1967 Daegu, South Korea

Weolsoon Hwang
Born in 1948
First movie memories from Daegu, South Korea
Interviewed on 01/23/2019
by Clint Yoo

I must have been around 18 or 19 when I watched my first movie. It was right after my high school graduation. I had never been near a movie theatre before. My father never approved.

One day, and I can’t remember how I conjured up the courage to do such a thing, I secretly pulled out a 1,000 won bill from my father’s wallet. And then I ran over to the movie theatre in center town, Jung-gu. The Lover was playing. It had been the talk of the town for weeks. My heart was pounding so loudly when I bought the ticket that I was scared other people might hear it. I remember hurrying inside, still worried that someone might have seen me.

The theatre was big. It was as big as the church, except it was pitch dark. I remember distinctly how dark it was because I could barely find my own seat. The chairs were just like the ones in the theatre now. They were folded but would open when I sat on it.

There were concession stands outside the theatre, selling roasted squids, chestnuts, and popsicles, and people would bring them inside. I couldn’t buy any because I only had enough money for one ticket, and even that I had stolen from my father…

What I remember most vividly was how embarrassed I was throughout the entire movie. I was even more of a timid girl then, but it wasn’t just me, you know. Back then, watching a movie like The Lover as a teenager was truly a daring deed.

Back then, people were supposed to be naïve and pure. And we were… Nowadays, young men and women meet one another freely, whoever and whenever they want. When I was young, if people wanted to go on a date, they would leave hand written notes (with dried rose petals if you wanted to be fancy!) under a tree that people did not frequent. And then, after exchanging messages, a couple would get together, supposedly unbeknownst to anyone else in town. Even on a date, a couple would never hold hands. I mean, they barely looked at each other in the eyes! It was the feeling of being in the same room, being next to each other that made our hearts race. The dates that people go on nowadays were simply unimaginable in my time. Back then, love was supposed to be sacred. It was the idea of love that excited our generation, rather than the action of it.

This is why I remember my first movie so well. The Lover. It was a story about a young woman about my age, loved by two men. She lived in the countryside, and at that time people would move to Seoul to study and come back home during vacations. These two men, both from the same small town, would go to Seoul and come back on different times. That’s how she must have had two affairs simultaneously. Ultimately, they realized the existence of their rivalry and fought one another to win over this beautiful girl. I cannot remember who won at the end…

Back then, starring roles in movies were always about handsome and beautiful young men and women with fancy cars and grand mansions. But very few people actually drove cars in real life. If your family had a bicycle, you would be considered well-off. These movie characters were the social idols. And watching The Lover, I too imagined myself as the main character… I wondered, could my life ever be like that of the girl? Could I ever be loved like she was?

I had gone to the theatre out of curiosity, really. And it was fascinating! I was captured by the lavish storyline and the beautiful actors. Since I had already lied to my father, I actually went a couple more times that week, but The Lover is the one I still remember.

Times were different back then. Everything was restrained and kept to oneself… I remember my friend once got caught with wearing a miniskirt by her father and would be beaten at home. I was also raised by conservative parents. Perhaps that’s why I remember it until now. It was an escape from my reality. Thinking about it now, it almost feels like a dream…

At the end of the movie, I was blushing like a ripe apple. I ran out into a corner street where no one could see me. I walked back home, still blushed just thinking about the movie.