Idol I K-Drama Review: A Promising Murder Mystery Overshadowed By Poor Choices and a Fan Fic Romance

A clever idea weighed down by a fan-fic romance, underdeveloped characters, and a murder solved by convenience instead of storytelling.

Drama Name: 아이돌아이 (Idol Kid)

Where To Watch: Viki, Prime Video ← *Click for direct link*

Average Rating: 8.1/10 (Mydramalist)

My Rating: 6.0/10

One Sentence Description: A drama with an interesting setup, a forgettable romance, and a finale that reminds you how badly thrillers suffer when watered down.

Trailer:

Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

CONTENT WARNING:I hope you’ve already seen this show and know what the deal is. But in case you don’t, I felt like I should add in a little warning. This show has slight mentions of Suicide. And since this is a review, I do also talk about this (in relation to the show only). Please be aware of that before you continue and be mindful of it. Stay safe ❤️

Simple Description

Idol I follows a K‑pop idol accused of murdering his bandmate and a determined lawyer who happens to be his biggest fan. Despite how guilty the idol looks, she becomes obsessed with proving his innocence. But as more clues and evidence pile up against him, she has to decide if the idol she’s known since the beginning is really as innocent as he claims.

⚠️Length Note: This post includes a detailed (and long) story breakdown. Want to skip straight to the review? Jump to the Review

The drama opens with our female lead, defense attorney Maeng Se Na, dreaming. In her dream, she meets her favourite idol and tells him she wants to make him happy. By day, Se Na is a sharp, composed, brilliant lawyer. By night, she’s a full‑time stan of the boy group Golden Boys — especially their lead vocalist, Do Ra Ik.

That morning, Se Na wins a case clearing her client of blackmail and assault, despite the public being firmly against him. We learn she has a habit of defending people the world hates, and she couldn’t care less about public opinion. Back at the office, her colleagues gush about how she’ll probably be named partner soon. They try to celebrate her win, but she slips out quietly. Se Na heads straight home to listen to Ra Ik’s new solo single. She listens to it in the car, goes full stan mode, and likes every tweet, post, and article praising the song. Later, her friend Chun Jae snaps her out of her work trance and drags her to eat.

The next day, we see the real Ra Ik — the version fans never see. He arrives at his solo performance complaining about wardrobe issues, makeup problems, and everything in between. He threatens to walk out, but after the manager literally gets on his knees and begs, Ra Ik reluctantly agrees to perform. Meanwhile, Se Na grows antsy in the middle of a court hearing because she has a fan meeting to attend. She urges the judge to make a decision and bolts the second she’s dismissed. In her rush, she bumps into lawyer Kwak Byeong Kyun and spills his coffee. While he waits for her to return from the bathroom, her outfit change gives her the perfect chance to slip away unnoticed.

At the fan meeting, Ra Ik encounters a deranged fan demanding to know why he keeps changing his phone number and what his new one is. He has a panic attack and rushes to the bathroom. Se Na finally arrives, only to realize she missed the entire event. That night, Ra Ik looks through old photos with his ex, who secretly attended the fan meeting from afar. While drinking, he calls out two obsessed fans who broke into his apartment and hid inside. He drunkenly lashes out at them before security escorts them out — but they recorded everything, and a massive controversy erupts.

The next morning, the agency’s CEO scolds Ra Ik for making things worse. Ra Ik fires back, calling the CEO greedy and insisting he’s the real victim. The CEO tells him that because of the scandal, his song dropped to tenth place and that he lost the right to privacy and humanity the day he chose to become an idol. His image must remain flawless because that’s what people pay for. Meanwhile, Se Na tries to buy tickets for Ra Ik’s upcoming concert, only to find it sold out instantly. She contacts a scalper who agrees to help her.

The day of the concert arrives, and Ra Ik shows up late after stopping to see a therapist. The rest of Golden Boys wait anxiously while Se Na meets with the scalper and immediately threatens legal action. The scalper panics and bolts, so Se Na and Chun Jae sprint after him. Ra Ik arrives at the venue but is quickly recognised, forcing staff to rush him inside. Se Na spots the scalper, rips off his mask, and suddenly finds herself face‑to‑face with the idol she’s been obsessed with for years. He pulls her close to hide, while Se Na is frozen in full fangirl shock. He runs off again and meets his bandmates, who immediately scold him for being late. Tensions flare, and Ra Ik gets into a physical fight with member Jae Hee. Young Bin, another member, steps in and ends up fracturing his arm. He and Jae Hee head to the hospital while Ra Ik is forced to stay behind and perform his solo.

Back home, Se Na watches the concert replay, still reeling from her unexpected encounter with Ra Ik. Later, she learns about Young Bin’s injury and sees thousands of comments accusing Ra Ik of mistreating Jae Hee. Without hesitation, Se Na jumps in to defend him online. After the concert, Ra Ik meets with Woo Seong, the last Golden Boys member, and they talk through everything that’s happened. Ra Ik assures him he has no plans to leave the group, and the night ends on a hopeful note.

The next morning, however, is a nightmare. Ra Ik wakes up to find Woo Seong dead on his living room floor, lying in a pool of blood.

Ra Ik is arrested immediately, and the news spreads like wildfire. Se Na finds out and rushes to the police station. She introduces herself and explains that she works at the law firm that usually handles his agency’s legal matters. She asks Ra Ik about the murder. Unstable and overwhelmed, Ra Ik lashes out at her and the interrogation. When she pushes further, he breaks — ranting about obsessive fans who threatened him. Se Na leaves the room shaken by his anger and swearing. Outside, she runs into her colleague, who accuses her of trying to steal his client. He tells her to back off, and she does.

As Se Na leaves, she recalls being relentlessly bullied in high school. Wanting to end her life, she once walked to a river to drown. Right before she jumped, she heard young Ra Ik singing and it gave her the courage to live. She eventually dropped out of school, got her GED, and studied nonstop to become a lawyer. Years later, she learned Ra Ik debuted, and she’s been a fan ever since. Back in the present, Se Na doesn’t know what to think. She doesn’t know who Ra Ik truly is outside of the idol persona. Meanwhile, detectives urge him to take a plea deal before prosecution moves forward. He refuses.

The next day, Se Na confronts Ra Ik’s attorney about his poor performance, but he admits he’s terrified of being blacklisted. The prosecutor is Kwak Byeong Kyun, heir to a powerful family of prosecutors with deep connections. Se Na is stunned and heads straight to see Ra Ik.

She asks him one final time if he killed Woo Seong. He firmly says he didn’t. Remembering Ra Ik’s notoriously terrible acting skills, Se Na believes him. Meanwhile, Ra Ik’s agency terminates his contract and cuts off all financial support. The prosecution files the case, the agency announces his removal, and every other defense lawyer refuses to take him on. With no one left, Ra Ik finally agrees to let Se Na represent him.

Se Na heads to Ra Ik’s apartment to inspect the crime scene and immediately bumps into Byeong Kyun. They discuss how Ra Ik was the only person officially present when Woo Seong died, and Byeong Kyun insists there’s no way to prove Ra Ik’s innocence. While he talks, Se Na suddenly realizes he’s the same person who relentlessly bullied her in high school. She leaves without another word and heads straight back to the law firm. Determined, she dives into the case and recruits junior lawyer Ye Sol — who also happens to be a fan.

Chun Jae finally tracks down the two sasaengs and brings them to Se Na for questioning. They admit they followed Ra Ik home, avoided CCTV cameras, used the stairwell, and hid while trying to figure out his door passcode. They returned the next day and swear it was “out of love,” but Se Na reminds them it’s not love — it’s obsession. The following day, Ra Ik attends his first court hearing. Before it begins, he quietly tells Se Na he has no memory of the night Woo Seong died and fears he may have hurt his friend without realizing it.

During the hearing, Se Na presents the sasaeng intrusion, arguing that if they got in, anyone could’ve entered the apartment and committed the murder. She also points out that the prosecution still doesn’t have a weapon. Byeong Kyun claims the weapon details are still under investigation, but Se Na is ready for him. She highlights that Ra Ik was asked what he was “looking for” in his own apartment — something he wouldn’t need to do since he lives there. Her point? The real culprit must’ve been unfamiliar with the apartment and was searching around. With Byeong Kyun unable to counter her logic, the court allows Ra Ik to be released and return home until more concrete evidence is found.

That night, Ra Ik has nowhere to go. He sits alone in a park, gets drunk, and thinks back to their pre‑debut days. Eventually he passes out, and Se Na — who’s been following him — takes him home. Chun Jae ends up carrying him inside and warns Se Na not to get too involved with a man who might be a killer. She insists it’s just professional commitment, and he leaves.

The next morning, Ra Ik wakes up panicked and leaves without saying a word. Meanwhile, Byeong Kyun and the detective visit the forensic expert, who confirms Woo Seong had no defensive wounds — meaning he must’ve known the attacker. The expert also reveals the murder was committed with a single, clean swipe of the knife. Byeong Kyun hesitates; he’s not convinced Ra Ik was sober or stable enough to deliver such a precise blow.

Later, Se Na heads to Goldi Entertainment and finds a crowd of furious fans demanding Ra Ik’s head. She meets with the CEO, who claims terminating Ra Ik’s contract was a shareholder decision. He also reveals he spoke to Woo Seong the night he died. As they talk, Jae Hee and Young Bin — the remaining Golden Boys members — join them. Se Na asks about their fight with Ra Ik before the solo concert. Jae Hee, fully convinced Ra Ik is guilty, shows her a video of Ra Ik and Woo Seong arguing, with Ra Ik appearing aggressive.

Se Na eventually meets Ra Ik’s mother, who immediately reveals herself as… not great. She calls Ra Ik ungrateful, admits she publicly spoke about his involvement in the murder, and then demands a cut of Se Na’s legal fees in exchange for her silence. Greedy doesn’t even begin to cover it. Se Na feels awful for Ra Ik, realizing how truly alone he is, and threatens to sue and file criminal charges if his mother continues talking to the media.

Meanwhile, Ra Ik is beaten by a group of high school boys who steal his shoes. Se Na spots the boys wearing them and tracks Ra Ik down in an alley, where he’s mentally spiraling.

At the police station, the detective reviews CCTV footage showing Ra Ik leaving a convenience store late at night and believes this proves his guilt. That night, Ra Ik decides to stay at Se Na’s place until the case ends and Se Na lets him.

A few days later, Se Na and Ra Ik meet Byeong Kyun at his office. He confronts Ra Ik with the convenience store footage, pointing out that Ra Ik arrived home 40 minutes later and demands to know what happened during that time. Ra Ik pretends he doesn’t remember, and they leave. Se Na immediately calls him out for lying but they’re interrupted by Hye Joo, Ra Ik’s ex. Meanwhile the detective working on the case tells Byeong Kyun that the person Ra Ik met during those missing 40 minutes was Hye Joo.

With paparazzi nearby, Se Na drives Ra Ik and Hye Joo to a secluded spot so they can talk. Ra Ik confronts Hye Joo about suddenly showing up again and is furious. Hye Joo reveals that on the night of the murder, Jae Hee was outside Ra Ik’s apartment — even though he was supposed to be at the hospital with Young Bin. Ra Ik immediately heads out to find Jae Hee, asking Se Na to take Hye Joo home. Se Na is frustrated he’s still keeping secrets but ultimately does what he asks.

Se Na has Chun Jae track down dashcam footage from a taxi that passed Ra Ik and Hye Joo that night. Meanwhile, Jae Hee tells Young Bin he wants his contract terminated. Ra Ik shows up at the dorms and demands to know where Jae Hee was the night of the murder. Jae Hee insists he was at the hospital, and Young Bin backs him up. So who’s lying?

When a news article drops about Ra Ik and Hye Joo, Ra Ik calls Se Na and asks her to handle the situation — insisting Hye Joo needs protection from the public. Later, Se Na confronts Ra Ik again about all the secrets he’s keeping. He finally admits that Hye Joo wants to get back together and that she saw Jae Hee outside his apartment.

Hye Joo is eventually questioned and tells Byeong Kyun about Jae Hee. Byeong Kyun is reprimanded — Hye Joo comes from an extremely influential family. Soon after, the detective informs him that Jae Hee was not at the hospital like he claimed. Byeong Kyun uses this as an excuse to investigate Jae Hee as Ra Ik’s accomplice… instead of clearing Ra Ik.

Time passes, and Se Na and Ra Ik visit Young Bin, who finally confesses he lied about Jae Hee’s whereabouts to protect him. It devastates Ra Ik — why does it feel like everyone’s against him? We also learn that Hye Joo broke up with Ra Ik for her family’s sake and made sure to end things cruelly, leaving him emotionally wrecked.

Eventually, a cross‑interrogation between Jae Hee and Ra Ik is requested, and they meet at the prosecution office. Jae Hee reveals that Ra Ik was planning to leave Goldi Entertainment and Golden Boys. Byeong Kyun then drops a bomb: Ra Ik’s agency has been paying Ra Ik’s mother large sums so that she wouldn’t sign her son elsewhere. Ra Ik immediately confronts his mother, accusing her of extorting Goldi Entertainment by threatening to sign him elsewhere. She doesn’t care. Instead, she tells Se Na to drop the case. Now Se Na and Ra Ik must prove he had no knowledge of the money transfer.

They visit the CEO of the other agency, who agrees to testify in court. Later, Se Na meets with her boss, and they reflect on her father. She remembers visiting him in prison before his death — and how hurt he looked when she doubted his innocence. The memory lingers. Meanwhile, Ra Ik tries to get to know Se Na, but because she’s hiding her stan obsession, she comes off painfully boring.

The next morning, that façade crumbles. Ra Ik accidentally discovers Se Na’s entire Golden Boys merch collection. Meanwhile, Se Na meets with the lawyer in charge of Goldi Entertainment’s contracts and learns that Woo Seong was the one who first approached the agency about renegotiating Ra Ik’s contract. Soon after, Se Na returns home and realises she’s been caught. Ra Ik sits surrounded by her merch, furious. She admits she’s a fan but can’t convince him she didn’t take the case because of it. He’s grateful she’s a fan, but hurt — convinced she wouldn’t have believed in him if she weren’t. Ra Ik leaves, and Se Na breaks down crying. Ra Ik returns to the dorms and learns both Young Bin and Jae Hee have left the company.

The next morning, Se Na rushes to the prosecutor’s office after hearing Ra Ik is being interrogated. Afterward, Ra Ik refuses to trust her and fires her as his lawyer. Se Na goes home and throws all her merch away. Meanwhile, Jae Hee has been missing for hours, and Byeong Kyun suspects he may have run away. Hye Joo arranges a new attorney for Ra Ik, hoping to rekindle their relationship, but he turns her down. Before he leaves, she asks if he has feelings for Se Na — he doesn’t answer.

The next day, Chun Jae tries to confess his feelings to Se Na, but she warns him not to cross that line. In a flashback, we learn they were both orphans who lost their parents young and grew close. He became a delinquent constantly getting arrested, and she always represented him. Eventually, she let him move into her basement, and he turned his life around.

That night, Se Na gets drunk — and this time, Ra Ik follows her. She heads home and passes out while Jae Hee repeatedly tries calling her. Meanwhile, Hye Joo’s father visits her and demands she go to the States to prevent her from contacting Ra Ik. She breaks down, crying that he ruined her life and that she’s never been good enough in his eyes.

The next morning, the police discover a derailed car and Se Na learns it belongs to Jae Hee. In a flashback, we see Ra Ik rushing to the hospital, where doctors tell him Jae Hee is in critical condition. Ra Ik insists someone tried to kill him, but the CEO, who’s also there, informs him the police found a suicide note. Back in the present, Se Na meets with the detective because she was one of three people Jae Hee contacted before the accident. During the interrogation, Se Na plays the voice message Jae Hee sent her: he’s panicked, saying he tried calling Woo Seong before the murder. Woo Seong’s phone was ringing in the garden of Ra Ik’s apartment complex, and Jae Hee followed the sound. The message ends with a knock on Jae Hee’s window. The detective then reveals Jae Hee’s suicide note confesses to Woo Seong’s murder.

Se Na wants to investigate further, but Chun Jae urges her to let it go — reminding her she’s no longer Ra Ik’s lawyer. That night, Ra Ik shows up at her doorstep in the rain. The next morning, Se Na tells him the case will soon be closed with Jae Hee’s confession, but Ra Ik insists he was framed. They begin digging. At the accident site, they conclude Jae Hee’s “suicide” doesn’t align with where the car was found.

Meanwhile, Byeong Kyun reviews Jae Hee’s toxicology report and discovers he consumed a drug not available locally. He calls the detective to investigate. Se Na and Ra Ik continue their own investigation and discover Jae Hee argued with someone that night — someone he referred to as “CEO.” They immediately confront Goldi Entertainment’s CEO.

The CEO reveals that Woo Seong was upset Ra Ik got to release a solo album while Golden Boys kept waiting for their comeback. When a rival CEO learned their comeback was delayed again, he approached Woo Seong, urging him to leave Goldi Entertainment and bring Jae Hee and Young Bin with him. Conflicted, Woo Seong returned to the dorm and found the members anxious to release new music. Seeing how overworked Ra Ik was because of his fame, Woo Seong decided to meet with the rival CEO and discuss moving the group.

Unbeknownst to him, the rival CEO recorded the entire conversation and used it to manipulate Ra Ik’s mother into signing contract papers. On the night of Woo Seong’s murder, Jae Hee told him he found out about the new contract. Woo Seong tried to calm him down and fix things, but the rival CEO continued to manipulate him. Later, Goldi’s CEO called Woo Seong and blamed him for ruining Ra Ik’s career, threatening him over it.

Back in the present, the CEO regrets their last conversation and urges Ra Ik to come clean about the murder. Ra Ik denies killing Woo Seong and leaves with Se Na.

The next day, Ra Ik agrees to meet Hye Joo one last time before she leaves for the States. They talk about their past relationship, and she urges him to run away with her. Ra Ik refuses — he won’t abandon everything, even if staying hurts. They part ways for good.

Meanwhile, Byeong Kyun remembers speaking with the pharmacist who handled Jae Hee’s toxicology test. The pharmacist confirmed that with the drug Jae Hee consumed, it would’ve been impossible for him to drive that far. Byeong Kyun has the report sent to the detective. Meanwhile, Se Na and Ra Ik spend the day together, growing closer. They end their night sitting by the Han River, where Ra Ik finally confesses his feelings. They head home afterward, unable to sleep — while a dark figure lurks outside the house.

The next morning, the mystery figure is revealed to be a reporter. An article exposing Ra Ik and Se Na living together goes viral. The same reporter even outs Se Na’s father as a killer. With the chaos exploding online, Se Na and Ra Ik escape to a mountainside cabin. There, Se Na admits she became a lawyer to prove her father’s innocence but has been too afraid to reopen the case — terrified of becoming “the murderer’s daughter” again. Ra Ik comforts her, and night falls.

Things heat up as Se Na admits her feelings, and they end up making out — only to be interrupted by a call from her boss. Ra Ik has been indicted. It’s clearly Byeong Kyun rushing the trial out of desperation.

They return to the firm immediately and go over the evidence. They listen to Woo Seong’s final call with the CEO and hear the door lock pinging in the background — someone else entered the apartment. They also examine an image of an earring left at the crime scene. They rush to Ra Ik’s apartment, and he realizes who came inside that night.

Meanwhile, Jae Hee wakes from his coma. The first thing he says is Hye Joo’s name. At the same time, Ra Ik tells Se Na that when he saw the crime scene photos, he knew it was Hye Joo — they had matching earrings, and both his earrings were locked in his safe.

Jae Hee meets with Byeong Kyun and explains what happened the night of his accident. He met with Hye Joo to discuss the case, and she accidentally revealed she knew he went to Ra Ik’s apartment that night. But he never told anyone he went there. When he tried to leave, she gave him a coffee that was drugged, and he passed out. Despite everything pointing to Hye Joo, Byeong Kyun hesitates. After a lifetime of pressure from his father to charge Ra Ik at all costs, he’s torn.

Se Na meets with him and hands over all the evidence she’s gathered. Knowing he knows the truth, she warns him about the dark path he’s walking. She asks if he’s really okay with ruining an innocent person’s life. He remembers how his father handled Se Na’s father’s case — and after a long moment, he calls the lead detective.

The police manage to catch Hye Joo before she boards her flight and begin questioning her. She refuses to admit anything, so Ra Ik decides their next best bet is Woo Seong’s iCloud — because Woo Seong was known to record everything. Convenient, but we’ll take it. Se Na uses her fangirl knowledge to crack the password. Apparently, in different versions of Golden Boys’ songs, Woo Seong used Morse code to send hidden messages to fans or tease album titles. They listen to the latest track, decode the message, and get the password. Inside, they find exactly what they need: Woo Seong recorded the entire conversation from the night he died.

The truth finally comes out.

Woo Seong had been on the phone with the CEO when he heard the door. He quickly set his phone to record before Hye Joo burst in, demanding to speak with Ra Ik. He refused — Ra Ik was asleep, and their relationship was over. Hye Joo snapped. She grabbed a kitchen knife and threatened to kill herself if Ra Ik didn’t take her back. Woo Seong tried to take the knife from her, and in the struggle, he was accidentally stabbed. Hye Joo panicked and fled. Since then, she had been trying to frame Jae Hee.

Hye Joo is arrested and sent to jail. Ra Ik visits her, where he learns she’s been struggling with severe mental health issues and never recovered from their breakup. She admits she hoped he’d never move on and never forget her. Ra Ik tells her that isn’t real love and walks away.

Later, Byeong Kyun thanks Se Na for helping him make the right decision and hopes the truth about her father’s case comes out too.

A year passes. Hye Joo’s trial ends, and she’s sent to a psychiatric hospital. Byeong Kyun transfers to an office closer to his mother. Chun Jae moves out of Se Na’s basement and starts his own agency. Se Na works tirelessly on a retrial for her father, while Ra Ik goes on a world tour with Golden Boys.

Se Na heads to court and finds all her friends — and Byeong Kyun — there to support her. After her press conference, Ra Ik appears to congratulate her. And since she cleared his name, the fans adore her too. Even the two sasaengs do a complete 180 and give them privacy. That night, Se Na and Ra Ik spend the night together, and for once, everything feels right.

The drama ends with Se Na returning to her fangirl ways, supporting Golden Boys even with Ra Ik sitting right beside her. She manages to get tickets to their first comeback and invites her online fangirl bestie — who turns out to be Ye Sol, the junior lawyer who helped with Ra Ik’s case. The final scene shows Golden Boys performing while Se Na narrates that she’ll live her life to the fullest.

The End.

The Review

The Good

A Clever-ish Premise

Like I said in Night Has Come (review here!) and Extracurricular (review here!), whenever I have nothing good to say, I usually fall back on the acting, the scenery, or the length. But this time? None of those apply loll. The acting was solid, but not standout enough to earn its own section. So I’m adding a new positive: the storyline.

This premise was actually clever. A K‑pop idol accused of murdering his bandmate, with no memory to defend himself? That’s interesting. It gave me One Ordinary Day (Description here!) vibes — just with romance sprinkled in (and nowhere near as well executed). I love thrillers where all signs point to the main character and only one person is willing to defend them. If the drama had leaned into this angle more, it could’ve been a genuinely gripping watch.

K-Pop Fans, Wake Up! (Said With Love)

I love when dramas serve a little reality check to obsessive, blind fans who confuse obsession with love. Watching Ra Ik deal with the anxiety and fear caused by sasaengs was done really well because it showed just how far some people are willing to go. It’s always mind-blowing to see the lengths sasaengs will go to, especially when you remember that this isn’t just something that happens in dramas. I mentioned this in my Love to Hate You review (here!), but let me rehash it: These idols are not your oppa. They’re real people who deserve privacy.

I know it’s easy to convince yourself that you “just love them,” but there’s a difference between being a fan and becoming so obsessed with someone that you feel entitled to their time, attention, and personal life. That’s not love. That’s a major invasion of privacy. What’s especially heartbreaking is how some people try to justify it by saying, “They’re idols. They signed up for this.” No, they didn’t. Nobody signs up to be stalked. I think it’s so important to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what it would feel like if a complete stranger broke into your house and refused to leave you alone. Suddenly, it doesn’t sound so fun anymore, does it?

If you’re someone out there who follows your idols around, stalks them, tries to find their phone number, or pays people for their private schedules, I genuinely can’t stress this enough: That. Is. Not. Love.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Social Media Trial

Kind of piggybacking off that, I think it’s crazy how quickly people do a complete 180 the second a scandal breaks out about an actor or idol. Seeing how quickly people were demanding that Ra Ik be sent to his death before the investigation had even finished was very telling of how easily public opinion can turn against someone. It reminds me of a real-life case involving an actor who was accused of serious wrongdoing, dragged for months only for later developments in the investigation to challenge those accusations and raise concerns about the use of deepfakes and AI. In the end he was innocent but people still label him as wrong. It’s a reminder of why I think people need to be a little more patient and neutral until the facts are established. Once someone’s reputation is destroyed, there’s no guarantee they’ll ever get it back. And I bet if Idol I had continued exploring this, Ra Ik would’ve been stuck with the “murderer” label forever, regardless of what the truth turned out to be.

I once read a comment saying that haters love when a scandal breaks out because, regardless of the truth, they’ll use it as an opportunity to bring someone down. And honestly, that’s a pretty sad thing to witness. I’ve also seen people argue that the police can’t be trusted, but social media isn’t exactly a reliable source of truth either. Rumors can spread like wildfire, and sometimes a handful of people can keep pushing claims that damage someone’s reputation long after those claims have been questioned. Once someone is caught lying, it naturally raises doubts about the rest of their story, too. So I have to ask: What would actually be enough to make you believe someone was innocent? If you don’t trust the police or the investigation, then what would convince you? Would Woo Seong have to come back from the dead and tell everyone the truth himself? Be for real. 😭

This also reminds me of Why Her? (review here!) and how, even after a character is proven innocent (vague to avoid spoilers), he still has to change his name and start an entirely new life because people refuse to believe the truth. It’s just horrible. People who have actually committed crimes and are trying to turn their lives around already have a difficult enough time rebuilding their lives. I can’t imagine how much harder it must be for someone who was innocent all along but still has to escape the label society slapped on them.

Regardless, I’m glad Idol I took the time to dig into the real horrors of sasaeng culture and show just how far obsessive fans and malicious haters can go to ruin someone’s life. Because sometimes, the people who claim to love an idol the most can end up being the ones who hurt them the most.

The Bad

A Fanfic That Made It to the Screen

I think my biggest issue with this drama is that it feels like nothing more than a fanfic written for fans who wish they could date their idols. If you’ve ever read a fanfic, you know how this usually goes: the relationship and romance come first, while the actual story gets pushed into the background and left underdeveloped, serving as little more than a way to bring the leads closer together. And that’s exactly what happened here.

The murder storyline was clever, like I mentioned above, but because the romance was clearly the main focus, it got pushed to the back. It never felt like the drama was carefully unfolding clues or building toward a reveal. Instead, it felt like the writers sprinkled in just enough plot to justify the romance. And the fact that the entire murder gets solved by a super convenient audio recording? That tells you everything you need to know about how much effort they put into the mystery. 

It reminded me of Hierarchy (review here!), where the main character gets handed every piece of evidence he needs like the universe is his personal assistant. It was just as pathetic. 

It seems like dramas really struggle to balance romance with serious subject matter without letting the serious topic suffer. We see this with mental health/insecurity dramas like It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (review here!), Doctor Slump (review here!), True Beauty (review here!), and Love Untangled (review here!), where the real issues sometimes get pushed aside or used primarily to bring the leads together. And in this case, they used a murder. Poor Woo Seong really had to die just to get the main characters together. 😭

Murder Mystery? What Murder Mystery?

Continuing from the point above, the murder mystery was handed to us like the server was working a 12-hour shift and couldn’t be bothered anymore: sloppy, rushed, and a little rude. I can’t believe this drama introduced such an interesting storyline, gave Ra Ik some amazing acting moments, and then basically left the whole thing hanging. Almost everyone made one poor decision after another, and it genuinely felt like Se Na was the only person who wanted to get to the bottom of the murder and prove Ra Ik’s innocence. Including Ra Ik himself. Like, sir, aren’t you the one who’s been accused of murder? Why does it feel like you care the least? 

Every decision was a joke, and nothing really happened beyond Byeong Kyun desperately trying to make Ra Ik look guilty at all costs. I read a comment pointing out that Se Na barely had any court hearings for someone defending a potential murderer, and I completely agree. Like I said above, this drama wasn’t made to actually solve the problem. It was made to use the problem as a way to bring the leads together. Not only was Se Na barely in the courtroom, but Byeong Kyun was almost always silenced by her. And while I won’t lie, watching her shut him down was satisfying, it also felt incredibly lazy. If Ra Ik was supposed to look like the culprit, why couldn’t they find any real evidence to prove it? From day one, it was pretty clear that he just happened to be in the same apartment as Woo Seong when the murder happened, and that was a bit of a letdown.

Continuing with the One Ordinary Day (description here!) comparison, practically every sign pointed toward the main culprit. He even had the murder weapon. What made that drama so good was that you genuinely couldn’t figure out how he was innocent and how that could be proven. Even he started accepting that he was the culprit. That’s the kind of tension I wanted from Idol I. I wanted to see Ra Ik struggle with the possibility that he might’ve done something terrible, while everyone around him tried to piece together what actually happened. Instead, the mystery felt like it was waiting for the romance to finish before it could get back to doing its job.

The murder storyline was handled so sloppily that it honestly makes sense that Woo Seong conveniently happened to record everything — with Ra Ik forgetting that very important detail until the very end — and that the whole thing turned out to be an accident. They barely built up the mystery in the first place, so of course there wasn’t enough time or thought put into making the reveal actually hit. By the time the truth came out, I was less shocked than I was wondering why we had spent so much time watching a murder mystery that barely felt like one.

A Cast Full of Characters You Can’t Root For

Can we also just talk about how annoying almost every character was? From the irritating bandmates to the greedy CEO to Ra Ik doing everything wrong, it was almost impossible to find anyone to root for. And the more I watched, the more I wondered how so many characters could make such consistently frustrating choices. So, let’s break these characters down.

Jae Hee 

Easily the most annoying character in the entire drama. Jae Hee had an attitude for no reason and was so hard‑headed that every scene with him felt like a chore. He wanted Ra Ik to be the culprit so badly he was practically ready to fabricate evidence. And for what? I get that he was upset with Ra Ik for going solo and wanted to produce music, but he acted more like someone who couldn’t stand Ra Ik’s guts than someone who was genuinely hurt by the way he and the group were being treated.

I think it ultimately came down to a lot of jealousy and resentment, but I just can’t believe it spiraled to that extent. This is exactly why you shouldn’t keep pushing your issues with someone aside instead of addressing them. When you keep burying all those little frustrations, they start to pile up until they turn into one big mess that can easily spiral out of control and next thing you know you’re accusing them of murder. Jae Hee was the perfect example of that.

Young Bin

Then we have the least relevant member of the group, who was also almost as bad as Jae Hee. Why was he so loyal to Jae Hee? Why was he willing to let Ra Ik go down for the murder instead of admitting that Jae Hee had left the hospital that night? He was the youngest and seemed like the one who cared the most, so why did he seem to be the least interested in figuring out what actually happened to Woo Seong? He was so loyal to Jae Hee, yet Jae Hee barely seemed to care about him in return. Young Bin didn’t get much screentime, but somehow, every moment he did get managed to aggravate me.

Ra Ik

Then we have Ra Ik, who irritated me more often than not. Even his attractive face couldn’t save him from his constant poor decisions. Almost everything he did was reckless, and I kept asking myself, “Does he actually want to be proven innocent or not?” because he sure didn’t act like it. Keeping secrets from Se Na, sneaking out, finding out she was a fan and firing her… it was all ridiculous. He made decisions based almost entirely on emotion, and it quickly became exhausting. Like I said before, nobody seemed particularly interested in finding the real culprit, and they didn’t even try to hide it.

If Se Na was the only person willing to help him, why was he so quick to fire her just because she was a fan? I don’t understand why characters in dramas sometimes expect to be believed when all the evidence is pointing directly at them. The fact that Ra Ik was so relieved to have someone trust him made him seem a little naive. Like, what exactly did he expect her to think? “I know all the evidence points to you, and the murder happened in your apartment, but I just know you didn’t do it”? Be so serious. It was obvious that she had a reason for trusting him, so I didn’t understand why he was so hurt when he found out she was a fan. Sure, she technically lied by not telling him, but sir, you have a case to win. Suck it up and sulk after you’ve been proven innocent.

And then came his determination to keep Hye Joo’s name out of everything. Why? If she had ripped his heart to shreds and had a powerful, successful father and company backing her, why was he so concerned about keeping her out of it? He was just incredibly frustrating, and aside from a few flirty moments with Se Na, he remained mostly unlikeable from beginning to end. When he treated the music show staff horribly, I knew we were heading downhill. 

The CEO

Does anybody else know why everyone was so determined to keep secrets? It felt like the characters only revealed important information to Se Na when they were finally backed into a corner. The CEO was greedy beyond words, so you’d think he’d want the truth out as quickly as possible so he could get back to making money. But no. Why did Se Na and Ra Ik have to discover that he knew more than he was letting on before he finally decided to share what he knew? 

His treatment of the idols like they were nothing more than products was incredibly sad, but also pretty eye-opening. I know they didn’t pull that aspect of his personality out of thin air, and that made it all the more uncomfortable to watch.

Hye Joo

And what was actually going on with Hye Joo? I get into this more below, but some backstory on her would’ve been extremely helpful. What was going through her mind? She broke up with Ra Ik for her family’s sake, regretted it, became obsessive, murdered Woo Seong, and then tried to kill Jae Hee. The audacity is honestly the craziest part. She murdered Woo Seong and then acted as if absolutely nothing had happened. Why was she so desperate to make Jae Hee look like the bad guy? What was her actual motive? I just find it wild how well she managed to keep her emotions masked while leading the police on a wild goose chase, all while having the murder weapon sitting at home. I wish we’d gotten a better understanding of her mindset because I love psychology, and it would’ve been so interesting to break down what was going on with her.

Se Na

All in all, the only character I found genuinely likeable, and who rarely managed to annoy me, was Se Na. She was the only character I can honestly say I liked, and the only one who truly seemed determined to get to the bottom of Woo Seong’s murder. I’m glad she was likeable because I don’t think I could’ve handled another Extracurricular (review here!) situation where practically every character was equally the worst. 

Not Enough Side Character Backstory

I mentioned this above, but I want to go into a bit more depth because this was another area where the drama left me wanting more. Usually, I don’t really care for side character backstories because I often find that they don’t add much to the story. After Friendly Rivalry (review here!), where everyone and their mom seemed to get a backstory, I never thought I’d find myself asking for more. But here? We needed a lot more. 

We got some backstory for the main leads, which makes sense, but what about everyone else? Why was Jae Hee the way he was? Why and when did he start hating Ra Ik so much? And what was Hye Joo’s story? It was clear that her father wanted her to stay away from Ra Ik and keep her out of the way, but why? What led her to become so obsessed? What broke inside her? I could probably research psychological reasons, but the drama should’ve given us something. It would’ve been nice to get some childhood backstory or something that tied her behaviour together. Instead, we were left with so many unanswered questions about characters who played major roles in the story.

Even Se Na’s father’s story felt half-baked. He was accused of murder and then killed himself, but I don’t really know why. What was the murder? Why was he the target? And what led him to take his own life? I ask because this was such a huge part of Se Na’s story throughout the drama. I wish there had been a moment where she explained what happened to Ra Ik so we could finally understand the full picture. But we got nothing. Ra Ik was the only character who felt fleshed out (minus whatever happened to his relationship with his mom and why things went so sideways with the members), with Se Na getting a little less development and everyone else being handed breadcrumbs. They had entire histories, motivations, traumas and we saw none of it. It’s like Weak Hero Class 1 (review here!) all over again.

So… An Accident? Pathetic.

The fact that we spent 11 episodes trying to find the killer, only to discover that the whole thing was an accident, was honestly pathetic. This reminds me of Hierarchy (review here!) and how they built up the murder as this big, mysterious secret, only for it to turn out to be an accident caused by a chase gone wrong. I have no problem with accidents. They happen. But when you centre an entire story around a murder that’s supposed to be more than it appears, only to sum it all up as an accident, it feels incredibly weak. We still don’t even really know why Ra Ik was so deeply asleep. Was it his anxiety pills? The alcohol? A combination of both? I honestly don’t know. And since it was supposedly an accident, how exactly did Hye Joo manage to escape without being caught on CCTV or leaving behind any witnesses? Her escape was sloppy, and Ra Ik was a famous idol who had security. Even if the hallway cameras in his building weren’t working, are you telling me the apartment complex had no security cameras at the entrance, in the parking lot, or anywhere else? You’re really trying to tell me that a famous idol lives somewhere with absolutely no working CCTV? Be so serious.

This is exactly why I have such a problem with thrillers that mix romance into the story. Take Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (review here!), for example. The thriller storyline ended up feeling incredibly underdeveloped because it wasn’t the main focus. And that’s the problem I keep running into with these dramas. The romance is clearly the main meal, while everything else gets pushed to the side until it’s time to wrap things up. I don’t understand why writers try to combine romance with a serious storyline like a murder mystery if they’re not going to give both the attention they deserve. Instead, we end up with an underdeveloped thriller and a reveal that’s just as underwhelming. I mean, an accident? Really?

Golden Boys Comeback? Really?

This wasn’t a huge deal, but the whole Golden Boys comeback was swept under the rug pretty quickly. How were they able to repair their relationship enough to have a comeback together? This felt like another forced happy ending that only makes sense if you’re half paying attention. Jae Hee blamed Ra Ik for Woo Seong’s death and was determined to have him go down for it. Young Bin was willing to let Ra Ik take the fall despite knowing that Jae Hee was hiding important information, and Ra Ik was betrayed by both of them. So how exactly were they able to put all of that aside and make a comeback when they seemed to hate each other five minutes earlier? And this wasn’t some petty argument between bandmates. One of their members had been murdered, one of them was accused of the crime, and the other two had essentially turned their backs on him. That’s a pretty massive betrayal to just brush aside.

Like I said, this was all crammed into the last five to ten minutes, so it wasn’t the biggest issue in the grand scheme of things but it was still strange to see how quickly everyone switched up and suddenly decided they could all work together again. A little more time spent rebuilding that relationship would’ve made the happy ending feel a lot more believable.

What I Would Do

Fan-Fic? Never Heard of Her

I think this is a given, but I would immediately change the story from fanfic vibes into an actual romance-thriller. The biggest change I’d make is taking away the fact that Se Na is still a fan. I know that’s a pretty big switch, but I think I could make it work. In my version, she would’ve been a fan in the past, but after an intense interaction with Ra Ik, she would’ve stopped. I don’t have a problem with idol-fan romances or rich-poor relationships, as long as they’re done right. And to make this particular romance-thriller work, I’d do the following.

Se Na would be in college, walking home at night, and spots Ra Ik entering a convenience store. She follows him inside, excited to meet him. But from Ra Ik’s perspective, he’s been stalked all day by a girl wearing a blue university hat. Se Na happens to be wearing the same hat. So when she approaches him, he snaps — thinking she’s the sasaeng who’s been tormenting him.

She walks away disgusted, thinking fame made him arrogant. He walks away exhausted, thinking she’s another obsessive fan. Boom — tension established.

Fast-forward to the murder, and the only reason Se Na takes Ra Ik’s case isn’t because she particularly wants to help him. Instead, she looks into the case and notices discrepancies in the report. She’d also have that annoying coworker who taunts her by saying she couldn’t win the case even if she wanted to, and that would be all the motivation she needs. The next thing we know, she’s sitting across from Ra Ik and is officially his lawyer.

From there, the romance can still develop naturally, but by removing the fan-idol dynamic, the actual murder mystery gets room to breathe. Their relationship would grow as they investigate the case, meet witnesses, and share moments of closeness and vulnerability. Se Na would eventually tell him about her father and the incident that made her stop liking him, while Ra Ik would admit that he mistook her for a sasaeng and apologize for how he treated her. They’d grow closer because of honesty, not idol worship. 

He’d fall in love with her because she chose justice over her personal feelings about him, and she’d fall in love with him because she finally got to know the real person instead of the version she thought he was. Cliché? Maybe. But it works! And more importantly, their romance would develop alongside the murder investigation instead of taking over the entire story.

Backstory, Backstory, Hooray!

I think one of the biggest reasons so many characters were unlikeable was that we weren’t given enough backstory to understand how they became the people they were. So, in my version, I’d give all the major supporting characters their own backstories. Similar to Friendly Rivalry (review here!), we’d get flashbacks at the beginning of each episode that focus on a particular character. These wouldn’t just be random bits of information thrown in for the sake of it. They’d help set up the episode and give us a better understanding of the choices the characters make. For Jae Hee, we’d see when his relationship with Ra Ik started to fall apart, how the comments from others fueled his jealousy, and how his resentment grew as he struggled with not being the centre of attention. For Hye Joo, we’d get a much better understanding of her choices and what led her to become so obsessed with Ra Ik. A look into her childhood would’ve been a huge help, along with how she viewed their relationship and what it meant to her. As her love slowly spirals into obsession, we’d see it less as someone who simply can’t let go and more as someone who would rather die than be alone. And if you’ve read my Dear X review (here!) and any of my psychological analyses (here!), you already know I’d have a field day picking her scenes apart. 🤭

As for everyone else, unless their story directly affects the plot or their character plays a significant role, I think they’re fine as they are. Take Young Bin, for example. It wouldn’t have hurt to know why he was so loyal to Jae Hee, but it wasn’t exactly essential to the story. The same goes for the CEO. We don’t need an elaborate backstory to understand why he’s greedy. That part is pretty self-explanatory. The characters who drive the main storyline, however, needed a lot more depth than what we were given.

Obsessed and Murderous

I actually liked that Hye Joo was the murderer, but I still can’t accept the whole “accident” angle. So, that’s changing. As I mentioned above, all the relevant characters would get backstories that explain how they became who they are. And in Hye Joo’s case, she would murder Woo Seong on purpose. She’d believe he was the reason Ra Ik didn’t want to get back together with her and convince herself that he was the one keeping them apart. In a fit of rage, she’d kill him. But her obsession wouldn’t end there. Like we sometimes see in toxic relationships, she’d want to isolate Ra Ik by turning the other members against him and shifting the blame onto Jae Hee. Since Jae Hee would call her “psychotic,” she’d hold onto that grudge and make it her mission to destroy him. It would give her a personal motive for framing him while making her obsession with Ra Ik even more dangerous.

This would also create more tension for the main leads, as Hye Joo begins stalking both Ra Ik and Se Na. And how does she get caught? She accidentally admits to everything. One possibility is that, in a fit of rage, she confesses to Ra Ik and explains that she’d have no problem getting rid of any other obstacles standing in the way of their relationship. Another option is that she tries to kill Se Na. Ra Ik would clearly have feelings for Se Na by this point, and that would send Hye Joo over the edge. She’d start sending warnings, throwing rocks at Se Na’s window, and eventually attempt to kill her. She’d insist that everything she did was out of love, completely convinced that she was fighting for their relationship, before finally being arrested. 

In the end, it wouldn’t have been a suicide threat gone wrong or an accidental death that somehow took 11 episodes to explain. It would’ve been an actual murder plot, driven by jealousy, obsession, and a desperate need to control the person she claimed to love. And that’s the kind of thriller I wish Idol I had given us.

Final Thoughts

To end this off, I didn’t actually hate the drama. Sure, it had a mountain of issues, most of which could’ve easily been solved, but I don’t really have that many final thoughts. I think the reason comes down to the fact that I didn’t really care about the drama as a whole. I should’ve known that an idol-fan romance was going to have fanfic vibes, so that’s on me. The problems really start bubbling up when you imagine all the better directions the drama could have gone, especially when you compare it to similar shows that actually came to play. 

This drama was never meant to be the serious thriller it could’ve been, and that’s… fine. I think the biggest issue boils down to the fact that many writers struggle to mix romance and thrillers together without one overpowering the other. It’s not impossible, but it does change the entire vibe of a drama. If they had focused on the murder aspect, this would’ve shifted from “lighthearted murder mystery” (as lighthearted as murder can be) to a genuinely gripping thriller — which they clearly weren’t aiming for. It reminds me of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty (review here!), a drama that had the potential to be an unforgettable dark romance but settled for surface‑level jokes and a cooking show. Maybe that was the vibe. It’s not our fault that we wanted something that mattered — something that left a mark. 

I think what sucks the most is that once movies and dramas come out with storylines that have the potential to really hit, we never get to see all the different directions they could’ve gone in. And while copyright may prevent us from seeing someone else’s version of the story, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re left wondering what could’ve been. We’ll never get to see a version of Idol I where the romance doesn’t water down everything else. We’ll never get to see the Golden Boys in a different drama that actually works. And this is where the drama ultimately falls flat, just like so many others. They have genuinely clever and interesting storylines that get buried under the desperation to create a romance that ultimately ends up… forgettable. 

Anyways, if I had to thank this drama for anything, it would probably be the reality check it gave us into the world of K-pop idols. The murder mystery may have been a letdown, the romance may have been forgettable, but at least we got a reminder that idols are real people, not products for your enjoyment.

And we’re done! What did you think of this review? I was actually glad to write this drama because I loved being able to dive into the toxic idol fan culture! This drama didn’t give me much so next week I’ll be reviewing a highly praised drama that I also really liked. It was hard finding bad things to say about it but I think you’ll like how it comes out.

Can’t wait for you guys to read it so stay tuned for that! See you next week! 💕

Aya

Aya

I’m your K-drama bestie 🎬 In-depth reviews of romance, thrillers & more—plus what I’d change! Let’s fangirl(or fanboy) together! 💕

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New Reviews every Friday at 6pm (EDT)! Watchlists updated as I watch!

Main Cast

Choi Soo Young as Maeng Se Na

Kim Jae Yeong as Do Ra Ik

Jung Jae Kwang as Kwak Byeong Kyun

Choi Hee Jin as Hong Hye Joo

Kim Hyun Jin as Park Chun Jae

Ahn Woo Yeon As Kang Woo Seong

Park Jeong Woo as Choi Jae Hee

Choi Geon as Lee Young Bin

Themes/ Genres

Obsession and delusion ~ Idol culture and parasocial attachment ~ Manipulation and blurred morality ~ Fame, privacy, and exploitation ~ Trauma and emotional repression ~ Justice vs. public opinion ~ Consequences of obsession

Thriller ~ Mystery ~ Crime drama ~ Psychological drama

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