MAENG SENA & DO RAIK — IDOL I (EP.08)

— IDOL I (EP.08)

THE MANY DISGUISES OF KIM DO GI (SEASONS 1-3) aka: The Almost Acting Student Turned Elite Soldier Turned Taxi Driver Who Moonlights As An Undercover Spy Slash Hitman In A Revenge Vigilante Company Under The Guise Of A Crime Victims Support Organisation And A Taxi Company [original] [insp]

@kdramaspace + @userdramas 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW ✧ year end gala ↳ favourite costumes, most fashionable character(s) or celeb(s) of 2025

All Too Well (10 Minute Version) by Taylor Swift (2021)

To My Beloved Thief ‧ 은애하는 도적님아 ‧ 2026 Episode 1 – dir. Ham Young Geol

The problem in both Idol I and Lovely Runner is how to make a romance between a superfan and the object of her fandom not feel incredibly uncomfortable and both shows do it very well. Even without the pre-fame meetings and rescues, the shows clearly establish the motivations of the female leads as initial platonic and righteous. Im Sol doesn't want to save Sun-jae because she wants to date him, she just wants him to be alive. She doesn't consider him as a romantic prospect at all until she learns that he had a crush on her as a teenager. Similarly, while Se-na took on Ra-ik's case because of her love of him as an idol, she stayed with him due to her own lifelong pursuit of justice for the wrongly accused. We are shown that she finds being close to him somewhat painful, in a "never meet your heroes" kind of way. And, just like Im Sol, Se-na does not consider him as a romantic prospect but as a client (she is the one more stringent in maintaining that barrier). While Idol I is more serious and exploring more of the problems with fandom and the industry, I think they do both emphasize that it's okay to be a fan and find happiness in admiring celebrities/fandom, but that there is a healthy line that unfortunately can be crossed.

I'm excited to see more from Idol I about how how the industry itself almost encourages people to cross that line. The idea of idols as perfect packages that must never be opened.

first look at IU and byeon woo seok in 'wife of 21st century prince'

@kdramaspace + @userdramas 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW  ii. Masterclass in Acting | best actor(s), favorite character(s) of 2025

— IDOL I (EP.04)

Idol I (아이돌아이) Episode 2 | insp

— Idol I (2025)

Now that we won't run into each other anymore, how about we meet on purpose for a change?

Chang Ryul as Ju Do Hyeon ☕ LOVE ME (2025)

IDOL I / 아이돌아이 (2025) | Season 1, Episode 1 | Kim Jae-young as Do Ra-ik

Violent Fans: Ra-ik is pulled and thrown to the ground by a "fan". Entitlement: A fan grows upset and demands to be given his phone number, ending in throwing a paper at him, causing an injury. Mobbing: Intense, often harassing, group behaviors by obsessive fans. Clipping: Refers to fans cutting up long videos into short,clips, in this context, to portay him in a bad light, putting actions and thoughts into him. Sasaengs: Obsessive fans, particularly within the K-pop industry, who engage in stalking and other behaviors that severely violate the privacy of idols, actors, and other public figures.

From two episodes so far, Do Ra-ik seems to display many real and raw mental health issues related to his life as an idol: High-functioning depression , identity disturbance (or loss of identity), clearly anxiety and panic attack, abuse of stupefied substances like alcohol , dissociation and hallucinations (flashbacks and auditory memories ).

Dynamite Kiss ‧ 키스는 괜히 해서! ‧ 2025 dir. Kim Jae Hyun – Ep. 8