tvN My Secret Hotel (2014)

[Knov1]

tvN 마이 시크릿 호텔 - My Secret Hotel



official site: program.interest.me/tvn/shotel/

soompitv: tv.soompi.com/en/shows/my-secret-hotel

viki: www.viki.com/tv/24615c-my-secret-hotel

trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oid3zArkZek

genre: romance comedy mystery

length: 16 episodes

begins: Monday, August 18 (in Korea)

cast: Yoo In Na, Jin Yi Han, Nam Goong Min, Lee Young Eun, Choi Jung Won, Ha Yeon Joo, Go Yoon Hoo, Uhm Soo Jung, Hwang So Hee, Ahn Gil Kang, Choi Jung Woo, Choi Tae Hwan, Kim Bo Mi

description: Nam Sang Hyo (Yoo In Na) bounced back from her divorce and became the manager for the wedding department of a well-known hotel. Jo Sung Gyeom (Nam Goong Min) is the general manager of the hotel and has fallen for Sang Hyo. However, 7 years later, Sang Hyo runs into her ex-husband Gu Hae Young (Jin Yi Han) - when his wedding is being held at the hotel! The night of the wedding there is a mysterious murder at the hotel and chaos ensues. -SoompiTV (formerly KDrama)



I'm gonna be watching this series. I've only seen episode 1 so far. You can watch at Viki or SoompiTV (formerly known as KDrama).

[Knov1]

Some info on eps 1 to 4.

Nam Sang Hyo (Yoo In Na) works as the wedding planner for The Secret Hotel. Business hadn't been all that good due to a rumor that couples that get married at the hotel get divorced within 3 months. Sang Hyo hopes to turn things around with Hae Young and Soo Ah's wedding. Hae Young is Sang Hyo's ex-husband. They met and got married in Las Vegas after dating for a week. The marriage only lasted 3 months. It's been 7 years since they split. Sang Hyo still seems to have feelings for Hae Young. No one at the hotel knows about her marriage to Hae Young.

Hae Young (Jin Yi Han) is an architect and Sang Hyo's ex-husband. He's now engaged to Jung Soo Ah (Ha Yeon Joo). He's surprised when he discovers Sang Hyo will be planning his wedding. He initially wants to change venues but reconsiders when he Sang Hyo proposed to Sung Gyum. His marriage to Soo Ah is put on hold after a dead body falls through the glass ceiling at the hotel during the wedding. Soo Ah knows Hae Young was previously married but doesn't know it was to Sang Hyo. Hae Young still seems to have feelings for Sang Hyo.

Jo Sung Gyeom (Nam Goong Min) is the managing director for The Secret Hotel. His father used to work at the hotel and that's why he wanted to work there. He has a bad relationship with general manager Moo Yang (Choi Jung Woo). He receives an anonymous message stating that his father was murdered and begins to look into the hotel's past and its employees. Sung Gyeomm takes a liking to Sang Hyo but Eun Joo (Lee Young Eun) wants Sung Gyeomm for herself.

Those are really the only characters you need to know about. This series is thin on storyline and is more about the characters and their antics. It revolves heavily around Sang Hyo and her 2 romantic interests (Hae Young & Sung Gyeom) and mysterious death of Hwang Dong Bae.

[Knov1]

Info from eps 5 to 10.

Sung Gyum asks Sang Hyo out. She comes clean about her past with Hae Young. Sung Gyum and Sang Hyo start dating. Hae Young and Soo Ah attempt to get married again at the hotel. Soo Ah is secretly in love with her bodyguard Ki Ho and runs off with him the day of the wedding. Hae Young asks Sang Hyo to marry him. She goes along with it for the sake of the hotel. Young Mi, Sang Hyo's co-worker, is murdered during the ceremony. Hae Young and Sang Hyo go on their honeymoon. Soo Ah and Ki Ho, who have nowhere else to go, follow them. They all run into Sung Gyum who was away on business. He finds out about Sang Hyo's marriage to Hae Young. Hae Young wants to make it work with Sang Hyo but she doesn't want to. Sung Gyum and Sang Hyo learn about Young Mi's death once back the hotel. It turns out Young Mi had evidence to expose the killer of Sung Gyum's father.

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I decided to drop The Secret Hotel series after ep 10. I really wanted to like this series. I wanted to finish it but didn't like any of the characters. Maybe Detective Wink but that's about it. The storyline is weak. All K-Dramas have silliness but this is one absurd scenario after another. If the second lead had an actual shot at ever getting the girl, maybe the romance would have been more compelling. He doesn't so we already know how that's going to play out. The series would have been better of as more of a murder mystery and less of a romantic comedy. Due to the unlikability of the characters, I didn't care to find out who the killer was. I did watch the last 15 mins of ep 16 just to see it ended. I recommend skipping this series.