Character Relationship Map: Start-Up

Characters

• Geo-seok (played by Don Lee) — protagonist

  A large, short-haired chef and owner of a Chinese restaurant who provides shelter and employment to Taek-il after he runs away from home.

• Taek-il (played by Park Jeong-min) — protagonist

  A rebellious young man who impulsively leaves home after a conflict with his mother and takes a job at a Chinese restaurant to navigate adulthood.

• Sang-pil (played by Jung Hae-in) — supporting

  Taek-il's best friend who struggles to support his grandmother with dementia and takes a risky job at a private loan business to make ends meet.

• Jeong-hye (played by Yum Jung-ah) — supporting

  Taek-il's mother who struggles financially, impulsively confronts her son, and later attempts to start a toast business using borrowed money, only to face illegal demolition and loan shark harassment.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Geo-seok → Taek-il (Professional Employer) — Geo-seok gives Taek-il his first described job after leaving home.

  Taek-il responds to a Chinese restaurant job posting and begins working there as a delivery man under Geo-seok.

• Taek-il → Jeong-hye (Family Son) — Taek-il and Jeong-hye are mother and son.

  Jeong-hye is identified as Taek-il's mother and runs after him after he is taken to the police station.

Story Dynamics

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

• Sang-pil → Geo-seok (Narrative Friend's Supporter) — Geo-seok supports Sang-pil indirectly by helping Taek-il.

  Sang-pil's closest friend Taek-il finds work and shelter with Geo-seok after leaving home.

• Sang-pil → Jeong-hye (Unknown Debtor's Acquaintance) — Sang-pil's new job directly exposes him to Jeong-hye's financial crisis.

  While working at the private loan business, Sang-pil discovers that Taek-il's mother Jeong-hye is among the customers who borrowed money.

• Taek-il → Sang-pil (Social Best Friend) — They are close friends whose reckless behavior begins the story.

  Taek-il is caught by the police while riding without a helmet with his best friend Sang-pil.

Story Analysis

Two young men enter adulthood through unstable work, family conflict, debt, and unexpected relationships.

Plot Progression

1. A Ride Toward Rebellion — Taek-il and Sang-pil are detained after riding without a helmet. Conflict with Jeong-hye pushes Taek-il to leave home and travel to Gunsan.
2. Shelter Behind The Counter — Taek-il finds a Chinese restaurant and notices Geo-seok's unusual presence. A delivery job leads to employment, shelter, and a growing personal connection.
3. The Cost Of Easy Money — Sang-pil takes a private loan job because he needs money while caring for his grandmother. A violent collection encounter exposes the danger behind the apparently peaceful work.
4. Debt Comes Home — Sang-pil discovers that Jeong-hye borrowed money from the company. Jeong-hye's toast shop, financed by debt, is then threatened with demolition.
5. Helpless At The Toast Shop — Taek-il rushes to Jeong-hye's shop after learning about the demolition order. The reference ends with him unable to overcome the loan sharks' tyranny.