Recap Korean Drama "Summer Strike (2022)" Episode 3-4 with Im Shi Wan

Dec 7, 2022

Sung-min takes the lead in Operation Frustrate Yeo-reum Out Of Town, and he recruits everyone to pick on her — from his son BAE JOON (Kim Jun) and other kids, to high schooler KIM BOM (Shin Eun-soo). Bom is the daughter of the town’s resident drunkard and while she appears prickly and slightly rebellious on the outside, she’s really just an ordinary teenager who needs an understanding adult on her side.

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Bom soon opts out of Sung-min’s plan after deciding for herself that Yeo-reum is not a bad person. And Dae-beom, of course, has been team Yeo-reum from the beginning. Despite his aversion to strangers, he warms up to Yeo-reum pretty quickly, and he no longer communicates with her via written notes which is a big improvement from last week.

But Yeo-reum needs more people on her side especially after a threatening graffiti is sprayed on her building. Sung-min jumps at the opportunity to pressure her into moving out, and I wonder if he’s actually the one behind the graffiti and not the stalker from last week — who from all indications is HWANG GEUN-HO (Kim Yo-han), a resident who for some reason is not allowed by his mom to leave the house. Weird. (By the way, Geun-ho’s parents are way too eager to buy Yeo-reum’s building off Sung-min’s family, and the whole thing is suspicious.)

Summer Strike: Episodes 3-4

For someone who’s worried about her savings, Yeo-reum ends up buying a dog at an exorbitant amount from its abusive owner in a part-noble and part-impulsive decision. But I can’t really blame her because she is lonely and the dog needed saving. Plus having a dog around is better than being alone in that building, and a dog is a better family member than her older brother who emotionally blackmails her for money. Although the dog can do a better job of alerting Yeo-reum when a stranger enters the house to drop off some food.

Then again, I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference since as we saw from last week, Yeo-reum can sleep through a storm whenever she’s drunk. And it’s very worrisome that she just wakes up to eat the food without first checking who it’s from. Granted, it’s from Bom, but still. Girl, I know you’re on strike, but don’t you like your life? You could be allergic, it could be poisoned… there are so many possibilities.

Summer Strike: Episodes 3-4

There’s a thin line between bravery and recklessness, and Yeo-reum has crossed the line multiple times already. Just like I’ve crossed the line from understanding her to being frustrated by her actions. There’s also the matter of her withdrawing all her savings while drunk and losing the money. I mean, who puts cash in a plastic bag and wanders the streets at night? Sigh.

Yeo-reum panics when she realizes her money is missing, and everyone joins her in search of the missing money — from Sung-min who is surprisingly helpful, to Dae-beom who escorted her drunk self back home the previous night. At some point, Yeo-reum even suspects Bom, but she’s relieved — and slightly upset — when Dae-beom eventually finds the money, as she thinks the money was in his possession the whole time.

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Yeo-reum apologizes to Bom for suspecting her, and I’m already liking their budding unnie-dongsaeng relationship. Yeo-reum soon picks up another stray in the person of Bom’s classmate HEO JAE-HOON (Bang Jae-min), who has a crush on her. Together, the trio name the dog Gyeoul (winter) based on its white fur, and the name also matches Yeo-reum (summer) and Bom (spring). I love it!

Sung-min ends up grudgingly joining team Yeo-reum after learning that Joon was the one who picked up the money thinking it was a windfall. Joon later handed it over to Dae-beom after learning it was Yeo-reum’s, and Sung-min apologizes on his son’s behalf. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he’s a good dad. He also drops off some old furniture for Yeo-reum’s use, fixes the leaky pipes in the house and reinforces the locks — which has been my biggest peeve since day one!

Summer Strike: Episodes 3-4

Yeo-reum feels guilty for lashing out at Dae-beom about the missing money. But for all that fuss she made about her money, rather than deposit the cash in the bank, she just stuffs it into a drawer, and at this point I’ve given up on her. But since the townspeople are beginning to warm up to her, she looks like she’ll be fine for the most part.

Speaking of Dae-beom, we learn that he used to live in the billiard hall when he was much younger, as his family used to run the place. But then, something seemed to have happened to his sister, and that’s another mystery the little town of Angok holds. Two weeks in, and I think it’s time the show shifts its focus away from Yeo-reum, and shed more light on Dae-beom. His story appears to be very intriguing, and the glimpses of his life here and there are no longer enough. Give me more, show!

Summer Strike: Episodes 3-4