늑대의 유혹 / Neukdaeui Yoohok ( Romance of Their Own ) is a popular “인소 / Inso ” (Internet novel) adapted into a movie in 2004. Generally, the inso genre is comparable to the shojo manga of Japan (which are aimed at teenage girls). Complete with a childishly melodramatic plot and heart-wrenchingly gushy quotes from the original novel, 9 out of 10 girls who grew up in Korea during the early 2000s are familiar with this modern classic. One of the leading actors in the film, Dong-won Kang, would go on to become a familiar household name in Korea, not unlike Robert Pattinson in the States. As in most insos, this franchise takes place in a high school setting.
"Like in most teenage flicks or soap operas, the plot is bad but addictive."
The story starts out as Han-kyung, a girl from the countryside, moves to Seoul to live with her mother, and the plot thickens as two high school gang leaders both fall for Han-kyung. Like in most teenage flicks or soap operas, the plot is bad but addictive. What is worth looking out for are the characters’ different speech habits. Han-kyung is the typical naïve and kind schoolgirl. Because she has just moved from the countryside to Seoul (although this is not specified in the movie), she tries hard to speak the proper language and avoid any slang terms or regional dialects (of which there is an abundance of in Korea). This is most evident when, after a long time, she reunites with her mother, who had moved to Seoul before her daughter. Han-kyung hesitates, correcting herself before speaking. Most daughters in Korea do not use honorifics to address their own mothers. However, Han-kyung does in this scene. The most obvious example is her use of “네 / ne” instead of “응/ ung” to say “yes.” This indicates that Han-kyung is either extremely well-mannered or overly polite. Which means she is not yet completely comfortable around her hillbilly-turned-Seoulite mother. Knowing this adds drama to what is about to come next, as the goody-two-shoes schoolgirl is led off track by two mischievous boys.
Hae-won and Tae-sung, Han-kyung’s love interests, use many slang terms and talk down to everyone. For example, Tae-sung uses the slang term “깨지다/ Kkaejida ” while addressing Hae-won. Usually, the term means to “break off” a relationship. But in the context of a gang fight, it means to “break” someone’s skull. Neither boy ever uses honorifics while talking to anyone, including teachers and elders. Tae-sung even talks down to his grandmother. But, in this case, he does not do it to be condescending, but rather to express affection. During the movie, Tae-sung depends on his grandmother a lot, mentally and emotionally. In Korea, when one talks down to another, it can mean two different things: condescension or affection. It can be hard to tell which is meant, so it is important to see the context in which the conversation is held. In this case, Tae-sung talking down to his grandmother is a sign of closeness, in contrast to the relationship between Han-kyung and her mother.
