Lee Jae-wook and Choi Sung-eun's Significant Reunion in 'The Last Summer' Kicks Off to a Fresh Start with 3% Viewership

KBS2's new weekend mini-series 'The Last Summer' has made a smooth debut, marking a significant reunion between lead actors Lee Jae-wook and Choi Sung-eun.

The first episode, aired on the 1st at 9:20 PM, depicted the story of Baek Do-ha (Lee Jae-wook), a talented architect who returns to 'Pacheon-myeon', the town where he lived as a child, and Song Ha-kyung (Choi Sung-eun), a civil servant eager to leave the area. The premiere garnered a viewership rating of 3% (Nielsen Korea), signaling a bright start. A particularly impactful scene, where Ha-kyung discovers that Do-ha has become a co-owner of her 'peanut house' and calls his father, pushed the ratings to a peak of 3.9% per minute, capturing viewers' attention.

The episode opened with Ha-kyung's earnest narration appealing to a judge regarding a property partition lawsuit. She then introduced the unique life in 'Pacheon', a northernmost village where buses run every 40 minutes and gunshots can be heard. Demonstrating her professionalism, Ha-kyung, known by her nickname 'Dr. Song', skillfully persuaded and dispersed protesting village residents in front of the sub-district office.

Meanwhile, Ha-kyung was attempting to sell her current residence, a 'peanut house', carefully vetting potential buyers and finalizing the contract. However, she was taken aback upon seeing the updated resident registration, which listed Baek Do-ha as a co-owner, replacing his father, Baek Ki-ho. Unfazed, Do-ha simply sent her an email with the meeting location and time, without further explanation.

At the scheduled meeting, it was not Do-ha but his lawyer, Seo Soo-hyuk (Kim Geon-woo), who appeared. Ha-kyung and Soo-hyuk immediately engaged in a tense standoff over the peanut house. When Soo-hyuk challenged her with the land registry, Ha-kyung retorted with a loaded remark, leaving him flustered.

While searching for her dog, Subak, Ha-kyung found Do-ha playing with the dog near the peanut house, marking their reunion after two years. Although Do-ha greeted her warmly, Ha-kyung, clearly uncomfortable, responded coldly. The two then engaged in a comical 'tiki-taka' exchange regarding the sale of the peanut house, highlighting the sharp conflict between the seller and the one unwilling to sell.

Furthermore, Do-ha interfered with Ha-kyung's 'wall demolition project', making it difficult to gain residents' consent. Angered by this, Ha-kyung decided to personally demolish the wall of the peanut house to prove it was feasible. However, due to miscommunication, a bulldozer ended up demolishing both the outer wall and the inner wall, which held childhood memories, disrupting her plan. As Ha-kyung found herself in a difficult situation, Do-ha appeared and offered his help, reiterating his intention not to sell the peanut house.

At the end of the broadcast, Do-ha approached a bewildered Ha-kyung in front of the collapsed wall and asked, 'Song Ha-kyung, do you still hate me that much?' The episode concluded with Ha-kyung's complex gaze as she looked at him, accompanied by her narration: 'I always had bad luck in the summer because Baek Do-ha always came in the summer. And this year, my summer seems destined to be terribly unlucky.'

Netizens praised the on-screen chemistry between Lee Jae-wook and Choi Sung-eun, calling their visuals a perfect match. Many expressed excitement about the intriguing plot and the picturesque scenery of Pochen-myeon, anticipating future episodes.