Modestly kicking of its story, She Would Never Know is JTBC’s newest Monday-Tuesday series top-billed by Won Jin Ah and Kim Rowoon.
Workplace love stories highlight the premiere week of She Would Never Know, but it’s not at all the bright kind of romance. It surprised me because it went to present its problematic plot right away.
Opening Week Rating: 
She Would Never Know Opening Week Story
Set in cosmetic company KLAR, She Would Never Know features marketer Chae Hyun-seung (Kim Rowoon) who harbors one-sided crush to his senior Yoon Song-ah (Won Jin Ah).
“That does not suit you at all. Sunbae, don’t put on that lipstick.”
Silently admiring his mentor, he considered ending his unreturned adoration when he learned her relationship with their team’s brand manager, Lee Jae-shin (Lee Hyun Wook).
However, he also discovered that the man his crush has been dating is due to get married in two months with Lee Hyo-joo (Lee Joo Bin). Song-ah knows Hyo-joo to be Jae-shin’s cousin and she is also KLAR chairman’s granddaughter and Director Lee’s (Jae-shin’s immediate boss) sister.
Confessing his feelings to her, Hyun-seung also paved a way for Song-ah to know of her boyfriend’s unfaithfulness. The soon-to-be-married couple is a client of Hyun-seung’s sister who owns a wedding dress shop.
He tells his sunbae that he is giving her a chance to stand up for herself. But Song-ah, caught up in denial, tells him bluntly not to waste his feelings on her and to not meddle on her business with Jae-shin.
“Should we tell people that we are dating now?”
Over the weekend, Song-ah fought off the emotional turmoil caused by her recent discovery. When she meets Jae-shin, she proposes to make their relationship out in the open, and gets a response asking for time so he can think about it.
Unknown to Song-ah, her boyfriend was forced by Director Lee to indulge on Hyo-joo’s one-sided obsession on him. It was hinted how Hyo-joo had compromised even her health because of Jae-shin.
The feeling of being made like a fool ultimately overwhelmed Song-ah so she goes to Hyun-seung to suggest a vengeance plan. Wanting to protect Song-ah, he offers himself and asks her to date him.
She Would Never Know Opening Week Musings
So easy to process, She Would Never Know presented a narrative plagued by complicated love situations. Nothing striking emerged so far, except for the parade of unreturned love centered on the main cast.
While I appreciate grasping the projected frustrating moments of the series, I can’t help but feel baffled on the female lead’s rationalization upon knowing that she was cheated on. How she’s going to proceed, if she will accept Hyun-seung’s offer, I’m curious to know. Definitely, the payback option is something that I won’t support in real life, but if it will make Song-ah happy in her imaginary world, so be it.
The revenge plan and the character sketches felt awkward to its workplace setting to be honest. Since I don’t have a plan to read its original story, I’m just relying on how it is pictured in the drama adaptation.
Honestly, the opening chapters were not at all engrossing having a familiar plot and character sketches. Workplace dramas are synonymous to bright and cheerful, although infidelity and revenge themes have seen a rise in the last couple of years. That’s probably another reason why I was caught off-guard on the initial tone of this series, because I was expecting it to be sunny.
What To Expect?
Fortunately, we’re just starting. So, the bland story foundation has room to navigate its predictable flavor. There are a lot of presented scenarios that do not make up to its opening week story. Like how it kept presenting Song-ah’s relationship with her mother; and withholding the reason for their not so close relationship. I sense another conflict-magnet heroine with family issues that would be healed in the power of hoobae love in the horizon. Hopefully, I’m right.
Obviously, Jae-shin obliging to his friend’s favor has a back story. Still, I sympathize to Song-ah’s pain of how belittling it was to share two years with someone who can’t process what honesty is about. There could be more to why he is deeply indebted to Hyo-joo’s family. IT better justify his actions.
Braving his unrequited crush, Hyun-seung would definitely appear busy in this series. Aside from protecting his senior who can be ultra stubborn, he has to find his way to her heart.
Coming from a breakup that he indirectly caused is definitely quite daunting. How he’s going to maneuver his moves to make her understand he’s the one for her is one of the driving points I wish to see more in the series.
She Would Never Know airs on JTBC every Monday and Tuesday.
Global fans can watch it on iQIYI.
Photos: JTBC
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