Later, with Geon-woo facing seemingly certain death, Se-ah makes a wish to save her boyfriend, which starts her own countdown. With time running out, Se-ah travels with Ha-joon to visit Ha-joon’s older sister, Ha-sal (Jeon So-nee), who is a powerful shaman. Ha-sal lives in the countryside with her boyfriend and fellow shaman Bang Ui (Roh Jae-won).
If Wishes Could Kill draws much of its cultural detail from the tradition of Korean shamanism, or mu-sok, a religion indigenous to the Korean peninsula. In this belief system, ancestral spirits have an influence on our lives, causing humans good or bad fortune. Korean shamans, or mu-dang, act as a bridge between the spirit world and the mortal world, and use this ability to help clients with a diverse scope of needs, including healing, protection, solving specific problems, or more generally for bringing good fortune or avoiding misfortune. Most Korean shamans are women. It is relatively common for Korean people to visit shamans, even if they are part of an organized religion or do not consider themselves religious.
