'Dubai, a grateful memory': Song Hye-kyo pens love letter to UAE after magical Netflix's Genie cameo

The actress had made a brief appearance in Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy's fantasy drama

Last updated:
Lakshana N Palat, Assistant Features Editor
2 MIN READ
Song Hye-kyo flew for ten hours just to shoot the cameo.
Song Hye-kyo flew for ten hours just to shoot the cameo.

One of the many highlights of Genie: Make A Wish, starring Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy, was Song Hye-kyo's cameo, which featured her in Dubai. Recently, she dropped a set of Dubai shots with the caption, “Only my back… Dubai, a grateful memory.

In Genie, Make A Wish, she shines as Genie-ya, the ex-girlfriend of the Genie and the ultimate rain-controlling deity. In the photos, she’s all glamour and grace, even showing just her back against a sunset sky. With a side profile, makeup, and zero effort, Song Hye-kyo as always, proves, she is a force to reckon with.

She made one unforgettable entrance. The lamp gets rubbed, and bam—there she is. When Suzy’s character, Ga-young, gasped, whispering, “Song Hye-kyo?” the queen didn’t miss a beat. “A famous face?” she quipped, cool as ever, before adding with a sly grin, “I came to pick the face I like most on Netflix—from your side.” Fans were quick to note she hadd flown all the way to Dubai for just ten hours to film the scene, a testament to her friendship with writer Kim Eun-sook, the powerhouse behind Descendants of the Sun and The Glory. When these two team up, magic—and sparks—are guaranteed.

Next, catch her in Netflix’s Slowly and Intense (tentative title), from the brilliant No Hee-kyung.

Meanwhile, Genie, has been receiving mixed reviews. The story: Kim Woo-bin’s genie is fed up with humans. Declaring them corrupt, he strikes a deal with his deity: he can avoid hell if he drags humans down with him. But there’s a catch—if he ever encounters a truly pure person, an even worse fate awaits. One such person existed: a selfless girl who used her dying wishes to help others, leading to his millennia-long imprisonment in a lamp.

Enter Ki Ka-young (Bae Suzy), a small-town mechanic on vacation in Dubai. Cool, detached, and living with her grandmother after being abandoned by her mother, she harbors dark, intrusive thoughts that even Iblis can’t predict. Forced to spend time together while flying around Dubai, genie gradually discovers a softer, vulnerable side to Ka-young—her fear of losing her grandmother—and starts to remember a past romantic connection erased by magic.

Lakshana N PalatAssistant Features Editor
Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories—from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features. A passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.

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