Recap "Our Beloved Summer" Ep 3-4

Jan 6, 2022

Ji-woong tells a story from childhood when he and Woong were enemies. Woong shared a dish of patbingsoo with him, knowing it was secretly full of peaches, and knowing full well that Ji-woong was allergic. The catch? Woong is also allergic to peaches. The moral of the story is that he was willing to suffer in order to win. It’s arguably the single most important trait in any kind of warfare, and we see it easily win the conflict between Yeon-su and Woong over the documentary: Woong agrees solely because he knows Yeon-su would hate to do it. And thus, the docu filming begins.

Recap

At first, resistance is at an all-time high. Yeon-su does nothing but work. Woong does nothing but sit in the studio by night, and sleep on the couch by day. But Ji-woong is possibly as wily as Woong is, and I think the “problem” with this scenario is that they all know each other so long and so well, that they’re able to use the other person’s personalities and tendencies against them to eventually get what they want.

The story as it stands now is half a comedic battle of wills, and half a poignant look at relationships and love. All at the same time, the characters are fighting with each other, watching each other fight, watching each other confront their inner struggles, and actually undergoing those struggles — so many layers! Ji-woong is particularly interesting in that regard, because he’s forever observing from around the corner or behind the camera. He sees the conflict happening for Woong, in particular, not just as the PD that’s trying to craft a narrative, but as a friend that knows far too much history to be truly objective. It’s all quite complicated on the inside, but simple from the outside, which is my favorite sort of story ever.

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Despite all the fighting that Woong and Yeon-su did in high school, there were sweet moments between them that only Woong saw (and he continues to cling to them, whether he knows it or not). We also see how despite Woong’s success, he’s kind of floundering. And now that Yeon-su is back in his life, he’s making all sorts of rash decisions based on ego, jealousy, and of course, his love for her, that we know he hasn’t be able to let go of.

The intersection of the documentary shoot and the Soen opening event seems written in the stars, and Ji-woong takes full advantage to document the situation as it unfolds. It seems in a way like he’s inadvertently chosen a great time to capture the lives of our leads: not only have they crossed paths again after five years, but they’re crossing paths on a daily basis in the neighborhood (drama happenstance) and at also work (thanks to Woong’s agreement to do the live drawing event).

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In just four episodes we’ve learned so much about Woong and what makes him tick. He’s petty and childish but also sensitive and sweet — it’s as if he wants to be this big bold person who isn’t affected by Yeon-su’s reappearance in his life, but at every turn, the opposite is true. He’ll act nonchalant, but then the facade drops and he says things like the line that ends our episode: “You’re always the one who ruins me.”

Poor Woong also meets a horrible reversal as our episode ends — one moment he’s at the top of his game in his fancy new suit as artist Ko-oh. The next moment, he’s being antagonized by his rival Nu-a (cameo by Kwak Dong-yeon), and finds out that they’ve both been tapped for the live drawing event. It’s the lowest of blows, and Woong assumes that Yeon-su was behind it.

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Despite the dire situation we leave Woong in, gosh the show is actually hilarious in spots. I laughed out loud way too many times over tiny moments that were hilarious in context, but probably wouldn’t stand up to a long explanation (like Woong’s fake sleeping lol). Suffice it to say, it’s mostly thanks to Choi Woo-shik and his great performance here.

While we’re getting to know Woong quite a bit, we know far less of Yeon-su. She’s certainly more sympathetic than when she was first presented to us, though, and I do like how her facade also drops in moments (case in point: trying not to text him after the plagiarism claim). Actually, she’s pretty quickly reverted back to caring about him and protecting him, much like we’ve seen in flashbacks from when they were dating. No matter how hard Yeon-su fights it, you can see there’s a little something in her eyes when Woong is around being floppy and cute. Can’t blame her.

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