20th Century Girl (2022): The Sweet Love of 90's

In my decade-long blogging journey, I might have reviewed close to a hundred movies and shows… but I rarely get to write purely about my feelings just a few hours after finishing something. This afternoon, I watched the Korean movie 20th Century Girl (2022)… and here I am, still emotionally unsteady, typing through the aftermath.

I’ve been actively looking for more works by Byeon Woo-seok—whom I absolutely adored in Record of Youth (2020) and Lovely Runner (2024). There’s something incredibly charming about him… and I can’t quite tell if it’s the height, the handsome face, or the consistent lover-boy characters he ends up playing. With his comeback in Perfect Crown scheduled for 2026, this felt like the perfect time to finally watch this movie.

Cast & Their Other Work

Kim Yoo-jung as Na Bo-ra
Kim Yoo-jung is the emotional backbone of this film. From bubbly chaos to quiet devastation, she carries Bo-ra with such sincerity that it genuinely hurts to watch. I really liked her in Love in the Moonlight (2016). Her other notable works include Backstreet Rookie (2020), My Demon (2023-24), and Dear X (2025).

Byeon Woo-seok as Poong Woon-ho
Soft. Gentle. Painfully earnest. Byeon Woo-seok plays Woon-ho with the kind of quiet charm that sneaks up on you. If you’ve seen him in Lovely Runner (2024), you’ll recognize that familiar warmth—but 20th Century Girl might just be where he permanently imprints himself on your heart.

Park Jung-woo as Baek Hyun-jin
The initial crush. The popular boy. The distraction. Park Jung-woo does exactly what the role demands—he makes us believe in that surface-level infatuation, only for the story to gently (and painfully) redirect our hearts elsewhere.

Detailed Plot of 20th Century Girl

The story opens with Na Bo-ra, now in her early 30s, receiving a mysterious mail from someone named Joseph at her home address. Around the same time, her parents ask for her help as they prepare to move out of their old house, prompting her to return home.

We are then taken back to her high school days in 1999—when Bo-ra was a fiercely loyal, deeply caring best friend to Yeon-du. Yeon-du was about to travel to the US for heart surgery, but right before leaving, she fell head over heels for a handsome boy at their school named Baek Hyun-jin. To ease Yeon-du’s anxious heart during her time abroad, Bo-ra agrees to gather information about this mystery crush.

Bo-ra pulls all sorts of tricks to learn more about Hyun-jin and eventually meets his best friend, Poong Woon-ho. After Bo-ra saves Hyun-jin from getting hurt in a minor fender-bender, he begins taking an interest in her. But as the loyal friend she is, Bo-ra refuses to date her best friend’s crush—and she can’t even disclose Yeon-du’s feelings due to her absence. She gently rejects Hyun-jin, keeping him around only as a friend.

Meanwhile, Bo-ra and Woon-ho end up working together in the school broadcasting club. All the research on Hyun-jin—and the time spent together—slowly brings Bo-ra closer to Woon-ho. During a school trip, Bo-ra gets drunk one night and accidentally confesses her feelings to Woon-ho… only to completely forget about it the next morning. As time passes, Woon-ho confesses his feelings as well, and Bo-ra sweetly asks him out on a movie date.

Yeon-du eventually returns to Korea after her successful surgery and is overjoyed to reunite with Bo-ra. However, during this reunion, a huge misunderstanding comes to light—the boy Yeon-du liked was actually Woon-ho. The confusion stemmed from the fact that when they first met, Woon-ho was wearing Hyun-jin’s school uniform.

Heartbroken upon learning the truth, Bo-ra swallows her own feelings and makes up an excuse to send Yeon-du on the movie date with Woon-ho instead. She begins distancing herself from Woon-ho without offering any real explanation.

Woon-ho is left confused and devastated—but before he can make sense of things, his father decides to send him to New Zealand to live with his mother and younger brother. Yeon-du later backs out after realizing her best friend’s feelings. Before leaving, Bo-ra and Woon-ho finally express their love for each other.

Woon-ho promises to return to Korea for college so they can be together. The two young lovers stay in touch through heartfelt emails and occasional phone calls… until one day, Bo-ra stops receiving responses from him.

Years pass. Bo-ra moves on with her life, never knowing why Woon-ho disappeared from it so suddenly.

Back in the present, Bo-ra returns to her hometown to help her parents pack. While sorting through old belongings, she discovers the mail from Joseph—a postcard, an art exhibition ticket, and a videotape. As she watches the exhibition, she sees a video of a plum tree and a bench beneath it—a cherished memory tied to Woon-ho. She later meets Joseph, who turns out to be Woon-ho’s younger brother.

Woon-ho had died in an accident in 2001.

While going through his belongings, Joseph found an email Woon-ho had written but never sent to Bo-ra. The story ends with Bo-ra watching a video of Woon-ho and Joseph, recorded on the first morning of the new year—a small gift Woon-ho had prepared for her nearly fifteen years ago.

My Fan-girl Commentary & Final Notes

Watching Byeon Woo-seok yet again as a high school student felt strangely like an extension of Lovely Runner. For anyone who hasn’t watched either, I’d actually recommend starting with 20th Century Girl—because then you still have a chance to heal your broken heart with Lovely Runner, which at least gives you a happy ending after an emotional roller coaster.

On an unrelated note, I’ve recently started confusing Byeon Woo-seok with Lee Chae-min—and I honestly don’t know why. Both are exceptionally tall, have striking physiques, and a prince-like charm. That said, Chae-min is much younger and just getting started with his acting journey.

20th Century Girl felt like an unfinished story—or maybe the pilot episode of a record-breaking 16-episode high school drama that never came to be. After waiting fifteen years, Na Bo-ra finally gets her closure. She was never ghosted. She was never rejected. Her love simply left this world far too soon.

Even though the ending is sad and painfully realistic, it left me in an odd mental space. How do I get out of this?
Probably with another dose of Byeon Woo-seok… but this time, with a guaranteed happy ending. 💔