Lee Seo-jin serves as a daily manager helping Kim Kwang-kyu and stars with their day on the SBS variety show ‘Whatever You Ask, I’ll Do—Secretary Jin.’
The title of an SBS clip released on September 11 featured a conversation between Seo In-young and Lee Seo-jin, while a previously released broadcast preview introduced Lee Seo-jin showing reluctance toward the prolonged handover.
The program’s humor comes less from a secretary who handles tasks skillfully than from Lee Seo-jin’s attitude of refusing to become accustomed to them until the very end.
3-Line Summary
1. Lee Seo-jin is the daily manager of ‘Secretary Jin’
2. The Seo In-young episode centers on a lengthy handover
3. Refusing to wait on others is the program’s comedic device
The Second Season, Recast as ‘Whatever You Ask, I’ll Do’
‘Secretary Jin’ is a variety show in which Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu accompany stars on their schedules. According to a report by The Fact, this season is the second season following the concept of last year’s ‘Too Picky a Manager for Me—Secretary Jin,’ presenting a direction in which the two join stars not only for official schedules but also for their private schedules.
At a press conference held on August 28 at the Kensington Hotel Yeouido in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, producer Kim Jung-wook explained that the scope of their work had been expanded from the previous season. The plan was also to show them departing from a star’s home or accompanying the star on personal schedules. This is the production team’s explanation and plan; the extent to which each episode actually aired must be confirmed through the relevant broadcast.
Regarding the new subtitle, Lee Seo-jin said it was a name the production team had chosen without consulting him and that he disliked himself for adapting to the role of a secretary. He also said that he might become accustomed to the work as filming continued. Unlike the title, which suggests that he will do anything, the show places front and center the cast member’s reaction of not easily complying.
His relationship with Kim Kwang-kyu also makes this structure clear. Lee Seo-jin said they had established a role system in which he passed along to Kim Kwang-kyu the instructions received from the star, and Kim Kwang-kyu retorted that it felt as though he was looking after one more star. Rather than dividing the work between them, the process of bickering over each other’s attitudes lies at the center of the program.
The Lengthened ‘User Manual’ in the Seo In-young Episode
In preview coverage released on September 7, Seo In-young’s manager gave Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu instructions including gaining the upper hand through a staring contest and calling her “Princess” when her energy dropped. An explanation also emerged that Seo In-young should be treated like a “5-year-old little boy.”
According to Sports Chosun, Lee Seo-jin heard this explanation and responded, “She’s not a baby, is she? She’s in her 40s!” As the handover continued, Kim Kwang-kyu said it had taken 15 minutes, while Lee Seo-jin responded in a way that suggested he would leave it to Kim Kwang-kyu or come back later. Since these remarks appeared in a preview, they do not replace the full development or conclusion of the actual broadcast.
What matters in this scene is not making a definitive judgment about Seo In-young’s personality. It is that the instructions delivered by the manager and Lee Seo-jin’s resistance to them created the variety-show situation. The program does not treat caring for a star merely as a reproduction of actual work; it turns into laughter how much the two cast members endure and waver in the face of unfamiliar demands.
The Flow of Interest Shown by the First Two Episodes
According to reports by Newsbuzz and Single List, ‘Secretary Jin’ ranked first in Netflix’s variety category immediately after its premiere on August 28, and the Cha Tae-hyun episode that aired on September 4 also ranked first in the variety category and second overall. The two outlets reported that the cumulative views of related clips featuring key scenes from the first two episodes exceeded 1,500만 views (1500만 views).
In the Cha Tae-hyun episode, Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu served as daily managers for the Amukttaband concert. Cha Tae-hyun shared stories related to writing the lyrics for his signature song ‘I Love You’ and about how he met his wife in Jeju Island, and the conversations among the three were introduced as key scenes in the broadcast. It was an episode in which the format of listening at length to a star’s personal story and the commotion of the manager role moved together.
The clip released by SBS on September 11 presented as its title a conversation between Seo In-young and Lee Seo-jin concerning the expression “second in rank.” In this way, on ‘Secretary Jin,’ Lee Seo-jin functions less as a smooth host than as a figure who complains about his assigned role and circumstances yet ultimately remains within the scene. What viewers see, therefore, is less the result of perfect care than the two people’s reactions when the care does not proceed as planned.
References
Tags #LeeSeo-jin #SecretaryJin #WhateverYouAskIllDo #KimKwang-kyu #SeoIn-young #SBSVariety #VarietyProgram #DailyManager #NetflixVariety #ChaTae-hyun #LeeSeo-jinKimKwang-kyu #SeoIn-youngEpisode