Netflix’s latest horror K-drama, If Wishes Could Kill, premiered on April 24, 2026. It follows the story of how a cursed app causes the deaths of a group of high school students. The premiere episode begins on March 12, 2005, and we see a student named Do Hye-rung using the mysterious Girigo app and wishing for the death of her classmates.
She later slits her own throat in front of the camera. The episode then jumps into the present, and we see a new group of high school students in 2025. Apart from introducing the students, the episode also highlights that the Girigo app, built in 2005, has reached 2025 and has already granted a wish of a student named Hyeong-wook.
Here’s what happened in Episode 1 of If Wishes Could Kill.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.
If Wishes Could Kill Episode 1 recap: Se-ah and Geon-woo hide their relationship from their friends
In the premiere episode of If Wishes Could Kill, viewers meet Se-ah and Geon-woo, who are neighbors and also in a relationship. As the episode progresses, we meet other members of the friend group, such as Na-ri, who has a huge crush on Geon-woo and is unaware of Se-ah and his relationship.
Their other friend is Hyoeng-wook, who bluntly asks Geon-woo and Se-ah if they are dating since they have recently started coming to school together. While they deny it, Na-ri and Hyeong-wook get into an argument. In the classroom, we meet Ha-joon, the last member of the group, whom Hyeong-wook asks to help with his laptop.
If Wishes Could Kill Episode 1 recap: Hyeong-wook tells his friends about the Girigo app
Later, in the classroom, in If Wishes Could Kill‘s premiere episode, their teacher announces that apart from Ha-joon, Hyeong-wook is the second-highest scorer in the math exam. Everyone, including Hyeong-wook and his friends, is surprised by the information.
While his classmates jokingly ask their teacher to investigate this, Hyeong-wook’s friends ask him if he cheated on his test. He denies and tells them about the Girigo app. He reveals that it was a wish-fulfilling app, which one can use to fulfill one’s wish by recording a video mentioning the name and saju/birthdate. He also shows them his video that he sent.
However, none of them believes in his story. As Se-ah tries to convince him to give up on all this and study hard, he notices a timer on his phone.
If Wishes Could Kill Episode 1 recap: Hyeong-wook’s wish results in his death
The timer changes everything between the friends. He hears Na-ri badmouthing him in the premiere episode of If Wishes Could Kill, and while he does not show, he becomes unhappy. During the prep class, Hyeong-wook receives a call from Se-ah, where he hears Na-ri, Gein-woo, and Se-ah make fun of him and plan to skip his birthday party. This hurts him further.
Elsewhere, Geon-woo still finds himself struggling with the high jump, but Se-ah finds out about her being selected for the national reserve team. She and Geon-woo celebrate the news at her home, where she also informs that she might not be able to attend Hyeong-wook’s birthday party due to training.
Jokingly, Geon-woo makes a wish on the Girigo app about Se-ah’s weekend training to get canceled. The next day, Hyeong-wook is seen in worse condition than before as he kept staring at the timer on his phone. Suddenly, his body starts convulsing, and his friends come forward to help him. But he pushes everyone away and charges toward Se-ah.
While pleading with her to help him, he slits his own throat in front of her, leaving her shocked and devastated. Just as Hyeongwook dies, the timer on his phone also stops.
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Edited by Debashri Roy