Under the Sky of Seoul

A doctor of Oriental medicine and doyen of a small alley in Seoul, Kim Hak-gyu (Kim Seung-ho) has an obstinate streak that gets him into conflicts with his wife (Han Eun-jin) and children. His daughter(Choi Eun-hee), a young widow who runs a hair salon, shares mutual feelings with OBGYN Choi Du-yeol (Kim Jin-kyu) across the street. However, Hak-gyu, who frowns on Choi for practicing Western medicine, interferes in everything he does out of jealousy and spite. Hak-gyu’s son Kim Hyeon-gu (Shin Young-kyun) is dating Jeom-rye, whose mother (Hwang Jung-seun) owns the neighborhood bar. When Jeom-rye becomes pregnant, the two decide to get married but Hak-gyu objects and kicks his son out of the house. Meanwhile, Hak-gyu spends his days hanging out with fortuneteller Park Jusa (Heo Jang-kang) and realtor Roh Mong-hyeon (Kim Hee-gap), trying to figure out a way to thwart Du-yeol’s affairs. Hearing that Du-yeol is running for the city council, Hak-gyu registers himself as a candidate as well. He pours all he has into the campaign, but drinks the bitter cup of defeat. Having experienced failure as a result of his own obstinacy, Hak-gyu accepts Hyeon-gu and his wife, and gives his blessings for his daughter’s marriage. —Korean Film Archive