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The Midnight Studio: Episodes 1-2

The Midnight Studio serves up exactly what one might expect from a show about a photography studio for the recently deceased. It tugs firmly at the heartstrings while skewing humorous with its spooks, and sprinkles in just enough mystery to string us along from one episodic ghost story to the next.

 
EPISODES 1-2
The Midnight Studio: Episodes 1-2

The show kicks off by introducing us to the titular Midnight Studio, a place between life and death where ghosts can be photographed and carry with them the final memory of their choice. Centuries ago, a desperate father whose son was dying stole a magical camera that was said to restore the dead to life. The grim reaper he stole it from ultimately granted his son’s life — at a cost. The man and his descendants were tasked with manning the Midnight Studio to help ghosts move on to the afterlife and cursed to die mysteriously at the young age of 35.

Our current-day hero, SEO KI-JOO (Joo-won), is the seventh to take up the ghost photographer’s mantle. At 34 years old, he’s nearing the end of his run (and thus his life), and his only friends are his two ghost assistants. Bubbly GO SUNG-HO (Yoo In-soo) has a long bucket list that includes finding his first love (whom he met online while he was alive), and he can possess living people for ten minutes at a time (this comes in handy when Ki-joo needs help interacting with other humans). BAEK NAM-GU (Eum Moon-seok), on the other hand, is mysterious and reserved, but skilled at fighting off sinister spirits.

The Midnight Studio: Episodes 1-2

The story proper begins when Ki-joo fails to grant one ghost’s wish (she wanted a wedding photo and kiss from Ki-joo, but he chickens out because of the gruesome wounds across her face). Enraged, she turns into a vengeful spirit and sets the place on fire, getting him evicted. Luckily for Ki-joo, an elderly woman named SO GEUM-SOON (Kim Young-ok) is in the market for a new tenant. The place is at the top of a hill, but it’s got a rooftop room plus the studio space at an affordable price, so Ki-joo moves in and sets up shop.

The arrangement is not so lucky for the rooftop room’s former tenant, HAN BOM (Kwon Nara). She’s Geum-soon’s granddaughter, but after three months of missed rent due to unemployment, Grandma kicks her to the curb. Bom used to work under a prosecutor, but hasn’t had much luck bouncing back after a vaguely mentioned incident resulted in her termination. Still, she has a few connections remaining in the legal field, and gets called in to help investigate the case of a young woman who appears to have murdered her paralyzed husband.

Circumstantial evidence adds up, and the woman readily confesses to the crime, explaining that she was exhausted and just wanted it all to end, but Bom can tell there’s more to the story. Sure enough, the dead husband visits Ki-joo’s studio and tells his side of the tale. His wife did snap under pressure and plan to kill him, but couldn’t bring herself to do it in the end. After she left the room, he managed to disconnect himself from the oxygen supply, wanting to free her from the burden of caretaking.

Separate conversations with Bom and Ki-joo convince the woman to come clean, and she gets to share one last meal with her husband inside the Midnight Studio before the couple take their final photo together and the husband’s soul moves on. That same night, while Ki-joo hangs the photo on the studio wall, Bom comes home to find she’s been evicted and someone else has moved in.

While investigating the light downstairs, she walks right into the Midnight Studio, stopping Ki-joo in his tracks. She’s definitely not dead (though he does consider the possibility), but he’s supposed to be the only living human who can open the door from this side. Add to that a previous elevator encounter where it almost seemed she saw the angry ghost he was shielding her from (and an unexplained burst of energy propelled said ghost out away from them), and this makes her a Very Interesting Person indeed.

Ki-joo’s suspicions are further supported when his next guest, a child ghost whose last wish is tracking down a limited-edition toy sword, hides in the tent Bom pitched outside her old apartment door. Bom has no trouble seeing the child, and Ki-joo is intrigued enough to share lunch with her. It’s painfully obvious that he hasn’t shared a meal with another human in a very long time, so Bom offers to be his eating buddy whenever he needs one.

The Midnight Studio: Episodes 1-2

The toy sword is sold out nearly everywhere, but many stores and tantrums later, Ki-joo finally succeeds in buying it at a festival. The child ghost slips away in the excitement of it all. When Ki-joo finds him with Bom, the child shies away from him, declaring him a scary stranger. Right about then, Ki-joo’s assistants arrive… with the child ghost in tow. Turns out, the kids are twins, and only one of them is dead. The older twin, our ghost, went to buy his brother that toy sword for a birthday present and was hit by a car.

The boys are also orphans, and the younger twin is about to be adopted by a family in the U.S. (Bom volunteers at the orphanage, which is why the living boy felt comfortable hanging out with her.) Ki-joo delivers the sword and then convinces the boy to come say goodbye to his brother at the Midnight Studio, where Ki-joo and his assistants throw a final birthday party for both twins.

Despite trying not to care, Ki-joo is deeply disappointed that Bom can’t see ghosts after all. But while out for a walk that night, he’s attacked by a swarm of zombie-like ghosts. Suddenly, Bom is there, pulling him out of their grasp. He lands on top of her inside what appears to be some sort of magical force field.

The Midnight Studio: Episodes 1-2

Overall, I’d say this is a solid opening week. It gave us a basic understanding of who our major characters are, what drives them, and how the Midnight Studio operates, while opening up a bunch of loops to explore in the coming episodes. Like what happened to Ki-joo’s uncle, why is he still classed as missing instead of confirmed dead like all the previous photographers, and is it possible Ki-joo might be able to break the dead-at-35 curse? And is Bom Sung-ho’s first love?

Best of all, though, The Midnight Studio sucked me right into caring about its characters and the poor souls they’re here to help. (I’ll admit I wasn’t as invested in the first couple, but those pint-sized twins had me in tears!) This kind of story can easily veer into heavy emotional territory, though, so here’s hoping it stays this fun and heartwarming throughout!

The Midnight Studio: Episodes 1-2

 
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This was sweet and seems like a feel good drama. The episodes tugged at the heart, but they were also fun to watch. Also, the little boy who played the orphan is a STAR. He has in his young life played a girl, a God, an orphan, and a regular old son. So much range.

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Agreed! He was much more subtle than many other actors in that episode, playing slightly different characters for each of the twins!

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The twins story had me crying my heart out. This was an intriguing premiere that hooked me pretty quickly. Like @mistyisles said, let's hope the show strikes a good balance between fun and toucing.

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I have been seriously wondering whether or not child actors maybe traumatised in some harrowing scenes including some in this drama. It makes me feel really uneasy about watching such scenes and being complicit.

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I take your point, and I do hope there's a great deal of oversight.

That said, in terms of plot, I didn't find that there anything scarier than a fairy tale here. No one even got shoved into an oven by an evil witch after taking her candy!

That also said, I do wish they had chosen to write in an adult chaperone to accompany the living twin to the photo studio somehow--even our FL might have served that purpose.

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Not being an actor I’m only guessing but to be immersed in the strong emotions underlying death, separation and grief might be hard to handle for a little person. Here is hoping that there are adequate oversights and care systems as you mentioned and that the little thesps will have still armours to protect their developing psyches.

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Steel!

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I know that in Romania there are psychologists who go to the movie studio before each day of work for the child and talks to them, making sure that they want to work on the movie and are not forced by somebody else and also explaining the scene to the child and making sure they know it's fiction and it's like a game. I don't know about the highly emotional scenes in particular though. I hope Korea has such things in place, too, because their child actors are always sooo good, and I really don't understand how they manage to make them cry, poor babies!

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Yes, I'll probably will be watching this happily until the end, if the balance between heart-tugging and action-adventure stays like it was this first week and it doesn't get too terribly dark. Fat chance, but still.

It definitely has Uncanny Counter (part 1) vibes for me, with each member of the "supernatural" team having different skills to not only fend off the baddies but to help the good ghosts head off to 절대-절대-land.

That said, I plan to enjoy this show only for what it is...a tear-jerker ghost-of-the-week story arc with an overarching plotline about our ML's redemption through love--hopefully with a side of his good-looking samchon being awesome (and not dead) thrown in for good measure! I don't think I'll get this last wish, but hey, one can hope 🥹

PS: I actually don't hate Joo-won's perm and hair color. What's up with that?? Anyone else sort of actually liking it? It goes with his sad, lonely disposition somehow and also seems sets off the sharpness of his features.

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The orange perm does elicit pity from me so I guess you're right about that. 😝 I've been trying, I swear, since Junho in JBL to embrace that style. I'll keep working on it.

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The funny thing about the perm is, although it’s supposed to read “unlucky ML who can’t be bothered to care about his appearance,” it actually would require more cut and curl maintenance than leaving his hair natural. (Unless we’re supposed to believe bad fortune also leads to unusually wavy orange hair?)

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🤭 so very true. I was thinking exactly that while watching the artfully decorated curls being fluffy or floppy depending on the ML's mood. 🙃

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The hair colour seems to be the latest trend, Tae-min from Parks Marriage Contract, Do-han from Wedding Impossible and now this character. I guess it's to make the character different but the colour tone is rarely flattering, poor actors.

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I know for Wedding Impossible, it was the original character from the webtoon who had this hair color. But I think Joo-won looks way better with it than Kim Do-Wan.

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Surprisingly Joo Won does manage to make the hair work. It is a less polished look than Tale of the Nine Tailed but somehow as mopey as the ML.

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Oh! There is a trend of presumably dead good-looking samchons turning up alive and well so *fingers crossed*. 😊

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Honestly, I quite liked the first two episodes. It has a certain charm, and the visuals are no joke. Kwon Nara and the Stealer guy are serving in every scene. I like the supporting characters, especially the bachelor ghost, he’s adorable. Is it anything new? Absolutely not, it’s your typical 12-ep Korean ghost drama with the usual histrionics and melodrama, with occasional flashes of genuine humour. But it’s still fun. So, yeah, I will be watching until the very end.

Is Kwon Nara finally playing a FL I don’t find annoying? Alas, she did try to use her lawyer skills to con a man out of his rooftop apartment (in this housing crisis? Just too far, ma’am) but I have to admit it’s mitigated by the ML’s equal foolhardiness. Bro walked off with an orphan child, 0 explanation given, and didn’t expect anyone to find it suspicious? Is this how he ends up in jail, as they’ve shown in the teasers?

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Ha! Stealer guy. Yeah, that's him. I'm with you for watching this show for what it obviously is, Joo-won's perm and all. Speaking of this actor and, perhaps, of his past roles though...my real question is--does he have a no kissing clause in his contract??

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Hey, that’s the cute kid in every kdrama this year! And that priest is the FL’s dad in Wedding Impossible!

Also, I had the exact opposite experience. The couple from the first episode almost had me crying while the kids’ case felt a lil OTP. YMMV.

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And, another agreement, I also preferred the first episode couple.

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🙋‍♀️ ^^ Same.

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"Is it anything new? Absolutely not, it’s your typical 12-ep Korean ghost drama with the usual histrionics and melodrama, with occasional flashes of genuine humour. But it’s still fun."

Agreed. This feels like comfort food. Basic, but hits just the right spot. I'll be watching too. (Tho I never promise till the end. Always include an escape clause is my kdrama motto. 😀)

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For Joo Won I'm in - for better or for worse. 😊

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I'm trying to remember the premise of Master's Sun. It was similar I think. One sees ghosts, the other repels them, they are fated, etc.

Unlike MS, no one is a chaebol. Yay! In fact, amid the current crop of shows, despite their ghostly shenanigans, these are among your most average leads, money woes, career problems, ordinary styling, etc. I've gone and jinxed it, haven't I?

PS Can someone explain how an artifact from the Underworld in Joseon era turned into a camera? I missed that.

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Was it the late Joseon era? It could conceivably have been an actual underworld camera from, say, the 1840s. (first viable photos late 1830s.)

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There were maybe 6 or 7 ancestors in the early-death montage, so 1800s seems plausible.

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OK. I'll buy. Death was up on the latest tech! I bet these days they're knocking into all kinds of Underworld things stumbling around wearing their new VR sets.

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Indy, AI is the tech they’ll use.

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I noticed the camera was color, so obviously the tech has been updated over the generations. Camera aside, the fantasy afterlife of this one seems particularly complex. it seems you can redeem yourself from the underworld if you fight your way against a snowstorm and then make your way through hot lava in an attempt to do something for a living loved one. Then you get your photo taken, and then head to heaven.

So is that why all the evil spirits want to know where the camera is? But they haven't done the leg work. So what would the camera mean to them? Are they just delusional--don't they know about the snowstorm and hot lava?

I assume that some of this will be explained in some way by the FL's powers to keep the evil ghosts away, as will the assistant ghost who will be part of the ghost human love triangle that I'm really not looking forward to.

But still, if there is not absolute consistency in the afterlife, I am going to be rooting for the next cute 7 year old, self-sacrificing widow, or beloved grandma to head to heaven without that much-coveted photo momento!

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@hacja I see you're trying to make sense of the rules of this world. I hope you'll find your answers, good sir. My question about the camera was a bit of a slip-up. I'm starting to believe all k-fantasy follows soft magic/time-travel systems just so its illogic doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the show as in ⏱🚗💙 Of course, there is no guarantee that'll work and the risk of 🧛‍♂️🗡💔 is always around the corner.

@dncingemma It's entirely possible Death might be outsourced to AI and be the end of us all!

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Gosh ... what vivid imagination!!

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Yes! Chaebol-free so far! That alone makes it a worthy change-of-pace weekday watch. Maybe there’ll be a rich ghost client or two, but I doubt the leads will suddenly come into a massive inheritance. His family heirloom is invaluable but not in the way that pays rent.

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They showed the 1st Generation Photographer as living from 1910-1944. He was saved by his father, who stole the camera, so that should place the camera somewhere in the 1910s or 1920s...

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In Master's  Sun the ML allowed the FL to "use" him as a safe harbor to rest since ghosts were repelled and couldn't harass or possess her when she was touching him.

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I'll watch no matter what because of Yoo In soo, but fortunately I really enjoyed the first two episodes. However, it required FF'ing through the last meal scenes in both episodes. I know the outcome (perhaps we will be surprised at some point) and I'm just not into 5 minute drawn-out good-bye scenes, whether the characters are dead or alive.

@attitona can cry double buckets of tears with my blessing. 😭😭😭

For fans of my boi In-soo, check out the behind-the-scene clip of the multiple attempts to trip and fall at the outdoor cafe. Ouch!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4cY9cCvvR4/

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I didn't think I was going to cry in episode 2, but the birthday party did me in. I don't even approve of lying to children like that to "protect their feelings" so I was shouting, "NO!! Tell him a gentle version of the actual truth so he can move on!!!" while crying.

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This feels like a mash up of all the friendly ghost Kdramas. I loved Joo Won in "Stealer: The Treasure Keeper", but here, I am not emotionally invested in his character or by the story in Ep 1, but it is an ENA drama so I will keep an eye on the review for sometime and pick it up later. Thank you @mistyisles for the review

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he managed to disconnect himself from the oxygen supply, wanting to free her from the burden of caretaking.

He's lucky he didn't run into that Reaper from Death's Game.

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Okay, I’m in. The first two episodes have been surprisingly entertaining! (I genuinely didn’t know what to expect from this. I was afraid it could go down a much darker road. Hooray that it didn’t!) I enjoyed the ensemble, even though I’m still wondering why Sarang’s halmeoni gave up her restaurant and moved to the harbor area…? 🤔 Either way. This was a good start, and I’m definitely hooked.

Ps: anyone else thought the vengeful spirits looked a bit like grumpy pandas? 🤔😂

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🧟🐼🧟‍♀️

😅

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💯🐼👻
😂

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I liked the first 2 episodes but I didn't find the stories very engaging and touching, neither the humor specially funny.

The FL recorder her own client without warning him to force him to go the Police? I undersand she's jobless, she a con artist, not a lawyer. She tried with the ML too, suing him when she's not the owner and have no rights.

When I saw who was playing the grandma, I was scared for her. She often dies in her dramas and it's a drama about ghosts...

I liked the backstory and the world building now even if I don't understand how a ghost can have a phone...

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Well, my theory is that our FL needs to inherit and take over the building for (a) her to have anywhere to live 😂 and (b) for the real hijinx to ensue!!

So, I'm sorry that Korea's Grandma will have such a small part...but it'll be an important one! Also, she'll be a key to figuring out what the connection between our lead couple is. OR the connection between the FL and our Cake-Baking ghost. OR why those three are in a triangle of fate.

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I thought the FL became homeless (because plot) so that we could have cohabitation. Never thought she'd end up becoming the landlord, especially since the Halemoni said they would negotiate the term of the lease later.

If I'm not mistaken the cake was baked by Moon-suk's character with his "sweat and blood" or maybe tears.

I do hope In-soo doesn't form the third angle with our OTP. *pout*

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Oh, as a side note, Kafiyah--while my comment has nothing to do with the preview (didn't see it), there's been some kerfuffle recently about keeping preview commentary out of the recaps... Many consider it spoiler territory, especially in a twisty-turny drama like this one!

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Previews are usually red herrings anyways , they deliberately mislead you .

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Right?? They either show the cliffhanger of the next episode (the kiss! The ToD! The villain reveal!) or are so misleading that completely confuse and/or disappoint the viewers when the actual episode airs. Why can't they do real spoiler-free previews??

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You are right, that is my bad, let me delete.

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Yes! The phone, how?!

Well it seemed like, as long as ML burns something, the ghost might “have” it. Like the clothes for bachelor ghost (he was asking for the glittery pinstripe suit, which might be a bold fashion choice, but I applaud it), or he even asked if he should burn the fancy toy sword for the boy. So, let’s say ML burned a mobile phone. How that would then connect to the internet of the living, so he could fire up real estate apps, ah… I will have to think longer and harder about. 🤔

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Just KISS - K-drama logic prevails all RL illogical questions.

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do you think ghosts get a discount on Zillow?

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I watched part of the first episode and while it wasn’t bad it didn’t necessarily grab my attention. I think I will wait until more episodes are out and see what the general consensus is.
I’m a bit weary of starting shows that look and sound promising but don’t deliver.

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I really liked it. The opening really got my attention, too. I think it's interesting how, compared to other dramas where the ML could see ghosts, this ML hasn't really figured out how to cope with their constant presence. Granted, these ghosts seem far more aggressive than the ones Bong-pal, Cha-woong, and Seung-tak had to deal with.

Can't wait to see him fall in love. I am assuming he's gonna break the curse and live past 35, right?

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Spot on!! Admittedly having stumbled into being the ghost photographer 20 years ago he's still pretty clueless. In-soo's character came to him 3 years ago and Moon-suk much later. So how was he coping before that.

Yes the FL will definitely "save" him. 😊🥰 🤞

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I feel like at times I was thinking too much and that confused me more about the supernatural aspects or the logistics. Like I was wondering how the curse was passed down because there was some overlap with each generation. I also wondered if the first generation was the sick guy who was saved or was it his son?
Also has there only been boys cursed or born to this family?

Like I said I think I was thinking too much haha

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also if this family has a reputation of having their sons die at the age of 35, who is willingly marrying these guys?

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I was thinking that it's pretty selfish of all these past ancestors to keep the family line going knowing that not only do the sons who inherit the curse die at 35, but they die in pretty horrific ways. They don't get paid for their Midnight Studio side-gig either. Before their untimely deaths, they're pretty much working all the time.

Ki-joo got it right to not reproduce.

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Maybe it doesn't matter whether they reproduce or not? Ki-joo is the previous photographer's son, but his (paternal?) uncle disappeared and maybe died at 35, too. The curse might find another close male heir to settle on if there's no offspring.

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Not sure how exactly I feel about this. The directing and the narrative flow couldve been more deft. The story and the characters also seem like a mix of pale imitations of dramas and characters that have been done and Ive seen before. I like the actors but nothing really stood out to set it apart.
The reason I did like it is because of the timing. That its airing now, when theres such a lack of this format of 'ghost story' for lack of better terms.
I did get tickled by the uncle-nephew pairing because its the same actors from Gaksital which was soo long ago but was a great duo. Hope to see uncle Park Ki Woong with Joo Won in a frame again.

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I haven't decided yet if I should watch the show or not, and I'm here to check it out... but then I saw "Park Ki Woong" and that's all I need to convince me to at least watch the first two episodes! Would love to see him and Joo Won together again ❤️

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We need a dramabeans feature just about Hot Uncles.

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^^ Samchons FTW!!

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this reunion though. old drama watchers are like, "after 12 years!!!"
though we haven´t seen them together even.
if you know you know

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