A very pleasant ten episode romantic comedy K-drama, featuring a surreal virtual dating world as a subplot, starring beautiful Ji Soo from the unforgettable masterpiece drama Snowdrop, Boyfriend On Demand (2026) is yet another example of her excellent acting skills but this time in comedic ways, not so much in melodramatic ways. Plus as a member of the popular K-Pop group Blackpink we are dealing with a very talented young lady here who is a pleasure to watch. In fact in many shots she reminded me of my top favorite Korean actress Ye Jin Son back when she was first starting out in lovely films like The Classic and landmark dramas like Summer Scent, Personal Taste and Shark! Maybe someday Korea could cast them together in a drama playing sisters. :)

Ji Soo on top, Ye Jin on bottom

Ji Soo's performance here is a milestone in her acting career, naturally conveying satire in her character's search for the perfect mate from different kinds of men in two worlds, natural and virtual.

Our male lead is the always impressive, handsome Seo In Guk (Master's Sun, The King's Face, Hello Monster aka I Remember You, Squad 38, Love Rain, Soundtrack 1, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Another Parting). Here he plays a rather serious young man who slowly warms to the more irrepressible character played by Ji Soo. Once again I liked that a romantic drama didn't hit us over the head with "Instalove" themes but showed a romantic relationship growing gradually, with a lovely slow fervor. 

There were interesting supporting roles in the series played by some of my favorite actors as well, including Seo Kang Joon (I'll Go To You When The Weather Is Nice, The Suspicious Housekeeper, Haneuljae Murder, Cunning Single Lady, Cheese In The Trap, Good Doctor, Roommate); Lee Soo Hyuk (Shark, White Christmas); Ong Seong Wu (Would You Like A Cup Of Coffee?, Moment Of Eighteen, When We Were Wired), and Lee Jae Wook (Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, I'll Go To You When The Weather Is Nice, Search: WWW). There are also other surprise male stars who pop up in cameos but I will leave you to discover them yourselves and be delighted by them. Another newer favorite support actor made an appearance and I smiled when I saw him: Leo Hak Joo, who had played the Ashley Wilkes type character in the masterpiece My Dearest. Charming actors, all! I just love it when my favorite actors and actresses pop up in supporting and cameo roles! It always makes me feel like it's Old Home Week. ;)

 

Secondary female leads were Gong Min Jung (Our Movie) and Yoo In Na (Goblin, My Love From Another Star, Snowdrop), and they did fine jobs in this series as well. Always delighted to see them again! Yoo In Na, especially, has a great talent for making me laugh out loud! She's so unique, I love her. :)

The series was directed by Kim Jung Sik and written by Namkoong Do Young and the presentation was pretty seamless except for a little lagging in the middle episodes that threatened to make me nod off a bit. I think even eight episodes instead of ten would have prevented that brief lag with some better editing.

Some of the best parts of the drama were all the lovely CGI special effects scenes, especially of beautiful nature vistas. Some were quite breathtaking! It's sad to me that the cinematographers in the Korean entertainment world get so little recognition or acclaim in the media and at award shows. I hope that changes in future. Especially a drama like this one, heavy on special effects, should be heralded for its pioneering visual arts work.

The Story:

Have you ever felt so tired of life that you don't have the strength to open your heart to anyone? What if there was an app created where you could enter a virtual world and meet the secret person of your dreams who could take away all of your problems? Boyfriend On Demand answers this question through the story of a female webtoon producer who burns out so much in her busy life that she decides to flee into a virtual world to find a risk-free romance partner. However, what if she discovers that true love may be hidden in unexpected places, in the real world after all?

 

We meet Seo Mirae, played by Ji Soo, a webtoon producer at the Naemo Corporation, who is tired of everything in life: work deadlines are stressful, she doesn't always get along with her higher-ups like work rival Park Kyeong Nam (Seo In Guk) and boss Hwang Byeong Hak (veteran actor Jo Han Chul), or her co-workers like Yun Song (Gong Min Jung); her love life is empty, and she feels like she hasn't slept since 2017!!!

Then she is approached by a salesman for a virtual reality company called DU, named Min Jun Young (Lee Hak Joo), who is promoting a new device in which people can enter a virtual world and possibly meet the supportive romance person of their dreams. She brings it home to test it out, manages to follow its weird set-up directions, and quickly decides she can't wait to try it out!

Using this program Mirae enters this surreal virtual reality world and begins to go on luxurious dates with handsome guys who look like they were designed specifically by AI romance lab computer experts! One of them is a handsome doctor (Lee Jae Wook) with strong charms. Another man is a mysterious celebrity (Lee Soo Hyuk). The warmest heart one is played by Seo Kang Joon (my top favorite). And on and on. This new virtual world seems to deliver everything it promises to Mirae. There are romances that result in this virtual world she enters which don't seem to have the slightest risk at all. At first.

Whenever Mirae re-enters the real world, after her sojourns in VR, it seems to her that all her problems come from outside the VR headset. Her work rival Park Kyeong Nam, who is a straightforward, blunt, and serious person, grows more impatient with her mental lapses and procrastination at work. There are brief moments where we can see that he cares about her but she seems oblivious to them.

She escapes back into the VR world and can continue to go on seemingly flawless dates with her virtual boyfriends. Addictive dream dates! Sometimes when Mirae becomes confused about her choices in bouncing from real world to virtual world and back to real world she is egged on by the DU Corp.'s Dating Manager whose name is never revealed to us (played by the vivacious Yoo In Na).

The series' greatest strength lies in the contrast between the two worlds. Relationships in the digital world are sparkling but fragile. Mirae's real world is messy and frustrating at times. This tension becomes the core of the story. Every time Mirae removes her headset and departs from the virtual dating world she has to reunite with work deadlines, fight with her co-workers, and deal with the presence of the mysterious Kyungnam once again. Ultimately, Mirae must make a choice: stay permanently in the VR world and choose one of her AI boyfriends, or leave it permanently for the real world with all its stresses. If she decides to stay in the real world will she have any hope of finding true love?

Jisoo carries the entire series with a surprisingly relaxed, natural performance. She plays Mirae with a very believable mixture of sarcasm, tiredness, and curiosity. Mirae knows that her virtual boyfriends are fake, but she also enjoys escaping from her real world and lack of a love relationship. Seo In Guk is equally effective as the ordinary workaholic who secretly grows to care about Mirae. The series obviously wants viewers to notice the differences between scripted romance and real human behavior. It maintains a lovely tone throughout. The real theme of the series is not virtual reality and artificial romance, but rather how one protects oneself from disappointment. Mirae chose the simulated world in the first place because it eliminated uncertainty. Watching her gradually confront the limitations of this system is the emotional backbone of the whole story.

 

When Mirae finally realizes everything in VR is designed to please her this realization leads to the best scene of the series between Mirae and Kyungnam, an honest confrontation. Another thing to notice is the gentle humor that remains natural throughout the series. Most of the jokes come from Mirae's reaction to ridiculous situations in VR, rather than just verbal slapstick. Watching her try to maintain emotional boundaries with her virtual boyfriends is consistently hilarious. As the series enters its final stages, the story becomes much more focused. The emotional stakes become clearer, and Mirae's life choices become clearer too.

 

Boyfriend On Demand is a fun Korean rom-com series, and succeeds because it understands its own absurdity. At the same time it tells a heartfelt story about loneliness and connecting with others. I laughed a lot when I watched it, rolled my eyes at times, but I always wanted to know how the main characters would end up, happy or sad.

The series may not have revolutionized the romantic comedy genre, but it has found a clever new angle in the new AI world, and maybe that's more than enough. For those who like original Korean rom-com series, or are looking for a light series with some hidden meanings and life lessons, catch it on Netflix after work or school or on the weekends. Enjoy!