I have to say, 나의 유죄인간 is turning out to be quite a fun watch. Think about it, a detective dressed up like a man to become the secretary of a murderer? Already sounds very intriguing for any drama. Kang Jae-hee (Seol In-ah) is supposed to watch over her boss Yoon Yi-jun (Yim Si-wan) and find out if he murdered his former secretary.
Yet, with his complicated character, continuous arguing and sparks between them, it seems like it’s going to be more difficult than what she originally anticipated. Moreover, with the involvement of the very influential family with many secrets, a mysterious murder case and actions of Kim Si-hyeon (Kim Jung-hyun) and Lee Hye-jung (Yeon Woo), everything turns out to be very interesting indeed.
What adds to the appeal of this series is the chemistry between Yim Si-wan and Seol In-ah. Yi-jun starts off as an arrogant and high-maintenance boss who tolerates no one, while Jae-hee is a brave detective who is not afraid to challenge him. Their numerous arguments, times when they show their softer side, and developing feelings give many chances to enjoy romantic-comedy scenes. However, there being so many people with hidden motives, danger everywhere you look, and mysteries that have to be solved, this aspect of the series is equally crucial as romance. If you like this mix of undercover operations, relationships, and corporate secrets, here are five K-dramas similar to Love in Disguise for you to check out.
Best Kdramas Like Love in Disguise
Good Casting
Good Casting will be an obvious choice for those who like seeing how the character Jae-hee manages to lead a double life of a detective and a secretary of Yi-jun. In this action comedy, three women working as agents of the National Intelligence Service are tasked with the undercover operation on behalf of Ilkwang Hi-Tech, a large company suspected in illegal technology leaks. These agents include Baek Chan-mi played by Choi Kang-hee, a black ops agent whose mission before was unsuccessful, Im Ye-eun played by Yoo In-young , a single mother with excellent undercover skills, and Kim Ji-young’s Hwang Mi-soon, a housewife.
In this mission, Chan-mi takes on the identity of Baek Jang-mi, a newly appointed secretary who works closely with the CEO of the company, Yoon Seok-ho, played by Lee Sang-yeob. Yet her mission becomes harder as Seok-ho begins to notice similarities between her and a girl from his past. The reason for this confusion is that Chan-mi had once been his tutor and the woman he loved. While Chan-mi is trying to uncover the secrets of the company, her former relationship with Seok-ho results in some funny moments.
Unlike in Love in Disguise, the drama does not have a plot of an undercover mission at the workplace to introduce the lead female character to the business tycoon, but in both cases, romantic comedy emerges alongside the investigation. The difference is that Chan-mi has two other agents working together with her.
Undercover Miss Hong
Another show that can be compared with Love in Disguise for some interesting similarities is Undercover Miss Hong. This office comedy is set in the late 1990s and revolves around Hong Geum-bo played by Park Shin-hye, a seasoned financial supervisory officer who goes undercover into Hanmin Securities in order to investigate any suspicious financial dealings and retrieve the lost slush fund ledger. She decides to enter the firm by disguising herself as her younger sister Hong Jang-mi and enters the firm as an entry-level worker at the age of 20.
It becomes even more complex when Geum-bo finds out that the CEO of the company is Shin Jung-woo, her ex-boyfriend. Jung-woo, a capable and calculating businessman, gets more and more suspicious when he comes across an employee who is the exact replica of the woman he was once in love with. Ko Kyung-pyo portrays Jung-woo. On the other hand, Ha Yoon-kyung plays Go Bok-hee, a secretary who has the keenest eye for suspicious behavior.
Cho Han-gyeol plays Albert Oh who plays a very important role in the life of Geum-bo as an undercover agent. Similar to Jae-hee, Geum-bo has to pretend to be someone else while investigating a powerful company and handling complex workplace relationships. Another great thing about Geum-bo is that she has a love life to handle since she is undercover.
Coffee Prince
If you appreciate the gender disguise and the romantic relationship at work in Love in Disguise, then the traditional K-drama Coffee Prince should not be missed. The plot revolves around Go Eun-chan played by Yoon Eun-hye, an energetic young lady who is usually mistaken for a man due to her short hairstyle and boyish looks. Although she has a feminine nature, she ends up working in occupations where she has to pretend to be a man most of the time since she needs money for her family’s survival.
These circumstances bring her to the young rich man called Choi Han-kyul played by Gong Yoo, whose family forces him to run a failing coffee shop business. To escape from forced marriage, Han-kyul opts to employ attractive men only, which gives Eun-chan a great chance to apply as a man. While Eun-chan begins to work in the coffee shop, Han-kyul gradually starts to fall in love with her, unaware of her true identity. This results in confusion regarding his sexual orientation on Han-kyul’s part, which is an entertaining and emotionally complicated situation for both of them.
Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye give sufficient chemistry to their roles, while Lee Sun-kyun and Chae Jung-an give another romantic complication to their roles as Choi Han-sung and Han Yoo-joo. Coffee Prince also has a similar setup like Love in Disguise, wherein there is romance built up by having the heroine disguise her identity and be close to the male lead who is slowly falling in love with her. Although the drama lacks the mystery and corporate betrayal in Love in Disguise, its female employee disguised in the workplace and the romantic confusions give it enough justification for being recommended to fans of Jae-hee and Yi-jun’s story.
Man to Man
Another interesting drama that you might consider is Man to Man if you are a fan of the spy activities and love comedy found in Love in Disguise. The drama revolves around Kim Seol-woo played by Park Hae-jin, who is an excellent intelligence operative and undertakes secret missions using other identities. In one specific assignment, Seol-woo is tasked to act as the bodyguard of Yeo Woon-gwang played by Park Sung-woong, an actor whose role in films always includes villain characters. While Seol-woo looks like just a regular bodyguard protecting the celebrity, he is doing much more than that.
Through his new job, he meets Cha Do-ha, who is not only the manager but was previously the fan club president of Woon-gwang. She is initially skeptical about him at first and does not seem very eager in having Seol-woo as the new bodyguard. However, their relationship begins to change as the two of them get used to each other, with Seol-woo realizing that he actually wants to protect her.
On the other hand, Woon-gwang and Seol-woo have an entertaining relationship between themselves, adding humor to the show. Like in the case of Jae-hee, Seol-woo too has to be in disguise because of what he really does. This show features a lot of action, secrecy, danger, and romantic element, so that the viewer can see that this show has more than just romance.
Crazy Love
If the intriguing yet complex boss and secretary romance of Yi-jun and Jae-hee are what keeps you hooked on Love in Disguise, you might be interested in watching Crazy Love. The show centers around Noh Go-jin, the CEO of the education company GOTOP. Although Kim Jae-wook’s Go-jin is known for being very intelligent, he has a very bad reputation among his employees, who cannot tolerate him. Lee Shin-ah played by Krystal is the secretary of Go-jin, and although she endures the unreasonable demands of her boss, she has been able to hold on to the job for a longer period than other secretaries, who do not last beyond a few months.
Since she thinks Go-jin has forgotten everything, Shin-ah takes this chance to pose as the CEO’s fiancée. Her health is in such a bad state lately, and she needs revenge on the mean boss who has made her life difficult at work. In the meantime, Go-jin is faking his amnesia since he needs to find out who is trying to murder him. Little by little, things begin to fall in place in ways the two did not expect since they both started to make up lies for themselves.
The chemistry between Kim Jae-wook and Krystal Jung is enough to make their characters more than appealing, and Ha Jun gives life to Oh Se-gi, Go-jin’s vice president whose link with the CEO will become more interesting as the plot thickens. While there is no undercover detective working as a secretary, the story is similar since it includes a strict businessman, a secretary with hidden plans, a fake relationship, and an enigmatic situation where someone is trying to murder the man.
Are you guys watching the Korean drama Love in Disguise? Let us know what do you think about this drama in the comments below!
