The Witch's Diner - Episode 2

 

We learn two things at the beginning of this episode. One, it seems as if CEO Oh doesn't approve of Hee Ra killing people. And two, Gil Yong has been suspended from extracurricular activities because of his "fight" with Yeong Jae.

I didn't mention it in the last recap (because I wasn't sure what we were seeing and I'm still not sure), but for the second time now, we're shown a flashback of a little girl, running from someone or something. It looks like it could be a nightmare Jin is having. Maybe a memory from her childhood. My theory is that she's met Hee Ra before, based on Hee Ra's interactions with CEO Oh and the fact that she seemed to be following her in the first episode. I'm not sure what her interest in Jin is, but there's something there for sure.

(Throwing this out there in the middle of my post, the music in this show is good, it sets the creepy-whimsical tone well. But I want a legit K-drama OST. That's my favorite part of dramas and I'm waiting for it.)

On her way to work, Jin sees her competitor being carried out on a stretcher. She tells herself it has to be a coincidence. I would think the same if someone told me they were a witch and could grant me a wish. What are the chances of that being true?

There's a man we haven't seen before, but he's behind on some kind of payments and is avoiding the loan shark who is looking for him. He watches Gil Yong at his job - a job he himself had applied for and was rejected from. Listen. Gil Yong is a good kid and if this man does something to him, I'm going to be so annoyed. He keeps taking matches out and snapping them in half, throwing them on the street. Why? What does this mean? Does it mean anything?

When Hee Ra arrives at work, Jin confronts her, asking if she really killed that woman. Hee Ra says no, Jin killed her. It was her wish. That's not the kind of revenge Jin wanted though. (It's the Monkey's Paw.) Hee Ra tells Jin she's a hypocrite, asking since when is revenge a "soft and nice" wish? Lightning flashes and we see glimpses of Hee Ra's face illuminated by it, again showing what she really looks like. I have only ever watched Song Ji Hyo's romantic comedies, seeing her as a villain is interesting and she's doing a great job here.

Jin runs from the restaurant, in tears, either because she's responsible for someone's death or because Hee Ra scared the hell out of her. Or both. She feels extremely guilty for what her wish has caused. She comes across Gil Yong, who is in therapy as part of the school's disciplinary action for the "fight" he had with his friend. He confides in Jin that when he was young, he caught a deadly illness. He no longer remembers that and in time, he says he won't remember this incident either. He has a good disposition and seems to make Jin feel better through their conversations with each other. I like the friendship developing between them. It needs to stop there though. It seems like Gil Yong has a crush on her, but she's about 10 years older than he is. Don't make this weird.

In school, Yeong Jae's phone rings during an exam and he's kicked out of class. My heart seriously breaks for this kid. Gil Yong tries to catch up with him after class, but his knee is injured. His doctor informs him that he can't exercise for a month and he may have to miss his next track competition.

While Jin is out with Yoon Mi, she tells her about the witch and says, "We take our words and thoughts lightheartedly. But there's actually power in them. Terrible things can happen because of them." We're all taught this from a young age, right? To think before you speak. This applies to so many different situations, but let's think about it in terms of bullying, since it applies to this show. I know it's a problem in my own country and I've read that it's a problem in South Korea, as well. The most known example I think people have seen in the past couple years are the deaths of K-pop idols, driven to suicide after the hateful comments and harassment they receive online. It can happen to anyone, but I'm using this example because it's so publicized. Your words carry weight. You may think they're nothing, but they can hurt people. I know I'm going off on a tangent, but what Jin said here was really important and I wanted to include it.

There are rumors spreading that Yeong Jae attempted suicide because of his "fight" with Gil Yong. Gil Yong goes to visit him at the hospital and Yeong Jae tells him that he tried to jump from the school's roof, but his legs were shaking and he must have wanted to live after all. In an attempt to comfort Yeong Jae, he says it isn't over for him, but Yeong Jae thinks having to live like this is even scarier.

Hey, there's another witch! And she's here to lecture Hee Ra about overstepping. At work, Hee Ra has a list of rules for Jin: Don't question her, don't eat anything she cooks, she decides opening hours and she can do whatever she wants. She's the boss now and the first thing she wants to do is redecorate.

Gil Yong is standing on the edge of a roof, believing everything is over now, including college, because he can't compete in the track meet. He receives a phone call from Yeong Jae as he's about to step off, and his friend says he won't lose to those bastards at school. This gives Gil Yong the strength to step away from the edge.

CEO Oh is called to redecorate the entire diner and it looks exactly like the one from the beginning of the first episode. Jin is not a fan, exclaiming, "We're not a tarot shop." She asks CEO Oh what his true identity is and he tells her, "It's best to think of me as a supporter who gives help without being noticed." Thanks, that clears everything up. Gil Yong walks past the diner and decides to go inside, noting that he hasn't had anything to eat. Hee Ra asks him to take a seat, to which Jin opposes, saying he's not a customer (clearly trying to protect him). Jin takes him outside, saying she needs a word with him, and we see a flash of two photos in Hee Ra's possession, one of Jin and her mother and another of (what appears to be) Gil Yong and his mother. Hee Ra says, "Now we've gathered everyone." What is she planning?

Outside the diner, Jin warns Gil Yong that the witch can grant wishes and he says he believes it since she's the one saying it to him. She tells him there's no guarantee that he'll be happy if his wishes come true, he'll have to carry the burden of even the smallest wish. Gil Yong asks what will happen if he makes a wish to help someone, when Hee Ra interrupts, telling him to either make a wish or get lost. He goes back inside and makes his wish (we aren't told what it is yet, but Hee Ra says he's a wacko) and asks that it be kept a secret. Once he's finished eating, the witch hands him a business card and he leaves.

That night, Jin wakes up and sees what looks like a corpse lying next to her. Was it just a dream? She returns to work and learns that Gil Yong is now a part timer at the diner. Someone is standing outside in the shadows, with a knife, watching them. That person, who turns out to be the man from earlier who lost out on a job to Gil Yong, enters the diner and pulls the knife on Jin, before Hee Ra appears and asks what's going on.

I'm really curious about why Hee Ra is gathering these people together. She doesn't seem entirely evil, although she's definitely questionable. I'm excited to see what happens in the next episode.

The Witch's Diner - Episode 1

 

The Witch's Diner is about Jeong Jin, who loses her job and boyfriend of five years in a string of bad luck. After deciding to open a restaurant with her mother, it goes bankrupt. Jin then meets Jo Hee Ra, a witch who is capable of granting wishes, for a price. In exchange for a wish, Hee Ra wants to borrow the restaurant. It becomes a great success, but at what cost?

I started watching this K-drama because I'm a fan of Song Ji Hyo on Running Man and I always like to support the Running Man members in their other activities. Also, a supernatural themed K-drama? Sign me up. The Witch's Diner is currently streaming on Viki, if you're interested in watching it. It was adapted from a novel written by Goo Sang Hee. I googled it, I don't think there's an English translation and while I can read 한글, I don't understand 99% of it, so unfortunately, I won't be able to read the book.

(Disclaimer: I don't know if I'll be posting about each episode as it airs due to my work schedule being all over the place while our building is closed this summer. It may have to be whenever I can find some extra time.)

Episode 1 begins outside the Witch's Diner, where a sign reads the following:

1. Operating Hours: Sunset to sunrise.
2. Menu: Differs depending on the request.
3. Price: Insanely expensive so not everyone can eat here.
4. *However, all wishes are possible. The effect is certain.

First of all, the cinematography of this shot is incredible. The set looks like it belongs in a dark fairytale (literally, it's kind of hard to see sometimes). It's stunning. I hope the production value continues throughout the rest of the episodes.

We see a father who is down on his luck, inside the diner. He invested everything he owns into a bad deal that didn't work out. He lost his home and is about to be living on the streets with his children. His wish is to win the lottery so he can provide for his kids. The cost? "That look in your eyes...I like it," says Hee Ra. That sounds ominous. As promised, the father wins the lottery. Running from his house, intent on taking everything from the man who took all of his possessions, he gets into his car, where his vision blurs and he begins to scream.

Jin is an office worker, struggling with a job that requires her to work long hours and deal with an abusive boss. One night, at a company dinner, she's attacked by her boss' wife, who thinks they're having an affair for no other reason than Jin had the misfortune of being seated next to him. When Jin arrives home, drunk and stumbling (and in a much better mood than she was before), her mother tells her she is "not a person, but an alcohol bottle." The next morning, when she arrives at work, her boss fires her because if he doesn't, he claims his wife will kick him out of their house. To make matters worse, that same day, her boyfriend breaks up with her, saying they've grown apart. He really had to do it at that moment?

Hee Ra and CEO Oh (played by Ha Do Kwon, who has been a guest on Running Man several times and is incredibly funny) go to a rooftop apartment that's so beautiful and impossibly large on the inside that I had to rewind and make sure I didn't miss something while typing this. If this is how a witch lives, I want to be one, too.

The next character we're introduced to is Gil Yong, a student. (If the spelling of these names changes from episode to episode, it's because I'm basing it on the romanization of Viki's subtitles and they aren't consistent. This is why I think learning 한글 is important before learning to speak Korean, romanizations are never the same and you're likely to end up misspelling the actual words if you base it on the romanization. That's not important right now though.) He runs track, but suffered an injury. Jin's friend, Yoon Mi, is a teacher in Gil Yong's school.

One night when Gil Yong is working, he sees a friend from school, Yeong Jae, walking home with a bruised face. He asks what happened to him, but Yeong Jae tells him to leave him alone. Inside Gil Yong's job at a convenience store, Jin comes in, drunk, to buy a coffee, before going back outside and crying. Gil Yong attempts to comfort her, but she says she's okay (she clearly is not) and goes home.

The next day, Jin's mom says she knows she lost her job and tells her to take her time looking for a new one. For now, she suggests they buy a restaurant together. They put all their savings into purchasing one from a woman who is looking to sell the one she owns. At first, the restaurant is very busy and seems to be doing well, but then the chef asks for a two week vacation. How can you run a restaurant with no chef? Well...You can't. Business dies down. It turns out that the woman who sold Jin her business is a scam artist and opens a new restaurant right across the street, stealing her customers. And guess where the chef is! Not on vacation. I'm so mad. There's always one evil woman in these shows (it's usually the rich boyfriend's mother/aunt/grandmother) and it looks like she's it. Jin's restaurant was already doing poorly, this is really going to be the end for her now.

At school, Yeong Jae is being bullied. I really hate kids. Gil Yong notices he's sick. Yeong Jae tries to leave the classroom, but some brat refuses to let him out and he throws up. Gil Yong tells him to leave, that he'll clean up, and Yoon Mi runs over to help him. Afterwards, Gil Yong follows him to the bathroom and gives him a change of clothes. They go to Yeong Jae's home, where his mother is suffering from a terrible cough, reminding Gil Yong of his own mother (I'm 99% positive she passed away).

Later, after receiving an urgent voicemail from Yeong Jae, Gil Yong goes to meet him at the junkyard. It's a trap. His bullies forced him to call and lure Gil Yong there. This is hard to watch. Any time someone is being tortured (and this kid really is), it's sickening. I hope these little monsters get what's coming to them. Soon. Yeong Jae is forced to fight Gil Yong, and he punches him in the face. The cops come and break up the fight. Back at the police station, the bullies lie and say those two were going to fight and they tried to stop them, and for Yeong Jae's sake, Gil Yong goes along with this, lying and saying he instigated it. The officer in charge makes a snide remark about how it's "always like this" when people come from "that family environment." Jin (who is there after causing a disturbance at the competing restaurant) overhears this and says it's discrimination. She calls the cops out and says you can tell that Gil Yong and Yeong Jae were the victims and the others were the perpetrators. The two boys are free to leave, thanks to Jin.

After posting a "for rent" sign at her restaurant, Jin is met by Hee Ra, who says she'll take over the business and in return, grant Jin a wish. Jin asks her to leave and touches her shoulder, which does...Something. Is she transported somewhere? Seeing another dimension? Is it a vision? Either way, they're no longer in the diner, they're in front of a mansion. Hee Ra tells Jin, "There are things that you can't see, but still exist in this world." She says what Jin is seeing isn't reality, but information. If you eat her food, your wish will come true. She tells Jin to make a wish and if it comes true, leave the restaurant to her. Jin's wish is revenge on the woman who scammed her. Honestly, I think Jin's getting off easy. Sure, she'll be responsible for whatever happens to her competitor (and her customers if Hee Ra takes over), but at least she won't lose her sight like the man at the beginning of this episode. After eating the meal Hee Ra prepared for her, rats begin to invade the restaurant across the street, giving her competitor a heart attack. Once the wish is carried out, Hee Ra's face is shown transforming from wrinkled to beautiful. Do these wishes help keep her young?

This was a decent first episode. It set us up for whatever's about to come next. As much as I don't want anyone to have someone else's misfortune on their conscience, I kind of hope Gil Yong will eat there next and get even with those brats from his school. Also, as a side note, "restaurant" is a word I can never remember the spelling of, but after typing it 500 times for this post, I don't think I'll ever forget it again.

Top 5 Supernatural Themed K-dramas

I'm a huge fan of K-dramas. They're cute and fun and I like the fact that, for the most part, they're one season long and typically run between 16 and 20 episodes. They're not a huge commitment, they're easy to binge watch and they end before the writers are out of story ideas and run the show into the ground. Throw in some supernatural elements and I'm hooked. Here's a list of some of my favorite supernatural K-dramas.

5. Let's Fight Ghost

This drama stars Kim So Hyun as Hyun Ji (a ghost) and 2PM's TaecYeon as Bong Pal (an exorcist). Hyun Ji enlists Bong Pal's help to find out how she died, and together, they team up to put spirits to rest.

This isn't my favorite K-drama, but it has romance and comedy and in general, it's enjoyable. It just isn't as strong as some others on this list.

4. Master's Sun

Master's Sun was destined to be a hit with Gong Hyo Jin and So Ji Sub as its stars. Gong Shil can see ghosts. She's terrified of them. The only reprieve she gets from seeing them is when she has physical contact with Joong Won, a not-so-pleasant CEO, who reluctantly allows her to hang around him, if she helps him solve one of his own problems.

With two incredible lead actors and great writing, it's no surprise that Master's Sun is as popular as it is. The story is interesting, the ghosts are creepy, the romance is perfect (I don't want to say it's hate-to-love, more like...disgust-to-love). The only problem I had with this drama is that, like most K-dramas, (SPOILER ALERT) one half of the couple goes away for years, breaking them apart, and only reunites with their other half in the last five minutes of the final episode. This is what happens in 95% of K-dramas and it can be incredibly frustrating, but it hasn't stopped me from watching them.

3. My Love From Another Star

First things first, I can't talk about this drama without talking about the lipstick. YSL Rouge Pur Couture #52 sold out for ages because it was rumored to be what Jun Ji Hyun wore in this drama. When it finally restocked, I bought the lipstick myself. It's pricey, but worth it, it's a beautiful coral color, perfect for spring and summer.

So what is this drama actually about? Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) is an alien, stranded on earth since the Joseon Dynasty era. He lives next door to an actress, Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun). The two begin to fall for each other, but love is never easy in K-drama land and aside from the physical toll even kissing Song Yi takes on Min Joon, Song Yi's life is also in danger.

My Love From Another Star has a little bit of everything. If your favorite K-drama genre is supernatural, historical, romance, comedy or drama and you haven't seen this incredibly popular drama yet, give it a chance.

2. Oh My Ghostess

Bong Sun (Park Bo Young) works at a restaurant, where she's repeatedly reprimanded and taken advantage of because of her timid personality. She can also see ghosts, a great cause of stress in her life. Soon Ae (Kim Seul Gi) is a ghost who can't move on because of a grudge she has from her death (which she can't remember the cause of). Believing that her unresolved issue is that she died a virgin, she possesses Bong Sun and tries to seduce her boss, Sun Woo (Jo Jung Suk). Because of her shy personality, Bong Sun comes to an agreement with the ghost, allowing Soon Ae to continue possessing her and investigating her death, if she helps Bong Sun get closer to Sun Woo.

Oh My Ghostess is one of my favorite K-dramas. I really enjoyed the friendship that grows between Bong Sun and Soon Ae and I loved seeing Bong Sun become a more confident woman because of it. As a warning, I'll tell you that for as cute as this drama can be at times, it also gets very dark and left me sobbing more than once.

It's also worth noting that there's a Thai remake available on Netflix that is extremely faithful to the original Korean version.

1. Goblin

Finally, we've come to my favorite K-drama of all time, one of the most beautiful stories ever told.

Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) was a general, sent to war repeatedly by a jealous king, hoping he would die in battle. Kim Shin returns, victorious, and the king has him killed. Because Kim Shin has killed so many people while at war, he is cursed to become an immortal goblin, with his own sword sticking through his chest, causing a great deal of pain to him, until he meets the "goblin's bride." Goblin's bride is the only person who will be able to see the sword he's impaled with and she'll have the ability to remove it, finally allowing him to die.

One night, after a pregnant woman is hit by a car as Goblin observes, he decides to intervene and save her and her unborn child, much to the annoyance of the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong Wook) who was scheduled to take them away. Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun), the unborn child, grows up with the ability to see ghosts (can you tell this is a recurring theme in supernatural K-dramas?). After her mother passes away, in a scene that made me ugly cry, the Grim Reaper appears, still searching for her after all this time.

By chance, Goblin and Grim Reaper end up living together, a situation neither is happy about. When Eun Tak and Goblin meet, she tries to convince him that she is the goblin's bride and eventually moves into his home, which, as you may have guessed, causes even more strain on Goblin and Grim Reaper's already tense relationship.

There is so much more to this story and I can't talk about it without giving away major spoilers, but trust me, if you're looking for a drama with a lot of depth, this is it. The actors are incredibly talented, the writing is flawless and the OST (one of the most important parts of any K-drama) is perfect.