Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Lim Ju-kyung transfers to Saebom High after bullying at her old school and uses makeup to hide the appearance that made her a target. Classmates admire her new look, but she fears being exposed. Lee Su-ho recognizes her from the comic shop and agrees to keep her secret. Their uneasy arrangement becomes a romance, complicated by Han Seo-jun’s feelings for her and his anger toward Su-ho. The boys’ estrangement goes back to their friend Jung Se-yeon’s death and the scandal around him. A message Se-yeon left behind helps them begin reconciling at his grave.
Ju-kyung’s friendship with Kang Su-jin collapses as Su-jin’s jealousy over Su-ho turns into betrayal. Abused and pressured at home, Su-jin obtains images of Ju-kyung without makeup and helps spread evidence of her earlier bullying. Ju-kyung withdraws, then chooses to return to school showing her bare face. Her teacher, family and friends confront what she has endured, and she starts pursuing cosmetology. The relationship with Su-ho is interrupted when his father suffers a brain hemorrhage and he flies to the United States.
His father’s worsening health keeps Su-ho away. He ends their relationship, believing the separation is hurting Ju-kyung. Two years later, she is pursuing makeup work and Seo-jun is a close friend preparing for a music career. He confesses his love, but she still loves Su-ho, now back in Korea. Seo-jun invents another imminent departure to send her to Su-ho’s home, where they reconcile. Su-jin returns to apologize after her parents’ divorce. Seo-jun debuts with Se-yeon’s song, produced by Su-ho, while Ju-kyung’s sister Hee-kyung marries teacher Joon-woo.