Netflix has pulled back the curtain on its first Korean young adult horror series. The streaming service dropped the official teaser trailer for If Wishes Could Kill on March 25, 2026, revealing an April 24 premiere date. The series stars Jeon So Young, known for her role in the acclaimed drama As You Stood By, alongside a rising cast of young actors.
The teaser gives viewers a look at a high school setting where ordinary teenage life takes a dark turn. A mysterious wish-granting app called Girigo becomes the center of a terrifying curse. Students who use the app find their wishes coming true—but at a deadly price. The trailer opens with a shocking scene of a student charging at his classmate with a box cutter while a red timer counts down on his phone, setting the tone for the suspense-filled series.
What Is If Wishes Could Kill About
If Wishes Could Kill follows five students at Seorin High School whose lives change when they discover an app that promises to grant any wish. All they need to do is upload a video of their desire. But the app, named Girigo, demands something far more valuable in return.
The story centers on Yoo Se-ah (played by Jeon So Young), a promising track and field athlete who becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the app’s deadly secret. Her friend Lim Na-ri (Kang Mi-na) is a popular student with a charming appearance, while Kim Geon-woo (Baek Sun-ho) plays Se-ah’s boyfriend. Kang Ha-joon (Hyun Woo-seok) is the group’s strategist who uses his intelligence to figure out how the curse works, and Choi Hyeong-wook (Lee Hyo-je) is the mischievous student whose wish becomes reality through Girigo.
The teaser shows the friends joking around as they record their wishes and send them through the app. But the mood shifts quickly when strange events begin to unfold. The app that seemed like a fun game turns into a countdown to death. The students must figure out how to break the curse before it claims them.
Who Is Behind the Series
Director Park Youn-seo leads the project. He previously served as the second unit director on Kingdom Season 2 and co-directed the hit series Moving. His experience with large-scale productions brings a polished look to this new horror series. The script comes from writer Park Joong-seop.
Netflix is positioning If Wishes Could Kill as its first Korean young adult horror series. The move shows the platform’s continued investment in Korean content across different genres. The series consists of 8 episodes and carries a TV-MA rating in the United States and an 18 rating in the UK for suicide, violence, and injury detail.
The Cast Brings Fresh Energy to Horror
Jeon So Young steps into her first lead role in a horror series. Viewers may recognize her from As You Stood By, the 2025 thriller where she played a supporting role. That series, which premiered on November 7, 2025, starred Jeon So-nee and Lee You-mi in a story about two friends who plot to escape abusive situations. Jeon So Young’s performance there showed her ability to handle intense emotional scenes, making her a fitting choice for this horror role.
Kang Mi-na, who plays Na-ri, comes to the series with credits including Welcome to Samdal-ri and Cafe Minamdang. Baek Sun-ho, taking on the role of Geon-woo, appeared in Between Him and Her and Dongjae, the Good or the Bastard. Hyun Woo-seok, who plays Ha-joon, has credits in 404 Still Remain and Cheer Up. Lee Hyo-je, portraying Hyeong-wook, appeared in Concrete Utopia and The Loop.
What the Teaser Reveals About the Story
The teaser trailer focuses on building atmosphere and unease rather than giving away plot details. It begins with a classroom setting where Hyeong-wook runs toward Se-ah with a box cutter in hand. The red timer on his phone ticks down, raising questions about why he would threaten his friend. The teaser then shows the students recording their wishes and sending them through the Girigo app. Each wish comes with a cost that becomes clear as the trailer progresses.
The tagline for the series asks: “Do you have one? A wish you’d die for.” This line connects the idea of desire directly to death, suggesting that the wishes made through the app come with severe consequences. The teaser poster shows an empty school hallway with a student holding a cracked smartphone, visually representing the broken promise of the wish-granting app.
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Release Details for Global Audiences
If Wishes Could Kill will premiere globally on Netflix on April 24, 2026. The series will be available to stream in all regions where Netflix operates, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India. All 8 episodes will drop at once, allowing viewers to watch the complete story without waiting for weekly releases.
The series arrives as part of Netflix’s 2026 Korean content lineup, which also includes other horror titles like Dead-End Job and The East Palace. These shows demonstrate Netflix’s commitment to expanding its Korean content offerings across different genres, from romantic comedies to revenge thrillers and now young adult horror.
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