On October 14, Suzy posted several photos to her personal social media account with the caption: “Kayoung’s shabby past life.” The images captured Suzy on set with co-star Kim Woo Bin, revealing her bold transformation into a character with freckles, scars and blemishes applied as part of her makeup. The raw and unglamorous look attracted immense attention online, showing a completely different side of the star known as Korea’s “Nation’s First Love.”
Genie, make a wish tells the story of a romantic comedy fantasy of Genie (played by Kim Woo Bin), who awakens after a thousand years, and an emotionless human named Kayoung (played by Suzy), who is granted three wishes.
According to Netflix’s latest global viewership rankings released on October 15, the series logged 8 million views and 102.6 million hours watched, ranking first among non-English TV shows worldwide. It rose to number one just a week after debuting at number 5.
However, the show also faced mixed reactions. Some viewers criticized the plot’s complexity due to its Middle Eastern-inspired setting and questioned its cultural sensitivity in portraying the genie as Iblis, a figure from Islamic mythology.
Addressing the criticism, Suzy said, “Every project naturally has both positive and negative reactions, and that’s completely understandable. I’m just deeply grateful to everyone who enjoyed watching it.”
Genie, make a wisha drama that transcends the time between the past and present lives of an “evil genius” and a “psychopathic human,” is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Sources: Daum
