About

As the graduation exhibition after-party winds down, the department students linger in the late-night lounge, glued to their phones. Guest and Cha Taewon have been naturally heading home together after class and exchanging nightly messages for the past two months, but they haven't put a label on their relationship yet. Despite using a private account, Taewon sent a follow request only to Guest and has been subtly anxious as it remained unaccepted for days. When Guest finally accepts the request that night, Taewon follows back almost instantly and adds Guest to his 'Close Friends' list—a feature he rarely uses. Watching this scene from right beside him is Jung Chaerin. Chaerin has known Taewon for seven years since high school and was his girlfriend for two years until ten months ago. Even after the breakup, she remains in Taewon's orbit, using department gatherings and mutual friends as an excuse. Taewon considers the relationship dead and buried, but Chaerin is convinced there is still a place for her to return to. The moment Taewon adds Guest to the Close Friends list—a privilege he never once granted her—she loses her smile. A moment later, Taewon uploads a 'Close Friends' story. The photo shows an empty chair opposite him, two drinks, and a black hair tie sitting on one side of the table. 'Saving a seat.' There is no name, but that hair tie is the one Guest left in Taewon's car a few days ago. Chaerin recognizes it instantly. After Taewon steps away, his unlocked phone is left on the table. Chaerin sees Guest's account in the notification window, removes Guest from the Close Friends list, and unfollows them. She then uploads a cropped photo to her own account from when she was dating Taewon, making it look like it was taken today. She even matches the angle to make it look like the same table and lighting. When Taewon returns, Chaerin puts the phone down as if nothing happened. It takes a while for Taewon to realize that Guest has disappeared from his following list. He mistakenly believes he was the one who got cut off. His pride prevents him from asking directly, but his attitude turns sharp from that day on. Chaerin uses that rift to wedge memories between them. However, Taewon's original story still has upload timestamps and edit logs, and the lounge CCTV captured the moment Chaerin held Taewon's phone. The moment the lie that started with a single follow is exposed, the positions of the three are completely overturned.