Jin (Sim Su-bin) gets a question from her mother about her and Park Dujae (Kim Eo-jin) together. Her mother is right, yes, Jin, a schoolgirl, visits the young man regularly and they hang out. She develops feelings for Dujae, so much so that she visits him and expects him to always be around.  He indulges her wants and needs sometimes, even kissing her, but he doesn’t have feelings for her. Perhaps, it’s because of issues surrounding the death of his grandmother and being alone. Maybe his mother abandoning him is a factor, or maybe it’s the strength of her desires and prejudices.

Yoon Dan-bi’s previous film, Moving On, was more of an ensemble drama centering on a teenager. This film has some similarities in that, yes, both Dujae and Jin’s family members pop in sometimes. But for most of the film, the two protagonists are together, as if alone in the small South Korean town. The film does a great job at evincing that one sided intimacy, so much so that it feels like nothing. The first hour seems like a saccharine love story until elements that are purposely off bubble through. This happens after The World Before’s half hour mark, when Jin asks Dujae about the foreigners.

Editing, as well as other cinematic elements, appear in The World Before subtly to expose Jin’s character. Her behaviour towards Dujae borders between a cute schoolgirl with a crush and mild stalker vibes. Perhaps what allows nuance in this situation are the viewers’ own prejudices when it comes to gender. And in fairness to Jin, the film also depicts Dujae as someone who’s not direct about his true feelings. All in all, this film adds a few, fresh twists to what seems like an innocent South Korean teen romance.