The central characters of True Beauty are Lim Ju-kyung, Lee Su-ho, and Han Seo-jun. Ju-kyung’s makeup transformation and secret bare-face identity drive the story; Su-ho knows her secret, while Seo-jun is tied to Su-ho’s past and becomes another important romantic figure. Their stories differ by adaptation, so webtoon events should not automatically be treated as drama or anime canon.
Who are the main characters in True Beauty?
Lim Ju-kyung
Lim Ju-kyung (also written Jugyeong Lim or simply Jugyeong) is the protagonist. After being bullied over her appearance, she learns makeup through online tutorials. At a new school, her polished appearance helps her become popular, but she works to keep her bare face private. That tension between public image and private identity is the story’s central premise. WEBTOON’s series page presents the story as a romance about a shy comic-book fan who learns makeup and tries to protect her secret; the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) also describes this premise in its catalog entry.
Lee Su-ho
Lee Su-ho is Ju-kyung’s schoolmate and one of the story’s central romantic counterparts. He knows what she looks like without makeup. KOCCA’s webtoon synopsis says the pair bond over horror comics and fall in love, while WEBTOON’s summary foregrounds Su-ho as the boy who knows Ju-kyung’s secret. WEBTOON · KOCCA
Han Seo-jun
Han Seo-jun is another major character, connected to Su-ho through their former close friendship and to Ju-kyung through his own feelings for her. KOCCA’s longer account of the webtoon describes Ju-kyung accepting Seo-jun’s love during a later part of the story, before Su-ho returns. That chronology belongs to the source webtoon synopsis; it should not be assumed to describe the drama or animated adaptation.
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Kang Su-jin
Kang Su-jin is among the supporting characters in the official tvN drama character guide. Her role should be understood in the drama’s context rather than generalized across every version. tvN’s character guide
How do the webtoon, drama, and anime differ?
True Beauty began as a Korean mobile webtoon, also described as a manhwa. KOCCA lists its production year as 2018 and its length as 261 installments. Its synopsis follows Ju-kyung beyond school into university, her ambition to become a makeup artist, her relationship with Seo-jun, and Su-ho’s return. The official English WEBTOON listing labels the series completed.
The tvN live-action drama has its own cast and character guide, and the animated version is another adaptation. The shared premise and central characters do not make these versions one continuous, identical canon. In particular, don’t carry the webtoon’s extended chronology or romantic outcome over to another version unless that version’s own episodes establish it.
- Medium and pacing: the source is a long-form vertical-scroll comic; the drama and animation tell the story in screen episodes.
- Ju-kyung’s life span in the story: the KOCCA synopsis explicitly follows the webtoon into university and her career ambition.
- Su-ho and Seo-jun: their relationship and characterization should be checked in the specific adaptation being discussed.
- Romantic chronology and outcome: the webtoon synopsis includes a later Seo-jun relationship arc and Su-ho’s return; it is not evidence of the same outcome in other versions.
These distinctions are supported by the tvN character guide, KOCCA’s webtoon entry, and Netflix Tudum’s drama coverage. They are not a scene-by-scene comparison.
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What is the anime’s status?
Crunchyroll reported that the animated adaptation is based on the South Korean webcomic. In a September 20, 2024 report, it said a Japanese-dubbed version would begin weekly releases on October 5 on U-NEXT in Japan, and named Japanese voice actors for the leads. That announcement describes a Japan-specific release, not universal streaming availability. Crunchyroll’s report
A second season was announced in January 2025, with Crunchyroll named as its streaming home; Netflix Tudum also refers to a confirmed second season. These announcements establish that season 2 was confirmed, not its release date. Streaming availability and scheduling can vary by territory, so consult current official announcements for those details. Crunchyroll’s season 2 announcement · Netflix Tudum
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you read the source story?
The completed English-language webtoon is listed on WEBTOON. The official shop also lists TRUE BEAUTY Vol. 1 (Hardcover). It is the first volume, not a complete edition of the 261-installment story. The shop listing alone does not establish stock or availability in a particular region.
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