A Study on the Storytelling Strategy of the 15-rated BL Webtoon <Paljae, Child of Winter>

The 15-rated BL webtoon <Paljae, Child of Winter> succeeds by adopting an unusual material of oriental fantasy. The storytelling strategy of <Paljae, Child of Winter> is threefold: engaging the viewer through a multi-layered narrative of exploration and reflection, expanding the backstory by using the variability of character relationships, and maximizing the tastiness of the oriental painting style that blends with fantasy. First, by reinterpreting and transforming the familiar classic narrative in a modern way and superimposing the pasts of the two characters, the creator built a more complex, multi-layered narrative that aroused the curiosity of the enjoyers and created a participatory culture that they explored and reflected on. At the same time, character relationships that change over time and space give the causality of actions and the probability of events, enriching the narrative and setting backstories apart. Finally, <Paljae, Child of Winter> achieved aesthetic fulfillment with ink painting style artwork, realistic and transparent artwork with medium tones, and long, dynamic artwork per scene. In this way, <Paljae> has achieved its own unique aesthetic, by weakening the sexualized elements, building up the narrative with fantasy and backstory, and painting it in a more aesthetic way. The 15-rated BL webtoons have formed an independent market between girls’ cartoons and 19-rated BL webtoons. The achievement of <Paljae, Child of Winter> is significant not only in terms of diversifying the BL webtoon market, but also in terms of raising the unique status of 15-rated BL webtoons.