The cliché romance show based on the webtoon ‘A Business Proposal’ by Perilla, Narak, Haehwa, and Guava Farm, premise is this: a rich CEO starts dating their employee, but there is a twist. 

A Business Proposal is about Kang Tae-moo, the CEO of GoFoods, played by Ahn Hyo-seop, and Shin Hari, played by Kim Sejeong, a worker at GoFoods in desperate need of money.

Their lives are intertwined when Tae-moo is forced to go on a blind date with Hari’s best friend, Jin Young-Seo (played by Seol In-Ah). Young-Seo begs Hari to go on her behalf, bribing her with a hefty sum of money. But instead of entrancing Tae-moo, Hari’s job would be to discourage him from advancing her further. During the date, Hari does everything she can to scare a normal man off, from being overly romantic to acting money-crazy, but Tae-moo isn’t exactly normal. He finds her charming and makes it his mission to marry her.

Khadij Shahzad ’24 said, “The way Hari attempts to scare off Tae-moo almost immediately was really amusing. Usually, on a blind date, you would want to make a good impression, but Hari immediately started acting crazy. It was so unlike her regular character, which only made me laugh more.” 

The next day back at the company office, Hari realizes that her blind date Tae-moo, was her boss. She immediately attempts to hide by covering her face with her hair. Unfortunately for Hari, Tae-moo seems to be interested in this version of Hari as well, constantly tormenting her and making her job a living hell. Hari’s job entails her devising new frozen foods that are both affordable and appetizing. Tae-moo would constantly point out small, insignificant details in her creations and tear them apart, making Hari work overtime. 

Eventually, Hari starts to reciprocate Tae-moo’s affections, but since office relationships are taboo, she tries desperately to cover up the fact that they are dating. However, Tae-moo has other plans. He constantly visits her in her office, showering her with gifts. Although cheesy, these scenes were heartwarming and had me grinning until my jaw hurt. 

In the last episode, Tae-moo goes overseas to provide his grandfather with blood vessel treatment that was not present in Korea. Tae-moo eventually leaves Hari behind despite much resistance from Hari. However, when he comes back after a year overseas, he immediately proposes. Then, instead of going with the regular time flow, it randomly time-skips to the future, from Tae-moo’s proposal to after the wedding. 

As the story progresses, so does the relationship, but after the last episode watchers, including me, were expecting more. To me, the ending seemed cramped and extremely rushed. This might have been because the show is relatively short, only twelve episodes, compared to the regular sixteen of most K-dramas. 

When asked about the last episode, Rachel Li ’24 said, “It felt a bit rushed, and, as a result, was a bit underwhelming. I really wanted the show to include a wedding because I felt like that would’ve tied up the drama nicely, but instead, I was just a bit confused as to why the time skip happened. It wasn’t necessary at all.” 

The second lead couple, Young-Seo and Sunghoon, were just as cheesy. Young-Seo falls for Sunghoon the first time she lays her eyes on him, instantly believing that he was her soulmate. They run into each other at a convenience store after a boy running around with a marker stains Young-Seo’s dress. Instead of punishing the kid, Young-Seo draws on her skirt, making the line into a flower. Sunghoon observed this scene and found her admirable. 

Throughout the drama, the second lead couple goes through ups and downs together, which only strengthens their bond. Sunghoon, who is Tae-moo’s secretary, is unfalteringly loyal to Tae-moo resulting in miscommunication between him and Young-Seo, causing a rift between the two. 

However, these misperceptions were resolved quickly through communication and were given a satisfying payoff. This is another reason why the drama is so pleasing to watch. The confusions are over in a span of one episode, unlike in many other dramas where a fight would span many. 

Although the second lead couple moved rapidly, their chemistry was not to be missed. Every second of their screen time together had me replaying the clip continuously, hoping that the romance would last longer. Even those moments before they were officially a couple were just too cute to miss out on. My personal favorite was when Young-Seo found a cockroach in her room and ran out, hopping onto Sunghoon’s arms. It was undoubtedly cliche, but the eye contact that they held, and Young-Seo’s sudden from Sunghoon’s arms turned the scene from overly cringe to comical. 

So, is it worth the watch? If you don’t mind some overly cheesy scenes and pick-up lines, you should try out this heartwarming show. Perhaps this show may not be right for you if you don’t.

To watch A Business Proposal on Netflix (subscription required), click HERE.

A Business Proposal is about Kang Tae-moo, the CEO of GoFoods, played by Ahn Hyo-seop, and Shin Hari, played by Kim Sejeong, a worker at GoFoods in desperate need of money.