Recap "Our Beloved Summer" Ep 7-8

As ever, our unfolding narrative relies much on the differing opinions of Yeon-su and Woong — whether we’re watching footage of them in high school, or seeing them in the present — and the topic of the week is running away.

For Woong, running away is how he avoids conflict, how he protects himself, and also how he centers himself (case in point: all those hours he spends working like a hermit on those incredibly detailed drawings). In his own words, “The best defense is running away.” We see him do it in the past, and then we see him doing it in the present: escaping the awkwardness of his encounters with Yeon-su. Rather than turn up for his own “Congkats” party (those balloons!) after the success of the live drawing event, he goes AWOL.

In contrast to this, we have Yeon-su. Woong might use running away as his defense strategy, but Yeon-su boldly proclaims that, “Cowards run away.” This is very much on-point for what we know of her character… and yet when we catch up with her in the present day, she’s also gone AWOL. This might be the single most telling thing to let us know she’s shaken by Woong.

With their subjects gone missing, Ji-woong is forced to do some navel-gazing on the entire documentary which seems to be missing some serious pizazz. A dreaded writer from their studio is able to cut through the problem, though, and she suggests Ji-woong take them both away on a trip to get some good footage. That there’s something between the two leads that’s complicating things is a truth that’s getting harder and harder to deny. So, kidnapped they are (Na PD style?), and taken to a lovely village where good footage will hopefully be yanked out of them.

Things never go as planned with Woong and Yeon-su and the docu, though, and I was definitely feeling the PD team’s frustrations as they set up shoots and asked all the right questions, but continue to get the drabbest content in return.

What’s wrong, it seems, is the energy behind it all, and no one wants to address it. Woong is all mopey over Yeon-su and how she treated/treats him (and rightfully so, I would say); Yeon-su is both bothered by Woong’s reaction to her, and actively avoiding him the entire trip. And Ji-woong… he’s also in a strange place. The story he doesn’t want to tell (because telling would mean acknowledging) is the love story of Woong and Yeon-su. It’s the content that would bring the docu to life, but it also seems (to me) like he’s holding back from it because of his secret feelings for Yeon-su. There are a few moments where we catch him watching her, enjoying her presence, and it’s so wistful and sweet and sad.

None of those adjectives apply to our other second lead, though. NJ is the exact opposite, and we see more of her personality at work this week, first with how she deals with her malicious commenters, and second with her swing set confession to Woong.

NJ is a fun character — she acts like she’s seasoned and untouchable, but she’s really quite vulnerable, and it’s nice seeing that side of her. I can’t imagine her crush on Woong will end like she wants, so I’m curious what her character trajectory will look like. Right now, her presence in the plot is mostly to put pressure on Yeon-su, because who can compete with a gorgeous (and laser-focused) idol?

Our show excels at mapping the past with the present, which gives us so much emotional context that we barely need a plot. That’s exactly how the trip works — i.e., mostly as an echo of the trip that Woong and Yeon-su had in the pas. On that trip, Woong was put out because he thought Yeon-su was breaking up with him again, while Yeon-su just wanted to spend time with him before he left for school. The fact that Yeon-su first told him she loved him on that trip is basically all Woong can think about in the present. For all his huffiness, we know it’s just a mask to hide his still-broken heart.

And so, Episode 8 moves through this lovely crescendo with a million hints and glimmers of a sunset vista and sudden rain showers — and sure enough, that’s where we meet our characters at the end of the episode.

The moping around has finally shifted for Woong, and he marches over to the hilltop where Yeon-su is waiting out the sun shower. It’s a beautifully shot scene, between the rain and the fading light and the emotion in the air. After a long stare-off, Woong pulls Yeon-su in for a kiss, wondering if he’s curse, bewitched, or if he knew this would happen between them all along. We’re treated to a montage of other moments in which the couple also shared a kiss. This is made even more lovely because they are moments we’ve already seen — but now we’re seeing how they culminated.

As happy as I am for this lovely and charged moment between Yeon-su and Woong, it’s painfully clear that they haven’t resolved any of their issues yet at all — so this kiss is not the kiss to end their journey to coupledom.

And on that note, Woong is actually doing better than Yeon-su at being honest and communicating his frustrations. Yeon-su, for being such a Type A personality, is strangely reticent around/about him, so it will be interesting to see not only how they deal with the aftermath of the kiss, but what it will take for them to put everything on the table and sort out the things that have kept them apart.