Seoul, 1988. A rainy night. Oh Dae-su, a loudmouthed, heavy-drinking businessman, is arrested for public drunkenness. His friend Joo-hwan bails him out. As they wait at a phone booth, Dae-su’s young daughter, Mi-do, calls. He promises to be home soon.
He doesn’t know she knows.
Dae-su finds a hypnotist. He asks to have his memory of Mi-do’s identity erased. The hypnotist warns him: “You will still know something is wrong. You will still feel the guilt. You’ll just never know why.” Seoul, 1988