With the SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘My Perfect Secretary’ (directed by Ham Joon-ho and Kim Jae-hong, written by Ji-eun) coming to a successful conclusion, Director Ham Joon-ho, who was in charge of the production, apologized for his past actions and shared his thoughts on the show‘s conclusion.


● Below is the full Q&A with Director Ham Joon-ho


- I’m curious about how you feel about the end of ‘My Perfect Secretary’.

I only feel grateful and sorry. Because of my past mistakes, I have caused trouble for the drama that the actors and staff worked hard to create. I have regretted it every day for the past five years and felt ashamed. From the moment I was assigned to direct ‘My Perfect Secretary’ until the end, all I thought about was doing my best at what I could do right now. And seeing that this drama received so much love, I personally promised myself that I will never forget my mistakes for the rest of my life and that I will try to become a better person every day. I believe that is my duty to the viewers who loved the drama and to all the actors and staff who were with me. Once again, I would like to thank and apologize to everyone who loved ‘My Perfect Secretary’.


- How did you feel when the casting of Han Ji-min and Lee Joon-hyuk was finalized? I am also curious about how you viewed the two actors‘ acting.

The melodrama of actors Han Ji-min and Lee Joon-hyuk was a dreamlike combination for the director. When that combination was complete, I had only one strong thought: ‘I have to film it as beautifully as possible’. ‘My Perfect Secretary’ is a drama that was able to shine thanks to the ideas of the two actors. Both actors always knew exactly what points to highlight on set, and we thought together to express those points in a unique way. They were truly ‘My Perfect Leading Men’.

More than anything, both actors resemble their characters. Like ‘Kang Ji-yoon’, actress Han Ji-min is a confident but also fragile ‘strong yet weak’ person. Watching her on set, I learned a lot from her as a person, beyond the relationship between director and actor, and I also felt a sense of admiration, thinking, ‘I want to be that kind of person.’ Actor Lee Joon-hyuk is delicate and considerate, and he is very smart about his work, but at the same time, he still maintains a childlike innocence. Watching him always carefully come up with witty ideas, and although he is more serious than anyone else, he always lives with a strong desire for comedy, I thought, if ‘Eun-ho Yoo’ were real, this would be what she would be like.

- Were there any points you focused on in terms of directing to express the contrast between the cold Ji-yoon and the warm Eun-ho?

I tried to express the contrast between Ji-yoon and Eun-ho artistically. I tried to exclude as much color as possible from Ji-yoon’s house to create a cold and desolate feeling, while on the other hand, I wanted to express Eun-ho‘s house as a space with a warm and noisy feeling by arranging various colors. And the ‘People’ office space where the two live together used orange as a key point to express the feeling of Ji-yoon and Eun-ho seeping into each other. Ji-yoon’s fiery red mixed with Eun-ho‘s warm yellow created an orange color.


- The visual beauty was also well-received.

The planning intention of ‘My Perfect Secretary’ is “I believe in the great miracles created by small, ordinary acts of kindness.”. That’s why I wanted to express a story that is like a miracle in everyday life, and I drew a melodrama that unfolds in a familiar space that as many people as possible can encounter in their daily lives. Since we filmed in an area with high accessibility for many citizens, the staff and actors had a hard time. In the case of ‘Gwanghwamun Kiss Scene’, the two actors showed amazing concentration even though the environment was restrictive. In the midst of the bustle of the city, there were many times when I felt respect for the two actors who acted with such concentration as if only Eun-ho and Ji-yoon existed in that space.

- What did you focus on when directing the romance scene between Ji-yoon and Eun-ho?

Actually, it’s hard to choose one part because the directors and staff of all parts did their best to create the best results. However, if I had to pick the part that I spent the most time on physically as a director, it was the music. I wanted to express the process of Ji-yoon and Eun-ho carefully getting closer to each other without being rushed or boring, and music was important to complete that tempo-control at the end. I asked the music director for the simplicity of a solo piano rather than the grandeur of an orchestra. He created many good songs, so I always worked with a happy heart. The editing director, assistant director, and OST team also helped a lot with the music work, and I think it was everyone‘s efforts that made Ji-yoon and Eun-ho’s romance so convincing.


- The way Ji-yoon and Eun-ho expressed their emotions with their hands, or the ‘eye kiss’ where they made eye contact without saying a single line, was impressive.

When we first met, I looked closely at the two actors‘ hands and imagined what it would feel like when their hands were linked. When Han Ji-min’s small hand was wrapped around Lee Joon-hyuk‘s large, slightly rough, but manly hand, I thought it would feel like Eun-ho was embracing Ji-yoon. With the thought that ‘the hand is faster than the eye’, I wanted to express my feelings of affection with gestures before exchanging glances, and the cinematographer did a great job capturing Ji-yoon and Eun-ho’s hands with a fluttering feeling.

As many people know, Han Ji-min has really nice eyes. Depending on the situation, the gaze changes delicately, and the degree of expression varies depending on the emotion. I wanted to fully utilize that strength. If Ji-yoon is a character who is proactive in all aspects, Eun-ho is a character who relatively fully contains and embraces Ji-yoon‘s emotions. Actor Lee Joon-hyuk also knew this point well, and I think he perfectly acted by accepting and embracing Ji-yoon’s intense emotional gaze. These scenes were possible because the gaze expressing strong emotions and the gaze that accepts and comforts them met.


- Is there a famous scene that you were particularly excited about or that you put a lot of effort into directing?

I would choose the ending of Part 4 where the drunken sincerity is revealed and the piano performance scene in Part 7. Even during the filming of the ending of Part 4, Ji-yoon and Eun-ho‘s expressions and atmosphere were so good that I didn’t want to cut. The emotions expressed by the two actors and the atmosphere of the scene that the entire team worked hard to create were so good that I put a lot of effort into the post-production. This is a scene that I personally love very much because we spent a lot of time on editing, CG, effects, music, and color correction, and the result was so wonderful.

For the 7th concert hall scene, I composed the scene while thinking of Chopin‘s music from the time I worked on the script with the writer. Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 is my personal favorite classical piece, and more than anything, I thought it was a song that could most dramatically express Ji-yoon and Eun-ho‘s emotions that are shown without words. This scene was personally exciting to work on because the script, acting, and editing fit the music the best.


- Unrequited love comrades Kim Do-hoon and Kim Yoon-hye, ‘Career Way’ Park Bo-kyung, ‘People’ staff members Lee Sang-hee, Heo Dong-won, Ko Gun-han, Seo Hye-won, and Yoon Ga-i were also dazzling.

All the actors brought the drama to life 200%, sometimes instinctively, and sometimes with thorough calculation. Since I gathered people with great skills, there was no part where I had to direct their acting, and I thought my role was over if I could just provide an environment where they could run around freely and play comfortably. The ‘People’ team of Kim Do-hoon, Lee Sang-hee, Heo Dong-won, Ko Geon-han, Seo Hye-won, and Yoon Ga-i always showed great chemistry, and especially when filming the ‘People’ dinner scene in Part 4, there were so many unexpected acting and ideas that I felt full the whole time filming.

Actors Kim Do-hoon and Kim Yoon-hye also had such great chemistry that the set was always filled with positive energy when filming them. There must have been many parts that were disappointing and regrettable from the actors’ perspective, but I am very grateful that they always expressed their characters so well without showing it. Actress Park Bo-kyung, who was the only villain, must have felt a lot of pressure having to act so venomously alone all the time, and she must have worried a lot about whether she was the only one standing out. It was a role that required a lot of calculation and preparation, but actress Park Bo-kyung always prepared the right tone for various situations, so we were able to film difficult scenes with ease. I think every single one of them was perfect. I sincerely want to thank all the actors.


- PD Na Young-seok‘s reaction to Part 4 was a hot topic.

It was the best, as expected. In particular, I think I will never forget PD Na Young-seok’s reaction for a long time when he shouted, “You remember everything!” and blushed after seeing the preview that was shown at the end of Part 4. At the time, I was busy working on the latter half of the episodes and was getting tired little by little, but seeing that reaction gave me the energy to ‘work harder’’’.’ I would like to express my sincere gratitude to actress Han Ji-min and PD Na Young-seok for their passionate reactions.


- How do you want ‘My Perfect Secretary’ to be remembered?


A. I would be grateful if you remember it as a work like ‘Miracle of Spring’. I hope that you feel through our drama how grateful and precious it is to love and be loved by someone. I hope ‘My Perfect Secretary’ will be a drama that creates a day of miraculous happiness in the everyday life of the spring days that are soon to come. On behalf of the entire production team, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who cherished this work, and in the future, I will do my best to show you a good drama with an even more humble attitude.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com Reporter projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.