Couple on the Backtrack

Jinju and Bando fell in love at 20 and married at 24, full of dreams for the future. But 18 years later, life has worn them down — she’s drained from raising their child alone, he’s burned out from endless work. Misunderstanding grows between them, leading to divorce. Yet, on the day they end it all, a mysterious twist changes everything.

Bando and Jinju unexpectedly find themselves back at age 20, reliving their college days. At first, the chance to start over feels thrilling, but the joy fades when they’re forced to confront painful memories. An unexpected meeting brings them face-to-face with the very events that shaped — and scarred — their past.

Jinju and Bando thought their trip back to 1999 would last just one night, but they wake up the next day still stuck there. Bando, thinking he was the only one to time travel, discovers Jinju came too. They agree to avoid each other and start fresh, determined to live different lives.

Jinju and Bando’s fight gets aired on the school radio, sparking a campus-wide search for the married pair. Namgil steps in to keep Jinju from getting hurt, while Bando heads out on a first date with his old flame, Seoyeong.

Bando grows uneasy as Jinju spends more time with Hyeonseok. Namgil keeps asking her out, using his injured leg from saving her as an excuse. Jinju then unexpectedly runs into Bando and Seoyeong.

During the festival at Hanguk University, Bando recalls the humiliation he once faced on this day and does everything he can to stop it from happening again. Meanwhile, Jinju enjoys the festivities and unexpectedly finds herself joining the May Queen contest.

Jinju learns the truth about Hyunsuk, and she and Bando plot their revenge. On the night of the Medical Student’s Night, she goes as Hyeonseok’s date, ready to strike. But when the moment comes, an unexpected twist changes everything.

Seoyeong runs away from home and shows up at Bando’s place, leaving him unsure how to handle it. Eunsuk confronts Jin Joo about her recent odd behavior, while Seol unexpectedly takes a break from school and vanishes.

After getting back at Hyunseok, Yerim starts picking on Bando. Bando pauses, realizing he could change his path, but Jinju’s sadness keeps weighing on him. He ends up dragging Jinju and their friends on a spontaneous backpacking trip — only for an uninvited guest to tag along.

Jinju, Bando, and their friends have a great time on their unexpected getaway. Namgil keeps finding excuses to stay close to Jin Joo, which gets under Bando’s skin. The two clash nonstop during the trip. But after they return, Jinju starts to look unwell.

The campus movement calling for the university director’s resignation is growing, and Jinju becomes concerned about her son. Meanwhile, Bando searches for answers about how he ended up in 1999 and how to return to 2017. After digging into the mystery, he finally discovers a clue and rushes to share it with Jinju.

After the accident, Bando avoids Jinju and urges her to stop thinking about returning to the present, telling her to stay in the past with her family. Jaewoo pushes himself while preparing for nationals, tempted to quit but holding on for Boreum’s sake. Seeing his determination, Boreum comes to an important decision.