- Status: Completed
- Where to read: Webtoon
- Chapters: 65 (+3 Side Stories)
- Genre: High School Romance Manhwa
- Creators: ILGONG
- Release year: 2025
- tropes: misunderstandings on every corner, childhood friends to lovers, idol 2nd ML, overprotective ML
Rai has been secretly crushing on her childhood friend Dogyeong for years. To hide her feelings, she pretends to be a die-hard fan of the K-pop group DIMPLE, especially of Neulchan, her “ultimate bias.” It’s all just fun and games to make Dogyeong a little jealous… until Neulchan suddenly transfers to her school. With her fake idol crush now a real part of her life, her friendship with Dogyeong starts to spiral. One fake crush, and one real crush—can Rai keep up the act, or is her secret about to come out?
Short review: is ‘My Fake Crush’ worth reading?
If you are in the mood for a high school romance and you love childhood friends to lovers, ‘My Fake Crush’ will scratch that itch 100%. But if you can’t stand misunderstandings and miscommunication, or if you prefer Webtoons with a strong female lead, ‘My Fake Crush’ won’t make you happy.
Personally, I liked it. I read the first 20 episodes, let them marinate for a while and then came back, so I wouldn’t get too frustrated by the stretch where the female lead and the male lead completely misunderstand each other – which is, to be honest, the entire Webtoon. There is one section shortly before they get together that feels less satisfying than it should, purely because they refuse to talk openly (episodes 37 to 40 – you’ll know exactly what I mean once you get there).
Something else that’s important to know before you start: once the main couple gets together, the focus switches to a second couple. They’re complete opposites, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them fairly quickly. Even so, the switch can take you out of the story right when you were finally getting the payoff you waited thirty-odd episodes for.
All in all, ‘My Fake Crush’ isn’t the best Webtoon you’ll ever read, but the ending – after a genuinely well-executed timeskip – is very satisfying. For me it’s a fun high school romance that was worth my time.
Art and Premise
The art is very cute, and there are lots of panels where the female lead is drawn in a loose, squiggly style that amplifies the chaotic energy she carries around with her.
You can check the premise in the official summary, but I think it’s important to know that ‘My Fake Crush’ really is based on miscommunication and misunderstanding. And we have the classic “What is this feeling?” energy.
Romance: Who does she end up with?
Although there are three love interests I wouldn’t necessarily call ‘My Fake Crush’ a love triangle. She ends up with:
Show Spoiler
Dogyeong
The romance is definitely a slow burn. But if you enjoy a lot of furious blushing and a male lead who starts yearning the second he realises his own feelings, ‘My Fake Crush’ could be for you.
Characters
There are three protagonists. There’s the best friend Miso, who is the reason Rai has to keep up her fangirl farce, because she is a huge fan of the K-pop group DIMPLE and drags Rai along to everything. And of course there’s the side couple, Raon and Huina. Although they like each other, they don’t get together after five years (it’s a trope I really don’t like), but nonetheless it’s sweetly written.
One thing I appreciated: there isn’t a single character in ‘My Fake Crush’ who is bad purely for the sake of being bad, apart from a stalker who only plays a minor role.
Protagonists: crybaby FL, overprotective ML
The three protagonists are Dogyeong (ML), Neulchan (2nd ML) und Rai. All three of them have very different personalities.
Rai is extremely timid. She can’t articulate herself, can’t read the room, and cries constantly. She also gets pushed around a lot by both male leads.
Dogyeong has been mothering Rai since they were little. It first seems like he pities her, but he’s always been there for her. Unfortunately that also means he’s constantly telling her what to do. It is satisfying to see him get flustered once he realizes his feelings, though.
Neulchan is the most interesting character of the three. He’s an idol with a permanent pokerface and a flawless facade for his fans, but behind closed doors he can be quite sadistic. He reads every situation instantly and spends most of the story acting as a wingman.
Read if you…
- are in the mood for a high school romance where the characters actually behave like teenagers: they make mistakes, fail to express themselves, and struggle
- love the childhood friends to lovers trope
- don’t mind when the focus shifts to a second couple after the main pair gets together
- want to feel nostalgic. ‘My Fake Crush’ gave me that classic shoujo feeling, especially towards the end. There are some genuinely sweet life lessons, and the timeskip is very well done
Skip if you…
- don’t like an overbearing male lead paired with a passive female lead who cries often. If you want a badass FL, this isn’t it
- can’t stand misunderstandings. ‘My Fake Crush’ is one long misunderstanding, and the characters never seem able to just talk
- want lots of lovey-dovey moments between the main couple. There aren’t many after they get together
- can’t stand a female lead who lies to everyone around her because she can’t bring herself to communicate
Yes. It has 68 episodes and is available on WEBTOON.
Rai ends up with Dogyeong, her childhood friend. The full spoiler is in the romance section above.
Not really. Despite the setup, Neulchan functions more as a wingman than as a rival. There is a short moment where it isn’t clear how she feels though.
‘My Fake Crush’ is a WEBTOON Original and can be read for free on WEBTOON.
