From left: Hanwul Phi, Gamin Youn, and Hankyeong Lee.
Study Group (스터디 그룹) is a Action Korean Webtoon written by Hyungwuk Shin and illustrated by Seungyeon Ryu. The first season was released in 2019 with 118 chapters and the ongoing second season released in 2021.
In hopes and dreams of entering a four-year university, the untalented yet obsessed for studying Gamin Youn voluntarily enrolled in the notorious Yusung Technical High School where most of the delinquents become members of the major criminal gang in Incheon, the White Lead.
Gamin originally wanted to have a quiet school life and stay unnoticeable while planning to create his dream study group to rise on the test score ranks as most of the students are uninterested in studying. But everything changes when one day he saved his former tutor - now homeroom teacher, Hankyeong Lee, from the bullying of his delinquent classmates by exposing himself using his hidden talent on martial arts: Jeet Kune Do.
As Gamin revealed more of his talents for fighting and unintentionally climb the ranks on delinquency while helping other students, the sons of the White Lead gang leaders started to view him as a bullfrog that will destroy their ecosystem. Meanwhile, in order to make Yusung High into a better place where students can study in peace, Hankyeong took Gamin's idea of study group into an official club as the first step.
Study Group provides examples of:
- Adults Are Useless: Most of the teachers and other staffs in Yusung High are either cowards, corrupt, or just didn't care.
- Big Bad: Hanwul Phi. The major influence of corruption in Yusung High. He was the reason why Hyeonu Lee, Jaewhang Chu and others became delinquents.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Jun casually told Gamin that after 148 chapters passed they are finally in a karaoke club.
- Broken-Window Warning: After Gamin rejected Hanwul to join his study group, a group of freshmen broke the windows of their club room. Hanwul claims it's a warning for not accepting him.
- Clear Their Name: Gamin, Jiwoo, and Jun disguised as members of White Lead in order to get the evidence to clear Sunchul's name from the frame up against him.
- Crusading Widow: Geonyeob Park's father has been planning to close Yusung High as revenge against the White Lead for killing his wife that used to be Hanwul's teacher.
- Determinator: Despite always getting very low test scores since in his childhood and belittled because of it, Gamin didn't stop studying academics. Even after a tiring day thanks to his opponents, he will make sure that his day won't end without studying.
- Dustbin School: Yusung High is a breeding ground of future criminals who will work for the White Lead gang. Most of the children of White Lead leaders enrolled there.
- Education Mama:
- Minhee lived with her mother for awhile after the divorce of her parents after the tons of debts and closure of her father's company, only to be pressured to do better on academics. This made her left her mother and chose to live with her father.
- While Gamin is lucky that his parents are open-minded, his paternal grandparents looks down upon him because of his mother and his academic performance. When he was a child his grandmother pressures him to do better so he can be like his genius father. Later on, Gamin's grandfather was disappointed on him because he enrolled in a trashy public high school.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse:
- When Hanwul tried to tell Gamin his plan and reason why he did those things, Gamin told him to shut up and he won't understand Hanwul anyway.
- Even after reading Junghwa's letter for Hanwul and learning the truth about their good relationship, the Study Group won't take it as an excuse on the atrocities he caused in their school.
- Heel–Face Turn:
- Hyeonu decided to stopped being a delinquent after receiving less punishment thanks to Hankyeong's efforts even after she got accidentally stabbed by him.
- Most of the Yusung students that connected to Hanwul or to the White Lead stopped being bullies after suffering defeat from the hands of Yusung Study and Hanwul's expulsion.
- Kids Versus Adults: Yusung Study against the system of Yusung High.
- While it's usually students vs students, Gamin and other students fight against adults that mostly from White Lead.
- New Transfer Student: Siwan was transferred to Yusung High to abruptly replace Sunchul as the student council president to stop Miss Lee's attempt to expel Hanwul.
- "Not So Different" Remark: After hearing that Sehyun's father doesn't want him to enter college, Gamin told Sehyun that he understands him because they are similar. Sehyun didn't believe at first because of Gamin's financial stability but he realized it's true after he met Gamin's mother.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Detective Na and the leaders of White Lead gang are undeniably experts on fighting.
- Removing the Rival: The study group wants to stop Gamin's mother attempt to transfer him to another school but Taeo and his gang tried to stop the group so he can be regarded as the strongest and take the number 1 position for freshmen again.
- School Clubs Are Serious Business: The Study Group can be counted as this. It may started to be a simple club with the ambition to change Yusung into better place and Miss Lee's first step to expel Hanwul out of Yusung High. And later on, the Study Group managed beat some high ranking White Lead members that made the latter stopped recruiting Yusung students. And finally, got a good connection with the Student Council to kicked Hanwul out of school.
- Ship Tease: A seemingly one-sided between Heewon and Sehyun.
- Time to Move: After Gamin broke the curfew rule, his mother, Mihyun, decided to transfer him immediately to a school in Seoul as she can't stand the fact that her beloved child is studying in Yusung. Gamin's friends and his teacher chased them and tried to convince his mother. Her attempt to move was paused when she was injured that caused by the delinquents sent by Hanwul. She was in the hospital for the next few arcs. Finally after she recovered, Minhyun decided to stay after she saw her son having fun with his friends.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Jun's old friend, Anti, became an asshole after joining the White Lead gang.
- Undying Loyalty: Gamin and his study group will definitely help each other when there's a problem.
- Unstoppable Rage: After Gamin's mother was heavily injured, he became more furious than usual and began to use more UFT moves to Hanwul's lackeys. On the next day, after beating 3-Chul and nearly to breakdown, Gamin went to Hanwul's classroom only to be stopped by Geonyeob. But even Geonyeob cannot stop him to punch Hanwul's face after he was taunted by the latter.
- You Are Worth Hell: Gamin will definitely save everyone from the hands of White Lead especially the members and potential members of his Study Group.
