Begin Again
Episode 12 of Our Beloved Summer begins with us reflecting on the time between Yeon-Su and Choi-Ung at school. With memories stitched together in a beautiful montage, this soon dissolves away as we return to the fateful moment between Yeon-Su and Choi-Ung at the restaurant. After that big confession last episode, the pair head home. Choi-Ung’s past has been full of heartache and we see more of it here. It turns out his parents actually adopted him, but around the same time every year they mourn the loss of their own child, weeping in the lounge. Choi-Ung saw them weeping together one night, which is what started his bad dreams about being abandoned. This also goes some way to explain why the break-up affected Choi-Ung so bad, given he interpreted what happened as Yeon-Su abandoning him too. In the morning, Yeon-Su bumps into Choi-Ung outside who clearly hasn’t slept, given he keeps yawning. Yeon-Su mothers him, very clearly concerned for his well-being. Choi-Ung spontaneously holds her against the wall and queries whether she can take a day off. She won’t, as it turns out, but they do both confirm that they’re dating. This also has a knock-on effect of allowing Choi-Ung to be more open with his parents too. He tells them to invite him along to their countryside trip next time. While this is going on, Ji-Ung continues to edit the video but he’s stubborn and clearly exhausted. So naturally, Jung Chae-Ran is concerned. After checking Ji-Ung’s vitals, realizes that he’s ill. Chae-Ran decides to take over, leaving Ji-Ung dumbfounded. Even Mr Park can tell that she likes him, and when he realizes Ji-Ung hasn’t noticed, he calls him a lost cause. When Ji-Ung heads home to rest, Choi-Ung arrives to hash out their problems. There’s not really much development there though if I’m honest, and much like before Ji-Ung is stubborn and asks whether Choi-Ung wants a congratulations from him. Well, no he’s not going to do that! Instead, Ji-Ung is just going to stay quiet. The next day, Choi-Ung and Yeon-Su arrange to meet at the weekend but it’s strangely awkward. Both of them start to second guess themselves, eventually leading to Choi-Ung showing up at Yeon-Su’s work as a surprise. The pair hug outside, as Choi-Ung comments to himself that he definitely couldn’t wait until the weekend to see her. That night, the pair discuss what’s happened between them. It’s a really cute conversation, especially when they end up together outside Yeon-Su’s house giggling. While this is going on, NJ invites Ji-Ung a for drinks but she ends up blind drunk, rambling on about how much she likes Choi-Ung. She admits she feels worthless for getting between them (something Ji-Ung knows all too well) and convinces her that she can give up on Choi-Ung. Although he doesn’t say much, Ji-Ung’s advice certainly helps NJ gain some perspective. Meanwhile, Yeon-Su and Choi-ung eventually head over to the latter’s house, kissing passionately on the sofa.
The Episode Review
Our Beloved Summer returns with a much more urgent and driven episode compared to yesterday’s chapter. There’s some beautiful imagery in this, and the chat between NJ and Ji-Ung helps b0th characters to move past their feelings. Or at least start on the road to do that anyway. Elsewhere, Choi-Ung and Yeon-Su grow closer together, and there are some beautiful moments between the pair. Nowhere else is that more evident than in the scene featuring the pair hugging and talking outside Yeon-Su’s place. Although they’re not students, this does help to reinforce they’re still young at heart. This series has done well so far to really reinforce that idea of young love, although I stand by what I said in the previous recap about Ji-Ung. He just doesn’t really add anything to this series. Despite his moments in the epilogue admitting he’s tired of being the bad guy, I’m struggling to see what purpose he has. Still, with four episodes left it appears we’re about to dive into more romance between the pair!
