In 2008 he wrote and directed the 43-minute short film "Don't Step Out of the House" (남매의 집), in which two impoverished children are menaced by strangers in the basement of a house. The short won several awards in 2009, including Best Picture at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival and the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the Eastar Jet Award (Best Korean Short Film) at the Jeonju International Film Festival, and Third Prize at the Cinéfondation section of the Cannes Film Festival. It was later included in the omnibus "Nice Shorts" (released in 2009).