Boyfriend on Demand has such a unique storyline. It feels unbelievable and believable at the same time. When I first heard about it on Yoo In Na’s podcast, I found it really intriguing and creative. I was curious about how they would execute a plot like this, especially with so many male characters and different virtual dating themes, and also, connecting with the real love story.
Honestly, this kind of concept might even become real in the future. People might actually choose virtual relationships instead of investing time and effort into real human connections. That’s why Boyfriend on Demand drama keeps raising a question in my mind – will human connection still be necessary in the future?
Synopsis:
The story follows exhausted webtoon producer Seo Mi Rae as she escapes reality through a subscription-based virtual dating simulation program, where she meets the boyfriends of her dreams.
Seo Mi Rae is someone who longs for a second chance at love in virtual reality. Accustomed to a nonexistent dating life due to her hectic schedule, Mi Rae receives a ‘Monthly Boyfriend’ device by chance, allowing her to enter a virtual world. Entering this virtual reality, she encounters unrealistically perfect boyfriends, awakening her dormant desires for romance.
Park Gyeong Nam is Mi Rae’s colleague and rival webtoon producer. Although he is capable and competent at work, Mi Rae feels uneasy around him. To Mi Rae, he’s the last person she wants to see, yet in the office, he’s known as one of the best. Despite his indifferent and cold demeanor, he is someone with surprising secrets, sure to stir emotions in Mi Rae.
Why was I excited??
I was really excited to watch this drama. The first reason is Seo In Guk. I am the biggest fan of his since High School King of Savvy. I have seen a lot of dramas starring him, and I know his choices of scripts are great, and don’t talk about his acting, it’s just top-notch. There’s Lee Soo hyuk too in the drama. They both are the unbeatable duos starring in a lot of dramas together, including High School King of Savvy, Doom at Your Service, and now, Boyfriend on Demand.
The second reason is all the cameos from popular actors, and since I recently watched Moon Rivers, I was still searching for fantasy-themed KDramas. The third reason is Jisoo’s acting. I hadn’t seen her acting before, and since her acting is often debated, I was curious to see it myself.
Cameos
The cameos are one of the biggest reasons Boyfriend on Demand grabbed my attention. As an audience member, I was really curious and kept wondering which boyfriend would appear next and in what kind of storyline.
There were a lot of dating themes explored – medical romance, action, historical, lawyer, fantasy, rich CEO, and college romance. It was really fun to watch all the cameos in each of the dating themes, saying and acting romantic lines for Seo Mi Rae. Being this perfect, handsome man who would do anything for you and is crazy about you. And since I watch a lot of K-dramas, I already knew some lines would be cheesy and cringey, but that’s actually part of the fun for me.
Among all the cameos, Choi Si Woo(Lee Soo Hyuk) and Seo Kang Joon(Seo Eun Ho) had more screen time, but overall, everyone contributed to making it entertaining and unexpected.
First Half
Since Seo Mi Rae has more screentime with Choi Si Woo and Seo Kang Joon. I am going to talk about them.
Seo Mi Rae with Choi Si Woo
Choi Si Woo is Seo Mi Rae’s first virtual boyfriend from the “Boyfriend on Demand” device. Since he’s inspired by a webtoon that Mi Rae herself is responsible for, she already knows how the storyline will go. Because of that, she acts a bit cold and “know-it-all,” like she can predict his every move, but also melts when he makes a romantic gesture.
At first, she finds his cheesy lines unbearable, and honestly, her reactions to his over-the-top romantic dialogues make this dating story so funny. The whole storyline is unbelievable and unrealistic, the typical rich CEO falling in love with a normal girl after meeting her once, especially because she saved his life. It’s a classic K-drama trope that doesn’t make much sense, but at the same time, it’s something we K-drama lovers are familiar with and secretly enjoy as well.
But by the end, you can see Mi Rae slowly getting tempted by Choi Si Woo, and her heart starting to open up to this new experience of virtual dating.
Seo Mi Rae with Seo Eun Ho
Seo Eun Ho is Seo Mi Rae’s second virtual boyfriend after Choi Si Woo. I liked her chemistry with Seo Eun Ho the most, and honestly, their storyline stood out more than the other dating arcs.
Since she started her dating simulation with Seo Eun Ho, it had triggered her past relationship traumas and wounds. We get to see her past boyfriend, how their relationship was like, what changed, and how it ended. From then onwards, the plot started to move forward, and we get to see different sides of Seo Mi Rae.
The storyline between her and Seo Eun Ho is kind of similar to her past boyfriend, which includes campus couple romance. So, here she gets to have a closure she couldn’t get in real life, I guess.
Then, there’s the other side too, where it gets funny, when she realizes all of this is virtual, and she is not the only one Seo Eun Ho is dating, and there are 10,000+ girls having the same kind of experience as hers.
Second Half
Seo Mi Rae with Park Kyeong Nam/ Gu Yeong il
After a lot of dating with different characters in the ‘Boyfriend on Demand’ simulation device, Seo Mi Rae finally gets the opportunity to date her ideal type, named Gu Yeong Il. He is created based on a set of questionnaires about what kind of boyfriend she wants.
What was even more shocking to me was that Gu Yeong Il has the exact same face as Park Kyeong Nam. Realistically, the chances of your ideal type looking exactly like someone in your real life are very low, which made this part unbelievable for me.
From the beginning of the episode, we can see that Seo Mi Rae despises Park Kyeong Nam and sees him as someone with a cold personality. So I expected her to dislike Gu Yeong Il as well, since he looks just like him. But instead, she moves forward and starts dating him. Going forward, her feelings are confused between Gu Yeong-il and Park Kyeong Nam.
From there, actually, I didn’t really understand how the storyline developed, how dating Gu Yeong Il slowly transformed her dislike for Park Kyeong Nam into love. Personally, I feel like removing Gu Yeong Il and focusing the story more on Park Kyeong Nam directly would have worked better.
Jisoo’s Acting
As someone who is watching Jisoo’s acting for the first time, I can say that she can act and has the potential to improve and do more in the future. She has only done around 3–4 projects so far, so I think she can definitely grow and refine her acting with time.
In this drama, she plays a quirky and funny character. Seo Mi Rae is hardworking, sometimes clumsy and a bit airheaded, but also very kind-hearted. Her comic timing is actually good, and her emotions are clearly visible on screen.
One thing I have to complain about is her crying scenes. I didn’t really like her expressions while crying; it felt a bit uncomfortable to watch, like she was trying too hard to act in those moments. I hope she improves that in the future.
Chemistry
Before watching Boyfriend on Demand, I had actually watched all of their interviews and podcasts. Through those, I felt that they had great chemistry off-screen. So naturally, I expected the same on-screen too, and that’s one of the reasons I started this drama. But for me, it turned out to be more like expectation vs reality.
I had expected a lot, honestly. But since there are so many male characters in Boyfriend on Demand, Park Kyeong Nam, the actual main lead, ended up getting less screen time. Because of that, their love story also felt a bit messy and rushed to me.
As a result, I couldn’t really feel their chemistry. I didn’t get those sparks or butterflies that I expected, especially after seeing their off-screen interactions. So it was a bit disappointing for me.
And personally, I felt that Seo Mi Rae had much better chemistry with Seo Eun Ho than with the actual main lead, Park Kyeong Nam.
Conclusion
Overall, Boyfriend on Demand was an interesting and entertaining watch for me. The concept itself is very unique and makes you think about the future of relationships and how technology might change the way we connect with people.
I really enjoyed the different dating storylines, especially the first half of the drama. The cameos, the various themes, and the mix of comedy and romance made it fun to watch. Some parts were unrealistic and cheesy, but that’s also part of the charm of K-dramas.
However, the second half felt a bit confusing to me, especially when it came to the main storyline and Seo Mi Rae’s feelings. The development between her and Park Kyeong Nam didn’t fully convince me, and I felt like their chemistry was lacking compared to other pairings in the drama.
Still, I think the drama is worth watching for its creativity, lighthearted moments, and unique idea. It may not be perfect, but it definitely leaves you thinking about love, reality, and virtual connections.
