A Little Too Soufflé
This felt a bit like a plain Japanese soufflé pancake: adorable at first, impressively fluffy, and full of promise — but ultimately a little too airy to hold its shape.
That was pretty much my experience here.
The opening stretch is genuinely fun. The fangirl chaos works, the bias-chasing is cute, and the whole collision between idol devotion and office life gives the story a romcom setup that is easy to settle into. It understands that being a fan can look heartfelt, ridiculous, comforting, and just slightly unhinged all at once, which is probably why the early episodes are the most entertaining.
What surprised me is that underneath all that fluff, it occasionally brushes up against more interesting ideas: the point where fan devotion becomes uncomfortable, and the quiet sadness built into idol life itself. The story never really commits to exploring any of it, but it circles those themes just enough to make you notice what could have been.
The problem is that once the leads get together, the whole thing starts to sag a little. There is not enough tension, not enough escalation, and not enough fresh energy to keep it buoyant. It does not crash. It simply runs out of air and vibes, like a party that peaked at 9 and is now just people quietly finding their shoes. It does not deflate dramatically. It deflates apologetically. Which, honestly, may be the most soufflé pancake ending possible.
The supporting cast is perfectly likable, but none of them get enough material to really steal a scene or leave a lasting mark. They show up, do their jobs, and leave before anyone can become too attached.
The three leads do a lot of the heavy lifting. Cha Woo Min is very believable as a former boy band idol, and Kang Hoon actually manages to seem like a successful young boss instead of a man playing executive in a borrowed blazer, which is rarer than it should be. Kim Hye Jun is the one who really gives the whole thing its spark. She makes a character who enters the workplace through fangirl devotion, but gradually finding her own direction and sense of purpose, feel both charming and believable. And since a lot of her previous roles have been more intense, it is especially fun to see her in something this light and fluffy.
So no, I did not dislike this. It is cute, airy, and easy enough to watch. I just kept wishing it would either lean harder into the romcom sugar or go deeper into the more interesting emotional mess underneath. Instead, it stayed pleasant, pale, and a little too airy to leave much of a lasting impression.
That was pretty much my experience here.
The opening stretch is genuinely fun. The fangirl chaos works, the bias-chasing is cute, and the whole collision between idol devotion and office life gives the story a romcom setup that is easy to settle into. It understands that being a fan can look heartfelt, ridiculous, comforting, and just slightly unhinged all at once, which is probably why the early episodes are the most entertaining.
What surprised me is that underneath all that fluff, it occasionally brushes up against more interesting ideas: the point where fan devotion becomes uncomfortable, and the quiet sadness built into idol life itself. The story never really commits to exploring any of it, but it circles those themes just enough to make you notice what could have been.
The problem is that once the leads get together, the whole thing starts to sag a little. There is not enough tension, not enough escalation, and not enough fresh energy to keep it buoyant. It does not crash. It simply runs out of air and vibes, like a party that peaked at 9 and is now just people quietly finding their shoes. It does not deflate dramatically. It deflates apologetically. Which, honestly, may be the most soufflé pancake ending possible.
The supporting cast is perfectly likable, but none of them get enough material to really steal a scene or leave a lasting mark. They show up, do their jobs, and leave before anyone can become too attached.
The three leads do a lot of the heavy lifting. Cha Woo Min is very believable as a former boy band idol, and Kang Hoon actually manages to seem like a successful young boss instead of a man playing executive in a borrowed blazer, which is rarer than it should be. Kim Hye Jun is the one who really gives the whole thing its spark. She makes a character who enters the workplace through fangirl devotion, but gradually finding her own direction and sense of purpose, feel both charming and believable. And since a lot of her previous roles have been more intense, it is especially fun to see her in something this light and fluffy.
So no, I did not dislike this. It is cute, airy, and easy enough to watch. I just kept wishing it would either lean harder into the romcom sugar or go deeper into the more interesting emotional mess underneath. Instead, it stayed pleasant, pale, and a little too airy to leave much of a lasting impression.
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