Character Relationship Map: Mantis

Characters

• Lee Han-wool / Mantis (played by Yim Si-wan) — protagonist

  Highly skilled assassin seeking revenge and uncovering corporate conspiracies.

• Shin Jae-yi (played by Park Gyu-young) — protagonist

  Talented young assassin with a complex past and strong moral code.

• Benjamin Jo (played by Choi Hyun-wook) — supporting

  Corporate executive involved in the conspiracy targeting Mantis.

• Yang Soo-min (played by Bae Gang-hee) — supporting

  Assassin operative working within the same organization as Mantis.

• Kim Dong-yeong (played by Yoo Su-bin) — supporting

  Investigator or journalist uncovering corporate secrets.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Lee Han-wool / Mantis → Yang Soo-min (Professional Organizational Colleague) — They belong to the same professional assassin network.

  Yang Soo-min is described as an assassin operative working within the same organization as Mantis.

• Kim Dong-yeong → Shin Jae-yi (Romantic Unreciprocated Feelings) — Kim conceals personal feelings for Shin while reacting bitterly to the group's changing loyalties.

  Kim Dong-yeong resents being left behind and tries to hide his own feelings for Shin Jae-yi.

Story Dynamics

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

• Yang Soo-min → Kim Dong-yeong (Social Conflict Mediator) — Yang challenges Kim's resentment as part of a wider team problem.

  Yang Soo-min identifies the childish conflict involving Kim Dong-yeong as harmful to everyone in the group.

• Yang Soo-min → Shin Jae-yi (Social Conflict Mediator) — Yang intervenes by calling attention to the group's interpersonal conflict.

  Yang Soo-min points out that the childish conflict involving Shin Jae-yi, Kim Dong-yeong, and Mantis is affecting everyone.

• Kim Dong-yeong → Lee Han-wool / Mantis (Conflict Resentful Rivalry) — Mantis's advancement creates resentment and emotional distance between them.

  Kim Dong-yeong resents being left behind after Lee Han-wool / Mantis moves toward the new company.

• Lee Han-wool / Mantis → Shin Jae-yi (Conflict Professional Rivalry) — Their competing abilities and positions create tension within the assassin group.

  Shin Jae-yi struggles with professional rivalry toward Lee Han-wool / Mantis as the group becomes involved in his decision to join the new company.

• Lee Han-wool / Mantis → Benjamin Jo (Business Alliance) — They form a strategic alliance around the creation of a rival assassination company.

  Benjamin Jo offers Lee Han-wool / Mantis a position in a new company, and Mantis accepts in order to help build an organization capable of challenging...

Story Analysis

A former corporate assassin seeks renewed power while personal revenge collides with professional loyalty and the moral failures of the killing industry.

Plot Progression

1. A Broken Killing Industry — Unemployed killers criticize the restrictions imposed by the old corporate system. The collapse of MK leaves Mantis determined to continue working rather than accept the end of his career.
2. The Teacher's Test — Mantis visits his former teacher, whose nickname for him reflects their shared history. Their reunion mixes insults, playful violence, and debate about the industry's transformation.
3. A Rival Company Rises — Benjamin offers Mantis a position in a new company. Mantis accepts, seeking not only employment but also the power to build the next MK.
4. Loyalties Under Pressure — Shin's rivalry and Kim's concealed feelings destabilize the group, while Yang criticizes their childish conflict. Mantis simultaneously advances through high-level assignments.
5. The Student's Reckoning — Mantis pursues a personal score through a dangerous operation that violates industry rules. His confrontation with his former teacher turns shared history into a final test of skill and loyalty.