Another Name for Longing

A pub in Gunsan. After visiting his parents' graves, Min-woo drinks with his friend Seok-hwan. Seok-hwan says that money is necessary to be a 'good parent.' But for Min-woo, parents are a presence that cannot be easily defined. Quietly, he asks the drunk and collapsed Seok-hwan, 'What do you think makes the best parents in the world...' His father Il-su worked at a fruit stall, and his mother Jong-sun, trusting too easily, took on debts. Min-woo and his younger sister Young-hee grew up under the shadow of creditors. Poverty was a shame, and his feelings toward his mother oscillated between love and resentment. After his father passed away, Min-woo lived by remembering only his father’s last words: 'Don't resent your mother, and live humbly.' Min-woo worked day and night to pay off the debts, but eventually, his mother fell ill and collapsed. In the hospital room during her final moments, all feelings of hatred and resentment disappeared. He only wished that his mother could live a little longer. After finishing drinks with Seok-hwan, he walks across the bridge at sunset. Min-woo murmurs, 'Father, Mother… today, your eldest son has been here again.'

What do you think makes the best parents in the world?