Mr. Butterfly (2003)

Mr. Butterfly 2003 / 나비 2003 / Nabi

Set in the 1980s during the military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan, Mr. Butterfly portrays a gloomy picture of two young people struggling to find each other in the midst of the country's democratic movement. Min Jae promises Hae Mi that he will return within a year. Hae Mi looks on with tears rolling down her face as his train destined for Seoul pulls away. Their matching butterfly tattoos serve as a constant reminder for his return, but five years roll by with no sign of Min Jae. One day, fate reunites Min Jae, now a nightclub gigolo, with Hae Mi, now the kept woman of a high-ranking military officer. Tragedy befalls the two lovers when suspicious soldiers drag Min Jae off, leaving Hae Mi tormented and helpless.