Character Relationship Map: Real

Characters

• Jang Tae-yeong (played by Kim Soo-hyun) — protagonist

  A successful crime syndicate boss and casino owner whose empire is threatened by a rival kingpin. He struggles with a split personality and undergoes experimental treatment that creates an identical r...

• Jo Won-geun (played by Sung Dong-il) — protagonist

  A powerful underworld kingpin who appears and claims ownership of Jang's casino, directly threatening Jang's criminal empire and financial future.

• Song Yoo-hwa (played by Sulli) — supporting
• Addict (played by Jung Yi-seo) — supporting
• Gangster in Chinatown (played by Lee Jung-hyun) — minor
• Therapist (played by Kim Da-som) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Jang Tae-yeong → Therapist (Professional Therapist And Patient) — The therapist's exercises prompt discussion of Jang's identity and the stories he tells about himself.

  Jang presents himself to a therapist, who uses exercises involving Russian nesting dolls to probe his thoughts and identity.

• Jang Tae-yeong → Addict (Meta Identity Doppelganger) — The two men contest the same identity, and their conflict reveals the connection between Jang's gangster persona and his drug addiction.

  A second man appears bearing Jang's name and resembling him closely. He disputes Jang's claim to the identity and describes Jang's violent persona as...

• Jang Tae-yeong → Song Yoo-hwa (Romantic Partners) — Their relationship combines romantic closeness with Song's effort to help Jang confront his addiction.

  The plot says Jang meets Song Yoo-hwa and that her care for him becomes important to their relationship. Song later urges him to overcome his addictio...

Story Dynamics

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

• Jang Tae-yeong → Gangster in Chinatown (Unknown Unspecified Association) — The plot connects this listed character only indirectly to the unresolved demand; it does not establish the exact nature of his relationship with Jang.

  The plot mentions Jang pressuring his Russian partners to hand over a man whose placement inside Jo's organization caused trouble, but does not identi...

• Jang Tae-yeong → Jo Won-geun (Conflict Rival Claimants) — Jo's attempt to take control of the casino directly threatens Jang's business and drives their conflict.

  Jo seeks control of the casino venture, and the two men negotiate over their competing claims.

Story Analysis

A casino conflict and drug investigation unfold alongside a fractured identity struggle, ending with Song's fate and a confrontation left unresolved.

Plot Progression

1. The Story in the Therapy Room — Jang recounts a violent gangster history and describes his search for someone with a matching tattoo. The therapist's nesting-doll exercises probe the identity behind his account.
2. Casino Claims and a Doppelganger — Jang enters a casino venture and faces Jo's competing claim to the business. Song becomes important to him as a second man appears, contests Jang's identity, and is warned away from her.
3. The Drug and the Hidden Identity — The casino struggle becomes entangled with a synthetic-drug investigation linked to Jo's operations and Russian criminal interests. The other man challenges Jang's account of his past and connects his...
4. Kidnapping and an Unresolved Demand — After a reporter is killed, Song is kidnapped, and Jang insists she remains alive three months later. He pressures Russian partners to hand over a man, but the final exchange leaves Song's fate and th...