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True love is about absolute vulnerability, and frankly, there really isn’t a time when this is more apparent than a first love. The film perfectly captures the social awkwardness of first love, which is a big reason why this movie works so well.

Park Se Ri is a young high school student who is enormously infatuated with the most popular boy is school, along with half the female persuasion! She has one problem, or at least, she thinks she does: her hair, which seems to be an eternal defiance as it’s so curly that she can’t stand it. Of course, she firmly believes that her hair is the reason why Kim Hyeon won’t take an interest. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is the assumption that they have to change in order to please someone else. This is never more apparent than when you’re a teenager, because everything revolves around vain attempts to win over someone of the opposite sex.

Park Se Ri is a giddy and vivacious girl, who isn’t depressed by her hair, but simply views it as an obstacle. She is warm and friendly and has a great circle of friends. Living in Busan, her favorite pastime is swimming in the ocean at her “secret spot,” a spot only shared by Kim Hyeon.

As Park Se Ri is swimming, Han Yeon Seok happens upon her clothes, which are neatly folded on the jetty. He picks up Park Se Ri’s name tag as he watches her swim. The wind sends her shirt into the water with Han Yeon Seok falling in after it! The problem is, he can’t swim, and Park Se Ri ends up saving his life and pulling him to shore, despite a broken leg, which he likely smashed into the rocks.

Han Yeon Seok is a quiet boy, whose mother owns a hair salon, which advertises that she uses a “magical formula” to straighten hair. However, the cost is expensive, and Park Se Ri decides to befriend and help Han Yeon Seok, in order to get a discount on having her hair done. Things are difficult for Han Yeon Seok, trying to handle his crutch, his backpack, and even his umbrella when it rains.

Things are somewhat predictable, which isn’t always a bad thing, as we know that Han Yeon Seok likes Park Se Ri. However, he knows that he’s not the object of Park Se Ri’s affections. Nevertheless, he does what any true friend would do, despite his feelings: he helps Park Se Ri, even securing a spot in Study Hall so that Park Se Ri can maybe sit with Kim Hyeon. I don’t know many teenagers who are this selfless. Han Yeon Seok is a true, selfless romantic!

It soon becomes apparent that Han Yeon Seok will simply do whatever it takes to make Park Se Ri happy. While he obviously likes her, he has no ulterior motives in his actions. In other words, he’s not doing these things to win her over, but simply to make her happy. People should take note that this is what love really is. No expectations. Simply small acts of kindness that let the person know that you’re thinking of them.

Just as Park Se Ri is ready to tell Kim Hyeon how she feels, she realizes that the person who has truly captured her heart is Han Yeon Seok. He’s always been there for her, helped her, and gone out of his way to make sure her needs are taken care of.

Just as they begin dating, we find that Han Yeon Seok has been living a pretty tough life, with an abusive and demanding father that his mother has tried to keep him from. In fact, when Han Yeon Seok walked out to the jetty that day, he was ready to commit suicide, which he confesses to a shocked Park Se Ri.

Park Se Ri enlists the help of her friends to write, “Se Ri loves Han Yeon Seok” on the beach, but he’s quickly called away to Seoul upon finding out that his mother is badly hurt, and he learn that his father savagely beat her, and even demands that Han Yeon Seok return to Seoul. Han Yeon Seok’s mother knows that their only option is to move to America to live with his aunt, otherwise, they will never be free.

Park Se Ri hurries to Seoul to find out what’s happened, after she hasn’t heard from Han Yeon Seok, and listens outside of his mother’s hospital room to find out that they’re moving.

It’s hard to judge Park Se Ri too harshly as she leaves a voicemail message, breaking up with Han Yeon Seok. We know she‘s trying to be noble and to let him go, but unfortunately, her act is done out of fear, rather than love. Otherwise, she would have told him the truth.

What makes her act harder for her to swallow, that she finds an album he’s made for her, filled with pictures and sharing his feelings for her. It’s such a sweet and powerful gift that reminds Park Se Ri that Han Yeon Seok has only ever loved her unconditionally.

The movie does such a great job of teaching us that love is about precious moments. It’s about the little things we do to let that person know how we feel. Whether it’s making crane eggs with messages, making an album, getting that person the one gift they crave (in this case, the snow globe), or perhaps the greatest gift of all: letting that person know that they are already perfect, and that they don’t have to change anything! I loved how Han Yeon Seok “botched” Park Se Ri’s hair as he’s washing it. It was his feeble way of letting her know that she doesn’t have to change anything.

This film can be a great way for young people to learn how to treat the ones they love, but it can also serve as a reminder to those who have been in a relationship for years that it doesn’t take much effort to let the other person know how much you love them. It takes a little bit of effort and a lot of imagination!