The original K-Drama Our Beloved Summer has been on everyone’s sights, news feeds, and watch lists from the moment it first aired, and for good reason. Although originally following the usual “first love” trope used in K-Dramas, this drama stands out for showcasing the pure and heart-wrenching pains one experiences whilst in a relationship.
Our Beloved Summer sees fate bringing former lovers Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo back into each other’s lives to shoot a documentary after the one they shot 10 years ago turned viral. In an aptly timed pace, both Ung and Yeon-soo find each other yearning for one another while confronting their own unresolved emotions, past, and present. Call it a slow-burn type of romance if you will, because it is.
With the story switching from past to present, viewers can’t help but fall in love with Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo’s dynamic—from enemies to lovers, strangers, then back in love again. For many viewers, their whole story brought them butterflies, feels, and brought out emotions they never thought they have.
Nevertheless, the drama was a comfort to watch, and here are 5 reasons why Our Beloved Summer is that comfort drama we never knew we needed (possibly second to Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha).
The drama’s aesthetic visuals and beautiful OST
From the drama’s poster alone, Our Beloved Summer exuded a seemingly nostalgic and mellow vibe. Once it aired, it still held the same feel all throughout. Coupled with a soundtrack that captured the drama’s sensibilities, most especially BTS’ V’s “Christmas Tree”, the drama brought a sense of comfort that one usually sees or feels when around a person that felt like home.
All the characters had their own storyline and depth, making each one of them relatable
Our Beloved Summer wasn’t just about Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo’s relationship—the drama also revolved around the relationships they had with the people surrounding them and their own stories.
The character of Kim Ji-ung is a good example of this, while Ji-ung was sort of the typical second male lead who also had feelings for the female lead, he didn’t try to ruin Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo’s development and dealt with his own troubled past and present. He also remained a good friend to both Ung and Yeon-soo, despite hurting over how he had gotten rejected. His character could be put side-by-side with ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’s’ Ji Seong-hyun.
It’s a breath of fresh air from the K-Drama universe to see the supporting characters’ own stories being shown alongside the main plot, it’s conveying the message that they are their own main characters in their own ways too.
The 5 Love Languages were seen in the simplest of actions
If you’re familiar with the concept of the 5 love languages by Gary Chapman, then you must have seen manifestations of all five through Choi Ung. Ngl, this is what made viewers fall in love with Choi Ung’s character even more—his constant and subtle ways of showing how much he loved Kook Yeon-soo.
Acts of service: This was Choi Ung’s main way of showing his love, and was seen in the scenes where he dried Yeon-soo’s hair, carrying an umbrella over her while letting himself get wet, preparing her food, helping her carry her bag, etc.
Physical touch: Both Ung and Yeon-soo loved holding or touching each other’s hands, and the part that really gave most viewers butterflies was when Ung unconsciously reached for Yeon-soo’s hand while sleeping. God, looking back at that now, that was peak slow burn romance (jk)
Receiving gifts: Yeon-soo originally said that she did not like receiving gifts, but after years, she finally admitted that she only said it for Ung to save his money and to not hassle him, when she actually loves them. In response, Ung bought her jewelry and other things now that he could do so freely.
Quality time: When Ung and Yeon-soo were “trying” to be friends, Ung willingly canceled his busy schedule to spend time with her. Yep, what a guy indeed. Other instances of this were when they were reading a book together, or just watching television.
Words of affirmation: After a decade of waiting for Ung to finally tell her that he loved her, Yeon-soo was finally able to hear those three words in the last episode.
This thread on Twitter explained it best, to be honest. Choi Ung, what a guy. Is this what falling in love with a “guy written by a woman” feels like?
The ups and downs of a relationship were shown in a realistic way
While we all loved seeing the highs of Ung and Yeon-soo’s relationship, we can’t help but feel those downs to the core as well. Those conflicts all felt so real and oh so familiar, that we can’t deny those heart-wrenching emotions just pulling our hearts into a depth we can’t even describe.
This is what this drama’s appeal is all about—the realistic portrayal of relationships. The effects of miscommunication, frustrations brought about by unresolved and lingering feelings, the awkwardness post-breakup, everything that seemed to be so common, negative, and taboo was shown in this drama.
We can’t help but feel it so deeply in our own emotions, especially if we did go through something similar to Ung and Yeon-soo’s relationship.
It showed that love persists even during times of pain and sadness
Our Beloved Summer showed that despite one experiencing obstacles or hardships in their lives, the feeling of love is always there. Love, in this case, isn’t restricted to the romantic kind.
In the very moments we feel that we’re at our worst, we tend to forget that we’re surrounded by people who will help, support, and comfort us—friends, family, and even acquaintances. When Yeon-soo was trying her hardest to cope through her break-up with Ung, Seol-yi never left her side despite the former not telling the latter her true feelings. Yeon-soo’s grandmother, a main figure in Yeon-soo’s life, also loved her granddaughter to the fullest and gave her the comfort she’s always needed her entire life.
The same way with Ung when he was trying to get over Yeon-soo, Ji-ung and Eun-ho stayed by his side and were with him the entire time. This was also seen with Ji-ung when he was grasp with the fact that his estranged mother was dying, Jeong Chae-ran, Park Dong-il, and Choi Ung were there giving him solace and comfort.
Love always persists, especially in times of sorrow and pain. This drama encapsulated those feelings well, capturing the essence of platonic, storge (familial love), and romantic love.
No more words could ever describe the feeling of watching Our Beloved Summer better than the word “comfort”. The drama was a joy to watch, heartwarming to say the least, thanks to writer Lee Na-eun representing the little nuances and details of everyday relationships in the simplest of words.
Watching Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo’s relationship bloom into something beautiful, pure, and full of love was an experience that each viewer won’t possibly forget. It was a beautiful drama to begin with—I can’t help but say that I’m very much in love with the story and all other details.
And if these reasons won’t convince you to watch this drama, then let the posts on Facebook and Twitter and TikTok videos do that, because this drama is just a big green flag.
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