When reality is powerless, BlackPink Jisoo relies on "subscribing to her boyfriend" to give herself a harem

What if love became a subscription service like Netflix or Spotify? How would the world change? After Netflix’s latest Korean drama Boyfriend on Demand (Subscribe to Your Boyfriend) launched globally on March 6, 2026, it quickly topped viewership charts in multiple markets including Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand. This drama is not only the first major screen project for BLACKPINK member Jisoo (Kim Ji-soo) since founding her personal agency BLISSOO, but also sparked widespread online discussion with its bold “virtual romance” concept and glamorous male cast.

What is the story of Subscribe to Your Boyfriend?

Warning: spoilers ahead. The story is set in a highly advanced technological future Seoul. Jisoo plays Seo Mi-Rae, a 29-year-old webtoon creator who is sharp and capable at work but has lost her passion for life due to endless overtime and heartbreak from real relationships. Facing the cold reality of the matchmaking market and emotional scars from her ex, she decides to “log out” of the real world and create her next romance through a paid subscription service.

The drama has been dubbed by netizens as “the most handsome Korean drama in history.” To match the virtual world’s different settings, Jisoo sports over 250 outfits across 10 episodes, with ever-changing looks.

The list of “boyfriends” Seo Mi-Rae subscribes to is considered the “highest echelon of Korean male suitors”:

• Lee Su-Hyeok, played by Lee Soo-Hyuk, a cold billionaire who confesses his love in a domineering CEO style at a bustling bar.
• Kang Joon, played by Kang Joon, her first love senior who rekindles her childhood crush amid cherry blossoms on campus.
• Yoon Sung-Yu, played by Yoon Sung-Yu, a mysterious secret agent who begins a romance with Ji-Soo on a plane.
• Other appearances include Lee Jae-Wook, Kim Young-Dae, Park Jae-Beom, and more, fulfilling fans’ fantasies of various ideal lovers.

Put on a VR headset and instantly enter a romantic universe!

By wearing a sensor ring and a lightweight VR device, users can immerse themselves in various romantic scenes. In that world, awkwardness during real dates, daily mundane chores, and mundane routines disappear. Users can “customize” every perfect lover. In the drama, Seo Mi-Rae indulges in virtual romances with handsome men, but in real life, she unexpectedly discovers that her seemingly incompatible workplace rival, Park Kyung-Nam (played by Seo In-Guk), might hold a different, genuine warmth from the virtual world.

Does fantasy better meet the needs of busy modern people?

Although the surface is a lighthearted romantic comedy, Subscribe to Your Boyfriend prompts deeper social reflection. The renowned publication TIME describes the drama as a postmodern exploration of women’s emotional needs and technological alienation. Seo Mi-Rae doesn’t want to spend her remaining 3.5 hours of personal time each day with some random person; she only wants unconditional love in the virtual world, perfectly capturing the exhaustion modern office workers feel about developing romantic relationships.

However, the “flawless” virtual love gradually leaves Seo Mi-Rae feeling empty. When the system offers her the option to “permanently subscribe” and live in a perfect virtual illusion, her repeated conflicts and mutual support with Seo In-Guk in the real workplace make her realize the warmth and collision of real human interaction. In the end, what will Seo Mi-Rae choose? Let’s keep watching!

This article, “When reality feels powerless, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo gives herself a harem through ‘Subscribe to Your Boyfriend’,” first appeared on Lian News ABMedia.