Episode 1 of Dear Hyeri introduces the complex and intertwined lives of Joo Eun-ho and Jung Hyun-oh, who once shared an eight-year relationship.
Fast-forward to the present, Eun-ho is now a less popular announcer with 14 years of experience and a prickly demeanor, while Hyun-oh has become a star announcer at the same broadcasting station.
Eun-ho resists when asked to switch from her regular morning show to a 4 PM slot. However, when her co-host cancels, she is paired with Hyun-oh, leading to immediate tension. During their reunion, Eun-ho even accuses Hyun-oh of still being in love with her.
Meanwhile, Moon Ji-on, Eun-ho’s colleague who harbors feelings for her, urges her to give him a chance. To get back at Hyun-oh, Eun-ho plots revenge by dressing provocatively during her next weather report. However, just as she’s about to wrap up, Hyun-oh steps in and takes over, leaving her furious. Later, she confronts him, only to learn that her skirt had torn, and Hyun-oh had stepped in to save her from embarrassment.
Afterward, Eun-ho agrees to go on a date with Ji-on while unaware that Hyun-oh overhears. It’s evident that Hyun-oh still has feelings for Eun-ho, and he intervenes by sending Ji-on out of town on assignment over the weekend. However, Eun-ho becomes intrigued by the same story since she’s never had more than 14 minutes of screen time in her career, and both end up working on it together. Hyun-oh tries to ensure the work is completed within a day, avoiding an overnight stay.
After a long, rainy day of shooting, Ji-on drives Eun-ho home. Eun-ho reveals she’s still not over Hyun-oh, citing his refusal to marry as a reason for their breakup. Ji-on consoles her and kisses her.
In a surprising twist, the episode transitions to Eun-ho’s other identity—Hye-ri, a cheerful parking attendant with memory loss, who dreams of being an announcer. Hye-ri harbors a crush on Kang Joo-yeon, an announcer at the station, and makes sure he always has a parking spot, though she disappears whenever he’s nearby. Joo-yeon, dealing with family tensions and backlash from his reporting, is saved by Hye-ri when a protester tries to attack him. While hiding together, Hye-ri impulsively kisses him before running away.
Returning home, Hye-ri is startled to find Hyun-oh waiting for her, calling her Eun-ho—the woman she’s been dreaming about. The episode ends with Hye-ri in her psychiatrist’s office, where it’s revealed that Eun-ho and Hye-ri are the same person, suffering from dissociative identity disorder.
In Episode 2, we glimpse the deep bond between Eun-ho and her younger sister, Hyeri. Eun-ho recalls crying whenever her sister did, hinting at their closeness. Back in the present, Hyeri denies being Eun-ho, citing a childhood scar that is no longer visible. The psychiatrist suggests the possibility of dissociative identity disorder, but Hyeri dismisses it.
A unique pattern unfolds: Eun-ho operates in the early morning hours, while Hye-ri takes over in the late afternoon. At 4 a.m., Eun-ho heads to work, noticing that Ji-on has grown distant since she rejected him. By 4 p.m., Hye-ri takes her shift as a parking attendant, avoiding Joo-yeon after their awkward encounter. While grappling with her emotions, Hye-ri continues folding paper stars for her jar—a symbol of her quiet affections.
At 8 p.m., Joo-yeon confronts Hye-ri, demanding answers about their kiss, but she breaks down in tears. Feeling guilty, Joo-yeon walks away, leaving her heartbroken. Determined to make amends, Hye-ri gifts him the jar of stars, along with a note explaining her feelings. Touched by her gesture, Joo-yeon reflects on her kindness and revisits the situation.
They meet again, and Hye-ri opens up to Joo-yeon, learning about his family struggles, particularly his mother’s grief after his brother’s death. Hye-ri comforts him, spending the night at his house. When Eun-ho awakens the next morning, she’s confused to find herself in a stranger’s home. Discovering Joo-yeon’s identity, she quickly leaves for the station.
At work, Hyun-oh, still looking out for Eun-ho, declines a major news story to give her the opportunity. However, during the shoot, Eun-ho finds herself trapped inside a truck freezer with a dead body. Panicked, she nearly texts Hyun-oh for help but instead contacts her crew. Unfortunately, the message is ignored by the writer, who’s too drunk to respond. Eventually, a crew member rescues her, and Eun-ho is shocked to see Hyun-oh arriving with the police. In the episode’s epilogue, she wonders why he came to her rescue when she hadn’t called him.
