Payback Manhwa: Novel, Webtoon and Drama Guide
Fujoking and samK's 95-chapter webtoon, the Korean novel underneath it, and the ten-episode Thai series that closed in August 2026
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The Payback manhwa is the 95-chapter Korean webtoon by samK and Fujoking, and it is the best entry point to this story. It carries the full plot, it is the only version with an official English release on Lezhin, and it reads in about a week. The 2026 Thai drama compresses it into ten episodes.
Underneath the webtoon sits samK’s original Korean novel, and above it sits a live-action adaptation that moved the whole story to Bangkok and renamed everyone in it. Three works, three lengths, three sets of character names, and three different answers to the question of whether you can read or watch it in English. This guide sorts all of that out.
Payback manhwa, novel and drama compared
Three separate records exist on this site for the same story, because they are three different works with different creators, different lengths and different rights holders. The chain runs novel, then manhwa, then drama, and each step trims material. That chain from source to screen is mapped for the rest of the genre in our guide to BL dramas and the novels, manga and manhwa behind them.
| Version | Year | Length | Creators | Official English | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payback (novel) | 2010, commercial 2022 | 6 digital volumes plus a 2-volume sequel | samK | No | 8.9 |
| Payback (manhwa) | 2021 to 2025 | 95 main chapters plus a 14-chapter side story | samK story, Fujoking art | Yes, Lezhin | 8.6 |
| Payback (Thai series) | 2026 | 10 episodes, about 43 min each | Dir. Woodie Pongchaiphat Sethanand, screenplay Sammon | Yes, subtitled | 7.8 |
That chain is the single most useful fact for deciding where to start. Each adaptation is one step further from samK’s original text, and the further out you go the less room the story has.
Where to read the Payback manhwa: Lezhin, Bomtoon and Ridibooks
Every route below goes to a licensed publisher or platform. Unauthorised aggregator sites tend to have incorrect chapter numbering, which is one of the reasons the confusion over chapter counts spreads so easily.
| Platform | Version | Language | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lezhin Comics | Manhwa | English | Licensed | The only official English edition of this story |
| Bomtoon | Manhwa | Korean | Original | Kidari Studio’s own platform, original serialisation |
| Naver Series | Manhwa | Korean | Revised | Revised edition |
| Mr Blue | Manhwa | Korean | Revised | Revised edition |
| Ridibooks | Novel | Korean | Licensed | Six volumes plus the two-volume sequel Paid Payback |
| iQIYI | Thai series | English subtitles | Licensed | Carries the broadcast cut and the extended streaming edition |
| oneD | Thai series | Thai | Licensed | Thailand |
| LINE TV | Thai series | Thai | Licensed | Taiwan |
Korean platforms publish the manhwa and the novel for adult readers only and require identity verification before the title opens. That is a platform requirement rather than a description of the content.
Payback manhwa chapter 1: where the story starts and how to read it
Chapter 1 of the Payback manhwa is free or heavily discounted on both Lezhin and Bomtoon, because both platforms run coin systems with free opening chapters and timed unlocks on the rest. Testing the beginning costs nothing, which makes this the cheapest way to find out whether the story suits you.
What the opening chapters set up is the debt. Lee Yuhan is carrying the aftermath of his brother’s death and an obligation he did not choose, and the bargain he makes with an entertainment executive is the engine of everything that follows. The five-year gap and the final reframing of what happened that night are both a long way off, so the first chapters read as setup rather than payoff. Readers who bounce off the first two chapters usually bounce off the whole thing; readers who get to the point where Yuhan starts making choices rather than absorbing them tend to finish.
Payback manhwa characters, and their three sets of names
The single most common source of confusion for people moving between versions is that the Thai adaptation relocated the story to Bangkok and renamed everyone. This mapping is the thing to keep open in another tab.
| Korean novel and manhwa | Thai series | Played by |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Yuhan | Theemekha “Sun” Rungsapdee | Minlee Thanakorn Wichanukhor |
| Song Myeong-shin | Thanapat “Bank” Loetkraisorn, screen name Sunny | Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra |
| Yun Je-i | Athip “Jay” Wanitsakitphaisan | TopTap Jarukit Kaewmoonrueang |
The two leads of the Thai version work together as the ToptapMinlee pairing. Story credit across all three versions goes to samK, with Fujoking credited as the manhwa’s illustrator and the print volumes published under Fujoking’s name as comic series author.
The Payback manhwa side story: Abduction, and why chapter counts disagree
You will see the manhwa listed as 95 chapters in one place and 110 in another. Both are correct and they are counting different things. Bomtoon lists 95 main episodes, which ended on 20 November 2024. A separate 14-chapter side story titled Abduction ran from 20 March to 20 August 2025 and continues Yuhan and Je-i’s story past the main ending. That gives 109 numbered chapters, or 110 counting the prologue. Databases showing 95 are counting the main run only.
The side story is a genuine continuation rather than a bonus, though a reader who stops at chapter 95 has read a complete story. Seven print volumes had been published as of 28 April 2026. None of this maps onto seasons; anyone describing Abduction as “season 2” is describing the side story.
Why the Payback manhwa is the right entry point for most readers
Three practical reasons, in order of weight.
First, availability. The manhwa is the only version of Payback that a rights holder has licensed into English. Lezhin Comics carries the official English edition, and Bomtoon, operated by publisher Kidari Studio, carries the Korean original. The novel has no announced English licence at all. If you do not read Korean, the choice between novel and manhwa is not really a choice.
Second, completeness. The manhwa contains the whole plot. Its 95 main chapters cover everything the drama covers and a great deal that the drama had no room for, particularly in the agency-politics material that occupies the middle of the story. Our editorial read rated the manhwa 8.6 against the drama’s 7.8, and most of that gap is a length problem rather than a craft problem.
Third, cost and pace. Bomtoon and Lezhin both use coin systems with free or discounted opening chapters and timed unlocks, so testing the first few chapters is cheap. Ten episodes of a weekly broadcast series took ten weeks to air. Ninety-five chapters read at your own speed.
The one situation where this advice flips: if you already watched the Thai series and liked it, do not treat the manhwa as a recap. Go in expecting a different experience, because the comic spends chapters on quiet stretches of Lee Yuhan’s life that the series cuts entirely, and those stretches are the reason the ending lands.
What the 2026 Thai drama actually covers
The Thai adaptation aired on One 31 every Saturday at 22:30 ICT from 30 May to 1 August 2026, ten episodes, finishing complete. Wikipedia’s entry lists Raize Up Production, A Plan International Group, Kidari Studio and Copus Japan as production partners, and Kidari Studio’s presence matters: the Korean publisher of the source webtoon is credited on the Thai production, which is unusual and is part of why the plot keeps its shape rather than being softened.
Ten episodes against 95 chapters is roughly a nine to one compression. In practice the series keeps the spine intact and thins everything around it. The revenge premise, the five-year gap, the bargain with the executive and the final reframing of what happened the night Yuhan’s brother died all survive. What does not survive is the connective tissue: several supporting characters exist only to move the lead from one confrontation to the next, and the betrayal that sets the plot in motion gets less screen time than it needs.
There is also a version problem worth knowing before you watch. Two editions exist. The One 31 broadcast runs about 70 minutes per episode with commercial breaks and is edited to meet Thai broadcast standards. The iQIYI streaming release runs about 43 minutes and is the unedited master, which includes footage removed for television. Viewers comparing notes online are frequently discussing two different cuts without realising it. If you want the version closest to the manhwa, use the extended streaming edition.
The Payback manhwa novel: who should read samK’s original
The novel is the best version of this story and the hardest to reach. samK first released it as a self-published three-volume set in 2010, reprinted it in 2013, and added a spin-off volume in 2015. For twelve years it circulated as a doujinshi title rather than a commercial one. Pilyeon Management issued the complete work through Ridibooks in November 2022 as a six-volume digital edition, alongside the two-volume sequel Paid Payback, and it took a BL novel e-book prize at the 2023 Ridi Awards.
What prose gives it is interiority. In the manhwa you infer Yuhan’s self-blame from a flat expression and a muted palette. In the novel you sit inside it, and samK writes that guilt as a settled verdict rather than a wound waiting to be healed. Every kindness anyone offers him has to argue against that verdict, and the novel lets those attempts fail more often than a monthly comic schedule could afford.
Read it if you read Korean and you have already finished the manhwa. Skip it otherwise. Files described online as free English PDFs of the novel are unauthorised copies; they pay samK and Pilyeon Management nothing, and their accuracy is not something anyone is accountable for.
A reading and watching order that works
If you read Korean and want the fullest experience: novel, then manhwa, then the series as a curiosity. If Korean-language screen BL is what you are after more generally, we keep a complete list of Korean BL dramas.
If you do not read Korean and you have unlimited time: manhwa first, then the extended streaming edition of the series. Ninety-five chapters is a real commitment, but you will watch the drama understanding what every compressed scene is standing in for.
If you have one evening: watch two episodes of the series. It is the fastest way to find out whether a revenge melodrama with almost no comfort in it is a story you want. If it is, the manhwa is waiting.
If you already watched the whole drama and want more: go to Abduction by way of the main 95 chapters. Do not skip ahead to the side story. It reads as an epilogue and will land as nothing without the run that precedes it.
Our verdict on each version
The manhwa is the version we rate most highly for a general reader at 8.6, because it is complete, officially translated and paced for the story it is telling. The novel scores higher at 8.9 on craft alone, and it is the version most honest about the imbalance of power at the centre of the relationship, but a work you cannot legally read in your language is a poor recommendation. The series takes 7.8: ambitious, well cast, and undone by an episode order that was never going to fit.
None of the three is comfort viewing. All three are built on a child’s death, a debt inherited rather than chosen, and a bargain the protagonist makes knowing exactly what it costs. If that is not what you are looking for tonight, this is a story to come back to.
Sources
- Bomtoon official series page, Kidari Studio, for chapter counts and serialisation dates
- Lezhin Comics official English edition for creator credits and the licensed English release
- Ridibooks listing for the novel for volume count, publisher and award
- Wikipedia entry for the 2026 Thai series for network, air dates, cast and production partners
Last updated: August 15, 2026.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where can I read the Payback manhwa?
In English, on Lezhin Comics, which holds the only official licensed English edition. In Korean, on Bomtoon, publisher Kidari Studio’s own platform, where the series was originally serialised, and in a revised edition on Naver Series and Mr Blue. Korean platforms require identity verification before the title opens.
How many characters are in the Payback manhwa, and what are their names?
The three central Payback manhwa characters are Lee Yuhan, Song Myeong-shin and Yun Je-i. The Thai series renames all of them: Yuhan becomes Theemekha “Sun” Rungsapdee played by Minlee Thanakorn Wichanukhor, Myeong-shin becomes Thanapat “Bank” Loetkraisorn played by Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra, and Je-i becomes Athip “Jay” Wanitsakitphaisan played by TopTap Jarukit Kaewmoonrueang.
Is the Payback manhwa complete?
Yes. The main run of 95 episodes ended on 20 November 2024 on Bomtoon. A separate 14-chapter side story titled Abduction ran from 20 March to 20 August 2025 and continues the story past the main ending. Nothing further has been announced by publisher Kidari Studio.
Why do some sites say the Payback manhwa has 95 chapters and others say 110?
Both figures describe the same series. Ninety-five counts the main run only. One hundred and ten counts the prologue, the 95 main episodes and the 14-chapter Abduction side story together, which comes to 109 numbered chapters plus the prologue.
What is the Payback manhwa side story about?
Abduction is a 14-chapter continuation that ran from 20 March to 20 August 2025 and follows Yuhan and Je-i past the ending of the main run. It reads as an epilogue rather than a new arc, so it lands properly only after the 95 main chapters. It is not a second season.
Should I read the Payback manhwa or watch the drama first?
Read the manhwa first if you have the time. It is the only version with an official English release, it carries the full 95-chapter plot, and the ten-episode Thai series compresses that story heavily. If you only have one evening, watch two episodes of the series to find out whether a revenge melodrama is what you want, then go to the manhwa.
Is there an English translation of the Payback novel?
No official one. samK’s Korean web novel has not been licensed into English and no publisher has announced plans. The only official English-language version of this story is the manhwa on Lezhin Comics. English novel text circulating online is unauthorised fan translation.
Is the first chapter of the Payback manhwa free?
Chapter 1 is free or heavily discounted on both Lezhin and Bomtoon. Both platforms use coin systems with free opening chapters and timed unlocks on the rest, so sampling the beginning costs nothing before you commit to the full run.
How many episodes does the Thai Payback series have, and when did it air?
Ten episodes. It aired on One 31 every Saturday at 22:30 ICT from 30 May 2026 and finished on 1 August 2026. An extended streaming edition was released on iQIYI the same night at 23:30.
What is the difference between the Payback TV version and the streaming version?
The One 31 broadcast runs about 70 minutes per episode including commercial breaks and is edited to meet Thai broadcast standards. The iQIYI streaming edition runs about 43 minutes and is the unedited master, which includes footage removed for television. The story and episode count are identical in both.
Where can I read or watch Payback legally?
The manhwa is on Lezhin Comics in English and on Bomtoon, Naver Series and Mr Blue in Korean. The novel is on Ridibooks in Korean. The series is on iQIYI with English subtitles, on oneD in Thailand and on LINE TV in Taiwan. Korean platforms require identity verification before the manhwa or novel opens.
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