Baby & I (Korean Movie 2008)

Cast

Jang Guen-suk (born 1987) as Han Joon-su
Moon Mason (born 2007) as Baby Woo-ram
Kim Byul (born 1986) as Kim Byeol
Ko Gyoo-pil as Ki-seok
Choi Jae-hwan as Choon-seong

Plot Summary

Three guys (Joon-su, Ki-seok and Choon-seong), at a food stall, are eating instant noodles while facing towards a row of shops. (These shops are like a wedding shop with glass wall and pretty clothes display). They are checking out girls that walk on the walkway. Then, a chubby girl walk-by and Joon-su say that she is perfect. (At first I thought this movie is about handsome guy falling for chubby girl). He walks towards her and put his hand on her shoulder. She turns around and sees this very tall and handsome guy smiling at her. (If I were her, I’ll be dumbstruck too). She asks what he wants. He holds her hands and says “Can I get some breast milk?” She slaps him and leave immediately. Then, we see a baby (Baby Woo-ram) in a harness crying. Baby Woo-ram doesn’t want formula milk.

Seven days earlier.

A fight is ensuing. Joon-su rides in his motorcycle and come and beat the bad guys and safe Ki-seon and Choon-seong. He scolds them for picking a fight but they deny it.

In a hall (more like a gym), Joon-su is sitting on the floor wearing a martial art uniform (karate-do) while facing an older man. The older man is angry about the gang fight. (At this point we will find out that the older man is Joon-su’s father). His father beat him up martial art style. Then an older woman (I presume she is the mother) enter the gym and pull the father’s ear. She then proceeds to scold Joon-su. (Two words - woman rules)

In front of a school, (I know it is a school because there is a banner hanging that says ‘Best School of the Year for Sex Education & Good Manners’) a girl (Kim Byeol) in a chicken suit is standing facing it. Joon-su rides his motorcycle and manages to brake just right in front of Kim Byeol. He takes off his helmet and Kim Byeol is dumbfounded. (If a tall handsome guy standing right in front of you, you’ll be dumbfounded too). Joon-su scolds Kim Byeol because she is in his way.

In the school gym, Miss Tyson (PE teacher) is scolding Joon-su and Choon-seong. Ki-seok however did not attend school that day. Miss Tyson tells them that the school board will discuss their future whether they can still attend the school or be expelled, so, they better show up tomorrow with their parents.

At the same time, Kim Byeol runs home and tells her mother that she want to go back to school. Her parents are stunned. (I thought maybe because they are middle class family with nine kids and they could not afford education for their kid. I was wrong. As you proceed further, you’ll know why.). So, Kim Byeol goes to the same school as Joon-su and Miss Tyson told the student she used to study at the prestigious Science High School. While Miss Tyson decides where Kim Byeol should sit, Kim Byeol chooses to sit next to Joon-su. (Here we can see that Joon-su hates Kim Byeol while Kim Byeol just ignore Joon-su attitude towards her. Oohhhh, someone is in love). Joon-su meets Choon-seong on the school top floor and decided to have a smoke. Kim Byeol appear from nowhere and start telling them facts about what smoking can do to you health.

That night Joon-su and Choon-seong goes to see Ki-seok at his work place. They want Ki-seok to attend school tomorrow or he will surely be expelled. Ki-seok doesn’t care much about not getting his High School Diploma. His mother is sick and he needs a lot of money to pay for her hospital bills. Ki-seok tells them that not everyone is as lucky as Joon-su who comes from a rich family.

Joon-su goes home only to find that his parents have leaved him as they are ashamed at his behavior. They will only return once he changes into a responsible person. They suspended his credit card and leaved him a small amount of money. Joon-su doesn’t care much and shows it by throwing a small party at his house for him and his two best friends.

While at the store to get some refreshment and alcohol, someone left a baby (Baby Woo-ram) in his cart. There is a note saying that he is the father and he should take full responsibility of Baby Woo-ram. He takes Baby Woo-ram homes.

His friends and he discover that Baby Woo-ram look exactly like him when he was a baby and decided that no DNA test is necessary. Kim Byeol appear from nowhere (she tag along with Choon-seong atcually), and is disappointed towards Joon-su, but, will be by his side no matter what. Joon-su starts yelling at Kim Byeol and this upset Baby Woo-ram. So, Kim Byeol takes charge of soothing Baby Woo-ram.

The next day, Joon-su takes Baby Woo-ram to see all his ex-girlfriend but every one of them deny ever having a baby right after giving Joon-su a slap.

That night, Joon-su is having some problem on how to handle Baby Woo-ram. So, he decided to call Kim Byeol for assistance.

While trying to leave Baby Woo-ram at a dumpster, Joon-su decided it is best to leave him at an orphanage. There, he meets an older man who decided he also wants to leave his baby at the orphanage. They decides to have a drink at a near by stall. The older man then realizes that he should take responsibility of his baby. Another man with a baby walk-by and joins them. He gives them a card (an address for single father club).

Miss Tyson force Joon-su to attend school no matter what. So, Joon-su takes Baby Woo-ram with him. Baby Woo-ram becomes the center of attention in the class. The no 1 student at the school hates all the fuss and yells at Joon-su to take ‘that thing’ away from school. Joon-su who is short-temper takes Baby Woo-ram dirty diaper and smacks it on the no 1 student’s book. He then gives the no 1 student his book which is still brand new as he never opens it before.

At the same time, all the teachers are having a discussion about the matter. All teachers except Miss Tyson vote for Joon-su to be expelled. Kim Byeol out of nowhere (again?!) tells the teachers that the school policy states nothing against a student having a baby.

After school, Joon-su and Baby Woo-ram goes to the hospital to visit Ki-seok’s mother. Joon-su finds out that Ki-seok have no money to pay the hospital bills. So, he gives Ki-seok a big amount of money left to him by his parent. He tells Ki-seok to buy him a bigger motorbike when Ki-seok becomes rich.

Joon-su decides for the first time to take the sub-way train as he have no money left to even pay for gas. He soon fall asleep and after reaching his stop, he exit the train only to finds out that he have left Baby Woo-ram on the train. At first he chases the train but then decides that it is a chance given to him. At home he sees Baby Woo-ram clothes and toys and realizes he cannot live without Baby Woo-ram. He goes to the police station to file a report and discover that the sub-way have CCTV. So, the policeman knows that Joon-su is not lying about Baby Woo-ram being his baby. The policeman is shocked that even a high school kid can have a baby while the policeman himself is still not even marry yet. The policeman gives Baby Woo-ram back to Joon-su. At the same time, Miss Tyson appears at the police station. The policeman simply accuse Miss Tyson is Baby Woo-ram’s mother and having a relationship with a student which is illegal. This angers Miss Tyson.

At home, Joon-su acquires help from Kim-Byeol to handle Baby Woo-ram while he eats. Baby Woo-ram doesn’t want to drink the formula milk that Kim Byeol is trying to feed him. She said that they need to get some breast milk. Joon-su seems not to care about the situation and continue eating. This anger Kim Byeol and she deduce that Joon-su is not ready to be a father. She said “Parents are supposed to give up their own food for their children”. Joon-su then starts staring at Kim Byeol chest. (I guess he wants her to feed Baby Woo-ram).

The next day, Joon-su goes to get addressed of the people who recently registered for birth certificate. Then he proceeds telling the lady at the counter that Baby Woo-ram doesn’t drink formula milk and his mother died while giving birth. (Accompany with fake tears and the fake tears won). So, Joon-su goes to every house on the list to ask for breast milk. He managed to get a lot of bottle of breast milk that can last for a week. (Kim Byeol also accompanies him). Those same days, Joon-su decided that he is ready for fatherhood and goes to the single father club. At the club, the fathers are told to get their baby vaccination. So, the next day Joon-su takes Baby Woo-ram (accompanies by Kim Byeol) to a clinic to get some vaccination. After paying for it, he was left with so little amount of money.

That night, Joon-su starts working as a waiter at a night club. Some of the customer gives him tips for acting it out. (The night club is known as Baby and Joon-su took Baby Woo-ram with him to work making the customer thinks that he is acting his role according the club’s name). His boss told him to pass some brochure outside the club. He asked one of the night club call girls to take care of Baby Woo-ram. After passing all the brochure he went to take Baby Woo-ram only to discover that the call girl have left Baby Woo-ram alone after putting make-up on him. Baby Woo-ram is crying and Joon-su decided his not coming back to the place. (That is child abuse. That girl should be hang or something.)

At school, the no 1 student is bragging that his mother is the PTA president and that he will always be no 1. Joon-su is suspended from school for bringing Baby Woo-ram to school that may cause distractions to other students. This angers Kim Byeol. She challenges the no 1 student by saying that she’ll change her name if he ever be no 1 again.

The next day the class teacher told the students to self study. This anger Kim Byeol as self study can be done at home. So, she decided to go home. She told the teacher she will report it to the Board of Education.

That night Joon-su comes home to find Kim Byeol waiting for him at the gate. While backing away, he bumps with Kim Byeol father. They went for a drink. Kim Byeol father thanked Joon-su for being the inspiration for his daughter to go back to school. He then tells Joon-su that Kim Byeol is a smart kid. She surpasses even her teachers in knowledge. Her teachers who don’t want to answer question that out of their league decided to ignore Kim Byeol. Even her fellow classmates hate her for being too smart. Kim Byeol who is heartbroken decided not to go to school anymore until the day she met Joon-su.

The next day, Joon-su mother return to see what have happen to her son only to bump with Kim Byeol. Kim Byeol said she is the babysitter of the master of the house’s baby. This anger Joon-su mother as she thought her husband is cheating on her. She goes to see her husband and dump noodles on his head.

At the school, the students are taking their exam. The teacher (the one that told the class to self study), walked to Choon-song place only to find that he is sleeping. He didn’t answer any question at all and simply wrote at the back of the answer sheet “Teacher, I’m sorry. I really don’t know anything”. The teacher gave him a smacked on the head. The teacher then proceeds to Kim Byeol place and she is sleeping too. He woke her up. However, she answered all question correctly. So, he told her to continue sleeping.

In the mean time, Joon-su went searching for jobs only to be turned down at every place because of Baby Woo-ram. (Remember not to bring your child at workplace). That night, he only has a few cents left to buy some milk. He remembers what Kim Byeol once told him and decided to feed Baby Woo-ram instead. Unfortunately, he spilt the milk. At the moment, a drunken man went to sit near Joon-su. Joon-su stole his wallet only to be chase by the drunken man. He stopped a car and enters it thinking it is a taxi. He then discovers that it is a police car. He was brought to the police station. Miss Tyson went to bail him out. She also gave him some money. With the money, he bought a can of formula milk. He also decided to buy a carton of cigarettes. Looking at Baby woo-ram, he decided to buy another can of formula milk instead. He goes home to discover that his parents have return. He told them what have happen while faking a cry.

The next day his father brought him to see the principal and almost quarrel with the principal. His parents arrange for him to go back to school while his mother will take care of Baby Woo-ram. The exam grade is out and Kim Byeol is no 1 with 100% score while the no 1 students is now no 2. Kim Byeol is the first student at that point to score 100%. Joon-su shows that he is proud of Kim Byeol.

Joon-su got a called and he rushed to the hospital. Baby Woo-ram got pneumonia. Joon-su blamed his mother. Joon-su father is so angry that he smacks Joon-su. That night, Joon-su went home to get his mother clothes only to discover her diary. It turns out that Joon-su was sick as a baby and the doctor predict he will never make it. But, his mother believes that Joon-su will be fine and stayed with him at the hospital all the time. (The same as what she is doing to Baby Woo-ram). Joon-su feel guilty and apologize to her. Joon-su and his parents are in a lot of pain seeing Baby Woo-ram suffering.

Ki-seok then told Joon-su that he feels guilty after what he had done to him. He said that Joon-su should not be suffering for other peoples fault. He explains to Joon-su that Baby Woo-ram is his. He left Baby Woo-ram with Joon-su because he had no money. Joon-su is so angry. He decided that Ki-seok should take responsibility of Baby Woo-ram. Joon-su goes to the hospital and told his parents to go home as Baby Woo-ram’s parents have been found.

After a few days (I think), Kim Byeol and Choon-seong came to see Joon-su to tells him that Ki-seok decided to give Baby Woo-ram for adoption. Baby Woo-ram has been adopted by a foreign couple and will be flying out of Korea. At first Joon-su shows that he don’t care. That night he went to Ki-seok house only to hear Ki-seok told his sick mother that he doesn’t want to do it. He only decided to leave Baby Woo-ram with Joon-su because he knows that Joon-su will take good care of him (Joon-su has prove that he can be a good father). But as Joon-su decided not to do that anymore, he have to give Baby Woo-ram away as he want his baby to have a better life.

The next morning, Ki-seok, Choon-seong and Kim Byeol went to the airport to give Baby Woo-ram to the couple. As the couple is about to depart, Joon-su rushed in and was stop by the guards. Joon-su keeps on yelling “That is my baby”.

That night, Joon-su, Ki-seok, Choon-seong and Baby Woo-ram are sitting at a park. Joon-su and Ki-seok made an arrangement that they both will be Baby Woo-ram’s father and will take turn in taking care of him. Ki-soek and Choon-seong went to buy drinks (they want to give Joon-su and Kim Byeol times alone). Kim Byeol then kissed a surprised Joon-su and starts running towards Ki-seok and Choon-seong.

The movie ends by showing that Joon-su is the product of out-off-wedlock too. His mother (a high school student at that time) left him in front of his father’s house with a note saying that he should take full responsibility.

Review

The truth is I was bored and decided to browsed trough Dramacrazy site for movies. The top movie is Hana Yori Dango The Movie which I already watch. The next best thing is this movie. This is how I get to know Jang Geun-suk. So, I decided to watch his other movie as well, for example, Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. Maybe I'll post something about that movie also.