Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a), an intelligent and pretty dentist living in the big city, loses her job after she righteously accuses the corrupt head doctor of profiteering. She embarks on a trip to the idyllic seaside village of Gongjin, where she meet...
Hye-jin arrives at Gam-ri’s house and tearfully pays her respects to Gam-ri’s family and portrait. Doo-shik approaches, and she asks him about the table decorated with photographs of Gam-ri. He explains that Gam-ri had recently attended a wedding where she’d seen a similar arrangement, and knowing her funeral would be her next big shindig, she’d told Doo-shik that she wanted something similar at her funeral to remind her guests to laugh and have a good time.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Her wish was fulfilled because the gathered villagers are enjoying themselves as they eat and swap stories. Doo-shik asks Hye-jin if she wants a bowl of yukgaejang, and she tells him to fill it to the brim. Sung-hyun and Ji-won arrive, and conversation and laughter continues past sunset. Doo-shik and Hye-jin walk Sung-hyun and Ji-won to their car, where they once again offer their condolences to Doo-shik.
When they’re alone, Hye-jin worries that Doo-shik is pretending to be fine. He admits that he’s unsure of his true feelings, suspecting that the weight of Gam-ri’s death has not fully sunk in. It’s as though a part of him still expects her to appear around the corner and call his name, and he confesses that he feels a bit comforted living in denial where he hasn’t fully accepted that she’s gone. Hye-jin takes his hand and silently consoles him.
Doo-shik approaches Gam-ri’s son Won-seok after the guests leave. Won-seok asks Doo-shik if Gam-ri was well in her final days, and Doo-shik assures him that she was full of laughter and happiness. Won-seok admits he took the time he had left with his mother for granted, and now that she’s gone, he regrets not paying for her dental implants. Doo-shik reveals that she was able to get her implants and eat all her favorite foods before her death, which makes Won-seok happy. It also reminds him that Gam-ri always placed his needs before her own, just as he does with his own child.
He feels guilty, hating himself for not making her more of a priority, and Doo-shik insists that Gam-ri would want him to live a good life. She was always proud of her son, her reason for living. Doo-shik’s words make Won-seok sob and call out for his mother. Doo-shik comforts him, fighting back his own tears. The next day, Won-seok leads the funeral procession through Gongjin, and the villagers follow him to Gam-ri’s final resting place.
Mat-yi looks around Gam-ri’s house as though she’s expecting Gam-ri to appear in the doorway. Sook-ja arrives and Mat-yi tells her that Won-seok isn’t going to sell Gam-ri’s house. Together the grannies wonder how Gam-ri is doing in the afterlife, and they’re confident that she’s the prettiest one there.
Sook-ja makes Mat-yi promise to be around for a long time because she will be bored without her. “Won’t you be happy that I’m not around to scold you?” Mat-yi asks, but Sook-ja tells her to scold her and make fun of her all she wants as long as she promises to not to leave her alone. They lock pinkies, crying as they mourn their friend.
Without Gam-ri around, Doo-shik makes too much soap out of habit. He offers some to Hye-jin when she arrives, but she’s there to ensure he eats. As she makes herself comfortable in his kitchen, Hye-jin boasts that she memorized a recipe and opens the refrigerator. Inside she finds the corn from Gam-ri — Doo-shik hasn’t had the heart to throw out. There’s a letter from Gam-ri tucked inside the bowl and she hands it to Doo-shik, advising him to mourn fully or else the grief will travel through his whole body and later explode.
