I honestly had no idea that ‘Genie, Make a Wish’ was even releasing. I vaguely recall hearing that Suzy and Kim Woo-bin were reuniting for another drama, but I didn’t know the title, plot, or release date. So, when I randomly stumbled upon the two of them together on YouTube, it completely took me by surprise.
Yes, as I was scrolling through YouTube, I came across a thumbnail from ddeunddeun, the YouTube channel run by Korea’s beloved host Yoo Jae Seok. If you’re into K-entertainment talk shows, you’ve probably seen his channel. Sometimes, I watch the interviews from this channel if my favorites come as guests. My personal favorites include the one with Lee Sang Yi and Kim Go Eun where their friendship tales were too funny, and another where Park Bo Gum, Kim So Hyun, and Lee Sang Yi appeared to promote Good Boy.
So, when I spotted Suzy and Kim Woo Bin on the thumbnail, I literally went, “Wait a second… are their drama coming out?” Of course, I had to click on it. That’s when I found out about Genie, Make a Wish. Naturally, I went down the rabbit hole. First, I watched the trailer to know about the story, and I was instantly hooked. The concept looked refreshing, but what intrigued me most was Suzy’s character, described as a psychopath.
The Perfect Timing for a Fantasy K-drama
Honestly, the timing couldn’t have been better. I had been craving a good fantasy K-drama for weeks, but couldn’t find anything new that grabbed my attention. I even tried Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, but I couldn’t make it past ten minutes. I even thought of watching old K-dramas like Hotel Del Luna and Korean Odyssey, but after a moment of thought, I dropped them because I already know the storyline.
And that’s when Genie, Make a Wish, appeared, almost like the universe was listening.
Synopsis:
Genie, Make a Wish is about a woman named Ki Ga-young, who is born without emotion, who accidentally releases a genie named Iblis from his lamp when she was travelling in Dubai. And, Iblis, who was imprisoned for 938 years, becomes free. He now wants to corrupt her to prove his point to God that humans are all corrupted by their desires, as always. But the problem arises: Ki Ga-young is the reincarnation of a person whose selfless wishes led to his punishment in the first place. The story follows their complex relationship as they navigate their past and fate.
Ki Ga Young, the character
I’m absolutely in love with Ki Ga Young’s character in Genie, Make a Wish. Although she circulates her life as a rulebook of do’s and don’ts, a girl who shows no emotion and has a dark urge to hurt anyone who inconveniences her, but beneath that cold, detached exterior lies a heart of gold. And, it is all because of how she has been raised by her grandmother’s love.
Her personality instantly reminded me of Seon Yunjae, the protagonist from the novel ‘Almond‘ by Sohn Won Pyung. Yunjae also struggles to understand emotions due to alexithymia, and in many ways, Ki Ga Young feels like a K-drama version of that same emotional complexity. Both characters are fascinating because they don’t feel like others do, yet they are some of the most genuine and empathetic souls once you truly see them.
What makes Ki Ga Young so captivating is her honesty. She doesn’t pretend to feel things she doesn’t understand, and she approaches every situation with her own internal set of rules. In a world where most people hide their emotions behind polite smiles or subtle lies, she feels authentic.
And that authenticity makes her unique and unpredictable than a normal human. For instance, she wants to get away from the genie and doesn’t want to make a wish; she throws away the lamp, hits the genie for annoying her, whereas normal people would be blinded by desires and corrupted to fulfill their wishes.
Kim Woo Bin, His Acting
I have to say, I was genuinely surprised by Kim Woo Bin’s performance in Genie, Make a Wish. Seeing him perform quirky, funny, and extroverted character felt completely new.
Up until now, I’ve mostly associated Kim Woo Bin with serious and mature roles, like his unforgettable characters in The Heirs and Uncontrollably Fond. In both dramas, he delivered powerful performances that left a lasting impact on viewers. In fact, those roles are still alive in our kdrama fans’ hearts.
But as the genie Iblis, Kim Woo Bin, completely transforms. He’s mischievous, expressive, and even a little childish, yet it never feels out of place. In fact, the role suits him perfectly. His comedic timing, exaggerated expressions, and warm energy balance beautifully against Suzy’s stoic, rule-bound Ki Ga Young. It’s even funnier when Iblis, a powerful magical creature who is feared by everyone, is afraid of Ki Ga Young.
And, I think that’s the magic of a well-rounded actor to be able to shift their image effortlessly to fit what a story demands. I’d absolutely love to see him explore even more diverse roles after this.
Plot That Makes You Curious
From the very first episode, Genie, Make a Wish keeps you curious about what Ki Ga Young will do. As she is a psychopath, she will definitely not make a wish like normal people do. She will not ask for money, wealth, or success, and as per her rules, she will also not ask to kill someone.
On the other hand, we have Iblis, the genie, or rather, Satan himself. His main purpose is to corrupt human souls through their desires, believing that every person is inherently selfish. He wants to become free and take revenge on the past Ga Young after making the present & reincarnated Ga Young corrupt through her wishes. But Ki Ga Young, being Ki Ga Young, she does not make those wishes immediately. So, it is interesting to watch how the story will turn out. Their banter, battles, and mind games keep you hooked, making it impossible to guess what will happen next.
Since it is a fantasy drama, something definitely must have happened in the past. Why was Iblis being imprisoned?? Is the reason he believes the real one, or is there something deeper hidden behind it? The show reveals these secrets slowly, through flashbacks and fragmented storytelling that build tension and mystery. And some subplots are revealed much later in the episodes.
Romantic Relationship Between Satan and Psychopath
Another fascinating layer of the drama is its unusual love story. How do two people who don’t believe in love, one a genie seeking revenge, the other a woman incapable of emotion, fall for each other?
When Ki Ga Young becomes bound to Iblis, she’s forced to make three wishes, and the bond of master and a genie pushes them into each other’s worlds whether they like it or not. At the beginning, Ki Ga Young and Iblis just want to kill each other. But their constant clashing and bickering create both tension and humor just as needed.
You can feel the chemistry, and honestly, I would love to see them fighting and bickering with each other the whole episode, as they both have such unique personalities, and they work well together.
With the scenes being shifted from comedy to romance, from flashbacks of the past to present-day storytelling, from being serious to actual chaos, it does not feel out of place and will actually make you smile and give a good kind of shock.
Side Characters
Along with the main leads, side characters are funny as hell too. Firstly, we have Ki Ga Young’s grandmother. She is just like typical grandmother you can see in Asian family. She is emotional, worries always, asks if you have eaten or not, cooks for you, makes dishes for future and most important she loves Ga Young despite who she is.
Similarly, we have Ga Young’s friend – ‘Min Ji’. She is sweetheart too. She cares about Ga Young in her own ways. But in the beginning, there was actually less screen time for her, I was wondering what is her purpose in the drama. Like she has less dialogue, and even we take her out of the drama, I don’t think it would have impacted the storyline until the few of the last episodes. She played major role in Ga Young’s life, when she lost everything.
We have another magical creature, An Angel of Death, ‘Ejllael’ who guides dying humans to afterlife. And, he and Iblis have a way long war of history that you don’t want to miss out.
Sade, actually is my favourite. He is such a lovely and cute character. He is shown as Jaguar, mystic animal who serves Iblis, kind of slow and clumsy but is protective and fights deadly. On other hand, we have Ireum, an owl, who serves Ejllael actually but have a forbidden love with Sade which I find really cute. These both have managed to bring the storyline forward and are important part of the plot.
Surprising Elements and Cameo
One of the most delightful parts of Genie, Make a Wish is how full of surprises it is. There are so many cameos and unexpected scenes that completely catch you off guard, especially if you haven’t been spoiled by social media yet.
First of all, Kim Woo Bin’s impersonations are absolutely hilarious in one of the episodes where he is trying to convince Ki Ga Young to make her wishes. When he mimics The Glory’s iconic line – “Bravo… Ki Ga Young, bravo!”- I couldn’t stop laughing. And then he goes on to impersonate Choi Young Do, his unforgettable character from The Heirs. Those moments were pure chef’s kiss, perfectly funny, and nostalgic.
Spoiler Alert
If you haven’t seen Genie, Make a Wish yet, you might want to skip this part!
Even though I watched The Glory impersonation, I didn’t expect Song Hye Kyo to actually appear in a cameo. I was completely shocked when she showed up. It was such a surprise.
Religious Controversy
I know Genie, Make a Wish might not appeal to everyone, especially for viewers familiar with the religious background of Iblis in the Quran and who are Islamic. This drama doesn’t follow those narratives closely, and it’s definitely more of a fictional reimagining than a religiously accurate story.
Personally, I don’t know much about the real myths or religious interpretations of Iblis. My only reference to genies before this was from Aladdin! So, from that perspective, I genuinely enjoyed the show as a piece of fantasy storytelling rather than something meant to reflect scripture or belief systems.
Of course, there are parts where they could have written the storyline more carefully and handled the concept a bit more knowledgeably. But overall, I don’t regret watching it at all; it’s entertaining, funny, heartfelt, and surprisingly emotional.
Conclusion
Genie, Make a Wish is a great fit for someone who is looking for a rom-com fantasy. It’s never boring and makes you giggle and laugh. Actually, while watching this, I was quite afraid that the show was going to end because after that what I’m going to watch. It’s just too bad such a good kdrama is going to end up watching in just 2 days. Actually, I was holding myself not to binge-watch it in the first place.
If you are Islamic and know Iblis and his name being used in drama, then I guess it can be quite offensive to you while watching this drama. But you are like me who have least knowledge of religious background and can watch without associating it with the religious thinking, then Genie, Make a Wish is a must-watch drama.
