Webcomic / No Home

No Home is a Korean Webtoon written and illustrated by WANNAN.

After being bullied for his ability to see ghosts, recently-orphaned transfer student Haejoon Goh is ready to start a new chapter in a student dormitory. Unfortunately for him, his plans are ruined when he gets not only robbed of his life savings but stabbed in the stomach. Waking up in the hospital a few days later, he has missed the application period for living in the dorms. With nowhere else to go… his only choice is to begin living in an abandoned, haunted building with the troubled delinquent Eunyung Baek— the very same boy who stole his money and took a shard of glass to him. Meanwhile, Juwan Park, a boy trying to escape his overprotective mother, moves in as well. This is the story of their difficult yet heartfelt cohabitation and their growing friendships with each other.

Eventually, their circle expands to include: Marie, the overzealous journalism club president; Hara, the hardworking star of the Judo Club; and Minju, the popular broadcasting club president. Their relationship dynamics with their respective families (or lack of) are a big focus.

An animated series adaptation by STUDIO LICO has been announced for 2024.

---

No Home provides examples of:

• Abusive Offspring: Eunyung appears to be this when he snaps at his mother because she hurts him in a discreet way, by pinching and twisting his skin through his clothing so that it just looks like she is gently touching his clothes. The people in their neighborhood felt sorry for her for having a son with such an explosive temper, when it was just a reaction to her covert abuse in public.
• Abusive Parents:
  • Soohyun grew up in an abusive home. As a teenager, she dreamed having a happy, loving family of her own. She got her wish with Minju.
  • Eunyung comes from a very abusive home, which is the reason why he first ran away in middle school.
• Alcoholic Parent: There's a very good reason Eunyung is so sensitive to and deeply agitated by the scent of alcohol.
• Amicable Exes: Soohyun and Minju's father are this despite being separated and soon-to-be divorced. Coparenting their daughter and making sure she still feels loved & that they are still a family is clearly a priority to them.
• Art-Style Dissonance: Downplayed. The cute, cartoonish, and sometimes silly slice-of-life art style contrasts with the series' seriously dark and heavy themes.
• Bash Brothers: Haejoon and Eunyung fight against others as a team almost as much as they fight each other.
• Big Brother Bully: Marie's brother Kiyung is physically abusive to her, which is one of the reasons she is motivated to start living in the dorms. As it turns out, her paternal aunt was similarly beat by her brother (Marie's father) which is one of the reasons she is so determined to make sure that Marie does not experience the same thing.
• Breaking the Cycle of Bad Parenting: Soohyun, Minju's mother, had an abusive alcoholic for a father and a suicidal, codependent doormat for a mother. Her violent and codependent situation forced her to grow up at a young age. She vowed to marry a nice guy nothing like her father and to never let her child go through the things she did. Minju is a little self-centered and spoiled, but still a kind girl who loves her family. Soohyun has difficulty discussing the separation/divorce with Minju because she does not want her to feel like it is her duty to fix her issues or comfort her the way that she felt it was her duty with her mother; still she ultimately is open about her feelings with Minju, and it brings them even closer as mother and daughter.
• Bungled Suicide: After Haejoon realizes why his mother kept him away from his father, he impulsively runs into the street in a state of shock and self-loathing. He is saved by Eunjung, who takes him to a nearby rooftop where he brings Haejoon back to his senses and reveals that he unsuccessfully attempted suicide in middle school.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Before running away in the winter, Eunyung tries and fails to get his parents to admit that their abuse was not his fault— that no matter how he behaved, they would've taken out their anger on him anyway.
• Childhood Friend Romance: Minju and Juwan were friends from a young age as well as each other's first loves. They began dating in elementary school but their relationship didn't work out due to misunderstandings and immaturity.
• Clothing-Concealed Injury: Eunyung, after he returns to living with his abusive parents. Also, the method by which Haejoon's mother hid her injuries from Haejoon's father's domestic violence.
• Compulsive Liar: Eunyung lies often and easily, even when there is no reason for him to and it actively makes his life even more difficult.
• Cool Aunt: Marie's aunt.
• Curtains Match the Window: Each of the six main characters has the same hair color as their eye color.
• Creepy Doll: Haejoon's mother was a collector of haunted dolls.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Heavily implied and later confirmed to be the case with Eunyung, who came from a severely abusive family, ran away from home in middle school, and got involved with a crowd of violent, shady people to survive on the streets.
• Death Seeker: Eunyung's self-destructive habits, pattern of picking fights he can't win, and tendency to get involved with sketchy and even downright dangerous people all make more sense once you learn that he has no intention of living past his teenage years. Haejoon has a similar nature and admits that he feels the same way as Eunyung, that "life is too long."
• Delusions of Parental Love: Eunyung used to believe that his parents really did love him deep down… simply because they still made him breakfast in the morning even if they abused him all night. During the abuse, he wished that they would die, but every time they made him breakfast, he wanted to stay with them forever again. This is one reason why he never joins Haejoon for breakfast, despite waking up early to prepare it for him each day— it reminds him of a helpless time in his life, where he still had hope that his family could be happy.
• Desperately Craves Affection: Soohyun never received any positive attention as a child and teen, which led her to easily fall in love with anyone who was even a little nice to her.
• Disappeared Dad: Haejoon's father disappeared from his life at such a young age that he barely remembers he had one.
• Doting Parent: Soohyun is this to Minju.
• Dreadful Musician: One of the reasons it takes Eunyung so long to join the Theater Club is because singing was a requirement, and he cannot sing to save his life. When he demonstrates his lack of talent to Haejoon, his performance is so awful that he records it for future blackmail material.
• Education Mama: Hara's mother is obsessed with her education and against her continued interest in competitive judo.
• The Faceless: Eunyung's father appears only as a black silhouette until the moment Eunyung finally defends himself from his abuse and realizes how much smaller and weaker he really is.
• Friendless Background: Because of his mother and his' terrible reputations, Haejoon had difficulty making friends until high school.
• Friends Are Chosen, Family Aren't: Eunyung is ultimately closer with Haejoon and Juwan than he is with his own parents, though it's not hard with the way they treat him.
• His Own Worst Enemy: Eunyung has a habit of self-sabotage.
• In-Series Nickname: For ruthlessly fighting back against his bullies, Haejoon became infamous as the Mad Dog to the point that kids that didn't even go to a school nearby knew and feared him. He finds the nickname embarrassing.
• I See Dead People: Like his mother, Haejoon can see ghosts. However, he learned to deny this after years of bullying and ostracization.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Eunyung.
• Give Me Back My Wallet: How Haejoon and Eunyung first met.
• Good Parents: As a teenager, Soohyun was often made fun of by her classmates because her dream was to be a loving mom and give her future child an amazing life. However, she got her wish; as she is one of the best parents in the series. Her maturity, kindness, and wisdom make her a dependable and trustworthy adult not just to her daughter but her daughter's friends.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Eunyung is thought to be this by their classmates because of the cute way he wears his long hair. It turns out causing issues for him when their new, chauvinistic dorm supervisor singles him out for his hairstyle, at one point ripping out and confiscating his hair accessory and demanding he cut it to look more masculine. Instead, Eunyung doubles down by wearing an even more feminine giant floral ribbon with pearls and decorative flowers.
• Lovable Alpha Bitch: Minju can be manipulative, unethical, and selfish when it comes to getting what she wants; but she isn't a bad person and has many endearing qualities
• Missing Mom: Marie's parents divorced when she was young, and she has not seen or heard from her mother since. It's implied by Marie's aunt that Marie's father was abusive to her mother, and that was the reason why she left.
• Mistaken for Romance: Hara and Juwan are mistaken as this by their parents and classmates, but they're just really close, platonic friends. They're so used to it that it doesn't phase them anymore.
• Mistaken for Suicidal: Eunyung is mistaken for suicidal after he sends a message to Haejoon thanking him for everything and wishing him a good life— because (1) the concerning statement he made about life being too long during his drunken stupor, and (2) the fact that it is so rare that Eunyung uses a formal and serious tone. Eunyung does think about ending his own life, but this was not a case of that. Much to both their embarrassments, Eunyung really was just genuinely expressing his appreciation for their friendship.
• My Beloved Smother: Explored and reconstructed. Juwan's overprotective and clingy mother invading his privacy by reading his diary and discussing it with her friends is what drives him to move into the dorms. It is revealed that his mother gave up her own dreams and hobbies to be a devoted housewife and good mother, and feels like she is losing her whole world as her children become independent adults. After a heart-to-heart conversation, she realizes the error of her ways and gets better; while Juwan comes to appreciate her sacrifices and all the things she's done for him. Their relationship improves.
• Not Afraid of You Anymore: Eunyung has a moment of fearlessness when he gains the upper hand in a confrontation with his father and realizes how truly small, weak, and pathetic he is. He even decides not hurt him back because of how easily he could break his bones or injure him. However, it is realistically subverted. As he makes his escape, he cannot stop trembling with fear and is visibly terrified when he later thinks that he sees his father on the street.
• Paper Talisman: The basement has an entire wall of these before the big clean up.
• Parents as People: Juwan's mother and Minju's mother Soohyun both get this treatment in the story. They are both complex characters who make an effort to communicate and improve their relationships with their children.
• Parting-Words Regret: After his mother confronted him about choosing a high school with dorms, Haejoon walked into the street while screaming that he was sick of living with her. She ran after him and got hit by a car, dying in front of him. Haejoon blames himself for her death and regrets ever saying something so cruel. It is this regret that drives him to help Juwan communicate & eventually reconcile with his overbearing, invasive mother.
• Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: How Soohyun got the scar on her face was not shown, but since she is first seen with it after running away from home, it can be assumed that it came from her father or brother. Her scar is a visual representation of the way her dysfunctional family impacted her psychologically.
• Police Are Useless: Eunyung has this kind of attitude because of the way they treated him when he reported his parents' abuse.
• The Runaway:
  • Soohyun had a reputation in her neighborhood for running away from home.
  • Eunyung ran away from home in middle school to escape his abusive parents.
• Scholarship Student: Haejoon.
• School Festival: The school festival gets a whole arc.
• School Idol: Two students are considered "famous" at their school: Hara, and Eunyung. An amazing athlete and one of the highest-performing students, Hara is very popular and has a plethora of fans. Meanwhile, Eunyung is simply famous for his good looks.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: The reason why Eunyung lied about the nature of his job is because he felt like Haejoon would not accept the money if he knew the dirty truth of how he got it.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Soohyun, when she was younger.
• Stepford Smiler: Eunyung.
• Sticky Fingers: Both Haejoon and Eunyung have a history of shoplifting, though Haejoon overcame it at a young age. Eunyung has also made an effort to quit stealing since the false accusation incident.
• Team Chef: Eunyung is the chef of the group, and made Haejoon breakfast every morning when they lived together. Multiple characters mention he has a genuine talent for cooking, to the point where he could make a successful career out of it.
• The Teetotaler: Despite hanging with a crowd of delinquents who drink and smoke, Eunyung is surprisingly anti-smoking and anti-alcohol to the point that he won't let anybody do either near him. It's because it reminds him of his abusive father.
• Trauma Button: The smell of alcohol is this for Eunyung.
• Trophy Child: From a young age, Hara was seen as a status symbol to her mother through her many academic achievements and extracurricular activities.
• Undying Loyalty: As they grow closer, (especially after they make up from their Chuseok fight) Haejoon and Eunyung develop this type of loyalty for each other. Though neither of them would admit it, they're the first to jump to each other's defense in the face of danger or scrutiny.
• Unpleasant Parent Reveal: Haejoon's father.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Haejoon and Eunyung are always arguing and picking fights with another, but they're also the first to sense something is off with the other and the first to have their back in a dangerous situation.
• Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: The parents of Eunyung constantly tell him that he is the one responsible for their violence. There is some truth to this. As a child, he lived in a state of anxiety and fear due to the unpredictability of their abuse. As a teenager, it is implied that he provokes them to feel a temporary sense of power and control in his life.
• With Friends Like These...: Eunyung seems to understand Haejoon's feelings better than anyone else, and that's why he can hurt him the most— such as his harsh words to him during their Chuseok fight. Despite betraying and wronging him multiple times, Eunyung still deeply cares for Haejoon and deeply values their continued friendship.
• Work Off the Debt: Eunyung works a shady job at a sketchy bar where he is implied to have seduced older women to pay Haejoon back for the money he stole, which was used to pay off an even previous debt.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • Haejoon confronts Eunyung about the way he rationalizes and defends his parents’ abuse because he believes that he deserves it— telling him that there is nothing wrong with him, and that even if he had been a more like Haejoon or Juwan, his parents would still abuse him simply because they are shitty people.
  • Later, when Haejoon is concerned that he might be a violent person like his father, Eunyung comforts him and reassures him that he isn’t. He tells him that it’s obvious that he is similar to his mom, and that he can tell just by his good nature that she was a kind, loving person like him.