New K-Drama About Dark Reality Of Idol Industry Has Heartbreaking Real-Life Examples
While K-Pop is sometimes seen through rose-tinted glasses, more and more harsh realities are being revealed, even through K-Dramas.
Here Are 8 Times K-Drama “Imitation” Got Real About The Dark Side Of K-Pop
The newest K-Drama is Idol-I , where a star lawyer and devoted fan (played by Girls’ Generation‘s Sooyoung) defends her favorite idol (played by Kim Jae Yeong) after he is accused of murder.
Netizens quickly noticed that moments of the show portrayed the dark moments of being an idol, particularly when it came to interactions with fans or sasaengs.
Im so glad they bought up this matter, celebrity or not stalking is such a dangerous thing in general that happens to a lot of people and justifying it by saying it was done out of love is the most wrong thing ever !! I love her character so far 💛#idoliep2 #IDOLI pic.twitter.com/59xauXWt7I
— LOVE ✨️ (@melo_jz) December 23, 2025
In just one chapter they have represented what happens to many idols in Korea, some fans confuse their love with possession #IdolI
Some scenes have been chilling, what a good actor you are #KimJaeyoung pic.twitter.com/hif3fULClG
— 📹 (@siempreestoyy) December 22, 2025
Not directly related to BTS.. but it shows bitter truth.. This drama scene gave me chills. It shows what idols silently endure from obsessive fans. We often talk about sasaengs like they are just obsessed fans, but scenes like this show the truth. It's harassment. It's a real… pic.twitter.com/MmZrfbHtXw
— Team INDIA 🇮🇳 (Indian BTS ARMY) (@teamindiaforbts) December 23, 2025
creative liberties aside, its kinda terrifying how close to reality this is. almost every fandom has stories of obsessive and entitled “fans” like thispic.twitter.com/Ba8Wk7JZZo
— rae 🐈⬛ (@noirelights) December 23, 2025
A viral TikTok has shown the scary real-life comparisons between scenes from the K-Drama and what has actually happened to idols.
@i_blame_kdramas These people scare me😭 #idoli #kdrama #saesangfan
The video took moments from the drama and found direct comparisons, including SEVENTEEN‘s S.Coups being grabbed during a concert, NCT‘s Taeyong being called during a live, and WayV‘s Xiaojun being scolded at a fan event.
Netizens have been sharing clips from the show, highlighting how well it portrays some of the darkest aspects of the industry regarding idol-fan interactions.
