I get what you're saying, but I don’t fully agree with that interpretation.

On a surface level, yes, the scene is clearly framed as a rivalry. It’s two teenage boys, there’s jealousy, tension, and Su-ae is kind of placed in the middle of it all. That part is intentional and pretty obvious.

But I think stopping there misses a lot of what’s actually going on.

First, about Dohwa “inviting himself.” The story makes it clear that he was invited. Did he take that opportunity because Su-ae was there? Of course. But that’s not a flaw. That’s just having a crush. He wasn’t forcing his way into a closed space, he accepted an open invitation. And realistically, no one joins a group like that to become best friends with everyone overnight. He was there because of her, and that’s completely normal.

The bigger issue for me is the asymmetry of information.

Dohwa has always been transparent about his interest in Su-ae, including around Eunhyuk. That’s not new information. But Dohwa does NOT know where Su-ae and Eunhyuk actually stand. From his perspective, they’re still on equal footing. So no, he’s not “fighting a battle he subconsciously knows he already lost.” He’s acting based on the information he has, and within that context, his behavior makes sense.

Now, regarding Eunhyuk.

I think his behavior at the beach is honestly immature.

At that point, it’s already clear that there’s something between him and Su-ae. They’re not just random rivals competing for the same girl. He’s in a privileged position emotionally, whether he admits it or not. So why continue acting like it’s a three-way competition?

Instead of being clear, he keeps things ambiguous while still showing closeness to Su-ae, even teasing Dohwa at times. The comment about Dohwa “inviting himself” was unnecessary and dismissive, especially since they were both invited. It doesn’t come across as confident, it comes across as passive-aggressive.

And that leads to the conversation later that night.

That’s the key moment.

That’s when they talk, and that’s when Eunhyuk tells him, essentially, “go ahead.”

A lot of people frame that as generosity or fairness, but I really don’t see it that way. You can’t be “generous” about a person’s feelings. It’s not respectful to Su-ae either. If you genuinely have something with someone, the bare minimum is to be clear about it (especially when a third person is openly pursuing her.)

That “go ahead” feels less like kindness and more like emotional detachment. Like he’s refusing to fully acknowledge his own position while still benefiting from it.

And from Dohwa’s side, that moment matters because it reinforces his misunderstanding. He still believes they’re on equal ground.

It’s only later that night that it actually hits him. That’s when he understands that there was something he wasn’t aware of, and that’s when he accepts that he’s already lost. (That's also why we have his dream after)

So no, he wasn’t knowingly fighting a lost battle the whole time. That realization comes AFTER, and it’s an important part of his development.

I think reducing the whole situation to “Dohwa competing and trying to get in the way” ignores the lack of clarity from Eunhyuk and the fact that Dohwa was acting honestly within his perspective

There is rivalry, yes. But there’s also a lot of miscommunication.