Episode Title: Go Back
U Seong's secret clears Ra Ik's name. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Ra Ik drops his facade and confides in Se Na. But the closer he gets to her, the deeper their hearts entwine...
(Source Viu)
- Aired: January 19, 2026
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Idol I Episode 9 Reactions
The big reveal from the Record Company CEO was not a reveal at all. I only wished La Ik would have challenged him more or at least said I'm done with you after this shit is over with!!I did like the leads going to the aquarium and handing out for the day.
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Episode 9 gives us a big reveal, sweet moments, and somehow leaves me even more confused about who the murderer is. We finally learn what the CEO has been hiding, and it confirms what we’ve been sensing all along — the company was prepared to use Ra-ik as a cash cow while keeping expectations low for the other members. Ra-ik was clearly burning out, while the rest of the band were excited to actually make music again. The imbalance is glaring.
We also get more clarity on Kang Woo-seong’s choices. In trying to protect everyone, he makes a desperate decision that ultimately blows up in his face. He verbally agrees to sign with another company, and it looks like he was blackmailed by them. With the CEO finding out, that instantly widens the suspect circle, because it’s the kind of information that threatens control, profit, and reputation.
When Ra-ik confronts the CEO, the CEO claims he was “protecting” Ra-ik — and Ra-ik basically calls bullshit. Honestly? Good. It’s satisfying to see Ra-ik slowly start taking control of his own life instead of being managed like a product.
The ex-girlfriend appears again, and I’m sorry, she is definitely not okay. At this point, I’m leaning toward her being involved — she feels unstable, especially when she doesn’t get her way. Whether that makes her the murderer or just another dangerous piece on the board, I’m not sure… but she’s giving major warning signs.
On the softer side, we get a lot of sweet moments between Ra-ik and Se-na as they spend the day like ordinary passersby, enjoying simple things. These scenes are warm, grounding, and make it clear Ra-ik is slowly falling for her. It feels like a rare pocket of peace — which only makes it feel like the calm before the storm.
Because Kwak Byeong Gyun isn’t letting this go. Not because he wants justice or to be a great prosecutor, but because his pride can’t handle being benched. If he continues down this path, it really does feel like he’s about to follow in his father’s footsteps — and that’s a terrifying thought.
The more Ra-ik gains control, the more it feels like someone is going to escalate to take it from him — and the people driven by pride and power are starting to look the most dangerous.
We also get more clarity on Kang Woo-seong’s choices. In trying to protect everyone, he makes a desperate decision that ultimately blows up in his face. He verbally agrees to sign with another company, and it looks like he was blackmailed by them. With the CEO finding out, that instantly widens the suspect circle, because it’s the kind of information that threatens control, profit, and reputation.
When Ra-ik confronts the CEO, the CEO claims he was “protecting” Ra-ik — and Ra-ik basically calls bullshit. Honestly? Good. It’s satisfying to see Ra-ik slowly start taking control of his own life instead of being managed like a product.
The ex-girlfriend appears again, and I’m sorry, she is definitely not okay. At this point, I’m leaning toward her being involved — she feels unstable, especially when she doesn’t get her way. Whether that makes her the murderer or just another dangerous piece on the board, I’m not sure… but she’s giving major warning signs.
On the softer side, we get a lot of sweet moments between Ra-ik and Se-na as they spend the day like ordinary passersby, enjoying simple things. These scenes are warm, grounding, and make it clear Ra-ik is slowly falling for her. It feels like a rare pocket of peace — which only makes it feel like the calm before the storm.
Because Kwak Byeong Gyun isn’t letting this go. Not because he wants justice or to be a great prosecutor, but because his pride can’t handle being benched. If he continues down this path, it really does feel like he’s about to follow in his father’s footsteps — and that’s a terrifying thought.
The more Ra-ik gains control, the more it feels like someone is going to escalate to take it from him — and the people driven by pride and power are starting to look the most dangerous.
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I was a wee bored because the pacing is slower than in the previous episodes. It felt like this episode was meant to be a break from the chaos happening in Raik's life, which allowed his character to breathe and show some character development. They did pretty well in showing his feelings for Sena and how he's not letting anyone make decisions for him, such as ignoring Chungjae's warning and rejecting Hyejoo's idea of starting anew. I love how determined he is about his feelings for Sena and how he didn't hesitate to be transparent about them, because I like it when characters are truthful and committed to pursuing their crush. I know it will be a dilemma for Sena because she has to uphold her integrity as a lawyer and remain professional, but when the case is closed, I hope she will give their relationship a chance.
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Such a good episode!! Finally getting to know what was going on with Wooseong, and it was so heartbreaking! He just wanted to save the group from being ruined, didn't want Raik to further worsen his health. This show's emotional aspects really hit in all the right places. I feel so bad for him, especially when that one OST that usually plays when Raik is thinking about Wooseong or Jaehee played. I'm glad Hye-joo had a proper goodbye with Raik. Although that scene of her crumpling the photo says that it's not the last we've seen of her. She may or may not go yandere. But at this point in the story, I really feel bad for her (though I still think she didn't have to verbally hurt him that bad, even if her dad told to break up with him).And finally we have the best part of the episode! More bonding moments between Raik and Sena. Their conversations feel so real, Sena in particular, is so good with words to comfort and heal Raik. No wonder he fell for her the way he did, because he has been able to clearly see her sincerity in liking him as he is. I am worried he's walking around not wearing any disguise, I get that he's just being a passerby but...I'm just worried it would be bad for Sena. Hanging out with your ex-client is one thing, but apparently in the preview they find out she's a "murderer's daughter" so that's even worse ripAnyways, absolutely loved the confession scene. It came at a good time, of course Raik could not hold in his feelings if Sena was going on about how cute he was, how she likes him being himself. He's always wanted someone to see him for who he is, not the image he presented. Sena casually saying "like" about 2-3 times to him was bound to get his hopes up. We haven't gotten Sena's monologue since episode 4 when she said she misses the time when she could like him from afar, so whether she has romantic feelings for Raik is still pretty vague but I like that her feelings aren't as clear as day like Raik is. Because she's always been someone whose closed off, only fangirling was something she could be obvious about, and even that only happened at home, not at work. So now that she's let go of fangirling, we're seeing her subdued side even more. At this point in the story, I do think she's attracted to him (obviously) but feeling attracted to someone and wanting to actually date or be with them are 2 different things, especially for Sena who believed true love was loving from a distance. She's never been in a romantic relationship, and she's helped Raik sincerely this whole time, not expecting anything in return. I imagine Raik liking her romantically was something unthinkable to her until his confession. She probably will need time to think about it. Anyways I'm loving the pacing so far. I know we wanna find our culprit badly but most murder mysteries have the culprit show up pretty late right? So I expected this kind of pacing. I'm in no hurry, we only got 3 episodes left though, so I hope Raik x Sena have at least one episode of full blown romantic dating era, after the whole case is settled and they can be happy freely.
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