Business Proposal | Netflix K-Drama Series Based on Webtoon

Business Proposal is a Netflix Korean drama series based on the webtoon of the same name; 12 episodes, released in 2022. How far would you go to avoid an arranged marriage?

This series is a delightful romantic comedy. It has two (2) male leads and two (2) female leads who are totally lovable characters. As soon as you meet them, you want to get to know their story and hope their relationships end like a fairy tale, i.e. “happily ever after”.

A Bromance In Need of Romance

• Kang Tae-moo (played by Ahn Hyo-seop) is the president of Go Food. He did not work his way up the corporate ladder. His grandfather put him in charge. But nobody can accuse him of not doing his job. He runs the business operations successfully, not just in South Korea, but in foreign markets as well.
• Cha Sung-hoon (played by Kim Min-kyu) is Tae-moo’s chief secretary. But their relationship goes far beyond a boss-secretary relationship. Even though they are not blood-related, they grew up together and think of each other as brothers. Inseparable brothers. Theirs is the kind of bromance that makes women jealous.

Kang Tae-moo’s grandfather wants him to marry so that hopefully he will see his grandchild before he departs this life. But Tae-moo has “issues” and does his best to avoid marriage. Cha Sung-hoon is not just loyal and trustworthy as a secretary, but also as a brother. Since Tae-moo spends all of his time working, and Sung-hoon is always by his side, that means he works equally as hard.

They aren’t looking for love in all the wrong places. Actually, they aren’t looking for love anywhere! But sometimes … love finds you.

BFFs Who Always Help Each Other

• Shin Ha-ri (played by Kim Se-jeong) works as part of Go Food’s Food Development Team One. She not only comes up with great recipes but creative ideas of how to turn the company’s food products into best sellers. Her parents run a restaurant that sells great fried chicken. Her family, which also includes a younger brother, is not rich but they live comfortably and are happy. Her BFF (best friend forever) is Jin Young-seo.
• Jin Young-seo (played by Seol In-ah) does come from a wealthy family. But wealthy does not equal happy. Her mother separated from her father and moved away to Germany. Were it not for her BFF, Shin Ha-ri, and her Ha-ri’s family, she might have grown up lonely and unhappy. They became her loving family. As for her father? She is an heiress to his fortune and he constantly tries to arrange the “perfect marriage” for her. In his mind, the man she marries must be competent enough to carry on the business he built.

Jin Young-seo hates the idea of arranged marriages and wants to marry for love. The problem is she keeps getting set up to go on blind dates to meet her “future husband”. But it’s not really a “problem” because she has found the perfect way to get out of going on these dates. She sends her BFF instead. Since it’s a blind date, Ha-ri shows up pretending to be Young-seo, and behaves in a way that makes her date RUN FOR THE HILLS!! Nobody knows about this secret arrangement between them.

From Fake Marriage Proposal to Real Business Proposal

Kang Tae-moo’s grandfather orders him to go on blind dates until he finds the woman who will become his mate for life. OR ELSE!! Tae-moo does not object to arranged marriages. He objects to any kind of marriage. Nevertheless, he reluctantly agrees to go on a blind date where his “future wife” is supposed to be Jin Young-seo.  Their marriage would be a perfect business merger.

Shin Ha-ri shows up pretending to be Young-seo, not realizing that the blind date is HER BOSS!

Shin Ha-ri does everything she can to discourage him and make him dislike her, not realizing that Tae-moo didn’t want to be on the blind date either.

Tae-moo thinks her behavior is strange but he is distracted by his own thoughts. He’s thinking of how to avoid the remaining blind dates his grandfather set up for him. He comes up with the perfect way to get out of going on these dates. He proposes marriage to Shin Ha-ri.

WHAT???!!!!

No worries. It’s not a marriage proposal. It’s a business proposal.

Viewership and Ratings

If the viewers in the audience are like me, “Business Proposal” was added to their watch list because they were already fans of the actors and actresses who played the main characters:

• Ahn Hyo-seop (“Lovers of the Red Sky”) ,
• Kim Min-kyu (“The Heavenly Idol”),
• Kim Se-jeong (“The Uncanny Counter”), and
• Seol In-ah (“Mr. Queen”).

They play their parts well and never disappoint the audience.

Many viewers gave this series a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. I agree.