Woo-su rushes Eui-ju to the hospital after she suddenly collapses. Absolute Value of Romance Episode 8 starts with this. He is clearly shaken and waits anxiously as doctors take her into emergency care, fearing something serious may have happened.
The doctor returns after a while with some good news, Eui-ju is just fine. But when Woo-su learns that she fainted because she was severely constipated, he is left speechless. Eui-ju is totally embarrassed and begs Woo-su to leave her alone while she tries to handle the embarrassing situation.
Eui-ju’s parents soon arrive at the hospital to check on her. She asks them, embarrassed, to let her transfer to another school, so that she never has to see Woo-su again.
Meanwhile, back at the teachers’ residence, Da-ju apologizes to Woo-su for having Eui-ju secretly film him without his consent. Their conversation soon becomes teasing and playful, and Dong-ju and Gi-jeon realize that the friction between them seems to be dissipating.
Eui-ju, however, is in bed, unable to get Woo-su out of her mind. Her mind starts heading in a romantic direction, but she catches herself and finally drifts off to sleep.
The following morning Eui-ju does everything he can to avoid Woo-su on his way to the bus stop. Unfortunately for her, Woo-su catches up and rudely mentions her diagnosis. He tells her to exercise more, get enough sleep, and eat less fast food.
To make matters worse, the other teachers soon join in and tease Eui-ju about her condition. She learns from their conversation that Da-ju had been bluffing when she said she knew her “secret,” and that Woo-su had never told anyone that she was the anonymous BL novelist.
Woo-su finds Eui-ju after the morning assembly and asks her to speak to him alone. He’s seen that Ji-a isn’t there again. He tells Eui-ju to stay close to Ji-a and to make her go to school regularly.
Meanwhile, Woo-su punishes Ji-a for her absence by taking even more merit points from Eui-ju. Later, Eui-ju talks to Jennie about Ji-a, who describes her classmate as cold and removed.
Eui-ju disagreed and said Ji-a was just introverted and quiet and so people misunderstood her.
Elsewhere, Dong-ju announces a forthcoming poetry and art contest. Eui-ju is chosen to represent the class in poetry and Go-ya is selected for art.
Later that day, Dong-ju sees Eui-ju staying after school to clean classrooms in the hopes of getting back the merit points Woo-su keeps taking away.
They soon begin talking about writing, and Dong-ju shares his love of storytelling. Taking his advice to heart, Eui-ju begins to think more about how she can develop her characters.
But Go-ya sees the two talking and can’t hide her jealousy rising.
That night, Eui-ju is working on the next chapter of her story, waiting for Woo-su’s comments. She still describes his fictional alter-ego as rich, cocky and hard to approach.
Meanwhile, Woo-su goes back to the library when the other teachers have gone home. Eui-ju’s latest chapter is read and he quietly decides to not interfere with her creative choices again.
On their way home, Woo-su surprises Eui-ju by saying she can write the story however she wants. The episode ends with Eui-ju completely stunned.
Episode Summary
The romantic tension between Eui-ju and Woo-su continues to grow in Episode 8, but the developing emotional bond is one of the more complicated elements of the series. The teacher-student power imbalance still makes their dynamic uncomfortable, especially given the manipulative situations that brought them closer in the first place.
It’s obvious that Eui-ju is developing feelings, and it’s just one more layer of complication to their already complicated relationship. Woo-su’s sudden decision to stop managing her writing meanwhile raises some interesting questions about his real intentions.
elsewhere, Dong-ju’s heartwarming chat with Eui-ju adds some emotional heft to the episode while Go-ya’s jealousy promises more drama to come.
Episode 8 continues to blur the lines of mentorship, friendship, and romance while balancing comedy, awkwardness, and emotional growth.
