Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 1-8 takes readers on a whirlwind journey through high school drama, hidden crushes, and emotional rollercoasters. Every chapter explores the confusion and mixed emotions of teenagers. The story creates a balance with adorable moments as well as some serious surprises. No matter if it’s a battery pack for a birthday, a ruined assignment, or an apple soda surprise, all of these scenes are important. Dive into Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 1-8 to uncover where this emotional mess leads!
Ugly Duckling Complex begins with the school’s heartthrob, Junu Park—top of the class, basketball star, and living proof that genetics can be unfair—ditching practice because the other boys got too distracted by fangirls. At the same time, Ajin, who cares more about baking than about boys, sees a stubborn mark left by ink on her white T-shirt. She tries to clean the mark off at the wash basin, but she makes it even dirtier. At that moment, Junu comes in, and because of the damp fabric, her bra is visible. Ajin tries to recover, but Junu hands her his shirt and walks away, blushing and saying she’s a lot to handle.
Ajin is feeling flustered and unsure of what to do. What’s the reason behind the guy who never cared for anyone suddenly caring now? While they go back together, she becomes full of questions and feels her heart flutter.
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 1: Battery Packs and Bizarre Encounters
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 1 begins with Ajin happily baking bread—her safe space where the dough rises, and so does her confidence. She does a great job, people even praise this skill of hers. She accompanies her best friend, Chohui, on a date, just in case things get emotional (or dangerous). While Chohui is flirting with her suitor, Ajin is shivering outside all by herself, until someone shows up asking for directions and then starts flirting with Chohui by touching her shoulder. A huge warning sign. But, it turns out, he’s a creepy director who wants her to do an “audition.” Enter full-on panic mode.
Junu Park, aka Junu, intervenes just in time and turns the situation around. The creep is taken away by the police, and Ajin starts crying. Junu, acting very calm, tells her to use her legs to kick the next time. She thanks him, and it turns out they are enrolled in the same class. He then casually requests a favor from the person. Ajin understands (she doesn’t like being in debt), but she’s sad when he asks for her favorite battery pack as his phone’s charge is over.
The next day, she brings it up with Junu, and he says he left it at home and will just purchase another for her. Ajin starts to feel angry, wants it back no matter what. The action begins before there is any drama. Later on, she tells Chohui about the situation, and she agrees to go pick it up for Ajin after school. On the bus, Chohui sees Junu standing and finally gets her big chance to meet him. Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 1 ends as they leave the bus, as it is raining, and Chohui asks Junu right away to wait for her.
Chapter 2: Umbrellas, Lies, and Almost-Kisses
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 2 begins with Chohui wasting no time introducing herself to Junu and demanding Ajin’s battery pack back—ASAP. Junu, a bit surprised, agrees too. She moves in close to him, as if from a romance movie, and when she tries to follow him into his big house (rich boy sign). Instead, he gives her the umbrella and goes inside by himself. Chohui? Stunned. Not accustomed to being turned down.
The following morning, Ajin is hurrying and tries to order food, but—whoops—her card balance is lower than how she feels about herself at that time. Junu suddenly appears, pays the bill, and rescues her. At school, he jokes that he is doing this to make up for the battery pack. They talk and laugh together, and Chohui notices, which makes her jealous.
Chohui tells the family that Junu was the one who broke and ruined the battery pack. Ajin feels a sense of defeat. Chohui tells her to avoid Junu because he is a liar who doesn’t care. Ajin is confused and hurt, but she tries to take the words in… until the next morning. She finds a pink battery pack with her name on it sitting right on her desk. Ajin is shocked by what she sees. Was it… Junu?
At the same time, Junu enters and completely ignores Chohui, but he looks at Ajin. Next, they are learning how to do CPR in PE class. Fate leads Ajin and Junu to become a pair. He pokes fun at her way of performing CPR. Chohui gets there in the nick of time to find Ajin in a close moment with Junu, their noses almost touching. Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 2 ends with everyone on edge and secrets getting worse.
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 3: Sausages and Schemes
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 3 begins with the class erupting and teasing after the CPR incident, shipping Junu and Ajin like it’s the latest K-drama. Chohui is not happy with what is going on. Later, Ajin wonders why Chohui is upset, but she plays it down and asks Ajun to eat lunch alone—all so she can figure out how to separate Junu and Ajin.
Ajin is sitting by herself and feels a bit lonely until Junu and his friend come and join her. It turns out that Junu offers her some of his sausages. Junu’s friend is taken aback, since Junu is not one to share food with anyone, especially a girl. They eat together, and Ajin is unsure if she should talk about the battery pack.
As soon as school ends, Ajin hurries to get on the bus, but then freezes because she sees Junu sitting there. She tries to avoid him, but the driver yells at her to go in the back, and she trips, landing on Junu’s thigh. They both get embarrassed, and Junu quietly thinks she smells like a green apple.
When they get off the bus, Ajin asks if he left the new battery pack on her desk. Junu admits that he thought he broke her old smartphone. Ajin doesn’t know what to believe, as Chohui said something entirely different.
Watching the events from a distance, Chohui is enraged. She texts Jongmin, Junu’s friend, suggesting they watch a movie together with Junu. She tells him Ajin is head over heels for Junu and demands he include him in the plans. Jongmin smiles and says yes, without realizing Chohui has him in her plan. Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 3 ends with sweet food, mixed signals, and a dangerous game just beginning.
Chapter 4: Confessions, Rejections & Burnt Bridges
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 4 begins with Junu waiting outside the theater for Jongmin, unaware he’s about to be ambushed. Chohui arrives and casually brings up the movie, then offers him a drink. At the same moment, Junu gets a call from Jongmin, who wants him to help set up a double date. While Junu is about to respond, Chohui seizes the phone and tells him that she lied to Jongmin. She set up the whole encounter to tell Junu how she felt.
After Junu asks for his phone back, Chohui begins to cry and says she likes him. Junu remains calm and politely tells her he doesn’t feel the same, which leaves her stunned. She urges him to at least consider what she is saying. But Junu walks away and tells her to keep the phone since she won’t give it up. She gets angry and asks him to take it back. He again politely tells her he’s not interested, doesn’t know who she is, and advises her not to lie to Jongmin. Her coffee was spilled during all the confusion.
Junu later gently tends to Chohui’s hand, which is surprising for her. She claimed(lied) she accidentally burned herself from the coffee fall, and is surprised by how kind he remains after everything that happened.
At the same time, Ajin goes to visit Chohui and gives her some baked treats. While they are getting ready for the movie in Chohui’s room, Ajin helps set up the place and notices that her old battery pack is lying in the trash. Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 4 ends with a broken confession, unexpected kindness, and a quiet discovery that might change everything.
Chapter 5: Battery Drama & Banana Shakes
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 5 begins with Chohui confessing that she fished Ajin’s beloved battery pack straight out of Junu’s trash can. She hopes that Ajin is so gullible that she falls for her fake story and her tears. Ajin, feeling both touched and afraid, gives her a warm hug, trusting her friend anyway.
At school the following day, Ajin is grouped with Junu in English, which makes the other girls jealous. Ajin feels uncomfortable when she hears people saying Junu will cover the entire work. They arranged a weekend meeting to study together.
It’s Saturday, and Junu helps Ajin by keeping her drink safe, calming everything down, and suggesting she should wash up. The table is spotless when she gets back, and Junu has a banana shake ready for her (he teases her about eating bananas and being clumsy). Ajin is both thankful and a little embarrassed.
Chohui’s modeling gig ends earlier. Bored and annoyed, she refuses Jongmin’s texts (thinking about someone else) and goes to the cafe to mess with what Ajin is working on. She sees Ajin with a young man and then checks out how she looks in the mirror.
Suddenly, Jongmin calls Junu for support after being rejected. Junu leaves after agreeing, telling Ajin to finish the rest of the little work by herself. Chohui realizes that the man is Junu and gets angry again. Once Ajin goes to the bathroom, Chohui grins evilly and then heads over to the laptop to start plotting. Definitely up to no good. Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 5 ends with the stage set for more drama, secrets, and unexpected friendships.
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 6: Deleted Files & Growing Feelings
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 6 begins with Chohui in full sabotage mode. She tries to secretly remove the English assignment from Ajin’s computer to get Junu upset at her. To her surprise, Chohui’s birthday is the password! For a quick moment, the wickedness in her heart pauses. Nevertheless, she deletes most of the slides, keeping just the beginning and the end, believing Ajin won’t notice before she submits.
On the following day, the English teacher reprimands students who have not submitted their work on time. The class is surprised and gasps when she says Ajin and Junu haven’t submitted. Ajin is shocked and urges the teacher to go over the submission one more time. The teacher shows that only the two slides have been received.
Right as the whispers get more intense, Junu says he’s resentful of the full version again. Even though the teacher agrees, they are still punished and made to present first. Ajin freezes. Junu handles the presentation and does it perfectly. The students in the class are captivated.
After finishing the class, Ajin tells him, “You’re truly amazing!” She wants to pay him back, but before she can say anything, Jongmin takes Junu away.
Next, Chohui comes to see Ajin, but finds out she is smiling and wants to give Junu a pastry for his help. Chohui is in a bad mood, thinking why things aren’t going as per her plan.
At the same time, Jongmin admits to Junu that he is in love with Chohui and wonders if there’s still a chance for him. Upon remembering Chohui’s statement, Junu quickly says that he does not have a chance. Then takes a moment, unsure — what is making him recall Ajin? Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 6 ends with hearts drifting and drama brewing.
Chapter 7: Cracks, Cookies & Confusion
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 7 begins with Chohui fuming — her sabotage plan backfired, and Ajin is getting closer to Junu instead of being humiliated.
However, her temper dies down the moment she steps into her own home, which is always in a mess. Her parents are arguing, and her unfaithful dad actually asks for a divorce. When Chohui defends her mother, her father hits her hard on the face. Her mom slaps him hard and says she will not agree to any divorce papers. The typical kind of dysfunctional drama.
Having seen what happened, Chohui wonders why her mom couldn’t just leave her dad. She marches into her room, her face aching and her heart feeling heavy. Is this the way love appears in real life? She looks at the presents arranged by Ajin, and a sense of bitterness takes over her. She wants to destroy Ajin’s cheerful smile, feeling bitter.
On the other hand, Junu is taking a practice test, and suddenly, Ajin starts to appear in his mind. His tutor sees the expression on his face and jokingly asks, “Are you in love?” Junu is surprised by the thought, but the question doesn’t go away.
At the same time, Ajin, the brightest one, is cheerfully baking cookies for her friends. When her parents arrive, there are warm hugs, pleasant smells, and lots of cheerful conversations — all right from a slice-of-life drama. Her home atmosphere is very peaceful, full of love, and made of sugar.
Three teens. Three very different households. Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 7 ends with three lives drifting apart under the same sky — some broken, some baking, and one very confused boy.
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 8: Battery-Packed First Loves & Apple Soda Moments
Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 8 begins with Ajin packing for the school trip when she notices—surprise!—two battery packs in her bag. Flashback time! A year ago, while attending a dull youth programming camp at Y University, Ajin and her friends tried to leave the camp, but were caught in the act by a camp helper. Yet Ajin’s heart missed a beat, as the helper was so cute. Was that love at first sight? Maybe.
Ajin’s first love was a man named Gwang-Hyeon. Every day, they texted back and forth, and Ajin also told Chohui about her crush. He gave her the battery pack on her birthday, but it all went wrong when she realized he had a girlfriend. Ouch. Modern-day Ajin still thinks about what Gwang-Hyeon is up to. It turns out that he’s now training to be a teacher and he has chosen Seoring High as his school. Uh-oh.
Let’s move back to the present time! Junu, Chohui, Ajin, and their friends get everything ready for the school trip. Ajin blushes when she sees Chohui wearing a crop top, seeing it reveal too much skin. At the same time, Chohui finds out that Jongmin is planning a party with alcohol in Ajin’s room. She interrupts the conversation and invites herself, which makes Jongmin very happy.
Fizzy Feelings
While on the train, Chohui is upset at the idea that her dad thinks money is all that matters. Feeling hot and thirsty, Ajin decides to have a drink. She sees Junu at the vending machine holding the last apple soda (her favorite). Let the tears flow dramatically. But Junu? Smooth. He hands it to her and explains that it was meant for Jongmin. Awww.
After that, someone accidentally bumps into her. Junu saves her from falling. They are so close that they could count each other’s eyelashes. Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 8 ends with a fizzy, unexpected moment that may just shake up hearts more than soda cans.
What do you think of Ugly Duckling Complex Chapter 1-8? Stay tuned with AnimeMangaToon to know what happens next!
