The final episode of Idol I is finally here, and unsurprisingly, things have ended on a positive note. Idol I has been an interesting show, with a big fat mystery at its heart, but I think the real fun part has been the fandom stuff, the romance, and everything else that comes along with it. In the 11th episode, we got the answer to the big mystery: who killed Woo-Seong and why? I can’t say I loved the answer, but I can say that I’m glad that’s over, because now we’re finally getting to the fun bits, but for like 5 minutes, because the show is now over. Sooyoung and Kim Jae-Young’s chemistry is really good, and the tenderness really comes through in this episode. I still think it’s quite fun that Sooyoung is the idol between the two of them. Also, Kim Won-Hae hasn’t taken a 5-minute break since the end of 2025, because what do you mean he’s in like 5 of 6 shows airing right now? The man’s booked. Anyway, with that said, let’s jump straight into episode 12.
Spoiler Alert
What Happens With Se-Na’s Dad’s Case?
Idol I episode 12 begins with a message from the Gold Boys to their fans that Se-Na is watching, one year after everything went down. Suddenly, Chung-Jae visits to have chicken with her, and it looks like he’s moving away and has also become a proper detective now. On the other hand, Se-Na has been working on her father’s case, and her boss has given her all the resources she needs for it. Chung-Jae also offers to help her with anything she needs. She also decides to apologize to her colleagues for everything she’s put them through so far. She’s quitting the job, or at least taking a long break, and it’s only fair she thanks them for accepting her and taking her side even when it was really hard. I love the relationship she shares with her boss, and I really hope she comes back to him, even if not professionally, as a father figure, because she’s been missing both parents for way too long. Also, she finally reveals to Ye-Sol that she’s also a “Goldie,” or Gold Boys superfan, and Ye-Sol says she kind of knew that was the case. If you’ve been a fan person, you already know it’s not that hard to spot a fan anywhere. This hunch turned out to be right.
Se-Na works hard to get answers about her dad’s case. It definitely takes a mental toll on her, but seeing La-Ik on TV screens and billboards again makes her happy, and she feels like things will be okay. This is the most relatable part of the show, and I don’t think it casts fandoms and fanpeople in a negative light, because for some people, idols can be a motivation to keep going. In the meantime, Byung-Gyun isn’t very happy to know that Hye-Joo is in a psych ward and not prison, but I don’t know why that had to be brought up at all. She is repenting for what she did, either way, and will get the treatment she needs. But he also goes to see Se-Na arguing her father’s case in court.
Turns out the key witness of the case gave false testimony against her father, calling him a murderer and sending him to prison for 15 years. Se-Na finally gets the closure she needed all these years later by speaking on her father’s behalf. If he were still alive, he’d be unbelievably proud of her. If only he’d waited for her to show him what she was capable of. Byung-Gyun also seems to have chosen a better path for himself; he’s now going to be with his mother, leaving his father to deal with his wrongdoings alone. While it is all about winning, that doesn’t mean you have the right to mess with people’s lives to do it. Finally, when Se-Na is being interviewed by the press, La-Ik shows up with flowers.
Are Se-Na And La-Ik In A Relationship?
In front of all that press, La-Ik shows up with flowers; obviously, they’re together, and it seems the fans have also become understanding of this relationship, because everyone loves Se-Na for solving the Woo-Seong mystery and saving La-Ik’s face. She is basically the reason Gold Boys is still able to do music. Even the “saseng” fans are on their side, and when a photographer tries to take private pictures of them together, they stop him from selling them. Still, it’s like an open secret that they’re dating, I guess. Later in the evening, La-Ik and Se-Na spend the night together at her place, yet still the next day she wakes up freaking out because Gold Boys merch is now on sale.
Though La-Ik is with Se-Na, she doesn’t want him to give her free merch or tickets to shows. As a fan, she feels it’s unfair, which makes her very special. But there are other things he can do for her, like wake up in the early AM and make kimbap for her to go on a picnic. Only for her to already have plans. The plans happen to be for Chung-Jae’s congratulatory party. Se-Na takes La-Ik along, and while she’s away for a bit, Chung-Jae clears some things up with La-Ik. He tells La-Ik that for Se-Na, it’s always been him, right from the start, so really, he never stood a chance. La-Ik and Se-Na have a deeper connection because she saw him sing when she needed support the most, when she had nobody. La-Ik even makes a promise to her parents in heaven that he’ll look after her, and they don’t need to worry any longer.
Turns out the Gold Boys left Geum’s company, and La-Ik now runs his own talent management company. It might be difficult, but Geum says that he finally looks happy, like back in the day. Additionally, he tells him that despite everything, it was La-Ik’s mother who discovered him as an artist, not him. It seems La-Ik is no longer hiding his feelings and is truly his genuine self on stage and in person. La-Ik then gives Chung-Jae his first assignment, sending him to his mother with a delivery. It’s an invitation to the concert, and it looks like she might actually go.
Who Does Se-Na Go To The Concert With?
In Idol I’s ending, Se-Na gets two tickets for the concert (that makes one of us), and the extra ticket is for an online friend who calls themselves “Like.” Turns out this is Ye-Sol, and Ye-Sol was the one who helped Se-Na figure out the messages sent by Woo-Seong to his fans, which led her to the evidence that could only be found on his cloud, thanks to Ye-Sol, to catch Hye-Joo as the culprit. Idol I ends with Gold Boys singing once again, in front of a big crowd, and though Woo-Seong is missing, people move on, and people continue to sing along with them. Woo-Seong appears on the big screen, and as heartbreaking as it is, we’re reminded that even when people are gone, the friendship and love last forever. For Se-Na, this is the same as the first time she saw him sing. The show ends with both of them in her house together, in front of the cherry blossom tree that means so much to them. She’s not dreaming; this is her reality, their happy future together.
