A special photographer bearing a family curse meets a woman who seemingly can protect him against the ghosts that keep haunting him in The Midnight Studio.
Nicely paced, the lively characters, heartening featured stories and a possible romance are reasons why this series should be added to your watch list.
abbyinhallyuland watches The Midnight Studio on K-PLUS
This feature covers the first four episodes of the seriesFIRST LOOK RATING:
The Midnight Studio Episodes 1 to 4 Highlights
Born into a cursed family, Seo Ki-joo (Joo Won) is a ghost photographer haunted by spirits lurking in the human world.
For some who discover the night photo studio that he has been running, he helps grant their wishes and even takes a picture together with their loved ones.
However, he is constantly hounded by bad ghosts to which he has learned the necessary combat skills to battle them out. Assisting him at the studio are Go Sung-ho (Yoo In Soo) and Baek Nam-goo (Eum Moon Suk)
After a failed mission with a virgin ghost, Ki-joo was forced to move out of the house when the ghost caused a fire. He was offered by Grandma Geum-soon (Kim Young Ok) to live in her house on a hill where her granddaughter Han Bom (Kwon Nara) lives.
Bom is a former promising prosecutor who encountered some problems at work and has since lived under what her profession was expected to generate. Her situation did not get better when her grandmother rented out her place.
Strangely, Bom finds the midnight studio that only Ki-joo and the ghost can enter which baffles the ghost photographer. She is also perplexed at his recent connections with people she knows.
One of her old clients was accused of killing her brain-dead husband. Ki-joo helps her with the case and gives them the time to reunite one last time.
The same goes with twin brothers Yoon whose oldest brother met an accident as he was trying to buy a birthday gift for his dongsaeng.
However, Ki-joo’s action to help the Yoon brothers reconnect was used by Bom to send him on a trip to the police station. Before that, Ki-joo noticed a protective circle that seemed to form when he physically connected with Bom. He was able to confirm his theory at the police station when a group of ghosts wanted to attack her.
“Just 100 days. I want you to protect me for 100 days.”
Curious about Ki-joo’s remark to visit him at night, Bom finds herself at the photo studio that connects the living and the dead. Ki-joo gives her a tour while Sung-ho and Nam-goo welcome her.
Explaining his arduous life trying to avoid the ghosts that cannot enter the photo studio for a proper sendoff, Ki-joo pleaded that she let her borrow the circle shield she mysteriously possesses.
Coming from a gathering of lawyers and prosecutors, Bom helps Ki-joo when he is caught taking the laptop of a priest who asked for help to delete some videos on his laptop. It turns out that he is a fan of K-pop girl group aespa. She helps him explain the situation to the police.
Over bottles of soju, Bom declines Ki-joo’s request to be his safe zone for a hundred days. She confessed that her experience made her unwilling to put someone in danger again.
At night, Bom was let in by her grandmother who already learned that Bom was fired at the prosecutor’s office. Because of a case, Bom earned the ire of the Chief Prosecutor and made her blacklisted in the field.
Unknown to Bom, her grandmother went to see the Chief Prosecutor but failed to meet him. Unfortunately, she had a cardiac arrest after her trip to the prosecutors’ office.
Grandma finds her way to the midnight photo studio which surprised Ki-joo. He thought she was there to get the photo she took last time and he realized that she was dead.
Finding Bom, she asks if he saw her grandma and pleads to say that he didn’t. However, Grandma requested not to see Bom so she cannot add to her trauma. Still, after learning that her grandmother is at the photo studio, Bom makes a sendoff with the help of Ki-joo and the photo studio staff.
In the end, he was able to capture the last photo of Bom and Grandma. Interestingly, the next day, Bom continues to see ghosts clearly after being captured by the cryptic camera.
The Midnight Studio Episodes 1 to 4 Musings
Heartening stories and interesting characters would make viewers support this new ENA series.
As it features departures of people from mortal world, the premise of them being given a chance to spend one last moment with the people they love requires viewers to prepare for the weep fest moments.
Bom’s strange connection to Ki-joo, the 7th generation photographer of midnight studio could be traced to their ancestors’ past. Hopefully, her connection extends to the possibility of him defying the curse that left his ancestors to die young.
Viewers can also look forward to Bom’s retribution story against the evil chief prosecutor who banished her from the legal world. Also, the back stories of the amusing ghost staff members of the midnight studio.
As suggested in the first four episodes, Ki-joo would embark on dead people’s requests and the series will feature heartwrenching stories. Now that Bom can also see ghosts, we can look forward to how she will team up with Ki-joo.
All committed to their roles, The Midnight Studio is an easy watch with relevant lessons about life and death that the audiences can learn from. The lines are so far done with realistic messages and heartfelt emotions.
Celebrate life with heartwarming stories captured in The Midnight Studio.
Photos: ENA
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