Overview of My Secret Hotel

K-dramas are popular for their engrossing and intense storylines, high production values, and quality acting that develops an emotional connection between the characters and the audience.

The South Korean series addresses personal struggles, societal issues, and themes of love, friendship, and family that resonate with audiences across borders. ‘My Secret Hotel’ is a 2014 South Korean mystery-romantic comedy television series starring Yoo In-na, Jin Yi-han, Namkoong Min, and Lee Young-eun in lead roles. The drama aired on TVN from August 18 to October 14, 2014, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 23:00 (KST) for 16 episodes.

Profile

• Drama: My Secret Hotel
• Director: Hong Jong-chan
• Writers: Kim Do-hyun, Kim Ye-ri
• Network: tvN
• Episodes: 16
• Release Date: 18 August – 14 October 2014
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

• Yoo In-na as Nam Sang-hyo
• Jin Yi-han as Gu Hae-young
• Namkoong Min as Jo Sung-gyeom
• Lee Young-eun as Yeo Eun-joo

Supporting

• Ha Yeon-joo as Jung Soo-ah, Gu Hae-young’s fiancée.
• Choi Jung-won as Yoo Shi-chan, Gu Hae-young’s best friend.
• Hwang So-hee as Joo Jung-eun, Gu Hae-young’s stalker.
• Kim Jae-seung as Kim Ki-ho, Jung Soo-ah’s chauffeur.
• Choi Jung-woo as Lee Moo-yang, general manager of The Secret Hotel.
• Uhm Soo-jung as Yang Kyung-hee, an employee of the wedding planning division of The Secret Hotel.
• Kim Bo-mi as Heo Young-mi, an employee of the wedding planning division of The Secret Hotel.
• Choi Tae-hwan as Jang Ki-chul, an employee of the wedding planning division of The Secret Hotel.
• Go Yoon-hoo as Cha Dong-min, head of the security team of The Secret Hotel.
• Ahn Gil-kang as Kim Geum-bo, police detective.
• Lee Kwang-hoon as Simon, Jo Sung-gyeom’s secretary.
• Kim Byung-choon as Hwang Dong-bae, an employee of the wedding planning division of The Secret Hotel, murder victim.
• Hong Seok-cheon as Chef Andre Hong

Synopsis

Nam Sang-hyo (Yoo In-na) is a dedicated hotelier. She has risen from a waitress to the manager of a banquet hall. Sang-hyo specialises in wedding planning, and the hotel she works at is called The Secret Hotel. It is one of the best elaborate five-star hotels in Seoul.

Nam Sang-hyo’s Past

Nam Sang-hyo is liked by the employees because of her down-to-earth nature and excellent supervision. There is something about her that no one knows—she is a divorcee. Seven years earlier, while working at a hotel in Las Vegas, Sang-hyo ran into architect Gu Hae-young (Jin Yi-han), spilling a full tray of drinks all over him.

That incident was love at first sight for both of them, and a very short week later, they were married. The marriage lasted less than 100 days before they both left and went on with their lives. They never filed the paperwork to register it legally, so their short-lived marriage remains a secret.

An Unexpected Meeting at the Secret Hotel

News is leaked to the public that most of the marriages that take place at the Secret Hotel end in divorce in less than three months. To combat the press and squash the damaging rumours, the managing director of her hotel, Jo Sung-gyeom (Namkoong Min), and PR Manager Yeo Eun-joo (Lee Young-eun), plan a fancy celebrity wedding to bring back the hotel’s pride.

Sang-hyo is appointed in charge of planning a new wedding. The groom turns out to be her good old ex-husband, Gu Hae-young. The bride is the daughter of a cosmetic company owner.

Even though the two went their separate ways, it doesn’t seem like their hearts did. The wedding may make it very difficult for Sang-hyo and Gu Hae-young to control their affections and bittersweet memories. However, Sang-hyo is adamant that the entire marriage function should go smoothly.

Meanwhile, Sang-hyo has caught the eye of her boss, Jo Sung-gyeom, who is a strict but a thoughtful hotel managing director who has all the female employees swooning. The ambitious public relations manager, Yeo Eun-joo, competes with Sang-hyo for a promotion. Eun-joo has feelings for Sung-gyeom.

Though Nam Sang-hyo is shocked when she sees the groom, she decides to act professionally and carry on with her work despite feeling upset about Gu Hae-young. Sang-hyo murmurs goodbye to him and walks away as the wedding commences. Soon, the grand wedding is rudely interrupted by a dead body falling at the groom’s feet as he walks down the aisle.

The murdered man is an assistant manager under Nam Sang-hyo. This death brings in Kim Geum-bo (Ahn Gil-kang), the best detective in the police force in Seoul. He is uncouth in appearance, but he has a sharp mind. Detective Geum-bo sets to work trying to solve the murder mystery and finds that the Secret Hotel has many people with secrets. There are many suspects, and he must examine them all and try to find the murderer.

Meanwhile, Jo Sung-gyeom tries to find out more about his father, who used to work for the Secret Hotel in the past. He died when he fell from the sixth floor of this hotel in an accident. Jo Sung-gyeom has been getting cryptic messages from someone claiming to have information about the death of his father, and because of that, he suspects that it was not an accident but murder.

Love Triangle 

Jo Sung-gyeom is interested in Nam Sang-hyo and wants to date her. She agrees as she is also eager to move on from Gu Hae-young. Hae-young badly reacts upon learning of Sang-hyo’s relationship with Jo Sung-gyeom and does his utmost to wreck her budding romance.

The PR Manager of the Secret Hotel, Yeo Eun-joo, also has an affection for Jo Sung-gyeom and is forever trying to drive Nam Sang-hyo away from him, so she may have a chance to date him. Yeo Eun-joo even arranges a fix-up between Gu Hae-young and Nam Sang-hyo to get her out of the way.

The Corpse that Fell Amidst the Wedding

The murder turns the hotel topsy-turvy. Detective Kim Geum-bo closes out several deaths of employees working in the wedding planning division of the Secret Hotel, including Yang Kyung-hee (Uhm Soo-jung).

Kyung-hee killed herself and left a letter confessing to killing other employees named Heo Young-mi (Kim Bo-mi) and Hwang Dong-bae (Kim Byung-choon). Before that, she saw Hwang Dong-bae threatening the general manager of the Secret Hotel, Lee Moo-yang (Choi Jung-woo), and Hwang Dong-bae fell to death. Cha Dong-min (Go Yoon-hoo), the head of the security team at the Secret Hotel, saw this scene through CCTV and cleaned up for Kyung-hee.

Ending Explained

As the corpse fell amidst the ceremony, of course, they had to cancel the wedding. The bride is upset and asks for a refund. However, the wedding planning division is afraid that the hotel will lose its reputation and has encouraged the couple to give the hotel another chance. Just hours before the wedding, the bride disappeared.

Yeo Eun-joo replaces the bride with Nam Sang-hyo because she knows the past relationship between Nam Sang-hyo and Gu Hae-young. He disagrees, but ends up agreeing to the wedding to avoid humiliation.

Theme

‘My Secret Hotel’ revolves around a murder mystery set in a hotel where everyone is a suspect. The drama well conveys a suspenseful murder case with elements of romance and comedy. The plot brings each character’s dark secret to light, including their past relationships and emotions.

A woman works at a hotel as the manager of the wedding planning division, and her ex-husband is getting remarried at the same hotel. When the wedding is about to happen, a dead body drops from the ceiling. The murder forces the postponement of the whole affair.

With an intriguing plot, the drama explores the insights of second chances, love, and forgiveness with a mix of suspense, humour, and romance.

Awards

No information is available.

Interesting Facts about My Secret Hotel

1. ‘My Secret Hotel’ took over the TVN on Mondays and Tuesdays at 23:00, previously occupied by K-drama ‘High School King of Savvy’ and followed by K-drama ‘Liar Game’ on October 20, 2014.
2. The first script reading took place on July 18, 2014, at the CJ E&M Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.
3. Screenwriter Kim Ye-ri wrote the screenplay for Ep.1-Ep.4. Kim Do-hyun wrote the screenplay from Ep. 5 to Ep. 16 as Kim Ye-ri died of cancer on March 29, 2014.
4. A majority of the show takes place inside a hotel, whereas K-dramas mostly use a variety of settings to develop the storyline and the relationships between people.
5. ‘My Secret Hotel’ has one of the best soundtracks, and the majority of the songs have an 80s new wave or pop-ish vibe to them.

FAQs

1. Who are the writers and director of ‘My Secret Hotel’?
   The drama is penned by Kim Do-hyun, Kim Ye-ri and directed by Hong Jong-chan.
   
2. What is the genre of ‘My Secret Hotel’?
   The drama falls into the romantic comedy and mystery drama genres. 
   
3. How many episodes are there in ‘My Secret Hotel’?
   The drama has concluded a successful 16-episode run.
4. Is the K-drama ‘My Secret Hotel’ worth watching?
   ‘My Secret Hotel’ is a fun, romcom drama, full of mystery. If you like an angsty love triangle, then ‘My Secret Hotel’ is a great show with an adorable relationship with the lead protagonists.
5. What is the Instagram ID of Jin Yi-han?
   yihan_jin is the Instagram ID of Jin Yi-han.
6. What is the Instagram ID of Namkoong Min?
   

   min_namkoong is the Instagram ID of Namkoong Min.