오직 그대만
"I see you. I hear you. I love you."
Always - Symbolism & Philosophy
Symbols & Motifs
The Turtle
Represents longevity, slow and steady devotion, and the continuity of memory. It serves as a living bridge between their time together and their time apart.
Cheol-min buys a turtle for their home. Later, after they are separated, the turtle appears in the final act, acting as a crucial element in Jung-hwa's realization of Cheol-min's identity.
The Small Television
Symbolizes the initial communication and the sharing of a visual world. It represents how Cheol-min becomes Jung-hwa's eyes.
In the parking attendant booth, the two watch television together; Cheol-min narrates the visual action, which is where their intimacy first develops.
Stones and Pebbles
Symbolize tactile memory and the grounding reality of their relationship. They represent the 'unsight' recognition of love.
Jung-hwa uses a small pebble or stone associated with Cheol-min to eventually identify him near the river, proving that her heart remembers what her eyes do not recognize.
The Golden Fish (Pottery)
Represents Jung-hwa's creative spirit and her attempt to capture beauty that she can no longer see.
Jung-hwa works at a pottery studio; her tactile connection to the clay mirrors her tactile connection to Cheol-min.
Philosophical Questions
Is it possible to ever truly 'pay back' a debt of life and limb?
The film asks if Cheol-min's physical sacrifice in the ring can actually cancel out his role in the accident that blinded Jung-hwa, or if the two events are incomparable.
Does sight limit our understanding of a person's character?
Through Jung-hwa's transition from blindness to sight, the film questions whether seeing Cheol-min's scars makes him 'lesser' than the man she loved when she could only hear his voice and feel his actions.
Core Meaning
The core meaning of Always centers on the concept of restorative justice through love. Director Song Il-gon explores the idea that human connection is not dependent on physical sight but on the resonance of two souls. The film suggests that while the past cannot be erased, it can be redeemed through selfless acts of sacrifice. It posits that true 'vision' is the ability to recognize the inherent worth and pain of another person, transcending the visible scars of the body and the invisible scars of the heart.