The Dawn to Come (Korean: 그저 여명일 뿐 or Just Dawn) is a Korean romance webtoon, based on a web novel by Woo Jihye and illustrated by Kangki, of Positively Yours fame.
School is full of judgmental eyes and home is a source of abuse. But that's okay, because Junyeong Yun has found an abandoned home where she can study to her heart's content. Unfortunately, Beomjin Kwon, the school's notorious bad boy, has also begun using the place to catch up on sleep. Although the two seem worlds apart at first, in actuality, they are both lost souls who just might find home in each other...
The series ran from August 2023 to May 2025 for a total of 69 chapters. The complete English translation is available to read on Tapas
, TappyToon, and Manta.
The Dawn to Come contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Junyeong's mother is a violent alcoholic who lashes out when she's drunk. Avoiding having to come home to her is the reason Junyeong starts using the shack.
- Alcoholic Parent: Junyeong's mother regularly gets drunk and beats her.
- Alpha Bitch: Hyesu Oh is a popular girl in Junyeong’s class who targets her as revenge for catching Seung-Un’s eye.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Beomjin is drawn without nipples when shirtless.
- "Begone" Bribe: Seung-Un's mother offers to financially support Junyeong, as long as she doesn't pursue a relationship with him.
- Betty and Veronica Switch: Seung-Un starts out as the friendly, outgoing Betty to Beomjin’s troubled Veronica. But as Junyeong gets closer to Beomjin and uncovers his caring side, Seung-Un starts to become jealous and possessive.
- Big Man on Campus: Seung-Un Na is a recent transfer student who's quickly become popular due to his good looks and affable personality.
- The Cameo: Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen is a passenger on Junyeong's plane in Episode 31.
- Catch Your Death of Cold: Junyeong comes down with the flu after having a bucket of cold water dumped on her by her mother and spending the night outside in her wet clothes.
- Cranial Eruption: Beomjin gets a comically large bump from hitting his head on the ceiling in Episode 5
- Disappeared Dad: Junyeong doesn't know her father. Given that he got her seventeen-year-old mother pregnant and then left her, she speculates he was not a nice guy.
- Flipping the Bird: Played for Laughs in Episode 4, when Junyeong's bully intentionally bumps into her.Hyesu: Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there. My bad, my bad.Junyeong: [gestures]Hyesu: Did you just—?!Junyeong: Oh, so this you can see?
- Hates Their Parent: zig-zagged. Junyeong, understandably, resents her mother for abusing her. Despite this, she can't bring herself to abandon her, even if it means being saddled with medical debt when she becomes comatose.
- House Squatting: Junyeong and Beomjin both discover the same small cabin in the woods and agree to share it, so they can avoid going home.
- I Love You Because I Can't Control You: It's implied Seung-Un's fixation on Junyeong stems from her being the first person that didn't want to get close to him.
- Indignant Slap: Mihyang slaps Seung-Un for calling her an idiot during his Villainous Breakdown in Episode 66.
- Keeping the Enemy Close: Mihyang sponsors and eventually hires Junyeong, even though she disapproves of Seung-Un's crush on her, because she thinks it'll be easier to keep the two from dating if she can exert financial control over Junyeong.
- Love Makes You Evil: Seung-Un's innocent crush on Junyeong devolves into obsession when she doesn't return his feelings. He becomes possessive and controlling, and actively tries to sabotage her relationship with Beomjin.
- Mistaken for Prostitute: Junyeong learns from Hyesu that her mom has been spotted hanging around the local motel, implying she's there to do sex work. When Junyeong goes to investigate she discovers her mom is just working there as a cleaner.
- Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: Beomjin gets pegged as a delinquent due to his family's gang affiliation, but he's really just trying to keep his head down and survival high school. Under his tough exterior he's a considerate guy who's fiercely protective of the people he cares about.
- My Beloved Smother: Seung-Un's mother Mihyang refuses to allow him to do anything that could jeopardize his future, including dating girls that are "beneath him" like Junyeong.Seung-Un: You don't have to like [Junyeong], Mom.Mihyang: Oh, my. You're already saying things like that to me? Even if you say that now, you'll end up getting married to a girl that I like. After all, we're going to become a family. Don't you think that's a matter of course?
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: While having lunch at Seung-Un's house, Junyeong ends up spilling juice down her shirt. His mother Mihyang gives her a new one to change into, which turns out to be a maid uniform—implicitly saying Junyeong is no different from one of their servants and should know her place.
- Rugged Scar: Beomjin's uncle, Sangchun Kang, has several facial scars from his time as a gang member.
- Sadist Teacher: The maths teacher, Mr. Kim, harasses Junyeong as revenge for turning down his invitation to join the mathletes.
- A Shared Suffering: Junyeong and Beomjin bond over their shared sense of isolation from society and their desire to escape oppressive home environments.
- Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy: Inverted. Seung-Un, a popular new transfer student, takes an interest in Junyeong, the class loner.
- Time Skip: The first half of the story takes place when Junyeong, Beomjin, and Seung-Un are in high school. After Beomjin is abruptly forced to leave, it skips forward to when he and Junyeong are reunited as adults.
- Vicariously Ambitious: Mihyang Hong lost the right to succeed her family's business to her brother, Inseop, forcing her to settle for marrying the company's vice president and grooming their son to seize control one day.
- Villainous Breakdown: After being rejected by Junyeong, having his engagement called off, and being forced out of his family's company, Seung-Un blames Beomjin for ruining his life and goes after him with a knife.
- Wealthy Philanthropist: Deconstructed. Mihyang Hong's "philanthropy" is just a way to control people, launder money, and maintain her own image.