Character Relationship Map: The First Man

Characters

• Oh Jang-mi / Ma Seo-rin (played by Ham Eun-jung) — protagonist

  Twin sisters born to Jeong Suk-hee, they grow up with very different lives: Oh Jang-mi is spirited and righteous, while Ma Seo-rin is a spoiled heiress raised in Chairman Ma's family. After they meet,...

• Chae Hwa-young (played by Oh Hyun-kyung) — protagonist

  Chae Hwa-young forcibly takes one of the twin girls from their birth mother, Jeong Suk-hee, and brings the child into Chairman Ma's household, claiming her as her own child with Ma Dong-seok. She late...

• Kang Baek Ho (played by Yoon Sun-woo) — supporting

  Kang Baek Ho is one of two brothers who become entangled with Oh Jang-mi as romance, rivalry, and secrets unfold around the twins' identity switch. The plot summary establishes his connection to Jang-...

• Kang Jun Ho (played by Park Geon-il) — supporting

  Kang Jun Ho is one of two brothers who become entangled with Oh Jang-mi as romance, rivalry, and secrets unfold around the twins' identity switch. The plot summary identifies Kang Baek Ho as his broth...

• Kang Nam Bong [Baek Ho and Jun Ho's father] (played by Jung Chan) — supporting
• Jin Hong Ju (played by Kim Min-seol) — supporting
• Jung Suk Hui (played by Jeong So-yeong) — supporting

  Jeong Suk-hee is the twins' birth mother. Chae Hwa-young forcibly takes one of her newborn daughters, separating the child from Suk-hee and bringing her into Chairman Ma's household. The summary does...

• Yeom San Wol [Hong Ju's mother] (played by Kim Sun-hye) — minor
• Han Yeong Ja [Baek Ho and Jun Ho's mother] (played by Choi Ji-yeon) — minor
• Yang Geom-sun [Maid ] (played by Ahn Joo-in) — minor
• O Bok Gil (played by Kim Hak-seon) — minor
• Ma Dae Chang (played by Lee Hyo-jeong) — minor

  Chairman Ma is the head of the household into which Chae Hwa-young brings the child she has taken from Jeong Suk-hee. The child is raised in his family, and this household becomes part of the twins' c...

• Lee Gang Hyeok (played by Lee Jae-hwang) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Kang Jun Ho → Chae Hwa-young (Mother and Son) — A deeply entangled maternal bond marked by manipulation, succession planning, and eventual betrayal.

  "Hwa Young finds out that Jun Ho is her son, Ha Neul, and schemes to make him the heir to the Dream Group."

• Kang Jun Ho → Oh Jang-mi / Ma Seo-rin (Fiancés and Identity Swap) — A forced union driven by deception, identity swapping, and conflicting personal agendas.

  "Oh Jang Mi officially announces her marriage to Kang Jun Ho to begin her plan for total vengeance, while Jun Ho insists on marrying Seo Rin."

• Kang Jun Ho → Ma Dae Chang (Father and Son) — A patriarchal relationship strained by hidden lineage, corporate succession, and buried family secrets.

  "Chairman Ma grows fond of Jun Ho marrying Seo Rin, but later questions his past and casts Hwa Young out as Jun Ho's true birth tears everything open....

• Kang Jun Ho → Han Yeong Ja [Baek Ho and Jun Ho's mother] (Mother and Son) — A complex maternal relationship marked by adoption history, emotional distance, and strategic pleading.

  "Jun Ho shares a memory from before Young Ja adopted him, and Hwa Young kneels before Young Ja to beg for her approval."

• Kang Jun Ho → Kang Nam Bong [Baek Ho and Jun Ho's father] (Father and Son) — A strained paternal bond characterized by opposition to Jun Ho's choices and underlying family tensions.

  "Nam Bong strongly opposes Jun Ho and Seo Rin's marriage, while Hwa Young schemes to take revenge on Hong Ju."

• Kang Jun Ho → Jin Hong Ju (Corporate Allies and Political Maneuvers) — A transactional alliance driven by corporate politics, marriage arrangements, and shifting loyalties.

  "Hong Ju urges Jun Ho to stop Jang Mi and Baek Ho's ceremony, while Hwa Young schemes to take revenge on Hong Ju."

• Kang Jun Ho → O Bok Gil (Investigator and Target) — A professional dynamic where Bok Gil's investigations indirectly threaten Jun Ho's hidden lineage and corporate standing.

  "O Bok Gil learns Hwa Young is behind everything, while Jun Ho's true birth tears everything open."

Story Dynamics

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

• Kang Jun Ho → Kang Baek Ho (Rivals and Truth Seekers) — A volatile rivalry centered on romantic competition, corporate secrets, and investigative clashes.

  "Jun Ho demands Baek Ho give up Jang Mi, while Baek Ho traces clues from the day of the accident and grows suspicious of Jun Ho."

• Kang Jun Ho → Lee Gang Hyeok (Strategic Informant) — A narrative link where Hyuk's actions and alliances indirectly shape Jun Ho's strategic decisions and emotional state.

  "Kang Hyuk asks Hwa Young to run away with him, while Jun Ho's obsession grows amid rising tensions."

• Kang Jun Ho → Yeom San Wol [Hong Ju's mother] (Antagonistic Observers) — A relationship defined by mutual suspicion, corporate rivalry, and overlapping family secrets.

  "San Wol begins to suspect Chairman Ma's past affairs, while Jun Ho's sudden plan to marry Seo Rin shocks Baek Ho."

• Kang Jun Ho → Jung Suk Hui (Indirect Plot Catalyst) — A peripheral but impactful connection where Suk Hee's presence indirectly influences Jun Ho's decisions and family dynamics.

  "Jun Ho accepts Suk Hee's toxic Ali t... as tensions rise within the family and corporate structure."

• Kang Jun Ho → Yang Geom-sun [Maid ] (Household Acquaintance) — A low-intensity social connection within the household hierarchy, reflecting broader domestic power struggles.

  "Hwa Young sneaks into Jang Mi's room to find her phone, while family tensions erupt within the household."

Story Analysis

Overall narrative architecture across all 1 seasons focusing on lineage, corporate power, and identity deception

Plot Progression

1. Season 1: Hidden Lineage and Corporate Setup — Hwa Young discovers Jun Ho is her son and pushes him toward heir status, while corporate maneuvering and identity swaps begin to take shape.
2. Season 1: Identity Swap and Forced Union — Jun Ho proposes facial surgery to facilitate the identity swap, while Jang Mi announces her marriage to him as part of a vengeance plan.
3. Season 1: Rivalry and Investigative Convergence — Baek Ho and Jun Ho clash over truth and romance, while Bok Gil's investigations indirectly threaten Jun Ho's hidden lineage.
4. Season 1: Corporate Sabotage and Maternal Plea — Hwa Young faces arrest as stock prices fall, while Jun Ho shares pre-adoption memories and Young Ja pleads for approval.
5. Season 1: Final Truth and Fractured Alliances — Jun Ho's obsession peaks as toxic alliances form, birth secrets surface, and family/corporate structures finally collapse.