Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino may be involved in an office romance in the Philippine adaptation of What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? but it looks like they won’t be dating IRL anytime soon.
In the show, Kim will act as Secretary Kim. She will catch his boss, Brandon Manansala’s (Paulo) attention when she decides to resign from her work as his secretary. Brandon’s curiosity about why Secretary Kim is leaving will then lead to the couple falling in love.
During their project’s press conference on March 9, 2024, Paulo acknowledged that falling in love with your workmate is not impossible. But he noted that as for him, he has always preferred to be professional at work.
“It is always to be professional. I know in some cases, you can’t help but fall in love with someone in your workplace. But maybe, just choose an appropriate setting. But for me, I always want to be professional,” Paulo explained during the press conference.
The same goes for Kim: She stressed that the job is more important to her. She declared that she would never let personal matters like romance distract her from doing her best at work.
“Hindi maiwasan ganon, lalo na kung magkakilala kayo, ilang oras sa isang araw siya lang kausap mo. Pero mas importante siguro mas maayos trabaho kaysa personal na buhay mo. Siguro mag-suffer work… baka hindi ka makapag-concentrate sa work. Mas priority ‘yung trabaho,” Kim added.
Kim’s statement also comes months after her breakup with boyfriend Xian Lim, whom she met through work. They were together for 12 years.
Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino’s work relationship
Despite their thoughts on workplace romance, Kim and Paulo connect well, especially at work.
Paulo boldly praised Kim, declaring how wonderful it was to have worked with the actress. He told everyone at the press conference how much he respected and loved working with Kim.