Now and Forever

Now and Forever (연리지/Yeonriji), or here, is a 2006 romantic, Korean film. Let me give you a hint: it's one of those really sad stories that Korea's known for. :) It stars Choi Ji Woo, Jo Han Seon, Choi Seong Gook, and Seo Yeong Hee. The summary is as follows:

Min-su, a playboy who believes that there's no such thing as true love and it's all just a game, can't stand even a single relationship that continues on for long. However, fate leads him to a dazzling beauty, Hye-won, who had just escaped from an oppressive hospital. She makes a strong impression on him. Later, chased by a nurse, Hye-won sneaks into the men's room at the hospital and their second encounter takes place. Soon Min-su becomes totally captivated by this bold woman. At first Hye-won resists their love, fearing that losing her to her terminal illness will hurt Min-su too much.

This got on my list of movies to watch, and so I finally got to it. :) I admit, I have a thing for tragic stories and even though I can usually predict what would happen next, I still hold onto a hope that something would surprise me. The good thing was that one thing happened in here that rather surprised me (hint: the girl is not the only one with a fatal malady) and so I have to say I liked this one. It's also nice since there's another side romance going on that acts as a counterbalance to the main (and doomed) romance but it sort of gives a bit of 'light' to the whole sad factor of it all. Especially since they're best friends of the main couple but also totally different. For one, the other guy is rather unconfident - you could even say timid and shy - and the other girl is a bit more "serious."

In addition to the usual plotline of a playboy male who tries to woo saucy female (who also has a little terminal illness that gets in the way), there's also a good amount of cuteness and humor as well as a good dose of periodic angst. I personally enjoyed the last scene quite a bit. I admit that my eyes FINALLY shed some drops at it.

You can watch it here.