# The Secret Life of My Secretary (초면에 사랑하며)
**The Secret Life of My Secretary** (초면에 사랑합니다, *Chomyeone Saranghamnida*, literal title "I Loved You From The Beginning") is a 2019 South Korean romantic comedy television series broadcast on SBS in the Monday-Tuesday slot from May 6 to June 25, 2019, in 32 episodes[1](https://9ust.tistory.com/14) • [2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Secret_Life_of_My_Secretary). It stars Kim Young-kwang as Do Min-ik, a telecom executive who develops prosopagnosia, an inability to recognize faces, and Jin Ki-joo as his secretary Jung Gal-hee, who leads a double life impersonating the film-industry executive Veronica Park[3](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary) • [4](https://www.viu.com/ott/id/articles/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 초면에 사랑합니다 (*Chomyeone Saranghamnida*), literal English title "I Loved You From The Beginning"[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Secret_Life_of_My_Secretary) |
| Broadcast | SBS Monday-Tuesday drama, May 6 to June 25, 2019; 32 episodes[1](https://9ust.tistory.com/14) |
| Episode format | Watchable as 32 back-to-back episodes of about 35 minutes or as 16 episodes of about an hour[5](https://meicchisblog.ninja/2024/05/04/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/) |
| Main cast | Kim Young-kwang (Do Min-ik), Jin Ki-joo (Jung Gal-hee), Kim Jae-kyung (Veronica Park), Koo Ja-sung (Ki Dae-joo)[3](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary) |
| Production | Directed by Lee Gwang-young, written by Kim A-jung, produced by Beyond J[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv5PhsAjL8Q) • [7](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81224991) |
| Central premise | Do Min-ik develops prosopagnosia (face blindness) after being stabbed; his secretary impersonates Veronica Park, and he falls in love with the impersonation without knowing the two women are the same person[4](https://www.viu.com/ott/id/articles/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/) • [8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1321302wpp/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary-reveals-more-about-story-through-character-relationship-chart) |
| Nielsen ratings | Final episode recorded 3.9% and 4.6% nationwide, the drama's own best figures but the lowest among that day's terrestrial Monday-Tuesday dramas[9](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2019/06/26/2019062608541448258) |
| Availability | Streaming on Netflix, including the ad-supported tier[3](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary) |
## Premise and characters
Do Min-ik is a director at T&T Mobile, a telecommunications company that streams children's content with plans to expand[10](https://www.juliaandtania.com/blog/?p=4874). He is described as a sharp boss who reads people by their faces and never keeps a secretary longer than a year[4](https://www.viu.com/ott/id/articles/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/). After he is stabbed, he develops prosopagnosia and can no longer recognize anyone's face except, in practice, his secretary Jung Gal-hee[4](https://www.viu.com/ott/id/articles/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/). Gal-hee, who needs the job to fund her younger sibling's education, then takes on a second identity: she impersonates Veronica Park, a well-known figure in the film industry whom her boss mistakes her for[4](https://www.viu.com/ott/id/articles/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/).
The romance turns on this deception. Gal-hee has fallen in love with Do Min-ik, while Do Min-ik falls in love at first sight with Gal-hee's version of Veronica Park, leaving him torn between the two women he believes are different people[8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1321302wpp/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary-reveals-more-about-story-through-character-relationship-chart). The real Veronica Park, played by [Kim Jae-kyung](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-jae-kyung), is a capable film-production CEO with a messy personal life, and she carries on a flirtatious side romance with Ki Dae-joo (Koo Ja-sung), Do Min-ik's close friend and a department head at the same company[8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1321302wpp/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary-reveals-more-about-story-through-character-relationship-chart) • [4](https://www.viu.com/ott/id/articles/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/).
Supporting characters include Do Min-ik's uncle Shim Hae-yong (Kim Min-sang), who is hostile toward him; Gal-hee's family, played by Kim Hee-jung, Seo Dong-won, and Kim Ji-min as her mother, father, and sister; and Goo Seok-chan (Kim Byung-chon), Do Min-ik's primary physician[8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1321302wpp/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary-reveals-more-about-story-through-character-relationship-chart). SBS's international catalog tags the series rom-com, office, and workplace, and summarizes it as the story of an overlooked secretary swept into a game of deception when her face-blind boss mistakes her for a glamorous heiress[11](https://www.sbs-int.com/scripted-catalog/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary).
## The prosopagnosia storyline
The condition drives both the comedy and the character arc. Do Min-ik's face blindness begins near the end of the second episode, and his ability to keep functioning depends on Gal-hee[12](https://aitoda.blogspot.com/2019/07/korean-drama-secret-life-of-my_6.html?m=1). Kim Young-kwang spoke publicly about how he approached portraying the condition on screen[13](https://www.soompi.com/article/1323116wpp/kim-young-kwang-on-how-he-portrays-face-blindness-in-the-secret-life-of-my-secretary).
Reviewers found the premise's plausibility a fair point of criticism: Heart and Seoul enjoyed the romance but found it hard to believe that Min-ik cannot tell that the voice of his secretary and that of Veronica Park are one and the same[14](https://heart-n-seoul.com/2019/07/07/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/). The condition is not waved away at the end; in the finale Do Min-ik overcomes it and reaches a happy ending with Gal-hee[9](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2019/06/26/2019062608541448258).
## Production and broadcast
The series was written by Kim A-jung and directed by Lee Gwang-young for the production company Beyond J, airing as a 32-episode Monday-Tuesday drama on SBS[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv5PhsAjL8Q) • [1](https://9ust.tistory.com/14). It premiered on May 6, 2019, and ended after one season and 32 episodes, with the final episode airing on June 25, 2019[7](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81224991).
An original soundtrack accompanied the run. Part.6, "Jigeumbuteo Sijakhae" ("Starting Now"), was sung by [Park Ji-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/park-ji-won) and Lee Na-gyeon of fromis_9, and Part.11, "Sarangeul Malhaeyo" ("Say Love"), was sung by [Sondia](https://www.edgepedia.org/sondia), whose song served as the ending track for episodes 17 and 18[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv5PhsAjL8Q) • [15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilj2hwWRxyc).
## Reception
The drama finished its run at the bottom of its time slot. According to Nielsen Korea figures reported by Star News, the June 25 finale drew 3.9% and 4.6% nationwide ratings, a slight rise over the previous day's 2.8% and 3.1% and the series' own best result, but still the lowest among the terrestrial dramas airing that evening; KBS 2TV's *Perfume* recorded 5.3% and 6.9%, and MBC's *Partners for Justice Season 2*, airing an hour earlier, recorded 6.1% and 8.3%[9](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2019/06/26/2019062608541448258). A June 2019 research report on the SBS drama lineup listed its average rating at 3.19%[16](https://ssl.pstatic.net/imgstock/upload/research/company/1559696365836.pdf).
Audience scores have been steadier than the broadcast ratings. IMDb lists 7.3/10 from about 2,600 users[17](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10101272/). Reviewers praised the chemistry between Kim Young-kwang and Jin Ki-joo, Jin Ki-joo's double role, and Kim Jae-kyung's comic turn as the real Veronica Park; Korean All Day called it a blend of romance and comedy with a satisfying storyline and rated it 8.5/10[18](https://koreanallday.com/kdrama-review-the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/), and HelloKpop highlighted the leads' chemistry and the feel-good ending[19](https://www.hellokpop.com/?p=203452). Commentators also noted that the drama differs from the better-known *What's Wrong with Secretary Kim* (2018) despite the similar boss-secretary setup: here the catalyst is the hero's face blindness and the secretary's impersonation rather than a secretary's resignation[20](https://www.soompi.com/article/1322887wpp/5-things-we-loved-about-the-premiere-of-the-secret-life-of-my-secretary).
The series has remained available internationally; as of recent checks it streams on Netflix in the United Kingdom and the United States, including the Netflix Standard with Ads tier[3](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary) • [7](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81224991).
## References
1. [SBS월화드라마 [초면에 사랑합니다] 시청률 / 몇부작, Tistory](https://9ust.tistory.com/14)
2. [The Secret Life of My Secretary, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Secret_Life_of_My_Secretary)
3. [The Secret Life of My Secretary streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary)
4. [Sinopsis The Secret Life of My Secretary, Viu](https://www.viu.com/ott/id/articles/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/)
5. [The Secret Life of My Secretary, Meicchi's Blog (2024)](https://meicchisblog.ninja/2024/05/04/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/)
6. [지금부터 시작해 – 초면에 사랑합니다 OST Part.6, YouTube (production credits in description)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv5PhsAjL8Q)
7. [Is 'The Secret Life of My Secretary' on Netflix?, New On Netflix USA](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81224991)
8. ["The Secret Life Of My Secretary" Reveals More About Story Through Character Relationship Chart, Soompi (May 1, 2019)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1321302wpp/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary-reveals-more-about-story-through-character-relationship-chart)
9. ['초면에사랑합니다' 월화극 시청률 꼴찌로 종영 '4.6%', Star News (June 26, 2019)](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2019/06/26/2019062608541448258)
10. [The Secret Life of My Secretary (2019) Series Recap, Julia and Tania Blog](https://www.juliaandtania.com/blog/?p=4874)
11. [The Secret Life of My Secretary, SBS International scripted catalog](https://www.sbs-int.com/scripted-catalog/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary)
12. [Korean drama "The Secret Life of My Secretary": Recaps for episodes seven and eight, Nao Kanzaki and a few friends (2019)](https://aitoda.blogspot.com/2019/07/korean-drama-secret-life-of-my_6.html?m=1)
13. [Kim Young Kwang On How He Portrays Face Blindness In "The Secret Life Of My Secretary", Soompi (2019)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1323116wpp/kim-young-kwang-on-how-he-portrays-face-blindness-in-the-secret-life-of-my-secretary)
14. [The Secret Life of My Secretary, Heart and Seoul (2019)](https://heart-n-seoul.com/2019/07/07/the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/)
15. [사랑을 말해요 – 초면에 사랑합니다 OST Part.11, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilj2hwWRxyc)
16. [2019년 SBS 드라마 라인업, research report PDF (June 2019)](https://ssl.pstatic.net/imgstock/upload/research/company/1559696365836.pdf)
17. [The Secret Life of My Secretary (TV Series 2019), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10101272/)
18. [Kdrama Review: The Secret Life Of My Secretary, Korean All Day](https://koreanallday.com/kdrama-review-the-secret-life-of-my-secretary/)
19. [K-Drama Review: "The Secret Life Of My Secretary", HelloKpop](https://www.hellokpop.com/?p=203452)
20. [5 Things We Loved About The Premiere Of "The Secret Life Of My Secretary", Soompi (May 10, 2019)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1322887wpp/5-things-we-loved-about-the-premiere-of-the-secret-life-of-my-secretary)
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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; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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