Love Phobia

The story unfolds mainly in a South Korean setting, moving from a school to a temple perched on a volcanic mountain and surrounding hot springs, with hospital scenes included. A NASA-related thread suggests cross-border reach, and references to the United States appear as Ari contemplates travel. The film blends intimate, everyday spaces with mythic, otherworldly locations.

❤️ Love and Belief

Jo-kang's unwavering faith in Ari's stories sustains their bond and fuels a love that ignores conventional boundaries. The romance thrives on trust, shared imagination, and a willingness to act on a dream, even as Ari's secrets threaten their world. The film explores how love can blur reality and fantasy when desire overrides doubt. Yet truth and consequence eventually test loyalty and resilience.

🩺 Illness and Mortality

Ari's HIV/AIDS diagnosis becomes the emotional core that tests Jo-kang's devotion and endurance. The illness introduces vulnerability, forcing the lovers to confront the fragility of life and the fragility of promised futures. The narrative uses medical struggle to examine care, fate, and what remains when love encounters mortality. Hospital scenes anchor the human cost of their extraordinary relationship.

🛸 Fantasy vs Reality

Ari's alien legend, crop circles, and references to NASA create a dreamlike layer that questions what is real. The story contrasts fantastical myths with ordinary life—meals, family, and personal loss—until belief becomes a chosen lens for understanding love. Jo-kang's trust pulls him deeper into a world where cosmic destiny collides with human emotion.

🌌 Memory and Reunion

After Ari's disappearance, Jo-kang clings to their shared memories and the scent of their love as proof of a possible connection beyond death. He narrates a belief that she may live on another planet, waiting for a reunion, keeping hope alive despite the distance. The ending frames love as a lasting force that transcends time and space, even when the world says goodbye.