This show was a 8.5 for me! For the ones saying one google search would've shown boudoir was fake and hence the plot wasn't realistic, let me break it down. Dior, YSL, LV, Hermes these are the known luxe brands, however the brands that oldmoney purchase are often not these. They are niche brands that most of us haven't heard of and wont find online. Some craftspeople work exclusively for a tiny circle of clients. Sarah Kim played on that psychology and said that the reason the brand wasn't heard of is because it was exclusive to only the 0.1%.
When you have so much money you end up wanting to spend it on things that are exclusive. Sarah Kim did her best to keep it exclusive, raising the prices, burning the leftover stock, she created scarcity and prestige. She didn’t just sell a bag, she sold identity.
After a point not having heard of the brand didn't make a difference as she already set her market in Korea where it was all the rave. Sarah Kim set the stage and everyone else performed for her, because accepting that they were scammed would be accepting that they don't have "rich taste" to have fallen for a bag made in a small sweatshop.
When the chairwoman proudly says that the CEO of NOX wasn't on the same wavelength as her, that whats important to her is the presentation of the food rather than the food itself. It shows that it is a matter of ego and pride, the "I'm better than you" mindset. They're both rich , what sets them apart is their "taste". When that taste is challenged their pride and ego is hurt, they would hence continue acting as though Boudoir was the real deal. Once they purchased one Boudoir bag, it became their identity and they would do whatever to protect it. Protecting the brand meant protecting themselves.
Last year it was revealed that the luxury bags and knockoffs were made in the same shop but the branding is what made the prices so different. The show tapped into that uncomfortable truth, luxury is often about narrative, perception, and social signaling more than craftsmanship alone.
Which is why, when Mi Jeong claimed Boudoir as hers, it felt almost absurd to Sarah Kim. What made Boudoir powerful wasn’t the craftsmanship alone, it was the narrative. Sarah was the one who positioned it, marketed it, and turned it into a spectacle. The brand’s value didn’t come from who made the bag, but from who made it mean something.
So who is real? Who is fake? What even is identity? That’s what I loved most. The show isn’t just about a scam, it’s about exclusivity, ego, branding, and the fragile social hierarchies people desperately try to protect. It’s poetic. And that’s exactly why I don’t think it was unrealistic at all. If anything, it captured human nature perfectly.
From season 2 to season 5 I can tell that I have really grown up, I couldn't understand why Seul Ku didn't choose Dex, similar situation with Go Eun but this time I knew she would choose Sung Min. Her choice was mature which I wouldn't have understood years back. No matter how much chemistry you have with someone, a person who really knows themselves will choose the one who provides constant security over momentarily moments of flame. My personal assumption is that from the start Go Eun was trying to overwrite what she has heard about him (Igeon) from her mutuals outside inferno. She looked comfortable around him but it seemed to me that she was constantly assessing him in her head.
Also seeing how flat the last two episodes were , the shows definitely not scripted. They try playing certain footage at certain times to keep the show interesting, but not scripted.
I haven't read the webtoon. Without a bias, I feel like the movie was all over the place. There wasn't much time to build a connection with the charactes.
Dior, YSL, LV, Hermes these are the known luxe brands, however the brands that oldmoney purchase are often not these. They are niche brands that most of us haven't heard of and wont find online. Some craftspeople work exclusively for a tiny circle of clients. Sarah Kim played on that psychology and said that the reason the brand wasn't heard of is because it was exclusive to only the 0.1%.
When you have so much money you end up wanting to spend it on things that are exclusive. Sarah Kim did her best to keep it exclusive, raising the prices, burning the leftover stock, she created scarcity and prestige. She didn’t just sell a bag, she sold identity.
After a point not having heard of the brand didn't make a difference as she already set her market in Korea where it was all the rave.
Sarah Kim set the stage and everyone else performed for her, because accepting that they were scammed would be accepting that they don't have "rich taste" to have fallen for a bag made in a small sweatshop.
When the chairwoman proudly says that the CEO of NOX wasn't on the same wavelength as her, that whats important to her is the presentation of the food rather than the food itself. It shows that it is a matter of ego and pride, the "I'm better than you" mindset. They're both rich , what sets them apart is their "taste". When that taste is challenged their pride and ego is hurt, they would hence continue acting as though Boudoir was the real deal. Once they purchased one Boudoir bag, it became their identity and they would do whatever to protect it. Protecting the brand meant protecting themselves.
Last year it was revealed that the luxury bags and knockoffs were made in the same shop but the branding is what made the prices so different. The show tapped into that uncomfortable truth, luxury is often about narrative, perception, and social signaling more than craftsmanship alone.
Which is why, when Mi Jeong claimed Boudoir as hers, it felt almost absurd to Sarah Kim. What made Boudoir powerful wasn’t the craftsmanship alone, it was the narrative. Sarah was the one who positioned it, marketed it, and turned it into a spectacle. The brand’s value didn’t come from who made the bag, but from who made it mean something.
So who is real? Who is fake? What even is identity?
That’s what I loved most. The show isn’t just about a scam, it’s about exclusivity, ego, branding, and the fragile social hierarchies people desperately try to protect. It’s poetic.
And that’s exactly why I don’t think it was unrealistic at all. If anything, it captured human nature perfectly.
My personal assumption is that from the start Go Eun was trying to overwrite what she has heard about him (Igeon) from her mutuals outside inferno. She looked comfortable around him but it seemed to me that she was constantly assessing him in her head.
Also seeing how flat the last two episodes were , the shows definitely not scripted. They try playing certain footage at certain times to keep the show interesting, but not scripted.