There is a new K-drama in town, and it is the talk of the moment. Titled If Wishes Could Kill, it starts as a high school drama but soon slips into horror and gore. At its core is a mobile application called Girigo that grants wishes. However, it comes with a cost.
The series opens on an unsettling note where we see Do Hye-ryung, a schoolgirl, slitting her throat open in front of her phone, after saying, “My wish is for all of you to die.” It immediately pulls you in, even if the presence of a more advanced smartphone in that time period feels like a miss.
Some years later, the story returns to the same high school and follows five childhood friends. One of them, Choi Hyeong Wook, uses Girigo to make a wish. Once the app grants it, a 24-hour timer begins on his phone. And as expected, when the timer runs out, he dies. His violent suicide leaves his friends shaken, and very soon, they discover a connection between his death and the app.
After Hyeong Wook, Kim Geon Woo becomes the centre of the curse. To help him, his close friend and girlfriend, Yoo Se-ah, brings the group together to find a way out. Among them is Kang Ha joon, a computer-savvy teenager who tries to trace the origins of the app and Lim Na Ri, who eventually becomes a victim herself. On another front, we have Kang Ha Young, Ha-joon’s sister, and a shaman who attempts to help them break the curse.
As they try to make sense of what is happening, they find themselves pulled deeper into a chain of supernatural events.
Beyond the horror and mystery, the show leans into familiar high school tropes, including blossoming romance, love triangles, shifting friendships, and jealousy. These elements make the story relatable and make the group feel real.
The narrative also moves back and forth in time, showing how the app came into existence. Through these flashbacks, we see how Do Hye-ryung and Kwon Si-won’s innocent friendship slowly fractures under jealousy and misunderstanding, giving birth to a curse.
The horror in the show is not driven by constant jump scares. It leans more towards gore and violence. While it may not satisfy those looking for something truly chilling, it creates a different kind of discomfort. The unease builds from what the characters, who are supposed to be close friends, are capable of doing to each other under manipulation and fear.
For a story built around a killer application, there are surprisingly few deaths. It almost feels like the show pulls its punches when it could have hit harder. There is nothing wrong with a happy ending but in this case, it dilutes the impact. A show centred on an app that kills people needs to fully commit to the plot.
This is also where it differs from stories with a similar premise, say Sadako (2019). The core idea might sound similar but Sadako exists in a darker, more dreadful world, while If Wishes Could Kill shifts between high school drama and supernatural thriller, often playing it safe. The horror is less intense.
Amid the tension, the series also finds moments of lightness through Kang Ha joon and Bang ul’s (Kang Ha-young’s partner) banter. Their dynamic brings some relief. Bang Ul, constantly calling Ha joon his brother-in-law, much to his irritation, becomes a running gag.
Ultimately, the series rests on a relatively new and young cast, including Jeon So-young, Baek Sun ho, Hyun Woo seok, and Kim Si a. Despite being early in their careers, they manage to hold the narrative together and deliver performances that keep the show engaging. It is also an easy binge. With eight episodes of 35 to 45 minutes each, it can be finished in one sitting.
So while the show may not deliver the kind of fear that keeps you from switching off the lights at night, it keeps you engaged in some parts. The closing moments also hint that the curse might still linger and set the stage for a second season.
Watch it for its mix of high school drama and supernatural mystery, and for the performances of its young cast. It’s currently streaming on Netflix.
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