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‘The Midnight Studio’ aired from March 11  to May 6, 2024, and consists of 16 thrilling episodes. You can watch this drama on Viki. It falls under the supernatural and romance genres, and stars Joo Won as the enigmatic photograper and Kwon Na Ra as the determined lawyer.

A lonely photographer has been cursed with the responsibility to spend his nights taking final photos for the recently deceased, so they can proceed into the underworld. But when he meets a fiery lawyer, he finds himself being pulled into impossible adventures, as they try to fulfill the final wishes of their “clients”.

Luckily they also have the help of two long-time companions of the photographer, who are both ghosts with their own reasons for haunting the land of the living. 

And as the photographer spends time working with the beautiful lawyer, he begins to wonder if there is a way to break this curse and live a normal life with her by his side.  But they will both be shocked when they find that she also has a part to play in the curse, and that their meeting may not be just a coincidence.

Ki Joo’s family has been under a curse for generations. A male of each generation is bound to a photo studio that offers final portraits to the recently deceased. And each photographer must die when he is 35.  As his “final” birthday approaches, he feels his time growing shorter.

 But when a beautiful lawyer wonders into his studio through a door that can only be opened by the dead, he suddenly begins to hope for a long, happy future.  And he hopes that Bom is just the one who can help him finally break the terrible curse.  

Ki Joo has grown up as a lonely, sheltered young man who couldn’t leave his house without being harassed by desparate spirits.  But when he meets Bom, he immediately feels a connection to her that helps him break out of his shell to join the world of the living.  Joo Won is a talented actor and his shy sincerity was very fitting for this role.  

Han Bom is fired from her job as a prosecutor when she refuses to look the other way amid the office’s corruption.  Now she is a private lawyer who chases any cases she can find.  But she hasn’t told her grandmother that she was fired, and she also hasn’t had the money to pay rent.  Still, when she finds out that her grandmother rented out her apartment to some strange photographer who only works at night, she is determined to run him out. 

But when she finds herself in the middle of a mystical photo studio, she is drawn to the place, its clientele, and most importantly, its owner.  And when she begins helping Ki Joo, she suddenly finds that she also has a connection to the curse and Ki Joo’s future that she never expected.  

Bom is a justice warrior who refuses to let injustice and corruption overshadow the law.  She is perky and optimistic, even in the midst of her own personal struggles.  And her optimism is exactly what Ki Joo needs if he is going to believe he has a life beyond the family curse. 

I enjoy Kwon Na Ra and I thought she handled this role well.  This character didn’t offer anything especially new for the actress, but she played the role confidently.

Kim Ji Won is Bom’s best friend.  When she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she quit her job, cashed in her retirement, and travelled the world. But when she came home and went to check in with her docotr, she found that her diagnosis was a mistake.  Now she is working as an intern in Seong Ho’s old office, but Seong Ho is haunting the office and his old desk as a vengeful ghost.

I especially liked the first half of this series, when it focused on the ghosts’ stories.  The first couple of episodes had some surprisingly emotional scenes that I felt were really well done.  These kinds of dramas about closure and getting a final chance to say goodbye to loved ones always feel heartwarming, even as they leave me reaching for my tissues!

I love the little actor, Seo Woo Jin, who played the young brothers in this drama.  So I loved it that we got to see him one last time as he returned Ki Joo’s kindness by showing him the way out of the mysterious underworld.  And using his superhero stance was adorable.

For me, this series went out on the perfect note, by using the picture countdown to usher us gently back to our real world.  As Ki Joo gently spoke the words “I’ll take the final picture now”, the screen slowly turned to black.  It was such a great final touch.

I really liked the 2 ghost helpers, but I didn’t care for either of their stories.  First of all, I wanted a better ending for Nam Goo.  To have him be so hurt by the truth about his wife was bad enough, but did he have to turn into an evil spirit?

Secondly, I couldn’t stand Nam Goo’s wife, Na Rae.  It felt like she hurt two very decent guys and neither one deserved it.  And in the end, she just forgot them both and went back to her normal life. 

And lastly, Seong Ho and Ji Won had such a cute love story. But I can’t believe they just left them in limbo, with Seong Ho in constant danger of turning into an evil spirit, just like Nam Goo.  Ji Won can’t date a dead person her whole life!  I felt like there should have been some resolution, no matter how ridiculous.  

After a long year of waiting, we finally get our happy ending.  Ki Joo spends a whole year wandering the underworld before his little friend Yoon Hae finally helps him out.  And since he left the camera behind, in the underworld where it belongs, the curse no longer applies to any of them.

Ji Won finally stands up to her boss and is now getting offers from companies all over the city.  She and Seong Ho continue their funny romance, with Seong Ho borrowing whatever conveneint body he can find, 10 minutes at a time.  And now that there is no studio, he is also teaching new ghosts how to possess people and pick things up.

The big bad Minister Lee is serving 15 years for his crimes.  And Na Rae is back to taking part time gigs as a tour guide, just like before she married Nam Goo.  She meets her handsome florist at the airport by chance and the pair share a brief chat and wish each other well.  

After waiting so long for his return, Bom finally comes home one night to find Ki Joo there waiting for her.  They kiss and Ki Joo promises to stay by her side from now on.  The drama ends with Ki Joo and Bom taking pictures together like a normal couple, free from all the ghostly presences that no longer shadown their days.  

So if you are looking for a heart-fluttering romance, this is not going to be it.  I enjoyed the episodic stories about closure and final wishes, and the friendships and interactions between many of the characters.  The series does lose a bit of steam in the later half when it shifts its focus to the lead characters’ romance and trying to break the curse.  But all in all, I enjoyed it!  I give ‘The Midnight Studio’ an 8 out of 10 ramen.

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