THE SHORT VERDICT:

A warm, character-driven melodrama that wears a murder mystery on the surface, but is ultimately far more interested in healing, identity, and love — and the quiet courage each requires.

The plotting can be convenient and the thriller elements tend to be serviceable rather than sharp, but importantly, the emotional throughlines remain steady and sincere.

While it never quite recaptures the early spark, Show stays consistent in tone and delivers a tidy, heartfelt finish that feels earned, if not dazzling.

THE LONG VERDICT:

When I first started watching Idol I, I remember being pleasantly surprised by how fresh it felt.

The collision between fangirl and idol, layered over a murder mystery, gave the early episodes a spark that felt genuinely exciting. There was an energy to those opening stretches — a sense that we were stepping into something slightly unusual, slightly electric.

I was legitimately thrilled, no lie.

Over time, though, that initial thrill settled into something quieter and more measured. Not worse, necessarily; just steadier.

Show gradually revealed that it wasn’t truly interested in sustaining high-stakes tension, but rather in nurturing emotional growth. Once I adjusted my expectations accordingly, I found that it made a pleasant, organic kind of sense — on its own terms.

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album in case you’d like to listen to it as you read the review.

As a general rule, I found the music in this show very pleasant, breezy and enjoyable, and well-applied to amplify the watch experience, though I can’t say that any single track actually managed to get under my skin.

If I had to pick a favorite, it’d be Track 1, Echoes of You, most likely because this is the in-show band’s signature track and it was featured frequently – enough for it to leave a deeper impression on me than the other tracks. 😁

Special shout-out to Kim Jae Young for doing a very nice job of taking his idol persona from reel to real, singing Track 2, It’s Me. I think he sounds pretty great.

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about stuff I liked or didn’t like, on a more macro level, before I give the spotlight to selected characters and relationships, in a separate section. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the penultimate and finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are a few things that I think might be useful to keep in mind, if you want to maximize your chances of enjoying your watch:

1. Think warm melodrama

Based on Show’s trailers and early episodes, you might be tempted to expect a rom-com with a side of murder.

However, I realize that Show is not a rom-com, or a mystery thriller, but a warm melodrama.

Adjusting your expectations accordingly helps a lot.

2. Focus on the emotional throughline

In line with its core identity as a warm melodrama, Show is much stronger at preserving the emotional throughline of our characters, rather than the murder investigation details.

I do think that keeping your eye on the emotional throughline would make your watch more satisfying.

STUFF I LIKED

The premise

This show vibes like a non-fantasy, slightly more mature sibling to 2024’s Lovely Runner (review here!), which is a show that I loved.

If you watched Lovely Runner, you’d recognize the similarities in premise quite early on: a fangirl, whose life was once saved by her idol, now finds herself in a position to save him back – and is determined to achieve that goal, against all odds.

I was honestly pretty taken by the premise, all on its own.

The way Show spotlights the idol/fandom experience

Show really sparkles when it comes to showcasing the idol/fandom side of things.

It feels like writer-nim has a good understanding, not only of the idol experience, but the fandom experience as well.

I really appreciate how these details were organically woven into both the scaffolding of the story world and the heart of the narrative.

[BROAD FOUNDATIONAL SPOILERS]

For example, in just the opening episodes, we get to see the tension among group members as the group’s popularity wanes and various members go on to launch solo careers; the tendency to compare; the pressure to do well.

On top of that, we also have the fans being demanding; aggressive fans seeking out the idol’s phone number and sending incessant messages; sasaengs being invasive and even threatening their idol.

These details feel true to life, and really make the idol world in our story pop.

[END SPOILERS]

How Show uses fangirl knowledge to further our story

Following on from the previous section, I definitely got a distinct thrill whenever Show would use Se Na’s (Choi Soo Young) fangirl knowledge in order to further our story.

Show is smart to fold this dynamic into our story at regular intervals, because this affirms fan identity and fandom legitimacy in a big way. I’m sure all the fangirls and fanboys in our midst would be able to relate. 🥲😁

Here’s an early-ish example to illustrate what I mean.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I very much appreciate that as Se Na continues with getting more information on the case, her fangirl knowledge forms such a solid foundation, allowing her to contextualize each person’s statement based on what she knows about their history with Ra Ik (Kim Jae Yeong) and the rest of the band.

For example, even though the manager of Gold Boys (Jo Hyun Sik) acts all humble and nice, she already knows to take into account his bad reputation for his short temper and tendency towards aggression.

And then, she also knows to look beyond the surface pleasantries when speaking with the CEO of the management agency – because she knows how money-minded he is, and how he’s always been quick to put his own interests first.

Perhaps most importantly, she already knows that the Gold Boys members had had a falling out on the day of the murder, and has seen the photos to prove it, so she knows right away, when the CEO lies through his teeth that the boys have never had a falling out.

Yess for all her fangirl lore coming in useful in such an important way. 😁

[END SPOILER]

The sprinkling of hijinks

Even though Show is not a rom-com at heart, it does sprinkle some rom-com hijinks into its storytelling. I definitely welcomed these as a fun dash of occasional spice

[MINOR SPOILERS]

Not only do we get the odd princess-carry (above), we even get a convenient “shirtless idol” scene in an early episode when Se Na walks in on Ra Ik changing his shirt.

How extremely discombobulating that is on its own already, but even more so, when the shirtless man in question is the idol whom you’ve been loving from afar, for years – whose nowhere-near-regular-person shirtless bod you’ve probably seen gracing magazines, posters, and possibly even live performances. 🤭

I was nicely amused by this. 😁

[END SPOILERS]

The way Show teases out the OTP connection

Show is very deliberate in how it nudges forward the relationship between our would-be OTP.

Not only does Show work on deepening the bond between them, it makes sure to focus on the emotional throughline in a way that feels down-to-earth.

As Show works to tell its story, it feels like it’s growing our various pieces of context in all the necessary directions, with a strong focus on the evolving dynamic between our OTP.

My favorite thing about this is that none of it feels forced; instead, it feels like a natural unpacking of information, and I felt like my understanding of our characters was growing alongside.

I liked this a lot.

STUFF THAT WAS OK

Secondary character thinness

This didn’t break my watch, but I have to concede that Show is a little thin, when it comes to fleshing out our secondary characters.

I was perfectly content to let these secondary characters exist mostly to nudge our story along.

I do think that if they’d been given more time and attention, certain developments — particularly in the later episodes — would have felt stronger and more organic.

Yes, I’m being vague on purpose. 😁

Consistent but mellow pacing

Show never ends up returning to its original opening pacing, which had been sparky and blithe.

However, I didn’t mind the more mellow pace it settles into.

Yes, it’s not as fun to watch as at first, but at least it’s consistent once it chooses its lane, and I thought it worked solidly well.

THEMES / IDEAS [SPOILERS]

There are a couple of key ideas that Show brings to the forefront, which I found interesting:

1. The cost of proximity

In episodes 1-2, Show establishes the cost of proximity for Ra Ik, where proximity translated into danger, fear and violation, with the sasaengs invading his personal space, his phone number being leaked, him getting harassed and even suffering panic attacks from the stress of it all.

In episodes 3-4, as he gains proximity to Se Na, he gains a sense of safety and security, while it’s Se Na who ends up inching closer to that state of danger and violation.

I thought that was a very interesting angle for Show to use as the backbone of our OTP growing closer due to their co-living situation; props to writer-nim because this feels fresh and organic, as well as emotionally hefty – just how I like it. 🥲

2. When does fangirl devotion tip over into sasaeng abuse?

Chung Jae (Kim Hyun Jin) does have a point, that Se Na’s methods aren’t that different from sasaengs, since she puts a tracker on him without his knowledge, and is intimately acquainted with his preferences and habits.

This is a thought-provoking question, for sure.

I do think that a key in this equation is the way Se Na never uses the information against Ra Ik, and only taps on the information in these episodes, to save him (in the case of the bullies) and help him feel more at ease (in the case of the toiletries).

While it may not be sufficient to fully cover her trespass (I’m specifically thinking of the GPS tracker), I do think that her intention, which is to keep him safe, counts for a lot.

SPOTLIGHT ON CHARACTERS / RELATIONSHIPS

Choi Soo Young as Se Na

I personally think that casting Sooyoung as our female lead was a stroke of brilliance.

I mean, not only is Sooyoung a great actor who consistently brings warmth and dimension to her characters, she’s literally lived the idol life for yeaaars.

She’s already intimately acquainted with the ins and outs of everything to do with the industry, including the fandom experience.

I do think that her idol background stands her in good stead, because I found myself loving Sooyoung extra, in this role.

I felt that she really made our resident fangirl, Se Na, come alive before my eyes. 🤩

[BROAD SPOILERS]

From Se Na’s very no-nonsense professional aura, to her fangirl squealiness when she’s away from the workplace, she just hits all the right notes for me.

I do love the fact that Se Na’s so accomplished at work, and so businesslike, and yet, such a dedicated fangirl in private.

It’s something that would land as incongruent to the casual observer, but for people within the fandom, this lands as truth; there really are dedicated fans of all ages, from all walks of life in k-fandoms.

Just because you’re a successful lawyer, and just because you’re serious at work, doesn’t mean that you can’t be a fangirl, and I love that Show gets that. 🥲

I have to admit that, on this point, the detail that thrills me the most, is that Se Na commands so much respect at her law firm, that even her boss doesn’t dare to encroach on her personal time.

When Se Na says she is unavailable, she means it, and will not waver, no matter who attempts to wheedle her into gracing a social occasion – and the best part of this, to my eyes, is the fact that Se Na’s unmovable personal appointment, is with her fan activities. 😁

I can’t help noticing that Se Na’s pretty poker-faced at work, but in front of her computer, deep in fan activities in support of her idol Ra Ik, she’s very naturally expressive; the smiles and happy squeals just bubble up to the surface, and I really like the idea that her fangirling brings her this much release and joy. 🥰

And when we get the backstory of how Se Na’s had been saved by Ra Ik’s music, I can understand why she’d be this dedicated a fan; she literally feels that she owes Ra Ik her life. 🥲

Here are a few Se Na highlights from my watch.

[SPECIFIC SPOILERS]

E1-2. The way Se Na collapses in a pile of tearful, disbelieving, overwhelmed silent squees after coming face to face with Ra Ik, is utterly delightful. I was so happy for her, that I silent-squeed in solidarity. 😁🥲

It’s SO much fun, getting to see the fangirl side to her.

E1-2. My heart goes out to Se Na as she has a world-tilting moment, when Ra Ik blurts out, eyes wild, that this is all because of the crazy fangirls.

This pulls the world out from under Se Na’s feet, certainly, because:

1, she’s never seen this side of her idol, and

2, she’s never imagined that the fan adulation of which she’s an active part, would be seen as something so vile, by him.

It makes complete sense to me that she would withdraw from the case, and then spend a chunk of time in reflection, trying to understand who the real Ra Ik is.

And then it makes complete sense again, when she simply won’t stand by and watch, while Ra Ik gets abandoned by her colleague, who’s supposed to be his legal counsel.

This brings me to the part where Se Na decides to be Ra Ik’s legal counsel.

Before watching these episodes, I’d come across some chatter on social media, where people were saying that she was simply doing the whole “my Oppa didn’t do it” thing, ie, just glomming onto the belief that her Oppa is innocent, regardless of the facts.

Watching her arrive at this conclusion, however, I had a very different conclusion.

Se Na isn’t being blind to the possibility that Ra Ik’s guilty; in fact, it’s the opposite.

She’s carefully observing him as he claims his innocence, and BECAUSE she’s that familiar with him, and BECAUSE she’s intimately acquainted with the limitations of his acting skills, she’s fully convinced that he cannot be lying about his innocence – because he simply doesn’t have the acting chops to do so.

I thought that was pretty darn great, honestly. YES to Show establishing Se Na’s integrity, while still giving a firm nod to her fangirl knowledge. 😁

After this, it’s so great how Se Na swings into top legal counsel mode, and I’m extra thrilled that she isn’t even a little bit intimidated by that prosecutor whom everyone else is so afraid of (Jung Jae Kwang).

And it’s such a great detail, that that legal secretary who volunteers to help Se Na, is also a fan of Ra Ik’s group, Gold Boys. Yay for fans banding together for a greater purpose! 😁

I love-love-LOVE how uber-competent Se Na is, during the warrant hearing, where her fangirl knowledge and her professional expertise come together to make her utterly formidable as Ra Ik’s defense counsel. What a star! 🤩

I’m not surprised that the court rules in Ra Ik’s favor, and the arrest warrant to detain him, is denied. Yess!

E3-4. I was quite thrilled with the way Se Na responds when Prosecutor Kwak tries to corner her with her past. The way she calmly and pleasantly basically (and I paraphrase) refers to him as trash that barely qualifies as human, and tells him to focus properly on the job, is so smoothly and elegantly done.

PWAH! What a way to show the bully who tormented you in school that he’s not even a blip on your radar now.

SO satisfying. 🔥

[END SPOILERS]

Kim Jae Yeong as Ra Ik

I thought Kim Jae Yeong did really well as Ra Ik.

The first thing that I noticed, of course, was that he actually looks and sounds the part – since we do see Ra Ik performing with his band, Gold Boys. Kim Jae Yeong does all of Ra Ik’s singing, and I really liked how this added realism to our story.

The more important thing, in my opinion, is Kim Jae Yeong’s able to portray Ra Ik’s emotional journey.

From the fear, fury and hidden vulnerabilities in the life of a kpop star, and the emotional toll that takes, to the healing and growth that he experiences, to become a more open, expressive and authentic version of himself, I found Kim Jae Yeong’s delivery to be believable and organic.

Ra Ik’s journey of healing and growth forms a big part of our story, and I’ll talk more about that in our OTP section.

For now, here are a couple of Ra Ik highlights from my watch.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. Even though Ra Ik is talked about by his staff as being a real piece of work, we see that he’s not actually a jerk, and is just acting out, because of all the stress that he’s under.

That does make me see him in a sympathetic sort of light, especially when you see that flash of fear in his eyes, when he realizes that the sasaengs have gotten hold of his phone number.

And then we see that same fear again, when he’s confronted by that aggressive fan at the fan-sign event.

It’s little wonder that Ra Ik seems prone to panic attacks; who wouldn’t be, while trying to live under these conditions, yes?

Especially given the fact that as an idol, Ra Ik’s under pressure to be perfect regardless of the circumstances; ie, he needs to keep his anxiety a secret, too.

AND, he is expected to keep his calm and not lash out at the sasaengs who break into his home – because once he’s caught on camera raging at the intruders, that turns into a liability.

Ack. Trying to put myself in his shoes, kinda made my head want to explode, not gonna lie. 😬

E1-2. I really feel for Ra Ik in that scene in the meeting room, where he can’t help his sobs, as he reacts in disbelief to the news that his friend and bandmate, Woo Seong (Ahn Woo Yeon), is dead.

Kudos to Kim Jae Yeong for making Ra Ik’s shock, bewilderment and confusion so raw. 🥹

[END SPOILER]

Ra Ik and Se Na

You know, for a loveline that takes up so much narrative real estate, to the point where secondary characters feel somewhat underdeveloped in favor of pushing this relationship forward, this romance is surprisingly low-key.

Yes, a lot of screen time is dedicated to exploring the connection between Se Na and Ra Ik, but the tone of the interactions is quiet and down-to-earth instead of breathless or heart-fluttering.

I’m guessing that this could be to deal with ethical concerns, of a lawyer forming a relationship with her client, and an idol forming a relationship with his fan.

I feel that Show chooses to move slowly, and specifically, within the deeper, more healing beats, in order to establish that the connection between our OTP is deeper and more meaningful than social labels might imply.

Overall, I found this relationship to be a worthwhile slow burn that leaned more restrained and sweet, than breathless and spicy.

In this spoiler section, I track the unhurried development of this OTP relationship.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I found it very poignant to see that after the trial, Ra Ik ends up all alone with nowhere else to go but home to the crime scene, because his agency has abandoned him.

Of course his panic attacks would set in, and of course he’d end up leaving the house; it feels inevitable, that he would collapse on the street like that.

..But I’m glad that when he wakes up, he’s safely in Se Na’s home.

E3-4. These episodes, Se Na can’t help but feel a growing sense of empathy for Ra Ik, as she gains access and insight into his pain.

To be clear, I think that this spot is a healthy place to be, because this is where she truly starts to see Ra Ik as a person with his own pain and insecurities, beyond the idol spotlight, where he’s expected to basically appear perfect at all times.

And, I do appreciate that Show makes Se Na’s reaction to having Ra Ik in her home, so relatable.

On the surface, she might look calm, unruffled and professional, but on the inside, she’s freaking out and hastily giving herself a pep-talk to get it together and not be weird, and I am quite delighted. Because, of course a fangirl has to freak out at least a little bit, when her idol is staring back at her, in her own house. 🤭

As Se Na digs deeper, she cannot help but feel sorry for Ra Ik, because not only is his agency clearly backing away from his situation, even his own mother is taking the opportunity to make some quick money by selling interviews.

I really appreciate that Se Na’s instinct is consistently to protect Ra Ik, and the sense that I get, is that she’s using her professional capacity in order to protect him as a person – ie, it feels personal underneath it all – rather than only protecting him because he’s her client.

And I’m very pleased that Se Na uses the law – specifically, the promise of the long arm of the law – to get Ra Ik’s mother to stop exploiting his situation for her own gain.

I’m also really glad that Se Na manages to track down Ra Ik when Chung Jae loses him, mid-tail, because she’d planted a tracker on him, but also because she recognizes his limited edition shoes – which the bullies had taken from him.

I can’t help but really appreciate the gentleness with which she approaches him, in that scene where she finds him huddled up and on the verge of a panic attack.

She listens quietly when he blurts out how tormented he feels by the song that keeps looping in his head, saying that he’s the one who should have died; how he should just end it all – and how pathetic he feels that he can’t even do that.

And then, I love that as she gently dusts off his feet, she expresses empathy by telling him that she knows how hard this must be for him, and then offers him a new focus, by saying that they should do everything they can to find out the truth – for Woo Seong’s sake. 🥲

The way she says that she understands his instinct to want to give up on everything feels weighted in personal experience, because, as we know, she’d been on the verge of suicide once before, when Ra Ik’s music had saved her.

She understands from experience, how having something to focus on, can give strength and a sense of purpose to someone who’d been ready to give up on life – and that’s why she’s giving Ra Ik something concrete to focus on, to bring purpose to his life.

And then she pledges that she will stay by his side to help him achieve this – until the very end.

How assuring and grounding, for Ra Ik, who, up to this point, had felt like he’d had no one left in the world who was willing to stand on his side. 🥲

I do believe that the assurance that Ra Ik gets from Se Na, is the thing that helps him feel safe enough to share his story with her.

This is when we learn that Ra Ik had been exploited from a young age, and all because he’d had a desire to stand on stage and sing like his mother – so that he wouldn’t be neglected and forgotten, as an unwanted child. Aw. Poor Ra Ik.

And this is also when we learn about how much Woo Seong had meant to Ra Ik, both as a friend and as a comrade.

This feels like an important turning point, because not only do we have Ra Ik opening up to Se Na, we even have him proactively saying that he feels it’s best that he stay at her house, for the time being. Wow, given that it really wasn’t so long ago, that Ra Ik was running out of Se Na’s house, this feels like a Big Deal.

Later, when Ra Ik finds it difficult to gather himself together to attend Woo Seong’s funeral, it feels significant that:

1, he’s able to articulate it, and

2, it’s Se Na’s presence and reframing – that it would look even more suspicious if he didn’t go, and that he would regret missing his friend’s final journey –

..that stabilizes him enough, not only to make an appearance at the funeral, but to be fully present, in a meaningful way that would not only respect Woo Seong’s life, but also ease his own heart. 🥲

I thought this was very grounding and affirming, and important.

However, we soon begin to see that this is not an easy journey for Se Na.

First, there’s the thing where Se Na realizes that Ra Ik is lying to her and withholding important information from her, even though he’s promised to tell her every detail, in case it affects the investigation.

That alone is perplexing enough, but what’s even more destabilizing for Se Na, is the realization that Ra Ik had been lying to fans all along, about not being romantically involved with Hye Joo (Choi Hee Jin) – something that clicks into place for her, the moment Hye Joo seeks out Ra Ik outside the prosecution office, and hugs him.

This rocks Se Na’s world in two ways.

1, there’s the whole parasocial thing, where fangirls often entertain the fantasy that their idol is single, and that this means that he’s available – to them, potentially.

Yes, the chances are minuscule, but it feeds the fangirl fantasy.

So for Se Na to find out that Ra Ik hadn’t actually been the single, potential boyfriend type of idol that he’d been marketed to be – and that she’d wholly bought into – is very disorienting.

2, there’s the deeper thing, where Ra Ik’s credibility and character comes into question, in her mind.

In the past, when Ra Ik had released that statement saying that he was not in a romantic relationship with Hye Joo, she’d crumpled in relief, and she’d put the entire weight of that belief solely on his word. If he said he wasn’t, then he wasn’t.

That core belief of Ra Ik’s strong sense of honesty, is completely turned on its head, in one fell swoop.

I do admire Se Na’s determination to not allow her personal feelings to get in the way of her professional handling of the case, but at the same time, it’s no wonder that Se Na needs time to process and grieve, and arrive at a new equilibrium.

And I love that our Se Na’s the kind of person who doesn’t allow her own destabilized feelings to prevent her from jumping in and protecting Ra Ik from that dirty reporter, firmly reminding him that while Ra Ik is a public persona, Hye Joo is a private individual, and any information posted about her without permission can amount to defamation.

Se Na’s such a star. 🤩

What I appreciate about the evolving dynamic between Se Na and Ra Ik is that, while the road is bumpy, their points of friction eventually give way to healthier dynamics.

When Se Na confronts Ra Ik about lying to her, and emphasizes that hiding stuff is also lying, and that this makes it impossible for her to defend him, since she knows so little, he softens his stance in response, and tells her everything, and even explains his thinking around Hye Joo; that he’d wanted to protect her, and that’s why he hadn’t mentioned her, for fear that she would be dragged into the case.

This feels like an upgraded, healthier starting point, yes?

And yet, as we get into the second half of episode 4, it seems to me like the burden that Ra Ik’s been carrying, is kinda-sorta sliding over onto Se Na’s back – in a very abstract manner of speaking.

What I mean is, as Ra Ik gets closer to Se Na, he gets visibly more settled and even starts to relax, but on Se Na’s side of things, it really starts to wear on her, not so much professionally, but emotionally.

That’s why we see her asking Chung Jae why it hurts so much, and remarking that she wishes that she could go back to safely liking Ra Ik – from a distance. 🥲

It’s very poignant to hear Se Na talk about how she feels; that it’s not so much that she’s disappointed – it’s that the more she gets to know Ra Ik, the more unfamiliar he feels.

Given what she says, that over the years, she’d always felt like Ra Ik had been there with her through the ups and downs, I think that the heart of the matter here, is that the more she gets to know Ra Ik, the more she realizes that perhaps she’d never known him at all – and what does that make all her years of emotional investment and devotion? 🥹

AND YET. Se Na remains the star attorney that she is – I just LOVEDDD the way she systematically talks Prosecutor Kwak into a corner, proving that he’s proceeding without evidence and targeting Hye Joo on purpose, and demands that he stop, failing which she would file a formal complaint against him.

SO. GOOD. 🤩

E5-6. In our previous episodes, it had been Se Na who’d ended up reeling, when she’d realized that Ra Ik had been keeping secrets from her, despite promising to tell her everything, and in these episodes, it’s Ra Ik who makes a very similar realization about Se Na – except by now, he’s learned to trust her implicitly, and from a very vulnerable place, so the betrayal feels so much deeper and catastrophic.

I appreciate that Show’s making it a priority to deal with all the emotional baggage in a timely fashion, because I prefer that our OTP get all this sorted out before things actually turn romantic between them, rather than after.

In episode 5, we see Ra Ik start to show more care and concern for Se Na, in the wake of the accident, and this feels timely to me, for two reasons:

1, By this time, Ra Ik’s spent enough time settling down in Se Na’s care and with her guidance, and is now less tense and high-strung because of the case, which means that he’s finally in a place where he has more bandwidth to care about someone other than himself, and

2, This is therefore a great time for Show to introduce a bit of a catalyst in the shape of the accident, because now Ra Ik has something to galvanize him into a different state of being. Rather than simply continue to receive care, there’s now a clear reason for him to give care.

With Se Na being the one who’s more injured between them, to the point where she’d lost consciousness, it makes complete sense that Ra Ik’s protective instincts would naturally come to the fore – like the way he instinctively uses his arm to shield Se Na, when the taxi driver brakes suddenly.

While it is rather extreme that Ra Ik would pick Se Na up in a princess carry afterwards, I can understand his state of mind.

Up to this point, Se Na had consistently been the one to protect him, and therefore, in Ra Ik’s subconscious mind, she must have somehow appeared invincible – which is why it’s a shock to him now, to suddenly see her in a more fragile space.

..Which is why, I think, he suddenly leans hard, into the caregiver space, to the point of picking her up in a princess-carry, when she can’t walk properly due to a leg cramp.

And of course he’d get concerned too, when he suddenly hears her squawking in the bathroom, while stuff falls to the floor. The way he gets all antsy outside the bathroom, I imagine that he’s considering whether it would be ok to go inside to offer help – even though Se Na’s in there taking a shower. 😅

At the same time, we see that as Ra Ik starts to show concern for Se Na, it leads to opportunities for more personal conversation, like when he remarks that she could afford to skip a shower if her arm’s fractured – which leads him to ask her about the nickname that he’d heard Prosecutor Kwak use on her.

On that note, I’m guessing that writer-nim named our female lead Maeng Se Na (맹세나) for the pure purpose of allowing her to have the rhyming nickname “Naemse na” (냄새나) which means “it smells.” I like the idea of writer-nim planning ahead, is all. 😁

Importantly, it’s during this conversation, that Se Na opens up a little bit, and remarks that with people calling her that, she couldn’t help but wonder if she did smell, and it feels just as important, that Ra Ik sputters in her defense, saying that Prosecutor Kwak’s name,  Byeong Gyun (병균) means “germ” –  because 병 sounds like disease and 균 sounds like bacteria. 🤭

I like this idea, that where we’ve already seen Se Na establish herself as being on Ra Ik’s side and defending him, in this small way, Ra Ik’s also establishing himself as being on Se Na’s side, and defending her. It’s nice. 🥰

It’s no wonder Se Na smiles in such a relaxed, happy manner – and then it’s no wonder that Ra Ik feels quite entranced, as he witnesses it. 😁

Generally speaking, their conversations tend to lean quite casual, but every so often, a nugget of poignance or vulnerability will surface, and thus add to the growing depth in their connection.

This bit where Se Na talks about her nickname and how it affected her is one example, and then later on, the beat where Ra Ik talks about himself being a product – and how people twist off his lid for a taste, and if they ever find out how terrible he actually tastes, he’d be done for, is another one.

There’s a real sense of pathos in how casually Ra Ik says this, while basically acknowledging that he thinks really poorly of himself, as a person. 😔

The saddest thing that emerges from this particular conversation, I feel, is the fact that Ra Ik feels that all the love that people have poured out in his direction, is for the Do Ra Ik of Gold Boys, a manufactured persona, and not for him, Do Ra Ik the person.

This means that while he’s been on the receiving end of all this adulation, he’s always believed that the adulation had never been meant for him. That’s quite sad, isn’t it?

At the same time, we also see that Ra Ik’s getting more affected by Se Na.

For example, there’s how he overhears Se Na telling Chung Jae that Ra Ik’s not the type of person to stage an accident like that. Plus, she also talks about how much it means when someone believes in you, when no one else will.

That’s essentially what Se Na’s doing for Ra Ik, and the way he pauses thoughtfully as he hears all this, tells me that this really resonates with him, and that it really does mean a lot to him, that Se Na believes in him and defends him to others.

As Se Na continues to protect Ra Ik as her client, I can’t help but notice that Ra Ik’s doing his best to protect Se Na, beyond helping to care for her in terms of the injuries she sustained in the accident (though I must say, Se Na’s arm fracture does heal in a miraculously short time 🤭 – but fine, I guess they didn’t want to have Se Na in a cast for the rest of the show).

When it’s determined that it had been the sasaengs who’d tampered with Se Na’s car, Ra Ik’s instinct is to not press charges – on condition that they can’t hurt anyone else but him.

The way he looks right at Se Na, before making this demand, indicates that his main concern is that Se Na doesn’t get hurt because of him.

As Ra Ik has occasion to tell Se Na about his personal history with the Gold Boys members, I can’t help noticing how open and raw his sharing is; he doesn’t hold back and tells Se Na everything, even about the way he’d said those hurtful words to Jae Hee (Park Jeong Woo).

That feels quite precious to my eyes, because of how safe he must feel with Se Na, to be able to open up so honestly. 🥲

When Ra Ik expresses that he feels uncertain of whether he’s able to even believe himself, Se Na introduces him to her tickle tree, which I appreciate as a personal gesture, even though I don’t personally like the way Show uses the tree as a comfort ritual.

(Basically, I get the idea that the tree is meant as a comfort ritual that allows Se Na and now Ra Ik to stop their self-doubt from escalating, but I struggle with the presentation of the rustling as a kind of confirmation, because depending on the literal weather in that moment, you could end up feeling condemned instead of vindicated. I don’t think this was very well thought-through, to be honest.)

The part of the metaphor that works better for me, is where Se Na talks about how people grow bark as they live their lives, in order to protect themselves from getting hurt, and remarks that she’s still not yet brave enough to peel off her bark.

This very much relates to what Ra Ik had said earlier, about how, if people could “taste” the real him, he’d be done for. And, it also very much relates to Se Na’s own fandom secret – which remains a secret because she’s not yet ready to peel off her bark.

Importantly, this does deepen Ra Ik’s trust and comfort in Se Na even more, so when Hye Joo shows up and demands that Ra Ik leave with her, Ra Ik’s immediate instinct is to hold onto Se Na instead. 🥲

In fact, he goes so far as to tell Hye Joo that Se Na is the only person whom he feels he can trust. That is huge, and makes his later discovery all the more devastating – but I’ll talk more about that later.

E5-6. It feels significant that Ra Ik chooses to continue to stay with Se Na, even when Hye Joo is offering him somewhere else to go.

The way he apologizes to Se Na and explains that he feels lighter than he has in a long time, within the fence that she’s built for him, and that he’d like to stay a little longer. Aw. That’s poignantly sweet, isn’t it? 🥲

And he’s not wrong; Se Na does have a real way of knowing how to help him feel safe and stable, when he feels at his most hopeless.

Like when he realizes that his mom’s tried to sign him with a different management agency and accepted money for it, with no consideration for him, it feels like a final straw for Ra Ik, and it very much looks like he’s about to sink right back into his earlier depressive state.

That’s when Se Na takes him to see the video tribute that his fans have come together to prepare for him, to encourage him, and assures him that there are still people who believe in him – and then tells him that the past that he longs for, is still there, untouched and uncontaminated by time. 🥲

This really helps settle Ra Ik and encourage him, and I can see why Ra Ik would feel more and more drawn to Se Na, in the midst of all of this.

Later on, when he overhears Se Na talking about her father’s case with CEO Cheon, and realizes that she’d been through a similar situation with her father, which had ended, sadly, in her father’s death, I can completely understand why Ra Ik’s heart would go out to her, so much so that he’d want to do something for her. I feel like he’s trying to return the gesture, because she’s consistently doing things to help him feel better.

First, there’s the way he takes her to that piano and sings for her – which is such a great echo of the time when he’d first sung that song to her, and ended up saving her life.

In this scene, Ra Ik explains music as simple, honest, and reaching the deepest parts of the heart. This is him showing Se Na his true self, via his music, and this feels momentous and important. 🥲

Honestly, this could have been a moment for Se Na to muster up the courage to tell Ra Ik the truth about her being a fangirl, but with so much going on with the case, I can understand why she would choose not to.

Also, with things being as they are, it’s critical that Ra Ik remain as stable as possible, so I can see why she wouldn’t want to risk rocking the boat.

But of course, this only means that Ra Ik stumbles on her secret himself, while trying to prepare some gimbap with which to surprise her, and I do feel very bad for Ra Ik.

After all that he’s been wrestling with, where he feels that people only love his public persona instead of his real person, and after all he’s gone through to arrive at a place of sincere trust with Se Na, it now feels like a devastating betrayal, where the one person whom he thought valued him for himself, was just another fan after all.

He’d learned to expect betrayal from every relationship he’d ever had with other people, and now, the one person whom he finally feels able to trust, turns out to also have betrayed his trust.

As Ra Ik asks Se Na to explain the fandom memorabilia that he’s found, his pain feels so raw that it’s almost palpable.

Because Ra Ik’s hurt is so deep, I foresee that it’s not going to be easy for Se Na to smooth things over with him.

However, this was a reckoning that had always been necessary. For them to move forward in a meaningful way, they have to reach a place with full mutual knowledge, and this, as painful as it is, is the first step in that direction. 🥲

E7–8. After every big reveal comes necessary fallout, which is where we’re at in these episodes — and I’m really quite pleased, because I think Show handles that fallout in a way that feels organic and meaningful.

Backing up to the top of episode 7, Ra Ik’s hurt is delivered as very deep and raw, because his sense of betrayal is that big.

In a world where he feels like he can’t trust anyone anymore, he’d finally allowed himself to trust Se Na. To him, she was the one exception, and that made a huge difference to him.

Within the safety of her orbit, Ra Ik felt safe, to the point that he could relax, and even articulate that he could breathe more easily – and that’s all because of the fact that he felt that he could trust Se Na.

And so, to have that trust suddenly broken, and in a way that touches on some of his worst wounds – because some of his worst experiences had had to do with sasaengs – is simply devastating for him.

He’d thought that he’d finally found someone who would believe in him, for himself, and not for the idol persona – and now, that belief has been turned on its head, because it turns out that Se Na had always seen him as Do Ra Ik the idol.

That’s why he reacts in such a strong manner.

Tellingly, he says to Se Na that he’s not upset because she’d lied; he’s upset because he’d let himself believe her.

This says so much about the way Ra Ik’s been living, all these years; he’s come to a point where he expects people to lie – and it’s his job to not believe them.

That’s really sad, because now, he can’t help but second-guess every affirming, positive interaction he’s ever had with Se Na. Now, instead of being a source of comfort and strength, they all ring hollow to him. 💔

I do think that Se Na understands how deep the damage is, because of the way she doesn’t try to hold him back, when he storms off; I believe she knows that he’s hurt enough, that nothing she could say, would assuage the pain enough to allow him to stay.

At the same time, I like how introspective Se Na is, as she considers the situation, and reflects on why she hadn’t thrown out the memorabilia when she’d had the chance.

What she says makes so much sense – what would throwing it all away say about her years of devotion; what would that make of the self who’d derived so much joy from having Ra Ik and Gold Boys be the center of her fangirl life? 🥹

She’d poured so much of her heart into this aspect of her life, that idea of throwing away the memorabilia felt like the equivalent of throwing away a part of herself – and I completely understand why she would hesitate, and decide to put the items into storage instead.

It’s kinda like how you’d pack away certain thoughts and memories and store them in a corner of your mind; that way, you don’t think about it regularly, but you’re not cutting it out of your life completely either. 🥲

Although it’s painful, I can understand why Ra Ik fires Se Na as his lawyer.

Once his trust in her is broken in one area, it becomes impossible for him to continue to trust her – because he’ll always be questioning whether she’s being truthful, and whether she’s withholding information.

They say that actions speak louder than words, and I have to agree that Se Na’s first action upon being fired, says a lot about where her heart lies.

Instead of trying to change Ra Ik’s mind, she reaches out to Hye Joo instead, and asks Hye Joo to find a good lawyer for Ra Ik, so that he’ll have legal representation, even if that legal representation isn’t her.

She cares more about his safety and wellbeing, than about whether or not she is reinstated as his lawyer. 🥲

I can’t help noticing that, in contrast, Hye Joo’s quick to request that Se Na never see Ra Ik again – never mind that she also acknowledges that Se Na’s done a very sincere job in representing Ra Ik.

I think it’s safe to say that between the two, Se Na is the one whose concern for Ra Ik rings more pure and true.

In fact, going back to what Se Na had expressed about what it felt like, to throw away the memorabilia, it occurs to me that her decision now, to throw it all away, is also rooted in the realization that this has caused pain to Ra Ik. 🥲

However, even though he’s been resolute in his firing of Se Na, as we see, Ra Ik’s heart isn’t fully ready to let go of Se Na, whom he’d come to see as his safe place.

When he receives the official letter confirming the termination, his gaze is definitely conflicted; to my eyes, his gaze reflects a mixture of uncertainty and regret.

In the wake of the severing of their professional relationship, the emotional fallout continues, for both Se Na and Ra Ik.

With Ra Ik out of her life, both in the professional and fangirl domain, Se Na really only has work left – and that’s where she pours all of her energies, working late nights and just never taking a break.

It is punishing, yes, but importantly, I don’t think that Se Na’s trying to punish herself. Rather, this is the only way she can keep herself from spiraling into sadness and negative thoughts. She’s just trying to cope. 🥹

Importantly, she doesn’t try to seek Ra Ik out, no matter how bad she feels, and I see this restraint as an indication that she takes Ra Ik’s wishes very seriously.

Funnily enough, we see Ra Ik hovering around Se Na’s office, and it’s not hard to guess that this is because he misses her, and feels out of sorts being cut off from her, when she’d been such a strong safety buoy for him all this time.

It does create a rather ironic picture of a role reversal, with Ra Ik now being in the “stalker” position, which is typically occupied by the fan and not the idol.

And it’s through this “stalking” – quotation marks because he’s not actually stalking her, but just following her for one evening – that he learns more about Se Na, specifically what she’s like when she’s alone and thinks that no one is watching.

He sees her drinking alone outside the convenience store, and sees the kind of sad air about her, as she tries to call him; he sees her quietly sit down at the piano at the church, and quietly play the tune of the song that he’d sung for her at that same piano (but also, when he’d first saved her, though he doesn’t know it yet).

Through all of this, I feel that the most important thing that Ra Ik sees, is Se Na’s sadness.

And then, as Se Na drunkenly sings Gold Boys songs as she makes her tipsy way home, I’d like to think that this gives Ra Ik a glimpse of how his music had been a source of support for Se Na, during hard times.

At least, I feel like I see a softening in his gaze, as he continues to follow her and watch over her.

And then when he stumbles on all the memorabilia that she’s thrown out, you can see that he’s rather taken aback, like he hadn’t been prepared for the reality of seeing his face in the trash. That makes me think that perhaps he might have some second thoughts about his expectations of Se Na.

Altogether, I do feel that getting to see Se Na in an unguarded state like this, does soften Ra Ik’s heart towards her.

I do think that that’s why, when he later finds himself spiraling emotionally after Jae Hee’s found in that car, he instinctively goes to Se Na’s home. This is, after all, where he’d felt safest for the longest period of time, and Se Na had been the one grounding that safety. 🥲

The way Ra Ik finally passes out as he sets eyes on Se Na, makes me feel like he’d been holding on with all the strength that he could muster, and it’s only when he sees Se Na, that he feels safe to let go – right into her arms.

I do think that it’s symbolic, that Se Na’s instinct is to let go of everything in order to catch hold of Ra Ik – even if it means letting go of the shelter that she’d been holding over herself. 🥹

The next morning, in the safety of Se Na’s home, we see a marked shift in Ra Ik.

First, there’s how he hovers his hand near Se Na’s face as she sleeps next to his mattress, clearly having nursed him for much of the night.

He’s no longer pushing her away, but trying to bridge the gap between them.

Afterwards, when Se Na sits down next to him, it’s significant to my eyes, that he’s the first to speak – again, this is him doing something to bridge the gap.

Even more importantly, is the fact that when Ra Ik asks Se Na if she really believes that Jae Hee is the culprit, he refers to her time as their fan as a source of credibility, saying that she’s observed them for longer than anyone.

And so, it feels like a natural next step, that when Ra Ik asks for Se Na’s help in finding out the truth, he’d ask to go with her, saying that he doesn’t want to send her alone; that he should go along too, since he’d been the one to ask for her help in the first place.

Se Na looks uncertain and surprised, and I think that that’s because Ra Ik had been so vehement and angry when he’d fired her, that she’s not sure how far he’s letting her back into his life.

From where I’m sitting though, everything that Ra Ik’s said and done in this scene, point to him coming to a place where he wants to reconnect with her. 🥲

It does land as a mark of growth for Ra Ik as well, that he requests that Se Na help him to find out the truth, given that at the start of our story, Ra Ik had been actively hiding from the truth, because he couldn’t bear to face it.

It says a lot about Ra Ik’s history and relationship with Jae Hee, that he would know, instinctively, why Jae Hee had gone to that specific hotel – because that’s where their group had finally debuted, and this had been the hotel that the agency had booked for them.

I find it very meaningful, that Ra Ik would start to reminisce about the group’s early days, while telling Se Na why Jae Hee had chosen this spot specifically.

It feels like he’s relaxing around her, and it also feels significant that he’d feel able to talk with her about the group’s history, given that he’d been upset with her, not too long ago, for withholding the fact that she was their fan.

How special, that he’d show her the wishing trees where they’d put up their wishes, and how significant, that he’d want to put up a new wish, at this moment.

This means that he’s not feeling so overwhelmed now, and is even able to think about the future, in wishing that everyone he loves would be happy in his memories. 🥲

Later, when they get locked in at the park for lingering past opening hours, the way Ra Ik asks to walk for a while, instead of immediately looking for a way out, also tells me that he’s feeling more settled and less rattled.

Also, locked within the confines of the park like this, I imagine that it would feel like a safe bubble where they can escape reality for a while.

This feels like a good opportunity for them to have a deeper conversation about the elephant in the room, and I like the grounded manner about Ra Ik, as he asks Se Na why she’d liked him so much.

I’m so glad that Ra Ik figures out that Se Na had been the girl whom he’d given his red cap to, that fateful day, and shares his side of the story too – that he’d been having a really hard time that day as well, and that this was the first time that he’d felt like his music had really connected with someone.

It’s really nice to hear Ra Ik apologize to Se Na for not recognizing her sooner, and then ask her why she’d been feeling so down that day.

I really appreciate that Se Na opens up and tells him honestly about the details surrounding her parents’ deaths, and how she’d struggled to find a reason to live, and how, listening to his song, she’d decided to try to live.

That’s so meaningful, because this absolutely deepens the understanding between them, while also affirming Ra Ik in a way that he’s always longed for – being able to feel that his music really connected with people and made a difference.

How significant, that Ra Ik now thanks Se Na – for being there and cheering the loudest, when he shone, and also, for staying by his side when things were hard.

Ahhh. So heartfelt, lovely and open. This really feels like the new starting point that they need, in order to reset their connection on ground that is fully transparent and fully accepting.

PLUS. He even starts leaning in to kiss her – until he’s stopped in his tracks by that security guard, heh.

But – that’s enough to let us know that his feelings for Se Na are definitely on the romantic side of things.

[END SPOILER]

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PENULTIMATE EPISODES [SPOILERS]

E9-10. With the endgame in sight, Show prioritizes momentum and clarity, and I found this to be a solid bridge toward the finale.

We get meaningful forward movement on both the OTP and the murder mystery fronts, and by the end of episode 10, the ground feels well prepped for a resolution that ties everything together.

I’d say that that’s a job well done – even if I feel like my initial thrill with this show has settled down into something a lot more mellow. 🥲

Backing up to the top of episode 9, we – and Ra Ik – finally find out the truth about what had been going on with Woo Seong.

The thing that stands out to me, is that when CEO Geum (Jeong Man Sik) tries to pull the wool over Ra Ik’s eyes by positioning himself as caring so much for them and wanting only the best for them, Ra Ik’s insight – that CEO Geum had only had his own interest at heart – is sharp and immediate.

Not only that, Ra Ik does not hesitate to state the truth as he sees it, and that, to my eyes, is a significant bit of growth, because the Ra Ik whom we’d met at the beginning of our story, definitely hadn’t had this kind of confidence or steadiness.

To me, the important development in the wake of Ra Ik learning the truth about Woo Seong, is that he feels safe enough to share his feelings with Se Na, which demonstrates that his trust in her is in a stable place, despite having been thrown off, when he’d discovered her lie.

The other important thing, to my eyes, is the way Se Na affirms and encourages him, essentially telling him that it’s not his fault; that perhaps Woo Seong choosing to show Ra Ik a smile, was his way of being sincere with Ra Ik.

The thing that I think is most freeing, is the way Se Na tells Ra Ik that it’s ok for him to be sad; that it’s not good to force himself to endure it.

It’s clear to me that Se Na’s speaking from experience, from having lived with grief for a long time, so I really like this note of empathy, particularly in the midst of such a vulnerable time for Ra Ik.

I also really like that the way Se Na chooses to cheer Ra Ik up, is in something as ordinary as getting a whole bunch of fried chicken (and warm cola 😂) because she knows it’s his favorite – and then just having a casual hang-out session, with Chung Jae joining in.

That sense of the ordinary refreshes Ra Ik – and that leads Se Na to ask what other things Ra Ik might want to do, if he were just an ordinary passerby.

The day of ordinariness that follows is delightfully low-key and normal, and this offers Ra Ik and Se Na the chance to be themselves around each other – on an average day when danger isn’t lurking around the corner, and the pressures of Ra Ik’s public life are stripped away.

It feels like a much needed recharge and reset for Ra Ik, to revisit places that allow him to experience again, what it’s like to just be Ra Ik the person, and not Ra Ik the celebrity.

And then, it feels like a really important milestone, for Ra Ik and Se Na to return to the riverside where they’d first met, where Ra Ik opens up about how this place is special to him.

Importantly, he says, so naturally, that being around Se Na, he feels like he just becomes himself.

Ahhh. Honestly, I feel like that’s arguably the highest compliment he could have given her, because he’s essentially saying that he’s most comfortable and secure in her presence. 🥲

That is what makes the eventual “accidental confession” feel so special to Ra Ik, that he would pause right there, and reinforce the moment, when Se Na remarks that as much as she likes cute, tough and romantic guys too, she likes even more, him just being him.

To Ra Ik, this is literally the most precious thing he could ask to hear: that someone likes him just being himself. That speaks directly to his deepest wound and his deepest fear – that he’s loved not for himself, but for his public persona.

Yes, Ra Ik misunderstands Se Na’s words to be a love confession, but that’s mainly because he’s been steadily growing feelings for her, and this is wish fulfillment, in a sense – because she’s saying something that indicates reciprocity, even if that’s not what she actually means to say.

I like that Se Na clears up the misunderstanding right away, and I like even more, that Ra Ik goes ahead and confesses that he likes her anyway.

And then, when Se Na expresses that she isn’t sure of what her feelings for him are, in this moment, I like the way Ra Ik assures that she doesn’t need to give him an answer right away, and that he’ll wait for as long as it takes, until she’s ready to answer. 🥲

That’s sweet and assuring, yes?

Afterwards, I’m so glad that we get to see a bit of Se Na’s inner fangirl returning, as she silent-squees in disbelief, once inside the safety of her bedroom.

Aw! I’ve missed getting to see this side of Se Na! 🥲

I also appreciate that we get to see Ra Ik similarly almost jumping out of his own skin, on tenterhooks now that he’s made his love confession.

Again, I love the role reversal, where now it’s Ra Ik waiting and hoping for Se Na to reciprocate his feelings, versus her fangirl days, when she’d been the one pouring out her affection for Ra Ik.

The way Ra Ik leaves the next morning feels like a consolidation of not just his consideration for Se Na, but his growth and maturity, as he gathers the resolve to return to his apartment – which holds all the traumatic memories of Woo Seong’s death.

I find it significant that Ra Ik would personally clean the apartment; it feels like he’s reclaiming the space for himself – and this is something that someone else can’t do for him. 🥲

The way he also finally visits Jae Hee at the hospital, also feels like the fruit of his new sense of stability and maturity. He is now steady enough to be able to face the difficult emotions that come with visiting Jae Hee, and that is heartening to witness as well. 🥲

It’s also cute that both Se Na and Ra Ik immediately miss each other, now that he’s moved back into his own apartment.

The way they find excuses to talk themselves into accepting that it’s ok that they’re going to the other person’s house to seek them out, is quite amusing, and I’m glad that they do get that moment together after all, in the parking lot.

They don’t say a lot, but the fact that Se Na shyly confirms that he’s still waiting like he said he would, reinforces the most important thing. Aw. 🥰

Later, Sleazy Journalist creates that scandal about them living together, I do find it heartening, that each of them immediately thinks about how to protect the other person. 🥲

And yes, Ra Ik’s decision to jump into the fray and pull Se Na out may not be the most strategically helpful thing, but his instinct to shield her is sound, and is a great reversal of what we’ve seen in the past, where Se Na had always been the one to shield and protect him.

Plus, I do appreciate that he reframes what it means to run away; to Se Na, they’d run away from the reporters and that looks bad, but to Ra Ik, running away means standing by and watching her get hurt. 🥲

And honestly, the way Ra Ik takes her to that mountain lodge, reminds me of how Se Na had previously comforted him and helped him to breathe – by helping him to soak in normal, everyday things.

The first thing that Ra Ik does at the lodge, is get Se Na to eat – and that is the most everyday, normal thing of all, yes?

I very much love the conversation that they end up having, after that dinner, where Se Na opens up and talks about how she’s been running away all these years, from re-opening her father’s case, and Ra Ik reframes this for her, telling her that she hadn’t been running away, but had actually been holding on, in order to survive.

Honestly, this beat feels like a lovely mirror of the earlier scene where Se Na had told Ra Ik that it’s ok to be sad, because it’s with Ra Ik’s reframing words of affirmation, that Se Na finally feels able to cry. 🥲

Later that night, when Ra Ik leans in tenderly to kiss Se Na, and she kisses him back, it feels like a kiss that’s built on a strong foundation of mutual openness and understanding, and I like that very much.

Also, the realization that Se Na articulates the next morning – that whether he’s performing on stage, or standing in front of her, he’s the same Do Ra Ik – feels meaningful and earned, after the various emotional milestones that they’ve been through together, in these episodes. 🥲

..Which is exactly when our OTP receives news of Ra Ik’s indictment, of course, but the good thing here, is that our OTP is now in a much stronger place to deal with the onslaught – together.

On a separate note, can I just say, I hadn’t quite thought of Hye Joo as a possibility, when thinking about who had actually killed Woo Seong, so when Show drops those very significant clues in these episodes, I was quite taken aback.

Like, woahhh, that’s got to be a whole few levels of crazy greater than I’d originally figured was possible from Hye Joo.

Now I’m curious to know if she’d gone in there to kill Woo Seong, or if – gasp – Ra Ik had been her target all along? 😱

I’m curious to see where this lands – but what I’m looking forward to more, is to see how our OTP navigates these waters as a strong, mutually supportive unit. 🥲

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E11-12. This was, all in all, a very.. neat finale, and I’m feeling nicely satisfied about it, my friends.

We spend the bulk of episode 11 wrapping up the murder mystery side of our story, and everything’s speedy and convenient in a way that murder-mystery thrillers are not – but that’s the thing: this show never intended to be a mystery thriller.

This had always been a warm melodrama. The murder mystery was part of the premise, yes, but it was always meant to function more as a catalyst for character and relationship development, than as a narrative arc for its own sake.

I think that emphasis shows, in how things shake out, in our finale episodes.

Jae Hee wakes up from his coma, evidence mounts against Hye Joo, Prosecutor Kwak has a change of heart thanks to a heartfelt nudge from Se Na, and Ra Ik and Se Na manage to unlock Woo Seong’s cloud account, finally revealing the events of that fateful night.

Is it a stretch that Woo Seong would record everything? Yes, I think so. Is it a stretch that nobody had thought about his cloud account until this very late point in our story? Yes, very much so.

But, since this murder mystery had never been Show’s main point, I’m more willing to just roll with whatever Show serves up.

I’m actually quite relieved to have Show confirm that Woo Seong’s death had been an accident. I mean, it still sucks that he died, but at least he wasn’t murdered in cold blood..?

And I would believe that Hye Joo, being emotionally unstable and more than a little obsessed with her relationship with Ra Ik, would think of killing herself right there and then, when Woo Seong tells her that it’s over with Ra Ik.

Do I think that Prosecutor Kwak’s turnaround was convenient? Yes. But to Show’s credit, we do see him wrestle with his conscience over the course of our story, wanting to find the real culprit, despite his father’s instruction to just decide on the outcome and work from there, so it doesn’t feel like it’s coming completely out of left field.

The important thing, to our story, is that Ra Ik is no longer shrinking from the truth, but is facing it head-on, from the way he insists on listening to that recording of Woo Seong’s death, to the way he braces himself to have his relationship with Hye Joo come to light.

He’s become distinctly stronger through everything that he’s experienced, and that’s meaningful growth.

Most importantly, when Hye Joo tells him that she hopes that he’ll hate her forever and thus always remember her, Ra Ik is able to stand firm and tell her, without any hesitation, that he’s not going to waste time hating her.

That’s strength.

And just as important, we see that that strength comes from clarity – he finally sees what love is and what it is not, and without him having to spell it out, we know that Se Na’s been that model of healthy love for him.

That’s very meaningful.

Show then goes on to spend our final episode unpacking how everyone’s doing and tying up loose ends, one-year time skip later.

And one big piece of unfinished business, is Se Na clearing her father’s name, of course.

I like the idea of Se Na stepping away from her job, even though she’s now known as a star lawyer thanks to Ra Ik’s case, in order to pursue justice for her father.

This is something that’s weighed on her for a long time, and it feels like a very important, liberating step for Se Na to take, to finally apply for a retrial.

I confess I was a little confused at first, that we see Se Na going back to fangirling Ra Ik and the rest of the Gold Boys from afar, because I’d imagined that if they were dating, that Se Na would hear from Ra Ik directly, even while he’s on tour.

As it turns out, tour schedules are so hectic that Ra Ik can’t contact Se Na like a normal boyfriend.

However, Ra Ik makes sure to show up at the courthouse the day Se Na makes her appeal in court, wearing his best boyfriend smile and bearing flowers, no less, and I think that’s really sweet.

And then, how thoughtful, that he takes her to the columbarium to visit her parents (as well as introduce himself), because he instinctively knows that this would be where she’d want to be, on a day like this.

He truly gets what’s most important to her, and that reflects a healthy relationship, I do think.

I like the idea that all the fans are in favor of Ra Ik dating Se Na because they feel that Se Na saved him and therefore the band, and I also like the thought that the two sasaengs from earlier, have now taken it upon themselves to protect Ra Ik from paparazzi.

That last one is quite fairytale and improbable, but I’m happy to indulge the dream. 😁

We get consummation sexytimes between our reunited OTP, and I do love that it’s a blend of sweet, warm and just a little bit spicy; that feels like a good reflection of this couple’s vibe, I feel. 🥰

The thing that gets my attention more, is the fact that Se Na insists on being a principled fangirl with ethics, who’ll earn her own fangirl merch and perks, rather than take unfair handouts from her idol boyfriend, thankyouverymuch.

I thought this was cute and endearing.

More importantly, though, I do think that this reflects that the emotional high from scoring your own tickets is all part of the fandom experience – and Se Na’s not about to give up on that, just because she happens to be dating her idol. 😁

Additionally, I loved that Se Na’s longtime fandom friend, Like, turns out to be none other than her colleague Ye Sol; how fun! It’s so heartwarming to me, that Se Na now has a real-life friend to fangirl with. 🥰

The moment that really hit me in the heart during this finale, though, is when we see Gold Boys take to the stage for their concert – and we see Woo Seong being included as part of the performance, via video footage.

Augh. That is very thoughtful and meaningful, and that feels like the perfect way to honor Woo Seong’s memory. 🥹

It’s so fitting that we end with Se Na’s closing voiceover, which echoes her opening voiceover in episode 1, except that now, she doesn’t brush everything away as dream or fantasy, but acknowledges that it’s a reality that they have shaped – and will keep shaping – together.

It truly feels like everything’s come full circle, just elevated and more meaningful, and I do love that very much. ❤️

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Measured and steady. Pretty good.

FINAL GRADE: B+

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

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