The Office Blind Date: aka Business Proposal

April 6, 2022 5:27 PM - Season 1 (Full Season)

In disguise as her friend, Ha-ri shows up to a blind date to scare him away. But plans go awry when he turns out to be her CEO — and makes a proposal.

Dramabeans show page

MyDramaList show page

Zapzee review - ‘Business Proposal’: A Show That’s Worth a Try Before Calling It Too Cheesy and Corny

Dramabeans finale recap: "Through most of its run, Business Proposal was a pastiche, taking beloved K-drama tropes and exploiting them for our comedic benefit. It was gloriously self-aware of the rom-com genre and unapologetically celebratory of its roots, which was a large part of the drama’s charm and appeal. Unfortunately, towards the end, Business Proposal stopped doing what it did best and started taking itself seriously in the worst way possible — like a Nicholas Sparks novel that should be shelved under romance but somehow winds up in the literature section."

posted by oh yeah! (6 comments total)

I kind of agree with the Dramabeans recapper about the series fizzling out at the end, but, I loved having such a fun/put-every-trope-in-a-blender show to watch in contrast to the angst in 'Thirty-Nine' and 'Twenty Five Twenty One'. For the most part, this was a silly show that delighted in how silly it was.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:38 PM on April 6, 2022

I love the single season model for kdramas, which are usually written like novels with a beginning, middle, and end, but I’d support a second season for A Business Proposal because it really was a lot of fun. I didn’t read the webtoon that the show is based on, but I know it included a double wedding and grandpa getting the grandkids he was demanding, so I think the writers held back some material for a season 2. This was hinted at during the last episode, with Secretary Cha repeatedly and sweetly demanding a business plan from Young Seo (get it? season 1 is A Business Proposal and season 2 is A Business Plan). It might also explain why the finale was less than satisfying – they want us to come back for more.

I thought the actress who played Ha Ri was perfect in the way she could shift from totally normal to over the top glamorous to a hot mess. I didn’t expect to like Tae Moo, who was clearly modeled after the Park Seo Joon role in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, at least in appearance, so I was pleased he didn’t have the narcissism of that character. The second couple were an even bigger delight for me and I hope if there is a season 2 that they might be the leads.
posted by kbar1 at 9:39 PM on April 6, 2022 [1 favorite]

I hadn't really considered the idea of a second season - though I suppose Netflix's involvement makes it more of a real possibility than it might have been if it were a Korean broadcast-TV-only show. I'm not sure how they'd fill up an entire second season plot without having one or both couples breaking up and reconciling, which would be tiresome no matter what wacky comedic misunderstandings they threw in the blender. But I would have liked to see Grandpa meeting Hari's family, so, maybe it could work.
posted by oh yeah! at 3:44 AM on April 7, 2022

Rather than a whole second season, I'd love like a miniseries/movie event for a bit more fun with these characters. This was such a fluffy delight. I think hands-down my favorite thing was the archaeopteryx that would pop up and screech at Ha-Ri from her phone. My second favorite thing was how Tae-Mu would stress clean his secretary's apartment when stressed.
posted by TwoStride at 9:15 AM on April 7, 2022

Maybe they could do the double-wedding, and throw in a 3rd set of leads -- like, get Hari's brother hooked up with Young Seo's cousin/former co-worker (that had the crush on Secretary Sung Hoon) or some other screwball pairing.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:47 AM on April 7, 2022

I’m new to this series - having resisted the (to me) overly, obvious romantic drama vibes.

However, based on comments made in this group I gave it a gander.

It’s hilarious! It truly balances the cutesy romcom-stick with surprises.

Episode 6 is my favorite so far. I enjoy the reverses roles, and the awkward dawning for the characters that they might be in love.
posted by Rabarberofficer at 9:54 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]