Boyfriend on Demand Is a Perfect K-Drama Binge

It’s a virtual reality headset loaded with the world’s best romance chat application. It’s called Boyfriend on Demand. You can’t buy it—because it doesn’t exist yet. But you can watch an entire romantic comedy built around the idea in Netflix’s newest Korean drama.

I recently wrote about my insatiable love for K-dramas here at The Citizen, and Netflix just dropped a new Korean drama three days ago that was absolutely bingeworthy.

Boyfriend on Demand follows the story of webtoon editor Seo Mi Rae as she navigates both real and virtual romance. Mi Rae is offered the chance to review a new AI device and application called Boyfriend on Demand. This K-drama leans into fantasy, because virtual reality isn’t quite this sophisticated yet, but the dreamy virtual scenes make it easy to suspend disbelief.

I’m also making a conscious effort to avoid spoilers in this review. If some of the plot details sound vague, that’s on purpose.

And the boyfriends—yes, plural—are devastatingly attractive.

Recognizing the cameos becomes a bit of a game as a parade of very famous Korean actors appears as potential romantic partners inside the program. Seo Kang-joon is undeniably handsome and easily draws in viewers. My personal favorite is his character Seo Eun-ho, who first appears in a college campus setting. K-drama fans may recognize him from his lead role in Undercover High School last year.

Seo Kang-joon may steal a few scenes, but he’s not actually the main male lead. That role belongs to Mi Rae’s coworker Park Kyeong-nam, played by Seo In-guk. His low-key, understated performance provides a perfect contrast to the overly polished, almost too-perfect boyfriends inside the virtual world. And his voice alone is worth hearing.

Usually in a K-drama you see much more of the male lead as the story develops. If you finish Boyfriend on Demand and still want more Seo In-guk, try the older drama Hello Monster, where he plays a profiler of serial killers. It’s been a while since I watched it, but I remember loving the dark, genius energy he brought to that role.

The female lead is played by the very famous, very talented Jisoo. Never heard of her? She’s so famous in Korea that she only needs one name. Jisoo is a member of the K-pop group Blackpink, and in this drama she brings subtle charm.

Mi Rae is written as an introvert and an artist, but she’s also competent at business and managing people. Sometimes women in romantic dramas—regardless of country—are portrayed as weak or helpless. That’s not the case here. She has her funny romcom moments, but her competence never feels in question.

The pacing also helps. The drama runs a brisk 10 episodes at about an hour each, which means the story never drags. I never found myself bored.

But beneath the comedy, the show plays with an interesting question.

Mi Rae dips so far into virtual reality La La Land that she can barely stay awake at work, and she begins missing the cues of what could be a real relationship right in front of her. In the end, the story quietly asks a question many modern viewers might recognize: would you choose fake perfection or real messy?

Boyfriend on Demand is often funny and certainly leans into romance. Nothing about it feels heavy. If you’ve recently finished a melodrama and want something light and amusing, this might be your answer.

If you watched Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, this K-drama carries a similar breezy, comedic tone—just without the food or palace intrigue.

Costuming is another unexpectedly fun aspect of the show. One of my favorite classic drama tropes appears when the female lead tries on a parade of impressive outfits while her man watches.

My 21-year-old son actually got me hooked on Webtoons last year. He told me I’d love them, and he was right. So this show was a fun collision of both worlds, since Mi Rae works as a webtoon editor.

K-dramas and Webtoons share storytelling DNA—the same tropes, character arcs, humor, and emotional turns. But Korean storytellers also have a gift for weaving plots together in ways that feel artful and surprising. The stories aren’t simple; they’re carefully constructed, visually rich, and emotionally layered. When it’s done well, the result is something lovely—and absolutely worth 10 hours of your time.

For parents wondering about content, there’s no nudity whatsoever, but the subtitles do drop an f-bomb at least once. Still, nothing your middle-schooler hasn’t already heard in the hallways.

For me, Boyfriend on Demand earns a 10/10. It manages to hit both heart and fantasy at once, and it does it with a lot of virtual style.

All 10 episodes of Boyfriend on Demand are now available on Netflix, with extra thanks to them for dropping the entire season at once. I do love a good binge.

And yes, I watched most of it in one sitting while burning midnight oil—between answering emails and plotting to take over the world. Because if you’re going to binge a K-drama, you might as well do it properly.