FROM testing the patience of viewers and having them at the edge of their seats, multimedia idol Kim Chiu and award-winning actor Paulo Avelino are now tickling the hearts of Filipinos with their new romantic-comedy series.
Fresh from their latest thriller-drama series “Linlang,” Chiu and Avelino are once again teaming up for the Philippine adaptation of the hit South Korean drama “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim.”
ABS-CBN Entertainment joined forces with streaming platform Viu for the local adaptation of the popular K-drama, which will be produced by Dreamscape Entertainment.
The forthcoming series is the third collaboration between these enterprises, following the Jodi Sta. Maria-starrer “The Broken Marriage Vow” and Piolo Pacual’s “Flower of Evil,” both in 2022.
On Tuesday, Viu Philippines unveiled a teaser of the highly-anticipated series, which showed Chiu making Avelino blush as she surprised her with a finger heart.
“What’s wrong with being marupok?” the streaming platform wrote.
In the forthcoming series, Chiu and Avelino will bring into life the characters of Secretary Kim and Mr. Vice Chairman, respectively. These lead roles were originally portrayed by South Korean stars Park Min-young and Park Seo-joon in 2018.
Based on the novel of the same name by Jung Kyung-yoon, “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” follows a narcissist vice chairman of a major corporation, whose world began to quiver when his longtime and skilled secretary decided to resign from her post.
He does everything he can to convince his secretary to not quit her job — until he realizes that he does not only want her to stay in the company but also in his life.
Meanwhile, the two Kapamilya artists had a funny exchange on X (formerly Twitter) when they went into character as Mr. Vice Chairman and Secretary Kim.
“Sec Kim, paki ayos yung tuchang ng buhok ko. Nakaka-OC,” Avelino told Chiu.
The actress then responded, “Copy po…. BOSS!!!!”
There is no exact date yet for the release of the local adaptation, but it is set to premiere in 2024, Viu Philippines announced.
‘KimPau’ fans cheered
This announcement delighted fans of Chiu and Avelino’s onscreen tandem, also known as “KimPau.”
Many netizens seemed to be captivated by the overflowing chemistry between the two Kapamilya stars, as they shared their excitement for the forthcoming series.
“[F]rom highblood sa linlang to diabetes sa ka sweetan sa WWWSK..: di na normal to KIMPAU,” one Instagram commented on Viu Philippines’ post.
Another Instagram user also found Avelino and Chiu a perfect fit for the lead roles.
“Bagay na bagay for Kim and Pau. Lakas ng chemistry nila,” they wrote.
The teaser also made the hearts of several celebrities flutter.
“Super cute!!!!!!!” actress Heaven Paralejo said.
Actress and host Jolina Magdangal also commented, “Kiliiiiig!!!!”
Butterflies also reached veteran actress Carmi Martin’s stomach, who said, “Gosh now pa la[n]g kilig na ako.”
