In order of appearance (principal characters are bolded)
| MARY YU-RHEE HWANG | Narrator; her family owns Lucky Coin Variety |
| Tico (Tracy) | Homeless man and regular customer |
| JOSH CHUN-HA HWANG | Mary’s brother; he is a year younger |
| Mr. Mills | Mary’s 4th grade teacher |
| Delia (Scarlet) | Mary’s former classmate; now a prostitute |
| OMMA | Mary’s mother |
| APPA | Mary’s father |
| Rubina | Mary’s best friend |
| The Young family | Family friends |
| WILL ALLEN | Mary’s teacher and later boyfriend |
| Mrs. Cha | A family friend |
| Mr. Darcy | Mary’s elementary school principal |
| Leon | Pimp |
| Erin, Linda | Mary’s friends |
| Mrs. Lee | A family friend |
| Susie X (Mona) | Prostitute |
| Mrs. O’Doherty | Regular customer |
| Kun emoh, jageun emoh | Mary’s aunts in Korea |
| JOON-HO (SEAN) | A family friend who becomes Mary’s boyfriend |
| Mi-Ra | Mary’s lost aunt |
| Eun-Jin | Mary’s cousin in Korea |
| Gucci Lady (Mrs. Kim) | Mary’s mother’s friend; Kate’s mother |
| Kate Kim | Mary’s first Korean friend |
| Mato | Cab driver and regular customer |
| Jake | Erin’s boyfriend |
| Dr. Rusaline Elliott | Mary’s sociology professor |
| Morticia and Gomez | Mary’s nickname for Joon-Ho’s parents |
| Mrs. Henry | Joon-Ho’s landlady |
| Allison Roy | Lawyer |
| Ryan Faulkner | Police detective |
| Priya | Therapist |
Kay's Lucky Coin Variety 