Three Idiots
Ji-ung reflects on his past and decides that he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. He goes to bed, disappointed with his mother’s indifference.
This article is a harsh reminder of how he’s craving affection from her and receiving nothing. This is only exacerbated by Choi-Ung’s close relationship with his parents, with Ji-ung observing their closeness. Most of Ji-Ung’s childhood he’s grown up feeling alone.
Ji-Ung’s mother blames her son for living a pathetic life, which she admits to him while drinking soju one night. It’s disgusting and heartbreaking, and completely understandable why Ji-Ung has turned out the way he has. Personally, it would have been nice to receive this flashback 10 episodes ago but it’s an important scene to understanding his character nonetheless.
In the present, we skip back to Yeon-Su who is sleeping on the sofa when Choi-Ung comes home with some nice gifts. He puts emphasis on how long he waited at the shop and how he wanted to make sure Yeon-Su was happy. Yeon-Su decides they should hang out together, watching random TV and drawing Jjongjong.
Choi-ung continues to spoil her, buying boxes full of gifts for Yeon-Su. Eun-ho worries that too many gifts could be overwhelming but he’s not deterred. However, the big drive here is Choi-ung’s exhibit, which is coming up very soon.
Yeon-Su is going to hold off and visit on the final day, making sure she doesn’t take the limelight away from him, given their relationship.
Meanwhile, Sol-Yi continues to grow affectionate over Eun-Ho. He fails to see the signs though, despite talking softly to him and playing with her hair. Anyway, when he hands over the invitation, we skip across to NJ who also contemplates whether to go to the exhibit or not.
Ji-Ung is struggling to come to terms with his mother’s diagnosis and the fact that his girlfriend is worried about him. Ms. Lee tries to convince her friend to give Ji-Ung some time, but things are getting tough.
Chae-Ran eventually sits down with Ji-Ung and calls him out for moping. She believes that all of this is because of Yeon-Su, unaware of what’s happening with his mum. He’s standoffish and refuses to open up. Eventually he smiles thinly and thanks her for worrying. However, it doesn’t do anything to quell her feelings for him.
The Yeon-Su exhibition goes ahead and after ringing Yeon-Su just before, Choi-ung faces the press and greets all the different visitors who marvel at his work.
This exhibit is the talk of the town, with two of Yeon-Su’s colleagues discussing how good it was. In the background, Yeon-Su notices two schoolkids running about and it makes her reminisce on school moments with Choi-ung in the library. Eventually Yeon-Su admits to the pair that Choi-ung is her boyfriend.
On the final day, Yeon-Su heads to the exhibition but NJ shows up first. The thing is, she’s actually bought all the tickets for herself and that certainly catches Choi-ung off-guard. She shakes hands with him as a sign of their friendship, pointing out that making an impression is far more her jam than actually spending a lot of time together. Okay then.
It is a heartwarming moment when Yeon-Su’s grandmother encourages Yeon-Su to keep people close to her and enjoy her life. She also tells Yeon-Su not to live like she has.
Choi-ung, the director of the art exhibition, is absent from the event. In her place, Nu-A, an outsider who has been critical of Choi-ung’s lack of progress, shows up. Nu-A openly admits to stealing his paintings too and scoffs at Choi-ung’s lack of advancement. ..
Eun-Ho eventually arrives and tells the reporters everything. The thing is, Nu-A’s words cut deep, as he claims to pity Choi-ung and scoffs at how empty the paintings are.
Choi-Ung swallows hard before heading out for drinks with Ji-Ung. Despite them being friends, Ji-Ung’s absence from the exhibition has certainly annoyed him. When he finds out Ji-Ung’s mum is going to pass away, Choi-ung’s mood changes instantly. Ji-Ung admits he doesn’t feel sad about his mum’s death, which obviously raises a myriad of emotions for him. ..
When Choi-Ung returns home, he finds Yeon-Su sitting outside on her own. She’s worried she’s ruined everything and apologizes. Choi-Ung reassures her though, telling Yeon-Su she’s not going to ruin anything, as she admits to being in so much pain. As Choi-ung holds her hands, the pair head inside together. ..
The Episode Review
In this final episode of Beloved Summer, we see pent-up emotions start to bubble over as Choi-Ung maturesly tackles criticisms. Seeing Ji-Ung open up about his mum and how he’s feeling is another positive step forward.
The flashbacks at the start of this episode really do help to show how awful Ji-Ung’s childhood has been. I’m not usually one to judge parents as I know how hard it is to raise kids, but my god, there’s no excuse for the cold way she’s treated Ji-Ung growing up. No wonder he doesn’t want to go home.
Despite that though, this is still Ji-ung’s mother we’re talking about and finding out she’s dying is hitting him harder than expected, given how conflicted he must feel – especially as he doesn’t feel sad.
Ji-ung throws himself wholeheartedly into his work in this series, Our Beloved Summer, which captures the essence of summer well. ..
With one final episode, the show is almost ready to end. There are still a lot of unresolved issues and with one final episode, they will be resolved.
