Character Relationship Map: The Target

Characters

• Baek Yeo-hoon (played by Ryu Seung-ryong) — protagonist

  Baek is Lee Tae-joon’s estranged brother and becomes entangled in the events surrounding Myungjin Building. He meets Lee by the riverside, where police and other pursuers interrupt them. Later accused...

• Lee Tae-joon (played by Lee Jin-uk) — supporting

  Lee is a third-year resident at Baekwoon Hospital and Jung Hee-joo’s husband. After discovering that she has been abducted, he is threatened into helping Patient 13 escape and searches for his estrang...

• Song Gi-cheol (played by Yu Jun-sang) — supporting

  Song leads the Regional Investigation Unit, which takes control of the case after orders from above keep it secret. His unit searches for Lee Tae-joon and treats him as a suspect rather than as someon...

• Jung Hee-joo (played by Cho Yeo-jeong) — supporting

  Jung Hee-joo is Lee Tae-joon’s wife and a psychiatrist at Baekwoon Hospital who is on maternity leave. A kidnapper uses her captivity to force Lee to remove Patient 13 from the hospital and warns him...

• Jung Young-Joo (played by Kim Sung-ryung) — supporting

  Jung Young-Joo helps Lee Tae-joon after he tells her that his wife has been kidnapped. She and Lee recognize that Sung-hoon was framed and decide to investigate his death and Jung Hee-joo’s abduction....

• Sung-hoon (played by Jin Goo) — supporting

  Sung-hoon is identified as Baek Yeo-hoon’s brother and is found badly injured after being used by the kidnappers. Before dying, he asks Lee Tae-joon to save Jung Hee-joo. His condition and final reque...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Jung Hee-joo → Song Gi-cheol (Professional Witness And Investigators) — Her status places her within Song's investigation as a key witness.

  The police hold Jung Hee-joo as a witness while publicly identifying Lee and Baek as suspects.

• Baek Yeo-hoon → Sung-hoon (Family Brothers) — Sung-hoon's fate intensifies the pressure surrounding Baek.

  The plot identifies Sung-hoon as Baek Yeo-hoon's brother after Baek becomes linked to the kidnapping and murders.

• Lee Tae-joon → Baek Yeo-hoon (Family Estranged Brothers) — Their separated sibling relationship is tied to the mystery at Myungjin Building.

  Lee is described as trying to find his estranged brother, Baek Yeo-hoon.

• Lee Tae-joon → Jung Hee-joo (Family Husband And Wife) — Their marriage becomes the central leverage used against Lee.

  The police learn that Jung Hee-joo is Lee Tae-joon's wife and works as a psychiatrist at the same hospital.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Baek Yeo-hoon → Song Gi-cheol (Conflict Investigator And Suspect) — Baek becomes a target of the investigation controlled by Song's unit.

  The police publicly identify Lee and Baek as suspects in several murders.

• Lee Tae-joon → Song Gi-cheol (Conflict Investigator And Suspect) — Song's investigation places Lee under direct suspicion.

  Song Gi-cheol's Regional Investigation Unit takes control while the police search for Lee and treat him as a suspect.

• Jung Young-Joo → Sung-hoon (Alliance Investigative Collaborators) — Sung-hoon's death motivates their joint investigation.

  Lee and Jung Young-Joo realize that Sung-hoon was framed and decide to uncover who killed him.

• Lee Tae-joon → Jung Young-Joo (Alliance Help Seeker And Supporter) — Jung Young-Joo becomes an important source of assistance and evidence.

  Lee seeks help from Jung Young-Joo and explains that Jung Hee-joo has been kidnapped.

• Sung-hoon → Lee Tae-joon (Alliance Final Plea) — Sung-hoon's dying request gives Lee a direct mission.

  After being badly injured and used by the kidnappers, Sung-hoon dies while asking Lee to save Jung Hee-joo.

Story Analysis

A doctor caught between a kidnapping, a framed investigation, and a threatened family alliance tries to expose the truth.

Plot Progression

1. A Hostage in the Hospital — An emergency case at Baekwoon Hospital becomes linked to violence at Myungjin Building. Lee discovers that Jung Hee-joo has been abducted and is forced to remove Patient 13.
2. Evidence Disappears — Hospital records, surveillance footage, and the patient chart vanish. The police connect Lee to the dead victim in Suite 408 and begin treating him as a suspect.
3. Brothers Under Pursuit — Lee seeks Jung Young-Joo's help and searches for his estranged brother Baek. Their riverside meeting is interrupted by police and other pursuers.
4. A Death Made to Look Guilty — Baek is accused of murder and kidnapping, while Sung-hoon is found badly injured after being used by the kidnappers. His final request sends Lee and Jung Young-Joo toward the truth.
5. The Truth Behind the Cover-Up — Lee and Jung Young-Joo investigate the framing of Sung-hoon and obtain a voice recorder containing evidence. Lee confronts officials before refusing to disclose Baek's location.