Boyfriend on Demand

Presentation

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Overview

Synopsis

Seo Mi Rae works as a webtoon PD. Because of her busy schedule, she decides to start dating through a virtual program. In the real world, she has a work rival named Park Kyung Nam. Though he seems indifferent and a bit selfish, he also carries some secrets.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

I had such a great time watching Boyfriend on Demand! It was original, entertaining and way deeper than I thought it’d be. The concept of dating men through a virtual reality game sounds dangerous at first. This could isolate players even more and remove them from the actual reality to live their life in the game. It could also raise standards so high for women that real men turn out to be disappointing and bland. However, the drama also show positive aspects of the device. For Seo Mi Rae, it acts like a therapy on her previous relationships but also makes her open her eyes on her real feelings. So, not that bad in the end! Characters were nice and moving. I especially liked Park Kyung Nam. He’s so hard to read because of his pokerface. But he’s gentle and cute when you get to know him. Finally, I have a duty to talk about the amazing cameos in the drama. Each of them made me scream in front of my screen!

Analysis

• Boyfriend on Demand, the game
  A legit root cause
  Women-only
• Downsides of the game
  Isolation
  Higher standards
  Aggressive marketing
  Fake love
• Benefits of the game
  Comfort and security
  Personal therapy
  Your ideal type
• The end of the game?
• The romance
• The cameos

Boyfriend on Demand, the game: The concept of a virtual dating app is super compelling and well-developed in the drama. It screams realism, especially if you consider that this technology could exist in the future.

A legit root cause: The popularity of Boyfriend on Demand stems from one simple observation: finding a partner is difficult today. You go to blind dates, but don’t necessarily match. So, you move on to the next one, hoping that this person will meet your standards. We live in ‘consumer societies’, meaning that we have a set of criteria that need to be met before we buy our goods. This consumption frenzy has invaded the dating world as well. We swipe left or right based on a single pic or profile, we schedule our dates in agendas and go from on person to another, until we decide to settle for the ‘good’ that corresponds us best. Romance is dead, everything seems unnatural, yet you still feel the pressure and need to find the one. Dating apps don’t guarantee you success, they just act as an intermediary to provoke the encounter. With Boyfriend on Demand, users don’t have to endure the failure of a bad date, the discomfort of pushing someone away or the displeasure to spend time with someone at odds with your values. Romance is scripted, so you will never get disappointed. It’s easy to consume dates, but also to enjoy the scenarios and find one that lives up to your expectations. It makes the quest for the ‘perfect’ partner way more simple by removing all the obstacles and negative consequences of meeting a complete stranger.

Women-only: I found it quite interesting that the game is exclusively for women. I would argue that’s because women are considered more romantic (according to societal clichés) and scenarios are scripted in a very cheesy way (based on dramas/books). However, I think there’s also a deeper reason. In society, women tend to be judged more quickly than men when it comes to dating. If they date several men in a row, they are considered frivolous or unstable, while men don’t get attacked that easily. In a patriarchal and conservative society (like South Korea), men are more likely to be forgiven and their mistakes overlooked than women. Hence, the creation of the game: it gives women control and freedom over their life, but also provides safety and security. Nothing can happen to them because within the game, whereas you don’t know who you may end up with in real life. In the app, you can be whoever you want and do whatever you please without fear of being judged or criticized. You can date two men at the same time, kiss after the first date and give way to your imagination and desires without fear. For women, it’s a freedom that we don’t have in real life. Later on, the drama perfectly displays how fast people, especially men, are prone to judge when they discover that women use Boyfriend on Demand, emphasizing that this is ridiculous and shameful. This is a true depiction of our societies, but also confirms why the app is so beneficial.

Downsides of the game: The show does an excellent job at introducing a revolutionary dating app, while emphasizing its downsides and benefits at the same time. Let me start with the negative aspects.

Isolation: Isolation is one of the main issues associated with the game. Dating, and in general meeting people, is difficult in real life. It takes time, effort, and sometimes forces us to go out of our comfort zone. It trains our resilience, patience, tolerance and determination. Though it can be tiring at times, this is how societies have been working for hundreds of years. As Aristotle said it: ‘Human beings are social animals‘. The problem with Boyfriend on Demand is that it disconnects you from reality and doesn’t push you to make connections. You experience all kinds of cheesy scenarios straight out of books or movies which can make real life dull and bland. Ultimately, some women may prefer living their virtual romance in the game rather than spend time outside to find the one for them.

Higher standards: There’s an obvious second issue for me with this game: it raises women’s standards. It’s not a bad thing per se, and I’m not saying that women should settle for less than what they deserve. However, there’s a fine line between finding a partner who can provide you with all you need in real life and expecting to meet a top model, who’s wealthy, kind, devoted, and treats you like a princess. Fantasy men who only exist in the game aren’t real, but the game makes you believe that you can date them.

Aggressive marketing: I was quite surprised by how aggressive the game became when it wanted users to renew their subscription. Seo Mi Rae’s (Jisoo) dating manager (Yoo In Na) and Gu Yeong Il (Seo In Guk) try hard to convince the female lead to continue playing. The marketing strategy is no joke, giving you a one-month trial or making you play until you end up at the kiss before your 50 hours are spent with the scenario. It just pressurizes you to pay before it’s too late.

Fake love: Women also have to be cautious while playing Boyfriend on Demand. They need to understand that men’s feelings in the game are not true. These are characters programmed to love the players, meaning that they’re just pretending. At the end of the drama, Park Kyung Nam (Seo In Guk) has an in-depth conversation with his writer. He asks him how he would react if he knew his girlfriend was using Boyfriend on Demand. After a time, the writer answers that he would still love his woman because the love he gives her is real, not programmed. This is a realization for Kyung Nam. He understands that Seo Mi Rae loves him – the real one – and not Gu Yeong Il (his doppelgänger in the game). He’s also certain that he’s the only one who can provide her with actual love.

Benefits of the game: Despite all that, Boyfriend on Demand is not that bad and comes with certain advantages.

Comfort and security: If we take writer Yun Song (Gong Min Jung) as an example, she actively dates someone in the app. She’s got quite the temperament and is difficult to deal with, so a real boyfriend who can accommodate her temper is hard to find. However, she feels at ease, comforted and listened to in the game because her boyfriend doesn’t care about her mood swings. He’s supportive and gentle. She finds comfort and affection that she lacks in the real world.

Personal therapy: While playing the game, Seo Mi Rae goes through a personal therapy that allows her to close the wounds from her past relationship. In her scenario with Seo Eun Ho (Seo Kang Jun), she’s re-living her romance with her ex: their encounter at university, her audacious moves to conquer him, but also their painful breakup. In the game, Eun Ho is a good person who’s always on her side and would never do anything to hurt her. This is exactly what Mi Rae needed to do a self-introspection and realize the reasons why her relationship ended. She’s afraid of seeing the other person change and thus refuses to open her heart again. Later on, Gu Yeong Il serves as an adviser to Seo Mi Rae. He’s like her personal diary in which she can confide her issues. He’s the one who helps Seo Mi Rae patch things up with Park Kyung Nam when he discovers she’s been using the app. Yeong Il makes Mi Rae understand that her fear of change is unfounded because everybody is bound to change – even her. But change is not necessarily a bad thing. This is exactly the kind of comments Mi Rae needed to muster her courage and get Kyung Nam back. If the game had not existed, then Seo Mi Rae would’ve probably been stuck with her insecurities and struggled to find love again.

Your ideal type: The game allows you to customize your boyfriend by answering 2,000 personal questions. This helps the AI technology make the perfect man for you. When Seo Mi Rae does it, she ends up with a man who looks exactly like her colleague Park Kyung Nam. In my opinion, it’s fair to say that the answers she gave just described Park Kyung Nam – at least physically. That’s why, Yeong Il has the same face. Without realizing it, Seo Mi Rae wrote down her feelings for her work rival on paper. If she had not been in the game, she never would’ve known that she’s attracted to Kyung Nam. It makes me wonder if this could happen to other players too. The customized perfect man you describe in the questionnaire may exist in real life. In that case, the game acts as a support to help you find the one in the real world.

The end of the game? Seo Mi Rae’s best friend, Lee Ji Yeon (Ha Young), has had enough with real men. She’s dated so many and always ended up disappointed. When she subscribes to Boyfriend on Demand, she sees the app purely for what it is: a game. There are 900 scenarios and she’s hell-bent on completing all of them in a record time. This puts the game at risk because she consumes her dates way too fast, meaning that she won’t pay for a long-term subscription. If other people start doing the same, the returns will drastically change. As an expert, Ji Yeon also created a blog in which she gives advice on how to date. She emphasizes that this is not the real world, so women should be bold and do whatever they want. In any case, men won’t judge or be mean, because they were made for them. At the end of the drama, commercial Min Jun Young (Lee Hak Joo) asks Ji Yeon to collaborate on the dating app and use her experience to upgrade the game. Little did he know that he would fall for her. Again here, the app has precipitated a real-life encounter. Though it’s not confirmed yet, it may be the end of the game for Ji Yeon if she decides to date Jun Young.

The romance: Seo Mi Rae and Park Kyung Nam perfectly embody the enemies-to-lovers trope. They really don’t get along at the beginning. Seo Mi Rae is always mad at her colleague for being excellent at work. He’s also quite hard to read, so she persuades herself that he hates her for no reason. Reversely, Kyung Nam feels the same towards Mi Rae. He doesn’t understand why she’d dislike him because he’s never said or done anything to her. Turns out that he has a crush on her and struggles to approach her, so he started to include her in his routine as a way to get closer to her. He stayed late at work on Friday nights, took the elevator with her, brought her coffee etc… Thanks to the app, Seo Mi Rae’s view on men starts to change, when Park Kyung Nam confesses his love to her abruptly. She’s taken aback at first, but then slowly starts to see him under a different light. She pushes him away at first because of Gu Yeong Il, his clone in the game. But when she finally gives him a chance, their romance blooms beautifully. They are so cute together, a perfect match. They go through the ups and downs of finding the truth about the app, but the male lead realizes that if Seo Mi Rae’s customized man resembles him then this means he’s her perfect match.

The cameos: I will never shut up about the number of references and cameos we have in this drama. First of all, we had so many links with the Netflix reality show Single’s Inferno like former contestants Park Hae Lin and Choi Seo Eun, the beach scene with the flags or the actual pool scene with Dex on TV. When it comes to cameos, we were blessed with so many amazing actors and idols like Seo Kang Jun, Lee Soo Hyuk, Ong Seong Wu, Lee Sang Yi, Kim Young Dae, Jae Park, Lee Hyun Wook, Tarzan, Choi Si Won, Lee Jae Wook, Nam Woo Hyun, Hong Seok, Mun Jin Sung, Ahn Se Min and Lim Ji Sub to name them all.