From the perspective of a man who doesn’t look forward to what life can offer him anymore, If You Wish Upon Me takes a slow route to gravitate viewers, but the after-realization message is uplifting.
This new KBS2 midweek drama is like a quick salve that can ease your mood. But its languid pace might not be appealing for some.
abbyinhallyuland watches If You Wish Upon Me on Viu
Opening Week Rating:
PRESS CONFERENCE: “If You Wish Upon Me” To Bestow Heartwarming Stories To Viewers
If You Wish Upon Me Opening Week Story
Released from prison, Yoon Gyeo-rye (Ji Chang Wook) holds on to his pet dog for a sliver of reason to exist in a world he’s disinterested in.
His friend from the orphanage took care of his dog and broke the news that his dog which he called “son” is terminally ill. From there, he brings him to see the ocean from an ad poster they saw at a bus stop since his son appears interested in it.
En route to the sea, he, unfortunately, caused a traffic accident. One of the involved vehicles in the accident is an ambulance from Woori Hospice Hospital where Team Genie volunteers.
Team Genie, a volunteer group from the hospice granting the last wish of terminally-ill patients, is bringing a grandfather to the burial place of his late wife. His time is ticking and his final wish is to spend his last living moments with her.
When the leader of Team Genie, Kang Tae-shik (Sung Dong Il) hurts his leg and foot because of the accident Gyeo-rye caused, he demands him to drive the ambulance to carry out their mission that day. Fortunately for Gyeo-rye, it also helped him escape the thugs chasing after him.
Carrying his son-dog, Gyeo-rye intends to drown together if not for Tae-shik’s intervention. On the day of Gyeo-rye’s trial, Tae-shik eavesdrop on the judge’s decision. Refusing to pay the penalty despite having some money, he is forced to do community service.
The New Member of Team Genie
Tae-shik requests the judge to have him go to the hospice as something in Gyeo-rye intrigues him.
As soon as he enters the hospice, he infuriates Seo Yeon-ju (Choi Sooyoung), the gregarious nurse who is also a Team Genie member when he dirtied her uniform because of his reckless driving. In return, she kicked the side mirror of his car. Indifferent to the kindness of the people at the hospice, he decides to stay since his son like it there.
Assuming the driving duty of Tae-shik; Gyeo-rye is forced to join Team Genie with their new mission. That is to bring a grandfather to his old house where a family of disconnected members lives.
The house is located in a neighborhood that will go for redevelopment. Living in the house is a family of four who used to be living a well-off life. However, the mother fell into an investment scam and things have never been the same for them.
Working hard to make the family agree, the efforts of Tae-shik and Gyeo-rye paid off as the family acquiesces to their offer.
“To be honest, I’m scared of death. But what do I do? Life scares me more.”
Before arriving at the house, Gyeo-rye and Tae-shik had a verbal spat owing to the former’s unmindful words about the dying grandfather.
At night, when he was tasked to take care of the grandfather; he makes a heartfelt confession of how he is scared more to live than to die. The grandfather asked him to move closer to him and thanked him for driving him to the home he shared with his loving family before.
Breaking down to the sign of kindness shown by a stranger he was even rude with; Gyeo-rye worked on painting balls to imitate persimmon fruits and hang it on the persimmon tree for the grandfather to see.
If You Wish Upon Me Opening Week Musings
For the most part of the first two episodes of If You Wish Upon Me, it felt too spiritless until that poignant moment in the dying minutes of the second episode.
It honestly saved the too relaxed trajectory of the series. Life and Death are most likely the topics that the story would spin as “life’s last wish” is a key plot element.
With injections of faint stories about “estranged” and “silent” families; it also tugs at the truths about disheartening family interactions.
That Yoon Gyeo-rye’s line pretty much sums up the promised stories of If You Wish Upon Me. Correspondingly, we expect heartbreaking and life-affirming moments to be highlighted in the narrative.
Gyeo-rye’s detachment from people and nonchalance in life came from his past wounds. We can also infer that his entanglement with people who let him down caused deep trauma to him.
His life mirrors anyone who has gone through a point in his life when finding the motivation to live is hard. Hopefully, through his experiences joining Team Genie who grants final wishes to dying patients; he gets to realize his own life’s purpose.
Ponder on the meaningful lessons from Team Genie in If You Wish Upon Me every Wednesday and Thursday. International fans can watch it on Viu.
Photos: KBS2
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