Last Summer (2025)

Annoying leads in a mediocre storyline with nothing new to offer

I had huge hopes from this drama but it turned out to be absolute generic and dud. This is one of those drama where things get sorted out in last 2 eps and till then all you get is an immature, obnoxius and bratty FL and a doormat of a nostalgia clingy ML who just can't take NO for an answer and also not move on. At this point it is not even funny but annoying to see when the two are together. This is one of those dramas where I would rather have the leads not end up together. The chemistry between them is mediocre to say the best, hell FL has better chemistry with 2ML and even their conversations are somewhat decent to watch.

The issue with the drama is that things between the leads makes you so frustrated that even when they get together you won't feel any spark or butterflies watching them. It simply bores you and does nothing else.

The cast is good but got screwed by the mediocre and draggy story

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The description spoiled the twist; The love triangle ruined the plot.

I hate spoilers so much that these days I don't trust to read descriptions I never watch trailers and tend not to look at posters too closely. I barely glanced at the description of this one and I still was spoiled and even if I hadn't, there was an article a few days ago about how this series is Lee Jaewook's first double role. For me this is seriously upsetting to the point that I would even drop the series. I am not going to though, not yet.

In the first 2 episodes we met our leads, Song Ha Gyeong and Baek Do Ha who have an interesting love hate relationship, they're super adorable bickering 99% of the time it's rom-com 101 nothing new but it still feels fresh, reminds me of Welcome to Samdalri, Our beloved summer and Love next door.

We still don't know what exactly happened in the past to make Song Ha Gyeong so angry but we do know unfortunately that there's a twin involved even though aside from a name tag he hasn't been mentioned or shown on screen (as far as we know).

I'll do my best to let go of my annoyance and continue to watch he story unfold in the upcoming episodes.
I've watched this week's episodes and this is the last time I whine about this, I promise🤞🏼 had the twin not been revealed in the promotions it would've been so cute to see Doyoung appear in episode 3.

Episode 3 BTW has been my favorite out of the 4 episodes out so far. The reveal of the twin and how wholesome their friendship was. Now we know why the rift happened and I can understand both of them although I think Song Hayoung is being a bit to harsh.

I am loving this drama so so much and I cannot wait to see more, like I need to watch episode 5 right now.

I was s bit sad to see the ratings dropping week by week as I'm having a nice time watching. I kept thinking that maybe it was all matter of tastes and I was just seeing something that the other viewers weren't.

Episode 6 changed my mind. Why just why the live triangle?? I had heard rumors that there would be one with the lawyer, but it didn't make sense with how the story was going so I hoped it was a misunderstanding. I truly do not mind a love triangle, I'd prefer a story that doesn't include one, but when they do I just go with it.

There is enough drama already, a love triangle makes absolutely no sense, the confession from the lawyer comes out of nowhere and her actually considering him makes even less sense. The upcoming episodes better make it make sense or at least make funny for me to follow through with 6 more episodes of this mess.

I quit!

I couldn't even finish episode 7. The writers suddenly forgot about the dead twin and past traumas to introduce the laziest plot device, a love triangle and I repeat I do not mind a love triangle but it has to make sense!!!

I have second male lead syndrome, bad, even fully knowing that he doesn't stand a chance I still root for him to get the girl. In this case it's not only that it makes absolutely no sense to add a love triangle plot to an already drama packed story, it's that a man who seemed like an all around good man, very atractive, kind, nice job, considerate etc. has suddenly turned into a creep. He could've just been a friend to hagyeong but now all of his past comments and actions just seem sleezy and wrong. It made me so uncomfortable that I have to stop. I no longer care what happens.

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"Last Summer" is not merely a K-drama; it is a thorough study on memory, distance, and unfulfilled pledges forged under the summer sun.

It is the story of how three lives, branded by a childhood separation, become irreversibly entangled by the ephemeral magic of annual holidays.

The narrative focuses on the twin brothers, Baek Do Ha and Baek Do Yeong (Lee Jae-wook), who attempt to reconnect in their father's house, alongside the ever-present neighbour, Song Ha Gyeong (Choi Sung-eun).

The plot thrives on the relationship between Ha Gyeong and Do Ha: their shift from childhood rivals to close confidantes, and ultimately, to unvoiced love. The series brilliantly captures the youthful fervour of summer romances, where every hour is precious and the dread of separation is the unspoken narrator. How do you admit your feelings to someone you know will simply disappear when August ends?

The leap forward to adulthood, where Do Ha is a gifted architect and Ha Gyeong is a council official in the same field, is far from a clean slate. Instead, the drama employs their professions—which involve constructing and defining spaces—to illustrate how the past persistently shapes the architecture of their lives.

"Last Summer" is an essential K-drama if you appreciate tales featuring polished melodrama, where nostalgic slice of life runs headlong into the heavy burden of adult accountability.

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The House That Remembers

Starting from the third episode, I grew quite skeptical about this series, largely because of the female lead and her temperament. The story unfolds slowly—very slowly—and so does the heroine herself. Yet toward the end, she undergoes a truly beautiful transformation: she becomes a pleasant, endearing young woman with sparkling eyes, and in many ways even outshines the actor. It seems to me that she is the one who creates the show’s unique atmosphere, and her role turns out to be far more compelling.

The actor performs ok, but I do not feel any real chemistry between him and the heroine—he seems to be giving only the bare minimum. And the initial cause of their animosity I never fully understood, nor how they eventually managed to resolve it.

The secondary couple is charming.

But the true “protagonist” of this series remains the house itself. The people who live in it, the memories it preserves, and the emotions it evokes form an entire life of their own—an authentic family home.

The brother’s narrative arc is poorly developed, marked by numerous emotional inconsistencies, and the same can be said of the family dynamics (relations with the father, mother, and so on).

And although the series does not rely on tired clichés and its premise is rather fresh, the director ultimately fails to explore and deepen certain themes, leaving us on a somewhat superficial level.

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Emotional Depth Held Back by Pacing

This is so my type of show — very character-driven, with main leads needing to come to terms with their past, etc. It reminded me a little of Welcome to Samdalri, which I loved (and honestly, I started watching this drama because Lee Jaewook was in it). So why a 7.0 then? I was between a 7 and a 7.5 because I still enjoyed it, but looking back there were a lot of issues that I couldn’t ignore.

For one, the pacing was all over the place. The beginning was slow and a little confusing, and they really dragged out the reveal about the twins. But the fact that they were twins didn’t even end up playing that big of a role in the climax. Because of the delayed reveal, you would think it would be a bigger deal, but it ended up not being one. Then the pacing got faster, then slowed down again, and then got even slower at the end. Honestly, there was a lot of “happiness” at the end with the wedding of the second leads. The main leads got together, and then there were still two and a half episodes left! Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it (but also I’m super happy in real life right now and just chilling, not pressed for time).

Another thing was the climax of the story. The reveal about why they weren’t together kind of made sense but didn’t fully explain all of the tension and the passage of time. I can empathize with and understand the characters’ feelings, but there were so many different plot lines that all added to the climax, which made it a little harder to follow (and they didn’t even further develop those storylines). When the climax did happen, it didn’t feel satisfying enough, because it was built on so many different misunderstandings that I lost the plot.

Basically, Song’s mother had just passed away, and then she found out Baek Doha was pretending to be Baek Doyoung while he was missing, presumably dead. She got mad and told him to leave and never come back. Later you find out she has a pattern of saying the opposite of what she means. Baek Doha feels guilty and actually listens to her. Two years go by, and then he comes back. Song is angry and cold to him, but it turns out it’s because she has abandonment issues — she doesn’t want to get close and then see him leave her again (her mom died, her dad ran away after, her foster siblings always left, Doyoung went to the mountains then died, Doha went back to the States and only visited in the summer). She eventually comes around when she realizes how much she cares about him.

In between, she briefly dates the lawyer because she wanted to be an adult and not revert to her childish ways when she’s with Doha. Doha, on the other hand, still feels guilty over his brother, thinking he was always selfish and took what his brother wanted (Song). It turns out his brother always wanted what was best for him and wanted to help him truly belong, which is why he did the whole three-stars constellation thing. He had supported Song and Doha’s relationship the whole time. Song helps him realize that — which becomes the climax at the mountain — and then happily ever after. She addresses her abandonment issues when Doha leaves for the US and comes back, and also when she reunites with her dad.

The second-lead storyline is basically a 12-year relationship where they hid their true emotions and pretended to always be happy, partly because the guy is a wheelchair user after a hockey accident. They break up, realize the truth, and get back together.

So basically, expectations didn’t match the climax enough. Nothing really happened — just a lot of misunderstandings and self-guilt in the context of grief. Which does make sense, and I do empathize, but it makes the drama only a 7.0… BUT one that I completed! The second-lead storyline was also based on misunderstanding and lack of proper communication. I thought they would do more with the disability representation, but I was a little disappointed.

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LJW and wrong script selection habits

I really really really want to watch it but nooo. I CAN’T.
Every time when I saw LJW is in the romcom I’m getting excited. But every time scripts are problems. It is the second time he chosed wrong script. He has a lot of potential he is a great actor but he selected wrong script. He needs to change his agency or should wabt to changed script.


Does the FL ever grow up even a little? Her character is so annoying. If Lee Jae Wook weren’t in this drama, I would have dropped it immediately. The way her character is written is just awful. He lost his twin brother — how is she somehow more dramatic and regretful about it than the person who actually lost family? She never asks why he acted like his brother. It’s like she constantly needs to be the center of attention.

And her ex-boyfriend… wow. How did she ever date someone like him? Her standards dropped so much. You can’t even compare Baek Do to this guy.

Baek Do is trying to protect her. He thinks she wouldn’t be able to handle the truth. But she’s always looking for someone to blame, and Baek Do is the one who ends up taking all of it.

I want to watch LJW, but not with this kind of script. His potential is so, so high, but the scripts he gets are always problematic.I really really really want to watch it but nooo. I CAN’T.
Every time when I saw LJW is in the romcom I’m getting excited. But every time scripts are problems. It is the second time he chosed wrong script. He has a lot of potential he is a great actor but he selected wrong script. He needs to change his agency or should wabt to changed script.

I also feel sorry for the FL. She’s still a relatively new actress, and she has to act out this messy character. She can’t even show her real potential because of the writing.

I just want to watch LJW in a smooth, well-written romantic drama… 🥹

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Promises

Contrary to many negative reviews, I enjoyed the series.
The story of this two-family house with shared spaces and the problems of these two co-owners who have disagreements over the sale of the house are unique. His return from the US, the project for an observatory to honor the memory of a shared person, childhood memories, feelings of guilt... the twin's twist, and little by little, the puzzle comes together.

The beginning made me think of "Love Next Door," since he's an architect and meets his long-lost friend, but then the similarities end there.
I liked the main actors and their bickering. Her excuses for pushing him away and his ploys to stay close to her, adoptive parents of this dog, the rules of coexistence, the search for tickets to while away the wait, their jealousy, their intertwined hands...
I'd love to see them act together again.
Perhaps the characters and stories of the supporting characters could have been explored more deeply, especially the story of the two friends, but after all, the series only has 12 episodes instead of the usual 16.

A 9 for the sound effects, such as the fluttering of eyelashes, and the beautiful songs.
It's a real shame the series hasn't been appreciated as it should.
I can't explain the huge gap between the reviews on Viki and those on MDL.

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I don't know if I have faith to keep watching . .

This is patriarchal romantic tropes at their worst. The main female lead is clumsy, incompetent, irrationally emotional to the point of endangering her home and her life, in poor mental health but not seeking any help for it, has a weird ex boyfriend stalker,. . . .just indignity after indignity and not one action or decision that you can take pride in.

Then!! In sweeps handsome, at the top of his career male lead, chiding her for handling everything so poorly and offering to help . . . and she in a fit of pettiness refuses and ends up in over her head *literally* anyway. You see . . . he was right all along. She doesn't know what she wants or needs- but he does. Everything she plans goes wrong, everything he plans goes right.

The only positive of this drama is unlike Love Next Door (which had some similar overlapping premises), Lee Jae Wong plays an adult male who is ready and able to be in a relationship. He is concerned, protective without being overbearing and does not act like a child with his first crush ( a problem with many dramas with similar premises).

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Eu realmente gostei! Gosto da temática desse drama.

Foi uma surpresa muito acolhedora para mim. Gosto de dramas que tratam de questões emocionais de forma construtiva, explorando sentimentos reais e resoluções sinceras, e esse faz exatamente isso. Ele trabalha com temas que facilmente se conectam à nossa vida: o hábito de guardar ressentimentos, de engolir emoções e, muitas vezes, de sempre priorizar o sentimento do outro enquanto deixamos os nossos de lado.

Algo que me conquistou logo de início é que essa sensibilidade não está apenas nos protas. Ela se espalha para o casal secundário e para toda a trama, criando uma história envolvente e cheia de camadas. Cada episódio traz uma pequena conclusão, mas logo desperta uma nova curiosidade e isso me prendeu do começo ao fim. É aquele tipo de drama que te faz querer assistir “só mais um episódio” porque você sabe que existe algo para entender, eu acho isso MUITO legal.

Chorei bastante, especialmente nos episódios sobre o irmão do prota, na parte da resolução envolvendo o irmão, então… Foi emocionante, profundo e, ao mesmo tempo, leve. E é essa leveza que torna o drama tão agradável. Ele não é cheio de pesares, intrigas exageradas ou maldades gratuitas. Mesmo quando a prota parece um pouco irritante no início, rapidamente fica claro que seus sentimentos são genuínos e compreensíveis. Afinal, ela vivia um relacionamento baseado em apenas 21 dias juntos por ano, precisando lidar sozinha com um turbilhão emocional e ele também.

O romance é doce, gradual e respeita o tempo de cada um. Eles se bicam mas no fundo é sentimento PURO (fofos)

No final, não senti pontas soltas. Tudo foi bem amarrado, bonito e gostoso de acompanhar. Para mim, foi leve, emocional na medida certa, envolvente e perfeito para quem gosta de histórias com profundidade, mas sem carregar o coração. Vale a pena!!!!

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Un été plein de souvenirs… mais vide d’émotions...

“Last Summer”, c’est l’histoire de ces étés de jeunesse qui te marquent à vie... ceux qu’on croit anodins sur le moment… avant de comprendre qu’ils ont tout façonné. Ici, on suit Song Ha-kyeong, la voisine de la "maison siamoise" un peu bornée mais avec un cœur immense, qui grandit chaque année aux côtés des deux frères jumeaux Baek Do-ha et Baek Do-yeong. L’un vit aux États-Unis, l’autre en Corée, mais pendant 21 jours chaque été 🌞, ils se retrouvent tous dans cette fameuse “maison siamoise”, qui devient leur petit monde hors du temps.

Ha-kyeong grandit en se chamaillant avec Do-ha, ce “summer guest” qui débarque toujours comme un typhon dans sa vie… et qu’elle finit évidemment par aimer en silence 😊. Puis les années passent, ils deviennent adultes, lui est un architecte ultra talentueux, elle, elle travaille dans l’urbanisme, mais un incident survenu deux ans plus tôt a tout fracassé entre eux 💔. Depuis, ils vivent avec ce passé suspendu, rempli de non-dits, de blessures et de sentiments qu'ils n'ont jamais vraiment affrontés.

Sur le papier, tout est là pour me plaire... la nostalgie, les regrets, les fantômes du passé. Le drama baigne dans une ambiance douce, brumeuse, dès l’épisode 1, ont sent que quelque chose s’était cassé… et que ça n’a jamais vraiment guéri. Mais malgré ça, pendant les deux premiers épisodes, je regardais sans vraiment comprendre le "pourquoi ?!?", et où on voulait m’emmener 🤔.

On est clairement sur deux âmes blessées, l’une qui fuit la chaleur humaine, l’autre qui la désire désespérément. Et franchement, l’idée était plutôt belle... mais dans les faits, je trouve que le drama tourne en rond. Les flashbacks reviennent encore et encore sur les mêmes éléments... l’été, l’astronomie, la maison... au point que ça a fini par me lasser. Là où j’aurais dû ressentir de la nostalgie, j’ai surtout ressenti de la répétition… et ça m’a complètement sortie de l’émotion 😮‍💨.

Côté acting, je ne peux pas dire que Lee Dong Wook est mauvais, mais son double rôle ne m’a pas convaincue... J’ai souvent eu du mal à différencier les deux frères , alors qu’ils ont grandi dans des pays différents et auraient dû dégager des énergies bien distinctes 🤷🏼‍♀️. Même constat pour Choi Sung-eun, elle ne joue pas mal, mais son personnage n’est pas mis en valeur. Je comprends la souffrance d’Ha-kyeong, mais certaines réactions m’ont semblé trop excessives, presque forcées.

L’histoire principale trouve sa résolution assez tôt, ce qui ont rendu les derniers épisodes franchement inutiles à mes yeux... 🥱 J’ai eu cette sensation constante d’un drama "brouillon", qui ne sait jamais vraiment s’il veut être une rom-com, un mélodrame ou autre chose, mais une chose est sûre, j'ai trouvé que c'était mal amené... Je n’ai pas ressenti grand-chose, ni pour le trio, ni pour la reconstruction du duo principal. Certains personnages secondaires, comme l’avocat ou la collègue architecte, m’ont paru totalement dispensables... leur présence n’apporte rien, et s’ils n’avaient pas été là, ça n’aurait rien changé à mon visionnage 😅.

Au final, les seuls personnages qui m’ont vraiment touchée sont le couple d’amis secondaires, dont l’histoire était mignonne… et Subak 🐶, clairement le MVP émotionnel du drama 🫶🏻.

Bref, c’est vu, mais ça sera vite oublié. "Last Summer" ne restera pas dans ma mémoire ✌🏻

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Love, Growth and Healing

I just finished this drama and I really enjoyed it. It’s slow-paced, and I guess it could be boring for some people, but for me it was worth every moment. The characters grow a lot and gradually start opening up to each other, which was so satisfying to watch. The romance is super sweet and cute, and even though it’s calm, it leaves a really warm and comforting feeling. The supporting characters are well-written and the performances are strong, making the story feel genuine and heartfelt. I definitely recommend it if you enjoy emotional, thoughtful dramas that focus on character growth and meaningful relationships.

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