Seoul, Korea, 1996. Hyosup, an unsuccessful novelist, loves Pokyung, a married woman. The love is mutual, but Minjae, a cinema box-office clerk, also loves Hyosup. She does odd jobs too support him and thinks he is a great author. Pokyung’s husband Tongwoo works for a water treatment plant and suspects his wife is unfaithful to him. The film starts when Hyosup meets Minjae in a bar. He hands her the latest version of his new novel, that she eagerly starts reading as he goes outside to smoke a cigarette. Minjae is moved to tears by the novel and gives Hyosup some money which he uses to pay for the expensive hotel room where he makes love to Pokyung.The film follows four characters in their everyday life. Together they form a cross-section of urban life in 1996: the feelings, frustrations, fury, passions and fears of young adults from the middle classes are portrayed dryly and in great detail. Without making moral judgements, the film is a quest for real human emotions and dilemmas and juxtaposes them with real life. The film undermines prevailing opinions on the genre views and sets a new tone in contemporary Korean cinema. Some critics in Seoul acclaimed Hong’s film as the best Korean début for all time.
