Wavve's Cannes-winning TV drama takes creative license, deviating from original plot
What would happen to society if red lines visibly shot out of people's heads, linking everyone who had had sex with each other?
That provocative question lies at the heart of "S Line," a genre-blending new series from Korean streaming service Wavve adapted from the hit webtoon of the same name.
While the popular original webtoon explored the ripple effects of this surreal phenomenon — delving into themes of infidelity, religion, celebrity culture, sexual violence and homosexuality in a world where the eponymous S Lines are visible to all — the TV adaptation takes a distinct turn: In the series, only a select few can see the red lines, with a mysterious pair of glasses granting that ability to others.
Set to premiere Friday on Wavve, "S Line" unfolds over six episodes, with two released each week. The story centers on Hyun-hyeup, a girl born with the innate ability to see S Lines. Her world shifts when she discovers that others can also see the lines when they wear a special pair of glasses.
The cast is led by Lee Soo-hyuk as Ji-wook, a detective with a sex addiction, and Oh My Girl’s Arin as Hyun-hyeup. Things take a turn when glasses capable of revealing the connections fall into public hands, setting off a chain of unpredictable events.
Speaking at a press conference in Yongsan, Seoul, director Ahn Joo-young addressed creative liberties taken with the adaptation.
"When we first encountered the work and began the project, we wondered whether it would be realistically possible to visually depict a world covered in S Lines. So, we decided to retain the universe, but express it in a different way. That led to the idea that only some people could see the S Lines, and that they could be seen through glasses as a medium," she explained.
Ahn continued, "I thought the original work was ultimately a story about people. It mostly focuses on how people change when the lines appear and others begin to see them. I believed the main theme was how new desires emerge in addition to human nature, so I wanted to reflect those changes through the characters via the S Lines. Based on that, we also created new characters."
The series has already earned international recognition, becoming one of five Korean titles selected for this year’s Cannes International Series Festival. It also made history as the first Korean series to win the festival’s award for best music.
Ahn credited music as a central element of the show’s atmosphere. “The music director tailored the score to suit the fantasy-infused thriller tone and added variations to each episode’s soundtrack to complete it,” she said.
“I hope viewers stay engaged until the end, focusing on how far the characters can change within the drama,” she added. “It might be even more enjoyable if you imagine what it would be like if S Lines were actually visible in real life.”
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
