Surrogate Woman
(Ssibat-i)

Living under the Joseon dynasty, Shin Sang-gyu, the eldest son of a high-ranking family, and his wife Yun are unable to have children. After lengthy deliberations, his mother and his uncle Shin Chi-ho decide to call on the services of a woman who will receive Sang-gyu’s semen in exchange for money. Shin Chi-ho leads the search himself in a village where women are known to sell their services as surrogate mothers. For his nephew, he chooses the young Ok-nyeo, who is herself the daughter of a former surrogate mother called Pil-nyeo. On the night of their coupling, Sang-gyu is captivated by Ok-nyeo’s beauty and falls in love with her, which stirs up his wife’s intense jealousy.