i recommend to use earphones and check again the beginning of ep7 as CY whistle when QL got into the car. if you…
Dang, I missed the bird call! I'll have to re-watch and listen carefully. I had the same question, and I would have loved to hear the bird call the first viewing — so cute.
Payback became one of my most eagerly awaited shows ever. I was immediately hooked, and it made most other shows (especially BL) feel flat and flimsy. The directing, cinematography, writing, and acting quickly crafted an intensity and depth that did not let up throughout the series. All the characters were well-crafted and acted, from the leads (Min and Toptap are phenomenal) to the minor roles. I can’t wait to see more projects from them.
I've watched it twice (some scenes more) and read the manhwa, and some things became clearer to me with the deeper dive. Although I have thoughts on many elements of the story, this post is about Sun & Jay.
The manhwa is a fan fav, and the adaptation adheres to the manhwa well, but I think the series is much richer. I have read that power imbalance and SA are common in manhwa, but they weren't enjoyable for me. In the manhwa, Jay's emotional connection with Sun seems more like ownership than love. The series is more balanced, nuanced, and believable.
The main story is Sun's arc from a somewhat naive power-tripping evil-doer as a loan collector (while being manipulated by Sunny), to a self-punishing shell of karmic suffering and emptiness, to having revenge-as-purpose-in-life focus, to his heart slowly opening to love (both giving and receiving) and love being the reason to live.
It took me the second watching to appreciate Jay's arc. It’s more subtle in the storyline, as his main role is to crack Sun’s emotional shell and bring him into the living world. This is where I think the series outshines the manhwa. In the series, Jay is given a deeper backstory and meaning to his actions, and he’s a more complex character. He’s still dominant and controlling, but he has much more range, and his emotional shell cracked by Sun is believable. Jay falling for Sun, then continually pushing Sun to feel seems authentic. Jay needs Sun to accept his feelings for him, to love him back, not reject him and leave him. When Sun realizes Jay was the man he was with as the pink bunny, Jay kisses him, and it’s a kiss of true love (kudos to the director for the breath inhale at the kiss, which declares the meaning).
Jay’s growth is represented by his first and last screen appearances. Jay’s first appearance: he’s dressed in a tight power suit with hair slicked back, and is rigid, distant, dismissive, assumes everyone wants to use him, and no one is worthy of his attention. Sun’s lack of submissiveness and unawareness of who he is somewhat amuses and interests Jay, but not worth much attention. Jay’s final appearance: he’s dressed in a loose, flowing shirt with soft hair falling over his forehead, like when he first met Sun five years ago, and Sun is now his everything. When he says, “You’re mine,” it’s less dominance ownership (as in the manhwa) than an admission that Sun has his heart. And Jay is genuinely surprised when Sun turns back and aggressively kisses him, asserting his reciprocity. Their final kiss is as equals.
You can see Woodie's cinematography background throughout Payback, and it's one of the series' stars. I'm trying to see his other directing work, but it's hard in the US.
I've watched it twice (some scenes more) and read the manhwa, and some things became clearer to me with the deeper dive. Although I have thoughts on many elements of the story, this post is about Sun & Jay.
The manhwa is a fan fav, and the adaptation adheres to the manhwa well, but I think the series is much richer. I have read that power imbalance and SA are common in manhwa, but they weren't enjoyable for me. In the manhwa, Jay's emotional connection with Sun seems more like ownership than love. The series is more balanced, nuanced, and believable.
The main story is Sun's arc from a somewhat naive power-tripping evil-doer as a loan collector (while being manipulated by Sunny), to a self-punishing shell of karmic suffering and emptiness, to having revenge-as-purpose-in-life focus, to his heart slowly opening to love (both giving and receiving) and love being the reason to live.
It took me the second watching to appreciate Jay's arc. It’s more subtle in the storyline, as his main role is to crack Sun’s emotional shell and bring him into the living world. This is where I think the series outshines the manhwa. In the series, Jay is given a deeper backstory and meaning to his actions, and he’s a more complex character. He’s still dominant and controlling, but he has much more range, and his emotional shell cracked by Sun is believable. Jay falling for Sun, then continually pushing Sun to feel seems authentic. Jay needs Sun to accept his feelings for him, to love him back, not reject him and leave him. When Sun realizes Jay was the man he was with as the pink bunny, Jay kisses him, and it’s a kiss of true love (kudos to the director for the breath inhale at the kiss, which declares the meaning).
Jay’s growth is represented by his first and last screen appearances. Jay’s first appearance: he’s dressed in a tight power suit with hair slicked back, and is rigid, distant, dismissive, assumes everyone wants to use him, and no one is worthy of his attention. Sun’s lack of submissiveness and unawareness of who he is somewhat amuses and interests Jay, but not worth much attention. Jay’s final appearance: he’s dressed in a loose, flowing shirt with soft hair falling over his forehead, like when he first met Sun five years ago, and Sun is now his everything. When he says, “You’re mine,” it’s less dominance ownership (as in the manhwa) than an admission that Sun has his heart. And Jay is genuinely surprised when Sun turns back and aggressively kisses him, asserting his reciprocity. Their final kiss is as equals.