Stalking, breaking-in and obsessive fan behaviour, Idol-I is exposing K-pop’s most uncomfortable truth!

Idol- I forces the K-pop industry to look in the mirror as it pulls the curtain on sasaeng culture and the cost of Idol worship!

Starring Kim Jae-Young and Choi Soo-Young, Idol- I is a K-drama about Maeng Se-Na, a famous lawyer and a secret K-pop fan who meets her favourite idol when he is wrongfully accused of being a murder suspect. What started as a murder mystery quickly turned into something way more important! In the past six episodes, Idol-I has accurately portrayed the dark side of K-pop way more than the internet likes to accept or talk about it! And the conversation that it’s stirring and calling out so-called ‘fans’ for their obsessive behaviour feels relevant now more than ever! 

With BTS’ Jungkook facing constant harassment from sasaengs (a Korean term for obsessive fans) ever since he has returned from the military, Idol-I holds the mirror to all of those people who have contributed towards creating havoc in the idol’s life. As of January 2026, his house has been broken into five times, from five different women, at odd hours of the night. Idol-I gives us a glimpse into the absolutely unfathomable ways in which these fans attain personal information about their favourite artists and feel a sense of ownership on them. From hiding outside bushes or the stairway outside their houses to quietly and closely observing their door codes, to entering the house with zero remorse, touching the idol’s belongings while he is in the house and acting like it’s no big deal, has to be one of the most chilling truths that the drama has brought out.

Also Read: Why Jimin and Jungkook’s Are You Sure season 2 is therapy to so many BTS Armys around the world!

A lot of the instances shown in the series have indeed been inspired by real life situations that K-pop idols have faced. The sequence where, Ra-Ik’s fan creates a scene at his fan meet when he refuses to give her his phone number, reminded social media of how a fan started misbehaving when Jungkook refused a weird request on her part. The show is really making K-pop fandoms as a whole take accountability and realise the fact that their favourite K-pop Idol is a human being at the end of the day. They deserve the same privacy, respect and the feeling of being safe in their own home like rest of us do. Being famous for one’s looks and talent should come at the price of giving away every ounce of their peace of mind and Ra-Ik’s character brings out just the depth of how a K-pop Idol’s mental health is on the verge of brink with this constant expectation of behaving a certain way to keep their fans pleased!

The series also calls out the fan service culture and how it fuels obsession for many around the world. Maeng Se-Na works hard and takes tougher cases so she earns more money and is able to buy all the K-pop merch she wants to. A sea of photocards and posters to decorate her room, all of his albums, hoodies, and other exclusive merch that only a die hard fan would go out of the way to buy. While all of this is acceptable to do as a fan, it does contribute to the delusion of many thinking that their idol is ‘the one’ for them. The entire system of selling tickets and merch on an Idol’s sex appeal and expecting them to devote their entire life, with a no dating in real life policy is what leads to heart breaking headlines about idols like Jungkook that we read today, which is why Idol-I exposing all of this and more is a hard pill to swallow for many!

For more entertainment, follow us on @socialketchupbinge