Payback Kdrama Season 1 Recap and Highlights: Payback (2023) on SBS made a great first impression with its exciting story about people who won’t stay quiet in the face of unfair authorities. Money and power were the main themes of the show. Nielsen Korea says that it had an amazing nationwide rating of 8.7%, which is about 1.582 million South Korean viewers, when it first aired on January 6.

The drama is great because it was made by director Lee Won-Tae and scriptwriter Kim Won-Seok, who is best known for his work on the mega-hit show Descendants of the Sun (2016).

Payback (2023) Plot and Theme

So far, the first two episodes have shown a good story that jumps back and forth in time, giving the audience a dynamic look at the characters and making it clear what is causing the tension right now and what is going to happen next in terms of revenge. The theme of corruption, wrongdoing, and getting even isn’t new, but they show different things, like loan sharks and stock manipulation, which makes the story more exciting because of the different characters and the way it’s set up.

Payback (2023) Visual Elements

In the first shot, the main character is riding a horse through a beautiful open area in Mongolia. This shows how his money has helped him get this far in life. Just that scene, the cinematography, and other camera shots, whether from the past or the present, make an emotional impact that often matches the position or state of mind of a character. The music sets a mood that makes it easy to follow the story, including the opening video.

Payback (2023) Characters and Actors

So far, it has shown three important characters: a former gang member who is now a money trader, a young prosecutor, and a female military officer. Together, these three will play a big role in taking down the criminal ring.

Lee Sun-Kyun does a great job playing Eun Yong, a poor man who goes to prison for robbery and thinks that money rules and the winner takes it all in the game of life. After he gets out of prison, he joins a gang to make money and is hired by a loan shark because of how well he can count and remember numbers. He eventually leaves the corrupt boss to run his own investment business with the help of a successful businesswoman who treats him like a son. With her help, he becomes a successful money trader. As part of the deal with a corrupt chairman, he moves his family to Mongolia to protect them. When tensions rise, he goes back to Korea to fight for revenge, saying, “The only way to get back what was stolen is to fight and win with your own strength.”

The relationship between Eun Yong and his nephew, Jang Tae Chun, tugs at the heartstrings. Jang Tae Chun is a young prosecutor who has loved books since he was a child, sees Eun Yong as his father figure, and wants to reach the top of the legal field. Kang Yoo-Seok, a rookie actor, gives a promising performance as Jang Tae Chun. He wants to change the way justice is done, even if it means investigating a loan shark and revealing its crimes, which his corrupt bosses don’t want him to do. Still, he is sure of his goal: “I wanted to be successful more than anything else. A prosecutor who punishes evildoers in the most awesome way.”

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Moon Chae-won plays the role of Park Joon Gyeong, a smart and strong woman who got good grades at the training institute and became an elite military officer. Her businesswoman mother, who helped Eun Yong, is a victim of injustice because she is the one who helped Eun Yong. In order to get back at Eun Yong, she gives a young prosecutor an anonymous tip about a powerful money cartel that has been working with the law. She then sends Eun Yong a strong message: “Come home and let’s fight this together.”

Final Words

Payback (2023) on SBS had an amazing nationwide rating of 8.7%, which is about 1.582 million South Korean viewers, when it first aired on January 6. The drama is great because it was made by director Lee Won-Tae and scriptwriter Kim Won-Seok. Lee Sun-Kyun plays Eun Yong, a poor man who thinks that money rules. Kang Yoo-Seok gives a promising performance as Jang Tae Chun. Moon Chae-won plays the role of Park Joon Gyeong, a smart and strong woman.