[Drama 2022] If You Wish Upon Me ★ 당신이 소원을 말하면 ☄ Ji Chang Wook, Sung Dong Il & Sooyoung, Wed&Thu, also on viki and viu

[partyon]

I just finished ep 1 of this drama. I cried about 4 times

I want to watch ep 2 but need a break in between. This drama is emotionally draining 

[maribella]

2 hours ago, partyon said:

I just finished ep 1 of this drama. I cried about 4 times

I want to watch ep 2 but need a break in between. This drama is emotionally draining 

 

This show has a nice balance of depressive scenes and rather oversweet  scenes of the Genie team. But they are volunteers, why not. 
It's not like the consistently violent and dark Insider, even if it's a good show, or Eve with the crazy, evil characters in every episode, that I could watch anyway.

 

I am not too impressed with the FL's acting. The laughter she gave when the old ladies told her the doc fancied her was decidely without mirth. I hope she improves. This is the case of idol-turned-actor, maybe needs time to loosen up.

[partyon]

5 minutes ago, maribella said:

I am not too impressed with the FL's acting. The laughter she gave when the old ladies told her the doc fancied her was decidely without mirth. I hope she improves. This is the case of idol-turned-actor, maybe needs time to loosen up.

 

Sigh. I am also not impressed with the FL's acting. It could be worse, but when you have Ji Chang Wook and Sung Dong Il as the other main characters, it does emphasize the differences in acting talent.

 

I know I might be alone with my opinion here, but I would hope they would keep the romance out. This drama theme is so heavy (hospice, broken homes, etc), and adding romance in all of this just doesn't feel right to me.

K-dramas tend to ALWAYS include it though regardless of the genre, so don't have high hopes here.

[maribella]

1 minute ago, partyon said:

know I might be alone with my opinion here, but I would hope they would keep the romance out. This drama theme is so heavy (hospice, broken homes, etc), and adding romance in all of this just doesn't feel right to me.

K-dramas tend to ALWAYS include it though regardless of the genre, so don't have high hopes here.

There was no romance in Insider and the ratings dropped after the first half or so. 
I am ok if there is or isn't any romance. The bickering type is a tired trope. 
 

 

[cherkell]

On 8/13/2022 at 5:28 AM, agenth said:

Is anyone watching? The premiere episode has been unveiled, now 2nd episode as well. I was absent so I couldn't change the thread title before.

 

I saw one episode only and will see the next one tonight. I will write a more in-depth post when I return home. However, I've got to say that the story is a bit out of touch, as it doesn't make sense that she "spends" the whole day "with" him and then suddenly she dropkicks his car. 

 

I guess she was very busy during that time they met, and then when she saw him her anger returned? 

 

Not only watching, but live-streaming via 5 devices (at 5:50 AM!!!) to increase those ratings. 

 

Where did you see Yeon-joo was "spending" the whole day with Gyeo-re?   I didn't get that at all in the first episode.

 

But there's a lot going on in South Korea these days - monsoon flooding, their government going to heck-in-a-handbucket, even more threats from North Korea, not to mention the 10-minute overlap with 'Attorney Woo'... so I'm not surprised this isn't yet in the 5% range.  Another week of 'Woo' and I predict people will then start tuning in.  The show is getting a lot of buzz online; it's just not yet showing up in the viewing numbers because of other distractions.

 

And no, the head of Team Genie is not Gyeo-re's father.  I highly doubt the writer-nim intended to have a childhood amnesia trope right off the bat. 

 

[partyon]

Finished ep 2! I like how we see how vulnerable the ML is deep down inside. Gonna be interesting to see how he will start letting his guard down more and more. Such a tragic backstory.

I'm in awe of Ji Chang Wook oppa's acting! He's doing a fantastic job.

@rocat join us here.

[maribella]

3 hours ago, cherkell said:

And no, the head of Team Genie is not Gyeo-re's father.  I highly doubt the writer-nim intended to have a childhood amnesia trope right off the bat. 

He grabbed GR by the collar and asked him if the scar on his back was caused by an iron, followed by him being beaten by some thugs and a boy with the same scar was peeping at them. So he is either the father or someone very close to him in childhood, perhaps a neighbour
 

The ML does not need to have amnesia. He grew up in an orphanage, had been in a detention centre, so adults would come and go in a blur. Probably never expected anyone he knew to be a good person. I am sure they had a connection.

 

 

[chickfactor]

Wow, they are laying the pathos on thick - vulnerable family-less boy with a shady past, prickly on the outside but just wants to be loved. Don't forget the dying pup. ... And it is all working for me.  

[maribella]

7 hours ago, partyon said:

Finished ep 2! I like how we see how vulnerable the ML is deep down inside. Gonna be interesting to see how he will start letting his guard down more and more. Such a tragic backstory.

I'm in awe of Ji Chang Wook oppa's acting! He's doing a fantastic job.

@rocat join us here.

I think he's good in the two episodes but I have not reached the rapturous state.

@partyon I think there is some bias here for the pretty face and he is known to have great abs. Ehem. 

[Mizzy]

So far am liking this drama. Re-watched a few times already. Even though the storyline is predictable, I like that there are lots of warmth and underlying messages of hope in the story. Melos are okay if the balance is done well and the underlying message is meaningful. A recent popular one that was also on Netflix was interesting to watch but in the end, there was no clear messaging. The ending left me hanging and by now, I kinda forgot what the show was about.

 

I find the FL's acting okay so far. Don't have an issue with her laughter...felt it suit the situation. And I'm okay with the romance if it's not forced. But I'm watching keenly for the interactions between the 2 MLs. I want to know how they're connected. Obviously, the older is not the father but seems to have some bad blood with the family?

[partyon]

8 hours ago, maribella said:

I think he's good in the two episodes but I have not reached the rapturous state.

@partyon I think there is some bias here for the pretty face and he is known to have great abs. Ehem.

 

Actually when it comes to his acting no. I actually criticized it in The Sound of Magic as I didn’t feel his portrayal worked for me. Much to @agenth’s dismay of course.

 

I think he’s doing really well in this drama and I doubt many Korean male actors could pull off the multiple acting layers and emoting he’s doing here.

Then again it’s subjective.

[confusedheart]

New Event: My Soompi Corner- Summer Round-Up 

 

 

 

Chingus, so how was the summer of 2022? What dramas have you been watching?  Time to we catch up with each other. Do drop in and share what you have been up to.  

 

 

 

Your friendly, neighbourhood EO Team 

 

@confusedheart @partyon @Sleepy Owl and @agenth

[backstreetboysfan]

I am liking this one so far, it has me crying so much though lol.

 

 

Ji Chang Wook And Sung Dong Il Engage In A War Of Nerves In Front Of A Mysterious Room In “If You Wish Upon Me”

KBS 2TV’s “if You Wish Upon Me” has shared new stills ahead of the next episode!

 

“If You Wish Upon Me” is a drama inspired by a real organization in the Netherlands that fulfills the wishes of terminal cancer patients. Ji Chang Wook will star as Yoon Gyeo Re, a man who has been pushed to his limits by a difficult life full of struggles. However, when Yoon Gyeo Re winds up having to volunteer at a hospice, he finds his life changing in unexpected ways while helping to make the patients’ wishes come true.

 

Spoilers

Previously, Yoon Gyeo Re started his volunteer work at the hospice hospital. His cold heart softened a bit for the sick patient Mr. Pyeon (Jun Moo Song), who thanked him for his help. At the end of the second episode, Yoon Gyeo Re went back to the hospice to pack the rest of Mr. Pyeon’s belongings when he noticed a mysterious room with a lock on it.

 

The newly released stills capture the continuing development after he comes upon the room of secrets. Yoon Gyeo Re leans towards it with brimming curiosity as he holds his dog in his arms. He becomes vigilant at the sudden appearance of Kang Tae Shik (Sung Dong Il), who warns him with a surprised and hardened expression on his face. Suddenly, Kang Tae Shik receives a message that causes him to grow alarmed. In the upcoming episode, viewers can learn more about what wish they will have to fulfill next and the secret connection between the two characters.

 

 

Episode 3 of “if You Wish Upon Me” will air on August 17 at 9:50 p.m. KST.

 

Ji Chang Wook And Sung Dong Il Engage In A War Of Nerves In Front Of A Mysterious Room In “If You Wish Upon Me” | Soompi

[agenth]

On 8/15/2022 at 10:42 AM, partyon said:

Actually when it comes to his acting no. I actually criticized it in The Sound of Magic as I didn’t feel his portrayal worked for me. Much to @agenth’s dismay of course.

 

 

maybe you not liking the hair has to do with his "drama performance", you were too hateful with the hair  

i think his acting in TSOM was actually breathtaking, even more than usual and i really loved the songs ~ what a powerful performance.

 

On 8/15/2022 at 5:04 AM, Mizzy said:

. A recent popular one that was also on Netflix was interesting to watch but in the end, there was no clear messaging. The ending left me hanging and by now, I kinda forgot what the show was about.

did you also forget the title? just kidding :d but now i'm curious which drama you talk about. 

i also prefer that this drama has some light-hearted moments sprinkled in between the heavy emotional ones. 

 

one moment you go awwwwwwww Adeul (the dog), then YGR walks into the ocean  (the opposite of the ocean scenes in LITC). 

 

On 8/14/2022 at 3:52 PM, cherkell said:

Not only watching, but live-streaming via 5 devices (at 5:50 AM!!!) to increase those ratings. 

 

Where did you see Yeon-joo was "spending" the whole day with Gyeo-re?   I didn't get that at all in the first episode.

 

what a dedicated queen you are! kudos!

 

i just asked the question as nobody posted hehe and it felt lonely on thread, but now i'm happy to see everyone here <3

 

i actually meant when YGR drove Team Genie to the home town and I assumed he'd drive them back as well, as nobody was able to drive, but him. So she'd have to sort of "spend time" with him, albeit I put that under quotes as it certainly is debatable, that it was no quality time spending, rather a taxi service - still she was able to talk to him haha.

 

but in episode 2 it was shown that she was angry as he made her spill her coffee 10 minutes before she dropkicked the car.

 

  

On 8/14/2022 at 8:23 AM, maribella said:

Hi @agenth how you have the time to do events  and post messages too, just beats me.

 

it's due to great teamwork (and i am only a little part of it haha), but @partyon is more impressive, she's the brain AND heart behind EO now that @Lmangla is retired.

 

  

On 8/13/2022 at 3:04 PM, maribella said:

I am sort of watching. I remember reading a list of best looking Kdrama actors, he was one of them and I figured that was why the camera was lingering on his face a lot. I'm afraid I FFW a fair bit.

 

haha actually i think camera lingers on his face as it's very emotional scenes and his eyes reflect the story well. especially the part when he walked into the ocean.....

 

but i won't deny that he cuts a good figure even in the terrible clothes

 

 

 

[agenth]

for more behind the scenes (episode 1) with english subs:

 

 

 

especially for @partyon

[cherkell]

 

 

[Latte_Anyday]

Gettin' a bit of "Chocolate" vibes off of this as both dramas deal with patients at a hospice as well.

    Ji Chang Wook's character is like a petulant child LoL bein' forced to do community service. His interactions with Nurse Soo Young is funny LoL. Chang Wook's worked with 2 SNSD members now. Who's next? Seohyun LoL? 

    The dog is cute. Although I am concerned with Chang Wook's reckless driving.. oof. Good thing the furbaby is strapped in and inside a carrier. Also his character went through so many other stranger's clothes LoL. 

    Nice to see he came round and tried to put up "persimmons" to cheer up that old gramps.. the thugs however are far from giving up in their pursuit.

[backstreetboysfan]

 

Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung Faces Blame From Terminally lll Patient Park Jin Joo In “If You Wish Upon Me”

Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung will struggle with unruly patient Park Jin Joo on the next episode of “If You Wish Upon Me.”

 

“If You Wish Upon Me” is a new KBS drama inspired by an actual organization in the Netherlands that fulfills the wishes of terminal cancer patients. Ji Chang Wook stars as Yoon Gyeo Re, a man who has been pushed to his limits by a difficult life full of struggles. However, when he winds up having to volunteer at a hospice, he finds his life changing in unexpected ways while helping to make the patients’ wishes come true.

 

Sooyoung stars in the drama as Seo Yeon Joo, a tough and cheerful nurse at the hospice who is obsessed with exercise, while Sung Dong Il plays Kang Tae Shik, the volunteer chief of Team Genie.

 

In the drama’s upcoming third episode, the hospice will be shaken up by its youngest terminally ill patient Im Se Hee (played by Park Jin Joo). From singing loudly in a shared room to fighting with the guardian of another patient, Im Se Hee made an unforgettable first appearance in the previous episode, even clashing with Yoon Gyeo Re when he tried to break up the fight.

 

Newly released stills from the next episode capture Kang Tae Shik approaching Im Se Hee while she’s sitting alone and singing to herself in church. Kang Tae Shik wears a warm smile as he strikes up a conversation with Im Se Hee, who has thus far been prickly to everyone around her because of the uncontrollable pain she’s currently suffering.

Another photo shows Im Se Hee writhing in pain and angrily blaming Seo Yeon Joo, who previously promised she would come to save Im Se Hee if she found herself in pain.

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

Later, after hurting Seo Yeon Joo’s feelings with her unkind words and upsetting actions, Im Se Hee seeks out the nurse during a quiet moment.

 

Seo Yeon Joo, who is in the middle of working out when Im Se Hee comes to find her, gazes warily at the patient as she prepares to hear what she has to say.

 

Spoiler

 

The producers of “If You Wish Upon Me” teased, “In Episode 3, actress Park Jin Joo, who has transformed into the hospice’s youngest terminally ill patient, will display amazing chemistry with Team Genie as her story begins in earnest. We hope that you’ll marvel with us at Park Jin Joo’s incredible presence [in the drama] as she pours her soul into her unrivaled acting.”

 

To find out why Im Se Hee approaches Seo Yeon Joo on her own—and what her final wish will be—tune in to the third episode of “If You Wish Upon Me” on August 17 at 9:50 p.m. KST!

 

Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung Faces Blame From Terminally lll Patient Park Jin Joo In “If You Wish Upon Me” | Soompi

 

[backstreetboysfan]

 

 

A Celebration Of Life: 5 Things We Loved About The Premiere Of “If You Wish Upon Me”

Girls’ Generation fans, rejoice! Not only is the legendary girl group back but they’re hitting it out of the park in every avenue including dramas! Sooyoung returns to the small screen in a drama led by Ji Chang Wook, the multi-faceted actor who is a favorite of many K-drama fans. “If You Wish Upon Me” is the much less glamorous but no less lovely sister of “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.” It spins a story of three broken people in a small town, striving to make the dreams of palliative care patients come true, all while figuring out their own.

 

Here’s what we loved about the premiere episodes!

 

Warning: mentions of suicide and spoilers for episodes 1-2 below.

 

 

1. Yoon Gyeo Rye

 

 

 

The first couple episodes focused more on giving us a feel for the characters rather than telling us their backstories, so there’s still a lot to delve into on who they are. But everyone comes off as wonderfully nuanced and so human. We’re introduced to Yoon Gyeo Re (Ji Chang Wook) right off the bat as he leaves prison. For some, this might be the start of a new life. For Gyeo Re, it’s a reminder that his old life hasn’t forgotten him because the gang he worked for is still after him for stealing a ton of money from them before his incarceration.

 

 

Having successfully stashed the stolen money (and his dog Sunny) with a friend while he was in prison, Gyeo Re immediately uses it to get the swankiest hotel room and flashiest car he can buy. But it all rings hollow. During Gyeo Re’s time in prison, Sunny has gotten sicker and sicker despite medical care and is now dying. Plus Gyeo Re has no friends and no one to lean on. Literally chased from place to place by gang members, he ends up crashing his car into an ambulance—the very one headed by Kang Tae Shik (Sung Dong Il) and Seo Yeon Joo (Sooyoung), who were in the middle of fulfilling a very dear patient’s last wish. And just like that, Gyeo Re finds himself in the oddest situation, roped into driving said ambulance in a race against time to fulfill the patient’s last wish.

 

Spoiler

 

Something about the experience seems to be a trigger for Gyeo Re. He pauses by a lake, holding his dying dog in his arms and attempts to walk in and end their lives, only to be stopped by none other than Kang Tae Shik. Gyeo Re isn’t pleased at being saved, especially because in the aftermath, he faces consequences for crashing into the ambulance. But life has a funny sense of humor because Gyeo Re is given a very specific task for his community services: being ordered to volunteer as an ambulance driver at Woori Hospital’s hospice with Tae Shik and Yeon Joo. And in the blink of an eye, Gyeo Re’s life turns upside down.

 

2. Kang Tae Shik

Spoiler

 

Like Gyeo Re, Tae Shik is a bit of a live wire, albeit with the edges softened. Formerly homeless, Tae Shik volunteers at the hospice as an ambulance driver—or at least he did until Gyeo Re slammed into the ambulance while fleeing from his ex-gang, injuring his leg. The patient whose wish they were fulfilling that day was actually Mr. Yoon (Jung Dong Hwan), the former head of their unit Team Genie. Mr. Yoon created this program to fulfill last wishes and seems to have been a mentor to Tae Shik who is heartbroken when he passes away.

 

Spoiler

 

But that doesn’t stop Tae Shik from still trying to do good. As the victim of Gyeo Re’s car crash, when he finds that Gyeo Re is caught between paying a fine (which Gyeo Re refuses to do because the government’s never done anything for him, so he sees no reason to pay them) and going to prison again, Tae Shik steps in to request that Gyeo Re do community service in lieu of a fine by driving the ambulance in Tae Shik’s stead for Team Genie. The court approves, and Gyeo Re finds himself signed up without knowing Tae Shik’s role in this. But Tae Shik’s motivations seem to go beyond just a desire to do good. He looks horrified to see the burns on Gyeo Re’s back, recalling an instance in the past where he was being threatened by a man while a terrified young boy looks on. It seems that Tae Shik suspects the boy to be Gyeo Re. The identity of the man, along with what Tae Shik and Gyeo Re’s history is, is something we’ll have to wait to find out!

 

 

3. Seo Yeon Joo

 

Spoiler

 

Yeon Joo is the latest major member of our trio. A nurse at Woori Hospital, she has a love of boxing and one heck of a fiery temper surpassing even Gyeo Re and Tae Shik. While Gyeo Re wears his anger and pain on his sleeve, Yeon Joo hides hers in small smiles and brushing things off too easily. Take her budding romance with Doctor Yang Chi Hoon (Shin Joo Hwan). Dr. Yang joined Yeon Joo and Tae Shik on that ill-fated ambulance trip where Gyeo Re crashed into them, but his relationship with Yeon Joo crashed only a few minutes earlier.

 

Spoiler

 

Mr. Yoon had signed a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR), presumably quite long ago, but when he flatlines while being transported to the location of his last wish, Yeon Joo breaks every rule in the book to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and successfully resuscitates him in time to fulfill his last wish. That moment is a breaking point between her and Dr. Yang. He informs her afterwards that he cannot accompany her if she continues to break the rules this way and seems to break off the fledging romance between them. Afterwards, when the wards’ residents joke with Yeon Joo about her romance with him, she just covers her pain by laughing and saying that Dr. Yang has no interest in her.

 

Spoiler

 

For someone as forthright and selfless as Yeon Joo, Gyeo Re represents her worst nightmare. Irritable, hotheaded, and with no regard for anyone but himself, he gets off on the wrong foot with her immediately, first with the crash and second when he almost runs her and an elderly woman over in his snazzy sports car on the way to community service. She retaliates by damaging said sports car, and the two decide that they hate each other immediately. But while much of the first two episodes is character-centered, the show finds a way to weave in moments of subtle reflection on life and its brevity, and it doesn’t take long for all of Yeon Joo and the rest of Team Genie to start seeing something in Gyeo Re, the same way he (reluctantly) does in them.

 

Spoiler

 

4. An uplifting look at the end of life

Coming to the end of your days doesn’t necessarily have to be depressing, and “If You Wish Upon Me” makes certain to impress that upon its viewers. Mr. Yoon and Team Genie’s most recent patient Pyeon Yong Ho (Jun Moo Song) are shown to have lived fulfilling, joyous lives. Their last wishes aren’t to rectify long-time regrets but are simple things: like Mr. Yoon wanting to go to his wife’s grave and Yong Ho wishing to spend a night in the home he last shared with his wife. It’s a farewell to the world, not a desire to cling to it.

 

Spoiler

 

Not that Gyeo Re understands at first. While driving Yong Ho to his former home, Gyeo Re mutters that none of this matters because Yong Ho’s going to die anyway. That earns him a sharp rebuke from Tae Shik and Yeon Joo. But as Gyeo Re spends time with Yong Ho, he comes to see that the older man isn’t afraid of death and is visibly moved when Yong Ho thanks him for everything.

Gyeo Re might be brash, but he has a ridiculously soft heart. The next day, Tae Shik and Yeon Joo are surprised to see that he spent all night fashioning paper persimmons to hang on the tree outside the house so that Yong Ho could see the tree “bloom” one last time before he left the world. Yeon Joo softens to him after this, and Tae Shik muses that he knew Gyeo Re had a core of goodness in him. But this isn’t to say that everything about Team Genie’s wish-granting runs smoothly.

 

5. The ethical complexities of palliative care

Spoiler

 

Who decides when and where someone gets to pass away? This question plagues the first couple episodes of the show. Yeon Joo is reprimanded for performing CPR on Mr. Yoon despite the DNR in place, and Gyeo Re’s vet friend yells at him when he refuses to have Sunny put down. Mr. Yoon’s family (who ignored all of the hospice’s calls) yells at Tae Shik and Yeon Joo for having their father pass away in such an undignified location by his wife’s grave – even though it was his last wish.

 

Spoiler

 

The show demonstrates that sometimes the worst part of passing away can be the fact that your decisions are no longer your own. Hospitals, doctors, family, and others who mean well can take agency from patients in a manner that disrespects or even directly contradicts their last wishes. While Mr. Yoon had signed a DNR, Yeon Joo understood more than his family that to him, fulfilling his last wish trumped the DNR. And that’s why she performed CPR. Gyeo Re understands the same. While euthanizing his pet is presented as the best course of action, Gyeo Re knows that he’s taking Sunny’s agency away. He doesn’t know if Sunny wants to live longer or would prefer a release while not understanding why his owner is putting him down. All he can do is trust his dog’s evident affection for him and try to make what time he has left as easy as it can be.

 

Spoiler

 

And that’s where the opening episodes leave us! “If You Wish Upon Me” packs a lot here, veering from introspective to somber to hopeful. Ji Chang Wook, Sooyoung, and Sung Dong Il are hitting it out of the park as their characters bond toward the promises of a pretty awesome found family. Here’s to the start of a wonderful ride!

 

Spoiler

 

A Celebration Of Life: 5 Things We Loved About The Premiere Of “If You Wish Upon Me” | Soompi

[cherkell]