If Wishes Could Kill Episode 7 Recap: Did Bang-ul Die?

After focusing on the tragic origin of the curse that originated from the Girigo app, “If Wishes Could Kill” returns to the present timeline in its penultimate episode, as the teenagers try to find the source of the curse and end it for good. Previously, Se-ah and Ha-joon sneaked inside Seorin High to locate Maehyung, the curse conduit, by going through the uploaded videos in the app’s server and learned Na-ri’s wish resulted in Hyeon-wook’s death. On the other hand, Na-ri was manipulated by the app’s malevolent mechanism and mistakenly believed Se-ah to be plotting against her. She accompanied Geon-woo to sneak into the school, and upon being confronted by him about being a victim of the app, she turned against Geon-woo. Si-won’s restless spirit took control over Na-ri and launched an attack on Geon-woo, who was saved in the nick of time by Bang-ul.

Spoilers Ahead

The episode picks right from the ending of episode 5, as Bang-ul, bleeding from his right eye, is able to see Si-won’s spirit manifesting in the hallway. Instead of engaging with it, Bang-ul considers escaping by taking Geon-woo along to be a wiser decision in this situation, and searches for Ha-joon and Se-ah instead. Meanwhile, after downloading the entirety of the uploaded wish videos in Girigo, Ha-joon and Se-ah decide to return to Bang-ul, only to get confronted by a possessed Na-ri, who attacks Se-ah using a metal rod, and while defending her, Ha-joon ends up fracturing his hand. Se-ah confronts Na-ri about being responsible for Hyeon-wook’s death, but surprisingly for Na-ri, Se-ah acts in an understanding manner, as she rightly assumed from the wish video that Na-ri wasn’t in the right state of mind and only considered the wish app to be a playful thing to pull a prank. Se-ah offers Na-ri an audience with Haetsal, who can help her in this situation. However, Na-ri is still under the control of Si-won’s spirit. Bang-ul has gained the ability to see spirits using his bloodshot eye, and after noticing Si-won’s vengeful spirit attacking the teenagers, he is able to drive her away by throwing his mystical dagger towards her. However, the spirit keeps Na-ri captured and drags her away. 

Given they need to prioritize the search for Maehyung at this point, the team has no other option except to leave Na-ri to her fate at this moment and go to the nearest hospital for Bang-ul and Ha-joon’s treatment. At the hospital, Bang-ul reveals his newfound ability to Ha-joon and mentions that by keeping Haetsal’s immense spiritual powers within check, he can find a way for her to leave the temple and return to the outside world. Ha-joon, who has been trying to reconcile with his sister, is elated like a child upon hearing this, and he connects with Bang-ul. The first video on the Girigo server is deduced to be the root cause of the curse, and upon playing it, the teenagers get to see the tragic recording of Hye-ryung’s suicide. Learning it was she who put the curse with her dying breath, the team figures out the Maehyung – the red phone belonged to her and can be tracked down in the location where it was last used. Tracking the IP address of the uploaded video, Ha-joon finds the location, i.e., the warehouse hideout, where friend duo Si-won and Hye-ryung hung out. As they inform Haetsal about the situation, she suggests they find the rainbow background window shown in the picture to pinpoint the room, as it matches the background where the video was taken. 

As the narrative shifts briefly to showcase a possessed Na-ri’s predicament, it is highlighted that in her final moments, Si-won made a wish in the Girigo app to Hye-ryung’s wish curse repeat itself, which is the reason why whoever makes a wish on the app is destined to take their own life. The vengeful spirit of Si-won sets a possessed Na-ri for an ambush in the hideout, while orchestrating paranormal activities to stop Bang-ul and the teenagers from getting close to the Maehyung. Bang-ul remembers it is vital for Se-ah to stay alive as she is the only person among them who has a connection to both the moral and spiritual realms, and hence only she can bring Maehyung to Haetsal to put an end to the curse. As Si-won’s machinations result in metal rods and other objects being hurled towards Se-ah, Bang-ul shows immense courage to protect Se-ah and gets impaled in the process. Ha-joon is absolutely devastated as he had formed a brotherly bond with Bang-ul, and decides to stay with him to take him for emergency treatment. Bang-ul hands his dagger and compass to Geon-woo, instructing him about their usage and entrusting him with Se-ah’s protection, and assures Se-ah that she can put an end to the curse once and for all. A crestfallen Ha-joon takes Bang-ul to the hospital, where he undergoes surgery, and, breaking down in tears, informs Haetsal about the ongoing situation. Haetsal comforts her brother, assuring him that he isn’t to blame for this situation and that Bang-ul will fully recover. 

Se-ah and Geon-woo continue to look for the location of the hideout, and after searching for a long time, they manage to locate it from the rainbow window clue. Se-ah is able to put her long jump skills to use to jump across a broken bridge, but in the process, she ends up breaking the bridge further and getting separated from Geon-woo before entering the hideout. Se-ah sees Maehyung to be present in the hideout, and before she is able to take it, a possessed Na-ri, who was hiding inside the hideout all along, ambushes her with a paper cutter. This prompts Geon-woo to muster up enough courage and confidence by remembering Se-ah’s motivating words, and successfully jump across the broken bridge – and judging from the distance, he surely broke Olympic records while doing so. Geon-woo sees Se-ah pinned down and in a near-death situation as Na-ri almost stabs her, and using the spirit compass, Geon-woo is able to see that Si-won’s ghastly spirit is pulling the strings. His own horrifying experiences with the spirit have done a number on his mind, which causes him to hesitate for a moment before showing courage by stabbing Na-ri with the mystic dagger. The stab is non-fatal, and Na-ri seemingly returns to her senses. Se-ah doesn’t waste a moment before taking Maehyung, the red phone, in her hand, and turns to Na-ri, who laments about their present situation. Se-ah extends her hands towards Na-ri to help her; however, Na-ri has other intentions in her mind. It remains unclear whether she is still possessed or not, as Na-ri breaks the protective wristband Haetsal had given to Se-ah, severing her ties with Haetsal in the process. Right at this moment, the curse infesting Maehyung takes over Se-ah right at the moment, and she starts experiencing a violent seizure as the episode draws to a close.