Li Lan is an 18-year-old woman of Chinese descent living in colonial Malacca. As the only surviving child of the once-wealthy Pan family, she faces a difficult social position due to her lack of marriage prospects and her father's financial decline. She questions traditional stories like the Double Seventh Festival myth and quietly resists the marital expectations placed upon her. Her sharp observational skills lead her to notice things others miss, drawing her into supernatural mysteries.

Er Lang is a mysterious stranger who dresses in outdated, theatrical clothing that conceals his features. Arrogant and quick with a sarcastic remark, he presents himself as a government official investigating matters in the afterlife. He possesses abilities and knowledge far beyond the material world, drawing Li Lan into an uneasy alliance.

Lim Tian Ching is the recently deceased son and heir of the wealthy Lim family. Described as plump and undistinguished in appearance, he possesses an inflated sense of self-importance and entitlement. Despite his death, he actively haunts Li Lan's dreams, demanding that she become his ghost bride and throwing petulant tantrums when denied.

Tian Bai is the handsome cousin of Lim Tian Ching and the new heir to the Lim family fortune. He previously studied medicine in Hong Kong and possesses a calm, dependable demeanor. He speaks politely and repairs clocks in his spare time, maintaining a calm exterior despite pressure from his uncle regarding his marriage prospects.

Yan Hong is the eldest daughter of the Lim family, born to the deceased Second Wife. She is the subject of societal gossip due to her scandalous love match with a medical student. She shares gifts with Li Lan but openly glares at her stepmother, harboring deep frustrations about her constrained position within the household.

Fan is the spirit of a young woman who drowned on her way back to China after her family disapproved of her romantic relationship. She lingers in the afterlife to visit her living lover rather than passing on to the Courts of Judgment. She complains about her paper puppet servants and focuses heavily on heavenly status and appearances.

The patriarch of a once-respected Chinese family in Malacca that has fallen on hard times. Scarred by the smallpox epidemic that took his wife, he has since withdrawn into opium use and financial ruin. Despite his mounting debts, he refuses to force his daughter into an unwanted marriage.

Amah is Li Lan's fiercely protective nursemaid and confidante. She constantly worries about bad luck, extinguishing unseasonable fires and offering traditional remedies to keep Li Lan safe. She serves as the primary maternal figure in the Pan household.

Madam Lim is the wealthy and influential matriarch of the Lim family. Following the sudden death of her son, Lim Tian Ching, she becomes desperate to secure a ghost bride for him. She hosts high-society games and commands strict authority over her sprawling household.

Lim Teck Kiong is the patriarch of the Lim family and holds significant financial power in Malacca's merchant community. He dictates his nephew's marital choices and controls the debts of struggling families like the Pans.

Old Wong is the pragmatic cook for the Pan household. Unlike the other servants, he remains calm during supernatural occurrences. He possesses a lifelong, quiet ability to see spirits and ghosts, making him an unexpected source of insight.

The Second Wife is Yan Hong's late mother. During her life, she faced severe familial pressure regarding her daughter's marriage. In the afterlife, she maintains a position in the Lim household and fiercely guards her own interests.

Master Awyoung is an old man residing in the afterlife who takes a suspicious interest in newcomers. He behaves with authority in the spiritual world and holds close, secretive ties with the Lim family's ancestral household.

The Third Concubine is the spirit of Li Lan's grandfather's former concubine. Bitter and resentful of how she was treated by the family in life, she harbors deep grievances against Li Lan's parents and remains trapped in a decrepit spiritual dwelling.

Auntie Three is an older, weary spirit working as a kitchen helper in the Lim family's afterlife estate. She is kind and cautious, offering immediate warmth and practical warnings to newcomers facing the dangerous politics of the spiritual household.

Li Lan's late mother was a woman whose early death devastated the Pan family and left them in decline. Her memory casts a long shadow over the household, as her husband still grieves her loss heavily.

Isabel is a Eurasian woman who knew Tian Bai during his time studying abroad in Hong Kong. She represents a part of his past that he keeps carefully guarded from his traditional family in Malacca.

Ah Chun is a maid in the Pan household. She is highly superstitious and quick to assume that any unusual occurrence is the work of angry ghosts or malicious spirits.

The Cook runs the kitchen for the Lim household in the afterlife. He prepares fake funeral food to make it palatable for the spirits and enforces a rule where ghost servants do not use names to preserve their pride.