Character Relationship Map: Tunnel

Characters

• Lee Jung-soo (played by Ha Jung-woo) — protagonist

  An automobile salesperson and the central protagonist trapped inside the collapsed Hado Tunnel for 35 days. He relies on rationing supplies, conserving battery life, and maintaining phone contact to s...

• Se-hyun (played by Bae Doona) — protagonist

  Jung-soo's wife who receives news of the collapse and manages the emotional and media fallout outside the tunnel. She is ultimately forced to sign a contract to resume construction, sacrificing her hu...

• Dae-kyung (played by Oh Dal-su) — supporting

  The rescue chief who prioritizes the victim's life over media sensationalism. He uses clues from the tunnel to plan excavations, faces operational setbacks due to faulty schematics, and risks his own...

• Mi-Na (played by Nam Ji-hyun) — supporting

  Another survivor trapped near Jung-soo, accompanied by a pet dog. She is impaled by steel rebar and later dies, adding emotional weight to Jung-soo's ordeal and indirectly aiding the rescue through he...

• Old Mother (played by Ye Su-jeong) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Dae-kyung → Lee Jung-soo (Professional Rescuer) — Dae-kyung is the rescue chief responsible for reaching Jung-soo.

  Dae-kyung leads the rescue operation, uses tunnel clues to plan excavation, and lowers himself through a drill hole to locate Jung-soo.

• Lee Jung-soo → Se-hyun (Family Husband) — They are married, and Se-hyun becomes Jung-soo's principal emotional supporter during his entrapment.

  The plot identifies Se-hyun as Jung-soo's wife and shows her responding to the tunnel collapse and managing the crisis outside.

Story Dynamics

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

• Se-hyun → Old Mother (Conflict Blame Target) — The rescue's human cost creates direct hostility between Old Mother and Se-hyun.

  After an excavation accident kills a worker, Old Mother blames Se-hyun for her son's death.

• Lee Jung-soo → Mi-Na (Alliance Fellow Survivor) — Their shared entrapment creates a short-lived bond between two tunnel survivors.

  Jung-soo discovers Mi-na trapped near him, tells her that a rescue operation is underway, and later returns to her car.

• Dae-kyung → Se-hyun (Alliance Rescue Coordinator) — Their efforts are connected by the shared objective of preserving Jung-soo's life.

  Dae-kyung directs the rescue operation while Se-hyun manages the outside pressure and later confronts the decision to stop the rescue.

Story Analysis

A trapped man's prolonged survival exposes the emotional, institutional, and human costs of rescue under public pressure.

Plot Progression

1. Concrete Prison — Jung-soo becomes trapped when the newly opened Hado Tunnel collapses over his car. He establishes limited contact and begins rationing his supplies while rescue workers assemble outside.
2. A Fragile Rescue Plan — Dae-kyung rejects media exploitation and advises Jung-soo to conserve his phone and water. A ventilation fan marker gives the rescue team a possible reference point, but another cave-in reveals the tu...
3. The Second Survivor — Jung-soo discovers Mi-na, who is trapped and badly injured. Her death increases his despair, while faulty schematics undermine the rescue operation and leave him increasingly isolated.
4. The Rescue Abandoned — Jung-soo loses phone contact as public support fades and an excavation worker dies. Se-hyun is pressured into signing an agreement that would end the rescue and resume construction.
5. Thirty-Five Days Underground — Dae-kyung makes one final attempt to locate Jung-soo, while Jung-soo uses Mi-na's car horn as a signal. Despite a destructive explosion, rescuers eventually reach him alive and he returns to daylight...