Last week’s episodes instantly made us recall why this reality television program outshines the majority of others. From the uncomfortable initial reunions between ex-lovers who once insisted they would never see one another again, to repressed laughter concealing unfinished feelings, we already knew this season would peel back old wounds and fresh possibilities just the same. Now, with the EXchange Season 4 Episode 5 Preview displaying jealousy in the making and paradigms changing inside the villa, it seems the emotional gauge is going to boil over once more, just as a new player disrupts the equilibrium and one ex-couple veers dangerously close to discussing just how much they do or do not.
Directed by Kim In-ha, EXchange Season 4 (환승연애 시즌4 ) is back with Simon D, Lee Yong-jin, Yura, and Kim Ye-won again hosting, and again traversing the rocky emotional landscape of old flames.
EXchange Season 4 Episode 3 Recap
Episode 3 of Transit Love Season 4 opens with the surprise guest appearance of BOYNEXTDOOR’s Sungho and Jaehyun, who both take seats on the panel and has also contribute their voices to the show’s OST in the song called Ruin My Life. The hosts go back to the emotional roller-coaster in Episode 2, which already revealed one ex-couple, before the timeline is reversed back six days in order to allow us the Cho Yoo-sik and Kwak Min-kyung storyline.
Their history feels like the plot of some sweet drama: art school sweethearts who dated for nine years and at last called it quits because their priorities grew misaligned. Yoo-sik’s career ambitions clashed with Min-kyung’s cravings for time and love, and even anniversaries felt distant memories. The emotional reunion makes us cry to remind us that sometimes love dwindles not because of mistrust but because of time.
Back in the “time room,” Min-kyung sets her clock of the heart to 9, i.e., all set for a new start, and Yoo-sik sets his to 3 and waits for reconciliation, quite the Anita-Shoe-like scene to be the emotional background for the rest of the episodes.
Back in the present, the scene opens with Woo-jin unwrapping his departure package, discovering two warm plush toys from his ex, a warm reminder of time spent with each other. The scene then progresses with everyone else going out on their selected dates.
The chemistry between Yoo-sik and Ji-hyeon becomes clear at the beginning. Clever retorts to sincere compliments, their conversation flows naturally. Min-kyung chooses to spend time with Baek-hyun because he’s drawn to his non-aggressive attentiveness. But the evening is bittersweet with Baek-hyun’s similarity to Yoo-sik making Min-kyung uncomfortable.
Elsewhere, Choi Yun-nyeong and Kim Woo-jin enjoy an enthusiastic date with giggles, even making duplicate customised caps at Nike. By themselves, their natural chemistry makes the hosts take notice, as if the couple had known one another for ages. Jung Won-kyu and Hong Ji-yeon’s date also goes smoothly, with both talking comfortably about desire and ideal type.
When all the members return home, the team receives their usual anonymous message question: “Who made your heart flutter today?” Ji-hyeon and Yoo-sik exchange witty notes with each other, Min-kyung offers Baek-hyun an invitation for tea, and Yun-nyeong’s cheerful note to Woo-jin announces burgeoning affections. But Min-kyung finds no note — an implied heartbreak that visibly weighs her down.
EXchange Season 4 Episode 4 Recap
Episode 4 of Transit Love Season 4 commences with an undeclared tension between Yoo-sik and Min-kyung. During an informal snack period, Yoo-sik brings out the food in silence in the form of the unobtrusive but indicative gesture that illustrates how he is powerless to cease caring. A game of Jenga between groups subsequently brings repressed sentiments and incomplete attachments to the fore. Yoo-sik’s inability to commit between Ji-hyeon and Min-kyung stokes the emotional fires higher, and Baek-hyun’s and Yun-nyeong’s burgeoning chemistry cannot be denied.
Feeling isolated, Min-kyung struggles with seeing her ex move on. Her quiet confrontation with Yoo-sik, questioning why he acts so considerate with others, reveals her inner turmoil. Yoo-sik later confides in Baek-hyun, admitting he feels “heavy” and conflicted, unsure how to navigate his emotions.
The following day, Min-kyung takes Won-kyu out on a casual date. They both become forthcoming with each other’s histories, with Won-kyu feeling tremendous guilt over the realisation that he didn’t try harder for his ex. His openness touches Min-kyung, though she’s also torn about where she emotionally is.
Meanwhile, Yoo-sik has his introduction to newcomer Park Hyeon-ji in the setup of the surprise blind date. Initially stiff with each other, the couple become naturally chatty in no time at all, with the admission by Hyeon-ji that she wants to see him again having the visible effect of freaking out Min-kyung.
It’s night, and the much-awaited text session commences, with each text harbouring secrets and bringing new confusion. Yoo-sik receives a loving note from Hyeon-ji, and Won-kyu receives two messages, including a comforting one by Min-kyung, which reads, “Don’t cry.” Ji-hyeon also receives two messages, one of them by Yoo-sik, which reads “Let’s play bowling next time,” Hinting at new closeness between the couple.
Yun-nyeong receives a ‘Jean-Michel Basquiat’ referencing a fun message sent by Baek-hyun in the interim, and Baek-hyun receives two messages, one of which reads Ji-hyeon enjoyed bowling. The exchange eliminates the largest mystery without spelling it out; it solidifies the fact that Ji-hyeon and Baek-hyun aren’t each other’s exes, something many fans presumed at the beginning.
Also Read: Typhoon Family Episode 1-2 Review: Promising Start Fuelled by Grit, Grief, Growth, and Romance
EXchange Season 4 Episode 5 Preview
Transit Love Season 4 Episode 5 preview includes more tension and bittersweet emotions. Park Hyeon-ji confesses that her ex-boyfriend didn’t ever truly understand her, making one question the past. The night-time clever comebacks between Woo-jin and Ji-yeon turn snippy in nature, adding some fun to the already tense atmosphere in the villa.
Meanwhile, Yun-nyeong questions Baek-hyun about how he’d be if his ex moved closer to another, and he nonchalantly assures he’d be fine with it, if she’d be fine with it too. But Min-kyung’s conversation with Hyeon-ji over Yoo-sik’s date reawakens jealousy in her and has her approaching Yoo-sik herself. Her blunt question,”Are you truly okay?”, leaves the episode hanging on the brink of emotional settle-up and making-up.
EXchange Season 4 Trailer
Transit Love Season 4 Episode 5 Trailer
EXchange Season 4 Episode 3 Release Date
Episode 5 of EXchange Season 4 will air on October 15, 2025, on TVING at its typical Wednesday time slot. Peeling back ever-deepened layers of emotion with every episode, fans can hardly wait to see if roomies go with their hearts to new beginnings or back to old passions.
