Collect Our Dreams Episode 16 of A Love So Beautiful begins with everyone preparing to take university entrance exams, writing inspiring messages on their desks – some directly on the desk. Ms Moon asks them to submit their choices for school and major. Sol-I and Dae-Sung both struggle to figure that out. Sol-I lands that she likes to draw (and Heon). With their resolution to focus on studies, they hit the books but are having a little trouble. Heon keeps out of the line of fire. Ha Young visits Jin-Hwan with the university and major slip plus some class notes. He says he doesn’t need either one and she gets angry and rips up the sheet. Heon tells his mother that he’s not interested in KEIST and wants to go to medical school instead. She tries to deter him by mentioning his father but he states that it’s his life. Jin-Hwan is taping together the paper from Ha Young when Heon swings by. Heon asks whether he’s going to give up on Ha Young just like that. He says he can’t be with her since he could faint at any moment. He turns the tables on Heon, asking about Sol-I. Heon says he won’t go to KEIST because of med school but also to stay with Sol-I. What? Are you Heon? Heon tells Jin-Hwan not to avoid Ha Young either. Heon teaches Sol-I trigonometry and puts his head down while she does some figuring. He falls asleep and she leans in close to his face. Dae-Sung catches the moment and backs away. Heon wakes up and Sol-I makes an excuse for her nearness. Dae-Sung visits the pool feeling a bit down. He runs into the pair just as he receives a call that his grandmother is missing. Sol-I and Heon help him find her. When they do she doesn’t recognize Dae-Sung, talking about her wonderful but busy grandson to him. She brags that he’ll be a swimming champion. Dae-Sung breaks down in tears. Dae-Sung thanks Heon for his help and tells him he’ll start over with swimming to make his grandmother’s wish come true. Heon confirms he won’t go to KEIST and Dae-Sung is disappointed. He says if he gives Sol-I a hard time he’ll jump in. Heon claims he won’t. Dae-Sung gazes at the poster Sol-I had made for him in episode 8. He asks her to meet and tells her he likes her a lot, expounding on his feelings and recalling their moments together. When she cries he shares his resolution that he won’t like her anymore. Test day arrives and everyone gets to work. Jin-Hwan takes the test from his hospital bed. Sol-I seems to be doing ok, at least on some of it. Flashback to Sol-I’s parents praying via two different faiths – most likely for her successful test results.
The Episode Review
Dae-Sung is taking his lumps rather well. Not only is he having trouble in the pool and school, but also at home and with his crush. He must be feeling rather low. Of course, we saw how it all got on top of him with his grandmother. And to have both Sol-I and Heon as witnesses. Yikes. Jin-Hwan seems to be distancing himself not only from Ha Young but everything. I was pleased to see he at least took his test from the hospital. His chat with Heon was rather interesting. So, Heon now admits that he’s interested in Sol-I. I’m with Jin-Hwan – is that Heon? Good on ya for getting there. Sol-I, you are in for a big surprise. But funny that Heon is testing the waters with friends before he speaks to Sol-I himself. Even though there were lots of happenings, this wasn’t my favourite episode. It seemed a little bit of downer whereas the chapters are often more balanced between serious and lighthearted goings-on. There wasn’t nearly enough of their typical silly humour – where was Se-Hyeong? – so it felt more like a bumper within the narrative rather than a leap in the story. Of course, the big leap was Heon but that was rather down-played, don’t you think? That said, I did enjoy Sol-I’s parents determined praying.
