In 2001, Lee Gyeong-hwan and his mother move from rural Youngcheon to the city of Daegu to leave behind a broken marriage and hurtful rumours. Reticent and shy, he struggles to acclimatise but his seatmate happens to be Jae-min, the cool class president who takes Gyeong-hwan under his wing. While they quickly bond over a shared love of Japanese culture, particularly the music of Globe, Jae-min’s affectionate and open attitude allows Gyeong-hwan to relax and reveal his feelings in a world where he must hide them.


Set over the course of a year, UHM Ha-neul’s coming-of-age movie evokes nostalgia for an adolescence at a cultural inflection point for Korea. Building on this, he weaves the music and movies of the time into a love story affected by social attitudes and, with the changing seasons providing various romantic backdrops and the music of Globe, creates a poignant love story.