Boyfriend on Demand has managed to win the hearts of millions of Korean drama lovers worldwide with its storyline. The mini-series, which revolved around the relationship between two webtoon producers, received rave reviews from thousands of viewers. The audiences shared their opinions on various social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter).
The Netflix romantic comedy drama, starring Blackpink member Jisoo and actor Seo In Guk, premiered on Friday (March 6). It began by introducing Jisoo as Seo Mi Rae, a webtoon producer, and In Guk as Park Kyeong Nam, a fellow webtoon producer and Mi Rae's rival. The internal competition between the two producers takes an unexpected turn with the entry of writer Yun Song.
To increase the rating, manager Hwang Byeong Hak decided to reintroduce the works of writer Yun Song on their page. When Mi Rae's teammates informed her that she and Kyeong Nam were shortlisted to manage the troublesome writer's work, she felt uneasy. She rushed to the manager's room with his favorite dessert in hopes of escaping from the trouble. But Kyeong Nam had already made his move, and Mi Rae had to take up the project.
Entry to the Virtual Dating World
During her first meeting with Yun Song, Mi Rae met Min Jun Young. The webtoon producer made a lasting impression on Jun Young with her sincere review of the writer's work. Jun Young told Mi Rae about a virtual dating app called Boyfriend on Demand, which allows its users to enjoy a dating experience with fictional characters. He requested her to try the application for a month and review the characters.
Initially, Mi Rae was not interested in trying out something that was not real. But then she decided to give it a try, and her first date was Choi Si Woo. Although the webtoon producer found him annoying atfirst, she started enjoying her time with him. Soon, the webtoon producer learned that she could only spend 50 hours with a character.
A Trip to the Past
Mi Rae's next date was Seo Eun Ho, who helped her experience campus romance. Eun Ho was a lot more like her ex-boyfriend, who was getting married soon. She felt emotionally attached to him and was all set to take the relationship to the next level when her one-month subscription ended. After hesitating for some time, Mi Rae paid for the service, hoping to meet Eun Ho again.
However, several other characters were waiting for Mi Rae in the virtual dating world. None of those characters managed to impress the female lead. When she nearly lost interest in the dating service, Eun Ho reappeared as an architect. They met each other after ten years, and Mi Rae was excited to appear as a webtoon producer.
The excitement of dating Eun Ho did not last long. During her visit to a salon with her friend Lee Ji Yeon, Mi Rae heard people talking about Boyfriend on Demand and its characters. She also came across a magazine featuring the popular characters from the app. While going through the feature, Mi Rae came across some phrases that made her heart flutter when she was dating Eun Ho.
The Secret Weapon
Disappointed, Mi Rae decided to cancel her subscription and get a refund. But the dating manager convinced her to try a special service. She told her about the character customization service, which allows users to create a special character. The character will be created according to users' demands. Mi Rae was excited to try out the new service.
Before she could do so, Kyeong Nam confessed his feelings. At last, Mi Rae did not take him seriously. But when he started showing affection, she became confused. The female lead was not confident enough to fall in love again due to the bittersweet experience she had in her early 20s. So, Mi Rae decided to invest more time in the virtual dating app. She answered all the required questions to create the customized character and excitedly entered the virtual dating world.
To her surprise, the customized character looked exactly like Kyeong Nam. The only difference between the two characters is that the virtual boyfriend was a bit bolder than the webtoon producer. Mi Rae enjoyed spending time with the virtual boyfriend until she found it boring. There was nothing exciting about it because she knew the outcome of that relationship.
Real Life Romance
Mi Rae tried her best to keep a distance from Kyeong Nam and not to fall for him. But the virtual character helped her get close to the other webtoon producer. Gradually, Mi Rae and Kyeong Nam started dating in real life. During her dating period, Mi Rae never thought about her virtual boyfriend. Though he kept sending her messages, she never missed him.
Things took an unexpected turn after Yun Song became addicted to the characters in Boyfriend on Demand. The users of this dating app accused her of plagiarism. Along with the writer, the webtoon producer also got in trouble. Mi Rae tried calling the writer several times, but she didn't respond. So, Mi Rae visited her house and waited for the writer.
When Kyeong Nam called her to confirm if everything was okay, Mi Rae asked him a favour. She asked him to get a pendrive from her house without thinking much about the consequences. Mi Rae rushed to her house when she realised that the pendrive was kept along with the gadgets for the Boyfriend on Demand app. Upon reaching home, she checked on her boyfriend, and he greeted her normally.
The End
However, Kyeong Nam treated Mi Rae differently after he met her virtual boyfriend, Gu Yeong Il. Mi Rae felt anxious after experiencing cold treatment from Kyeong Nam. She felt sorry for hiding things from him and for not being able to sincerely apologise to him. Mi Rae took help from her virtual boyfriend to rekindle her romantic relationship with Kyeong Nam. But she did not succeed in her attempts to win back Kyeong Nam.
Jun Young played an important role in reuniting Mi Rae and Kyeong Nam. He had a meeting with the webtoon producer and writer Hwany. During the meeting, Jun Young spoke about Boyfriend on Demand's special feature. He said the customised character did not please every subscriber. Some users were not satisfied with the service because it did not bring out the thrill of dating a person in real life.
Kyeong Nam did not find Gu Yeong Il as a threat because he knew how much she cared about him. He started dating her again, and they enjoyed quality time together. Mi Rae visited her virtual boyfriend for one last time before unsubscribing from the dating service. After an emotional farewell with Gu Yeong Il, Mi Rae went out on a date with Kyeong Nam in real life.
Reviews and Reactions
#BoyfriendOnDemand is such an amazing drama. 100/10, this drama will be my 1 Jisoo drama. Jisoo's acting is amazing. She can make many expressions while being Seo Mi Rae. I love the love story between Jisoo and all the male actors. I see another side of actress Jisoo here PROUD.
The drama has everything. You'll swoon when you're supposed to swoon, laugh when you're supposed to laugh, and feel everything a good rom-com should make you feel. I can guarantee you'll be entertained.#BoyfriendOnDemand.
The acting, emotions, chemistry... Jisoo and Seo Inguk nailed it. She has grown and has done so well as Seo Mi Rae.
I'm done with Boyfriend On Demand, and honestly, I loved it. A fresh romance storyline that just felt natural. No unnecessary drama, just two people and their feelings unfolding in the most genuine way. And that ending, just look at them.
#BoyfriendOnDemand is light and funny, but it has a deeper layer, touching on relationships, loneliness, escapism, and how people turn to the unreal to avoid real-life disappointment. and a lot more.
