The movie opens with Jong-du Hong (Kyung-gu Sol), newly released from prison, seeking out his younger brother. He needs help because, in his passive-aggressive way, he has ordered food in a restaurant without being able to afford it (no, they don't want to accept his shoes as payment). Jong-du is one of those people the rest of us instinctively avoid. He looks at people strangely, asks inappropriate questions, assumes an unwanted intimacy, violates their space, doesn't know the rules of social interaction, and in general inspires his targets to make a perfunctory and inane response and get away as quickly as possible. He may be retarded, but the movie doesn't make that judgment; perhaps he is intelligent enough, but socially dysfunctional.
Jong-du has just served time for a hit-and-run episode. He has no money and no job prospects, and his family would be happy to never see him again. One day he buys a fruit basket and goes to visit the family of the man he killed with his drunk driving. It is impossible to say why he thinks this gesture would be appropriate, and his manner is so odd that the dead man's son and his wife are understandably enraged. But it is through this visit that Jong-du learns of the existence of the dead man's daughter, Gong-Ju Han (So-ri Moon). Severely disabled, she remains in what was the family apartment; her brother and sister-in-law have moved out and have as little to do with her as possible. We gather she is cared for by a combination of sketchy social services and the kindness of neighbors.
Jong-Du returns to the apartment when Gong-Ju is alone, rapes her and leaves. He is amazed when, a few days later, he receives a message from her. He goes to see her, and they begin a romance that seems to meet their particular needs. For Jong-Du, who senses other people trying to shrink from him, Gong-Ju has the admirable quality of not being able to avoid him -- or even, without immeasurable effort, arguing with him. For Gong-Ju, her new friend is a prize who provides sex, companionship, and a way to get out of the house. Their needs and motives come together, for example, when Jong-Du takes his new friend to dinner with his family; we (and they) are completely unable to read his motive. Is he being kind to her, standing up for what he believes in, or merely hoping to piss them off?
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