# My Girlfriend Is the Man!
**My Girlfriend Is the Man!** (내 여자친구는 상남자) is a 2025 South Korean romantic comedy television series broadcast on KBS2, in which a college student's girlfriend wakes up one morning transformed into a man and the couple tries to preserve their relationship while searching for a way to reverse the change[1](https://padmin.static.kbs.co.kr/nbroad/2025/7/11/1752201010836_nbroad.pdf). The 12-episode series premiered on July 23, 2025, in KBS2's Wednesday-Thursday 9:50 pm slot, directed by Yoo Kwan-mo and written by Lee Hae-na, and adapted from the Naver webtoon of the same name by Massstar[1](https://padmin.static.kbs.co.kr/nbroad/2025/7/11/1752201010836_nbroad.pdf). It aired its finale on August 28, 2025[2](https://www.soompi.com/article/1769924wpp/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-ends-on-steady-ratings).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 내 여자친구는 상남자 (Naver webtoon by Massstar)[1](https://padmin.static.kbs.co.kr/nbroad/2025/7/11/1752201010836_nbroad.pdf) |
| Network and run | KBS2 Wednesday-Thursday drama, 12 episodes, July 23 to August 28, 2025[1](https://padmin.static.kbs.co.kr/nbroad/2025/7/11/1752201010836_nbroad.pdf) • [2](https://www.soompi.com/article/1769924wpp/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-ends-on-steady-ratings) |
| Lead cast | Yoon San-ha (ASTRO) as Park Yoon-jae, Arin (OH MY GIRL) as Kim Ji-eun, Yoo Jung-hoo as Kim Ji-hoon, Chuu as Kang Min-ju[3](https://www.soompi.com/article/1763349wpp/3-reasons-viewers-are-already-hooked-on-my-girlfriend-is-the-man) |
| Premise | Kim Ji-eun transforms into a man overnight due to a gene running in her family and lives as Kim Ji-hoon while her boyfriend helps her[3](https://www.soompi.com/article/1763349wpp/3-reasons-viewers-are-already-hooked-on-my-girlfriend-is-the-man) |
| Domestic ratings | Premiere episode 1.7% nationwide and metropolitan (Nielsen Korea); series average 1.1%[4](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2025/07/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-premieres-with-disappointing-a-1-rating-despite-bold-concept-and-idol-cast) • [2](https://www.soompi.com/article/1769924wpp/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-ends-on-steady-ratings) |
| International reach | 2nd place in the Hallyu Asia popularity ranking on Japan's Lemino OTT platform after episodes 1 to 4[5](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/08/13/LFVLKG44XFHFPJGDNOSA2EEZYY/?outputType=amp) |
| Streaming | Viki with English subtitles; also on Viu[6](https://www.tonboriday.com/2025/08/how-my-girlfriend-is-man-changes.html) |
## Premise and cast
Park Yoon-jae, played by Yoon San-ha of the boy group ASTRO, is an astronomy student devoted to his girlfriend [Kim Ji-eun](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-ji-eun), played by Arin of the girl group OH MY GIRL. Because of a gene that runs in her family, Ji-eun suddenly turns into a handsome man and begins going by the name Kim Ji-hoon, played by Yoo Jung-hoo; with Yoon-jae's help she learns to live as a man while trying to return to her original self[3](https://www.soompi.com/article/1763349wpp/3-reasons-viewers-are-already-hooked-on-my-girlfriend-is-the-man). Chuu, formerly of the girl group LOONA, joins in episode 3 as Kang Min-ju, a popular student with a crush on Yoon-jae whose pursuit drives the love triangle[3](https://www.soompi.com/article/1763349wpp/3-reasons-viewers-are-already-hooked-on-my-girlfriend-is-the-man). The role marked Chuu's return to acting after a six-year break[7](https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/136740/20250725/my-girlfriend-man-gender-bending-plot-sparks-outrage-heres-what-cast-producers-just.htm).
The premise places the drama in the gender-swap tradition of Korean fantasy romance. Director Yoo Kwan-mo positioned it deliberately against genre labels: at the premiere press conference he said, "This is not a BL drama. It's a fantasy love story that revisits Ji-eun's original identity through flashbacks. The goal is to express young love like a watercolor painting."[7](https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/136740/20250725/my-girlfriend-man-gender-bending-plot-sparks-outrage-heres-what-cast-producers-just.htm) The original webtoon had drawn commentary that it contained a "BL code" in the male protagonist's romance with his transformed girlfriend, and the production team said they designed the show from the planning stage to be light and comfortable for a general Korean broadcast audience[8](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/11375548).
## Adaptation from the webtoon
Because the webtoon was still ongoing when the series aired, the writers took substantial liberties with the source material[9](https://abstractaf.in/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-series-versus-webtoon/). Several changes reshape the story's family and mystery structure:
- In the webtoon, Ji-eun lives alone and has three older brothers she rarely meets; in the drama she shares a flat with an older sister, Kim Ji-hye (Choi Yoon-ra), who has no counterpart in the comic[9](https://abstractaf.in/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-series-versus-webtoon/).
- The comic keeps Ji-eun mostly clueless for weeks about why she changed; the drama establishes early that a generational curse runs on her mother's side of the family, and the sisters get matching tattoos as a marker in case one of them changes[9](https://abstractaf.in/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-series-versus-webtoon/).
- The drama adds a flashback in which the sisters' parents show photos of their father with a man who is supposedly their mother, hinting the curse has struck before[9](https://abstractaf.in/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-series-versus-webtoon/).
- The sister receives a romantic subplot of her own, which the webtoon's background siblings never had[9](https://abstractaf.in/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-series-versus-webtoon/).
- Because Arin is a headline name, the drama gives Ji-eun's original female self more space through flashbacks and imagined scenes, whereas the comic focuses on Ji-eun's struggle living as a man[9](https://abstractaf.in/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-series-versus-webtoon/).
## Broadcast performance
The premiere drew modest domestic numbers. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode recorded a nationwide and metropolitan rating of 1.7%[4](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2025/07/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-premieres-with-disappointing-a-1-rating-despite-bold-concept-and-idol-cast), though KDramaStars reported premiere ratings of around 3%[7](https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/136740/20250725/my-girlfriend-man-gender-bending-plot-sparks-outrage-heres-what-cast-producers-just.htm). The production team had set a 10% ratings goal, with cast members joking about fan-meeting pledges tied to viewership milestones[8](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/11375548). The finale on August 28 held the drama's average nationwide rating of 1.1% from the night before[2](https://www.soompi.com/article/1769924wpp/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-ends-on-steady-ratings).
Overseas, the series performed noticeably better. After episodes 1 to 4 were released, it reached 2nd place in the Hallyu Asia popularity ranking on Lemino, the OTT platform owned by Japan's Nippon Telegraph and [Telephone](https://www.edgepedia.org/telephone) group, and stayed in the platform's Top 5 of the Hallyu and Asia popularity charts through episode 10[5](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/08/13/LFVLKG44XFHFPJGDNOSA2EEZYY/?outputType=amp) • [10](https://kbizoom.com/arin-recalls-first-kiss-with-yoon-san-ha-as-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-ends/).
## Story arc and finale
The middle episodes center on the love triangle. Kang Min-ju moves in next door to Ji-hoon, lies to Yoon-jae's parents that she is his girlfriend, and competes with Ji-hoon for the seat beside Yoon-jae at a restaurant, while Ji-hoon and Yoon-jae agree to stay together as friends until Ji-eun can return to her female body[5](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/08/13/LFVLKG44XFHFPJGDNOSA2EEZYY/?outputType=amp). Reviewers noted an uneasy shift from comedy to heavier drama starting around episode 9, with the first two-thirds of the run judged the show at its most confident[11](https://kdramaworlds.com/k-drama-guide/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-2025-episode-guide-cast-ending-explained/).
**The breakup.** Episode 11 confronts the couple's codependence directly. Yoon-jae has been sacrificing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study at Cornell University, and the character Yu Ri points out that Ji-eun's world has come to revolve entirely around him. The couple parts ways: Yoon-jae leaves for Cornell, and Ji-eun begins writing her first web novel, focusing on her own growth for the first time since the transformation[12](https://www.soompi.com/article/1770497wpp/3-reasons-why-the-finale-of-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-was-perfect).
**The ending.** Rather than resolving the transformation with a return to normal, the finale suggests Ji-eun may continue switching between her Ji-eun and Ji-hoon forms throughout her life, and Yoon-jae embraces the uncertainty. A wall of photos showing him with both versions side by side signals that he regards both as equally real[12](https://www.soompi.com/article/1770497wpp/3-reasons-why-the-finale-of-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-was-perfect). Min-ju also reaches a resolution: she encourages Yoon-jae to study abroad out of genuine care, addresses Ji-hoon as unnie instead of oppa in a sign of acceptance, and tells Yoon-jae she would not take him back[12](https://www.soompi.com/article/1770497wpp/3-reasons-why-the-finale-of-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-was-perfect). The Korean press described the closing episode as a "fate-like happy ending" that even changed gender to reach it[13](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11405912).
## Reception
Critical and audience responses divided along the premise's handling. Yoo Jung-hoo's performance as Ji-hoon, a woman inhabiting a man's body, drew consistent praise; one review called him the show's center, noting that his physical awkwardness never tipped into parody[11](https://kdramaworlds.com/k-drama-guide/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-2025-episode-guide-cast-ending-explained/). Chuu's Min-ju was written as a genuine character rather than a pure obstacle, though some viewers found her behavior, including dressing as Ji-eun and attempting to kiss a drunk Yoon-jae, unsettling rather than romantic[11](https://kdramaworlds.com/k-drama-guide/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-2025-episode-guide-cast-ending-explained/) • [12](https://www.soompi.com/article/1770497wpp/3-reasons-why-the-finale-of-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-was-perfect). Viewer debate also turned on genre expectations: some commenters criticized the show for not committing to a boys'-love narrative, while others argued the drama deliberately explored the emotional reality of a partner's sudden gender change instead of shifting the relationship into a new genre[12](https://www.soompi.com/article/1770497wpp/3-reasons-why-the-finale-of-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-was-perfect) • [14](https://letterboxd.com/film/my-girlfriend-is-the-man/reviews/rated/none/).
## References
1. [KBS 사보 Vol. 777 (July 14, 2025), program introduction for 내 여자친구는 상남자](https://padmin.static.kbs.co.kr/nbroad/2025/7/11/1752201010836_nbroad.pdf)
2. ["My Girlfriend Is The Man!" Ends On Steady Ratings, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1769924wpp/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-ends-on-steady-ratings)
3. [3 Reasons Viewers Are Already Hooked On "My Girlfriend Is The Man!", Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1763349wpp/3-reasons-viewers-are-already-hooked-on-my-girlfriend-is-the-man)
4. ['My Girlfriend is the Man' premieres with a disappointing 1% rating despite bold concept and idol cast, allkpop](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2025/07/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-premieres-with-disappointing-a-1-rating-despite-bold-concept-and-idol-cast)
5. [K-drama My Girlfriend is the Man captivates viewers with gender change romance, CHOSUNBIZ](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/08/13/LFVLKG44XFHFPJGDNOSA2EEZYY/?outputType=amp)
6. [How My Girlfriend Is the Man! Changes the Webtoon Story, Tonboriday](https://www.tonboriday.com/2025/08/how-my-girlfriend-is-man-changes.html)
7. ['My Girlfriend is the Man' Gender-Bending Plot Sparks Outrage, KDramaStars](https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/136740/20250725/my-girlfriend-man-gender-bending-plot-sparks-outrage-heres-what-cast-producers-just.htm)
8. ["My Girlfriend Is a Man" is targeting the small screen on a hot summer night, Maeil Business Newspaper](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/11375548)
9. [6 Ways 'My Girlfriend Is the Man!' is Different From The Webtoon, Abstract AF!](https://abstractaf.in/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-series-versus-webtoon/)
10. [Arin Recalls First Kiss With Yoon San-ha in "My Girlfriend Is the Man!", KbizoOm](https://kbizoom.com/arin-recalls-first-kiss-with-yoon-san-ha-as-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-ends/)
11. [My Girlfriend Is the Man! (2025): Episode Guide, Cast & Ending Explained, KDramaWorlds](https://kdramaworlds.com/k-drama-guide/my-girlfriend-is-the-man-2025-episode-guide-cast-ending-explained/)
12. [3 Reasons Why The Finale Of "My Girlfriend Is The Man!" Was Perfect, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1770497wpp/3-reasons-why-the-finale-of-my-girlfriend-is-the-man-was-perfect)
13. [Yoon San-ha, Arin, Yoo Jung-hoo, and Chuu of "My Girlfriend Is a Man" made a fresh finale, Maeil Business Newspaper](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11405912)
14. [Reviews of My Girlfriend Is the Man! (2025), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/my-girlfriend-is-the-man/reviews/rated/none/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction series › Premiered 2023 to 2027*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license