A K-Pop Icon Begins an Unconventional Virtual Reality Rom-Com in New 'Boyfriend on Demand' Image [Exclusive]

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Published Feb 26, 2026, 5:01 PM EST

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

Valentine's Day may be past, but love is about to be in the air nonetheless with Netflix's South Korean rom-com, Boyfriend on Demand. Coming off a strong 2025 that included megahits When Life Gives You Tangerines and Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, the streamer looks to keep building on its massive K-drama slate with the creative and much-anticipated new series coming this March. It's the latest role for BLACKPINK superstar Jisoo, who plays a burnt-out webtoon producer who escapes into the fantasy of the titular subscription-based virtual dating simulation program. As she spends more time experiencing the idyllic romance of her supposedly ideal matches, though, her digital and professional lives slowly begin blending together.

Ahead of the premiere, we're excited to include Boyfriend on Demand as part of Collider's Exclusive Preview series for upcoming spring television and film titles and share a new image highlighting the romantic journey of Jisoo's Seo Mi-rae as she gazes in amazement at the dream dates in front of her. Viewers will spend plenty of time both in the virtual boyfriend fantasies Mi-rae inhabits, from fairy-tale love stories to a whirlwind relationship with a charming celebrity, or a first love in school, and in her exhausting real office life, experiencing the gaps between the perfectly constructed virtual reality and the imperfections outside it all. Each situation plunges her into a new, very different type of rom-com scenario, ending in a delightful haze. However, her algorithmically-ideal fantasy dates are soon challenged as her bond with Park Kyeong-nam (Seo In-guk), her producer rival turned new "overtime work buddy," quietly simmers. The more slow-burning, grounded connection makes her question what her "perfect match" really is and if it can truly be simulated.

Beyond promising a comedic and charming little love story, Boyfriend on Demand is also primed to address some ever-relevant issues like burnout and virtual reality or AI companions. It also boasts a star-studded roster of South Korean talent playing Mi-rae's virtual boyfriends and other people in her world. Yoo In-na, who previously shared the screen with Jisoo in the controversial Snowdrop, plays the Boyfriend on Demand service's dating manager, with Seo Kang-jun, Lee Soo-hyuk, Ong Seong-wu, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Hyun-wook, Jay Park, Kim Young-dae, and Lee Sang-yi among the stars lined up to make special appearances in Mi-rae's dates.

'Boyfriend on Demand' Is Many Rom-Coms in One Package

Namgung Do-young penned Boyfriend on Demand, while Kim Jung-sik went behind the camera. Kim, in particular, has been a part of several K-drama success stories of late, previously working as a director on No Gain, No Love and Strong Girl Nam-soon. In an official statement for Netflix, he highlighted the variety of his latest job as a big reason why he came aboard, saying, "One of the most appealing points of Boyfriend on Demand is that the main character experiences different romantic relationships with various individuals, in diverse settings and universes, all within a single series. As such, viewers can enjoy a wide spectrum of romantic comedies." The virtual dates let him play with that variety, adding some small changes to how Mi-rae that not only make her better fit the scenarios, but he thinks bring out the best in the multi-talented Jisoo:

"I focused most on portraying the many charms Jisoo has in the most versatile way possible. To do this, I used different occupations and added subtle variations to her character in the virtual world so that her acting style would feel distinct from Mi-rae in reality."

Boyfriend on Demand premieres on March 6 on Netflix. Check out our exclusive image above and stay tuned here at Collider for more sneak peeks from our spring preview series throughout the week.