The second episode of If Wishes Killed… begins with a flashback to Yoo Se-ah’s first day of school—a character we’d previously seen only as a high school student—in a new city. She and her neighbor Kim Geon-woo attend the same school, as we discovered in the previous episode, and they usually meet in front of the elevator every morning before walking to class together—a habit that becomes the genesis of the little teenage romance between them.
Here, however, they don’t know each other yet, and barely exchange greetings at the doors. Despite this, Se-ah clearly captures Geon-woo’s attention; he seems immediately charmed by his new neighbor and classmate. During one encounter, when the elevator opens for the pair, an older man is already inside, watching as the two exchange sidelong glances. The little smile that appears on the actor’s face suggests that, being more experienced, the character has already sensed that these two will have a little love story in the future.
The fact that we had already seen this same man (with his hair dyed to look gray) riding the elevator with Se-ah and Geon-woo in the previous episode, in the narrative’s “present time”—and we also sense that he’s rooting for the couple—makes this absurdly simple little scene all the more delightful. It’s a charming touch from director Park Youn-seo (In Motion) and debut screenwriter Park Joong-sub, but it’s also a setup. The horror of If Desires Killed, after all, is far more effective if we care about the people suffering it.
Or, as I said above: the devil is in the details.
And the competence of Netflix’s new K-drama within its genre is indeed relentless. If Wishes Killed… makes its first major success when it decides to focus on a small group of protagonists—five longtime friends—rather than establishing itself as an ensemble story like, for example, All of Us Are Dead. Here, it’s not zombies, but a curse transmitted via a phone app that spreads through the school, and the series is smart to spend its time establishing each of the five interconnected characters affected by the curse, rather than building a larger context around them.
After all, the plot also depends on how well we understand each character’s deepest desires. If Wishes Killed… walks the fine line between being overly direct and refreshingly uninhibited when it comes to exposing these traits—like every teenager, of course, these characters seek acceptance and warmth, but they also harbor fears and dreams that are entirely unique to each of them. The script’s main task, in fact, is to make each of these characters unforgettable… not just easy to identify with, but worthy of our support as the curse tears them to pieces.
Furthermore, the protagonist Jeon So-young (unfailing with her bowl cut and excellent at conveying expressions of shock) has everything it takes to be the new scream queen for fans of the genre. Agile with its eight episodes of just over 40 minutes each—a rarity in the world of K-dramas—and above all, crafted with an awareness of how and when to use horror tropes, If Desires Killed… is a triumph. Especially in the details.
