From The “Reply” series and “Hello, My Twenties” to “Fight For My Way” and “Welcome to Waikiki,” K-Dramas about on-screen squads working on their friendships (and relationships) have been captivating audiences for years. As a fan, what’s better than watching the everyday lives of a friend group of fans unfold on screen? The answer is nothing.
If you’re a fan of these types of youth dramas and are frantically searching for your next serotonin-boosting show to lift your mood we’ve got you covered. A hidden gem of this genre is the recently aired K-Drama series called “Summer Guys.” Sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Summer Guys follows the lives of five young men and women with different personalities trying to revive (or kill depending on what side they are on) an old cocktail bar on the beach.
Here’s five reasons “Summer Guys” might be worth a watch.
1. Cast
This may be Lee Jung Shin’s first role since he was discharged from the military, but let’s not forget how fantastic the other four main leads are played by Im Na Young, Lee Jung Sic, Kang Mi Na and Viini.
Lee Jung Shin plays Seon Woo Chan, an orphan turned chaebol, and former childhood friend of Dal Rae who returns to the island after quitting his job as a banker to reconnect with the girl he once loved.
Kang Mi Na plays Oh Jin Dal Rae, current owner and operator of her late parents bar Summer Guys, who has to not only fight to keep her bar from falling into the wrong hands, but also for her childhood love.
Im Na Young play’s Ah Ran, owner of the luxury resort behind Summer Guys, who’s obsessed with marrying her crush of five years Seon Woo Chan, and driving Oh Jin Dal Rae out of town.
Lee Jung Sic plays Oh Mae Tae, a conman working with Ah Ran’s father, who becomes an employee of Summer Guys in hopes of ruining the bar’s chance at success, driving Dal Rae out of town or both.
Viini plays Park Gwang Bok, a former orphan turned mob hitman who cashes in his winnings for a four day trip to Jeju with the hopes of ending his life on the island until he ends up at Summer Guys.
2. Location, location, location!
While most K-Dramas are based in Seoul and the surrounding neighborhoods, Summer Guys takes fans south to the southernmost tip of Korea, Jeju Island.
3. Character development
You would think that a thirty-minute long, ten episode series would have a difficult time creating worthy character development? Wrong! Screenwriter Yook Shin Min, did a great job of sprinkling in the right amount of voiceover narration, flashbacks, and dramatic encounters between the characters to push the characters archetypes forward and escalate or deescalate the relationships between them.
4. Unique filming concept
You would think that a thirty-minute long, ten episode series would have a difficult time creating worthy character development? Wrong! Screenwriter Yook Shin Min, did a great job of sprinkling in the right amount of voiceover narration, flashbacks, and dramatic encounters between the characters to push the characters archetypes forward and escalate or deescalate the relationships between them.
5. Fun beverages
The first eight episodes are named after an important cocktail that will eventually appear in the episode. Not only do they develop the drama, but the name and meaning of the cocktail gives you some key elements behind the episode. As an added bonus, viewers get to learn how to make the featured cocktail.
You can check out this slice of life hidden gem on Viki. Have you watched it?
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