On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate 2002

Gyung-soo Kim Sang-kyung is a well-known stage actor navigating a dreary, rigid chapter in Seoul. He trusted a director he knew well and joined his film, but the project flops. He fights to claim his actor’s fee, yet the payout is only a meager grand, and the opportunity to act in the director’s next project slips away. With professional setbacks piling up, the future feels uncertain and clouded for him.

Gyung-soo travels down to Chuncheon to reconnect with an old friend who works as a writer, Seong-wu Kim Hak-seon. They wander the town together until Gyung-soo’s friend introduces him to a dazzling dancer named Myung-sook Ye Ji-won. After sharing a drink with Gyung-soo and Seong-wu, she suddenly seductive and moves things forward, and the trio ends up at a motel. Unknown to Gyung-soo, Seong-wu has long harbored feelings for Myung-sook, a truth he has never voiced. As Myung-sook’s fascination with Gyung-soo grows, the bond between Gyung-soo and Seong-wu begins to fray, and the dynamics among three people become tangled and tense.

Seeking to leave behind the painful memories of Chuncheon, Gyung-soo boards a train headed for Gyeongju. Sitting beside him is Sun-young, a woman who recognizes his face and draws him in with her allure. After she alights, he pursues her, receiving only mixed signals in return. He follows Sun-young to her home, and the next day musters the courage to knock on her door. In this visit, the possibilities shift as Gyung-soo finds himself falling in love.