The Midnight Romance in Hagwon

Famous star instructor Seo Hye-jin works until midnight at the academy like any other day. As she stares at the Hall of Fame in the lobby, Joon-ho's name catches her eye. He is one of her proud boast as she did her best to teach him, and he made it into a prestigious university. At the same time, Joon-ho decides to resign from his company and make a new beginning as a rookie instructor.

Even though Hye-jin tries to dissuade Joon-ho, he already passed the first written exam and is getting ready for the test lecture. Therefore, Hye-jin privately asks Ji-seok to disapprove of him. Meanwhile, Sang-sub, the Korean language teacher at Chanyoung High, makes a declaration that creates huge confusion among the students and academies.

A clandestine endeavour dubbed "Teacher and Student Sally Forth" sparks a covert tutoring session led solely by Hye-jin for Joon-ho. Alone in an office after hours, they exchange determined gazes as they delve into a specialized lesson. Meanwhile, the renowned Director Choi, also known as the White Haired Witch, sets her sights on expanding her academy.

Hye-jin and Joon-ho's optimism for their collaborative lecture fades as they discover only one student has attended their free session. Shocked, Hye-jin collapses emotionally while Joon-ho supports her in regaining composure. They soon learn of a tactic by Choi Sun Academy to dissuade students from considering switching, but the lone attendee might just potentially change the game.

Director Choi Hyung-sun, the White Haired Witch, finds out that Hye-jin and Joon-ho taught the class even though there was only one student. She checks on Si-woo to see if he wants to switch academies and asks about the lecture. After hearing about the lecture, she calls Hye-jin to meet up. Meanwhile, Joon-ho asks Hye-jin not to leave the academy and stay with him for at least a year.

Joon-ho finds out that Hye-jin has been helping him out by taking a loss. He tells her that he'll work on his own, and Hye-jin gets strange feelings from his attitude. Meanwhile, the new class opens, and Director Kim gets in an awkward position because his plan to demote Hye-jin fails. He feels worried about Hye-jin leaving the academy. He calls Hye-jin out to talk about it. And Joon-ho tags along with her.

Joon-ho confesses his feelings for Hye-jin and he wants to know what she thinks about him. However, an unexpected visit takes his chance away. Joon-ho wants to talk about it the next day, but Hye-jin has to go and see the director who got hungover. Hye-jin decides to leave the academy and move to Choisun. But after running into Si-woo, she remembers something that she had forgotten about.

Hye-jin tells the director that she won’t leave the academy and teach the Heewon High class. Hye-jin goes to So Young’s office and talks about her decision and what she thinks about Joon-ho with her. After having some beer, she finally confronts her true feelings. Joon-ho comes to take her home, and the two finally confirm their feelings toward each other.

Hye-jin and Joon-ho become more intimate, and the two enjoy dating in secret at the academy. The exams are over, and the teachers are busy checking the results of the students. Si-woo comes to the academy and talks about his concerns. Joon-ho becomes more determined to help Si-woo get good grades in Korean. Meanwhile, an unexpected visitor comes to see Hye-jin.

Pyo Sang-seob tells Hye-jin that he will be teaching at Choisun Academy. He tells her that the mid-term incident made him think about being a teacher, and it led to quitting his job and starting a new career. Hye-jin is shocked to hear the news though she had an argument with him, she still had respect for him. Meanwhile, Joon-ho doesn’t have a clue why Hye-jin feels complicated about Sang-seob.

Joon-ho’s parents meddle in his work and try to help him become successful in their ways, but Joon-ho feels uncomfortable about it. Seung-hui feels threatened by Hye-jin who is getting all the support from the director. She meets up with Hyung-sun to talk about their future. Meanwhile, Jun-ho wants to open a class that teaches how to read to the students. However, Hye-jin finds it too idealistic.

Sang-seob tells Hye-jin that someone copied her teaching material to use it against her. Joon-ho and Hye-jin’s argument continues, and it gives Sang-seob food for thought. Hye-jin decides to support Joon-ho, but the academy doesn’t approve of opening a new class. Meanwhile, Seung-hui invites Hye-jin to dinner to talk about their future together.

Hye-jin decides to give up her teaching materials and turn down the vice-director’s offer to leave the academy with her. However, Hyung-sun reveals Hye-jin and Joon-ho’s relationship, and Seung-hui decides to use it to her advantage. Meanwhile, one of the instructors who found out about Hye-jin and Joon-ho gathers a meeting to talk about the spreading rumors.