The Witch (2025)

The new and promising premise that couldn't keep up!

This drama had a lot of potential. The premise and the whole concept seemed fresh and the idea of a dark mystery mixed with suspense had a lot of promise. But, honestly, the show ended up being way slower than expected and the pacing really hurt it. What could have been an exciting ride just felt like it dragged on for way too long.

There were way too many flashbacks and instead of adding something meaningful or exciting to the story, they just made it repetitive. The plot could’ve been so much tighter if it was wrapped up in lesser episodes. Instead, it felt like the show was just going in circles. The big reveals didn’t hit the way it should have because the show stretched everything out. It just ended up feeling like a slow crawl with no real payoff.

As for the leads, they really should have dropped the romance angle. This story would have worked way better for me as a just mystery or supernatural plot. There was zero chemistry between the leads and honestly, the romance felt out of place considering the whole "curse".
The ML's behavior at times even came across as stalker-ish. Sure, I might overlook it because it’s JinYoung playing the role, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was uncomfortable. The romantic dynamic just didn’t fit and it pulled focus from what could’ve been a much stronger plot.

The second lead’s romance felt like it was just thrown in for the sake of it. The whole subplot seemed forced and felt more like filler than anything that genuinely connects to the main plot to add value. It just wasn’t needed at all. Also the twist with the detective was interesting but again lazy writing that confuses more than it summarises.

Acting wise, I do feel the actors across the board did a decent job but I wouldn’t say it was anything super memorable. With what they had, it was okay but not something that sticks out.

On the plus side, the cinematography is solid and there are moments where the direction really stands out. Some of the visuals do a good job of setting the whole mood. It’s honestly one of the few things that kept me engaged when the story felt like it wasn't ending.
The direction is decent, but it doesn’t do enough to fix how slow everything feels. There are a few tense moments which absolutely intrigued me but they were rare. The visuals catch the eye, but they can't make up for the lack of momentum in the plot.

Overall, while the concept had promise, the execution didn’t live up to expectations. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are willing to overlook the pacing issues or are a fan of the actors.

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Confused

Just finished watching this drama. Honestly I’m confused right now because the whole 9 episodes was about the ml’s love and his statistical experiments about the fl’s witch allegations and suddenly in the last episode fl falls in love with the ml after she saw how does the ml collected the data related to her. I don’t know how the fl really falls in love with the ml just like that because it seems forced love to me like she forced herself to love the ml so that he didn’t die. Also same goes to the supporting couple, it looks like supporting fl was not in love with the supporting ml but she was sympathetic towards him because he is also a witch like the fl and also the supporting ml forced himself to fall in love with the supporting fl because if he doesn’t she might die. What kind of forced love story is this. Like there’s no connection between them and they didn’t even know each other till the last moment and suddenly after the ml’s disappearance, they all started love each other. What is this drama. I’ve only watched this drama because I like actors but the story disappointed me. How can someone fall in love in such a small time (especially the supporting actors story).

(Pov: This is my first time writing review here).

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Everything in this Universe is not known to mankind

Honestly, I really started this drama because of Jinyoung(I like him really so much). And I'm also intrigued by storyline. So, I started watching since premiere.I felt attracted since ep 1.I know that I shouldn't expect so much romance etc. Saying ML is a stalker is rubbish in my opinion. He is more like experimenting. There is a fine line between Observation and Stalking.I know he didn't take consent from FL. But in this condition, it is out of the question.He never intended to harm or have any ill intentions and also he didn't do that for his pleasure. He just want to break shackles tied to female in the name of THE WITCH. He even also found out his friend is the same and tried to solve his problem too. As for the reason why, as I said in the title everything is not known to our little minds and it's not like some fairytale that a villian curses heroine bcoz she's jealous or something and hero breaks the curse. Here the FL should break the curse herself and ML helped in the process. As for the second couple, I didn't expect the cop to be cursed too. I did like second couple segment. The writer giving the The cop is also a cursed person idea is to say that there may be people like that around us more than we think.Coming to OST I did really like it. Acting is amazing.I really liked the because of the different storyline unlike routine boring office romcom or Cinderella-Ceo storylines. Anyway I like this drama. I hope it gets the recognition it deserve.

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The Witch Just Didn’t Cast The Spell It Promised..

As we all know.. The story is adapted from Kang Full's webtoon, which naturally had me excited.. The cast was good too so obviously there were expectations.. But sadly it was a disappointment.. Kang Full is known for crafting stories that blend supernatural elements with deep emotional and psychological themes.. I havent read the webtoon so I cant compare the drama with it.. But this felt like an underwhelming attempt at an adaption.. Even the actors let me down.. Park Jin Young who is known for his excellent range as an actor, was totally disappointing here..

The Witch, I guess tries to explore themes of societal judgment, loneliness and self acceptance through Mi jeong’s character.. Being labeled as a Witch, its like a metaphor for how society isolates individuals based on rumors, misunderstandings or events they can’t explain.. Its a concept with a lot of potential, but it felt flat and lacked any real impact..

" Through statistics, I have a life problem to solve.. Thats why I am here.. "

The ML Lee Dong Jin's character is a tricky one.. Not sure if I can praise him.. It’s one of those classic grey area characters.. He’s portrayed as thoughtful, logical and sincere.. But yeah, some of his actions do toe the line of stalker ish.. Especially when you look at them from a more realistic way.. In typical KDrama fashion, he fits the archetype of the quiet, persistent ML who just can’t let go of the girl he loved.. His actions like tracking her down, observing her and inserting himself into her life again are meant to come off as concerned and it was to find a way to give her a normal life and while I understand it is for her own good but it still felt creepy.. I guess because we know his side of the story and his thought process, we have to overlook it all.. He just wanted to love her and be loved by her..

But here’s the thing.. Wasn’t he kind of.. Obsessed??

Apart from few glimpses, for me I didnt see Park Jin Young the actor we know.. Roh Jeong Eui was disappointing as well.. I haven’t seen her in a role where she actually shines.. NJ in Our Beloved Summer was decent but not memorable enough.. Her career at this point is not going anywhere.. She has projects lined up but none that look like the breakthrough she really needs.. I hope I am proven wrong.. For now, Pig Pen might be her only shot at making that leap..

" Risking your life for someone who doesn't even know your name or existence??
Thats a crazy thing to do.. "

I think the only Episode I liked was ep 7.. The rest were just okay at best.. I still can’t put my finger on it but something about the ML's acting just felt off.. That bus scene in Ep 7, I am pretty sure he had flashbacks from the Final Destination movies and imagined all the ways he could die in that bus.. Honestly it was an unintentionally entertaining but tense moment..
I really liked the scenes in Austria too, not because of the story but for the visuals..

The ending was a huge letdown as well.. It wasn’t well scripted and honestly I didn’t feel any real connection between the couple.. It didnt feel like she actually loved him but it was more like an emotional resignation.. Almost as if she said yes to him not because she is in love but out of desperation to stop the cycle of pain and loss.. That’s not romance.. The same goes for the second couple as well.. It didnt feel like love at all.. She felt pity for him because he was carrying the same burden as someone she loves and cares for.. For him he just wanted her not to get hurt because of him..

I think it would have worked much better if we had a slower, more emotionally charged ending.. Where the FL gets to process everything.. Her trauma, her fears, her feelings and maybe set it up in a way it feels like she chooses him because she wants to and not to stop another person from dying or getting hurt because of her..

Overall.. The Witch had the potential to be something hauntingly beautiful.. But it got lost somewhere between intention and execution..

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Are we romanticizing stalkers now?

So I'll skip the introduction because I don't really have much to introduce and i'll get right to the pros and cons.

PROS:
1. Great OSTs
2. Acting was really good by the MCs
3. Was able to put forward a very melancholic and sad vibe
4. Very intriguing supernatural premise
5. Amazing visuals
6. The whole drama felt super artistic and more like a movie

CONS:
1. ML is obviously a stalker: Like I mentioned in the title I literally felt like the ML was a stalker throughout majority of the drama, He literally follows the FL silently, tracks her steps, literally invades her privacy on multiple instances and spies on her blatantly. His intentions literally don't matter because at the end of the day they were not friends and they barely knew each other so his obsession with her is a bit iffy to say the least.

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edit:-
I'm not a psychologist or a lawyer, but where I'm from stalking is when someone is being tracked without their consent ... and i went down the google rabbit hole and found some closely related definitions to dong-jin's actions which i have pasted below.

(relationship between perpetrator and victim) Strangers: These victims are typically unaware of how their stalkers began stalking because typically these stalkers form a sense of admiration for their victims from a distance (sounds familiar? thought so.)

(the type of stalker i think he is in some capacity) Intimacy seekers: they seek to establish an intimate, loving relationship with their victim. Such stalkers form a spectrum from those with erotomania, to those who do not believe their love is reciprocated but who insist with "delusional intensity" of their eventual success, and to other rigid, obsessive individuals.
*********

2. ML's Love for FL: Ok a simple crush is understandable, I'm sure everyone falls for someone in high school and she has that mysterious pretty girl aura so obviously he fell for her but what he does next is the concerning part. He takes up statistics and he himself states that it is to solve her issue, if they were friends or at the very least acquaintances this decision would make a whole lot more sense but considering they only exchanged a few glances it seems WAY too WEIRD. He even befriends people like her and his whole life is in a way catered to her which is weird and creepy af.

3. The FL's acceptance of his confession: The FL lets be real here, is desperate for love, I wonder if what she feels for ML is "love" or just delusion because I think any normal woman would have felt extremely creeped out if her highschool classmate rented a house that could see directly into her house and literally wrote blogs about her every movement, and i think its because she is so starved of love that she accepts him in the end.

4. This show could easily have been a movie: Honestly At first i felt this drama should have had 16 eps or atleast 12 (after ep1) but after finally finishing it i felt like they could have put the same content into a movie and it would have been way better because 1) it would have been short 2) the unnecessary scenes they added would have been cut out

5. why was there another witch?: ok i get that they want to show mi-jung is not the only one etc. but its weird that the ML has an obsession with cursed people...like why is his closest friend and the girl he has a "small" crush on of the same type? It clearly shows how unsettlingly obsessed he is with her

6. Purpose of the curse: was hoping to see this but got nothing, i wish they told us why mi-jung and the guy friend were chosen...was there something they did as children? but i doubt anyone should be punished so cruelly for something they did as kids...why is it her(like she herself asks i believe)? I wonder why they didn't analyze the past cases of "witches" and formulate a hypothesis on why one is chosen ...(Also during research don't you try to figure out the possible causes rather than making blanket statements like "anyone who loves her and confesses will die?" and then jumping out to do the same?

7. The 2nd couple: This was very silly, No idea why they fell for each other, his acting was lackluster and them as a whole felt unnecessary and repetitive for the plot...And as a stats major why is he assuming that mi-jung and his friend are the same type of witch? just because one rule works for mijung doesn't mean it will work for him right? and she is literally risking her life for a confession after knowing him for what? 2 weeks? which seems waaay too unrealistic even for a drama on witches

8. Pacing: Like many people mentioned while the drama was airing the pacing was horrible, it was extremely slow and it was slow for no reason, and istg they'd literally give extras more screentime than the lead couple in some of the eps with no apparent reason I may mention

9. The couples were repetitive: we have a witch and a guy who likes her (who has a male witch friend)
and a girl who likes the male witch and has a female witch friend......I can get past the ML's obsession coming to fruition because she also kind off liked him as kids but why does the second couple make any sense? it felt like they just put them together because its normal for there to be 2 pairs of couples by the end minimum and honestly the parallels aren't that good because its literally just a gender swap

10. ML is manipulative: Now lastly the biggest issue i have was the ending, he makes her get to know about the rules via his friend and in a way literally forces her to accept his confession (she will obviously be touched if she knows he will die if he confesses and that she can save him by falling in love with him and accepting him forever)

11. Is he really helping her live a normal life? : The ML states in the beginning that he wants to help her be normal so shouldn't he be finding out how to stop her from being a witch rather than making rules to approach her (because lets be real here she won't fall in love with someone she saw for the first time, and it would be difficult for them to be with her without falling for her and in turn getting hurt)

I also wish they showed us life post confession because I really want to know if she still causes the death of men that like her.

All in all the cons outweigh the pros for me but if you are looking for an angsty romance (don't expect any skinship though lmao) with a hint of thriller and you don't mind draggy scenes, this one might be for you. I think the plot was unique and if executed better had the potential to be one of the best short dramas of this year.

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A Unique Story

Even though I’m not a fan of romantic dramas, this one captivated me with its atmosphere and unconventional approach to the story.
It feels very different from typical romance plots: the slow pace and repetitive scenes, which I thought would annoy me, actually created a unique, mysterious vibe. The male lead, with his sexy brain, really caught my attention — it was interesting to watch his persistence, how he wouldn’t stop until he found the answers. Still, I can’t excuse the stalking. The creators clearly knew this would spark a negative reaction and tried to soften it: the male lead admits he acted like a stalker, and even his friend suggested the female lead report him to the police. Some viewers accepted this explanation, others didn’t. To me, it’s still a romanticization of toxic behavior, and the reaction from part of the audience only proves that.
Despite this morally questionable storyline, the visuals, music, cinematography, and storytelling built a unique, almost magical atmosphere that I’ll remember for a long time.

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A new warm wholesome story

First of all the drama seem slow paced, but judging after 2 ep is a mistake anyone will regret.

The story concept itself is new to me. This is a drama about love without much romance (just pur beautiful love).

For me I started look forwarding to it from 1 week itself. The concept captivated me instantly even though the actors are not the ones i actively keep tabs on (now a fan of whole cast).

There is suspence and mystery in every episode but no usual angst that come with it.

It gets technical here and there (the main character is a data miner)

As the visuals is awesome throughout

Overall I recommend it to anyone who like hidden admirer kind of plots

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An atmospheric, winter drama

The Witch is a slow-paced, romance drama that's quite polarizing. I enjoyed it, but I was often of two minds watching it. At points I struggled to turn off the rational part of my mind, that what's happening on screen (the stalking) could very easily become a nightmare.

The pacing of the drama was the major positive for me. I loved how slow it was. The way every action in the drama takes more time - it made me feel immersed in its world. I loved the realism in the actors' faces. The ML loses himself in his research, he looks obsessed. The FL is a picture of loneliness. The places that we see - apartment buildings, alleyways - feel real.

Watching the ML trying to dodge possible threats in the environment - motorcycles, cars, wonky signs - was actually pretty funny.

But as much as I enjoyed how this drama told its story, there are red flags everywhere. The amount of stalking we see is insane. You change one variable - if the FL feels this isn't consensual, if the ML is a creep/violent - then this story is a nightmare. The FL is just so vulnerable.

I wish she had more agency in the ending. Her feelings should've came first. To be honest I think this is the kind of drama that would have been better without a romantic ending. Have them spend time with each other, and hint at something in the future.

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The Witch - The Spellbinding Story of Love Beyond Logic

There are love stories, and then there is The Witch—a drama that fools you into thinking it’s about logic versus superstition, only to unravel into something far more poignant and layered. For clarity, this is Kang Full’s The Witch, existing within the same universe as Light Shop and Moving, and not to be confused with Park Hoon-jung’s The Witch movie series. While its title might suggest a supernatural thriller, what lies beneath is a deeply human story about the weight of perception, the chains of rumor, and an unwavering love that refuses to yield.

Lee Dong-jin (Park Jin-young) is a data miner, a man who lives by statistics and probability, drawn to cold, hard facts. But the one thing he cannot quantify is his enduring love for Park Mi-jeong (Roh Jeong-eui), the girl who was once labeled a witch. Since childhood, tragedy seemed to follow Mi-jeong wherever she went—every boy who harbored feelings for her met with misfortune, from accidents to death, until the entire town cast her out. Whether the curse was real or not became irrelevant; the belief in it was enough to destroy her life. Forced into isolation, Mi-jeong accepted her fate, resigned to existing on the fringes of society. But Dong-jin never let go. Ten years later, when their paths cross again, he is determined to prove, through data and logic, that she is not cursed—that her misfortunes are merely statistical anomalies. What he doesn’t realize is that this mission is less about disproving a curse and more about giving himself permission to love her.

From the outset, The Witch is a visual masterpiece. The cinematography crafts an atmosphere both melancholic and dreamlike, using slow-motion snowfall, flickering lights, and carefully framed distances between Mi-jeong and Dong-jin to reinforce the emotional and physical barriers between them. The way the camera lingers on Mi-jeong’s silent suffering, often capturing her in isolation or at the edges of the frame, makes her loneliness palpable. And then there’s the soundtrack—every track carefully chosen to heighten the aching longing between them. Close My Eyes by Dahye stands out as one of the most hauntingly beautiful OSTs of 2025, encapsulating the heartbreak, the hope, and the quiet desperation that define their story.

Roh Jeong-eui delivers an absolutely breathtaking performance as Park Mi-jeong. There is an art to smiling through pain, to wearing resilience like armor while your eyes betray every unspoken sorrow, and Roh Jeong-eui embodies this flawlessly. She is neither fragile nor overtly defiant; she simply exists, surviving rather than living, too afraid to hope for more. Every microexpression, every slight tremor in her voice, every lingering pause speaks volumes. Her portrayal of Mi-jeong is the heart of this drama—a woman sculpted by years of whispered fears and wary glances, navigating a world that has already decided what she is before she can define herself.

On the other side of this emotional battlefield is Park Jin-young’s Lee Dong-jin, a character that defies easy categorization. He is, by definition, a stalker—watching Mi-jeong from afar, gathering data on her life, orchestrating ways to be near her without her knowing. And yet, his intent reframes his actions in a way that makes them strangely endearing rather than unsettling. Dong-jin isn’t watching to control or possess her; he is watching because he genuinely believes he can save her. He is desperate to prove that her isolation is unnecessary, that the walls she has built around herself can be torn down. His methods are flawed, but his devotion is unwavering. He is not a hero in the traditional sense, nor is he a villain. He is simply a man who has loved someone for so long that he cannot accept a world where she continues to suffer alone.

Jang Hee-ryung’s Heo Eun-sil provides a much-needed counterbalance to Dong-jin’s distant observation. Unlike him, she doesn’t stand on the sidelines analyzing Mi-jeong’s pain—she jumps into the abyss with her. Where Dong-jin watches, Eun-sil acts. She becomes the anchor Mi-jeong never had, the first true expression of unconditional acceptance since her father’s death. This friendship, this sisterhood, is one of the most beautiful aspects of the drama. It highlights the stark difference between passive love and active love, between watching someone drown and diving in to pull them out. Eun-sil is a force of warmth in Mi-jeong’s otherwise cold world, and Jang Hee-ryung plays her with a sincerity that makes every scene with her feel like a lifeline.

But let’s talk about what The Witch does best: subverting expectations. Kang Full has always had a talent for taking what seems obvious and turning it on its head. What begins as a mystery—Is the curse real? Can it be disproven?—slowly morphs into something far more profound. This isn’t a story about logic versus superstition. It is a story about love in all its forms: the love that isolates, the love that clings, the love that frees. It is about how fear shapes perception, how a rumor can take root so deeply that it becomes indistinguishable from reality. It is about self-fulfilling prophecies and cognitive biases, about how believing in something—be it a curse, a fate, a fear—can make it real in its own way. You tell a fish enough times that it belongs in the sky, and one day, it will leap from the water trying to fly, only to drown in the attempt. That is Mi-jeong’s tragedy, and Dong-jin’s struggle is not to prove that she is not cursed, but to make her believe that she deserves to live beyond that belief.

If there is a flaw in The Witch, it is in its pacing. The drama indulges in repeated scenes from different perspectives, which, while effective in deepening character understanding, can feel like padding. The introduction of a secondary couple late in the series also leaves little room for their relationship to develop meaningfully. And then there’s the framing of Dong-jin’s actions—while personally compelling, they tread a fine line that could easily be interpreted as problematic. The drama itself acknowledges this, even having Mi-jeong’s detective friend outright ask if she wants to press charges against Dong-jin. But at its core, The Witch is self-aware. It knows what it’s doing, and it challenges its audience to decide whether Dong-jin’s actions stem from devotion or obsession, whether Mi-jeong’s isolation is chosen or enforced.

By the end, The Witch reveals its final, devastating truth: Mi-jeong had noticed Dong-jin in high school, not out of love, but because he represented everything she wasn’t. He was warmth, joy, and belonging—the kind of life she had always been denied. Her regret was never speaking to him before she disappeared. But as their paths intertwined again, and as she slowly uncovered the depths of his devotion, admiration turned into something deeper. And in the end, the final variable in Dong-jin’s grand experiment—the one factor he never accounted for—was love. Not his love for her, but her love for him. Because in the end, love was the only thing that could break the curse.

Verdict: The Witch is not perfect, but it is unforgettable. It is a slow-burn, a layered, emotionally charged experience that lingers long after the final credits roll. It is a drama that invites you to question, to feel, to reconsider. It takes the simplest of premises and weaves it into something intricate and heartbreaking. And at its heart, it is about one simple, undeniable truth: sometimes, love is not about logic. Sometimes, love is just love.

And that is enough.

Final Score: 8.5/10
An emotionally charged, thought-provoking love story that subverts expectations at every turn. While its slow pacing and unconventional framing may not be for everyone, its depth, performances, and stunning cinematography make it a must-watch for those who love layered storytelling

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Interesting concept but failed execution

Overall, "The Witch" was pretty underwhelming. The premise was intriguing, and the mystery had potential, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The pacing dragged, and the repetitive scenes made it feel like the story was constantly stalling rather than progressing. Instead of meaningful character development, we got multiple flashbacks that didn’t add much, making the episodes feel bloated.

I understand the original source material is short, but if they were going to expand it, they should have focused on adding depth rather than just stretching scenes out. The second couple’s romance felt rushed and unconvincing, and even the main leads’ relationship lacked emotional weight. Mijeong’s feelings for Dongjin never felt fully realized, and her final confession came off more as an obligation than true love.

The show had its moments, and I wouldn’t call it a complete waste of time, but it struggled to keep its momentum. If they had trimmed the unnecessary repetition, this could have been a much tighter and more engaging 4-to-6 episode drama. Fair to say, I am pretty disappointed after the strong premise.

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Watch the 2nd eps first before the 1st eps for your own good! :)

Only 2 eps are out so far, but my opinion watching this are:
1st Eps : what is this show really want to show? Why jinyoung char here looks a bit ambiguous and jeong eui char also looks not so entertaining, why is she so popular and why every man like her? And why she can't be a lil bit more though? like, someone's dying in front of her but all she can do just stand still and watch it pass by. I don't really like her char here, also her appearance here is a no no for me. the stories are still boring, they look like they don't have any dots to connect, the editing or directing is too stiff, not smooth, too ambiguous, and looks like Indonesian "sinetron". that's a big fail for me 😭 unfortunately, even jinyoung can't make this eps interesting I'm sorry... :(

2nd Eps : Is the eps switched out or am i watching the wrong episode? bcs I personally think that this eps feels like the real opening to the story. the story telling are a bit better here, but if this is the right 2nd eps, then maybe they want this eps to be the revelation of 1st eps.. but... unfortunately too, I think this time it doesn't work well.. many people lost their interest just by watching the 1st eps, and I'm not sure if they will continue watching or not.. so I think maybe it's better for you guys to watch the 2nd eps first before the 1st eps, especially to all of you guys who haven't watch this yet. :)

I'm still curious about the story bcs this is one of the Kang Full's work, and for now I'll keep looking to this. Hopefully there will be some good twist or surprise. Will update the score later 🙏


Update eps 3 & 4
Finally, I can start to see the story and it start improving, even tho the plot is still a mess, but it is getting a lil bit better. The messed plot and the portrayal of the ML's efforts make the ML looks like a creepy stalker (well I can't deny how creepy it is to be followed around by someone you don't know). In this state rn, the ML is just a person from the same high school or an unknown person if the FL doesn't remember him. At least maybe they should have that little interaction first for the viewers to be able to get hooked by how their relationships grow. This kind of plot can make a big difference if there were a little details like this.

But I can't also deny that the story especially in ep 3 and 4 are getting emotional and really touching my heart I'm crying 😭🙏 Can't wait for the next episode.
Maybe there will be a real POV of the FL for the ML that haven't been shown in the beginning. I hope she really is not a witch, and that accident happens arround her is made by another human who makes it looks like a curse.

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