In Episodes 3 and 4 of Love in the Big City, Go Young faces unexpected challenges when his normally vibrant mother is diagnosed with cancer. Despite undergoing surgery, her condition doesn’t improve, leaving Go Young seeking support at a group for people facing personal struggles.
There, he encounters Noh Young Soo, a young man who introduces himself with a frosty, aloof demeanor. Initially put off by Young Soo’s seeming narcissism, Go Young resolves to keep his distance. Yet, when Young Soo unexpectedly invites him for coffee, Go Young accepts. Their first meeting is tense and filled with silences—until Young Soo opens up about his own difficulties, revealing that his mother is an alcoholic and that his attempts to help her have been in vain. This shared vulnerability brings the two closer, with Go Young sharing his own worries about his mother’s health. The connection sparks a subtle attraction, and Young Soo even flirts, calling Go Young “cute.” That evening, Go Young is pleasantly surprised to receive a text from Young Soo, inviting him to enjoy pork stew together.
When they meet again, Young Soo is more focused on savoring his pork stew and discussing its origins. Go Young, intrigued by Young Soo’s mysterious nature, casually asks about his job, to which Young Soo vaguely responds that he’s just an “average worker.” Go Young’s curiosity grows when he notices Young Soo’s eyeglasses, and Young Soo explains that they’re hiding a bruise he got from playing football. He even invites Go Young to watch one of his games sometime, though Go Young declines, admitting he’s not a fan of sports.
Later that evening, as rain begins to fall, Young Soo shares his umbrella with Go Young. They walk together, and Go Young ends up taking the umbrella home, deepening both his curiosity and his growing interest in Young Soo. Confused by his feelings, Go Young writes them down to try and make sense of them.
Eager for insight, he tells his gay friends about Young Soo, and they help him analyze their texts for hints of interest. Two of his friends think Young Soo may not be gay, but one friend is convinced otherwise. Go Young describes how Young Soo shielded him in the rain, even letting his own shoulder get wet, and how he walked Go Young home, creating a strong, unspoken chemistry between them. His friend insists that “straight guys don’t do that,” interpreting it as a clear sign of attraction, though the others remain unconvinced. In the end, they all agree that Go Young has terrible taste in men.
Unexpectedly, Go Young’s mother calls from the hospital, looking surprisingly healthy and dressed up when he arrives. She suggests they take a walk, but the conversation quickly turns frustrating for Go Young when she brings up marriage. She wants to set him up through her marriage agency, hoping to see him settled down. Go Young, however, resists, reminded of her troubled marriage with his father, who had led a double life. After discovering his happiness with someone else, his mother ended the marriage and became the family’s breadwinner.
Later, Go Young joins Young Soo’s football game as the goalkeeper but takes a hard hit to the face from the ball. Despite the mishap, he’s immediately captivated by Young Soo’s sculpted physique when he removes his shirt, leaving Go Young unable to get him out of his mind even after returning home. Young Soo invites him for drinks with friends, but Go Young declines, claiming he’s tired.
That night, feeling frustrated, Go Young heads to a gay club, where he drinks heavily, concerning his friends who eventually join him, leading to a wild, intoxicated night. The next morning, Go Young wakes up with a crushing hangover, paying the price for his night of indulgence.
Out of the blue, Go Young’s mother calls, claiming she’s “near death” and urging him to come quickly. When he arrives, though, he finds her perfectly fine, just busy fixing her makeup. At the hospital, Go Young endures her rants about matchmaking, her regrets about not studying medicine, and her laments over how her life “took a wrong turn” when she met his father. She also insists she wishes he were a Christian like her.
When Halloween arrives, Go Young decides to take charge of his plans with Young Soo, picking their activities and what they’ll eat instead of letting Young Soo call all the shots. However, at a Halloween party, Young Soo disapproves of everything Go Young suggests, visibly uncomfortable in the noisy setting. He even criticizes Halloween as “barbaric” and dismisses the photo they took together. Frustrated, Go Young confronts him, asking what his issue is. Young Soo apologizes, admitting he’s unaccustomed to such things and implying Go Young is drunk, which he denies before leaving. Young Soo follows him, and they eventually settle down for a quiet drink. There, Young Soo opens up, revealing that he used to work as an editor for a publishing house specializing in philosophical books but left to freelance.
Their conversation grows deeper as Young Soo talks about life in philosophical terms, and Go Young is stunned when he openly admits his feelings, saying he likes him. In a tender moment, Young Soo removes Go Young’s glasses, and they share a kiss.
The two end up spending the night together, and Young Soo reveals he knew Go Young was gay from their very first meeting and sensed they’d end up close like this. As they lie together, he whispers that it feels like they’re the only two people in the universe. They begin seeing each other more seriously, with Go Young feeling thrilled by their budding relationship, even as he continues hiding his true self from his mother.
In episode 6, his mother’s condition takes a turn for the worse, and Go Young is by her side constantly. When he finally gets some time to meet Young Soo, he eagerly expresses his affection in public, but Young Soo pulls away, clearly uncomfortable with being openly seen as a couple. Hurt but trying to understand, Go Young lets it go, feeling reassured when Young Soo eventually squeezes his hand.
Their date takes an unexpected turn when Young Soo encounters a couple he knows. They greet him and mention an old friend, Chan Sik, who’s recently been nominated for City Council, surprised that Young Soo hadn’t heard. They scold him for not being more involved in his friend’s campaign and seem puzzled when they notice him with Go Young. The husband suggests Young Soo join them for a meal, putting him on the spot—until Go Young steps in, casually explaining that they already had brunch plans before leaving.
Young Soo grows upset with Go Young for exposing their relationship to his activist colleagues, but Go Young stands his ground, arguing they treated him with disrespect and that Young Soo acted as if he didn’t exist. Hurt, he asks Young Soo how he truly sees him, calling out the so-called “activists” as hypocrites. Young Soo snaps back, telling Go Young he doesn’t understand, and leaves him.
Feeling worse, Go Young visits his mother in the hospital, only to hear her say she hopes he lives a life that’s “beautiful in God’s eyes.” That night, Go Young’s anger softens when he receives an apologetic text from Young Soo. He leaves to meet him while his mother, having seen a picture of him with Young Soo and reading his diary she found among his things, becomes visibly unsettled.
Meanwhile, Go Young takes Young Soo shopping for couple clothes to celebrate their 22-day anniversary, although Young Soo’s discomfort with being public continues to grow, frustrating Go Young. Later, alone at home, Young Soo pulls Go Young into his arms, and despite initial reluctance, Go Young relents. Afterwards, he asks if Young Soo truly wants to keep their relationship a secret, and Young Soo admits he does.
Just then, Go Young gets a call from his mother’s caregiver: his mother is in critical condition. Rushing to the hospital, he finds her stabilized, and the caregiver departs, leaving Go Young feeling emotionally drained.
Later, as his mother comes around, she unexpectedly gives him money to go spend time with his friends. Relieved, he takes her suggestion and meets up with them, sharing the struggles he’s facing with Young Soo. Drunk and unable to resist, he goes to see Young Soo that night. In a voice-over, he likens himself to Young Soo’s “dog,” admitting that he’s losing his mind thinking about him. Tearfully, he confesses to Young Soo how deeply he’s affected, and all Young Soo can manage is a quiet apology.
The next morning, Go Young is happy to be with Young Soo, thrilled when Young Soo mentions reading his work and praises his talent, predicting he’ll be a great novelist. Go young promises Young soo to take care of him when his books start to sell, though he seems a bit uneasy.
But everything changes later that day. While Young Soo is asleep, Go Young glimpses his laptop and discovers documents denouncing homosexuality, describing it as immoral. Heartbroken, he realizes that Young Soo is a senior researcher at a cultural institute—and Go Young has been his test subject. The shock reopens an old wound, recalling the time his mother discovered he was gay and sent him to a psychiatric home.
Determined to live openly, Go Young later tells his mother he wants her to meet someone important. Though hesitant, she agrees. He calls Young Soo, inviting him to meet him and his mother in a park. While Young Soo initially agrees, on the appointed day, he doesn’t show up. Go Young’s mother, sensing what her son intended, expresses her relief.
Later, Young Soo texts, apologizing and suggesting they meet publicly for dinner. Despite feeling betrayed, Go Young agrees, torn by his lingering feelings. At dinner, Young Soo drops a bombshell—he’s accepted a job in America and plans to live with his sister indefinitely. Coldly, he mocks Go Young for thinking their relationship was love and hints at his true sexuality, dismissing their pasta as if to say he’d never truly connected with him. Dazed, Go Young snaps, grabbing Young Soo’s shirt and, in a painful outburst, punches him, sobbing as Young Soo lies stunned on the ground while others try to pull him away.
That night, devastated, Go Young overdoses on drugs in an attempt to numb the pain, narrowly escaping death. When he awakens in the hospital, he sees his mother and friends anxiously waiting outside his room. To reassure them, he gives a small wave and flashes a “love you” sign, though tears quietly follow.
A year later, as Go Young heads to visit his mother in the hospital, he receives a letter and commentary from Young Soo. In it, Young Soo brands himself a coward, expressing regret for his actions and hoping, somehow, for Go Young’s forgiveness.
Go Young arrives at the hospital to find his mother’s condition has worsened. Despite this, she beams with pride over his accomplishments as a writer, having cut out articles from newspapers to create a scrapbook in his honor. As he flips through the pages, he’s taken aback to find a picture of himself with Young Soo nestled among the clippings.
While wheeling his mother outside, he makes the decision to discard Young Soo’s commentary, letting go of that chapter of his life. They eventually settle in a peaceful field, where his mother reflects on her fears of letting him go, admitting she kept him caged out of love. As she lays her head on his lap, the episode closes with Go Young playing a song by Lee Eun Ha—a melody Young Soo had once introduced to him.
Curious, she asks how he knows the song, and he replies softly that he discovered it while learning about the universe, a bittersweet reminder of his time with Young Soo.
