# Her Private Life (그녀의 사생활) (TV series)
**Her Private Life** (그녀의 사생활) is a South Korean romantic comedy television series that aired on the cable channel tvN from April 10 to May 30, 2019, in 16 episodes broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m.[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/) • [2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20190322/tvn-reveals-poster-for-new-romantic-comedy) It stars [Park Min-young](https://www.edgepedia.org/park-min-young) as Sung Deok-mi, a skilled art gallery curator who secretly lives as a devoted fangirl of a K-pop idol, and [Kim Jae-wook](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-jae-wook) as Ryan Gold, the gallery's new director who discovers her secret.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/her_private_life/s01) • [4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/04/22/her-private-life-explores-the-lives-and-loves-of-koreas-sasaeng-fans/) The series is based on a 2007 romantic novel that was also adapted into webtoons.[2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20190322/tvn-reveals-poster-for-new-romantic-comedy)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 그녀의 사생활 (Her Private Life)[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/) |
| Broadcast | tvN, April 10 to May 30, 2019, 16 episodes, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:30 p.m.[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/) • [2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20190322/tvn-reveals-poster-for-new-romantic-comedy) |
| Source material | A 2007 romantic novel, also made into webtoons[2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20190322/tvn-reveals-poster-for-new-romantic-comedy) |
| Writer / director | Screenplay by Kim Hye-young; directed by Hong Jong-chan[5](https://asianwiki.com/Her_Private_Life) |
| Main cast | Park Min-young (Sung Deok-mi), Kim Jae-wook (Ryan Gold), Ahn Bo-hyun (Nam Eun-gi), One (Cha Shi-an)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/her_private_life/s01) |
| Nielsen Korea ratings | Premiere 2.7 percent; all-time high of 3.1 percent average and 3.5 percent peak on May 8, 2019[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1316543wpp/her-private-life-starring-park-min-young-and-kim-jae-wook-premieres-with-solid-ratings) • [7](https://www.soompi.com/article/1323117wpp/park-min-young-and-kim-jae-wooks-1st-kiss-as-real-couple-boosts-her-private-life-ratings-to-all-time-high) |
| Streaming | Available on Netflix and Prime Video[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/her_private_life/s01) |
## Premise and plot
Sung Deok-mi is a competent, professional curator at the Cheum Museum of Art, but outside work she is a longtime fan of the idol Cha Shi-an (played by the rapper One) of the group White Ocean, running a fansite under the motto "Si-an is my path."[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/04/22/her-private-life-explores-the-lives-and-loves-of-koreas-sasaeng-fans/) • [8](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/character/?6753=pgmPrsnGropSeq%3D1561) She hides this hobby at work because her boss dislikes idols, and the series treats the split between her professional and fan lives as its central comic situation.[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/04/22/her-private-life-explores-the-lives-and-loves-of-koreas-sasaeng-fans/)
The plot turns when Ryan Gold, a former artist turned gallery director, becomes her boss after the two first clash at an auction, bidding against each other for a painting by an artist Si-an admires.[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/04/22/her-private-life-explores-the-lives-and-loves-of-koreas-sasaeng-fans/) When [sasaeng fans](https://www.edgepedia.org/sasaeng-fan), obsessive followers who stalk idols, come to suspect that Deok-mi is dating Si-an and begin harassing her, Ryan pretends to be her boyfriend to protect her; the fake relationship develops into a real romance.[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/04/22/her-private-life-explores-the-lives-and-loves-of-koreas-sasaeng-fans/) • [9](https://www.viki.com/tv/36550c-her-private-life?locale=en) Later episodes shift toward heavier material involving Ryan's past, including child abandonment and reunification, which one critic described as a deft treatment of "the concept of what constitutes a family."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/her_private_life/s01)
## Production and broadcast
The drama was written by Kim Hye-young and directed by Hong Jong-chan, and its first script reading took place on February 25, 2019.[5](https://asianwiki.com/Her_Private_Life) tvN promoted the series with a poster showing the two leads holding a camera together, captioned "I call it love, but the world says it's 'duk jil'," using the Korean word for idol obsession.[2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20190322/tvn-reveals-poster-for-new-romantic-comedy) It took over the Wednesday-Thursday slot from tvN's romantic comedy *[Touch Your Heart](https://www.edgepedia.org/touch-your-heart)*.[2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20190322/tvn-reveals-poster-for-new-romantic-comedy)
The first soundtrack release, "Help Me" by the girl group (G)I-DLE, was issued as OST Part 1.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkcCCaDUyaU)
## Ratings and reception
According to Nielsen Korea, the premiere recorded 2.7 percent viewership, a slight decline from the 3.8 percent finale of *Touch Your Heart*; the second episode scored 2.410 percent nationwide and 2.921 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area.[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1316543wpp/her-private-life-starring-park-min-young-and-kim-jae-wook-premieres-with-solid-ratings) • [11](https://www.soompi.com/article/1316800wpp/her-private-life-ratings-rise-for-2nd-episode-doctor-prisoner-stays-strong-at-no-1) The May 8 episode, which featured the lead couple's first kiss as a confirmed couple, set the drama's all-time high at 3.1 percent average and 3.5 percent peak.[7](https://www.soompi.com/article/1323117wpp/park-min-young-and-kim-jae-wooks-1st-kiss-as-real-couple-boosts-her-private-life-ratings-to-all-time-high) During its run the series and its two leads topped the weekly buzzworthiness rankings for three consecutive weeks.[12](https://www.soompi.com/article/1326077wpp/her-private-life-kim-jae)
Critical and audience responses were divided along predictable lines. Reviewers frequently praised the chemistry between Park Min-young and Kim Jae-wook and the drama's comparatively healthy depiction of a relationship built on communication rather than misunderstanding, while criticizing a late-arriving childhood-connection subplot as unnecessary and the ending as drawn out.[13](https://www.bnrkdrama.com/2026/05/her-private-life-2019-kdrama-review.html) On Rakuten Viki the series holds a user rating of 9.5 out of 10 from more than 168,000 ratings.[9](https://www.viki.com/tv/36550c-her-private-life?locale=en) French viewers on AlloCiné gave it an average of 3.4 out of 5, with complaints centering on conspicuous product placement.[14](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-27096/critiques/)
## Fandom themes
A distinctive feature of the series is its treatment of fan culture. The show contrasts Deok-mi, a respectful fan who keeps a full-time job and never violates the idol's private space, with sasaeng fans whose behavior includes stalking idols in taxis, camping outside their homes, and harassment; the Forbes coverage notes that in real life such fans have gone as far as breaking into an idol's home, and that a woman merely suspected of dating an idol can be stalked and harassed in return.[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/04/22/her-private-life-explores-the-lives-and-loves-of-koreas-sasaeng-fans/) tvN's own program description framed the drama around the changing image of the fan, arguing that the fan of today is "synonymous with a capable person" rather than the socially isolated stereotype of a few years earlier.[15](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/about/)
## Legacy
The series is regularly listed among recommended romantic K-dramas and compared with titles such as *What's Wrong with Secretary Kim* and *Business Proposal*, with its emotional maturity and the central couple's communication cited as what set it apart.[13](https://www.bnrkdrama.com/2026/05/her-private-life-2019-kdrama-review.html) Kim Jae-wook later appeared in the Netflix series *Melo Movie* (2025), which Time identified by noting his role in *Her Private Life*.[16](https://time.com/7225506/melo-movie-ending-explained-k-drama-netflix/) The drama remains available on Netflix and Prime Video, and its Netflix page in Brazil currently indicates the production is not available for streaming in that country.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/her_private_life/s01) • [17](https://odorama.com.br/a-vida-pessoal-dela-her-private-life/)
## References
1. [그녀의 사생활, tvN official program page](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/)
2. [TvN reveals poster for new romantic comedy, The Korea Times (March 22, 2019)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20190322/tvn-reveals-poster-for-new-romantic-comedy)
3. [Her Private Life: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/her_private_life/s01)
4. ['Her Private Life' Explores The Lives And Loves Of Korea's Sasaeng Fans, Forbes (April 22, 2019)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/04/22/her-private-life-explores-the-lives-and-loves-of-koreas-sasaeng-fans/)
5. [Her Private Life, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Her_Private_Life)
6. ["Her Private Life" Starring Park Min Young And Kim Jae Wook Premieres With Solid Ratings, Soompi (April 10, 2019)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1316543wpp/her-private-life-starring-park-min-young-and-kim-jae-wook-premieres-with-solid-ratings)
7. [Park Min Young And Kim Jae Wook's 1st Kiss As Real Couple Boosts "Her Private Life" Ratings To All-Time High, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1323117wpp/park-min-young-and-kim-jae-wooks-1st-kiss-as-real-couple-boosts-her-private-life-ratings-to-all-time-high)
8. [그녀의 사생활 인물소개, tvN](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/character/?6753=pgmPrsnGropSeq%3D1561)
9. [Her Private Life, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/36550c-her-private-life?locale=en)
10. [(여자)아이들 ((G)I-DLE) - Help Me MV, tvN DRAMA YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkcCCaDUyaU)
11. ["Doctor Prisoner" Continues Winning Streak At No. 1 In Its Time Slot, Soompi (April 12, 2019)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1316800wpp/her-private-life-ratings-rise-for-2nd-episode-doctor-prisoner-stays-strong-at-no-1)
12. ["Her Private Life," Kim Jae Wook, And Park Min Young Maintain Positions As Most Buzzworthy Drama And Actors, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1326077wpp/her-private-life-kim-jae)
13. [Her Private Life (2019) Review, BNR K-Drama](https://www.bnrkdrama.com/2026/05/her-private-life-2019-kdrama-review.html)
14. [Critiques de la série Her Private Life, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-27096/critiques/)
15. [그녀의 사생활 기획의도, tvN](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/herprivatelife/about/)
16. [Breaking Down the Emotional Ending of Melo Movie, Time (February 14, 2025)](https://time.com/7225506/melo-movie-ending-explained-k-drama-netflix/)
17. [A Vida Pessoal Dela (Her Private Life), Odorama](https://odorama.com.br/a-vida-pessoal-dela-her-private-life/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Romance and melodrama series › Romance melodrama miniseries › Romantic comedy series › Workplace romance series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license