Lee Seo Jin favors Son Ye Jin while Ji Chang Wook is sidelined

Actor Lee Seo Jin showed extreme devotion to Son Ye Jin, even offering her honey because she is "pretty," while his own 'my star' Ji Chang Wook was once again pushed to the sidelines. 'My Grumpy Secretary,' which faced criticism last season for failing to properly treat Ji Chang Wook, is now launching the first-ever 'Service A/S' (After-Sales Service).

In the SBS variety program 'Anything You Want-My Grumpy Secretary' airing on the 18th, actor Ji Chang Wook appears as the 'my star.'

A preview released ahead of the broadcast shows Lee Seo Jin and Kim Kwang Kyu visiting the press conference for the Netflix original series 'Snow White's Revenge.' The two showed an uncharacteristically excited reaction when the main stars of the work, Nana and Son Ye Jin, appeared.

In particular, Kim Kwang Kyu provided meticulous service by personally holding a portable fan for Nana, saying, "It's been a long time, Nana." Lee Seo Jin's attention was focused on Son Ye Jin. He displayed unexpected proactive service, telling Son Ye Jin, "Want some honey? Honey? Because you're pretty."

The problem was that at that moment, the actual protagonist of the day, Ji Chang Wook, was effectively ignored. The scene created a characteristic paradoxical laugh as the secretaries, who exist for the 'my star,' seemed to move more actively for other actors rather than the star himself.

This situation is not the first for Ji Chang Wook. During his appearance last season, he brought laughter by asking through the program, "Was there anything I did today exactly how I wanted to?" Even then, the basic relationship setting of the program between 'secretary' and 'star' was strangely flipped, leading to repeated situations where Ji Chang Wook seemed to be swayed by the secretaries instead.

This time, the production team has elevated this concept into 'Service A/S.' The intention is to belatedly compensate for the star treatment he was unable to enjoy properly in the past.

Lee Seo Jin and Kim Kwang Kyu are scheduled to spend time with Ji Chang Wook visiting an arcade to enjoy claw machines, taking four-cut photos, and even going to a karaoke room together. Rather than a mandatory accompaniment for filming, the atmosphere is expected to feel like old friends enjoying a day out.

Ji Chang Wook also expresses satisfaction with this change. He appears to be enjoying a rare moment of proper leisure, saying, "It's a feeling I haven't felt in a long time—that feeling of getting exhausted from playing."

However, Lee Seo Jin was still Lee Seo Jin. Rather than empathizing with Ji Chang Wook's joy, he continued his characteristic blunt way of speaking, delivering a sharp remark: "How can a person live doing only the things they like?" This also implies that even with the name 'Service A/S,' it is difficult to expect a completely changed Lee Seo Jin.

This relationship is becoming the core variety grammar of 'My Grumpy Secretary.' While the program claims to follow a format where Lee Seo Jin and Kim Kwang Kyu resolve the star's requests, the actual laughter comes from how they handle the star's requests in such eccentric ways. The paradox of being secretaries who are sometimes more self-centered than the star, rather than perfect executive secretaries, forms the program's character comedy.

In particular, Lee Seo Jin has built relationships with others through his unique dry and direct way of speaking in variety shows. What he showed in tvN's 'Grandpas Over Flowers,' 'Youn's Kitchen,' and 'Seojin's Kitchen' was far from the typical image of a kind host. His grumbling, indifference, and sometimes seemingly annoyed reactions were actually a way to highlight his relationships with those around him.

Kim Kwang Kyu also provides a different kind of laughter compared to Lee Seo Jin. Based on long-standing friendships, he converses naturally with the actors and breathes life into situations with unexpected actions. The scene of him holding a portable fan for Nana in this broadcast is a moment that clearly reveals that character.

Ji Chang Wook is an actor who has maintained a wide range of activities across dramas, films, and musicals. He has continued his work across various genres with projects such as 'Healer,' 'THE K2,' 'Suspicious Partner,' 'Melting Me Softly,' 'The Fabulous,' and 'The Worst of Evil,' and recently, he is expanding his presence to overseas viewers through global OTT. The fact that such an actor puts aside his top star authority in 'My Grumpy Secretary' and creates laughter by being swayed by Lee Seo Jin and Kim Kwang Kyu is another point of interest for the program.

In this broadcast, it is also of interest to see how much the 'star treatment' that Ji Chang Wook has relatively not received will be properly restored. However, judging by the preview, it is highly likely that the 'A/S' prepared by the production team will not go smoothly. From the moment Lee Seo Jin's interest turns to others upon Son Ye Jin's appearance, Ji Chang Wook's ordeal seems inevitable.

The program's popularity is reflected in recent figures. 'My Grumpy Secretary' has maintained its position as the number one variety program on Netflix, ranking 2nd in the overall 'South Korea TOP 10 Series' for three consecutive weeks. It also ranked 4th on the weekly chart for the first week of September (August 31–September 6) announced by Netflix's official tracking site, Tudum, continuing to draw interest from both domestic and international viewers.

The situation where secretaries, whose original role is to serve stars, instead alienate them and focus their service on other actors—offering honey to them "because they're pretty"—captures the irony of 'My Grumpy Secretary.' Ultimately, the highlight of this broadcast is not whether Ji Chang Wook will receive proper service, but how that service will be twisted by Lee Seo Jin's indifference and Kim Kwang Kyu's clumsiness.

While Ji Chang Wook enjoys himself at the arcade and karaoke, saying he feels "exhausted from playing," will Lee Seo Jin be able to perform his role as a proper secretary this time? Attention is focused on what kind of laughter Ji Chang Wook's second ordeal will create under the banner of 'Service A/S.'