The Witch’s Diner

Presentation

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Analysis

Synopsis

Jung Jin is a 28-year-old woman who goes through difficult times. She loses her job, her boyfriend dumps her and she and her mother are scammed into buying a restaurant. Hitting rock bottom, Jin meets Jo Hae Ra. Hae Ra is a witch, who decides to take over Jin’s restaurant in order to grant her customers’ wishes through a good meal. Meanwhile, Lee Gil Yong meets Jung Jin and starts working part-time at the restaurant.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

Honestly, The Witch’s Diner was a pleasant surprise! I am always cautious with mini-dramas, because their format doesn’t generally allow for a proper narrative. Yet for this one, I thought that the story was well-knitted and the characters just as complex as they should be. The side-stories were also quite interesting and the main secret between characters correctly introduced and explained.

On top of that, I have to say that I was bewitched by Song Ji Hyo’s performance and fashion, as well as Nam Ji Hyun’s transformation in the last episode.

If you want to watch a good drama, that is not too long nor too short, with a magical vibe to it, The Witch’s Diner would definitely be a good choice.

Analysis (Spoiler Alert)

Characters: I think that characters had just enough depth to make them relatable without complicating the entire narrative.

The main character is Jung Jin (Nam Ji Hyun), who is a kind woman and devoted daughter, hiding a complicated relationship with her father. She also seems to be going through a lot (her boyfriend dumps her and she loses her job), yet she remains bright and optimistic. Until one nice older woman sells her restaurant to Jin’s mother, before scamming her. The restaurant is doomed to go bankrupt and the two women have lost most of their savings. At this point, Jin is overwhelmed, resenting the seller and blaming herself for not having been careful enough. She is also full of remorse because her mother is about to lose everything as well and she couldn’t protect her.

A few days after the scam, a mysterious woman Jo Hae Ra (Song Ji Hyo) appears and offers Jin to buy the restaurant. In return, Jin would have to work for her and let Hae Ra grant her a wish. Indeed, Hae Ra is no ordinary woman. She is a witch, who uses food to grant people’s wishes. Jin accepts and wishes for revenge. The next day, the scammer drops dead. The price paid by Jin is her becoming a witch. Yes, nothing is free in this world!

So, Jin has saved her mother from debt and has started to become a witch, working alongside Hae Ra. I have to say that Song Ji Hyo was amazing in the role of a witch. She was elegant (thanks to her fashion and her charismatic aura), very mysterious and the episodes only let us see her past bits by bits, building up the suspense until the big revelation at the end of the drama. Hae Ra is also quite secretive and seems to be cruel. Indeed, the prices paid by customers for their wish sometimes appear too expensive in Jin’s eyes.

As a matter of fact, Jin and Hae Ra have actually a lot in common. As explained at the end, Jin is actually Hae Ra’s daughter, whom she gave up to protect her from unhappiness. Indeed, Hae Ra fell in love with a man, who was already married. He betrayed her and lied to her. Therefore, she went to her mother’s (a witch too) and hoped for revenge, saying that she wished his child would be unhappy. Later on, Hae Ra discovered she was pregnant and that she had cast a spell (or more like a curse) on her own daughter, forcing her to give her up. Her only choice was to let her ex’s wife raise Jin. Despite that, Hae Ra always remained close to her daughter and tried to protect her in her own way.

Unexpectedly, Jin made the exact same wish as her mother in the past. She prayed for revenge and got it, hence her becoming a witch and waking up her witchy blood. On top of that, Jin happens to be betrayed by her boyfriend the same way as her mother’s. Still, her revenge is different. Instead of wishing for misery upon his child, she prefers making him feel constant guilt, so that he lives in torture for the rest of his days.

Though they experienced the same betrayal, Jin’s choice was unexpectedly kinder (she protected the child) but also crueler (she makes him go through pain every single day) than her mother’s.

At the end of the drama, Jin finds out about her birth mother, she forgives her, accepts her legacy as a witch, takes over the restaurant, while Hae Ra goes on a trip. Meanwhile, both Jin’s mother and Hae Ra manage to become friends and thank each other for being there for Jin. Jin’s mother couldn’t have children, so having Jin was the best gift she could ever have. As for Hae Ra, she couldn’t keep Jin, so she is thankful that someone took care of her in her stead.

The last character of the trio is Lee Gil Yong (Chae Jong Hyeop). He is a high school student, who coincidentally meets Jin and immediately falls for her. Gil Yong is generous, kind, patient and protective. He wants to be by Jin’s side and makes a wish as well at some point: to be able to stay with her. His demand is a shock for Hae Ra, since his wish is made for someone else and not for him. If magic runs through Jin’s blood, kindness runs through Gil Yong’s. Indeed, in the last scene of the drama, we see Gil Yong’s mother wishing for his son to be happy at Hae Ra’s diner. A wish that is granted as well, as he becomes Jin’s supporter, a.k.a. his right arm.

Atmosphere: I really enjoyed this dark, mysterious and magical atmosphere in the drama. The fashion, the setting, the action by night and even the weather participated in the creation of this mystical vibe. One that perfectly matched the story.

What are the themes tackled?

Like many other dramas (such as Move to Heaven for instance), The Witch’s Diner dealt with one societal topic in particular per episode, using side stories as its main ingredient. Here is a quick overview:

Episode 1: The episode highlights the problems related to being scammed, especially when in comes to real estate. This scam is the disruptive element of the drama and also the starting point of the story, because it forces Jin into making a regretful wish. It introduces several important parts of the story: the restaurant, Hae Ra, the magical theme, Jin’s story and more importantly the price to pay.
Theme: Scam

Episode 2: This episode tackles the well-known theme of school violence and bullying, using Gil Yong’s student status as a trigger. Indeed, Gil Yong tries hard, but in vain to protect one of his friends, who is being bullied by the wealthy kids. Despite his hard work, Gil Yong ends up being the one accused of bullying and incapable of fighting back. Yet, that’s how he manages to meet Jin. These events shed light on Gil Yong’s past as a runner, who can’t run anymore after an injury and has to move on in life, bullying issues at school and fateful encounter.
Themes: School bullying, dreams, fate

Episode 3: In this episode, a young unemployed man enters the restaurant. He is tired of trying to find a job, as his chances are constantly ruined because of privilege, nepotism (at job interviews) and discrimination. He feels like he can’t move on and is a loser. Desperate and realizing how unfair the world is, when you have no money, no connection and no power, he makes a wish: to find a job. In return, he has to sacrifice his fingers. I think that episode was very useful in order to make us understand how the balance of nature works: if you gain something, you have to give up something else. That’s what happens here: the man finds a job, a wife and a purpose in life, but a loses two fingers, while trying to save a woman being assaulted in the streets. That same woman turns out to be his future wife in the end.
Themes: poverty, unemployment, nepotism

Episode 4: This episode highlights the ups and downs of a relationship, focusing on the loss of love, how one can be used and manipulated and what you are willing to sacrifice to keep the love going. This story is actually quite sad and bitter. Indeed, a talented musical actress gives up on her voice to make her long-term boyfriend stay in love with her. However, she realizes that love can’t be forced and that her boyfriend is a pathetic loser. Meanwhile, there is still hope for her. While putting an end to that past relationship and treating her throat for her disappearing voice, she meets a doctor. He turns out to be his fan, and we can only hope that that’s how their story start.
Themes: dreams, love and ending love

Episode 5: In that episode, the story revolves around an old woman, who only wishes for her 50-year-old son to find a match. Out of love for him, she makes a wish. She ends up losing her memory, until a caregiver enters her and her son’s lives. The latter happens to be an old friend of the son and they get married shortly after, as the mother recovers her memory.
Themes: familial love, fate

Episodes 6-7-8: The last three episodes focus on the main characters’ stories and relationships. Once again, they illustrate themes such as love, betrayal, revenge, but more importantly motherhood (through the sacrifices made by Hae Ra, Jin’s mother and Gil Yong’s mother).

Episode 8: A young writer wishes for fame with one of her novels. She is this time Jung Jin’s first customer as a witch. She grants her the wish, in return she will have joint pains. The same writer also ends up creating a best-seller called “The Witch’s Diner”, just like the title of the drama.
Themes: dreams, success

The balance of nature: I really appreciated how the drama managed to stay quite down-to-earth, if you don’t take the magical elements into account. Indeed, it depicted people, who were struggling in their lives and were looking for a bright way out of the darkness. The restaurant embodied that helpful hand and needed push in their lives, proving that you can turn your life around anytime.

Moreover, the drama also showed that nothing is free in this world. Everything comes with a price. However, you remain the master of your choices. Indeed, neither Hae Ra nor Jin force customers to make their wishes. Another valuable lesson is that you have to take your responsibilities as well. You are in the end accountable for your choices and actions. The witches have nothing to do in that! These are important take-aways of the drama in my opinion, that can be applied any time in our daily life.

Cameos: Even if the drama was rather short, there were still some nice cameos in each episode like: Lee Kyu Hyung, Han Ji Eun, Kang Ki Doong, Ahn Eun Jin, Ji Il Joo, Lim Won Hee, and many others.

Some sentences to remember:
“All encounters in this world are magical.”
“There are roads in every path of life.”

The ending: Probably the most satisfying part of the drama! At the end of the story, Jin becomes a good witch, supported by Gil Yong who stays by her side. Hae Ra and her own supporter Mr. Oh (Ha Do Kwon) go on a trip. Jin’s mother and Hae Ra reconcile. All is well that ends well.

Oh and Jin inherits Hae Ra’s fashion! What else is there to add?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Qib41W4WM