The new K-drama Last Summer is heating up with conflict. The show, which premiered on November 1, features actors Lee Jae Wook and Choi Sung Eun as childhood friends whose relationship is now filled with tension. In the latest episode, their characters faced off in a public argument that left one of them speechless.
The Story Behind the Conflict
Last Summer is a romance drama about two childhood friends, Baek Do Ha and Song Ha Kyung, who are forced to confront a hidden truth about their first love. The story unlocks a Pandora’s box of emotions from their past.
Lee Jae Wook takes on the challenging dual role of twin brothers Baek Do Ha and Baek Do Young. After their parents’ divorce, the brothers were raised on different continents, only reuniting for 21 days each summer. Choi Sung Eun plays Song Ha Kyung, a civil servant who grew up next door to the twins and shared those summer days with them.
A few years before the present day, a shocking incident involving the twins caused Do Ha and Ha Kyung to have a major falling out, ending their friendship. The drama begins as Do Ha returns to his hometown for good, and a legal dispute over the sale of their childhood home, the “Peanut House,” forces them to face each other again.
A Public Clash Leaves Ha Kyung Speechless
Newly released stills from the drama’s upcoming third episode showed the conflict between Do Ha and Ha Kyung spilling into a professional setting. Baek Do Ha, a talented architect, gave a presentation proposing a project to remodel a closed school into an observatory. Wearing a sharp suit, he presented his ideas smoothly in front of the local mayor.
Song Ha Kyung was in the audience, watching his presentation. She became frustrated as she was unable to figure out what he was thinking. As Do Ha successfully wrapped up his presentation, a character named Jeon Ye Eun blindsided Ha Kyung with a surprise question, putting her on the spot.
With all eyes now on her, Ha Kyung gave an awkward response after a period of silence. Do Ha immediately questioned her answer, leading to a tense exchange between the two former friends. The quick-witted and eloquent Do Ha managed to leave Ha Kyung tongue-tied and at a loss for words.
A Deeper Mystery and Falling Ratings
The previous episode deepened the mystery surrounding the characters’ past. It was revealed that Ha Kyung possesses a box containing an old name tag belonging to Do Ha’s twin brother, Baek Do Young. This suggests that Do Young is at the root of the incident that caused Do Ha and Ha Kyung’s relationship to fall apart two years ago.
In a dramatic scene, Ha Kyung risked her life during a heavy rainstorm to retrieve this mysterious box from her flooded basement, showing just how important its contents are to her.
Despite the escalating drama, Last Summer has struggled with its television ratings. The second episode, which aired on November 2, recorded a nationwide viewership of 2.2%. This was a drop from the first episode’s 2.7% rating. The show’s performance has fallen below the final ratings of its predecessor on KBS, raising concerns about the channel’s weekend drama strategy.
The production team had previously expressed high hopes for the series, with Lee Jae Wook himself joking before its premiere that he hoped for “30% ratings.” He had also admitted, “Sometimes I’m not sure what viewers want these days. I’d be grateful even for 10%.” That goal, however, now seems distant.
Online, some viewers have noted that the show’s strong cast and beautiful cinematography are positives, but that the story lacks a strong hook in its early stages. Others have been supportive, with comments like, “It’s actually fun — the competition on weekends is just too strong.”
Last Summer airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM KST on KBS 2TV. International viewers can watch the drama on the streaming platform Viki.
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