Yeong-ja’s Heydays 1975

After returning from the Vietnam War, Chang-su Song Jae-ho, a man who works as a scrubber in a public bath, crosses paths with Yeong-ja Yeom Bok-sun at a police station, setting the stage for a story built on memory, hardship, and quiet resilience.

Three years earlier, Chang-su was a laborer at an iron foundry. He met Yeong-ja at his boss’s house, where she worked as a housemaid, and the pair soon formed a bond built on trust and tenderness. He proposed before heading off to Vietnam, driven by a hope for a future together. But while he served abroad, Yeong-ja faced violence and abandonment; she was sexually assaulted by the boss’s scoundrel son and then expelled from the house.

Determined to forge an upright life, Yeong-ja pursued work at a garment factory, yet the wages were insufficient to make ends meet. She tried her luck in a bar on a friend’s suggestion, but the work did not suit her, and she continued to struggle for stability. Her road to independence took another hard turn when she became a bus conductor; a traffic accident cost her an arm, leaving her with even fewer options. Facing the limits of her circumstances, she eventually resorted to prostitution.

When Chang-su reunites with Yeong-ja after years apart, he is confronted with the harsh reality of her life—an armless woman with little prospect of improvement. He responds with earnest care, pouring his energy into helping her, even to the extent of arranging for an artificial arm. Yet Yeong-ja makes a painful choice and leaves him, out of consideration for his future and well-being.

Time passes, and Chang-su continues his life while longing for news of Yeong-ja. He eventually learns where she lives and goes to visit. There, he discovers a different kind of happiness: Yeong-ja is living peacefully with a husband, Lee Soon-jae, who also has a disability, and their child. Seeing them together, Chang-su wishes Yeong-ja happiness from a distance, and with a quiet grace, he steps away.