Whether it is a back-to-childhood-memories homecoming saga, a romantic beach date or a viral high-school summer documentary bringing teenage sweethearts together after years, these K-dramas feel like a summer full of soft sunshine and cosy breezes.
Our Beloved Summer
Released in: 2021
Cast: Kim Da-mi, Choi Woo-shik, Roh Jeong Eui, Kim Sung-cheol
Plotline: Centering around a high-school romance between a couple who film a documentary together that later goes viral, the series brings back lost love and traces changing relationships by juxtaposing the past and present. As the characters learn about themselves and each other by exploring how the past has shaped them, viewers will be immersed in their nostalgic remembrances.
Summer feels: A trip down memory lane is a summer staple for screens, and the plot studded with high-school memories makes for a relaxed and nostalgic summer-break feel. As the couple navigates the past and present, exploring the bittersweet graph of their relationship, viewers will be reminded of their own fond childhood memories, back in their high-school days.
Summer Strike
Released in: 2022
Cast: Im Si-wan, Kim Seolhyun
Plotline: Based on the webtoon by Joo-Young-Hyun with the same title, Summer Strike traces the emotional growth of Yeo-rum (Seolhyun), and her romantic encounter with Dae-bom (Si-wan) in a small seaside town where she retreats to find solace after losing her mother and being abandoned by her boyfriend. The gradual blossoming of the romance and Yeo-rum’s simultaneous rediscovery of herself is the locus of this emotionally rich drama.
Summer feels: A heartbroken and grief-stricken soul finding peace and building itself anew in a fresh seaside setting makes for the perfect summery watch. The show feels like a beam of sunshine for everyone who has lost and found themselves, navigating the emotional hardships of life.
Nevertheless
Released in: 2021
Cast: Han So-hee, Song Kang, Chae Jong Hyeop
Plotline: The story follows Na-bi (So-hee), a sculpture student, as she confronts the complexities of love and the fragility of relationships in her encounter with Park Jae-on (Song Kang), who seems both like a blessing and a curse to the heartbroken Na-bi, betrayed by her previous lover. Her oscillating feelings about Jae-on’s volatile attentions, her uncertain career as an artist and her loneliness amidst friends provides a very relatable experience to a teenage or young adult audience.
Summer feels: The college romance, rooftop hangouts, and especially Na-bi’s beachside musings with her childhood friend, Do-hyoek, and the brightly lit days at her aunt’s seaside country house feel as cosy and homely as a summer vacation. Although dealing with intense emotions and the complex challenges of growing into an adult, Nevertheless still paints a soothing summery picture that feels like vivid pastel hues.
Love Next Door
Released in: 2024
Cast: Jung Hae-in, Jung So-min
Plotline: A tale of rediscovery and homecoming, fulfilling lost dreams and closing emotional distance within families, Love Next Door charts Bae Seuk-ryu (So-min) and Choi Seung-ho’s (Hae-in) journey towards reclaiming the inner child. A time capsule buried years ago in their high-school backyard serves as the leading symbol of a quest to reclaim their past, conquering the stain of materialistic responsibility hurled at the leading pair by adulthood.
Summer feels: As an exhausted Seok-ryu rediscovers her passion and dreams after quitting an exploitative corporate career, and Seung-ho moulds his art into reality as a budding interior designer in their hometown, the show feels like a warm hug full of bright sunshine as the present is juxtaposed with a past with fond memories of unbreakable high-school friendships.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Released in: 2021
Cast: Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi
Plotline: A love story set in Jeju Island, the show follows a dentist, played by Shin Min-a, as she rebuilds her career in a small seaside village where she had spent a childhood vacation. After getting into a conflict with her boss, she sets up her practice in the Jeju village, owing to an absence of dentists there. Her relocating journey turns into a romantic one as she is assisted by a free-spirited jack-of-all-trades, Hong Do Shik (Kim Seon-ho).
Summer feels: A journey towards love and companionship while building a new life in a setting filled with nostalgia of childhood, the story set in the bright, sunny backdrop of Jeju definitely makes for a summery watch. The seaside becomes a central character in the show, making us crave some surf and sand in this weather.
Lovely Runner
Released in: 2024
Cast: Byeon Woo-seok, Kim Hye-yoon
Plotline: With a sprinkle of magic realism, Lovely Runner is a warm, bittersweet emotional rollercoaster with the dynamics of youthful ambition and its consequent challenges. The dream-romance of a top-tier celebrity and his fan with a twist of time travel, the show highlights the delicate dynamics of relationships that are sustained through screens.
Summer feels: The youthful admiration of Im-sol (Hye-yoon) for Seon Jae (Woo-seok) will remind everyone of the cherished celebrities who have made us believe that dreams come true, much like the warm sunbeams of a bright summer. As the time-travel sequence takes Im-sol back to Seon Jae’s youth where she struggles to alter the future reality of his untimely demise, the show compels viewers to reassess their own past and bring back the summery days of youth they had lost to the harsh reality of life.