Our Beloved Summer was not the typical love story K-Drama fans used to watch.
With the rise of drama series about married couples cheating on each other or partners who choose to end their relationship, Our Beloved Summer became a breath of fresh air as it depicts a young love that finds its way back after getting lost.
Premiered on December 6, the hit SBS series explores the story of Choi Woo Shik and Kim Da Mi's characters who broke up in high school and agreed not to meet again. But when fate plays their lives, the duo reunites again after the documentary they made in high school went viral.
Choosing to have a young adult series might be tricky nowadays, but screenwriter Lee Na-Eun reportedly took the risk because of one reason.
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Why Lee Na-Eun Created Our Beloved Summer
Following the finale of the hit romantic series, Our Beloved Summer screenwriter Lee Na-Eun sat for an interview with The Korea Times to talk about her decision to make young adult romance stories. She also called that the series was inspired by her personal stories.
"I don't consider myself a technical or a talented writer. However, I can say with confidence that I have a true depth of understanding toward the characters that frequently appear in my works because I'm going through my twenties, just like they are. Viewers can empathize with the series because the story of Ung and Yeon-su in some ways mirrors their own stories," she said.
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The 29-year-old, although she has been successful as a screenwriter, becoming a screenwriter was purely coincidental. Before landing on Our Beloved Summer, she reportedly worked at a web drama production company where she created subtitles and card news.
Lee Na-Eun started her career through The Omniscient Viewpoint on Crushes in 2016, working for the web drama for three seasons.
Lee Na-Eun Reveals Background Story of Our Beloved Summer
Elsewhere in the interview, Lee Na-Eun said that she was inspired to create the series after watching a documentary on EBS in 2015. The flick shows a boy with poor academic performance developing a close relationship with the smartest kid in high school.
With that, the screenwriter tweaked it a bit and changed the roles to a boy and a girl who began new chapters in their lives following their breakup. She also scored some inspirations on Choi Woo Shik's real-life interviews and shows.
After working with the cast members, the screenwriter expressed her desire to work with the actor again.
"One thing I'm sure of is that I want to work with Choi again. If I ever come up with a new script that is more than satisfactory, I'll take it to him," she said.
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