Photo credit: @pauavelino and @chinitaprincess Instagram

After working together last year in the thriller series Linlang, Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino idn’t have to wait too long to reunite again on the set of the newest Viu Original series What’s Wrong With Secretary,a local adaptation of 2018 South Korean hit series of the same name. In the show, Kim plays super efficient Secretary Kim who is trying not to fall for her narcissistic boss, the vice-chairman of their company, played by Paulo.

During the show’s media conference last March 9, the What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim lead actor talked about his working experience with Kim on the set and may have inadvertently revealed the state of his leading lady’s heart in the process. It was just last December when Kim officially confirmed her breakup with actor Xian Lim, who she was in a relationship with for almost 12 years.

“Si Kim kasi what I noticed, especially when I first worked with her, she sets the tone of the energy of the set. So nakikita mo pag malungkot si Kim. Hindi naman malungkot lahat pero alam mong malumanay yung set,” Paulo explained. “Pag high energy si Kim, siya talaga nag-se-set ng tone nung set. Lahat ng tao energized din. Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng tao na ganun, na kayang i-set yung energy level ng set.”

The 35-year-old Kapamilya star also wished his co-star to become more positive after going through a challenging period in her life.

“I think everything’s going well with her. Like her career. Siguro sa isang aspeto lang yung hindi, pero lahat naman ng bagay is going well with her and I think she knows that and I think she just has to be more positive about it,” he added. “But I don’t see anything wrong with Kim. She’s beautiful. She has a wonderful career as well.”

When asked about his chemistry with Kim, Paulo says he appreciates just how professional and efficient she is on the set.

“Actually, when I was new in ABS-CBN, I’ve always wanted to work with Kim but I wasn’t given the opportunity until the project we did last year and I was very happy,” he recalled. “Not just because we know that Kim’s a star and she’s so bubbly. We also know that she’s maturing as an actress.”

“But also, after working with her, maybe one of the qualities she has, I like working with people who works fast and knows what she’s doing and si Kim ganun. Mabilis siya kumilos, alam na niya yung script, alam niya yung gagawin. Walang nagiging problema,” he added.

In fact, Paulo admitted that a big factor in him saying yes to the project right away was because of Kim.

“Dahil sa pagmamahal ko bilang katrabaho ka at sa lahat ng binigay mo sa Linlang, so pambawi sa ‘yo, I’m here in Secretary Kim to give back. I think if this was offered to me and it wasn’t Kim, I’d probably have second thoughts. Because of Kim and sir Deo (Edrinal),” he admitted.