Kang Mina on Netflix's, Acting Growth, and Missing I.O.I's Reunion

Singer and actor Kang Mina is making her case as a serious dramatic performer. Her latest project, the Netflix series "If Wishes Could Kill" (directed by Park Yoon-seo), has reintroduced her to global audiences as more than just a former idol.

"If Wishes Could Kill" is a young adult horror series about a group of high school students who learn they will die suddenly after being cursed by a wish-granting app called Korigo. The teens scramble to escape the curse before it catches up with them. Kang plays Im Na-ri, a wealthy student whose striking, idol-level looks turn heads wherever she goes.

In a recent interview with Tenasia, Kang said she landed the role through an audition. "When I first read the project, the character Ari felt so pitiful and heartbreaking to me," she said. "There are a lot of dramatic situations, but in the end, it's too much for an 18-year-old girl to carry." She added that she mapped those feelings onto Na-ri and reread the script. "That's when I felt, 'I really want to play this role.' So I prepared even harder for the audition."

Kang also opened up about working with co-stars close to her in age. "We're all around the same age, so it felt awkward to act like the oldest sister, but I ended up in that role anyway," she said. "I kept suggesting we grab a meal together to break the ice. I'm introverted, so it wasn't easy, but our group chat got lively and we became close naturally."

She was happy with the on-set chemistry. "Overall, the team clicked really well," she said. "Hyun Woo-seok played the comic relief on set, and he was even more unique and honest than I expected. He really lifted the mood."

Her bond with co-star Jeon So-young took a little longer to build. "At first I wanted to get closer to So-young, but I was being careful. After our first day of filming, I worked up the courage to ask her to grab dinner, and she turned me down," Kang said. "I wondered if the shoot had been rough on her, so I asked if we could just talk for a bit. We ended up talking for three hours at the dorm, and that's when we suddenly got close."

That closeness changed how they worked together. "After that we got so close that when we had to shoot emotionally intense scenes later on, there was no real tension between us at all," she said. "We started visiting each other's homes and sharing what was on our minds. We still talk every other day."

"If Wishes Could Kill" was released on October 24 and has racked up around 2.8 million views, calculated by dividing total watch time by the show's runtime. It landed at No. 4 on the Netflix Global Top 10 for non-English shows and entered the Top 10 in 37 countries, including South Korea, Mexico, India, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

Asked about the reaction since the show launched, Kang said the response that stuck with her most came from Park Ji-hyun, her co-star on the upcoming project "Coming to Work Tomorrow." "The show dropped at 5 p.m., and Ji-hyun unni texted me saying, 'I'm on standby for If Wishes Could Kill,'" Kang said. "I was already touched, but then after she watched it she told me, 'Why are you so annoyingly good at this? You're really different.' That's the line I remember most." She laughed recalling it.

She also pointed to one recurring comment online. "A lot of viewers wrote that I looked different from the Mina they knew," she said. "I didn't aim for that, but since it's a villain role, I figured it might come across that way."

Her affection for acting came through clearly in the conversation. "I noticed I was talking a lot without realizing it. That's when I felt how much I really love acting and how much it means to me," she said. "When someone picks up on the small details I worked into a scene, it feels rewarding. I love when people say my acting has grown a lot." She added, "I think that's what keeps me coming back to it."

Kang recently announced she would not take part in the 10th anniversary reunion of I.O.I, the project group she debuted with in 2016. She admitted the decision was hard. "The girls are all so busy. They're packing in really tight schedules, so I haven't reached out separately," she said. "When they post on Instagram I leave comments, and when they put up Reels I leave likes or comments. We know how much we're cheering for each other."

She also reflected on how her audition-show roots still shape her career. "The experience of being on stage helps me less in on-set acting and more during press rounds or variety show shoots, because I get less nervous," she said. "Actors get really anxious in those settings, but I've definitely gotten calmer than I used to be."

For Kang, the path from survival show contestant to in-demand actor is no longer a transition. It is the work itself. With "If Wishes Could Kill" pulling viewers in dozens of countries, she is settling into a phase where the idol résumé matters less than the choices she makes on screen.