Wavve's 'Stand By Me' Finale Forms a Same-Sex Couple in a Surprise Final Choice

Wavve's dating reality series Stand By Me concluded its run with two couples formed in its finale, released on the 7th, but it was the show's same-sex pairing that generated the most conversation. Graphic designer Jeong Heejin and freelance model Tae Eunchae, who is nine years younger, left the final ceremony together, a result that Korean mainstream dating reality TV rarely produces.

The finale opened with a 'Rewind Date' format, in which the eight cast members, four men and four women, were given the chance to revisit moments with people they felt they had left unresolved. Seungho and Jinwoo, who had started the show as a near-certain couple before cracks appeared, attempted another conversation but could not bridge their differences. Sujin made a direct move on Heejin, confessing her feelings clearly for a second time. Hyeyeon and Heejin, meanwhile, worked through accumulated misunderstandings in what the show framed as the most emotionally settled exchange of the episode.

The 'Final Choice' ceremony, which followed a last dinner together, moved quickly. Jinwoo and Hyeyeon both approached Seungho. With all three present, Seungho admitted he was genuinely unsure of his own feelings before choosing Hyeyeon. "I have no regrets about this choice," he said. "Even if it's slow, I want a relationship that lasts." Hyeyeon, who had held out for Seungho throughout the series, said she felt the difficulty of the process made the outcome more meaningful.

On the other side of the room, the more unpredictable situation belonged to Heejin. Both Sujin and Eunchae approached her in turn. Heejin apologized to Sujin before taking Eunchae's hand and walking out together.

"I never dreamed in a million years that Eunchae and I would end up as the final couple," Heejin said afterward, describing the outcome as simply surreal. Eunchae told Heejin she hoped they could continue moving at their own pace, the same way they had throughout filming.

For context, Korean dating reality formats have historically centered heterosexual pairings, and same-sex outcomes in finale episodes remain uncommon on mainstream streaming platforms. The pairing between Heejin, born in 1996, and Eunchae, born in 2005, is also notable for the nine-year age gap between them.

The two have continued to interact publicly since filming wrapped. Heejin has left comments on Eunchae's social media posts, including one describing a photo of Eunchae as "too pretty," which fans have read as the pair quietly maintaining contact outside the show.