Synopsis
It begins on a dark street with flowery neon signs. The narrator announces that Korea has finally entered the industrialized age. (Ironically, however, this voice sounds so dramatic. Oh! How could we deny it was our sad self-portrait). The good news is that because Korea is developing, women can have more career options. They even mention the wages with a confident intonation: "Maid 4,000-6,000won, Hostess 15,000-40,000won, beer hall waitress 30,000-70,000, saloon waitress 60,000-150,000, dancer 70,000-200,000. Their work place is a cruel and scary battlefield. It shows that women became an exploited class in society to increase productivity. The title appears with theme music, and in the scene two hostesses(portrayed by YOON Jung-Hee and SA Mi-Ja)are struggling. Yung-Ja(YOON Jung-Hee), who came to Seoul to make money to pay for her brother's tuition fee, is almost kidnapped at the square in front of Seoul station and is saved by Myung-Sik(CHOI Moo-Ryong). Seoul Station is used as a metaphor of 'Seoul Dream' or the overlapping image of feudalism and modern age. An old man with a traditional hat from the Josun Dynasty appears in the background. The first words Yung-Ja, a Seoul Dreamer, says to Yung-Sik in a shabby alley is, "I heard it's flourishing. What is this we're seeing?" Myung-Sik is a call-girl broker at a nightclub. One guy with a big crush on Yung-Ja tries to posses her by spreading a rumor that she's sexually disabled. She tries to prove to Myung-Sik that it's just a rumor, but he has become impotent during the Korean War. The movie shows virgin ideology and sexual harassment frequently. They end up falling in love with each other, but in the end, Myung-Sik leaves Yung-Ja and everything behind.