“The Witch” Leaves Fans of the Original Disappointed: Im Jae-hyuk’s Acting Takes a Toll

Director Kim Tae-gyun’s weak direction, combined with lead actor Im Jae-hyuk’s lackluster performance, only deepened viewers’ disappointment.

Im Jae-hyuk starred as Detective Kim Joong-hyuk in Channel A’s Sat-Sun drama “The Witch” (written by Jo Yoo-jin, directed by Kim Tae-gyun). The series follows Dong-jin (played by Park Jin-young), a man trying to break the chain of misfortune surrounding a woman called “the witch”, Mi-jeong (played by Roh Jeong-eui). As they refuse to give up, they ultimately become each other’s salvation in this mystery romance. The 10-episode series ended on March 16.

Im Jae-hyuk’s character, Joong-hyuk, is a major crime detective who keeps people at a distance. However, when his only friend Dong-jin leaves behind an ominous message and disappears, Joong-hyuk follows the clues and uncovers a tremendous secret.

The reason behind Joong-hyuk’s cold and distant demeanor is later revealed—he shares the same cursed fate as Mi-jeong. Mysterious accidents have always surrounded him, and every woman who liked him was either injured or killed. Burdened by his fate, he chose to isolate himself from others.

Given Joong-hyuk’s complex emotions and deep backstory, the role demanded nuanced acting. However, Im Jae-hyuk’s performance was flat and rigid, as he interpreted his character’s stoicism solely through a consistently stiff facial expression. His monotonous portrayal made it difficult for viewers to connect with the character’s emotional shifts. Being reserved is different from lacking expression, yet Im Jae-hyuk failed to make that distinction.

Additionally, his presence paled in comparison to Park Jin-young and Roh Jeong-eui, whose strong performances dominated the screen. Despite having a significant storyline, Joong-hyuk failed to make an impact due to Im Jae-hyuk’s inability to breathe life into the character.

One of the biggest failures was his lack of chemistry with the other leads. Joong-hyuk and Dong-jin were supposed to share a strong bond, but their friendship felt distant and unconvincing. His romance with Eun-sil (played by Jang Hee-ryung) also felt unnatural and rushed, largely due to the awkward dynamic between the two actors.

Even though Joong-hyuk was meant to carry an aura of tension and gravity, Im Jae-hyuk’s shallow performance made his character feel weightless. A detective living under constant pressure requires subtle and layered acting, but Im Jae-hyuk only scratched the surface, ultimately dulling the overall tone of the drama.

Of course, the blame doesn’t fall solely on the actor. While his acting flaws disrupted immersion, director Kim Tae-gyun’s weak directing further exacerbated the problem.

One of the drama’s biggest issues was poor pacing. The story dragged unnecessarily from Episodes 1 to 8, filled with repetitive and pointless dialogue, which diminished the suspense and failed to maintain momentum. Then, in a sudden rush, the last two episodes (Episodes 9 and 10) tried to tie up all loose ends at once, throwing the entire balance off.

Many viewers reacted with shock and confusion, questioning the abrupt resolution, “Wait… it just ends like this?” A major flaw was the underdeveloped romance between Mi-jeong and Dong-jin, as well as between Joong-hyuk and Eun-sil. The drama failed to establish a gradual emotional build-up, leaving viewers disconnected from their love stories.

Additionally, the overuse of dramatic music—meant to create tension—often felt forced and exaggerated, further breaking immersion rather than enhancing it.

As an adaptation of Kang Full’s well-loved webtoon, “The Witch” had high expectations from fans. However, it failed to live up to the original’s unique world-building and deep character storytelling. Instead, it suffered from weak execution, poor direction and a disappointing performance from one of its key actors.

Ultimately, “The Witch” squandered its potential, leaving fans with nothing but frustration and disappointment.