Kang Mi-na opens up on 'If Wishes Could Kill's' unexpected success

South Korean actor and singer Kang Mi-na has opened up about the overwhelming global success of her Netflix horror series If Wishes Could Kill, revealing the surprising life lesson she learned on set and the challenges of playing her morally dark character.

In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times, the 26-year-old star said she is incredibly humbled by the reception for the show. The high school thriller recently topped Netflix's global non-English series chart, securing 7.5 million views in just one week.

“I honestly did not expect this level of response at all,” Mi Na admitted.

The series, If Wishes Could Kill, centres on a group of students who discover a mysterious phone app, Girigo, which grants wishes with deadly consequences. The show's success comes amid a growing trend of adapting webtoons for the screen in South Korea.

Mi Na believes the show's appeal lies in its clever premise, which cleverly blends everyday teen drama with digital dread. “I believe what resonated with viewers was the central premise – an app that grants wishes, but at a cost – as well as the dramatic tension,” she explained.

She also shared how compelling she found the script from the very beginning. “When I first received the script, I found it incredibly immersive – I ended up reading it in one sitting. It was that engaging.”

The actor plays the haughty and entitled high schooler Lim Na Ri, whose arc gradually descends into darker territory. She reflects it is her first time portraying a role with such strong negative traits.

Describing Na Ri as a paradox, Mi Na opened up about her process, which was to never judge the character but portray her as naturally as possible, even with her selfish and morally dark actions.

To achieve this, she had in-depth discussions with director Park Yoon-seo on set. “I had in-depth discussions with the director on set to gauge “What percentage of Na-ri is she right now?” to calibrate my performance.”

She recalled the most difficult part of filming was not the horror elements, but the body-swap scenes involving another character.

“The most challenging part was portraying the coexistence of Si-won and Na-ri within the same body," she revealed. "It was particularly difficult to switch abruptly between being fully Si-won and suddenly becoming Na-ri again.”

Beyond the technical challenges, Mi Na confessed the show carried a deeper personal takeaway for her.

“It may sound amusing, but as someone with a somewhat idealistic outlook, this project made me realise that nothing in life comes for free.”

For those unversed, the 26-year-old actor is a former member of K-pop girl groups Gugudan and I.O.I. She has been focusing on her acting career with roles in dramas like Cafe Minamdang and Welcome to Samdalri.