If Wishes Could Kill Ending Explained: The Deadly Cost of Desire

The finale of Netflix’s first Korean YA horror thriller, If Wishes Could Kill, is a haunting exploration of the old adage Be careful what you wish for. In the eight-episode series, we saw the terror unleashed by the Girigo app, an app that supposedly grants wishes with the downside that the user dies 24 hours after it is granted. 

For those of you who don’t know, the Girigo app was created by a student called Kwon Si-won a few years back. However, she made the app to defame her best friend, Do Hye-ryung, after a misunderstanding, which led to immense public humiliation for her. In revenge, using dark magic, Hye-ryung placed a curse on the app and on Si-won. In turn, Si-won makes the wish for Hye-ryung’s curse to last forever, turning the harmless app into a source of great evil.

The curse is transmitted through technology, and the evil spirits can even make fake calls or messages to trap an individual. The events of the show are set in motion when Hyeon-wook uses the app. It leads his friends, Se-ah, Geon-woo, Na-ri, and Ha-joon to investigate and break the curse. 

By episode 8, they figure out the origins of the app, and with the help of Ha-joon’s shaman sister, Ha-sal, and her partner, Bang-ul, they aim to destroy the phone that Hye-ryung had used. 

What Happens When Se-Ah Wakes Up?

Just before the events of If Wishes Could Kill episode 8, Se-ah and Geon-woo manage to locate the phone that Hye-ryung had used. But the thread around her wrist that Ha-sal had tied for her protection is broken by Na-ri, who is possessed by the curse. 

When she wakes up, she is in her school’s infirmary, surrounded by her friends. It takes her quite a few minutes to realize that she is trapped in the spiritual realm. In the real world, she is in a comatose state and is being taken to Ha-sal by Geon-woo. 

Does Kang Ha-Sal Destroy Hye-ryung’s Phone?

Back at Ha-sal’s place, the shaman destroys Hye-ryung’s phone with her mystical arrows. However, it does nothing as Se-ah remains unconscious. This is when Sa-sal realises that the real curse is in Si-won’s phone. At once, she decides to enter the spiritual realm.

In the realm, she distracts Si-won’s spirit while Se-ah goes to find Si-won’s phone. Si-won’s phone is the real curse holder, as the girl had wished for Hye-ryeong’s curse to last forever before she killed herself. According to Ha-sal, the curse would break once they manage to destroy the other phone. 

What Happens in the Spiritual Realm?

In the spiritual realm, Ha-sal is busy fighting Si-won’s ghost by disguising herself. Meanwhile, Se-ah is in the media room trying to find where Si-won’s phone is. She discovers a hidden room, which is the server room where Si-won had died.

Just as she was about to enter, Na-ri’s spirit came to stop her. Completely overtaken by the evil of the app, she is adamant about killing Se-ah. Se-ah manages to fend her off, but Na-ri dies in the process. Se-ah finds the server room where Si-won had died and uses Ha-sal’s arrows to destroy it. 

Meanwhile, putting her own life on the line, Ha-sal manages to kill Si-won and free her and Hye-ryeong from the curse.

How Does If Wishes Could Kill End?

The end of If Wishes Could Kill is bittersweet. While Hyeon-won and Na-ri die, Se-ah, Geon-woo, and Ha-joon make it out alive. At the end, Ha-sal and Bang-ul invite the teens over, and Bang-ul proudly tells them how he survived.

He also tells how he can now see spirits after getting injured in the fight in Episode 7. His injury can help Ha-sal escape the place where she is held captive due to some vengeful spirits. 

While the three teens move on, in the end credits scene, Hyeon-wook’s Discord friend is contacted by a mysterious user who tells him to find Na-ri’s phone. The phone still has the Girigo app installed, and we see him opening it just as the screen goes black. 

NamePlatformWritten byDirected byStarring

If Wishes Could Kill
Netflix
Park Joong-seop
Park Youn-seo
Jeon So-young, Kang Mi-na, Baek Sun-ho, Hyun Woo-seok, Lee Hyo-je
Episode	8 (40 minutes long each)
Rating (as of April 25, 2026)	7.2 / 10 IMDb

The series leaves us with an open ending, teasing that there is more to it than what we saw in the first season. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

If Wishes Could Kill is streaming on Netflix.