Character Relationship Map: Yakiniku Dragon

Characters

• Jung Hwa (Shizuka) (played by Yoko Maki) — protagonist

  Jung Hwa is one of the sisters in the family that runs Yakiniku Dragon, and she has a disability. As a child, she and Tetsuo ran onto an airport runway during a dangerous night. Years later, he says h...

• Yi Hwa (Rika) (played by Mao Inoue) — supporting

  Yi Hwa is one of the sisters in the family behind Yakiniku Dragon. She is supposed to marry Tetsuo, but their wedding plans collapse when he tears up the marriage permit. She remains part of the compl...

• Tetsuo (played by Yo Oizumi) — supporting

  Tetsuo is connected to the sisters' family through his planned marriage to Yi Hwa, which falls apart when he tears up the marriage permit. He has a long history with Jung Hwa, including a dangerous ch...

• Mi Hwa (Mika) (played by Hitomi Miyauchi) — supporting

  Mi Hwa is one of the sisters in the family that runs Yakiniku Dragon. She is involved with Hasegawa, a married man, adding another complicated relationship to the family's story. Her situation unfolds...

• Hasegawa (played by Ryohei Otani) — supporting

  Hasegawa is a married man who is involved with Mi Hwa, one of the sisters in the family that runs Yakiniku Dragon. Their relationship contributes to the sisters' tangled personal lives and difficult c...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Yi Hwa (Rika) → Tetsuo (Romantic Broken Marriage Plans) — Their expected marriage is disrupted when Tetsuo destroys the permit, leaving Yi Hwa part of the unresolved history connecting him and Jung Hwa.

  Yi Hwa is supposed to marry Tetsuo, but their wedding plans collapse when he tears up the marriage permit.

• Mi Hwa (Mika) → Hasegawa (Romantic Involved With A Married Man) — Mi Hwa's involvement with the married Hasegawa forms one strand of the sisters' complicated relationships.

  The plot states that Mi Hwa is involved with Hasegawa, who is married.

• Yi Hwa (Rika) → Mi Hwa (Mika) (Family Sisters) — Their relationship is part of the sisters' intertwined personal histories and difficult choices.

  The plot identifies Yi Hwa and Mi Hwa as members of the family running Yakiniku Dragon.

• Jung Hwa (Shizuka) → Mi Hwa (Mika) (Family Sisters) — Jung Hwa and Mi Hwa belong to the same family, whose future is threatened by the dispute over their home.

  The plot identifies Jung Hwa, Yi Hwa, and Mi Hwa as members of the family running Yakiniku Dragon.

• Jung Hwa (Shizuka) → Yi Hwa (Rika) (Family Sisters) — Jung Hwa and Yi Hwa are sisters within the family whose lives are shaped by the restaurant and the town's upheaval.

  The plot describes Jung Hwa, Yi Hwa, and Mi Hwa as part of the family that runs Yakiniku Dragon.

Story Dynamics

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

• Jung Hwa (Shizuka) → Tetsuo (Social Unresolved Childhood Bond) — Their shared childhood history resurfaces when Tetsuo asks Jung Hwa to leave with him; she rejects his request and tells him not to involve her in his feelings.

  The plot recalls that Jung Hwa and Tetsuo ran onto the airport runway as children. Later, Tetsuo says he still needs her and asks her to leave with hi...

Story Analysis

A family in a marginalized town navigates tangled relationships and uncertain futures as development and official land claims threaten their home.

Plot Progression

1. Life Around the Restaurant — The narrator recalls a poor town that seems untouched by Japan's development. The family runs Yakiniku Dragon as neighbors argue and the sisters face entangled relationships.
2. Runway Memories and Refusal — Development brings new work and land-purchase prospects. Tetsuo's shared childhood memory with Jung Hwa leads to a request to leave for North Korea, which she refuses.
3. Family Choices and Delayed Plans — Tokio's need to repeat a grade prompts disagreement over his schooling and future. Repatriation plans are delayed, and the family hears conflicting reports about North Korea.
4. The Fight to Keep Home — Officials claim the land and homes are government-owned and threaten forced action. The family and neighbors resist, and Tetsuo confronts authorities during a tense standoff over demolition.