The new Korean BL drama Summertime (하절기) is bringing a warm, emotional and visually summery romance to screens in 2026. Centered on longtime childhood friends Yeo Eun-ho and Cha Do-hyun, the series follows two young men whose 19-year friendship begins to change when hidden feelings, jealousy and the arrival of a new transfer student disturb the relationship they have always taken for granted.
With its school uniforms, rain-soaked scenes, outdoor summer imagery and youthful atmosphere, many viewers are already wondering where Summertime was filmed. The series is a Korean production from Oak Company, with Wavve as its original streaming platform. It is directed by Bae Yoon-seo, with a screenplay by JD, and is based on the web novel of the same name by Iromil (I Ro-mil).
However, there is an important point to clarify before listing locations: the production has not publicly released a complete official list of specific filming addresses or shooting locations. Current Korean reports confirm the production and its cast, but they do not identify a verified city-by-city filming map. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to claim that a particular school, beach or park was definitely used unless the production itself confirms it.
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What we can establish is that Summertime is a South Korean production, and the available production information points to Korea as the filming country. The locations seen in the drama are designed to create the story’s youthful school and summer atmosphere.
Here is everything currently known about the filming locations, release date, production background and what happened after filming.
Summertime Release Date
Summertime was scheduled to premiere on August 28, 2026, on Wavve in South Korea. Multiple Korean entertainment reports published ahead of the premiere give August 28 as the official release date.
Some international databases and listings display August 27, 2026, which likely reflects differences in database timing, regional availability or how the release schedule is being recorded. For the Korean Wavve release, however, the production’s promotional material consistently identifies August 28. The series consists of 10 episodes and tells a youth romance story spanning the complicated transition from childhood friendship toward romantic feelings.
The main cast includes Kim Do-min as Yeo Eun-ho and Seong In-ho as Cha Do-hyun, with Lim Young-min playing transfer student Kwon Yi-hyeon. Other cast members include Park Hyun-ji, Han Jong-kyu, Yoo Hyun-tae and Kim Min-tae.
Where Was Summertime Filmed?
The safest answer based on currently available information is South Korea.
Summertime is a Korean-language Wavve original BL drama produced by Oak Company and Sambok Production, with distribution through KT Studio Genie.
The drama is a Wavve original produced by Oak Company and Sambok Production, based on Iromil’s web novel and directed by Bae Yoon-seo. It stars Kim Do-min as Yeo Eun-ho and Seong In-ho as Cha Do-hyun, two childhood friends whose 19-year relationship begins to shift toward something more complicated.
The story makes extensive use of school and summer imagery, including uniforms, outdoor settings and rain-soaked scenes. These locations create the nostalgic atmosphere that is central to the drama. However, specific claims about Seoul, Busan, Jeju, a particular school or another named location should be treated as unconfirmed unless the production releases official information.
Summertime was scheduled to premiere on August 28, 2026, on Wavve, with 10 episodes planned. Some international databases list August 27, but Korean promotional reports consistently use August 28.
After filming, the production moved into post-production and promotion, culminating in the release of trailers, character posters and the cast’s script-reading footage before the premiere. For fans searching for the exact real-world places behind the drama, the situation is therefore slightly different from productions that publish detailed filming maps. South Korea is confirmed as the production country, while the exact shooting locations remain largely undisclosed publicly.
That may change as more episodes air and behind-the-scenes content is released. For now, the safest conclusion is that the beautiful school, neighborhood, rain and summer scenes of Summertime were created within a Korean production environment, with no officially verified public list of individual filming sites available yet.
South Korea — The Main Production Country
The clearest location fact about Summertime is that it is a South Korean production.
The drama was developed for Wavve by Oak Company and is based on Iromil’s Korean web novel. Korean entertainment outlets describe it as a Wavve original BL drama and confirm the Korean production team and cast.
The story’s setting also fits naturally with Korean locations. Much of the narrative revolves around school life, longtime friendships and the emotional changes that happen during adolescence. This requires locations that can convincingly represent Korean schools, neighborhoods and everyday youth environments.
The production’s visual material shows the two main characters in school uniforms and outdoor summer environments, reinforcing the importance of authentic Korean youth settings.
School Locations
The school environment is one of the most important visual settings in Summertime.
Yeo Eun-ho and Cha Do-hyun have known each other for 19 years, and their relationship is closely connected to their shared history. When transfer student Kwon Yi-hyeon enters their lives, the school becomes an important setting for the changing dynamics between the three characters.
Promotional images show the characters wearing school uniforms and spending time together in outdoor school-like surroundings. One of the central visual themes is the contrast between their familiar friendship and the new emotions developing between them.
However, the exact school used for filming has not been officially identified in reliable public sources. This means viewers should be careful with online claims naming a particular Korean school as the filming site.
It is possible that the production used a real school campus, a rented educational facility, a private location or a controlled set. Without confirmation from Oak Company, Wavve or the location itself, there is no solid basis for naming one specific school.
Outdoor Summer Locations
Outdoor locations are another major part of the show’s visual identity.
The promotional material repeatedly emphasizes summer, rain, water and outdoor youth scenes. The main poster, for example, presents Eun-ho and Do-hyun in school uniforms in a playful summer setting, while character posters use rain and seasonal imagery to represent the characters’ complicated emotions.
These images make the drama feel strongly connected to the Korean summer landscape. But again, no verified public source currently identifies a specific beach, park, river, sports field or town as the filming location.
That does not mean such locations do not exist. It simply means the production has not publicly provided enough information to establish their exact addresses. For now, these should be described as the drama’s outdoor summer locations rather than assigned to a specific Korean destination.
Rain and Water Scenes
Rain appears to be an important visual motif in Summertime.
One of the character-poster images released before the premiere shows Eun-ho and Do-hyun standing together in heavy summer rain. The imagery is deliberately emotional: the two characters occupy the same space but appear emotionally separated.
This kind of scene can be filmed in several ways. A production may use a real outdoor location with controlled artificial rain, or it may construct a smaller exterior set where lighting, water and camera movement can be precisely controlled.
Because no behind-the-scenes location information has been officially released, it is not possible to determine whether the rain scenes were filmed at a particular real-world destination. What is clear is that the production uses weather and seasonal imagery to reinforce the emotional theme of the story.
Neighborhood and Everyday-Life Locations
Because Eun-ho and Do-hyun have been close since childhood, the drama needs to create the feeling that they belong to the same community.
That means neighborhood environments are likely to be important throughout the series. The story is not a fantasy romance taking place in a completely artificial world. Instead, it focuses on ordinary young people, school life, friendship and changing relationships.
This makes authentic Korean streets, residential areas and everyday locations particularly useful to the production. Nevertheless, there is currently no reliable public list of the specific neighborhood streets used for filming.
If more official location information is released by Wavve or Oak Company after the series begins airing, individual locations may become easier to identify through episode screenshots and behind-the-scenes footage.
Studio or Controlled Sets
Another possibility is the use of controlled production spaces for some interior scenes.
Korean television productions commonly combine real locations with constructed interiors and rented facilities. For a 10-episode romance series, this approach can make production much more efficient.
Scenes inside classrooms, homes or other recurring environments can be filmed in controlled spaces, while exterior shots establish the location visually. As of the premiere period, however, there is no official public confirmation of a specific studio facility used by Summertime.
Therefore, a specific studio name should not be presented as a confirmed filming location.
Why the Locations Matter to Summertime
The locations are especially important because the drama is built around the idea of summer as a period of emotional change.
The story follows two childhood friends who have spent almost two decades together. Cha Do-hyun has secretly developed strong feelings for Eun-ho, while Eun-ho remains largely unaware of the depth of those feelings.
Then a new transfer student enters the picture. The arrival changes the balance between the three characters and causes Do-hyun’s jealousy to become increasingly difficult to hide.
Because the story is about youth and a particular summer, the production design and locations need to feel bright, intimate and nostalgic. School corridors, outdoor spaces, rain, warm-weather scenery and familiar neighborhood environments all help establish that emotional atmosphere.
Who Directed Summertime?
Summertime is directed by Bae Yoon-seo, who previously directed the BL romance film Sweetheart Service. The screenplay is credited to JD, who also worked on The Prosecutor’s Proposal.
Bae Yoon-seo’s involvement is particularly relevant to the show’s location style because the production has emphasized emotional atmosphere and the feeling of the summer season. Rather than treating the locations as simple backgrounds, the drama uses summer imagery to mirror the characters’ changing emotions.
Where Was the Drama’s Story Set?
The story centers on Yeo Eun-ho and Cha Do-hyun, who have been friends since childhood.
The two have spent 19 years together, and Eun-ho believes he understands Do-hyun extremely well. What he does not realize is that Do-hyun has been carrying romantic feelings for him for years. The arrival of Kwon Yi-hyeon, a new transfer student, introduces a new complication.
This creates a classic friends-to-lovers setup, but the series adds a layer of jealousy and possessiveness as Do-hyun worries that Eun-ho may become closer to someone else. The school and summer settings therefore aren’t just scenery. They represent the environment in which a 19-year friendship begins to change.
When Was Summertime Filmed?
One major limitation with the available information is that the exact principal photography dates have not been publicly detailed by the production.
By August 2026, however, the drama was clearly in its final promotional stage. On August 24, Korean entertainment outlets reported on the release of footage from the cast’s script-reading session and described the production as preparing for its August 28 premiere. The reports also confirm that the production was already approaching completion before the August release.
Because the show was being promoted with finished posters, teasers and character materials shortly before launch, filming had necessarily been completed or was in its final stages well before the premiere. Still, without an official production schedule, it would be speculation to give an exact filming start and wrap date.
What Happened After Filming?
After principal photography, Summertime moved into the normal post-production and promotional process.
The production team prepared the episodes, completed finishing work and released promotional material ahead of the Wavve premiere. The cast and production team also participated in promotional activities, including the release of the script-reading video shortly before the premiere. The August 24 footage gave fans their first extended look at the chemistry between Kim Do-min and Seong In-ho.
This is what can be described as the after-filming stage of the project. There is no confirmed evidence that the production moved to another city for a major second phase after principal filming. The available reports instead focus on post-production, promotional teasers, posters and cast publicity leading into the Wavve release.
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