Finding travel in everyday life

“Try traveling through the neighborhood you live in now.”

— Lee Yong-ju, Architecture 101

People often travel to break free from the routines of everyday life. Yet Architecture 101 suggests that escape does not always require distance. At times, it begins with a shift in perspective, seeing familiar surroundings with fresh eyes.

The film opens with Seung-min, a 35-year-old architect played by Uhm Tae-woong, whose routine is disrupted by the sudden return of his first love, Seo-yeon, portrayed by Han Ga-in. She asks him to restore her old house on Jeju Island, and her reappearance quietly reshapes the rhythm of his life. The encounter unfolds like a journey back to their youth, when their connection first took root.

They first meet in a college architecture class, where a professor assigns a simple task: “Try traveling through the neighborhood you live in now.” Living in the same district of Jeongneung, they set out together to explore a place they thought they knew well. Streets, alleys and buildings once taken for granted begin to reveal new textures.

The assignment is meant to foster a deeper understanding of one’s surroundings. Yet the sense of discovery is shaped as much by their shared experience as by the setting itself. Sitting side by side on the wooden floor of an empty hanok, riding a bus together or listening to Memory of the Wind through a shared pair of earphones on a rooftop, each moment carries the quiet thrill of a small journey.

Just as emotion can transform an ordinary day, attention can transform an ordinary place. Travel, then, does not always require leaving home. On a clear spring day, the urge to go somewhere new may feel strong. But even a familiar road can feel different when approached with a fresh perspective. Within the flow of everyday life, there is still room to travel.