Answer Me 1997

It is time to go back to 1997 with several friends who are meeting for their high school reunion. Shi-won performs an oldie by karaoke in front of her parents. She can hardly believe it has been fifteen years since she and her friends swooned over every member of H.O.T.

A flashback to 1997 reveals Shi-won disappointing her father with a terrible report card. She is 48th in a class of 48 students. Those monkey-faced performers have done it this time! Her father tears H.O.T. posters from her wall and threatens to adopt her friend, the recently circumcised, Yoon-jae.

Shi-won boldly ventures to Seoul with other H.O.T. devotees. One fan is missing. That person is Yoo-jung, who betrayed Shi-won by converting to the Sechskies. Shi-won meets her idol, Tony, only to arrive home where the punishment for her follies is a short, ragged haircut.

It’s the big day of the Korea-Japan World Cup qualifying game. Everyone gathers in front of the television. No one, not even a roach, is outside, Sung-Jae observes. Shi-won admittedly forgets to place the fried chicken order, so it looks like everyone, including roaches, will watch the game hungry.

Shi-won and her parents get into a fender-bender. Her parents seize the opportunity to fake injuries in front of the other driver. They end up in the hospital as a precaution, but while Shi-won’s father receives the all-clear as far as injuries go, he also receives a startling diagnosis.

After surgery, Shi-won’s father complains about his ajumma-packed hospital room and waits anxiously for the results. Shi-won gets into a fan-girl brawl over the use of a classroom VCR. It starts out innocently, but turns serious enough for Yoon-jae to be called away from a basketball game to help.

Shi-won’s grades threaten to keep her out of college. She deals with this by creating fanfic and has several avid online followers. When the teacher embarrasses her by reading a juicy, romantic H.O.T. fantasy of hers in class, she ends up getting an invitation to enter a writing contest.

It is a countdown to personal D-Days. In the present, there are 200 days remaining until Tae-woong finds out if he will become the next president. In the past, one day remains before Yoon-Jae plans to pledge his love, and a puppy, to an already-taken Shi-won.

Yoon-Jae winds up giving the puppy to a delighted Joon-hee while Tae-woong, recently resigned from teaching, bums around the house not knowing what to do with all his free time. Shi-won sports a ridiculous, trendy hairdo, one her father promises to pay her to re-do.

The boys and girls get together for an evening out at an underage nightclub. Joon-hee performs a dance routine on stage. The routine makes Shi-won and Yoo-jung squeal at their fangirl-best, but Joon-hee is less interested in impressing girls and more interested in impressing Yoon-jae with his skills.

Shi-won’s parents, unaware of her secret night job, leave for a cruise. Dad is nervous and, knowing crime is on the rise, recommends Yoon-jae stay over. She rejects the idea until the night a stranger follows her home from work. She frantically dials Yoon-jae, but the line is busy.

Yoo-jung and Shi-won are busy trying on hair clips when Hak-chan passes by, walking with Dan ji. Shi-won insists Hak-chan only has eyes for Yoo-jung, but Yoo-jung transports herself outside immediately to confront them. Shi-won packs her H.O.T. posters for college in Seoul while Tae-woong buys a ring.

It is 2005 and Yoon-jae is a successful judge. Tae-woong is a billionaire who fancies returning to teaching. Yoo-jung teaches kindergarten while Hak-chan pursues film studies. Joon-hee is a successful medical intern and Sung-jae is a successful public servant. Shi-won’s whereabouts, however, are a mystery.

Sung-jae gets relief from his demanding servant job when Hak-chan and Yoo-jung visit to take him hiking. He thanks Hak-chan for the special video that made him so popular on the job. Seems Hak-chan studied more than PG-13 films in Hawaii. Shi-won, meanwhile, decides between Tae-woong and Yoon-jae.

Yoo-jung receives the happiest surprise of her life when Hak-chan introduces her to his parents as his girlfriend. Shi-won causes a brotherly quarrel between Yoon-jae and Tae-woong who both confess they love her. Tae-woong lets Yoon-Jae pursue things, but if he fails, Tae-Woong gets a chance to capture her heart.

It is March of 2013, and Shi-won’s parents nervously pace the hall of a hospital, awaiting the doctor’s news regarding the birth of their grandchild. When the doctor appears, she has no news for them. She does, however, have a question. Where, and who, is Shi-won’s husband?