Always
A visceral melodrama where a scarred ex-boxer and a resilient blind woman find salvation in their shared shadows, culminating in a poignant sacrifice that proves love sees clearly even when eyes fail.
Always
Always

오직 그대만

"I see you. I hear you. I love you."

20 October 2011 South Korea 108 min ⭐ 7.8 (301)
Director: Song Il-gon
Cast: So Ji-sub, Han Hyo-joo, Kang Shin-il, Park Cheol-min, Oh Kwang-rok
Drama Romance
Sacrifice and Redemption Fate and Karmic Connection Sensory Perception vs. Emotional Truth Resilience in Disability
Box Office: $6,941,450

Always - Characters & Cast

Character Analysis

Jang Cheol-min

So Ji-sub

Archetype: Tragic Antihero
Key Trait: Silent stoicism

Motivation

To atone for the lives he ruined in his past and to ensure that Jung-hwa never has to live in darkness again.

Character Arc

Starts as a man who has given up on life, hiding his boxing skills and his past. Through Jung-hwa, he learns to love and protect, eventually suffering physical and social isolation to ensure her health, leading to a state of broken but peaceful existence.

Ha Jung-hwa

Han Hyo-joo

Archetype: The Resilient Innocent
Key Trait: Unwavering optimism

Motivation

To find independence despite her blindness and, later, to find the 'Ajusshi' who disappeared from her life.

Character Arc

Initially vulnerable but optimistic, she regains her sight but loses her love. Her arc concludes with her taking the active role of searching for and finally identifying the man who saved her, moving from being cared for to being the seeker.

Coach Choi

Kang Shin-il

Archetype: The Mentor
Key Trait: Gruff compassion

Motivation

To see Cheol-min find a life beyond the violence of the underworld and to preserve the sport of boxing as a noble pursuit.

Character Arc

The owner of the boxing gym who provides Cheol-min with a path back to his former strength. He acts as the grounded moral compass and the link to Cheol-min's untapped potential.

Cast

So Ji-sub as Cheol-min
Han Hyo-joo as Jung-hwa
Kang Shin-il as Manager Choi
Park Cheol-min as Coach Bang
Oh Kwang-rok as Park Chang-soo
Kim Mi-kyeong as Nun
Jin Goo as Workshop CEO
Jung Jae-jin as Switching Shift Elder
Park Seong-geun as Ophthalmologist
Kim Jung-pal as Dispatched Police
Yeom Hye-ran as Hairdresser
Yoon Jong-hwa as Min Tae-sik
Kim Seon-hwa as Volunteer
Cho Seong-ha as Head of Department Choi
Kim Jung-hak as Team Leader Ma