He Sees Everything in 0.1x Speed — And It Changes His Life

The story begins at a CCTV control center where we see two women talking about a new guy, Zhang Bu, who has just joined. Because the guy was wearing black sunglasses even indoors, they found it odd. Just then, they notice on one of the cameras that two thieves on a bike have snatched a bag from a girl and are fleeing the scene. Seeing this, they inform their chief about the incident and the chief immediately relays the information to the police control room. Meanwhile, everyone at the control center starts tracking the thieves using the CCTV cameras. But after a short while, the thieves suddenly disappear from view, which leaves everyone frustrated. At that moment, Zhang Bu spots the thieves escaping on another camera. Seeing this, the chief quickly informs the police again. Thanks to this, the police are able to catch the thieves. Everyone is impressed with Zhang Bu's sharp observation. Actually, Zhang Bu had a condition that made him see everything in slow motion. It was because of this slow motion perception that he was able to successfully track the thieves today. Now we are shown a flashback where we see Zhang Bu in fifth grade participating in a race with his friend, Sumi. During the race, Zhang Bu experienced slow motion for the first time. When his parents found out about it, they took him to doctor. Shaq, who examined his eyes and told them that Zhang Bu had a rare condition called dynamic visual acuity. Because of this condition, Zhang Bu could see everything in slow motion, meaning he could perceive the details of anything moving, walking, or running with incredible clarity. To prove it, doctor, Shaq threw a ball at high speed toward Zhang Bu, but Zhang Bu easily caught it. Then the doctor warned that if Zhang Bu ran too much or exerted himself too hard, he would start feeling dizzy. And if such episodes kept happening, he could eventually go blind. So doctor, Shaq advised him to always wear black sunglasses. After learning about Zhang Bu's eye condition, his father went abroad to earn money so they could afford proper treatment for his son. Zhang Bu then started living with his mother and sister. His condition was both a blessing and a curse. He enjoyed watching certain things in slow motion, but because he always wore black sunglasses, kids at school often teased and bullied him. At school, Sumi was his only friend. Eventually, Zhang Bu started to have feelings for her, but as time passed because she was friends with Zhang Bu, others started teasing and ignoring Sumi as well. All of this led to a point where, even though she didn't want to, Sumi left Zhang Bu. Now Zhang Bu had no friends at all. This made Zhang Bu feel hopeless and depressed, so he decided to damage his eyes completely by watching TV nonstop from a very close distance. However, even with all that effort, his eyes didn't get any worse. Instead, he started to fall in love with the dramas he was watching. He would observe every actor up close with intense focus, and after that, Zhang Bu stopped going outside entirely. To save money, his father didn't even return home during holidays, and just like that, 10 years passed. One day, news arrived that his father had died in a workplace accident. This tragedy left Zhang Bu's family shattered. After his mother and sister, the only close person left in Zhang Bu's life was Dr. Siok, so he went to visit him. Dr. Siok advised him to start going out, find a job, and help support his family financially. Following this advice, Zhang Bu began working at a CCTV control center. This brings us back to the present timeline of the film. Here we see that Zhang Bu actually enjoyed monitoring CCTV footage, as it reminded him of the dramas he had grown up watching. The only difference was, in dramas, everything was acted, while the scenes he watched on the monitor were real life. At the office, Zhang Bu barely spoke to anyone. The person who sat next to him, named Byung-Soo, tried to talk to him, but Zhang Bu would just nod silently in response without saying a word. While monitoring the cameras, Zhang Bu would often count the number of steps people took to reach certain places. Byung-Soo found this a bit strange, but he never asked Zhang Bu about it. Then one day, Byung-Soo asked Zhang Bu if he had a girlfriend. Hearing this, Zhang Bu was reminded of Sumi. The next day, we see Zhang Bu going to visit Sumi at her home. Sumi was very beautiful, but struggling financially. When Zhang Bu arrived, a loan collector was already there demanding payment from her. The collector yelled at Sumi, saying, sell your house and pay back my loan. Zhang Bu watched her from a distance, but couldn't bring himself to speak with her directly. From then on, he began watching Sumi regularly through the CCTV cameras. During this time, he memorized her daily routine. Every night, Sumi would return from work and stop by a coffee shop to buy a cold drink. Seeing this, Zhang Bu started doing the same. One day, he noticed an abandoned sofa lying on the roadside. So he took the sofa and placed it at the spot where Sumi would usually stand and drink her cold beverage, hoping she could sit and relax there. That night, Sumi noticed the sofa. Without thinking too much about who placed it there or why, she sat down and enjoyed her drink comfortably. The next day, it started raining, and Zhang Bu saw through the cameras that Sumi was stranded at a bus stop. He rushed to the spot with Byung-Soo's help. Once there, Zhang Bu tried to shield her from the rain with an umbrella like a hero from a K-drama, but Sumi didn't recognize him. She angrily told him off and walked away. After this, Zhang Bu and Byung-Soo went to Dr. Seok to ask for advice on how to impress Sumi. Dr. Seok suggested he give her flowers. The next day, we see Sumi on her way to audition for a musical drama, but she's already late. She calls her manager, but he tells her she's too late. Disappointed, she starts singing in the street. She sang beautifully and people passing by began to stop and watch her. At that moment, Zhang Bu arrived with a new hairstyle and a bouquet of flowers. After her song ended, he approached her and handed her the flowers. But Sumi said, this isn't the time for flowers. I'd rather have a carton of instant noodles, and walked away. At that moment, Zhang Bu called her by name and introduced himself saying, I'm your childhood friend. Sumi replied, I'm not your friend. I never had a friend named Zhang Bu when I was a kid. Hearing this, Zhang Bu was stunned. He had been following the wrong girl all along, but by now he had truly fallen for Sumi. The next day, by coincidence, Zhang Bu and Sumi ran into each other again. Sumi was returning home after shopping. When Sumi saw Zhang Bu, she made him carry her shopping bags. As he finished delivering them to her home and was about to leave, Sumi asked, why are you looking for your childhood friend? To this, Zhang Bu replied, because I like her. Hearing that, Sumi was left speechless. Later, Zhang Bu noticed through the CCTV camera that Sumi was talking to someone on the phone. From the conversation, she found out that she had been selected for the musical drama. Overjoyed by the news, Sumi started dancing in the street. Seeing her so happy made Zhang Bu happy too, and he even sketched her. That evening, we see Sumi at a cafe celebrating her good news. Just then, Zhang Bu showed up with a box of instant noodles and handed it to her saying, you said you'd rather get noodles than flowers, remember? They started talking. During the conversation, Sumi showed him her drama script and even acted out a small part for fun. In return, Zhang Bu showed off his talent. Everyone in the cafe started throwing spoons at him with numbers written on them at high speed. Zhang Bu caught each one effortlessly and accurately read the number on each spoon. They all had a great time. The next day, we see Zhang Bu walking around near Sumi's house, counting his steps. Byung Soo saw this and realized that Zhang Bu was trying to memorize the route. That evening, as Sumi returned home from work, she found Zhang Bu waiting for her. They began walking and talking together. Sumi asked, what do you do for work? Zhang Bu replied, I work at a CCTV control center. I spend all day watching people. After a while, they sat on the sofa outside the coffee shop. Sumi then told Zhang Bu, the cafe owner is my crush. I'm sure he even has a car. This made Zhang Bu jealous. He stared intensely at the cafe owner for a long time, unable to hide his feelings. Determined to impress Sumi, Zhang Bu decided to take her on a drive in a car. But since he didn't own one, he started asking everyone at the office if anyone had a car he could borrow. Unfortunately, no one did. Later, as Sumi was walking home, she ran into the loan collector again. He threatened her, saying, if you don't pay up soon, I might have to hurt you. Just then, Zhang Bu and Byung Soo showed up and rescued her. When Zhang Bu returned to the office, he saw Sumi standing in front of one of the CCTV cameras, shouting, thank you. She knew Zhang Bu was watching her from somewhere in the CCTV control center. Seeing that made Zhang Bu's heart fill with joy. That night, the two of them went to a park. Zhang Bu caught falling leaves and handed them to Sumi, asking, if you had a car, where would you go? Sumi replied, if I had a car, I'd always drive to the ocean. Zhang Bu didn't have a car, but he started regularly riding a local bus and became friends with the driver. Zhang Bu had seen the bus driver many times playing baseball alone at night after work. So one night, Zhang Bu joined him to play, and while they played, opened up about his feelings and asked for help. The driver agreed to help him. The next day, Zhang Bu, the bus driver, and Byung Soo picked Sumi up from the bus stop to take her to see the ocean. They had to travel to another city for that. Along the way, the three of them were having fun and enjoying the trip. But as they approached the city border, a police officer stopped their bus and told them to turn back because local buses weren't allowed to enter another city. Angry, Sumi came out and started arguing with the officer. Meanwhile, Zhang Bu just stood there silently, watching her in slow motion, completely mesmerized. After a while, Byung Soo calmed her down, and they all returned to their city. Back at the CCV control center, the chief informed everyone that the number of kidnapping cases targeting women had recently increased in the city. He told everyone to stay alert. At that moment, Zhang Bu was watching Sumi through one of the monitors, but suddenly Sumi disappeared from the CCTV footage. Seeing this, Zhang Bu panicked. He ran to the location and barely made it there, only to find Sumi's scarf lying on the ground. Before he could even think, he realized it was a prank. Sumi had staged it. She wanted to know if Zhang Bu would come to save her. Then Sumi asked Zhang Bu, "'Do you like me?' Zhang Bu responded, "'Yes, I do.'" Hearing that, Sumi took off Zhang Bu's sunglasses and kissed him. Afterward, Zhang Bu went to drop her off at her home. Sumi invited him in, but when they entered, they saw that the loan collectors had already arrived and were sitting inside. They had trashed the place and were threatening Sumi to repay the money. Zhang Bu tried to protect Sumi, but unfortunately, the stress caused his vision to blur, and he collapsed on the spot. Later, when the loan collectors finally left, Zhang Bu and Sumi began cleaning up the mess together. While doing so, Zhang Bu saw the same old drawings he had made for Sumi back in school, confirming that Sumi was, in fact, his childhood friend. Sumi then admitted to Zhang Bu, "'Back then, I left you during your darkest days. That's why I hid my identity from you. I'm sorry.'" Zhang Bu stayed silent, unable to say anything. The next day, he went to Dr. Siak for an eye checkup. There, the doctor told him that his condition had worsened and that he could lose his vision at any moment. Hearing this, Zhang Bu became even more determined. Wherever he went, he kept counting his steps so that if he went blind, he'd still be able to navigate on his own. On the other hand, Sumi sold her house to repay all her debts, but now she had nowhere to stay. Zhang Bu sees Sumi on the monitor, carrying a box and talking to someone. At that moment, a female coworker at the CCTV center notices that a car has been circling the same area for quite a while. She becomes suspicious and zooms in on the license plate. From the plate, she realizes the car belongs to a wanted kidnapper. She immediately informs the chief, who then alerts the police. But within minutes, the car disappears. At the same time, Zhang Bu no longer sees Sumi on the screen, which terrifies him. What if something has happened to her? Without hesitation, Zhang Bu grabs his bicycle and rushes out to save her. But on the way, his vision starts to fade. He ends up crashing into a car. Byung Soo, who sees all this happening through the CCTV footage, rushes out to help him. Meanwhile, the kidnapper is threatening Sumi with a knife, trying to force her into the car. Just then, Zhang Bu somehow arrives, shouting, Sumi! Startled, the kidnapper lets go of Sumi and starts to flee. But right then, the police arrive and arrest him. The police take Sumi for questioning. Zhang Bu, however, is left alone on the street. Byung Soo eventually reaches him and grabs his friend's hand to support him. Zhang Bu, now nearly blind, breaks down in tears. Because of his condition, he decides to distance himself from Sumi. On the other side, Sumi often looked at the CCTV, waving, hoping Zhang Bu would come visit her. Now we're shown a scene set a few months later. Sumi sees Zhang Bu sitting at a coffee shop. Excited, she walks up and waves at him, but Zhang Bu quietly pulls out a walking stick and walks away in the opposite direction. Sumi is shocked and it hits her. Zhang Bu is now blind. The realization breaks her heart. She follows him quietly and ends up at an art gallery. There, she sees paintings of herself, paintings Zhang Bu had created. We then hear Zhang Bu's voice in narration. Even if I can't see Sumi with my eyes, I can still see her in my memories. The next day, Sumi follows Zhang Bu again. After walking a little ahead, Zhang Bu turns around and asks, where do you want to go today? Sumi realizes that he can still feel her presence. Smiling with tears in her eyes, she runs up and hugs him tightly. And with that, the film ends.