Episode 2 of "Friendly Rivalry" unfolds with Je-yi thoughtfully inviting Seul-gi to join her for lunch, an act that soon reveals the underlying challenges Seul-gi faces. Realizing she lacks the perks others enjoy—no personal tutor, no attendance at elite after-school academies, and the pervasive use of study aids among her peers—Seul-gi finds herself on an uneven playing field. As promised, she switches seats with another student but employs a charming pretext of poor vision to thwart Je-yi's attempt to sit beside her.
Post-school, Seul-gi's life takes a poignant turn as she prepares to live with her recently widowed stepmother. Attending her father's funeral, she discovers heart-wrenching truths: her father had been relentlessly searching for her since she vanished during a kindergarten outing, and her mother expired shortly thereafter. Among his possessions, Seul-gi finds her father's phone and decides to carry it as a keepsake.
In a bid to blend in, Seul-gi purchases a second-hand school uniform in dire need of repair, which she sends to a laundromat to restore. Receiving a call on her father's phone, she chooses to remain silent. However, her luck turns sour the next day when a picture of her acquiring the shabby uniform goes viral, painting her as an easy target for bullying. Flashbacks reveal she was a victim of severe bullying at her previous school, managing to escape only by becoming the top student.
When a classmate deliberately spills a drink on her uniform, Seul-gi's frustration deepens as she washes it. Je-yi, sensing her distress, offers a spare uniform, but Seul-gi, annoyed and defensive, declines. Her academic struggles continue as she performs poorly on a level test, discovering that the school doesn't cover such topics—teachers assume students have already mastered them through private tutoring.
Intrigued by a leaked test paper mirroring the exam she had struggled with, Seul-gi visits a tutoring center. Stunned by the steep fees, she attempts to sneak a recording of a class but is promptly caught. In a bid to escape, she encounters Je-yi, who helps her slip away unnoticed. The episode concludes on a rooftop, where Je-yi finds Seul-gi, her composure shattered. Je-yi gently tries to soothe Seul-gi's overwhelming panic, leaving the viewer with a sense of unresolved tension and compassion.
