The following tropes can be applied to the characters of the Korean Series The Heirs.

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The main trio

Cha Eun-Sang

Played by: Park Shin-ye

The main protagonist of the drama. She's an 18-year-old girl from a poor family who ends up living with the rich and powerful Kim family.

Berserk Button: Insulting her mother is one of the few things that can make Eun-sang really goes physical. Rachel finds it the hard way.
Big Sister Worship: She's envious that her sister is capable of working overseas in a land of opportunities and the moment the chance to visit her appear, she wastes no time to leave Korea. Unfortunately, the truth isn't as wonderful as she thinks it is.
Earn Your Happy Ending: After all she goes through and facing a crapload of discrimination, abuse, and hardships, she does manage to date Tan with the blessings of everyone involved.
I Just Want to Be Special: She wants to escape from a life of poverty with, as much as she hates to admit it, a mother whose disability prevents them from advancing up the social class.
Inter-Class Romance: With Kim Tan, the son of an extremely wealthy and powerful family.
New Transfer Student: At Jeguk High.
Ordinary High-School Student: Starts out as one, and the desperation to find a better life is what motivates her to visit the United States. The rest is history.
Rags to Riches: By the end of the series, she is dating Kim Tan, a shareholder of one of the wealthiest families in Korea.
Scholarship Student: Is given a pass for an instant enrollment to one of, if not, the most prestigious high school in South Korea. The package doesn't include uniforms, though. Or extracurricular fees.
Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy: Yes, yes she does.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Tan, since both parties have to go through hell to maintain it. Thankfully, they do.
Stepford Smiler: Habitual. A highlight includes the time when she is given two weeks to stay in Seoul before Chairman Kim sends her away; she stays cheerful while transparently hiding her intentions to say goodbye to her friends, topped by her giving Tan a reassuring smile and hug to Tan, despite knowing that she won't meet him again not one hour later.

Kim Tan

Played by: Lee Min-ho

The second son of the Jeguk group who falls in love with Cha Eun-Sang.

Ambiguously Brown: Noticeably darker-skinned than the other male teenage characters, due to mostly spending his time in the United States surfing, which tanned his skin.
Arranged Marriage: To Rachel. It doesn't stick.
The Atoner: His family problems aside (which aren't actually his fault), he's genuinely sorry about all the things he had done before he immigrated to the United States, such as bullying the social care students, and wants to make them up whenever possible.
Berserk Button: Badmouthing his (biological) mother is a very bad idea.
- Oh, and don't you dare endanger Eun-sang, either. Doing that is a one-way trip to hell.
Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Eun-sang's Archie and Young-do's Veronica.
Big Brother Worship: Is in awe of his brother, no matter what the latter does to repel him away.
Book Dumb: Routinely takes the last place in all tests, since he never bothers to study.
Bully Hunter: To atone past mistakes (see above). When he sees Young-do once again bullying Joon-young, he punches him point blank in the face.
Chick Magnet: Girls in Jeguk High swoon over his good looks, though it's surprisingly not played up other than for one episode, as doing so will risk angering the wealthiest girl in the school.
Childhood Friends: With Choi Young-Do.
Cunning Linguist: Can speak Korean, English, and Chinese.
Despair Event Horizon: After Eun-sang is forced to leave him, he is completely crushed and stops caring about the world or his own safety.
Love at First Sight: With Eun-sang.
Lovable Jock: To contrast with Young-do's Jerk Jock.
No Sense of Personal Space: Hugs, glomps, and holds Eun-sang's hands whenever the two meet, usually by surprise. Eun Sang is at first annoyed and embarrassed, but soon comes to accept them.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: You know something must be done when Tan's usual optimism disappears. The utter mess he becomes after Eun-sang leaves him is the final step for Won's Heel–Face Turn.
Perpetual Smiler: Especially when faced with Eun-sang.
The Pollyanna: Despite all the shit he receives from his family, he never lets his face and sunny disposition down. Which is why his complete shutdown after his separation from Eun-sang disturbs Won so much.
Reformed Bully: Dialogues indicate that he used to be even worse than Young-do, being the one most enthusiastic in bullying lower-class students and the one responsible for designating the "Social Care Group Seat" in the cafeteria. Compare then and now.
Shirtless Scene: In the pilot episode. Thing is, the scene is played again and again in all 20 episodes, due to being a part of the opening intro.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Eun-sang.
We Used to Be Friends: With Young-do and, to a lesser extent, Rachel.
Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Says this to Rachel after seeing the latter throw Eun-sang's uniform to the bin and degrade her mother. No matter how much he wants to hit her, he can't hurt a girl physically. Psychologically is another matter, though.

Choi Young-Do

Played by: Kim Woo-bin

The heir of Hotel Zeus Group and Kim Tan's childhood friend.

Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Eun-sang's Archie and Tan's Betty.
Book Dumb: Like Tan, though Young-do at least is able to be one step ahead of him.
The Bully: One so feared that it makes at least one student transfer out.
Expository Hairstyle Change: His hairstyle during middle school is very different from the current upward-facing one, being more like Tan's. Once Character Development hits and he fully realizes his feelings for Eun-sang, he returns it back. Rachel lampshades this.
Fire-Forged Friends: With Rachel, due to going through their mess of political marriages and betrayal together.
Friendly Enemy: Graduates to this for Tan by the final episode. They're not buddies, but they're not strangers, either.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: No matter how much he tries to put a scary and trickster-like exterior, when he says he values his friends, he values his friends for real. Not even a set of nine experienced bodyguards can stop him freeing Tan from his house arrest.
Jerk Jock: Of Jeguk High.
My Greatest Failure: Not heeding Tan's desperate warning to see his mother one last time before she moved away.
Romantic Runner-Up: To Eun-sang.
Reformed Bully: Ultimately becomes this.
Reformed, but Rejected: He apologizes to Joon-hyung for the bullying, but the latter refuses to accept it and tells him to live his life with that guilt. He agrees.
Trademark Favorite Food: Ramen. It's the food that he would have eaten with his mother during their last meeting together, had he arrive sooner.
The Trickster: Affects everything, including his method to get close to Eun-sang.
We Used to Be Friends: With Tan.

Jeguk High students

Yoo Rachel

Played by: Kim Ji-won

The heiress of RS International, a clothing company, and Kim Tan's betrothed.

Alpha Bitch: The girl that threatens Eun-sang the most at school, but unlike other examples, she doesn't flaunt it excessively. Instead, she prefers a more psychological (and personal) approach.
Big Damn Kiss: With Hyo-shin, twice and in quick succession. There are no feelings involved.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Can fake manners as easy as she breathes.
Broken Bird: Her mother controls her since she's three to be the "perfect" heiress, ignoring what Rachel actually wants. It obviously shapes up the person she is now.
Rachel: (after her engagement is canceled) I'm not your new product for the season!
Cunning Linguist: Speaks Korean, English, and Japanese since she's a child. Eun-sang's attempt to disguise her identity fails horribly due to this.
The Fashionista: Say what you want about her, but the girl's fashion sense is godly. Even if only to go to school.
Fire-Forged Friends: With Young-do.
Hime Cut: To fit the high-class heiress.
Not So Stoic: She outright cries when her mother cancels her engagement with Kim Tan for good. Esther notes that Rachel rarely does it openly.
Ojou: Princess-like and all.
Ship Tease: With Hyo-shin, though it's cut away with his conscription.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: It's amazing how she goes from snarking everyone to acting sheepishly in front of Kim Won.

Yoon Chan-young

Played by: Kang Min-hyuk

A class representative of Jeguk High and Eun-sang's oldest and best friend. As his father is merely a secretary, he's one of the few so-called "social care group" students in the school.

Brainy Brunette: Tops the whole school in every test ever. It's more or less the only reason why he's not being picked at despite being a social care student.
Childhood Friends: With Eun-sang.
Class Representative
Inter-Class Romance: He dates Bo-na, who is one step up the social ladder from him. This is a plot point in one episode, but otherwise the topic is not brought up frequently.
Platonic Life-Partners: Again, with Eun-sang. There's absolutely no romance involved. Of course, Bo-na would beg to differ, but then again, she's Bo-na.
Sickeningly Sweethearts: With Bo-na.
Troll: Deliberately irritates Bo-na, because she's cute when angry!

Lee Bo-na

Played by: Krystal Jung

Daughter of the CEO of the talent-searching Mega Entertainment and Chan-young's girlfriend.

Amicable Exes: With Tan, whom she dated sometime during middle school.
Butt-Monkey: In the case of romance, she's constantly the butt of many jokes.
Catchphrase: "So annoying!"
Clingy Jealous Girl: Her overclinginess to Chan-young is legendary within Jeguk High. It never delves into Yandere, though, since it's Played for Laughs.
The Ditz: A variation in that it's only focused on one thing. Bo-na is smart in many fields, such as education and management...but when it comes to romance, she's completely a sitting duck and very easy to get fooled with. And yes, many characters do exploit this, including Eun-sang, whom she befriends "so Chan-young doesn't have to".
Inter-Class Romance: She and Chan-young. Chan-young may be rich, but Bo-na is richer.
Lovable Alpha Bitch: Is a part of the popular crowd and simultaneously friends with Eun-sang and Ye-sol.
Ojou
Sickeningly Sweethearts: With Chan-young. Heck, the one time they make up after a few days of not talking to each other, they throw a large celebration at a bar.
Spoiled Sweet: Despite looking to be yet another one of those rich brats, she's actually a very kind girl. Other than befriending Eun-sang (under the guise of protecting her boyfriend), she quickly forgives Ye-sol for lying about her parents' occupation. Lampshaded by Eun-sang when her mother asks her who she is:
Eun-sang: Oh, she's Bo-na. She's pretty on the outside as well as the inside.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: She and Eun-sang are definitely not friends.
- Also, it's Tan who can't move on, not her.
Tsundere: Switches between the two temperaments rather constantly. A specific target of hers is Eun-sang, whom she helps many times throughout the series, either consciously or unconsciously, but she always dismisses with "so Chan-young doesn't have to".

Lee Hyo-shin

Played by: Kang Ha-neul

Son of an attorney general and head of the school broadcasting system of Jeguk High.

Big Damn Kiss: With Rachel, twice.
Class Clown: Is one to the entire school. Not surprising, considering what he does.
Conscription: Enters the draft in the final episode as an act of protest against his parents.
Death Seeker: Has attempted to kill himself once in the past, just to escape from the burden of entering law school. He stops this attitude once he finds out that he doesn't like hospital food.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Following his estrangement from Young-do, Hyo-shin is Tan's closest male friend.
Obfuscating Stupidity: He agrees on tutoring mainly so he can get close to Hyun-joo.
Operation: Jealousy: Tries to make Hyun-joo jealous by making her see him kiss Rachel. Unfortunately for him, Hyun-joo never sees him more than as a student.
Ship Tease: With Rachel.
Teacher/Student Romance: With Hyun-joo, though it's one-sided.

Jo Myung-soo

Played by: Park Hyung-sik

Son of the CEO of a law firm and an aspiring photographer.

Butt-Monkey: Even more than Bo-na, as jokes fall not only about romance.
Camera Fiend: Never seen without a camera.
Chivalrous Pervert: Ogles women more than money, and is mad if people mistreat them. On one occasion, he's disgusted by Young-do (apparently) picking on Eun-sang that he laments how low he has fallen.
The Ditz: Is dim-witted and slow on catching things up. For the record, he's also consistently on the bottom three of the school ranking.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Just as Hyo-shin is one to Tan, Myung-soo is Young-do's closest male friend after his estrangement from Tan.
In Touch with His Feminine Side: May be an indicator that he's not fully het.

Kang Ye-sol

Played by: Jeon Soo-jin

Daughter of the CEO of a water-making company and Bo-na's best friend. Actually, her mother owns hostess bars in Seoul.

Alpha Bitch: Leads the main mean girl squad who bullies Social Care Group students. The irony is that she is part of the Social Care Group herself.
Boomerang Bigot: Bullies social care students, yet is a social care student herself.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Bo-na. Social differences does not separate them, either.
Satellite Character: Is undefined in contrast to her friends, and she mostly appears as part of them, rather than on her own. The revelation about her mother's occupation slightly offsets this, but nevertheless, she's the least developed of the main gang of Jeguk High.
Son of a Whore: Once the truth about her family is revealed, she is seen by many students as nothing more than this.

Moon Joon-young

Played by: Cho Yoon-woo

A Social Care Group student who is the primary target of bullying by Young-do and his lackeys. He later transfers out of Jeguk High.

Back for the Finale: As part of Young-do's redemptive arc.
Nerd Glasses: Which honestly only makes him even more susceptible to bullying. It's probably why he no longer wears them once he transfers out.
Put on a Bus: He transfers out of Jeguk High in the middle of the series. As noted above, he appears one more time in Episode 20.
School Bullying Is Harmless: Averted. Young-do's bullying takes a toll in Joon-young, and he becomes bitterer and more unforgiving to people. And he never forgives Young-do, no matter how often the latter tries to apologize.

Other characters

Kim Won

Played by: Choi Jin-hyuk

The first son of the Jeguk Group and Tan's older half-brother. He is leading the corporation's activities, although de facto his father remains influential.

Aloof Big Brother: Is smarter, sharper, and more experienced than Tan, as well as undoubtedly much colder. He's the person responsible for his exile to the United States, and some of what he does to Tan can easily classify him as a Big Brother Bully, albeit passively.
Big Brother Instinct: Though ultimately, Won cares for Tan very much. Tan learns from Hyun-joo that behind his back, Won always speaks positively of Tan, and he does mentor Tan, even if the latter doesn't know. Then there's the case when Tan undergoes a Despair Event Horizon after Eun-sang leaves him; Won is the first person to defy their father's order and contact her to return.
But Not Too Foreign: His mother was American.
Career Versus Man: Or rather, Career Versus Woman. He is faced with the prospect of losing his job in favor of marrying a commoner. He chooses career.
Green-Eyed Monster: What makes him disdainful to Tan is because he's afraid that Tan is going to usurp him as leader of Jeguk Group, being the favorite son of their father. Plus, Tan is also the living reminder that their father's love for Won's mother is not absolute.
Inter-Class Romance: With Hyun-joo.
Perpetual Frowner: Polar opposites with Tan.
Star-Crossed Lovers: To mirror Tan and Eun-sang's relationship, Won is paired with Hyun-joo, a working-class commoner, and they have to go through their own challenges to retain it. Unlike their younger counterparts, the relationship eventually ends, because Won prefers career over woman, and Hyun-joo does not contest it.
The Stoic: Seemingly has that scowl permanently plastered to his face no matter what the situation is.
- Not So Stoic: It however does break a few times, such as when he indulges in rare laughs, or when he mourns his breakup with Hyun-joo.
Strong Family Resemblance: He looks remarkably alike with Tan, despite being only his half-brother.

Jeon Hyun-joo

Played by: Lim Ju-eun

A tutor and later teacher for Jeguk High, she is Won's secret girlfriend.

Hot Teacher: Lampshaded by Eun-sang.
Inter-Class Romance: With Won.
Star-Crossed Lovers: Again, with Won. It doesn't held on.
Stern Teacher: Don't let the pretty face and commoner status fool you; she can silence a snobbish girl as quickly as she can swat a mosquito and place two wealthy boys under lockdown until they personally apologize to each other.
Scholarship Student: Like Eun-sang, she was personally offered a scholarship to Jeguk High by Chairman Kim.
Teacher/Student Romance: Hyo-shin doesn't hide the fact that he likes her, and she notices it, but she doesn't return his feelings.

Park Hee-nam

Played by: Kim Mi-kyung

Eun-sang's mute mother and a personal maid for Chairman Kim.

Almighty Mom: Seemingly has the ability to bail not only Eun-sang but anyone out of trouble. And she apparently possesses some hacker skills if deducing the code for Chairman Kim's safe by blowing wood powder is anything to go by.
Good Parents: To Eun-sang and Eun-suk. In fact, she still attempts to connect with the latter even after she abandons them and takes away all their savings.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Slowly grows into one for Ki-ae. Near the end of the series, Ki-ae is allowed to go out and enjoy the world, but she prefers to do it with Hee-nam.
Odd Friendship: With Ki-ae.
The Speechless: Due to an illness affecting her articulation. Note that her hearing is not affected.
Signed Language: Only with Eun-sang (who understands it). For everyone else, she has to use simple gestures or, more commonly, notes.
Talking with Signs: Since not everyone knows sign language, Hee-nam has to resort writing with notes to talk with other characters.

Han Ki-ae

Played by: Kim Sung-ryung

Chairman Kim's mistress and Tan's biological mother.

Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: To Tan at times. Heartwarmingly, the thing that other people consider to be the most shameful about her (namely, her mistress status) explicitly does not embarrass Tan.
Butt-Monkey: Many a jokes are made at her expense, and she receives no respect from many people. That said, sometimes it does veer into The Woobie (which is of course intentional, given her circumstances).
Good Parents: Unlike Chairman Kim, she loves Tan and always tries to make the best of his screwed up life. This is done partly out of guilt of letting him be shunned due to his illegitimate child status.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Becomes this with Hee-nam in the two years they are together. By the end of the series, the two have effectively become companions.
The Mistress: Self-expalanatory.
Plucky Office Girl: Before she became Chairman Kim's mistress, she was a receptionist girl at a Jeguk office.
Trauma Conga Line: Her life takes a nosedive since the time she met Chairman Kim. See The Woobie below.
Tsundere: Seemingly brushes off Hee-nam and Eun-sang if they do not satisfy her, then quickly regretting her decision and asks them not to hold grudges.
The Woobie: Dates a rich guy only to be made his mistress, is not allowed to go out freely or meeting with her son for many years, faces shit from people who do know who she is, is constantly locked out of situations particularly when it comes to her son, the list goes on.

Kim Nam-yoon

Played by: Jung Dong-hwan

Or Chairman Kim, the de facto leader of Jeguk Group, even though he is now retired. He is the father of Tan and Won.

Abusive Parents: To Won and Tan.
Archnemesis Dad: Inevitable due to the family in-fighting that Jeguk Group involves itself.
Big Bad: He's essentially this for Eun-sang, being the person that hinders her relationship with Tan the most. It's telling that the moment he approves of their relationship, the series is nearing its end as there's little to no conflict anymore.
Big Brother Is Watching You: Orders a secretary to monitor and take photos of people he considers to be worrisome for his children (e.g. Hyun-joo and Eun-sang), as well as other incidents that might prove beneficial in the future (such as Esther and Jae-ho's secret relationship).
The Chessmaster: Always a step ahead of everyone in the fields of business, politics, and even love.
Dark Lord on Life Support: His sickness prevents him from taking matters of Jeguk directly, yet despite this he still manages to exert a powerful influence on everyone. Imagine how things would turn out had he been healthy.
Defrosting Ice King: Believe it or not. In the final episode, he finally accepts Eun-sang and Tan's relationship with minimal fuss.
The Dreaded: Inevitable given his status as supreme leader of the chaebol.
Tough Love: He sees his actions as this for Won and Tan. To outsiders, however, they come across as simple neglect and abuse of power.
Tsundere: During his hospitalization, he asks Eun-sang not to flatter him, then says thanks anyway when she offers books for him to read.

Jung Ji-suk

Played by: Park Joon-geum

Chairman Kim's second wife and registered mother of Tan. She is the headmistress of Jeguk High.

Big Bad: She becomes one once Chairman Kim is hospitalized, as she attempts to take over Jeguk Group for herself and her relatives. To Eun-sang, however, she frankly doesn't figure much, unlike Chairman Kim. In fact, the two never talk to each other and only has a single, albeit an intense, eye contact.
Black Widow: She marries Chairman Kim only so she can inherit his property if they divorce and, preferably, take over things completely if he's rendered vegetative in some way.
Child Hater: Implies that she never tries to conceive a child because she's afraid that they're going to cause trouble for their parents later on.
Dean Bitterman: Subverted. While no doubt nasty in her own ways, it's not applied to her job as headmistress, and she carries out her duty effectively, handing out tasks and punishments according to merit, not wealth. She even states that she favors the school's reputation above influence.
Evil Matriarch: Of Jeguk Group.
Wicked Stepmother: To Won and Tan.

Lee Esther

Played by: Yoon Son-ha

CEO of clothing company RS International and Rachel's mother.

Alpha Bitch: Has a very sneering view to people not her class, including to Ye-sol's hostess bar-owning mother.
Arranged Marriage: With Dong-wook. Like her daughter, it doesn't stick.
Career Versus Man: Despite her love for Jae-ho, she twice snubs him because she favors the life of a millionaire.
The Fashionista: Since she's the CEO of a fashion company...
Gold Digger: To be expected, but she states outright that she only agrees to marry Dong-wook so their companies merge and become larger. Once he's implicated on a corruption scandal, she immediately cancels their engagement.
My Beloved Smother: Overly controls Rachel's life as part of her plan to designate her heiress.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Jae-ho.

Yoon Jae-ho

Played by: Choi Won-young

Secretary to Jeguk Group and Chan-young's father.

10-Minute Retirement: After Chairman Kim fires him, he only spends several days without a job before being offered the office of vice-president of Jeguk Construction by Won.
Did Not Get the Girl: Is snubbed from the chance of marrying Esther twice due to their social differences.
Good Parents: To Chan-young.
Hands-Off Parenting: After the result of the finals is out with Chan-young (once again) topping the list, Jae-ho admits that he never oversees his studies, due to knowing how predictable his score is.
Mentor Archetype: For Tan. He serves as the latter's management teacher.
Neutral No Longer: Decides to side with Won during the power struggle for the position of president.
Neutrality Backlash: Thanks to not taking sides during the Great Jeguk In-Fighting, he is dismissed as secretary by Chairman Kim.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Esther.

Choi Dong-wook

Played by: Choi Jin-hoo

CEO of Hotel Zeus and Young-do's father.

Abusive Parents: Regularly beats Young-do for not living up to his standards.
Arranged Marriage: With Esther. It's canceled due to the corruption scandal.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Nevertheless, he tells Young-do that he will make the latter inherit his property and be well-off, no matter the cost. Or even despite his possible incarceration due to a corruption scandal.
The Casanova: Shamelessly flaunts women by his sides, even to his own fiancee. He possibly did this to his ex-wife, as well.
Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Is this. At least at first.
Tough Love: He genuinely believes that by neglecting and abusing Young-do, he is on his way to make him the perfect heir for his company.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: All he wants is for Young-do to become like him.

Yoo Kyung-ran

Played by: Choi Ji-na

Young-do's mother who lost custody of her son after her divorce.

Good Parents: Certainly this, compared to her ex-husband.
Missing Mom: Non-dying example, she presumably lost the legal battle for Young-do, forcing him to live with his abusive father. Her absence greatly impacts Young-do and makes him the bitter person he is now. The fact that he could have met her for the last time had he forwent his ego just adds to the tragedy. Her whereabouts is completely unknown until the final episode, where Young-do learns that she has been working as a cafe owner for some time now.

Hyo-shin's parents

Played by: Seo Yi-sook (mother), Jung Won-joong (father)

Hyo-shin's parents came from a law background and are pressuring him into entering law school. Hyo-shin's father, Lee Chan-hyuk, is an attorney general.

Education Mama: Wants Hyo-shin to enter law school using any way they can.
My Beloved Smother: Both of them qualify, but especially Hyo-shin's mother (who is a stay-at-home mom), as she actually postpones the date for the law interview so Hyo-shin can't escape them.
Unnamed Parent: Hyo-shin's mother is unnamed. By contrast, her husband, who appears as a mere cameo, is named.

Other students' mothers

Played by: Lee Yeon-kyung (Bo-na's mother), Ra Mi-ran (Myung-soo's mother), Choi Eun-kyung (Ye-sol's mother)

The Jeguk parent-student meeting introduces, among other people, Bo-na's, Myung-soo's, and Ye-sol's mothers.

Hostess Club: Madame Ban, Ye-sol's mother, owns the most in Seoul.
Unnamed Parent: None of them are named, though Ye-sol's mother's surname is known to be Ban.

Lee Hyun-jin

Played by: Lee Hyun-jin

Bo-na's older brother who lives in New York City.

The Danza: Lee Hyun-jin plays Lee Hyun-jin. Wonder if Bo-na really is related to the real actor.
Relative Error: Bo-na calls him "oppa", which literally means older brother. However, "oppa" is also figuratively used to mean an older guy in general (from a female perspective), most importantly, a guy whom the speaker is close with and/or attracted to. Chan-young briefly takes a fit in this...until he is informed that Bo-na's use is literal. Cue backtracking panic.

Yang Da-kyung

Played by: Wang Ji-won

Granddaughter of Jeguk Group's shareholder who is chosen by Chairman Kim to marry Won.

Alpha Bitch: Likely, considering that the words she says during her first date with Won is her saying if he is satisfied breaking off with his girlfriend.
Arranged Marriage: Is engaged to Won as part of the "respectable marriage" that he has to endure as a heir. Unlike other examples in the same series, Won chooses to retain it.
Satellite Love Interest: Her character revolves around her engagement to Won.

Cha Eun-suk

Played by: Yoon Jin-seo

Eun-sang's older sister who works at the United States. Attending her supposed wedding is the reason why Eun-sang decides to visit the country.

Awful Truth: In actuality, she's not studying, not marrying, and not working in an office. She's actually a waitress barely making ends meet as her abusive ex-boyfriend took away all her money.
Brick Joke: The bean powder. She requests it likely out of homesickness, but has no time to take it from Eun-sang as she desperately wants to leave out of embarrassment. Come the end of the series, and she's still homesick enough that the first thing she asks when she contacted her mother is for another case of bean powder.
Cool Big Sis: Is one to Eun-sang, who envies her for living in a land of opportunities. When the truth comes out, she doesn't take it well. Nevertheless, Eun-sang still holds her in high regard and still remembers the song they like to hear together.
Destructive Romance: Her ex-boyfriend who took her money and beat her for questioning his fidelity.
Dropped After the Pilot: Due to serving as an Excuse Plot for Eun-sang to visit the United States and thus meet with Tan.
Small Role, Big Impact: Holy hell yes. Without her, Eun-sang would never meet with Tan, they wouldn't fall in love, Tan wouldn't have the necessary push to return to Korea, and the drama surrounding Jeguk Group would never ensue.
Ungrateful Bastard: She only wants the entire family savings so she can run off with them. Without saying anything afterward. The final episode reveals that she eventually contacted her mother, though.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Disappears after the pilot episode. Episode 20 reveals that she has found a job and a phone, and has reestablished contact with her family.

Characters / The Heirs

The main trio

Jeguk High students

Other characters

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Characters / The Heirs

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The main trio

Jeguk High students

Other characters

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