Is “Karma” K-Drama Based On A Webtoon?

Oh honey, you thought Karma was just another moody thriller to keep on in the background while folding laundry? No. Absolutely not. This show had me forgetting my own name, ignoring texts, and questioning every bad decision I’ve ever made—while simultaneously wondering if I still had time to study criminology.

And the kicker? It’s based on a webtoon. Because of course it is. Something this soul-demolishing could only come from the fever dream brilliance of scrolling despair.

This isn’t a drama. This is a full-body, soul-snatching, emotional cage match. I sat there on my couch—paralyzed, mascara streaking, popcorn untouched. And when the screen faded to black?

I was already clicking “Next Episode” like I was trying to defuse a bomb. Spoiler: the emotional explosion still happened.

From Panels To Panic: How Karma Leapt Off the Webtoon Page

In 2019, Choi Hee-seon blessed (or cursed?) us with Karma (also titled Ill-Fated Relationship) on Daum Webtoon and KakaoPage. Ten million views later, and here we are—me, unraveling like a ball of yarn in a house full of kittens.

This wasn’t a side project. Choi wrote it, illustrated it, and served it with a side of existential dread.

Six characters. One tangled fate. Every single one of them is either plotting something shady, haunted by past crimes, or quietly collapsing under the weight of their choices. Sometimes all three.

Six characters. One tangled fate. Every single one of them is either plotting something shady, haunted by past crimes, or quietly collapsing under the weight of their choices. Sometimes all three.

I tried the whole “Just one chapter” lie. Four hours later, I was still on the couch, questioning my life and Googling “how to emotionally recover from fictional trauma.”

Meet The Mastermind: Choi Hee-seon, Queen Of Karmic Chaos

Choi Hee-seon, the woman who emotionally annihilated us with Karma, also happens to hold a master’s in bioinformatics.

Yes, she’s both a scientist and an artist—because why ruin lives with just one skill set?

Before she turned to storytelling, she was knee-deep in data science and predictive modeling. And let me tell you, her brain is a spreadsheet of suffering.

Every twist in Karma feels calculated, like she built a karmic algorithm to destroy us.

But here’s what sets her apart: she doesn’t just toss in plot twists for drama. She crafts characters with psychological depth so rich, I felt like I needed a degree just to understand their trauma.

Her people spiral with purpose. Their guilt sticks to your ribs.

Watching her story go from screen to scream (mine, mostly) was a dream come true for her and an emotional ambush for the rest of us. And somehow, I loved every painful minute.

Get To Know The Chaos: Karma’s Plot, Characters, And Cast

Time to meet the chaos crew.

Karma kicks off with a literal fire. Arson. An abandoned building. One man survives—but plot twist, he’s not who he says he is. That lie unravels the lives of six beautifully broken people who are about to pay up on karma’s tab.

It’s a psychological thriller, a crime puzzle, and a masterclass in character regret, all rolled into six episodes of stress eating and screen yelling.

And the characters and cast?

• Park Jae-yeong (Lee Hee-jun) – Drowning in debt and desperate enough to do the unthinkable. Like, unthinkable-unthinkable.
• Jang Gil-ryong (Kim Sung-kyun) – The ex-gangster turned reluctant killer who made me feel things I wasn’t ready for.
• Kim Beom-jun (Park Hae-soo) – A conman so slippery he steals identities like it’s his day job (it kind of is).
• Lee Ju-yeon (Shin Min-a) – A trauma-scarred surgeon with eyes that say “I’m fine” but vibes that scream “I will end you.”
• Sang-hun (Lee Kwang-soo) – One bad decision behind the wheel and his life becomes a Shakespearean tragedy.
• Yu-jeong (Gong Seung-yeon) – Ju-yeon’s ex-bestie with secrets that could fill a group chat of doom.

They’re morally gray, emotionally messy, and terrifyingly relatable. Like, “maybe I need therapy again” levels of relatable.

Webtoon vs. K-Drama: Which Version Wrecked Me More?

Okay, let’s break down the storytelling smackdown.

In Korean narratives, karma—or “bo-eun” (보은)—isn’t just some spicy plot device. It’s cultural, baby. It’s ancestral. Karma doesn’t just nod at karma. It takes a megaphone and screams it into your heart.

The K-drama adaptation? Pure chaos. Time jumps like a caffeine-charged editor said, “Let’s confuse them emotionally and temporally.” Past. Present. Flashback. Plot twist. Boom.

The K-drama adaptation? Pure chaos. Time jumps like a caffeine-charged editor said, “Let’s confuse them emotionally and temporally.” Past. Present. Flashback. Plot twist. Boom.

The webtoon takes its time. It’s methodical, slow-burning dread. The drama? It hits like a truck. No brakes. No seatbelt. Just tears.

Yes, a few characters got trimmed (Ju-yeon deserved more airtime, I said what I said), but the rawness? Still there. That scene in the hospital corridor? Cinematic heartbreak. I sobbed like I was being personally targeted.

Is It A Faithful Adaptation Or Just A Cousin In Crisis?

Faithful in spirit, chaotic in execution. Think: siblings raised in different households. Same DNA, wildly different energy.

The webtoon simmers. The drama detonates. And me? I was emotionally fried both ways. I screamed, paused, rewound, screamed again. It was glorious.

Even with changes, the heart of the story stays intact. The moral weight, the tragedy, the karmic comeuppance—it all lands. Just differently. And devastatingly.

Final Verdict: Yup, It’s A Webtoon—And Now My Soul Hurts Less (But Also More)

Important PSA: All webtoons are manhwa, but not all manhwa are webtoons. Webtoons are digital-first, vertically scrolling tear machines. Karma is one of them. And it’s not just a story—it’s an emotional mugging.

So yes, Karma is based on a webtoon. And that explains why my spirit is currently in a fetal position.

If you liked Beyond Evil, Strangers from Hell, or My Name, Karma is your next masochistic binge. You’ll cry. You’ll gasp. You might text your ex. (Please don’t.)

Now that I’ve sobbed all over this article, it’s your turn. Were you wrecked by the webtoon? Devoured by the drama? Or just here for the emotional buffet?

Share this with your K-drama ride-or-dies—I need backup. And don’t forget to comment and subscribe unless you want karmic retribution via a plot twist in your next drama binge. Miss Kay’s always watching.