| Alt Name: | Secret |
| Genre: | Melodrama Thriller |
| Director: | Lee Eung-bok Baek Sang-hoon |
| Starring: | Ji Sung Hwang Jung-eum Bae Soo-bin Lee Da-hee |
| Music: | Gaemi |
| Country: | South Korea |
| Language: | Korean |
| Num Episodes: | 16 |
| Executive Producer: | Hwang Eui-kyung Choi Kwan-yong Hwang Chang-woo |
| Producer: | Kim Jung-hyun Park Woo-ram |
| Location: | Korea |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) |
| Company: | Secret Love SPC Content K |
| Channel: | KBS2 |
| Creator: | Kwak ki won KBS Drama Division |
Secret Love (; lit. Secret) is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Hwang Jung-eum, Ji Sung, Bae Soo-bin and Lee Da-hee. It aired on KBS2 from September 25 to November 14, 2013, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
A rich "bad boy" falls in love with an innocent but tenacious woman who went to prison for her boyfriend's 'hit and run' murder. As the story unfolds, secrets begin to unravel.[6] [7] [8]
She sacrifices her future by going to prison in place of her then-boyfriend, Do-hoon after he kills a woman in a hit-and-run. Refusing to give in to despair, she emerges from prison becoming a stronger woman who's determined to make a fresh start and live differently.
A second-generation chaebol who has everything but a good personality, he burns with revenge after the death of his girlfriend, who was killed in the hit-and-run. He later realises there is a whole different story to the original culprit, and falls in love with the seemingly worst person to do so (Yoo-jung) as he realised her kindness in life.
Once a brilliant and righteous prosecutor, after his girlfriend went into prison instead of him, he transforms into an ambitious man, hungry for power.
She is engaged to Min-hyuk, and she has been buried in insecurity because of Min-hyuk's love to Ji-hee (his deceased girlfriend), then to Yoo-jung as the story progresses.
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS Ratings[11] | AGB Nielsen[12] | ||||||
| width=100 | Nationwide | width=100 | Seoul National Capital Area | width=100 | Nationwide | width=100 | Seoul National Capital Area |
| 1 | 25 September 2013 | 4.7% | 4.7% | 5.3% | 5.6% | ||
| 2 | 26 September 2013 | 4.1% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 5.9% | ||
| 3 | 2 October 2013 | 6.2% | 6.6% | 7.2% | 7.9% | ||
| 4 | 3 October 2013 | 7.8% | 9.1% | 10.7% | 12.7% | ||
| 5 | 9 October 2013 | 10.6% | 11.8% | 12.4% | 14.2% | ||
| 6 | 10 October 2013 | 11.9% | 13.1% | 14.6% | 15.4% | ||
| 7 | 16 October 2013 | 12.4% | 13.4% | 15.1% | 16.2% | ||
| 8 | 17 October 2013 | 12.9% | 14.6% | 15.3% | 16.4% | ||
| 9 | 23 October 2013 | 13.0% | 14.9% | 15.3% | 16.8% | ||
| 10 | 24 October 2013 | 13.8% | 14.7% | 16.3% | 18.4% | ||
| 11 | 30 October 2013 | 13.2% | 15.9% | 15.7% | 17.3% | ||
| 12 | 31 October 2013 | 14.6% | 17.2% | 16.7% | 18.8% | ||
| 13 | 6 November 2013 | 13.3% | 15.5% | 15.8% | 16.9% | ||
| 14 | 7 November 2013 | 13.4% | 15.6% | 17.3% | 18.9% | ||
| 15 | 13 November 2013 | 13.3% | 14.7% | 17.4% | 18.6% | ||
| 16 | 14 November 2013. | 15.4% | 18.0% | 18.9% | 20.6% | ||
| Average | 11.3% | 12.8% | 13.7% | 15.0% | |||
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | KBS Drama Awards[13] | Top Excellence Award, Actor | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | ||||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | ||||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Netizen Choice Award | ||||
| Popularity Award | ||||
| Best Couple Award | ||||
| 2014 | 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor (TV) | ||
| Most Popular Actress (TV) | ||||
| Best OST | ||||
| 2nd Asia Rainbow TV Awards | Outstanding Modern Drama | Secret Love | ||
| 7th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Hwang Jung-eum | ||
| 3rd APAN Star Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Ji Sung |
| Secret Love OST | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | Various Artists |
| Genre: | Soundtrack, Pop |
| Language: | Korean, English |
Japan - KNTV - February 14, 2014[14]
Philippines - GMA Network - July 14, 2014 to September 11, 2014 [15] and with replays on GMA News TV from December 10, 2016, to March 26, 2017
Thailand - True Asian Series - May 17, 2014[16] and with replays on Channel 3 from August 7, 2020, to August 26, 2020[17]
Turkey - Kanal 7 - August 27, 2018[18]Secret Love later being adapted into a Malay-language drama, dubbed Patahnya Sebelah Sayap (broke leftwings) starred Ummi Nazeera, Aeril Zafril and Izzue Islam in March 2018 in TV3. However, only a few scene is similar, and most of the scenes were changed to follow Malaysian custom and life style, which differs greatly to the Korean Society.
Secret Love was also adapted into a Turkish drama, dubbed Meryem – Tales Of Innocence, starred Furkan Andic, Ayça Aysin Turan and Cemal Toktas. It was produced by TMC and aired on Kanal D from August 2, 2017, to February 28, 2018. And yet the Turkish remake witnessed some changes that are different from the original Korean plot.
Secret Love was also adapted into a Vietnamese drama as 7 năm chưa cưới để chia tay, aired directly on VieON around June 2024.