Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho’s love confession: dream and reality

This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes.

In the first part, I demonstrated the importance of the hands in Yoon Seungho’s love confession. When the latter grabs the painter’s hand and interlaces his fingers with the painter’s, he desires to convey his affection properly, even before saying anything. But this gesture just marks the beginning of the renewal of their intimacy. However, in this chapter we have a sort of repetition of their Wedding night. Hence, we need to ask ourselves why it came to this, although the lord is physically diminished. The kiss and the caress of the hand are just signals and not the real explanations, especially after the readers recall the protagonists’ long separation and the terrible night which could have led to a catastrophe. What is motivating Yoon Seungho to overlook his own exhaustion and to create a magical night? Striking is that before the release of episode 58, I had predicted the following:

“Therefore we should expect a renewal of this scene: a hug, the reference to a dream and a love confession. […] Back then, Baek Na-Kyum was doubting if all this was true therefore I am expecting that this time, there will be no insecurity from his part. He will accept it as a reality which will make him happy. And he will shed tears of happiness again.” quoted from https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/10/25/painter-of-the-night-corruption-versus-purification/

And my vision turned into a reality. The manhwalovers could witness the return of the painter’s tears because he was so happy.

The painter’s dream of being loved by Yoon Seungho has become a reality. But the reality is even better than the illusion. It actually surpasses the vision because in the dream the painter isn’t facing his lover and the former doesn’t even cry out of happiness. Moreover, he keeps refusing the lord’s advances. Besides, he is much more passive than in the reality where the painter continues moaning “my lord” while blushing and holding the lord’s hand. He even expresses his satisfaction and even gets an orgasm, when he hears the lord whispering such erotic and passionate words, while in the illusion, he got so scared that he decided to wake up. He was still rejecting the lord’s confession.

Observe the contrast between the reality and the dream. Yoon Seungho in chapter 58 is physically and emotionally much closer to Baek Na-Kyum than in the vision. There is no gap between them as their hands and their bodies are touching each other. Even their heads are even closer. Furthermore, the confessions diverge as the word “quite” stands in opposition to “wreck”. The manhwalover can sense a certain reluctance in the second declaration (“I am quite fond of you”), while Yoon Seungho uses a hyperbola (“a wreck”) in order to emphasize his feelings for the painter. His love is so deep that it has weakened him. However, the seme is neither complaining nor blaming the painter for his poor situation. I would even say that he admits to his vulnerability. By comparing them, you can now understand why the painter could only cry at the end. Not only his dream had come true but it was even better than his unconscious had shown him. This magical night is much more passionate and beautiful than the vision which explains why the painter sheds tears out of happiness.

And this is no coincidence that Baek Na-Kyum makes this wonderful experience. It’s the lord’s real intention during this night, although he hadn’t planned it right from the start. Consequently unlike in the chapter 21, where the painter doubted it in front of Yoon Seungho if this was an illusion, there’s no room for ambiguity at the doctor’s. First, the artist is not drunk. But the most important aspect is that the master makes sure that this will feel so real. He ensures that all the painter’s senses are activated:

1. The touch with the hand and their bodies
2. The taste with kisses
3. The visual: he puts him again on a pedestal and very close to his face so that the artist would see his gaze and facial expressions
4. The hearing: he keeps talking to the painter

By awakening the painter’s senses, Yoon Seungho ensures that this night will leave a deep impression on the painter so that it sort of “haunts” him as well. However, like I mentioned above, the master has not planned it right from the start, he is more acting on his instincts, until he confesses. Then from that moment, he wants to create such a magical night. And this is no coincidence that just like during their Wedding night, there are two phases in this wonderful “reality”. In the first season, I demonstrated that first their relationship was more influenced by sex, then later by love. Here, I would say the categories are different: dream versus reality. For me, we have Yoon Seungho’s dream and its influence, then the return to reality and its consequences.

Striking is that until now, I have not explicated yet, where the lord is determined to generate a magical night. The first thought would be to say that he desires to win the painter’s heart and obtain a confession as well, which unfortunately doesn’t occur here. But this is not correct in my opinion.

First, the lord clearly expresses that he has more or less given up on getting a confession from the painter due to the expressions “Briefly” and “still lingers, like a dream”. He is no longer hoping to have his desires fulfilled. For him, it is just like a mirage, a fata morgana which can never materialize. And this is important because it contrasts so much to the night in the chapters 20-21. Back then, he had the impression that his dream had come true hence after that wonderful night, he tried to chase after it, to reexperience it but always failed. Notice the other contrast, here the allusion to the dream is at the beginning, while in chapter 21 Baek Na-Kyum’s reference to the dream ends their first Wedding night. And this is not surprising as here, the night in the chapter 58 symbolizes reality, whereas the night in chapters 20-21 was a mirage, an illusion. Yoon Seungho is decided to live in the reality. As a conclusion, his reality is that the painter won’t love him back, he is no longer expecting it. That’s why we can’t say that he is making love to the painter in order to win the painter’s heart. What is his goal if he is no longer hoping to get a confession? My answer is to love the painter selflessly and without any expectation.

But for that answer, I need go back to the point where everything starts in order to elaborate my interpretation. When the commoner announces to the protagonist this , the latter senses that Baek Na-Kyum has finally accepted him as a part of his life and even consider him as a part of his family “home with you”. For Yoon Seungho, it’s such a surprise because it’s now clear that Baek Na-Kyum no longer views him as a man consumed by lust but as a companion (“With you”). This represents such a huge progression because in the chapter 49, the main character who already lowered his expectations came to the compromise that they would just maintain a physical relationship hence sex was the only thing connecting them and nothing more. However, with these words “home with you”, the commoner truly reveals that his judgement about his “lord” has changed but the aristocrat has no idea about the extent. This is the return of hope and this is relevant as hope is often used as a synonym for dream. That’s why he laughs first, he can’t believe his own ears and eyes. It was as if his dream has come true. Therefore he initiates the kiss in order to taste the water. But he’s not rejected at all hence he keeps pushing a little further. From my point of view, he is impulsive, acting in the moment. He has no clue where all this could lead. However, he can’t accept this “dream” as a reality. That’s why he stops at some point questioning his own behavior. This reminds us of the lord’s words in the chapter 20 and 21, where he described the painter as delirious. However, this question reflects the lord’s insecurities and fears. It’s too beautiful that this can’t be true. Notice that he is wondering about his actions towards the painter which are all related to love and warmth: kissing, holding hands, hugging him so tightly, caressing the painter’s butt. And this question marks the return to reality and resignation.

I have to admit that when I read his question, it gave me the impression that the lord was rejecting affection because he was showering the low-born with his love… as if affection was a sickness and only fever could cause such a warm and caring behavior. And from my perspective, these words truly illustrate how love and affection are frown upon among the nobles. I might be overinterpreting it but, remember that during their first night, the lord kept criticizing the painter for his lack of experience and poor skills underlining that only skills matter. This is how Jihwa and Yoon Seungho were raised hence the red-haired aristocrat hid his feelings behind the appearances and sexual experience and it must be the same for the protagonist too. Therefore I come to the observation that only rationality, manipulation and calculating are allowed among nobles, while feelings are disdained, considered as weaknesses. Hence for nobles, sex is a synonym for fights and the readers assist to prostitution among nobles. Let’s not forget the sex sessions Yoon Seungho organized are in reality an exchange of favors. Therefore Jihwa could claim that he had used Yoon Seungho in the chapter 18. The only difference is that unlike in the past, Yoon Seungho is no longer following his father’s orders, his former pimp. So the lord is doubting his actions. Is it correct to act like that? Is it correct to follow his feelings and to even dream of being loved? Since the master has already encountered many rejections, he can’t help himself doubting what is happening right now. That’s why he stops and decides to confess what his dream was all along and how it came to life. Yet simultaneously he makes it clear that he is not really hoping to get confessed. However, when the painter hears this, he is surprised and blushes even more which the lord witnesses. In order to make the painter understand what he felt, he recreates the event of that night. He kisses him the same way the painter kissed him back then. That’s the reason why he talks about that night and what it really meant to him. He wanted to mock the painter for his lack of experience, yet it affected him so much that he couldn’t forget the painter’s love confession, gestures and words from that night.

And since this night has haunted him, it is clear that the noble has never forgotten too that the painter was longing to be loved back then.

There was indeed a certain despair in Baek Na-Kyum’s words, visible with the interrogation which ends with suspension mark revealing a certain frustration too. The lord even heard that the painter was doubting their intimacy. It was so good that it felt so unreal.

Hence if Yoon Seungho gives Baek Na-Kyum what the latter has always desired, feeling loved and feeling pleasure during their intimacy, then this could become also the lord’s source of happiness, like the saying, what makes him happy makes me happy. Imagine, until now, the lord’s dream was to get the painter’s affection but this signified that he was prioritizing his own interests. He was selfish in his desire because his true goal was to get love in reality. Theoretically, if someone else would love him, then he should be happy.

And this is where Jihwa’s confession plays a huge role, because it serves as an eye-opener for the lord. Finally, he has found someone who would love him with all his flaws, yet he doesn’t feel satisfied. Not only it shows him how courageous his friend is to confess his affection in front of people, but also it made him realize his own selfishness. Jihwa has decided to give up on his pride, that’s why he goes on his knees. Yet Jihwa’s speech is all about himself. He confesses in order to obtain his friend’s love. In other words, he loves him because he expects to be loved and admired. Moreover, he declares to him , while he criticizes him for his behavior, since he was acting like a man obsessed with sex and never paid attention to him. Yoon Seungho can perceive the hypocrisy and the contradiction in his words. Nevertheless more importantly, Jihwa’s intention through his speech makes Yoon Seungho recognize his own selfishness. Here, the friend’s mentality serves as a mirror to the main lead. When he confesses, he desires to have the affection returned. Simultaneously, Jihwa’s despair must have reminded the noble of the painter’s struggle and agony as well. That’s why instead of bringing the OTP apart, Jihwa brings them even closer, just like in the first season. And now, you can understand why Yoon Seungho has a change of heart in the end and gives up on his dream to be loved by the painter.

But what the lord hasn’t expected is that since their night in the chapter 49, the painter’s state of mind had changed. He had finally dropped the scholar’s doctrine. He had sensed the lord’s warmth but since he had been hurt due to Jung In-Hun, he could not love back the lord, too scared to get hurt again. That’s why he had come to a compromise: he would accept him as his sex partner and he would no longer feel shame, if he felt pleasure. However, this compromise was just judged as another rejection and when Kim revealed what had happened at the library, Yoon Seungho could no longer accept to be the painter’s sex partner. Their separation made the artist realize the importance of Yoon Seungho in his life and after hearing the lord’s first confession, he got so affected which led him to have this wet dream about Yoon Seungho confessing his love.

However, if the painter has stopped thinking about Jung In-Hun and sees him as a part of his family and life, he can still fulfill the painter’s deepest desire: being loved. If the lord confesses, the painter will feel that he is loved and this will make him happy. This signifies, Yoon Seungho is the one who makes the painter happy. Now, the lord’s dream has changed. He gives up on receiving love and admiration but he prefers being the source of the painter’s happiness. While the first wedding night embodied the lord’s selfishness, the manhwalover should judge this magical night as the symbol of Seungho’s selflessness and announces his purification. We shouldn’t forget that when the painter confessed for the first time, there was longing and despair, it meant that the low-born was not truly happy. The noble is not entirely aware that Baek Na-Kyum’s dream has entirely changed but since he considers that Yoon Seungho as a part of his life and family, he is intelligent and sensitive enough to detect the huge switch and that Baek Na-Kyum is no longer thinking about the scholar. This represents the climax of Yoon Seungho’s selflessness and why he is willing to show his vulnerability and to allow the painter to be the one who makes him so weak. He has finally dropped the doctrines from his father and the other nobles. The wreck is admitting his defeat without feeling any shame. He is actually rejoicing in it because this is no longer a fight but a sign of love. That’s why we could say, this night announces the rebirth of the phoenix. By loving the low-born selflessly, he becomes a pure person again, just like he was in the past. And the purity is visible through the light. Unlike all the other nights where they had sex, the room is so clear and warm that this reflects the purity of Yoon Seungho’s love. And this explains why we don’t see the lord’s gaze during his real confession. Only the painter matters now and his reaction to his words. That’s why we have this panel. We could say that this represents the noble’s perspective. He’s dedicated to his lover, to make him feel loved therefore he looks at him in order to notice if his words and gestures have truly moved the painter. The lover might turn his face from him but the manhwalovers are well aware of Seungho’s sharp eyes. The lord must be happy to see such a red face with eyes containing tears. This is always what he wanted to see and get in the past: tears of happiness (chapter 21) (chapter 48). For him, this would be enough to make him happy as they represent a real treasure. The tears as a symbol of Baek Na Kyum’s purity can wash away all the sins Yoon Seungho committed and even destroy the corruption in his heart.

Due to traumatic experiences, the main lead turned into a monster, a selfish Medusa, just like the artist became selfish after Jung In-Hun’s abandonment and betrayal. So by giving love to the commoner without anything in return, Yoon Seungho shows humbleness and generosity. Let’s not forget that every action in the past was never purely selfless: the clothes, the improvement of the dishes and even the right to sit by his side were all accorded in the hope, Baek Na-Kyum would finally gaze at him and even realize that Yoon Seungho was also nice and could be worthy to be admired and loved. And now, you understand why the noble is not expecting any confession from the painter and why he is not disappointed, quite the opposite because none of his advances are rejected. He even sees how his words affect the commoner to make him blush. This can only please him. For him, his dream has not turned entirely into a reality but he is definitely closer to his goal than ever without realizing it. First, he has managed to remove the scholar from the painter’s mind and heart. At no moment, the noble needs to remind the artist of his true identity. The painter is clearly aware of Yoon Seungho’s presence.

What the lord doesn’t know is that by acting so selflessly, he obtains exactly what he has been longing for. He wants to be gazed and admired therefore we have this drawing at the end. This represents the painter’s gaze at his lover, as Seungho is embodied by the moon and the night sky. The moon shines brightly and the stars are even visible. This picture oozes a certain warmth as the beholder can distinguish the snow flakes very well. For me, this picture mirrors the painter’s thoughts. Now, he is able to recognize and enjoy the lord’s affection. And this contrasts so much to the following panel from their wedding night. Here, it was the opposite. It’s the perspective of Yoon Seungho looking at the painter represented by the house. However, we don’t see the moon as the noble has acted as if he was the teacher. This was just an illusion which explains why the aristocrat suffered for a long time. He had to pay the price for his selfishness and greed. This explicates why his dream could never become true and why this hope is going to turn into a reality as he decided to become selfless and love the painter without expecting anything in return. Therefore I am not expecting any memory loss from the lord, like in the first season. Let’s not forget that back then, the noble wanted to have a painting of their night, as he was hoping to have a proof that this dream had not been an illusion. In my opinion, the painter’s confession is strongly connected to his work. Since the painter’s wrist has been hurt, he won’t be able to produce any work. It will take some time until the painter achieves the painting, where he expresses his feelings for the lord. The moment the master sees the picture, he will be so moved as the drawing will become proof that his desire has finally been fulfilled.

At the same time, this night marks a turning point in the powerful protagonist’s life. He has also dropped his father’s principles and accepted that pride is irrelevant when it comes to love and that being selfless can make people happy, even if it signifies that your dream doesn’t seem to come true.

I would like to thank @@nakyumsmileplz and @dvy_draws for proofreading as it always helps me and can only improve the quality!!

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