Character Relationship Map: Comeuppance

Characters

• Hak (played by Jordan Chan Siu-Chun) — protagonist

  Hak is a reporter assigned by his editor to write a serialized gangster story based on King’s death. He researches the case and exchanges information with Michael, but treats the subsequent killings a...

• Michael (played by Sunny Chan Kam-Hung) — supporting

  Michael is the police investigator examining the deaths, including the initial scene in a Wanchai bar, where he suspects cyanide. He continues pursuing the case as more killings occur and sometimes ex...

• Lucy (played by Crystal Lui Kwok-Wai) — supporting

  Lucy served in the VIP room of the Wanchai bar where three men were found dead. She tells Michael that the men had mistreated her, but denies killing them. Her account helps the investigator reconstru...

• Editor Teddy (played by Benny Li Shun-Yan) — supporting

  Editor Teddy is Hak’s editor and assigns him to write a serialized gangster story based on King’s death. This assignment gives Hak a reason to research the case and shapes his involvement as the inves...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Michael → Lucy (Professional Investigator And Witness) — Michael investigates Lucy's account as part of the inquiry into the deaths in the bar's VIP room.

  Michael examines the bar scene, and Lucy explains that the dead men had mistreated her while denying that she killed them.

• Hak → Editor Teddy (Professional Reporter And Editor) — Editor Teddy assigns Hak the serial, giving him a professional reason to investigate and write about the deaths.

  Hak is assigned by his editor to write a serialized gangster story based on King's death.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Hak → Michael (Alliance Informal Investigative Partners) — Hak shares information with Michael while researching the murders, although Michael warns him not to let his writing interfere with the investigation.

  Hak meets Michael while researching the case, and the two occasionally exchange information.

Story Analysis

A reporter's gangster serial begins to resemble a murder investigation, while the writer and investigator struggle to identify a killer whose motive and fate remain uncertain.

Plot Progression

1. The Bar Deaths — Three men are found dead in a Wanchai bar, and Michael suspects cyanide. Lucy denies killing them, while the manager's recollection places King at a meeting that night.
2. A Serial Takes Shape — Editor Teddy assigns Hak to write a gangster serial based on King's death. Hak meets Michael and begins exchanging information with him as new deaths echo the published fiction.
3. Fiction and Evidence Blur — The caustic-related disfigurement and Po's death make the similarities between Hak's installments and the case increasingly disturbing. Hak treats the events as story material while Michael warns him...
4. Uncertain Suspects — Police question a businessman over an arms deal and investigate Sung Ping's history working with chemicals. Hak and Michael consider possible motives, but neither can establish why the killer is actin...
5. An Unresolved Ending — Hak hopes the killer will provide a dramatic ending for his serial, while Michael remains focused on finding the culprit. The killer vanishes, and Michael admits that the case remains unsolved.