What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 still has romantic and comedic elements but is mainly about unfolding their mysterious past.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 reveals the past in detail, and readers finally learn how Miso, her boss Youngjun, and his brother Sungyeon are connected. It’s at once not as bad and also so much worse. Along with the mystery, there’s the struggle to process trauma. One choice that seems minor, however innocuous, can have far-reaching ramifications. What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 still has romantic and comedic elements but is mainly about unfolding their mysterious past.
Written by GyeongYun Jeong with art by MyeongMi Kim, translated by Kakao Entertainment, and lettered by Chana Conley, the fourth volume begins where the previous left off. The Yen Press comic builds up the elusive puzzle pieces that make up Miso’s past. It also helps readers understand her search for that little boy she met as a toddler. Between how secretive Youngjun is about his past and inconsistencies in Sungyeon’s assertion that he is the child from her memory, there lies a tragic tale that explains both.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 Opens a Sympathetic Traumatic Past
While some of it is predictable to the reader, there is a separation without the minute details. It’s clear that Miso’s boss is the kid kidnapped as a child, and somehow, for a time, Miso was with him. But is his brother Sungyeon’s account that he was the child, not Youngjun, a lie stretched over years? As it finally unfolds, it becomes a tragedy. Youngjun was a victim. But after returning home, his brother—unable to accept what his actions wrought—has a mental break and revictimizes Youngjun.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 creates such an uncomfortable story as it shows what Youngjun went through, how Sungyeon broke, and how their parents struggled with what to do. After all, one child is having nightmares from real trauma, but whenever you try and address that, the other child snaps because they believe they were the victim. So, poor Youngjun pretends he doesn’t remember to help his brother and parents.
Not Sure He Knew Miso
Unless I misremember previous volumes, it does not seem like Youngjun recognized Miso. Either way, I’m not a big fan of stories backtracking to do this in storytelling unless the proper groundwork and purpose exist. Nor do I enjoy manufactured secrets. The first three volumes and What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 do not do enough to make Youngjun’s choice to withhold information from Miso acceptable. Still, the raw emotions of their shared sorrow make up for these missteps. Now, the remaining question is: How will the three move forward if Miso wakes up and remembers it all?
Fortunately, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 reveals the big mystery and does not continue stringing it along. Three volumes were enough to bring the situation to a head. In particular, Sungyeon’s arrival stirs Miso and Youngjun’s past, making a confrontation essential. Next comes the fallout. Regarding drama, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim 4 nails this volume, even if small sections lack a seamless flow. Its end makes readers anxious about what happens next with the love triangle.
