Payback

It's Lezhin?

Tbh, sometimes, I'm lost in the story setting. Like there are actions that felt no reasons. Or like I'm watching a cut out versions and put together. Maybe it's the directional.
My worst point here only is the freaking background music. It's too much, and become unnecessary. Still continue watching this. We'll see.
(Edit ep 5) it definitely picks up. Now I'm hooked.
(Edit ep 8) it's the peak, not becauss of nc scene, but the storyline. It's like casting a bow. Tugging into the strings before releasing it. Like that feeling. Earlier chapters are much like too slow paced, while it prepare for release. Release of pent up emotions, of all being hold up.
(Edit finish) those last episodes are good.
If I cab compars this. The genre and vibes is like Not Me. But both in different ways. And good ways.

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I Finished Payback and Couldn't Stop Thinking About It

I honestly wasn't planning to talk about Payback this soon, but after finishing it, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

What surprised me the most was the chemistry between the leads. From the very beginning, their dynamic felt intense, emotional, and believable. The story is filled with tension, revenge, secrets, and power struggles, but beneath all of that is a surprisingly emotional journey about trust, healing, and finding someone who understands you.

One thing I really loved is that the characters feel strong and layered. Nobody feels one-dimensional, and the emotions hit exactly when they need to. The acting was excellent, especially during the more emotional scenes.

Payback is not a fluffy romance. It's darker, more intense, and keeps you invested from start to finish. Definitely one of the dramas that stayed on my mind long after I finished watching it.

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10/10 despite the flaws.

PAYBACK The Series has actually made me consider reading the novella and possibly even the manhwa – which, for me, is already a sign of just how much the series impressed me.

There are plenty of other reviews that go into the series in great detail, so I won’t repeat another in-depth breakdown of the plot here.

What makes PAYBACK so compelling for me is how well it works on so many levels: the plot, acting, setting, characters, and above all, the way all these elements come together. It manages to tell a dark romance with BL elements that has genuine depth while going beyond being merely a love story.

What I particularly appreciate is that the various subplots surrounding the central pairing contribute to the main story rather than competing with one another. They complement and strengthen each other. The occasional logical inconsistencies therefore fall more into the category of minor trivialities than genuine flaws in the plot.

And that is why I’m giving it a 10/10 despite its flaws.

PAYBACK is one of my favourites. The fact that I’m writing a review at all shows just how much of an effect the series had on me. I’m looking forward to more BL romances of this calibre.

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I'm Glad I Got to Live at the Same Time This Series Existed—and Experience It Every Week.

I've been waiting every Saturday for this series, and now that it's over... I'm surprisingly at peace.
I have no regrets.
This is one of those rare dramas that kept making me smile, scream, admire, laugh, and even worry every single week, then gave me an ending that felt completely satisfying. I don't desperately need a Season 2 because the story already gave me everything I wanted.

What impressed me the most wasn't only the romance. It was the directing.
The camera work, sound design, music, expressions, breathing, silence, action scenes... everything worked together to create emotion. There were so many scenes where I simply thought, "Beautiful." Not only visually beautiful, but emotionally beautiful too.
The acting deserves so much praise. Their eyes can act. The chemistry feels incredibly convincing, and every intimate scene serves the emotions instead of existing just for fan service. I honestly think this series has some of the best-directed intimate scenes I've ever watched. Every look, every pause, every breath felt natural.
The revenge story was another highlight. I love smart characters and stories where people solve problems intelligently instead of forcing drama through stupid decisions. The final revenge was satisfying, well-earned, and made me feel, "Yes... this is exactly how it should end."

Of course, it isn't perfect.
As someone who also read the manhwa, I definitely noticed that many scenes had to be cut to fit only ten episodes. Sometimes I wished certain moments had more room to breathe, and I missed seeing more of Sun's intelligence from the original work. That was probably my biggest disappointment.
However, I also understand the challenge of adapting around ninety+ chapters into only ten episodes. Instead of trying to copy everything, the series chose to focus on atmosphere, emotion, and visual storytelling. In many ways, I actually prefer the drama's execution over the manhwa. The directing elevated so many scenes beyond what I imagined while reading.

What made me happiest was the ending.
They got their happy ending without losing themselves. They stayed wonderfully chaotic, clever, and completely true to who they were from the beginning. Their relationship didn't change their personalities—it simply let them face the future together.
That was exactly what I hoped for.

Thank you, Payback, for making my weekends something to look forward to.
RAK MAK MAK KHAA~ ❤️

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Holy peak

So I'm not much if a great writer but I would like to express my love and adoration for this series and everything about it,coming from a manhwa reader already- let's start from the beginning, when it's trailer dropped,for most of those haters, the cast wasn't "perfect",saying it didn't fit the manhwa,but I've been super supportive of this series from the start and from the beginning only I was really excited about it. When ep 1 dropped,it shocked everyone cuz it was so good slowly by slowly every episode started to drop and people started to realize it's peakkkk 😍 and payback actually shut those haters up cuz it is literally so perfectly adapted from the manhwa -every detail.

Let's talk about the actors - toptapminlee,my fav couple this year actually😭🫶🏻 they are such cuties and the chemistry b/w them is INSANE, plus their acting skills everything is top notch about them i can't express my love my babies in words, just watch them and you'll also fall in love 💕.

Not just the main actors, the side actors and the villians- casting was top notch especially their acting,so freaking good,not a single bad actor throughout the whole series.

The cinematography is super good also,adapted perfectly from the manhwa,payback sets a example to others how a manhwa should actually be adapted,even little to little details you can see there.

Lastly, the beautiful ost,"The memory",perfect.

Everything is super peak about this series and i would like to one of the best series released this year, I'm proud of them 🫶

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A Rare Adaptation That Doesn't Lose Its Soul

Going into Payback, my biggest concern was whether it would do justice to the manhwa. Thankfully, it stays surprisingly faithful. While a few minor scenes and details were left out—which is pretty much expected in any adaptation—the core story, the characters, and the overall atmosphere remain intact. As someone who read the manhwa, I never felt like the drama betrayed the source material.

What impressed me the most was how well the casting worked. The leads fit their characters, and their chemistry felt natural instead of forced. They handled both the quieter emotional moments and the more intense confrontations convincingly, making it easy to invest in their relationship.

The production quality also deserves credit. The cinematography is polished, the pacing is mostly consistent, and the soundtrack complements the scenes without becoming distracting. It feels like the team genuinely cared about bringing the story to life rather than simply capitalizing on the popularity of the original work.

That said, the drama isn't perfect. Some emotional beats don't hit quite as hard as they did in the manhwa because a few smaller scenes that helped build the characters were removed. They're not major omissions, but if you've read the source material, you'll probably notice them. There are also moments where the adaptation plays things a little safer, which slightly tones down the emotional intensity.

Even so, these are relatively minor complaints. The adaptation understands what made *Payback* enjoyable in the first place and focuses on preserving that. It never tries to reinvent the story unnecessarily, and I appreciate that.

Overall, *Payback* is one of those adaptations that respects its source material while still working well as a drama on its own. Whether you're already a fan of the manhwa or going in completely blind, it's an easy recommendation. Faithful adaptations are harder to come by than people think, and *Payback* is proof that staying true to the original can absolutely pay off.

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BL Drama of the year

Payback was one of the best adaptations I've ever watched. It was faithful to the manhwa, but with a few altered details that only added to the story rather than getting in the way. They provided even more context for situations that weren't fully explained in the manhwa, such as Sky's trauma. The script was incredibly well constructed, the OSTs were captivating, and the actors? MinLee and Toptap (along with the rest of the main cast) my goodness, they were born for these roles. It's such a pity it was so short; I would have easily watched 20 episodes if it had them!

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Every manwha adaption needs to take notes

As someone who did not finish the manwha and had absolutely no faith in Thailand adapting this story, I am absolutely glad I gave this adaption a chance and everyone that was a fan of the book should give this series a chance as well. It is captivating , moving, toxic but heartwarming series that deserves the hype Revenge Love received. Every episode was intriguing, keeping me at the edge of my seat and wanting more. I want to take a moment to appreciate the acting, especially the main leads.

Min Lee as Sun- Absolutely breathtaking. When I saw that another member from Boys Planet (the gayest show produced) was casted in a bl, I was taken a back to say the least. But the minute I saw his face, I knew he was Yoohan (Sun). In the show, he portrays grief, guilt, sadness so well. My heart breaks for Sun as we continued to get more of his backstory, and Min's acting shined whenever he appeared on screen. Sun as a character rarely speaks, but the audience still feel the vulnerability of Sun. He is lead character (the character wanting payback), and it can be hard to have the whole show completely on your shoulders, where the audience is mostly following you and your story. For some, it can be hard to pull off. But Min captivated the audience. I felt every emotion he felt at the time, whether it was pain and guilt, and at the end, happiness and comfort. I could not have asked for a better actor to play Sun. Also Min is beautiful. His eyes were so expressive, his microexpressions had me going to back scenes and rewatching. His eyes makes me think of Onsga from The Edge of Horizon (another exceptional show)

Toptap as Jay- It is very rare, at least in the Thai Bl acting industry, to come across an actor who completely embodies a role. For an actor to act not only by speaking, but using his body to convey a character. The way he walked, talked, moved his body had me screaming. When I first saw the trailer, I did not think he was Jay. But my the first episode, his introduction, the way he looked in the suit, I knew I was wrong. Toptap essence as Jay needs to be studied, For an beginner, his acting clears actors who have been in bls for years. You can pinpoint exactly when Jay began to like Sun because of Toptap's acting. You can tell when Jay started care for Sun, started to want Sun and wanted to save Sun. I only hope that he continues to get projects that challenge him as an actor. He just landed on my lap, but I will continue to watch everything he is in, even if the plot is not good because I know he would absolutely devour the role (put please let the future plots be good he deserves nothing less) Did I mention he looks hot in a suit and is fine as fuck? His aura in this show reminds me of Park Seo Jun in What's Wrong with Sectartary Kim?

The acting from the supporting characters, from Fuaiz, Shogun and Khunnote was great as well. I am truly impressed with everything in this series.

JaySun might be one of my favorite characters and couple of all time. They are both morally grey, but they work so well because they understand each other's pain. Jay is able to understand what Sun is feeling, even when pushes him away and pretends he does not want Jay's affection. Both characters need therapy, but they care so deeply for each other that it's easy to root for them as a couple. Together, they make complete sense.

Toptap and Min Lee's chemistry was crackling. It is very rare for me to get butterflies during scenes but while watching this show I got butterflies, heart palpations, EVERYTHING! I am normally one of the bl fans that want actors to experiment with other actors but I truly want TT ML to continue to work together for my sanity. I need at least 5 more projects from them. In my opinion, Payback is the series of the year, and everyone should watch it and appreciate this masterpiece.

It is very rare for a show to be engaging from start to finish, with every episode ranging from 50 minutes to an 1hr but feels like 5 minutes. You will come for the plot but stay because of the captivating chemistry between the leads and the enchanting acting of the main leads. When I say PAYBACK is the show of the year, I wholeheartedly mean it.

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From webtoon to screen — perfect

As a huge BL fan, I absolutely loved Payback. I had already read the webtoon beforehand, so I was really curious to see how the story would be adapted into a series. And honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Seeing the characters come to life made me so happy. The chemistry, tension, emotions and overall atmosphere had me completely hooked from beginning to end. Even though I already knew the story, watching everything unfold on screen still made me emotional. I loved every moment and I’m genuinely sad that it’s over. Such an amazing adaptation.

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Revenge with a side of industry realness

I wanna start off by saying, on behalf of all of us, thank you to Toptap for giving acting one last try, I can't imagine Jay played by anyone else.

This series was so well done in my opinion.
We all know these types of scenarios, and horrors, happen in the entertainment industry, and if you didn't then I hate to be the one to share that, but rarely do we see the real-life villains pay for their crimes. The ending was extremely satisfying in that regard.

Minlee and Toptap's chemistry was insane, the NC scenes were GIVING. The character development of Sun, and seeing him change throughout the series was a treat-- to finally see him give a real smile during that press conference was everything to me.

The reoccurring theme, with a handful of characters, of seeking revenge was a nice touch I am currently in the process of reading the novel as well.
Between Sky getting revenge in the form of overcoming the trauma he endured, The manager proving he had what it takes to make a star shine, Jay getting revenge on the whole panel at Dream in behalf of what happened to his mother and of course our main revenge arc from Sun against Sunny--it was so many different flavors of revenge imo.
Sunny's ending wasn't surprising at all, I took away from it that he was always a broken man, sleeping his way to the top was how he started and how he planned to start again.
The last scene at the hospital where he acknowledges revenge didn't really make him happy after all was the result we all expected. To see him lean on Jay for support so often in the final episodes showed the opposite of Sunny's ending, he started out a broken man and softened in the process of seeking revenge.

I can't praise this series enough, but I will stop here before I break down every part that impressed me.
I cannot wait to see them in something else together in the future, I wanna see what else Toptap can give us~

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