My Idol – Series Review & Episode Guide

Woosang is a high school student still grieving his father's death. Although he tries to stay strong for his mother, Woosang breaks down in tears when alone. After the funeral, he returns to school and resumes his daily routine. As a track athlete, Woosang expects to join the next meet. Instead, his coach tells him that everyone else will compete except him.

Woosang is shocked and confused. He knows the school's track team has been struggling. There are rumours about cutting its funding and replacing it with another sport. Still, he never thought it would affect his chance to compete. His coach asks to meet for a serious talk later. Before that, Woosang speaks with his teammate Jaemin. Jaemin says their worst option might be transferring to another school if they want to continue running track.

The meeting with the coach goes poorly. The coach tells Woosang that the lineup was based on their results from the last meet. Woosang didn't perform well and hasn't won any races. The coach urges him to give up and try for a community college. Woosang insists he wants to enter a sports university. He pleads for one last chance to prove himself, so the coach agrees to an impromptu race. If Woosang can run 200 metres in 22 seconds, he might convince the principal to let him stay.

Woosang's teammates understand his situation and feel sorry for him. However, none of them is willing to give up their spots in the next competition. Yet, Jaemin feels conflicted. He notices how sad Woosang looks before the final race. Jaemin wishes he could find a way to help his friend.

My Idol is a case of a good idea with bad execution, an annoyingly common flaw in BL dramas. The good idea comes from the story's concept, which explores the struggles of a student-athlete. The lead hopes to enter a sports university, but his coach tells him to give up on his dream. Oh no, that's so mean! Yet, this harsh reality is what many teens face in athletics. There are winners and losers in sports. Some dreams come true while others are shattered. That tension creates the foundation for powerful storytelling.

An athlete on the verge of losing his career could have delivered riveting drama. Yet, the story never develops his arc properly. There was so much room to explore Woosang's passion and explain what running means to him. Highlight his past races, his training routine, how hard he pushes himself, or the toll it takes on him. Show us his ambition. Make us feel invested in his journey. However, the storyteller doesn't define the protagonist clearly. Do we know who Woosang is? No. Do we care about him? Not really. It's hard to root for someone when the story offers so little insight into his character.

Jaemin gets even less development. Can I name an interesting fact about him? Uhh… I know nothing. My Idol is only 20 minutes long, which limits how detailed the story can be. Still, that's no excuse to neglect one of the leads. The drama isn't well-written, so most scenes reveal too little about Jaemin or Woosang's lives. Good writers convey personality through dialogue, choices, and subtle clues about a character's identity. The storyteller should have treated each moment as an opportunity to share meaningful information about the two protagonists.

As a BL drama, I expected more from the romance. Even if the plot was weak, I thought My Idol would make up for it with sweet relationship moments. Oh, I was wrong. The story keeps the couple apart for most of the time. We see them talking to classmates and teachers instead of each other. The series is already short, so why aren't you showcasing their chemistry as much as possible? Even their interactions together are dull. Jaemin doesn't come across as a love interest. He feels as minor as Background Character A, only there to give exposition dialogue.

Woosang goes through a lot of angst, but his actor (Lee Ui Seop) handles it well and delivers a fine performance. His co-star (Kim Bit) looks sharp on camera. However, he doesn't have an opportunity to shine due to his limited role. Both leads have starred in other BL dramas, and I still remember Kim Bit's juicy kisses in another indie series. My Idol could have scored some points by showing the passion between the leads. One epic kiss would have made a difference! Sadly, the drama didn't utilize the talent. The director should do more to highlight the couple's chemistry.

After ignoring the romance for most of the drama, the finale suddenly squeezes in the relationship content at the last minute. We finally see Woosang and Jaemin's intimate moments together in a random montage. Um, excuse me? Why not show this footage earlier? What's the point of saving all the BL scenes for the end? I still like seeing the couple's bond, but the timing annoys me. Overall, My Idol delivers the worst of both worlds. The sports plot flopped. The romance also sucked. I leave this BL drama feeling underwhelmed by such a poorly executed story.