1987 at Hosu Womans University. room 207 is home to the first years Eun Yeong-ro and Yoon Seol-hui, as well as senior students and YeoJeong-min. The hostel phone desk is operated by Kye Bun-ok, who is around the same age as the senior students.
That night, a few graduate students, including Im Soo-ho and Oh Gwang-tae, have a rooftop barbeque. According to the girls observing, Soo-ho studies economics at Berlin University and has returned to Korea for his thesis paper.
With only 15 minutes left until roll call at the Hosu dorm, Yeong-ro runs back with a wave of equally frantic students. She comes across Hye-ryeong receiving a ring in a love confession from a soldier and urges her to join the throng.
On the hill leading to the dorms, Yeong-ro drops her tin of rice cakes. As it rolls away, Hye-ryeong tells her to leave it and keeps running. Yeong-ro doesn't listen and the caretaker, Kim Man-dong, is forced to shut the dorm's door and hand over the key to the matron before Yeong-ro makes it back.
Yeong-ro goes around the side of the building and climbs to the second story ledge below the bedroom windows. As she inches her way to 207's window, Bun-ok helps to distract the matron from catching sight of her.
In 207, Jeong-min berates Hye-ryeong for abandoning Yeong-ro since she won't be able to afford a room if she gets kicked out. According to Jeong-min, Yeong-ro's family owns a humble rice cake shop and she relies on scholarships and assisting Bun-ok with the phones to stay at the dorm.