Life Is Beautiful
Episode 14 of Our Beloved Summer starts with Yeon-Su reflecting on her past. Specifically, how she grew up poor and kept many of the other girls at school at arms length. Not only that, she also practiced breaking up with Choi-Ung in the mirror, struggling to compose herself and hold back her tears. The thing is, Yeon-Su actually did tell Choi-Ung about her rough financial crisis her family were going through post-break-up. During a drunken phone call, Choi-Ung dropped his phone and missed hearing the most crucial parts of the conversation. Fast forward to the present, and we return to Yeon-Su and Choi-Ung, with the latter determined to find out why they really broke up. Yeon-Su deflects the question though, claiming she was “really tired looking for a part-time job” and walks away. The thing is, Yeon-Su’s grandmother is not afraid to tell him the truth. When Choi-ung heads over to her place, she opens up and reveals everything. She mentions Yeon-Su’s affection for him and urges Choi-ung to be by her side for a long time. The first episode of the documentary is released and it’s a big success. The ratings are higher than they’ve been in a while and Park Dong-Il is super excited. Ji-Ung keeps a level head though, reminding him this is just the first episode. The episode is also watched by those at Yeon-Su’s workplace, who admire Yeon-Su and comment how cute she is. The gang are flustered when they notice Yeon-Su behind them, who urges them all to focus on their upcoming project. She also forbids them from talking about the documentary at work too. Intending to break the cycle from the past, Yeon-Su agrees to head out with them on a work night. They’re absolutely ecstatic and can hardly contain their excitement. The thin sliver of a smile crosses Yeon-Su’s face. The documentary is big news and Sol-Yi’s ex, Jin-Seob, shows up after hearing her interview. He claims he really missed her and believes she misses him too, after what she said. When Eun-Ho appears in the middle of this, things are awkward. Jin-Seob is eventually ushered out but Eun-Ho is obviously a bit jealous. That night, she hears Jin-Seo talking on the phone, mentioning swindling money out of Sol-Yi and treating her like a sucker. He also mentions how she belongs to the bank and is swimming in debt. Now, Sol-Yi actually overhears a part of this conversation, but only the beginning bit about her being taken. She believes he chivalrously stuck up for her and it’s super cute when the pair interact with one another inside after. NJ and Ji-Ung end up going for food together, where the former discusses how she doesn’t really have any friends. Ji-Ung offers some words of encouragement, understanding the pain of trying to get over someone you care about. This helps to comfort her, but as she steers the conversation around to Choi-Ung and what he’s been up to recently, Ji-ung admits he hasn’t spoken to his friend recently and leaves. In the wake of all this drama, Choi-ung walks Yeon-Su home from her night out. He makes a promise with himself to be with her for a long time. When she heads home, Yeon-Su finds a leaflet for specialist medical services in her grandmother’s jacket. Believing she’s going to leave her soon, Yeon-Su starts to grow worried. In a bid to try and keep her grandmother around, Yeon-Su decides to treat her to a trip away. She’s going to take a few days off from work and urges her not to leave. She doesn’t want to be alone. During the epilogue, Ji-ung returns home to his mother who wants him to film her. Why? Well, it turns out she’s going to die soon so she wants him to film her before she’s gone.
The Episode Review
While more of the past is revealed and Yeon-Su starts to let go of her insecurities and embrace the people around her, she’s still worried about being on her own. She’s desperate to keep her grandmother with her as much as possible. Although Yeon-Su’s actions are admirable, the thing about happiness is that you’ll never truly find it until you’re happy with yourself. What you feel about yourself when you’re by yourself will ultimately decide how the rest of your life plays out. Once again we get more scenes with Ji-Ung just moping about, and while I appreciate the moments with his mum late on is a big hammer blow, there’s nothing in this chapter to advance his character. Instead, that falls to Sol-Yi and Eun-Ho who start to grow closer together. There’s a really nice vibe between the two and their chemistry is definitely palpable when they’re on-screen. Next week’s double bill should be quite the dramatic affair, and the ending hints that there’s plenty more drama to come.
