KIM HYUNJUN.
older half-brother.
⇢ previously close as children, it was only until their parents' marriage started failing and their father grew more violent towards seojun that they started drifting apart. despite having a tense relationship between them for years, after an (violent) altercation, it has begun to loosen bit by bit.
KIM HYUNJI.
younger half-sister.
⇢ as any older brother would be, seojun was initially caring and protective over his sister as kids, but after the abuse from his dad escalated, he had withdrew himself from the rest of the family. due to her seemingly endless complaints and antagonizing attitude towards him, seojun had grown to harbor some silent disdain for his sister. although he can tolerate most of it, it would be a lie to say that he doesn't break once in a while.
YOON HAEWON.
ex-lover and childhood friend.
⇢ having been family friends for a long time, they started developing feelings for each other after a mishap at the marketplace. their relationship lasted a little over a year until the beginning of 1868. seojun still harbors some heartbreak over their breakup.
RYU YEONHWA.
older sister figure.
⇢ first meeting to commission seojun for a piece, they gradually got to know each other by bonding over their appreciation for the arts and having mutual friends. eventually, she was kind enough to connect seojun with the physicians at her shelter, which help him learn more about medicine. fascinated by her poise and achievements, he looks to her as an older sister and seeks her for advice often.
GO SAERA (npc)
acquaintance.
SEO HANEUL (npc)
childhood best friend.
JIN JAEKYUNG (npc)
best friend; ride or die.
JIN ONHUI (npc)
friend.
KIM BYUNGJUN.
eldest half-brother.
⇢ before going missing for ten years ago, they had a close relationship. seojun looked to him for support, and byungjun was the one who pushed seojun to pursue his dreams. however, over the years after him "running away,” seojun has grown to resent byungjun because his disappearance catalyzed his mother to leave and for his father's rage to grow uncontrollable.
KIM MINJUN.
adoptive father (unknown to the public and not disclosed to his siblings).
⇢ minjun never liked seojun because he was born out of his wife’s infidelity, but this dislike quickly grew into hatred the night his wife disappeared. it was then that he slit young seojun’s throat, nearly killing him, and his abusive behavior towards his family’s illegitimate son took a turn for the worst.
KIM EUNHA.
first love, courting.
⇢ a beautiful, pure, and genuine love of nearly 3 years. it was the textbook example of the right person at the wrong time. their relationship was plagued with misunderstandings and secrets about themselves (kept with good intentions) that eventually led to their breakup. once their truths came to fruition, it was already too late.
HONG JINHEE.
customer-turned-master/apprentice relationship.
⇢ seojun started off making the tea sets for jinhee's teahouse. she was a frequent customer and their relationship grew closer as a result. after finding out about her work as a physician, he began to look up to her and made it his goal to learn as much as he could about medicine from her.
BYUN SANGWOOK.
acquaintance.
⇢ under the circumstances of haewon's sudden pregnancy, the tension between seojun and sangwook eventually mellowed into something that would bring the two together, and eventually, it formed into a friendship.