Journal Entry #2 Vivian Shon

[Vivian Shon]

For the weekend, Rachel and I decided to finally start on the K-drama called “Our Beloved Summer.” Rachel created a simple worksheet for me to fill out with basic questions as I watched the first episode. The paper consisted of questions such as, “what do you think about the main characters,” and “what are your initial thoughts on the drama,” and she instructed me to answer them in Korean. At first, I was kind of bored of the drama because it was a genre that Koreans called “멜로" which literally translates to “mellow romance.” I chose to watch this show because I wanted to start a truly romantic Korean series for the first time. However, I could tell that this was very different the the “romantic” American shows. The show starts off with two characters, Choi Woong and Kook Yeon Su, who end up featuring in a documentary together during their high school days. Interestingly, this documentary was made to showcase the top-performing student (Kook) in the school and the lowest-ranking student (Choi). They wanted to create a documentary and see how the two interacted with one another. Just this background scene, made me think about how strict and punctual Korea’s education system is. My mother used to tell me that it was true schools would post every single students’ academic ranking to be publicly seen. Therefore, it not only created immense pressure for the top-performing students, but embarrassment and bullying for those who didn’t score as well on the exams. Therefore, when they start off, they are seen fighting and Kook Yeon Su seems to look down on Choi Woong for his poor academic stance. Although the documentary shows them fighting and arguing, in 10 years, the viewers realize that these two actually ended up being in a relationship and they were in love. However, we also realize that these two had a terrible breakup and we do not necessarily get to find out what happened yet. Apart from the storyline, I was more drawn in by the cinematography that this film expressed. It absolutely screamed “summer” with its warm colors, nostalgic scenes, and desaturated color palette. Summer reminds me a lot of youth, living, and life, so it was refreshing to see this portrayed in such a soft, mellow way. Overall, this drama got me to think a lot about relationships, work life, and my 20s. It also helped me to see a shift in Korea’s work culture mindset. Before, academics were everything in Korea. You had to be book smart to get by. However, now, society has shifted more towards wanting a balance and living comfortably (portrayed by Choi). This drama got me somewhat hopeful again because one day I would love to professionally work in South Korea, but I always have this fear that I am not cut out to assimilate into the tiger culture. But, I was excited to see that Korea is slowly, but surely starting to change and emphasize a holistic working experience.

[Peace Nyeche]

I've been meaning to watch Our Beloved Summer! This was such a sweet analysis of the drama. I watched the first episode but fell off after that. I'm motivated to watch it again. It's easy to get caught up in the cliché and cute love stories often seen in dramas but you make a good point about the social commentary present in a lot of the story lines. On my next watch I'm going to pay closer attention!