Blackpink’s Jisoo Lives a K-Drama Fan’s Fantasy in Boyfriend On Demand
The K-pop idol and her co-star Seo In-guk dive into virtual dating and offer some TV recommendations of their own.
As if she doesn’t already have enough on her plate, Jisoo Kim, one of the four members of the multi-platinum, world record-breaking K-pop group BLACKPINK, is also starring in a brand new romantic K-drama for Netflix called Boyfriend on Demand. In the 10-episode series, she plays Mi Rae, a webtoon producer tired of the harsh dating reality who opts to find romance in the virtual world courtesy of a dating subscription service. Mi Rae is more interested in climbing the corporate ladder, with little time for much of anything other than Netflix and ramen on her couch alone after a busy day at work. But through a chance opportunity, she ends up trying out the new virtual boyfriend service, and that’s when the inevitable shenanigans quickly ensue.
In a predictable yet still very satisfying K-drama way, she is also vying at work with a dreamy, hard-to-read rival producer, played by Seo In-guk. He’s the complete opposite in approach and demeanor, and in Mi Rae’s mind, he is deliberately sabotaging her efforts at work. But it wouldn’t be a K-drama if there wasn’t some case of misinterpretation or misunderstanding keeping these two people, who seemed destined to be together, apart. We recently sat down with Jisoo and her former idol co-star Seo In-guk to discuss Boyfriend on Demand and how they approached these characters.
Kim, who, with her busy schedule, would also struggle to find time for dating and romance, confessed that the virtual boyfriend’s romantic appeal drew her into the project, but the conflicting emotions around a “virtual love” were intriguing to play. “I think Mi Rae is probably experiencing a lot of the emotions [during the series]. She dates several different AI boyfriends, and there were moments that felt like a dream. Things that people imagine but that aren’t possible in real life.” Giving examples, she added, “[Things like] being treated like a princess, dressing up in a royal costume, going on a date, traveling to another country with your boyfriend on a whim. If any of that were possible in real life, I think it would be very romantic.”
That is essentially the crux and appeal of the series. Who wouldn’t want to dial up real-life romance as easily as scrolling through your watchlist queue? And in a somewhat less dystopian, almost aspirational twist on Spike Jonze’s Her, Boyfriend on Demand offers that seductive path. That is, until Mi Rae discovers that this whirlwind, dream-like experience is just as manufactured as a McDonald’s hamburger.
Kim also spoke about how that added complexity to her character’s emotions. “The worst [moment for her] is when Mi Rae realizes that this person is not real, that this person is just programmed to behave the same way towards every woman, doing the exact same things for everyone. And in that moment, the illusion really shatters.”
On the other side, her love interest in the series, played by Seo In-guk, (the former idol-turned-actor who has been a staple on Korean television), had the unenviable task of finding a way to inhabit both Mi Rae’s rival in her day job and the character she swoons over in the AI world. It’s a bit of a spoiler to discuss exactly how a version of himself ends up there, but Seo In-guk said he enjoyed the challenge of playing both.
That duality is something that he discussed in depth with the show’s director. Considering all the beats of the 10-episode series, this is not surprising. He told us that he approached it very simply at first, “[I used] different hairstyles, the personality differences written in the script, and the tone of voice. One is calmer while the other is more lively and cheerful.” And this differentiation is very clear, while he still manages to be captivating, romantic, and the object of plenty of affection no matter which version he’s portraying. Seo further added, “While filming, I also checked whether the differences would feel natural. For scenes where Mi Rae talks to his character on the phone, I actually did the phone dialogue myself on set so we could capture the tone in real time and emphasize the differences.”
We couldn’t help but ask which of the two personalities he felt most similar to. Seo confessed that, despite his very public life, his personality is closer to the quieter, well-mannered webtoon producer Park Kyeong-nam, who works alongside Mi Rae. “Personally, my personality’s actually a little bit closer to Kyeong-nam. I’m playful, but also shy and a little reserved.” He went on to say that he envied the AI’s cheerful personality, which made it no trouble to talk to people. When we asked him about his favorite moment from the series, he said, “When Ku Yeoung-il first appears and removes his helmet, he looks exactly like his real-world counterpart, but [the director and I] wanted viewers to feel like he’s a different person.” And the scene in question is an instantly iconic introduction for a K-drama male lead.
Most K-dramas offer drug-like wish fulfillment and escapism, which is why they are so addictive, and in Boyfriend on Demand, much of that wish fulfillment is baked into Mi Rae’s Virtual Boyfriend speed-dating. On these dates, she plays a range of characters, like a flight attendant, a medical student, a feudal Korean royal, and a dating show contestant. And she is romanced by each new dreamy date, played by some of Korea’s most popular romantic leads.
When asked what it was like spending the day with the various AI boyfriend characters, especially as her co-stars were some of the most talked-about names in Korean dramas, she admitted she also was a bit star-struck. Some of the names that appear in the series are Lee Soo-hyuk, the actor and star of series like Tomorrow and S Line; Lee Hyun-wook, who folks will remember from Remarriage and Desires, as well as the 2021 hit Mine; and the very popular South Korean actor and former idol Seo Kang-joon, who rose to fame on the Korean show Entourage, a Korean remake of the HBO series starring Adrian Grenier.
As we were talking to two veterans of both the K-pop and K-drama industry, we couldn’t leave without getting a few RT recommendations. Kim was quick to say that one of her favorite dramas was Strangers from Hell, a crime procedural, a genre that she often enjoys. Seo suggested The Glory, which opens with the story of school bullying and its repercussions. Both were also enthusiastic about a couple of Netflix shows: Be Melodramatic, a quirky rom-com, and Our Blues, a human drama that he described as perfectly Korean and authentic.
Boyfriend On Demand is streaming now on Netflix.
Images Courtesy of Netflix
