Starring idol-actor GOT7’s Jinyoung alongside Roh Jeong Eui, who has proven her acting talent in “Dear.M” and “Kill It,” to name a few, “The Witch” is the newest Channel A Saturday-Sunday mystery romance K-drama. It will make you wonder whether witches actually exist, if some people are simply cursed to bring bad luck to everyone around them, or if the biggest sin a person can commit is becoming entangled in a false rumor.
Here’s a first impressions of the first two episodes of the 10-episode-long K-drama “The Witch.”
Warning: spoilers for episodes 1-2 ahead!
“The Witch” starts in an intriguing manner. Our main lead, Lee Dong Jin (Jinyoung), a data miner, stands in a casino, profiling all sorts of players in the establishment. From a 9-to-5 worker visiting for the second time to a Chinese businessman who is a frequent guest, no one escapes his observant eyes. The scene shifts, revealing that the casino setting was an artistic way of depicting Dong Jin’s presentation to a casino owner, where he proposes a unique method to increase profits. Later, we see him correctly profiling two men in a police station, further proving his ability to connect dots and uncover the truth without relying on verbal information.
Afterward, Dong Jin takes the subway, where he sees the female lead, Mi Jeong, for the first time in what is likely a decade. She stands at the end of the carriage as a man confesses his feelings and asks her to be his girlfriend. Mi Jeong repeatedly rejects him. Dressed in all black with a baseball cap, she seems determined to stay invisible.
Observing the situation from his seat, Dong Jin narrates everything he knows about Mi Jeong. The two attended the same high school. Though Mi Jeong wasn’t the most beautiful girl in school, many boys her age developed crushes on her. While for most teenage girls, being everyone’s high school crush might seem like a dream come true, for Mi Jeong, it was a nightmare. Every time a boy confessed his feelings for her, he either ended up severely injured or dead. Because of these strange coincidences, Mi Jeong was dubbed “the witch,” and everyone distanced themselves from her until she became so isolated that she stopped attending school altogether.
While Dong Jin’s flashback provides a partial picture of Mi Jeong’s past, episode two of “The Witch” offers her perspective. The coincidences that seemed to begin in high school had actually followed her all her life. Mi Jeong’s mother died in childbirth, and throughout her childhood and teenage years, people around her suffered severe accidents and tragic deaths. After she stopped attending school, believing she could finally live a quiet life, the worst happened – her father died while saving her from a snake bite. What was once a high school rumor spread throughout the village, soon everyone called her the-witch-who-killed-her-own-father. Unable to endure the ostracization, Mi Jeong left for Seoul, where she used her impeccable English skills to work as a translator, living in isolation and avoiding human interaction at all costs.
After just the premiere, it’s difficult to determine whether Mi Jeong’s “curse” is real or just a false rumor. Hence, one of the most intriguing aspects of “The Witch” is that the story can go in two completely different directions, depending on the writer’s intent.
On one hand, the male lead, a skilled data miner adept at uncovering hidden truths, insists that every incident connected to Mi Jeong is mere coincidence. Given his expertise, this perspective makes the audience question whether he is correct or just a man in love. On the other hand, episode two features Mi Jeong translating a video about Rapunzel with the line: “Rapunzel is trapped in a high castle because of the witch’s curse.” Considering how Mi Jeong has been isolated her entire life and now lives in self-imposed exile, could she actually be cursed to always be alone?
Similarly, the sheer number of romantic confessions she received in high school seems unrealistic. While Mi Jeong is undoubtedly pretty, she never showcased much of her personality, always remaining quiet and introverted. So why did so many boys fall for her? Could it be that the same “curse” that dooms the boys who like her is also the reason they are drawn to her in the first place? However, one of the boys who confesses his feelings for her offers a more rational explanation – he and the others developed a crush on her after seeing her impressive English skills in a school presentation.
Finally, the rumor surrounding Mi Jeong claims that anyone who gets close to her dies. But that isn’t entirely true. Many people who interacted with her were only injured, and there was even a food poisoning outbreak that affected people who had never had a crush on her. Moreover, while her mother died in childbirth, her loving father lived for almost two decades before his tragic accident. If this was truly a curse, why did it take so long to catch up with him?
These questions can only be answered as the remaining eight episodes unfold. However, knowing that the story can either take a supernatural turn or serve as a cautionary tale about the power of rumors makes “The Witch” all the more fascinating.
Start watching “The Witch”:
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently watching: “Study Group,” and “The Witch,” “Coffee Prince.”
Looking forward to: “Reborn” and “Weak Hero Class 2.”
