Hidden Love - Characters & Cast

Initially, her motivation is a simple, all-encompassing crush on the kind and handsome older boy who treats her well. This crush evolves into a deeper motivation: to grow up, become his equal, and be able to stand by his side. Later, her motivation becomes to protect him from the hardships of his past and to give him the happiness and love he deserves.

Sang Zhi's arc is a classic coming-of-age journey. She begins as a clever but somewhat sheltered 14-year-old girl with an innocent, hidden crush. Throughout her high school years, she nurtures this secret, which fuels her determination to study hard and get into a university in the same city as Duan Jiaxu. As a university student, she becomes more independent and confident. When they reconnect, she evolves from passively loving him to actively pursuing and protecting him, standing up to those who wrong him and offering him the emotional support he lacked. By the end, she is a mature young woman who has turned her childhood dream into a reality through patience and unwavering devotion.

His primary motivation for most of the series is survival and responsibility: earning money to pay for his father's medical bills and compensate the family his father wronged. After reconnecting with Sang Zhi as an adult, his motivation shifts. He is moved by her selfless care and begins to desire a future filled with personal happiness and love, something he had previously not allowed himself to pursue.

Duan Jiaxu starts as a charming, warm, and seemingly perfect university student. However, it's soon revealed that he carries a heavy burden from his family's past, working multiple jobs to pay off his father's debts. For years, he only sees Sang Zhi as a cherished younger sister he needs to protect. After they reunite when she is an adult, his arc involves learning to let go of his guilt and the walls he's built around himself. Sang Zhi's pure and persistent love helps him heal and allows him to see himself as someone worthy of love. He transforms from a caretaker figure to someone who can be vulnerable and accept love, ultimately reciprocating Sang Zhi's feelings with equal, if not greater, intensity in a classic 'he fell harder' trope.

His motivation is consistently driven by his love for his sister. He wants to protect her from getting hurt, which is the root of his initial opposition to her relationship with Jiaxu. He also values his deep friendship with Jiaxu and struggles to reconcile his two most important relationships merging into one.

Sang Yan's arc is more static but crucial to the story's emotional core. He is presented as the typical older brother: outwardly annoyed by his sister, constantly bickering with her, but fiercely protective underneath. His journey is one of acceptance. He goes from being oblivious to Sang Zhi's crush and seeing Jiaxu solely as his best friend, to discovering their relationship and reacting with shock and overprotectiveness. Ultimately, he learns to see his sister as an adult capable of making her own choices and accepts that his best friend is the right person for her, giving them his blessing and support.