Pop Corner: Boyfriend on Demand Ending Explained: Can Mirae Build a Future With a Virtual Boyfriend?

In a time of AI chatbot relationships, Boyfriend on Demand enlists some familiar faces to explore a world where love never changes.

Sick of the modern dating market? Boyfriend on Demand is the latest Netflix K-drama offering the perfect escapist fantasy – the ability to date any one of 900 virtual boyfriends ranging from dashing chaebols to sweet boys next door.

Jisoo stars as Seo Mirae, a webtoon producer who gets sucked into this virtual world. Back in reality, her aloof workmate Park Kyeongnam (Seo Inguk) excels at everything, but is unable to tell her how he truly feels. Will Mirae pick reality over fantasy? Read on for a full recap. Major spoilers ahead.

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Boyfriend on Demand Recap: Entering the world

Webtoon producer Seo Mirae (Jisoo) is a total homebody who gave up on dating after she broke up with her ex a few years ago. When a producer at her company quits, the writer he was managing becomes her responsibility. Though she is the creator of the top webtoon The Man To Know, Yun Song (Gong Minjung) is notorious for being difficult to work with. Thus, her readership is a mix of genuine fans and people hate-reading her work.

Mr. Min (Lee Hakjoo), a representative from DU Company, arrives at Mirae and Song’s first meeting and introduces a new dating simulation app called “Boyfriend on Demand.” The user puts on a device that lets them access a virtual world where they can romance any of 900 possible boyfriends, each with their own personality and storyline. Mr. Min reveals that they would like the protagonist of The Man To Know, Choi Siwoo, to be one of those 900 boyfriends.

Mirae’s knowledge of the typical user base of “Boyfriend on Demand” causes Mr. Min to recruit her as a product reviewer for the service. Mirae hesitantly agrees. After a brief tutorial with the “dating manager” (Yoo Inna), Mirae meets a virtual but very realistic simulation of Choi Siwoo (Lee Soohyuk). She tries out a date with him but finds his storyline too cheesy, just the way Yun Song originally wrote it.

Competition

Park Kyeongnam (Seo Inguk) is Mirae’s “rival” at work. Every project he works on becomes successful and he has a cold, blunt attitude. One of Kyeongnam’s writers, Hwany (Yoo Seonho), is the creator of another popular webtoon Plan C. Plan C’s update day gets rescheduled to Friday, the same day as The Man To Know.

Fearing that Plan C will dethrone The Man To Know as the top webtoon, Mirae brainstorms with Song, but they are out of ideas. Mirae realizes that she can just ask Choi Siwoo himself, so she logs back on and encourages him to romance her. She reports back to Song, who writes Siwoo’s storyline the way it played out for Mirae, and they defend The Man To Know’s first place on the list.

The limits of “Boyfriend on Demand”

Realizing how much she enjoyed it, Mirae logs back on to continue dating Siwoo. However, her allotted 50 hours per match soon runs out. She decides to stop her subscription early and return the device to Mr. Min, having fulfilled her promise of reviewing the service. Mr. Min reminds her that there are 899 other matches for her to meet, and Mirae holds onto the device.

She logs back on and meets her second match, Seo Eunho, a handsome sunbae at Hansae University. Mirae joins the kumdo club to get closer to him and immediately tries to ask him out, but he declines, saying they barely know each other. The dating manager explains that the characters are all different, and some of them require more time before falling in love with the user.

First love in Boyfriend on Demand

As Mirae continues to date Eunho, she remembers her time with her ex, Sejune, who is now engaged to a different woman. They had an emotional break up, with Sejune saying that they had both changed and that they couldn’t love the person that the other had become.

Mirae’s best friend Jiyeon reminds her of how passionately she pursued Sejune in college. Mirae throws herself into romancing Eunho, wanting to replace all her painful memories with new, happy ones. However, reliving her relationship helps her realize that it wasn’t all terrible. Despite their bitter end, Mirae remembers how happy they were when they started, and dating Eunho gives her the closure she needs to let Sejune go.

Back to reality (?)

Mirae’s one month free trial ends. She tries to give real life dating another try, but when Jiyeon sets her up with a new guy, she finds that he’s moving too quickly for her. Work is also getting more stressful as she now has to spend Friday nights overtime with Kyeongnam, waiting for updates from their respective writers.

Influenced again by Mr. Min, Mirae gives in and pays for the basic plan, costing 500,000 KRW. She wants to continue where she left off with Eunho, but the basic plan doesn’t allow her to choose dates. Instead she dates all the matches the dating manager gives her, including an NIS agent (Ong Seongwoo) who saves a hijacked plane, a stern senior resident (Lee Jaewook) at a hospital, a Singles Inferno-type game show contestant (Modern Tarzan), a lawyer (Lee Hyunwook) in courtroom drama, a rogue (Kim Youngdae) from a historical drama, and even Jay Park himself.

Just as her subscription is about to end, the service introduces her to a new match. At the end of a cherry blossom lined road, Mirae again meets Seo Eunho. She finds herself in his sequel story, reuniting with him ten years after college. Mirae is glad to be given another chance with him. After logging out, she gets a phone call from Eunho, and she finds out that the characters can call and message her outside of the service.

Workshop

The company goes on an out of town trip disguised as a workshop. At the workshop, Mirae and Kyeongnam show off their rivalry as well as their similar personalities. Kyeongnam wins and generally looks like a hero to everyone. On the ride back to Seoul, Kyeongnam confesses to Mirae that he likes her. When he asks her if she’s seeing someone, she says yes.

Mirae continues to date Eunho every night after work as well as message with him throughout the day, fully considering their relationship real. However, on a day out, she overhears some girls talking about him and realizes that Eunho is actually “dating” hundreds of girls, with his storyline playing out the same way in each one. All their “special” moments together have been experienced by countless users all over the country.

Gu Yeongil

Mirae is once again ready to cancel her subscription, but the dating manager tells her of a secret 901st match: a boyfriend tailor-made to her own personal tastes. After answering an extensive survey on her ideal type, Mirae meets Gu Yeongil. He is her ideal guy – a wandering artist who goes where he pleases, pure and diligent, but also wild and free. He just happens to have the same face as Park Kyeongnam.

Though Mirae is understandably shocked at first, a talk with Jiyeon, who is struggling to find love in the real world, makes her give Yeongil another chance. She starts to warm up to him, though she makes sure that she has no feelings for Kyeongnam in real life and starts to avoid him, especially after his confession.

Comics Festival

Mirae and Kyeongnam are tasked to go to the Busan Comics Festival with their respective writers – Yun Song and Hwany – both of whom are nominated for awards. While Yun Song wins the popularity award, Hwany unexpectedly wins Webtoon of the Year, much to Song’s disdain.

Though the producers try to keep the peace, Song finds a way to make trouble, insinuating that Hwany has a crush on her. Hwany angrily confesses that he isn’t interested in Song at all and instead likes her assistant, Soyeong. Embarrassed, Song gets drunk and passes out, claiming she has a boyfriend.

Mirae brings Song to her hotel room, where her supposed boyfriend calls her. Mirae picks up and acknowledges that Song was telling the truth, not knowing that Song’s boyfriend is just another character from “Boyfriend on Demand.”

Blurred lines in Boyfriend on Demand

Instead of rejoining the group, Mirae goes off to drink on her own. Yeongil calls her and says he’ll come see her. Instead, Kyeongnam appears. Mirae touches his face, confusing him for Yeongil. She quickly snaps back to reality and Kyeongnam walks her to her hotel. He doesn’t tell her that he overheard her telling Song that she was single.

Song insists to Mirae that they leave ahead of everyone else. Back in Seoul, Mirae logs back onto “Boyfriend on Demand” and Yeongil invites her to come travel with him. She fantasizes about a future with him, but everything that Yeongil does reminds her of Kyeongnam. She logs out without giving Yeongil an answer.

Though Mirae tries to avoid Kyeongnam, they still end up staying late on Friday night, sharing a heater, and talking about how it would have been nice if Mirae had stayed in Busan longer. Mirae comes home to find a postcard and virtual letter from Yeongil confessing his feelings for her.

First place in Boyfriend on Demand

Gaining attention from Hwany’s win at the festival, Plan C becomes the top webtoon for the week. Hwany and Kyeongnam have a celebratory dinner, while Mirae tries to lift Song’s spirits. All four of them end up at the same restaurant. There’s still clear tension between the two writers, but the moment Hwany sees Soyeong, he demands that they all drink together.

The dinner eases the tension between everyone. Hwany excitedly tries to impress Soyeong, while Song again asserts that she knows better than everyone because of her great relationship with her boyfriend. Mirae says she’s jealous of Song’s relationship and realizes that Kyeongnam might have overheard her.

Change

Mirae apologizes to Kyeongnam for lying about having a boyfriend. Kyeongnam also apologizes for burdening Mirae with his feelings, but asks if he can do what he pleases now that she’s officially single. From then on, Kyeongnam is noticeably nicer to Mirae. He holds the elevator so they can ride together, decorates the office Christmas tree for her, and tells her that he stays late on Friday nights to be with her even if Hwany already sent in his chapter.

Kyeongnam is revealed to be an artist himself, though he shares that his feelings for art changed and he doesn’t like it the way he used to. At this, Mirae remembers the pain of how Sejune’s feelings changed for her.

To clear her head, Mirae logs on to talk to Yeongil, who promises her that he will never change or hurt her. Still, Mirae tells Yeongil she can’t return his feelings.

Unprepared to open her heart to anyone, Mirae decides to reject Kyeongnam as well, telling him that a relationship will inevitably lead to a painful end, because his feelings will change. However, Kyeongnam tells Mirae that not all change is bad, as he had changed when he started liking her. They kiss and start dating.

Boyfriend on Demand Recap: Accusations

Meanwhile, Yun Song has started to lose her sparkle for The Man To Know and is in danger of not getting her contract renewed. She turns to “Boyfriend on Demand” for ideas, writing about her dates with her in-app boyfriend (played by Choi Siwon). Readers quickly catch on to the similarities of her story with the one in the app and accuse her of plagiarism.

Her scandal also brings judgment and scrutiny upon users of “Boyfriend on Demand.” Mirae is scared that Kyeongnam will find out that she used the app and tries to hide it from him. He eventually sees Yeongil’s postcard and virtual letter. Shocked by the character’s appearance, he enters the virtual world as Mirae and goes to meet Yeongil himself.

Fantasy or reality?

Things get awkward between Mirae and Kyeongnam, as Kyeongnam doesn’t quite know what to feel. Eventually, he and Hwany meet with Mr. Min, who tells them about Yeongil. He says that despite Yeongil’s initial popularity, the idea of a definite happy ending with the character has turned off some users, as real life love does not work that way. Kyeongnam realizes that Mirae still chose him over the perfect love story.

Though Mirae asks for Yeongil’s help to smooth things over with Kyeongnam, she is unable to leave her heart behind and eventually accepts the possibility of change. She ultimately parts ways with Yeongil, and faces an uncertain but happy future with Kyeongnam.

Source: Netflix PH Twitter/X, Netflix YouTube