Character Relationship Map: Eighteen

Characters

• Kim Tae-hoon (played by Seo Jun-young) — protagonist

  A second-year high school student and the central young male character. He travels to the coast with Park Mi-jung, struggles at school, and asks his parents to let him quit so he can work and prepare...

• Park Mi-jung (played by Lee Min-ji) — supporting

  A high school student and Tae-hoon's girlfriend. She travels with him to the coast, continues her studies, and eventually tells him she wants to aim for college in Seoul and stop seeing him. Her decis...

• Tae-hoon's father (played by Kwon Hyeok-pung) — supporting

  Tae-hoon's father is among the parents who resist Tae-hoon's request to leave school. He and Tae-hoon's mother urge him to remain in school, creating a conflict as Tae-hoon hopes to work and study for...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Tae-hoon's father → Kim Tae-hoon (father)
• Kim Tae-hoon → Park Mi-jung (Romantic Young Couple Facing Separation) — Their relationship is strained by family pressure, Tae-hoon's school and work choices, and Mi-jung's plan to pursue college in Seoul; their later reunion does not settle their future.

  They travel together during winter break, and Mi-jung later tells Tae-hoon she wants them to stop seeing each other. The story closes with them togeth...

Story Analysis

The story follows a young couple whose relationship is tested by family concern, diverging plans, and separation, ending with an uncertain reunion.

Plot Progression

1. A Coastal Trip Under Pressure — Tae-hoon and Mi-jung travel from Seoul to the coast and become stranded without enough money to return. After a woman lends them the fare, their night at a police station leads to an angry confrontati...
2. School and Work Diverge — Tae-hoon struggles at school and asks to quit so he can work and prepare for an equivalency exam, but his parents urge him to stay enrolled. Mi-jung continues studying and becomes increasingly difficu...
3. A Choice to Leave — Mi-jung tells Tae-hoon she intends to aim for college in Seoul and wants them to stop seeing each other. He tries to persuade her to stay, but she remains resolved to leave.
4. Distance and Uncertain Reunion — Tae-hoon prepares a gift and an encouraging note, then learns Mi-jung has gone to the Philippines with her family and may have changed her phone number. They later meet again by the water, but the reu...