On one gloomy night, a writer encounters an unexpected paid visit by a woman of his past. From that day on, they cherish each other's body and divulge in ecstasy, although the man finds himself becoming slowly obsessed with her with every minute they spend in his room. But whenever the woman receives a phone call no matter the hour, she always bolts out of the door, leaving the man behind utterly confused. While having no clue as to what she does outside, the man patiently waits and jots down his growing feelings for her in his journal. As this continues on day after day, their erotic relationship becomes threatened one day when he discovers that the mysterious phone call turns out to be her ex-lover who constantly abuses her whenever they meet. Set out to keep their obsessive relationship intact, he recklessly goes out to seek revenge for his beautiful lover.
Min Ki is an unemployed banker. He now takes over the domestic roles of the house: cooking, cleaning, and watching the baby. In his free time, he watches soap operas and reads romance novels. Meanwhile, his wife Bo Ra works at an English language institute and is having an affair with a former lover. One day, Min Ki accidentally stumbles upon a key, that belongs to his wife, and is unfamiliar.
Lok is a recovering schizophrenic who yearns for love. One day, he encounters the young and beautiful Yan and quickly falls in love with her. Just when he struggles whether to tell her about his illness, he has a relapse and becomes delusional. Little does he know that she's a psychological counselor who has a hidden agenda. The pair develops a relationship that is beyond their wildest dreams.
Born to a family of established court painters, seven-year-old Yun Jeong is a young girl gifted at painting. However, the pressure is on her brother to carry on the proud family tradition, as women aren't allowed to become professional painters. While her brother trains to take his place in the court, Yun Jeong helps him out by secretly painting for him. The little girl's life is turned upside down when her brother kills himself. In order to preserve the family honor, she is forced to take her brother's name and lives as a man. Yun Bok's genius and talent capture the heart of another great master of the time, Kim Hong Do. But her daring depictions of women are condemned by the royal institute as obscene. Yun Bok meets Kang Mu and falls deeply in love. For the first time, she feels the strong desire to abandon everything she has built and simply be a woman in front of the man she loves. Kang Mu sacrifices all for his love as well. Kim Hong Do, who loved the genius of his best student, ends up loving everything about her, and Seol Hwa, a Gisaeng at the courtesan house, possesses a love for Hong Do that turns into fatal jealousy. The secret behind Shin Yun Bok's masterpiece, Portrait of a Beauty, is finally revealed after 250 years of silence.
