Never Said Goodbye

Jun-ho, a Korean student raised in Italy, meets Xiaoyou at university and they fall in love. They later move to Shanghai and start working as interior designers together. Their bond forms the foundation for the story that unfolds later.

The couple builds a life in Shanghai, working at a design firm and planning a future together. Their relationship is tested by long hours and career pressures, despite moments of tenderness. The city becomes the backdrop for both their professional ambitions and personal dreams.

At a party with friends, Jun-ho reveals his travel tickets to return to Italy to study opera. Xiaoyou pleads with him to stay, but a bitter fight ends with Jun-ho breaking up and flying back the same night. The separation marks the beginning of a painful emotional arc for Xiaoyou.

In the film's first half, Xiaoyou struggles to cope with the breakup while juggling her demanding interior design work. Memories of Jun-ho haunt her days as she tries to move on. The city and her career become both a refuge and a reminder of what she lost.

Jun-ho receives a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer, with only about six months to live. The news reframes his choices and forces him to confront how much time he has left with Xiaoyou. He begins to consider how to handle their relationship given his prognosis.

Facing a bleak prognosis, Jun-ho decides to end their relationship to spare Xiaoyou the pain of watching him deteriorate. He travels with the intent to leave her life once more, keeping his illness as a private burden. The separation deepens Xiaoyou's longing while intensifying the mystery around his fate.

Three months after the farewell, Xiaoyou remains unable to forget him. With the help of his elder sister, Jun-ho fakes his death in Italy and arranges a funeral so Xiaoyou can finally move on. The plan is delicate and heartbreaking, leaving Xiaoyou in a cloud of grief and disbelief.

A mysterious stranger completes Xiaoyou's unfinished bar work at night, and she communicates with him through smileys drawn on the wall. She doesn't know who he is until the truth is revealed that the helper is Jun-ho in disguise. This quiet thread becomes a key link between them.

Jun-ho's health deteriorates, and he is admitted to the hospital for a major surgery. He confronts the possibility of death and the impact it would have on Xiaoyou. The looming fate strengthens his resolve to find a moment of connection before it may be too late.

At his request for one last moment of happiness, Jun-ho, in a bear disguise, appears to Xiaoyou and gives her a warm hug that makes her smile again. The scene is tender and bittersweet, signifying a final attempt to stay connected. He uses the moment to leave a lasting memory before an uncertain fate.

Xiaoyou visits Jun-ho's elder sister in Italy, pays respects at his grave, and listens to the daily logs he recorded. The logs reveal how he watched over her every step and cared for her from afar, living in an apartment above hers. The film closes on a note of enduring memory and love beyond death.