Aahana Swrup
‘Pavane’ (Originally titled ‘Pabanneu’) is a Korean drama film that revolves around three distinct individuals who change each other’s lives in indelible ways. When Kyung-rok joins the Utopia department store as a parking attendant, he’s fairly aimless in life, simply going through the motions. Although he quickly makes a friend, the lively rock-music-lover, Yo-han, a crucial spark remains absent from his life. That is, until his paths cross with Mi-jung, a reserved, gloomy, and socially isolated woman. Even though the latter is reluctant to open up to Kyung-rok at first, weary of his intentions and more so the reactions of the people around them, their connections grow with time. With Yo-han’s help, the two kindred spirits find their way to each other and, in doing so, the trio ends up unlocking long-buried parts of themselves. Nonetheless, as life continues to ebb and flow, they must suffer the valleys with their peaks. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Pavane Plot Synopsis
Years ago, famous actor Lee Dong-cheol walked out of his wife’s and son’s lives for a second marriage to a wealthy heiress. In the aftermath, the mother ended up committing suicide, leaving her son an orphaned illegitimate child. In his adulthood, the son now works at the Utopia departmental store, where the days are monotonous but the pay is adequate. Kyung-rok joins the store as a way to earn enough money to fulfill his dream of visiting Iceland, after giving up on his overarching dream of becoming a dancer. Although he prefers to keep to himself, he quickly forms a friendship with Yo-han over their shared love for David Bowie. Soon enough, he also gets to know about Mi-jung, a quiet and unassuming woman who works alone in the basement. Largely othered by her co-workers, the full-time employee is initially wary of the parking attendant when he begins hovering around her orbit.
Still, thanks to their shared workspace and Kyung-rok’s dedicated attempts, the two inevitably end up becoming friends, learning more and more about each other. In fact, once Yo-han realizes his friend’s feelings for the woman are real, he helps the two by orchestrating dates for them outside of work. However, when the rest of the store employees become intrigued by the nature of the odd pair’s relationship, Yo-han ends up brushing them off with claims of the two being cousins. This is mostly in the service of avoiding any added difficulties for Mi-jung, who wants to avoid attention, knowing it would only bring her trouble. Nevertheless, everyone inevitably becomes privy to their relationship once Kyung-rok confesses to her over work walkie-talkies.
Fortunately, by then, the two had stopped caring about the people around them, embracing their relationship to the fullest. In each other’s company, both are able to find the confidence and the optimism to come out of their shells. Kyung-rok, in particular, dives back into his love for contemporary dance, joining institutions and making new friends. However, as he continues to thrive, Mi-jung’s insecurity about her place in the other’s life grows. She worries about being unable to fit in with his new life and about him inevitably outgrowing her. Meanwhile, Yo-han’s father, Dong-cheol, gets worried about how his illegitimate son would reflect on his own image. As a result, his half-sisters try to offer him money to leave the country.
This has an adverse effect on Yo-han’s life and eventually drives him to a suicide attempt. In the aftermath, gossip flows through the supermarket while Kyung-rok and Mi-jung remain the only two who are actually worried about his recovery. Nonetheless, as they visit him in the hospital, their friend remains a husk of his former self. Soon enough, Mi-jung’s insecurity burgeons to the point of compelling her to leave town without any notice. It’s only days later that Kyung-rok receives a letter from her, carrying her apology and the confirmation of their breakup. Initially, he tries to move on and even hangs out with Se-ra, another co-worker who has been interested in him since day one. Still, the latter takes pity on him and ends up pulling some strings to get him his ex-girlfriend’s home address so that he can write to her. As such, he ends up writing to her, urging her to meet him again. Although the two meet again, the end of their love story remains clouded in potential tragedy.
Pavane Ending: Is Kyung-rok Dead or Alive?
The ending of the story charts a bittersweet path. After their initial meeting at the Jangjawon Bus Stop, Kyung-rok and Mi-jung work through their complications and make a pact to meet again on December 31st. Nonetheless, the latter waits and waits outside their decided spot, the Kentucky bar, and there is no sign of the other. Years down the line, a book is published wherein Yo-han charts the love story of his two closest friends. The book, a copy of which he also sends to Mi-jung, tells a story with a jaded protagonist and a pair of lovers who find their happy ending despite the trying circumstances. The book is obviously based on Kyung-rok and Mi-jung, and concludes their story at a dynamic plot twist. Kyung-rok’s literary counterpart ends up getting in an accident on the night of his departure from the Jangjawon Bus Stop.
In the aftermath, the character suffers from partial memory loss, which makes it impossible for him to return to his normal life. Although he continues going through the same motions, he only has a few of his old memories and has completely forgotten his lover. As a result, he’s unable to make the meeting with his lover, leaving her all alone on December 31st. Nonetheless, fatefully, the pair end up at the same classical music concert, where they meet each other again, and a flicker of recognition is born in the accident survivor. Although this end to Kyung-rok and Mi-jung’s story is idyllic and gratifying, it’s purely fiction. This is confirmed after Mi-jung calls up her author friend after reading through the book.
After praising him for his work, she also calls him out for his decision to give the characters in the novel a happy ending. In real life, Mi-jung and Kyung-rok only found a tragic conclusion. On the night of their reunion, after the latter boards the train back home, the vehicle gets into a collision that ends up taking his life. Kyung-rok dies on that tragic night, and the lonely disposition of his lifestyle made it so Mi-jung didn’t even learn about his demise for days. For the same reason, she arrives at Kentucky Pub on December 31st, expecting to see the love of her life again. Nonetheless, soon enough, she and Yo-han learn of Kyung-rok’s devastating death.
Do Kyung-rok and Mi-jung End Up Together? Does Kyung-rok Visit Iceland?
Kyung-rok and Mi-jung’s love story remains at the center of their respective narratives throughout the film. Both enter the tale as isolated individuals, jaded by the realities of life. Therefore, it isn’t until they find a kindred soul in each other that they begin to come out of the dark caves they have boarded themselves within. Mi-jung has a problem with discerning her sense of self as a result of years of social ostracization and unhealthy family dynamics. She begins to believe that her worth is only tied to her work and shuts out every other part of her life. On the other hand, Kyung-rok grows disillusioned by his passions, believing he can only ever settle for less. Although he swaps out his old dream, of becoming a dancer, for a new one, visiting Iceland and seeing the northern lights, he becomes a passive passenger in his life instead of taking control of the wheel.
However, this begins to change once the duo finds the beauty in each other. Through their respective company, the other learns to look at the brighter side of things and emerge from the dark depression previously dominating their lives. Their easy partnership only begins to wither once Kyung-rok finds his confidence among a new group of people, compelling Mi-jung to grow fearful that he would eventually outgrow her. Nonetheless, he proves her wrong by seeking her out weeks later and confessing his love for her, insisting that they get back together because he can’t imagine his life without her. For the same reason, his ensuing accident becomes all the more tragic. In the end, Kyung-rok never gets a chance to live out his life with Mi-jung and visit Iceland with her. Instead, it’s only his memory, frozen in time and immortalized by Yo-han’s book, that gets to live out these dreams in a realm outside of reality.
What Happens to Yo-han?
Yo-han presents a peculiar character in the story. Although the viewers don’t know it, he’s the one who sets the tale in motion as Dong-cheol’s illegitimate son, who faces the harshest tides of life in his childhood. However, unlike Kyung-rok and Mi-jung, who are covered in melancholic gloom, his sadness manifests in a different way. Yo-han is loud and proud in his social life, precisely because he is so unfulfilled in his personal one. He has grown disillusioned with the notion of love because of the tragic unraveling of his parents’ marriage, which ended in betrayal and hurt. As such, it’s no surprise that he self-sabotages in his own personal life, letting his relationships wither away and trying to find momentary happiness in vices.
Yet, Kyung-rok and Mi-jung change something for him. Through their persistent friendship and their love story, he begins to realize the restorative potential of companionship and love. He realizes that, regardless of a relationship’s immortality, the momentary happiness that it brings is enough to make human connections meaningful. As a result, despite everything, after surviving his suicide attempt, he does the work to find hope in an otherwise bleak life. For the same reason, instead of sticking to the truth, he writes his book “Pavane For a Dead Princess” with a happy ending, eager to give the same hope to his readers.
Pavane Mid Credit Scene Explained
After the conclusion of the story, a mid-credit scene showcases Yo-han performing with his band at the Kentucky Pub with Mi-jung in the audience. After the song, the scene shifts to showcase Kyung-rok dressed in the clothes of Native Americans, riding through a desert on horseback. He pauses on his journey and takes a moment to look back at the path he has paved. Afterward, two new figures, Mi-jung and Yo-han, both dressed similarly, join him. This is a reference to an earlier symbolic and historical anecdote that Mi-jung shares. The latter tells him about how native americans, while riding on horseback, used to pause in their travels and look back on the way from where they came.
This wasn’t done as a practice seeking respite and rest for the rider or the horse. Instead, it was done with the belief that sometimes, when moving through life on such a fast pace, one’s soul gets left behind. As a result, pausing every once in a while to recalibrate and allow one’s soul to catch up with them helped the rider out in the long run. The ending scene, which presents a similar scene, showcases the same ideology. Only in this scenario, the journey Kyung-rok is on is his life, and the moment he pauses is symbolic of his death. He’s waiting on the other side, not for his soul, but rather his friend, Yo-han, and his lover, Mi-jung, to eventually join him once again.
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