Petty Romance
A comic artist and an unemployed sex columnist are trying to work together in order to win a lucrative comic-book competition.
The film earned $14.2M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Petty Romance (2010) demonstrates deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Kim Joung-hoon's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 58 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jung-bae is shown as a struggling webtoon artist creating juvenile comic strips, financially desperate and creatively unfulfilled, living in a cramped apartment filled with rejection notices.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Jung-bae is offered a lucrative contract to create an adult webtoon, but he lacks the writing skills; simultaneously, Da-rim pitches an adult romance story but can't draw, setting up their inevitable collaboration.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Jung-bae and Da-rim make the active choice to partner up and create the adult webtoon together, agreeing to pool their talents despite their misgivings, signing a contract that commits them to the project., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Their webtoon becomes a major success and Jung-bae and Da-rim share a romantic moment, seemingly achieving both professional and personal victory, but this false high masks underlying insecurities and unresolved emotional barriers., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 89 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Jung-bae and Da-rim have a devastating fight where their partnership falls apart; she discovers his earlier cynical comments about their relationship, feeling betrayed and used, and their collaboration and romance both die., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Jung-bae realizes that the theme stated earlier was right - real art requires honesty and vulnerability; he decides to create a new webtoon chapter that truthfully expresses his feelings for Da-rim, choosing emotional authenticity over self-protection., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Petty Romance's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Petty Romance against these established plot points, we can identify how Kim Joung-hoon utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Petty Romance within the comedy genre.
Kim Joung-hoon's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Kim Joung-hoon films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Petty Romance represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Kim Joung-hoon filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Kim Joung-hoon analyses, see The Accidental Detective.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jung-bae is shown as a struggling webtoon artist creating juvenile comic strips, financially desperate and creatively unfulfilled, living in a cramped apartment filled with rejection notices.
Theme
A publisher tells Jung-bae that real art comes from honesty and personal experience, not from playing it safe - foreshadowing the journey both protagonists must take toward creative and emotional authenticity.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Jung-bae's failed artistic career and mounting debts, and Da-rim's world as an aspiring writer working part-time jobs while dreaming of literary success but struggling with her inexperience and naivety about adult content.
Disruption
Jung-bae is offered a lucrative contract to create an adult webtoon, but he lacks the writing skills; simultaneously, Da-rim pitches an adult romance story but can't draw, setting up their inevitable collaboration.
Resistance
Jung-bae and Da-rim are reluctantly brought together by the publisher; they resist working together due to personality clashes and mutual disdain, debating whether they can overcome their differences and inexperience with adult content.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jung-bae and Da-rim make the active choice to partner up and create the adult webtoon together, agreeing to pool their talents despite their misgivings, signing a contract that commits them to the project.
Mirror World
As they begin researching adult content together through awkward "field research," their relationship deepens beyond professional collaboration, introducing romantic tension that mirrors the adult romance they're trying to create.
Premise
The fun of watching two inexperienced people try to create authentic adult content through comedic research, awkward experiments, and growing chemistry while their webtoon gains popularity and their feelings for each other develop.
Midpoint
Their webtoon becomes a major success and Jung-bae and Da-rim share a romantic moment, seemingly achieving both professional and personal victory, but this false high masks underlying insecurities and unresolved emotional barriers.
Opposition
Success brings pressure and scrutiny; their personal insecurities surface, past romantic baggage emerges, and the line between their fictional webtoon romance and real feelings blurs uncomfortably, creating misunderstandings and emotional distance.
Collapse
Jung-bae and Da-rim have a devastating fight where their partnership falls apart; she discovers his earlier cynical comments about their relationship, feeling betrayed and used, and their collaboration and romance both die.
Crisis
Both Jung-bae and Da-rim separately spiral into regret and loneliness, realizing what they've lost; they struggle with whether to be vulnerable and honest about their true feelings or protect themselves from further hurt.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jung-bae realizes that the theme stated earlier was right - real art requires honesty and vulnerability; he decides to create a new webtoon chapter that truthfully expresses his feelings for Da-rim, choosing emotional authenticity over self-protection.
Synthesis
Jung-bae publicly releases his honest, vulnerable webtoon confession; Da-rim sees it and must decide whether to forgive him and reciprocate; they reconcile by combining professional skill with emotional truth, completing both their artistic and romantic arcs.
Transformation
Jung-bae and Da-rim are shown together, now as genuine creative partners and romantic couple, having transformed from cynical, guarded individuals into people capable of authentic vulnerability and connection in both art and love.