Summer Fever – Series Review

Years later, Yujun and Yeonho are still dating.

Yujun and Yeonho have been dating for a while, but their relationship hasn't always been smooth sailing. Some time ago, they went through a rough patch. Yujun's friend Hyunseo was hitting on him, hoping to steal him away from his boyfriend. He even encouraged Yujun to break up with Yeonho and date him instead. Yeonho loved Yujun, but he could be clingy. His constant neediness made his boyfriend feel suffocated. Thankfully, they managed to talk things out. Yujun and Yeonho gave their romance another chance.

Years later, Yujun and Yeonho are still going strong. The lovebirds live together in their cozy little love nest. Yujun is now a university professor, while Yeonho is unemployed and taking a short break between jobs. With so much free time, Yeonho drives his boyfriend to work every day. Yujun insists he can drive himself, but Yeonho is happy to play chauffeur. Besides, why pass up an opportunity to spend more time with his favourite person? He loves that their daily commute becomes a cute couple's activity.

One morning, Yeonho receives a message from his good friend Jiseok, who wants to meet up. Yujun notices the notification on his boyfriend's phone and gets curious. What's that about? Surprisingly, Yeonho acts all secretive and refuses to explain. He promises to tell Yujun later, but that answer doesn't put his mind at ease. Yeonho even jokes that he's not sneaking around with another man. Yujun tries to act cool, but you can tell he's bothered. Why is his boyfriend suddenly keeping secrets? The mystery stays on his mind all day.

Yujun and Yeonho have some trust issues.

At university, Yujun receives a surprise visitor in his office. It's Sueon, a student who turns out to be his biggest fan. Sueon read the thesis Yujun published as a grad student and loved it so much that he applied to this university. Sueon is starstruck and even asks for his professor's autograph. Yujun seems amused. Who knew an academic thesis could inspire this much excitement? Sueon gushes about how fun his writing is to read. Feeling flattered, Yujun thanks the student for his sweet compliments.

Just then, Yeonho drops by the office. Sueon recognizes him from earlier, when he saw Professor Yujun getting out of his car. Oh, are you two friends? Yujun doesn't want to discuss his love life with a student, so he goes along with the assumption. Yep, we're friends! Poor Yeonho just got demoted from "boyfriend" to "just a friend". After Sueon leaves, Yeonho approaches his partner and puts a hand on his shoulder. However, Yujun quickly brushes him off. No touching in public! Yeonho understands why his boyfriend wants to keep their relationship private, but he's still a little hurt.

Later that night, Yeonho receives another message from Jiseok. He needs to go out and meet his friend, leaving Yujun feeling uneasy. Yujun tries not to overthink it, but why is his boyfriend seeing another guy so late at night? The mystery still bothers him at work the next day. During his lunch break, Yeonho visits the university, and the couple grabs coffee together. Just then, they bump into Sueon again. Sueon seems delighted to see his favourite professor. Yeonho feels irritated when he notices how this student gets too touchy-feely during their conversation.

Summer Fever is the sequel to Winter Fever, which came out earlier this year. Honestly, I don't remember a single damn thing about the original series. There have been so many BL short dramas that they all blur together in my head. I had to dig up my old review just to figure out who the hell Yujun & Yeonho are. Oh, right! These two! I vaguely remember Winter Fever being angsty. Thankfully, Summer Fever has a much sweeter vibe. Winter is cold and gloomy, but summer brings more sunshine into their love story.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that Summer Fever is gonna disappear from my memory soon. I literally just finished watching this sequel, but it's already in the process of being forgotten. Why? Because this series has no original ideas! It recycles the same old plots we've seen in hundreds of other BL dramas. Another boyfriend who's hiding a secret? Another love triangle with a jealous partner? C'mon, none of these conflicts are unique. You can change a few details here and there, but you're still feeding us the same generic slop. Summer Fever is forgettable because the story doesn't even try to do anything new or interesting.

Compared to the first series, Yujun isn't so aloof anymore. He shows more affection toward his boyfriend. Yeonho has also toned down his neediness and no longer acts like a stage 5 clinger. The couple still has trust issues, but they seem healthier than before. When Yujun's student gets too close to him, I love how Yeonho instantly shuts it down. Nuh-uh, we're not doing this boyfriend-stealing plot again! Both leads are more likable now that they've outgrown some of their annoying habits. That said, their character development is minor and not worth getting excited about.

Yeonho's actor (Kwak Geon Hee) is quite charming. I like how he delivers his lines with a hint of mischief in his expression. His co-star (Seo Jung Hyun) is so good at emoting through his eyes. During the sentimental scenes, his soulful gaze makes Yujun's feelings seem genuine. Both leads bring plenty of personality to their characters. Plus, they have decent chemistry together. Summer Fever is one of those dramas where the actors take a crappy script and elevate the material. Despite the dull storyline, they make each romantic moment feel surprisingly intimate.

Summer Fever has gotten a nice visual upgrade since the first season! The lighting is a lot brighter, so everyone looks better on camera. I also love the warmer colours, which are much more pleasing to the eye. Both seasons have a scene filmed in an underground parking lot, so you can compare the visuals side by side. What a difference! Kudos to the production team for stepping up their game and making these improvements. Unfortunately, I noticed a minor audio issue in Episode 2. Yujun is saying something, but no sound comes out. Um, why can't I hear his voice?

Summer Fever has a sweet ending. My favourite moment is when Yujun and Yeonho sit on the floor, facing each other as they exchange rings. This scene isn't fancy, but it feels surprisingly intimate. What a lovely way to wrap up the romance! Sadly, the rest of the story is a big fat meh. This series feels so generic that I could easily confuse it with a dozen other BL short dramas. At least the two lead actors are charming enough. Bless them for trying their best with such mediocre material. Besides their performances, Summer Fever doesn't have much else going for it.