park Jin Joo) about her practical thoughts on love and dating and have a soft spot for Nam Eun Gi (played by Ahn Bo Hyun) who is a dedicated family/friend to Deok-Mi. There’s also my favorite Geun Woo (played by child actor Jung Si Yul), Sindy (played by Kim Bo Ra of Sky Castle fame) and Cha Shi An (perfectly played by Actor/Rapper One).
We all have our hidden Shi-An Is My Life inside us. Whether we choose to be public or be private about it, nothing can compare to the happiness that fangirling/fanboying can bring. It’s that kind of love that grows without expecting anything in return.
This is the story of our story.
May we live and believe in the fact that while it’s close to impossible to end up with our biases, just like Deok-Mi to Ryan Gold, we are someone’s favorite too.