Episode 1 of Motel California kicks off with a tender yet poignant scene: a young girl named Kang-hee, standing resolutely amidst a circle of bullying children in the forest. Facing her tormentors, she bravery pushes her friends to safety behind her. As fate would eerily conspire, lightning strikes a tree mere inches from one of her bullies, felling him instantly. Kang-hee's lips curl into a cryptic smile.
The narrative then transitions to a quaint storefront, where Ji Chun-pil, a middle-aged man, sits by a window, savoring a meal in solitude. A younger man, Yeon-soo, approaches and takes a seat beside him. Chun-pil hands Yeon-soo an envelope stuffed with cash, instructing him to deliver it to Kang-hee. With some reluctance, Yeon-soo eventually agrees to the task. Chun-pil then departs to meet an unseen acquaintance.
As Yeon-soo prepares to join his friends, his phone buzzes with a call from Kang-hee. She informs him she's boarding the last bus to Seoul, vowing never to return to the place she calls "here" – Motel California, a lodging establishment owned by her father. Drawn by her plight, Yeon-soo rushes to meet her, finding her perched in the dim, darkened lobby. The motel's electricity has been cut off due to unpaid bills, she explains.
Guiding Yeon-soo to her room, Kang-hee reveals a monumental teddy bear perched on the bed – a lavish birthday gift from her father, marking her upcoming 20th birthday. She then poses a poignant question to Yeon-soo: will he forsake his dreams of attending college in Seoul? He admits he harbors no ambitions and has abandoned his plans. Taken aback, Kang-hee impulsively asks if he'd sleep with her, desiring to be his first love. She initiates a tender kiss, hoping it will bind them in some unseen way. Yeon-soo inquiries if she'll reconsider leaving if he complies, but she insists her departure is inevitable.
Their intertwined thoughts unravel like an unseen tapestry: Kang-hee dreams of escaping to a place where her differences are not scrutinized, while Yeon-soo grapples with his own disillusionment. She warns him not to alter his appearance – to maintain his weight and keep his glasses on at all times. The scene paints a poignant portrait of youthful vulnerability and the desperate quest for belonging amidst life's tumultuous currents.
They indeed sleep with each other and afterwards Yeon-soo gives her the envelope her father sent. Funnily enough, Chun-pil has sent her a note telling her to use birth control. Yeon-soo then takes Kang-hee to the bus station. She tells him to sell the teddy bear and use the money for Charlie (a pregnant cat), after she’s given birth. Kang-hee draws a small house on a soda can and leaves it behind for Yeon-soo, as she gets on the bus and leaves.
Fast forward to 2023, an older, thinner Yeon-soo is a veterinarian. We see him help a cow give birth to a calf. The farmer offers to find a match for him in return for the help but Yeon-soo says he already has a girl he’s going to marry. He says he goes up to Seoul every weekend to see her.
Meanwhile, Kang-hee is working at a construction site. When the manager messes with her, calling her weak and mocking her fancy degree, she twists his arm to prove her strength. When he doesn’t stop harassing her, she flips him off and quits the job.
A woman who had come to visit the site watches Kang-hee. She approaches Kang-hee and introduces herself as Hwang Jung-goo, the new site manager who works at a company named Moment. She knows Kang-hee used to be an interior designer and tells her to interview at Moment. Kang-hee has been disillusioned by all the rejections she received for having a degree from a lower university. Jung-goo convinces her to trust her.
Kang-hee goes to the Moment office but the receptionist looks down on her and talks about her rudely to someone else on the phone. Kang-hee leaves the office but sees a vision of Yeon-soo staring at her. She agrees to go back.
A nostalgic flashback transports us to their high school days, where Yeon-soo persuades Kang-hee to join him for an ice cream treat. Kang-hee notices a pattern: whenever there's a commotion at the motel drawing the police, Yeon-soo always suggests this little escape. Curious, she inquires about his uncanny awareness, and he admits he doesn't know; he merely looks at her and senses the moment.
In the present, Kang-hee storms into the Moment office, venting her frustrations at the receptionist before marching straight into Jung-goo's office. Jung-goo, recognizing Kang-hee's passion, takes her to the CEO and convinces him to let Kang-hee Get involved in a project. The CEO agrees, initially as an internship, with the promise of a full-time position later.
Later, Kang-hee wonders about Jung-goo's generosity. Jung-goo explains that on the day they met at the construction site, Kang-hee, mistaking her for a colleague, shared vital insights about the site's suspicious activities. Now, she feels compelled to repay that kindness.
Meanwhile, Yeon-soo arrives in Seoul and meets his buddy, Han-woo, who teases him for making the trip solely for the slim chance of encountering Kang-hee.
At work, Jung-goo strategically ensures that the CEO includes Kang-hee in a client meeting. The client reveals himself as Geum Seok-kyung, a wealthy individual commissioning a house for his friends. The CEO departs soon after, but Kang-hee stays to meet the future residents.
While waiting, Kang-hee and Seok-kyung decide to grab coffee, which happens to be the same café where Yeon-soo and Han-woo are enjoying their own brew. Yeon-soo spots Kang-hee but is momentarily paralyzed. By the time he gathers himself to search for her, she's already gone, leaving a fleeting glimpse of their intertwined fates.
Kang-hee and Seok-kyung encounter the couple destined to inhabit the house, and Kang-hee gains insight into the kind of space they envision. She tailors her designs meticulously to their preferences, yet the CEO publicly berates them, essentially dismissing Kang-hee and hinting that he might consider part-timers in the future.
As Kang-hee gathers her belongings, Jung-goo intervenes, courageously expressing her admiration for Kang-hee's designs to the CEO. Unfortunately, he responds by insulting Jung-goo too, revealing that this was the reason she was relegated from the design team . Kang-hee, inadvertently eavesdropping on the CEO's derogatory remarks labeling her a B-grade designer, reaches her breaking point. She strides in, confronts him with a fiery tirade, and storms out. On the street, she catches a glimpse of Yeon-soo once again, but this time, she chooses to walk by without acknowledging him.
On the train ride home, Kang-hee reflects on her journey, questioning why she left Yeon-soo and ventured to Seoul to lead such a life. As she treads the path back to her residence, snowflakes gently descend, evoking a nostalgic flashback. In the memory, young Yeon-soo and Kang-hee walk down a snowy street, where she tells him that consuming the first snowflake ten times will grant him the chance to marry his first love. He obliges, playfully proposing marriage thereafter.
Back in their hometown, Yeon-soo stands atop the roof, lost in contemplation as snow blankets the ground. An urgent call summons him to the hospital, where he bids a heartfelt farewell to his frail grandfather.
At the funeral, Kang-hee's presence is a surprise to all, as she has been absent for a decade. Yeon-soo, however, is the first to recognize her and envelops her in an embrace. Initially startled, Kang-hee gradually realizes it's Yeon-soo, the man who hugged her in a poignant moment at the end of Motel California Episode 1, their past intertwined with the present in a tender reunion amidst the sorrowful occasion.
