Business Proposal (2022)
Quick Take: Business Proposal (2022) starring Ahn Hyo-seop and Kim Se-jeong and second-lead couple Kim Min-kyu and Seon In-na. 9.7/10. 12 episodes, 60 minutes each.
Synopsis: Cute Shin Ha-ri gets roped into going on a blind date on her best friend’s behalf, only to realize afterward that her date was the CEO of her company. She struggles to stay out of his sight; antics ensue. Meanwhile, Kang Tae-moo is under pressure from his grandfather to marry, so he decides it might as well be that girl. Shin Ha-ri’s friend, who dreams of love, encounters Ta-moo’s Chief Secretary at a convenience store. She pursues him but he rejects her, trying to stay away from his boss’s entanglements. There are laugh-out-loud moments of foolishness and slapstick, but at its heart Business Proposal is sweet and sincere. All ends well.
Review: Business Proposal was a huge hit for Netflix. All the usual tropes you’d expect are here: fake identity, fake relationship, overbearing grandfather. What makes this one of the best office romantic comedies is the leads — all four of them! There is onscreen chemistry between heartthrob Ahn Hyo-seop and former idol Kim Se-jong as the lead couple, and also between second-lead couple Kim Min-kyu and Seol In-ah. After the popularity of Business Proposal, the two second-lead actors were offered projects giving them first lead roles for the first time. Well deserved! One observation — Ahn Hyo-seop in dress and demeanor seemed to be almost a clone of Park Seo-joon’s character in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018). FWIW, Ahn does it better.
Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 10, Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10, Bonus - 7. Bonus for chemistry between the first leads and second leads, and Ahn Hyo-seop’s visuals.
Recommended.
Notes:
Ahn Hyo-seop
trained as an idol and was invited to debut with GOT7. He turned that down and joined with three others to debut in 2015 as One O One, which has been inactive since early 2019. He has been acting since 2015. See him also in Thirty but Seventeen (2018), Abyss (2019), Dr. Romantic 2 (2020), and Lovers of the Red Sky (2021).
Kim Se-jeong
became known through participating in variety and survival shows. She has been a member of two groups. I.O.I. (disbanded) and Gugudan (ongoing). She has been acting since 2017. See her also in School 2017 (2017), The Uncanny Counter (2020) and Today’s Webtoon (2022).
Kim Min-kyu
The second lead couple in Business Proposal got a lot of attention. See him also in Because This is My First Life (2017), Perfume (2019), Backstreet Rookie (2020), and Snowdrop (2021).
Seol In-na
is the other half of the second lead couple. She has been acting since 2017. See her also in Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017), School 2017 (2017), and Mr. Queen (2020).