#kook yeonsu

[snoozebin]

— “My dream is to bask in the sun during the day and to lie underneath a lamp at night.”

🌿— 🌴 — 🍃

[ephemic]

[allthebleus]

Why didn't Woong say he loved Yeonsu, even once (as she suggests) throughout their relationship?

The part of Our Beloved Summer fandom that keeps repeating and expressing disappointment at Woong's inability to verbally support Yeonsu is funny and lighthearted only to an extent. Just like a lot of people missed Yeonsu's side in the first half, I feel like people might miss his in the second because we focus much more on the emotional turmoil than the underlying factors contributing to it.

As maddening as it is that Woong did not say, 'I love you", perhaps through the course of their rs in the way Yeonsu wanted to hear. And as frustrating as it is that he several times missed the cue to reassure her by giving her verbal confirmation, a lot of us need to understand that it is not, like Yeonsu brushes it off superficially, caused by his obliviousness. He might have been ignorant to how much of an impact withholding that had, but I have a feeling that there is much more to it than just him not realizing.

Woong resists being vulnerable, he doesn't let people watch him work. He doesn't react to anything harsh in the way other people do. He takes a passive, less confrontational course of action. The only time he has been confrontational is when he got mad at Yeonsu, and even then, he is never able to say things as he wants to. An example being that as desperately as he wants her to stay with him, like when she went to his room during the trip, he never manages to say it. Would Yeonsu have stayed had he asked? We don't know, maybe she would have panicked. But Yeonsu is never given the choice, Woong reaches out, he is awake, he silently begs her to stay. To be able to hold on. But he doesn't express it in a way that she can be sure.

Often verbal confirmation brings vulnerability, you must put the guard of playful annoyance, or nonchalance, or lightheartedness down. You have to look a person in the eye and remind them, that you see them, and for you to do that, you must admit the power that they hold over you to yourself. I think Woong's character has a hard time being vulnerable in that sense, which is why he brushes off anything that may suggest that the other person can affect him as severely as people around him might think.

(They also revisit this detail in the flashbacks of Woong running away, as a kid, when asked to 'talk' about his family. Woong chooses to hide and flee the situation. A few people pointed out it was going to be an interesting backstory, and I think they're right. I also think that that links again, to his inability to verbally express things that might make him vulnerable.)

This is very important, because this why Woong's character is more than just a fool in love.

The only person Woong expresses more than just his obvious annoyance to, is Yeonsu. The scene during their relationship, when Woong says, "You are not allowed to leave me," is a moment of vulnerability. He is telling Yeonsu that her absence will leave a deep mark on him, one he might not be able to bear. In the scene of her confession, he is having a hard time looking at her when he says, 'No, I don't know, so remind me over and over.'

In both the scenes, Woong has a hard time looking right at her and expressing it openly that he likes her, loves her even, and cannot handle her leaving him. He refuses to openly express how much he loves her, because he is afraid perhaps, that if he gives it his all and is abandoned, he will not be able to continue living life the way he had been.

"Being lonely from the start is okay, being lonely once you've been with someone. I don't want to experience that ever again."

Yeonsu was not the only person who put a lot on the line when it came to their relationship, so was he. But he also held a lot back. His struggle to control himself, and keep himself passive around her is proven every time he says something that exposes directly how much pain he's been through. "That's not the only thing you ruined", " The one who always ruins me, is you", "I'm so sick of this" etc etc. are all situations where Woong's walls have crumbled and he's openly admitting hurt and pain. And almost immediately, he recoils back and scolds himself for saying anything that may have shown him as a "fool". This is very interesting, because like Yeonsu had her reasons for being the one to call things off, Woong might not have wanted to continue their rs like that either.

During their breakup scene, Yeonsu is barely holding herself together. Woong asks her whether he's the one thing she can throw away so easily, Yeonsu answers that he's the only thing. To Woong, her words mean he is the only disposable thing. To her, they mean he's all she has.

In the entire scene sequence, he keeps asking her questions as she walks away. He's hurt. But he doesn't try to ask her to stay, because what would he do if she still walked away? How much would that hurt? How could offer his heart to her like this, only for her to abandon him?

Yeonsu isn't the only one who had pride.

This repeats itself every time Woong confronts her, or wants her to stay. The parallels of them learning to put their walls down by confrontation are very interesting. Because yesterday's episode shows Yeonsu doing what Woong has already done. She confronts him about his inability to tell her to stay, that he loves her, and that he wants her still. Woong did the same in the episode where he waited before her house, he was in overwhelming pain when he asked her why they could not ask each other how they've been, or how its been for them.

He puts down his walls and asks a question, one that requires them to sit and talk. He is admittedly putting himself out there, and funnily, Yeonsu runs away. Yeonsu is not prepared to face him, not then, nor is she ready to listen to him or tell him how she has felt and been. And this is proven when she stays while he is half unconscious, despite the fact that his confession to having a very painful time after she left hurts her.

All of this puts the breakup in new perspective, and both the actors are phenomenal at their jobs that just their body languages alone convey all this without words. As Yeonsu is walking away, Woong looks hurt but resigned, as if he has known that this was coming. As if he no longer has the energy to fight for them, as if the relationship took as much toll on him as it did on her. He knows they don't work, and his downward spiral may be caused by the push of their breakup, but it is never the sole cause.

So, all the people who dislike episode 9. Just a reminder that relationships are never isolated experiences, and that when breakups like these happen, there is a much bigger picture than merely the factors that contributed to it directly. Those issues need to be addressed independent of the relationships first, before reconciliation can happen. And that's why Woong did not say he loved her still, and wanted to date her still despite everything. Because if the writer played into the hands of a quick happy ending, it would not be realistic and they wouldn't work, and we'd be back to square one.

It's very important that we, as the audience, acknowledge these little things for more than surface value. Because otherwise the conclusion and confrontations will not make sense. And I'd hate to see this show end with people hating on it just because it did not end or conclude in the way they wanted it to.

[alsktudy]

i want to punch myself choi ung is such a green flag

[uncolorize]

Kook Yeonsu icons from Our Beloved Summer webtoon

[neverlandsky]

these hands had to let it go free, and this love came back to me <3

right person, wrong time, but eventually, right time.

choi ung × kook yeonsu (our beloved summer) & lee ikjun × chae songhwa (hospital playlist)

[cesimnida]

[KDRAMA REVIEW] Our Beloved Summer

I am a sucker for slow-burn romances, angst and all that and this one is just right up my alley!!! If you love those things, I definitely recommend OBS for you! To be honest, my mind's a little clouded and I am not yet done crying as I am drafting this but I want to write this as soon as possible so I won't forget the feeling.

Note: I want this to be as spoiler free as possible but I might have spoiled some minor things.

Our Beloved Summer is one of my most anticipated dramas; Wooshik's acting got me ever since I saw him in Train to Busan and I really liked Dami's performance in Itaewon Class. I haven't watched The Witch Part I yet though but yes, I'm planning to watch it soon (maybe this weekend?). Initially, I expected this as a typical rom-com drama where they were high school friends whose relationship developed through the years and ended up as lovers in the present. Amazingly, adding up the ex-lovers trope SERIOUSLY SEALED THE DEAL FOR ME. However, I started the drama 3 weeks late because I was trying to finish another drama before committing myself to OBS. Since reading the plot, I was pretty sure that I won't be able to finish any other drama once I start this because I will be so invested in it. Turns out I was right and thankfully, I managed finishing my previously currently watching drama before starting it.

Watching Our Beloved Summer was such a treat because the story-telling and transition is so smooth even though we have two timelines - the past and present lives (or documentary) of Ung and Yeonsoo. Even with this, I never felt confused while watching which is a plus for me as I get confused with alternating timelines easily. Additionally, I LOVE the OSTs! The songs play just in time to make a scene more meaningful and emotional which was very effective in triggering my tears most of the time. I have also read the OST translations and I kid you not, being able to know the meaning behind the lyrics adds up to the emotional effect of the songs every time it's played in a certain scene. I never NOT cried hearing There For You ever since I read the translations, I swear! The lyrics are related to their story, it felt like they're Yeonsu and Ung's letters for each other. It was such a wonderful feeling being able to watch a drama that can make you feel like you are also involved in the story because watching Our Beloved Summer made me feel like I was watching Ung and Yeonsu’s story behind Ji Ung's lenses.

Dami and Wooshik went above and beyond my expectations! The ✨chemistry✨ was over the top, their micro-expressions and the little details they add in their acting (e.g., those on cue tears, facial expressions, little adlibs, etc.) made a big difference and they definitely owned Yeonsu and Ung. They made themselves as their characters and it's hard to imagine different actors playing the roles they played in this drama. Actually, the supporting characters did a stellar job as well! This is why I really liked the ending: they gave their friends and family their well-deserved spotlights in the last episode! Honestly, this is one of the best endings I have ever watched, they wrapped it up so beautifully I'm so speechless, all I did was cry happy tears.

Our Beloved Summer is not just about ex-lovers meeting and falling in love again but instead, it's a tale of two individuals finding the path in confronting their fears and past that haunts them, being able to overcome these with the help of the people they love most and of course, themselves. It's about acceptance of past mistakes, forgiveness and growth. They also perfectly showed that healing is a painful process but it isn't impossible to overcome if you have the right mindset and a good set of support system - that quality is better than quantity and communication is always the key. And most importantly, it showed us the beauty in finding a love you thought was lost and it taught us to trust the process - that there's always a chance in discovering what you truly want for yourself and being happy again.

It's heartwarming to see the relationship and dynamics they have with the people around them. Even though small in numbers but it is of good quality - just what they needed. It made me realize that having just the right amount of people you can trust is the life I wish to have. Having these people around and sometimes telling them what they needed to hear allowed them to grow outside their comfort zones and realize, albeit later than I expected, how lucky they are for having them in the good and bad times of their life. Being able to witness their journey was such a ride and I'd love to experience it all over again by re-watching it!

Thinking of it, the plot is simple but it was written and executed so beautifully and will most certainly stay in my heart for a long time. The way they showed us the different love languages being present in the leads' relationship added a different kind of intimacy to the scenes, it's such a wonderful thing to watch. The journey was full of tears, happy and sad, but definitely worth it! My only complaint is that I thought this was a rom-com but why do I feel like I cried most of the time? Lol. But still, 100/10!

Thank you OBS team! That was a good run. I'll probably have a hard time watching a new series so I'll just bask into the OBS greatness for now.

[yearnind]

the unforeseeable burden of love at first sight

our beloved summer + pride and prejudice, jane austen // at the beginning, anastasia ost // rebecca, daphne dumaurier