The WONDERfools Episode 2 Review: The Hawondo Lab Mystery Deepens
Episode 2 of The WONDERfools takes the strange events from the premiere and pushes them into even crazier territory. Between unexplained teleportation, hidden research facilities, supernatural abilities, and a growing conspiracy tied to missing children, the drama wastes no time expanding its world.
The episode begins with Un-jeong struggling to understand what he witnessed the night before. He clearly saw Chae-ni die, yet moments later she was alive again as if nothing had happened. Before anyone can properly process the situation, paramedics arrive at the scene, and Chae-ni immediately begs Ro-bin and Gyeon-un to stay quiet about the fake kidnapping incident.
Elsewhere, Jun-mo tracks Chae-ni’s phone through GPS and notices something impossible. Her signal suddenly jumps from Haeseong to Jeju Island before instantly returning again. Even he realizes that normal explanations no longer make sense.
At home, Jeon-bok discovers a suspicious letter addressed to Chae-ni, while at the police station Un-jeong becomes convinced that Ro-bin and Gyeon-un are hiding something important. Their stories do not match, and he decides not to officially proceed with the case.
Later, Ro-bin and Gyeon-un visit Chae-ni in the hospital. The three awkwardly discuss her “death” and miraculous survival while trying to avoid attracting attention. Chae-ni especially does not want Jeon-bok to learn about the fake kidnapping because she knows her grandmother would never forgive her.
Unfortunately, Jeon-bok overhears part of their conversation outside the room.
In panic, Chae-ni hides inside a closet, but suddenly disappears entirely.
Without warning, she finds herself transported onto the set of a historical drama production. The sudden teleportation catches her completely off guard, and before she can understand what happened, she instantly returns to the hospital closet again while Jeon-bok desperately searches for her.
That moment confirms something huge: Chae-ni has developed the ability to teleport, though she cannot control it yet.
Meanwhile, the episode introduces more disturbing details about the religious cult connected to the story. The elderly man they abducted begins remembering fragments of his past. Years ago, he worked as a security guard at Hawondo Lab, a secret research facility where orphaned children were used for experiments.
Flashbacks reveal children being brought into the lab as part of something called the “Wunderkid Project.” Scientists injected them with mysterious chemicals that awakened supernatural powers.
The old man remembers rescuing one specific child from a fire during an accident at the facility: Patient Number 3972.
That child is eventually revealed to be Un-jeong.
The revelation explains why Un-jeong seems connected to everything happening around Chae-ni. Unlike the others, he still carries memories linked to the experiments, even if they appear fragmented and traumatic.
He begins suspecting that Chae-ni may have also been part of the project.
At the hospital, another shocking discovery is made. Jeon-bok notices that the blood clots previously visible on Chae-ni’s legs have disappeared completely. After asking doctors to repeat the examination, she learns that Chae-ni’s illness is entirely gone.
The recovery feels almost supernatural.
Jeon-bok later contacts Choi Yeon-jun to discuss what happened, and the episode reveals that he used to direct Hawondo Lab before becoming associated with the cult organization.
At the same time, Ro-bin and Gyeon-un start discovering strange abilities of their own.
After becoming angry during an argument, Ro-bin accidentally smashes a hole through the wall with unexpected strength. Meanwhile, Gyeon-un suddenly realizes objects are sticking to his body without explanation. During a phone call with his wife, he even ends up attached to the refrigerator.
The drama handles these scenes with a surprisingly comedic tone, which helps balance the darker conspiracy storyline.
The following day, Jeon-bok encourages Chae-ni to enjoy her life now that she is healthy. She even tells her granddaughter to travel the world someday, though she still insists Chae-ni must “earn” her freedom first before receiving a passport.
While Chae-ni struggles to understand her powers, Un-jeong visits and directly asks her whether she has heard the term “Wunderkinder.” His questions immediately make everyone uncomfortable, and he is thrown out before getting answers.
Soon after, Chae-ni and Ro-bin realize they accidentally left both the camcorder and Chae-ni’s suitcase at the greenhouse from the previous night. Chae-ni rushes back to retrieve them, unaware that Un-jeong secretly follows behind her.
At this point, Un-jeong seems obsessed with one terrifying possibility: that Chae-ni might actually be immortal.
Instead of helping her, he decides to test the theory himself.
Chae-ni notices him following her and runs, sensing danger almost immediately. When they finally reach the greenhouse, a scrap collector is already examining the camcorder footage. Un-jeong watches the recorded video showing Chae-ni dying before purchasing the camcorder and sending the man away.
Then the situation spirals out of control.
Gyeon-un arrives searching for the device just as Un-jeong unleashes his destructive powers. The entire greenhouse begins collapsing while Chae-ni remains trapped inside.
Just before the structure crushes her, Chae-ni suddenly teleports again.
This time she appears aboard a boat near China.
The teleportation sequence ends on another cliffhanger as armed men prepare to shoot her moments after she arrives. Even when Chae-ni escapes one disaster, another immediately follows.
Elsewhere, Gyeon-un continues struggling with his strange magnetic-like powers. His hands stick to the steering wheel while driving, and his phone becomes attached to him during another argument with his wife. Oddly enough, the objects only release once he loses his temper.
Meanwhile, Kim Pal-ho witnesses Un-jeong destroying the greenhouse and instantly recognizes him as Patient 3972. At the same time, Jun-mo notices Chae-ni’s GPS location appearing in China, leading him to suspect she can teleport across massive distances.
The episode closes with one final shocking moment when Dr. Ha Won-do visits Director Choi and kills him without hesitation.
Episode 2 Review
Episode 2 dramatically expands the mythology behind The WONDERfools while still keeping the story entertaining and unpredictable. The drama is slowly revealing how deeply the Hawondo Lab experiments connect every major character.
At this point, it seems very likely that Chae-ni, Ro-bin, Gyeon-un, and Un-jeong were all former test subjects in the Wunderkid Project. Their powers may have remained dormant for years before suddenly reactivating.
What makes the series interesting is how different everyone reacts to their abilities. Chae-ni is frightened and overwhelmed, Ro-bin reacts emotionally, and Gyeon-un mostly seems confused. Un-jeong, meanwhile, already understands enough to be dangerous.
The episode also does a strong job balancing mystery with comedy. Gyeon-un accidentally sticking to household objects could have felt ridiculous, but instead it makes the characters feel more human amid the supernatural chaos.
I am especially curious about Kim Pal-ho and the cult organization. The series keeps hinting that several survivors from the experiments are still connected somehow, and it feels like the story is building toward a reunion between former test subjects.
After two episodes, the drama has successfully created a world that feels bizarre, funny, emotional, and mysterious all at once. Every reveal raises even more questions, which makes the next episode difficult to resist.
