Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Winter Before Spring

Go To

A list of the major characters appearing in the webcomic. Be wary of WMG content as the comic hasn't been updated since April of 2023.

Main Cast

    Park Hana 
The main protagonist. A gifted academic who, after realizing she's a lesbian, struggles with the revelation that she's in love with her best friend. However, Min-Ji only uses her feelings for personal gain, and after Hana's sexuality is ousted to the school, she becomes a pariah.
  • Hide Your Lesbians: After Min-Ji's betrayal, Hana begins to see herself as a horrible person, and even finds herself believing that homosexuality in general is problematic.
  • Break the Cutie: The moment Min-Ji drops her caring persona, she wastes no time in going out of her way to ruin Hana's life.
  • Butt-Monkey: The entire school effectively abandons Hana after her sexuality is brought to light. Her winter semester is effectively just her being tormented left, right and center, with no way out.
  • Don't You Dare Pity Me!: A lesser example. When Yura treats Hana's knee scrapes at the nurse's office in episodes 28-31, the latter tries to insist that Yura is better off not getting involved. It doesn't work.
    Han Yura 
A transfer student who arrives at Hana's school after the conclusion of winter break. Stoic, cool and deeply empathetic, she helps lift Hana out from the dark pit she was thrown into by Min-Ji.
  • The Unapologetic: Played with, in that Yura is not sorry about making enemies of the school's "in" crowd if it means protecting Hana or anyone else for that matter. Even when one of the bullies tries to warn her against making friends with Hana due to her alleged reputation as a "horrible person", Yura wastes no time in telling the girl to shove it.
  • Gay Best Friend: With Nari.
    Kim Nari 
An old friend of Yura's who ends up transferring to Hana's school midway through the spring quarter. She's extremely hyper, energetic, and always stands up for others.
  • The Rival: When she first appeared, lots of comments seemed to believe that she was going to be another Min-Ji or a love rival for Hana, competing for Yura's affections. Several episodes later, this was quickly debunked; Nari, like Yura, becomes a close friend of Hana and stands up for her at multiple turns.
  • Gay Best Friend: To Yura.
  • Genki Girl: She's outgoing, energetic, and extremely friendly. Yura calls her "annoying" but it's more a form of endearment than genuine scorn.
  • Book Dumb: While she's a bona-fide social butterfly, Nari is rather dense when it comes to academics. She even remarks that a lot of her other friends (sans Yura and Hana) are "just as dumb as her".
  • Obsessed with Food: Downplayed, to a degree. However, it's rather clear that she thinks with her stomach on most occasions.
  • Lipstick Lesbian: She's girly and almost certainly gay.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Played with. While she acts jealous at times, it's just one of her quirks and she doesn't really mean it. It's safe to say that Nari doesn't have a mean bone in her body.
    Han Min-Ji 
Hana's (former) best friend. The two had been friends for years, until one day when Min-Ji took a peek at Hana's phone and discovered that she was a lesbian. Min-Ji agreed to go out, but it become apparent that Min-Ji only accepted in order to boost her grades. After the truth comes out, Min-Ji becomes one of Hana's primary tormenters.
  • Hate Sink: Where to begin? She emotionally manipulates Hana's feelings, has no qualms about dumping her when it becomes apparent she can't get her way, openly spreads false rumors just to ensure Hana gets no support whatsoever, and plays the victim card on herself to top it all off. Min-Ji is, without surprise, the most detested character in the webcomic and for good reason.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Early on, she has this demeanor; a kind, supportive friend with a bubbly personality and concern for Hana's well-being. The moment this mask drops, she turns into an unrepentant, irredeemable bully.
  • Never My Fault: And she believes it, too. As far as she cares, Hana is the one at fault simply for being a lesbian at all.
  • Wounded Gazelle Gambit: How she garners sympathy from the school's "in" crowd; she lies through her teeth, claiming that Hana "forced" Min-Ji into dating her.
  • Faceā€“Heel Turn: When Hana suggests that Min-Ji do the work herself instead of leaning on her all the time, that's all it takes for the former to reveal her true, selfish colors.
    Inha 
The head of the school's "in" crowd. A stuck-up, self-entitled girl who despises people who go against "the norm"; in other words, standing up to her and her clique. She especially hates Hana for her high grades and being a teacher's pet.
  • Break the Haughty: Averted, at least for now. Although Hana, Yura and Nari stand up to and make it clear she's not 100% in control of everything, it doesn't seem to really affect her personality at all. She still retains her queen-like demeanor, she's just a lot more bitter about it.
  • No Smoking: Along with the rest of her clique, she blatantly disobeys this rule.
  • Sir Swears-a-Lot: Okay, closer to "Miss Swears-A-Lot". However, she's very fond of the words "bitch" and also drops frequent F-bombs on top of that.
  • Thin-Skinned Bully: Played with. She's not sensitive, but she does not take the idea of being stood up to very well. At all.
  • Driven by Envy: Her primary reason for tormenting Hana. She hates that someone as "lame and pathetic" like Hana is first in their grade, and as such, goes out of her way to make her a victim so her grades can be highest instead.

Top