Character Relationship Map: Be Melodramatic

Characters

• Im Jin-ju (played by Chun Woo-hee) — protagonist

  Im Jin-ju is a writer who receives her first opportunity to write a 16-episode television series. While developing the show with director Son Beom-su, she becomes romantically involved with him, and t...

• Lee Eun-jeong (played by Jeon Yeo-been) — protagonist

  Lee Eun-jeong is a successful documentary filmmaker who has not fully recovered from the early death of her fiancé from cancer. During the story, she makes a documentary about Lee So-min, while remain...

• Hwang Han-ju (played by Han Ji-eun) — supporting

  Hwang Han-ju is a single mother working for a marketing and production company. She manages product-placement commitments with inventive methods, earns a promotion, and later sees her company work on...

• Son Beom-su (played by Ahn Jae-hong) — supporting

  Son Beom-su is the director developing Im Jin-ju's television series. As he works with her to shape the production, their personal and professional lives become closely connected, and the two develop...

• Hong-dae (played by Han Jun-woo) — supporting
• Lee Hyo-bong (played by Yun Ji-on) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

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

• Lee Eun-jeong → Lee Hyo-bong (Sibling relationship) — Lee Hyo-bong acts as a concerned family member who responds to Eun-jeong's deteriorating emotional state.

  "Episode 11 explicitly identifies Lee Hyo-bong as Lee Eun-jeong's brother, and he advises her to seek treatment."

• Im Jin-ju → Son Beom-su (Creative collaborators) — Their shared production work is the practical structure through which their personal relationship develops.

  "Episode 3 states that Son Beom-su and Im Jin-ju strike an exciting deal, and subsequent episodes follow their effort to develop and advance a series....

• Lee Eun-jeong → Hong-dae (Romantic attachment) — Hong-dae remains an emotionally powerful presence in Lee Eun-jeong's storyline even through absence and disturbing visions.

  "Episode 9 says Lee Eun-jeong becomes increasingly aware of Hong-dae's absence, and Episode 12 says her vision of Hong-dae takes a violent turn."

Story Dynamics

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

• Im Jin-ju → Lee Eun-jeong (Close friends) — Their friendship is part of the emotional foundation of the household they share with Hwang Han-ju.

  "Episode 1 states that Im Jin-ju and Lee Eun-jeong recount the events that knitted them together into a makeshift family."

• Lee Eun-jeong → Hwang Han-ju (Close friends) — They function as two central members of the trio's emotional support system.

  "Episode 1 identifies both characters as part of the same makeshift family, while later episodes place them within the same supportive household and f...

• Im Jin-ju → Hwang Han-ju (Chosen-family friendship) — Their bond combines friendship, domestic solidarity, and mutual support.

  "Episode 1 describes Im Jin-ju, Lee Eun-jeong, and Hwang Han-ju as a makeshift family; later episodes show them handling crises and taking a short tri...

• Hwang Han-ju → Lee Eun-jeong (Mutual support) — Their alliance is grounded in the practical and emotional cooperation of the shared household.

  "Episode 1 establishes them as members of a makeshift family, while Episode 6 contrasts Hwang Han-ju confronting a major crisis with Im Jin-ju's still...

• Hwang Han-ju → Son Beom-su (Friend-group connection) — They are connected through the friends' shared social circle and collective efforts to cool off after mounting pressure.

  "Episode 14 places Hwang Han-ju and Son Beom-su on the same short trip with Im Jin-ju and another member of the group."

• Im Jin-ju → Lee Hyo-bong (Friend-group connection) — Their relationship is best treated as an indirect social connection rather than a developed personal bond.

  "The season places Im Jin-ju and Lee Hyo-bong within the same broader network surrounding Lee Eun-jeong, although no direct major interaction between...

Story Analysis

The single-season narrative follows three friends who form a chosen family while their careers, romances, grief, and emotional recovery develop in parallel.

Plot Progression

1. Season 1: Chosen Family — The three friends recall how they became a makeshift family. New work, romantic possibilities, and professional connections begin to reshape their routines.
2. Season 1: Creative Entanglements — Im Jin-ju and Son Beom-su establish a creative partnership that quickly acquires personal complications. The group also faces a crisis while trying to preserve its everyday solidarity.
3. Season 1: Feelings Take Shape — Writing, production choices, and romantic uncertainty become intertwined. Son Beom-su's growing crush raises the emotional stakes of their collaboration.
4. Season 1: Absence And Rumors — Son Beom-su faces professional instability while Lee Eun-jeong becomes more aware of Hong-dae's absence. Gossip about Im Jin-ju creates a serious rift in the developing relationship.
5. Season 1: Confession And Closure — A confession turns into a heated debate, while Lee Eun-jeong experiences a disturbing vision of Hong-dae. After a cooling-off trip and a production setback, the characters move toward closure and new...