Episodes 3 and 4 of the ongoing South Korean rom-com sci-fi Love Phobia premiered on U+ Mobile TV and Lifetime on February 26 and 27. Written by Lee Se-ryeong and directed by Wang Hye-ryeong, the drama stars Yeonwoo and Kim Hyun-jin as the central pair.

Love Phobia centers on Yun Bi-a, a reserved tech CEO who trusts artificial intelligence more than people, and Han Seon-ho, a bestselling romance author hiding emotional scars behind his flawless image. Their worlds begin to shift when Bi-a’s dating app unexpectedly draws Seon-ho into her life, setting off a chain of unforeseen changes for both.

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Love Phobia episodes 3-4 recap: Bi-a’s AI secret exposed as Seon-ho uncovers truth and For Me launch faces crisis

Episode 3 of Love Phobia opens with Yun Bi-a presenting Seon-ho with a contract tied to the struggling agency run by him and his brother, Baek-ho. Seon-ho initially rejects the offer and tears off the papers after she leaves.

However, the reality of their agency’s financial strain and a candid conversation with a colleague forces him to reconsider. Remembering how Baek-ho has always supported his writing dreams by taking part-time jobs, Seon-ho ultimately agrees to sign with Bi-a’s company.

In return, he asks her to treat his agency staff and Baek-ho, fairly and to properly manage the dating article she has released. Bi-a agrees, though she has her own strategy in mind. Soon after the contract is signed, Bi-a deliberately fuels the dating rumors by repeatedly taking Seon-ho out in public and having an employee secretly photograph them together. The staged outing quickly intensifies speculation about their relationship.

Meanwhile, Baek-ho who is an active user of the For Me app grows curious about the collaboration. At the same time, Bi-a’s team quietly compiles detailed data on Seon-ho to build his AI profile. When Baek-ho discovers that Seon-ho is being turned into the face of the upgraded For Me service, he is deeply disturbed.

The situation escalates at a press event attended by Bi-a and Seon-ho. Fans gather to protest the dating rumors, but Bi-a shocks everyone by revealing that the article is a calculated marketing move meant to provoke jealousy.

She then announces the real plan of Version 2 of the For Me app which will allow users to “date” Seon-ho as an AI boyfriend. Seon-ho, who is unaware of this, is visibly shaken. He later confronts Bi-a, accusing her of fearing real intimacy and hiding behind artificial relationships.

Their heated exchange is abruptly interrupted when the elevator they are riding suddenly stops midway. The incident triggers Bi-a’s panic attack as her timer begins counting down.

Though initially startled, Seon-ho quickly helps her regulate her breathing and focus on him, preventing her condition from worsening. Bi-a later reflects on why she keeps becoming vulnerable in front of him after her psychiatrist raises the same question.

Seon-ho, too, is troubled after witnessing her fragile state. Meanwhile, Baek-ho, now fully aware of the AI boyfriend project, attempts to withdraw from the collaboration in anger.

When he returns to the office one last time to see his AI girlfriend, the situation spirals as an unknown hacker breaches the company firewall, shuts down the servers and deletes all data related to Seon-ho. The attack resets every AI partner in the system, including the hologram of Bi-a’s mother.

Upon hearing about the breach, Bi-a rushes out of her house in panic, accidentally leaving the front door ajar. Seon-ho, who arrives to her house worried about her, notices the open door and enters.

Inside, he encounters the hologram of Bi-a’s mother and is stunned as he recognizes her from his childhood as they have once been close. His shock deepens when the hologram abruptly disappears due to the server crash.

Bi-a and her team manage to restore the servers and begin investigating the breach. Baek-ho initially falls under suspicion, but when they see him genuinely distraught over losing access to his AI girlfriend, they rule him out.

Bi-a assures him the AI will be restored once the project stabilizes. Meanwhile, Bi-a’s best friend and co-CEO, Seol Jae-hui, grows increasingly uneasy about Bi-a’s closeness with Seon-ho and the risks surrounding the situation.

The next day, Bi-a questions Seon-ho after noticing he has been at her house. He conceals the truth about seeing the hologram and asks her about her mother. Bi-a lies telling him that she is dead.

Soon after, Bi-a receives an urgent call from the hospital where her mother is institutionalized and has attempted to escape again. Bi-a rushes to the facility and joins staff searching nearby woods.

When she finally finds her mother, the reunion turns hostile. Her mother accuses Bi-a of abandoning her in the asylum and living freely outside. Though shaken, Bi-a bitterly retorts that her mother should have died in the past accident. The confrontation leaves her deeply unsettled.

Back home, the AI hologram of her mother greets her as usual, but this time it disturbs her profoundly. Seon-ho’s earlier accusation about her creating a fake world echoes in her mind. Overwhelmed, Bi-a shuts down the For Me home AI system, turning off the hologram entirely.

The emotional fallout leads her to isolate herself at home for several days, worrying both her employees and Seon-ho. When Seon-ho tries to reach her, Jae-hui intervenes and tells him to keep his distance.

She also formally ends the collaboration, stating that the contract period has concluded and both companies should move forward separately. Seon-ho is disappointed and both the teams het ready to part on uneasy terms.

However, before the partnership fully concludes, a final investor showcase is organized for the launch of For Me Version 2. Representatives from both companies attend, but Bi-a’s absence frustrates the investors.

Jae-hui steps in to deliver the opening speech and introduce the app, yet the investors grow increasingly irritated by Bi-a’s no-show. Just as tensions peak, Bi-a finally arrives accompanied by Seon-ho, who has personally gone to bring her out of isolation and asked her to come back into the real world with him. With this episodes 4 of Love Phobia closes.

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Love Phobia airs weekly on Thursdays and Fridays at 11 PM KST. The next installments, episodes 5 and 6, will premiere on March 5 and 6. Viewers can stream Love Phobia on Prime Video and Viu.