Bo-yool (played by
Lee Won-geun) is the boss of the sports department of the big corporation where everyone works. As usual I'm not at all sure what Bo-yool's job actually is. All I know is that he acts in a constant childish jovial manner and even has child-sized arcade cabinets in his office. Also, Jeong-ae has become his secretary, despite the obvious mismatch in their personalities. Well, actually, it would be more accurate to say that they're too well-matched, on account of their both having frivolous personalities.
At one point the obvious question is broached of why Bo-yool and Chi-won don't just switch secretaries. Bo-yool needs someone proactive to organize everything for him. Like Yoon-i. And Chi-won just wants someone who can smile politely, rigidly follow dictation and stay out of the way the rest of the time. Again, like Jeong-ae. This is such an obviously sensible suggestion I'm surprised the characters don't take it more seriously. It's not like Yoon-i or Jeong-ae have been at their current jobs all that long.
I mean, I know the real reason why they don't switch. It's because Chi-won has that tragic backstory about the fire and Yoon-i is the only character with the determination and lack of sense necessary to keep prodding Chi-won into revealing it. Again, though, it's not like Yoon-i has any idea what she's looking for or trying to accomplish aside from just being a good secretary. I almost wish Yoon-i was working with Mr. Bong, so that she'd have an excuse but alas, she continues to just be confused at Mr. Bong's unnecessarily cryptic debriefings.
There is, at least, sort of a plot when the Best Boss Award is announced. Unfortunately like most of the rest of
"Jugglers" I'm not at all sure what the Best Boss Award is even supposed to be. Is it an adjudicated competition? A popularity vote? Is it sanctioned by the company, or independently administered by the secretaries? What's the incentive for anyone to try and compete in it?
In the context of the story the Best Boss Award is just a conflict, a badly needed one at that, since aside from Mr. Bong and possibly Jeong-ae none of the characters in
"Jugglers" have any obvious goals. But as usual, I can't really get invested in a storyline about which I know almost nothing. That's the main recurring problem in
"Jugglers"- even when it looks cute, there's just no point.
Review by William Schwartz
"Jugglers" is directed by
Kim Jeong-hyeon-I, written by
Jo Yong and features
Baek Jin-hee,
Choi Daniel,
Kang Hye-jeong, and
Lee Won-geun.
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