Business Proposal (2022) Review: Tropes Played to Win

Is Business Proposal worth watching?

Yes. Business Proposal is one of the most breezily entertaining Korean romantic comedies of recent years, a short and self-aware series that turns familiar clichés into a genuine pleasure. It moves quickly, its comic timing is sharp, and it offers two couples for the price of one. The reservation is that there is very little underneath the fun: the rich-heir fantasy is played straight, and the final stretch leans on obstacles that feel manufactured.

What is Business Proposal about?

Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) is a food researcher at a large company who agrees, for a fee, to stand in for her wealthy best friend on a blind date and put the man off for good. She arrives in a wig and heels, planning to be as unappealing as possible, only to find that her date is Kang Tae-mu (Ahn Hyo-seop), the new CEO of her own company. Tae-mu, tired of his grandfather’s endless matchmaking, decides this rude stranger is exactly who he should marry. The woman he proposes to does not exist, and Ha-ri now has to keep her disguise going while working under him every day.

Running alongside is a second romance between Tae-mu’s loyal secretary Cha Sung-hoon (Kim Min-kyu) and Ha-ri’s friend Jin Young-seo (Seol In-ah), whose absence from that blind date started the whole mess.

Business Proposal is a South Korean series in Korean, created by Han Sul-hee and Hong Bo-hee and adapted from a popular web novel and webtoon. This review covers the complete show: a single season of 12 episodes that has ended, so the story is finished.

Clichés delivered with a wink

The series knows exactly what it is. Contract-style relationships, a cold chaebol heir, a hardworking heroine, meddling elders and mistaken identities are all present, and the writing plays them with deliberate exaggeration. The editing uses webtoon-style comic effects and quick cutaways, which keeps even the most familiar scenes feeling playful rather than tired.

That self-awareness is the key to its appeal. It rarely pretends to be more than a fantasy, and it does not waste episodes on the long misunderstandings that pad many longer K-dramas. At 12 episodes, there is little room for filler, and most episodes end on a well-timed comic or romantic hook.

Kim Se-jeong keeps the chaos grounded

Kim Se-jeong is the show’s biggest asset. She commits fully to the physical comedy of Ha-ri’s double life, from the disguise to the frantic efforts to avoid being recognised at the office, yet she also gives Ha-ri enough ordinary worries about work and family to make her easy to root for. Ahn Hyo-seop has the stiffer role as the brusque heir, and he plays the character’s gradual thaw with a dry, deadpan quality that suits the tone.

The supporting pair nearly steals the series. Kim Min-kyu and Seol In-ah have a bold, flirtatious energy that contrasts nicely with the lead couple’s awkwardness, and many viewers will find their scenes the most fun in the show. Tae-mu’s grandfather adds warmth and some broad comedy of his own.

Where the fantasy runs thin

Business Proposal is lighter than it looks, and it can feel slight once the central deception is resolved. The last few episodes shift to family disapproval and class differences, standard K-drama hurdles that the show treats more seriously than it has earned, and the pace slows accordingly. The rich-man, ordinary-woman dynamic is also presented with almost no critique, which some viewers will find dated. The office setting is more backdrop than substance, so anyone hoping for a workplace comedy with real bite will be disappointed.

Who should watch Business Proposal?

This is an ideal pick for newcomers to Korean romcoms, for fans of office romance and fake-identity setups, and for anyone who wants a light binge that can be finished over a weekend. The content is mild, with kissing and some innuendo but nothing heavy, and the humour is broad enough for older teenagers and adults alike. More romantic comedies and dramas sit on the same shelf.

If it charms you, try these next:

• Crash Landing on You for a longer, more emotional romance with a similarly irresistible lead couple.
• Queen of Tears for another chaebol love story that mixes comedy with bigger dramatic swings.
• Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo for a sweeter, sportier romcom with a similarly likeable heroine.

The verdict

Business Proposal is a knowing, briskly paced romantic comedy that takes the most familiar K-drama devices and makes them fun again, helped by Kim Se-jeong’s energetic lead performance and a scene-stealing second couple. It is thin in its final episodes and uninterested in challenging its fantasy, but as comfort viewing it is hard to beat.

Rating: 4/5