Painter Of The Night: “A thousand thoughts swept through my mind till sunrise”

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 this essay I am not analyzing the chapter 69, rather making some predictions about the next chapter, since many readers kept asking me about this. Fortunately, I postponed it, because Byeonduck released a panel from the chapter 70 yesterday. Therefore it helped me to become more precise in the predictions.

When you look at the picture, you’ll detect the presence of water on the lord’s face. There are drops running down his forehead and his temple. Moreover, there’s a wet strand hair on the right side due to a drop, indicating that the main lead is taking a bath. As we have a clue about his possible location, this means that we have a new version of chapter 26. Yet, we shouldn’t forget that during the first season, the noble bathed after the rape, hence the lord was in the bathroom in chapter 25 and not in 26.And if we compare the last two pictures, we can observe huge contrasts. First, the beholders can sense a difference in the luminosity. It is the same light than at the physician’s and in the barn. Why? It is because the two protagonists lit a fire place (chapter 57) (chapter 62). In both scenes, the main characters made sure that the loved one wouldn’t get cold, while in chapter 25-26 Kim was the one preparing the bath, hence he used a lamp surrounded by glass. And since me and my follower have already analyzed the signification of the candles, the manhwaworms will recognize this type of light symbolizes the valet. (chapter 20) (chapter 36) Note in this picture, there are two lights, one is behind Yoon Seungho and the other in the background. This kind of lamp reflects the butler’s personality. Since the light is more intense, it gives the illusion that there’s a lot of warmth due to the luminosity, whereas in reality the heat is kept behind the glass. As you can imagine, I perceive in this type of light as another evidence of Kim’s hypocrisy and manipulative side. That’s why I come to the conclusion, this time the bath is not prepared by the butler.

Due to this new interpretation, it becomes now comprehensible why the two main leads are connected to the fireplace. They might still be ignorant about their past and the manipulations around them, yet now both of them are starting sensing the warmth and affection from the partner. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum was not affected by the sex session in the barn. Remember that he even tried to confess to the aristocrat. The reality is that the painter was more wounded by the absence of a kiss at the end (chapter 64). Moreover, in that barn the main character had even opened up and confessed what he truly desired: seeing the painter smile. As a conclusion, I believe, we will have a fireplace in the bathroom, affecting Yoon Seungho.

The other divergence is the position of the light. It is quite similar to the one at the physician’s (chapter 62), yet it contrasts to the scene in the storage room, where the lord was turning his back to the fire place. Back then, the main lead was in denial, he refused to acknowledge the truth: Baek Na-Kyum hadn’t abandoned him. He had indeed accepted his advances and recognized his love. However, this time, the light is reflected on the lord’s face, exposing that the latter is gradually facing reality and not longer in denial. Remember that during the second love session, the aristocrat refused to look at the painter’s facial expressions, hence he avoided the light. In other words, his visage was not illuminated. Note that he was hiding his face behind the painter’s face or on his chest. Since the light is a symbol for knowledge and warmth, his attitude during that love session exposed his insecurities and doubts. And now, if you look at the image again, you’ll sense the change of the lord’s behavior. He is facing truth and reality. Moreover, the light seems closer to him, therefore I conclude that not only the lord’s anxieties have vanished, but he is thinking very carefully. Consequently his head stands in front of the light. This marks the return of Yoon Seungho’s clarity of mind. And since Byeonduck mentioned apology in her tweet, it signifies that the lord is pondering how he can apologize to Baek Na-Kyum and redeem himself. He needs to, as he is well aware that after the rough sex marathon and the rough treatment, his relationship with the artist has been negatively affected. The painter might have accepted his gesture (putting the scarf around his neck), yet let’s not forget that right after the artist gave it to his noona. I doubt, this escaped the main lead’s notice. Moreover, with the way he addressed him (“my lord”, “sir”, “lord Seungho”), their relationship is now clearly defined: Baek Na-Kyum is just a servant. I have to admit that after witnessing Byeonduck’s tweet, I couldn’t help myself connecting this picture to the one from chapter 62: This is the noble’s current state of mind, which is also a new version of chapter 35 All the three scenes have something in common: the noble’s mind is occupied with worries, as all his thoughts are revolving around the painter. In chapter 35 and 70, Yoon Seungho is wondering how to improve his bond with the artist. He has no idea how to approach him. Some readers might be surprised by my association with chapter 62 with the picture from episode 70. Note that in the last panel, there exist two parallels: the presence of the head due to the headgear and the words and the proximity of water through the snow and the snowflakes.

And this leads me to the following observation: the presence of water in the picture from chapter 70. While in chapter 25, the manhwaphiles could only detect the proximity of steam, which was more palpable, when Baek Na-Kyum took his bath. And in my opinion, the panel from episode 70 exposes that the lord is truly cleaning himself. The purification that I had already announced is still ongoing and each time, it is getting deeper. First, we had the painter washing the lord, when the latter was sick. However, back then he was just rinsing his face. This explicates why later the lord chose to confess his love differently. Since in chapter 58, the low-born was the one who prepared the fire place, although we never witnessed it, there’s a high probability that Baek Na-Kyum is the one preparing the aristocrat’s bath. Moreover, in chapter 26, the lord brought himself the change of clothes for the low-born. This is important, because it would signify that Baek Na-Kyum has once again taken over another task from Kim. First, he was present, when the lord put his hanbok in chapter 65, while the valet was no longer helping him to get dressed. That’s why I believe that the manhwaworms are going to witness another huge change, and the panel from episode 70 is already insinuating it.

If the beholder pays more attention to the eyes, they can view a white line in the eyes, exposing the return of tears. However, Byeonduck clearly stipulated that the main lead wouldn’t cry, as it wasn’t the right time yet. Nonetheless, I believe that the presence of water displays the return of life, another indication of rebirth.

Furthermore I have already outlined that Baek Na-Kyum has now recognized Yoon Seungho as his lord and as such his benevolence, their relationship has already changed in a good way. Right now, the painter is just a favored servant, since the noble gives him an order, but simultaneously he treats the artist as someone precious. He allows him to receive a guest, then he gives him a scarf in order to keep him warm. So just like in the first season, the noble is lowering himself in front of Baek Na-Kyum. Remember the chapter 36, when the lord gave the painter a fellatio, and in chapter 37, he even opened the door instead of Baek Na-Kyum. During that night, Baek Na-Kyum was even the one shouting an order: That’s why in chapter 69 the main lead removed the manggyeon too, before joining the painter and his guest. Therefore I am expecting a similar situation like in the last part of the first season. The lord will treat Baek Na-Kyum more and more like his official “wife”. It is highly possible that we get a new version of chapter 47, where both characters eat together. However this time the aristocrat will be the one eating his meal in the painter’s study… exactly like in chapter 11.

But how come that the painter will prepare the lord’s bath? There’s no doubt that the protagonist will make sure to treat his loved one so well, hence he won’t order him to take care of his bath. In my perspective, the head-maid will play a huge role here. Let me now explain how I came to this deduction. First, what caught my attention is the following panel: The lord is sitting alone in the dark with a table full of dishes. The food is an indication that the head-maid ensured the noble would get something to eat. Due to his confrontation with Yoon Seungho, the butler is avoiding his master, hence there’s no ambiguity that he wasn’t the one taking care of his master. When she brought his dinner, she must have noticed the darkness, the chaos and the cold in the room. Therefore I think, this must have concerned her. In her eyes, a hot bath would be the right solution for her lord so that he doesn’t get ill again.

Secondly, the readers could sense how the head-maid was gradually taking Yoon Seungho’s side. The climax was reached, when she started protecting the noble’s rights in chapter 67. First, she not only bowed to him in chapter 46, but also pointed out to the low-born the noble’s care and kindness. Then in chapter 47, the main lead didn’t scold her for the incident, he showed a real benevolence towards her and her colleague, which could only move her. Moreover, she implied that the painter had affected the master in a good way (chapter 51) . And notice how wounded and upset she was, when she imagined that the painter had lied to her. Finally, let’s not forget that her colleague was at the door of the master’s bedroom, when the painter had a flashback. She definitely witnessed how concerned and caring the lord became. She must have told the head-maid that the main lead was no longer infuriated towards the artist. Since the servant had been protecting Baek Na-Kyum (chapter 46 and 47) and Yoon Seungho (chapter 63 and 67), there’s no ambiguity that she will keep acting that way. In truth, her role is to bring the two protagonists together. As a conclusion, she is gradually becoming their surrogate mother. Since the lord can’t confide to her due to her position, she can definitely help her master by talking to the artist. That’s why she confided him her observations in chapter 46. But there are more evidences for this prediction. Striking is that the moment the main leads became an “official couple” (chapter 33), she always appeared next to the butler, except in two cases:

The head-maid	Valet Kim
Chapter 33	Chapter 33
	Chapter 34
	Chapter 35
Chapter 36	Chapter 36
	Chapter 37
Chapter 38
	Chapter 39
	Chapter 44
	Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47	Chapter 47
	Chapter 50
Chapter 51	Chapter 51
	Chapter 52
	Chapter 55
	Chapter 56
	Chapter 57
	Chapter 58
	Chapter 61
	Chapter 62
Chapter 63	Chapter 63
	Chapter 64
Chapter 65	Chapter 65
Chapter 66	Chapter 66
Chapter 67	Chapter 67
	Chapter 68

Notice that each time she appeared and the valet was not present, her actions helped the main lead to improve his relationship with the painter. When she was caught mocking the artist and got scolded, the aristocrat sent Baek Na-Kyum to his tailor. Consequently, both could experience a good date. Then after conversing with the low-born, the next day the lord invited the painter to have his breakfast with him, because the latter had entered his room with a new painting. Her words had affected the artist, thereby he created a new picture. Since she interacted with the commoner without the valet’s presence, I believe, she will be the one asking the painter to take care of her master telling him how the lord was waiting for the kisaeng’s departure in the cold and dark. Besides, let’s not forget that the fire place is associated to the kitchen as well, reinforcing my interpretation that the head-maid is on her way to become part of her family.

Besides, I have already stated that it is the painter’s turn to approach the main lead, a new version of chapter 52. Back then, the butler had asked him to act like a servant. From my point of view, the head-maid will have a different approach. She will underline how the lord was affected in the morning and what he did, like carrying him to the study and it is definitely possible that she explains what lord Seungho did, while the commoner was in his room. Yoon Seungho created a ruckus at the Lee’s mansion. Besides, the manhwaphiles should recall that Kim never mentioned to the painter where the lord went: . There’s no ambiguity that Kim will approach the artist again, and tell him that he was the one who asked the noble to be kind. That way, he will attempt to portray his master as “cruel”, but the butler’s words won’t change the artist’s perception, because the head-maid has already talked to him. If this truly occurs, then this signifies that the head-maid’s influence is increasing and Kim’s manipulations are no longer working. Besides, I am still hoping that the painter will remember the butler’s behavior during the night of the second sex marathon: He did run away and acted, as if nothing was happening. He truly abandoned him, and unlike the aristocrat, the artist’s relationship with the valet is not that deep. The latter has already hurt him once:

My final observation is the following: I am expecting a visit from Yoon Seungho in the painter’s study. Why? After pondering in his bath, the lord’s thousand thoughts will lead him to the conclusion that if he wants to redeem himself, then he needs to protect better his lover. And he can only do it, if he is constantly next to him. Due to the first abduction, I believe that the main lead won’t leave the painter out of his sight, but he is afraid of scaring the painter. Imagine, the commoner was kidnapped, when the artist was next to him. This explicates why he asked the artist to follow his noona to the main door. He wasn’t giving the order out of jealousy, but out of concern. The fear to lose him again… has deeply affected him, and this happened outside the propriety. He will try to remain by the low-born’s side all the time. On the other hand, the noble is very cautious, because he made a terrible mistake. Therefore for me, there is no ambiguity that the noble will appear in the study during the night watching over his lover. In other words, the painter’s dream will become true again: It is definitely possible that the artist confesses his love to the noble, because in the wet dream from chapter 56, the lord’s confession happened in the painter’s chamber. Since I have already anticipated that the artist will confess with the following expression, I think, this will definitely occur at some point. Moreover, let’s not forget that in chapter 56, the painter visited the bathroom to clean his underwear, I believe to see here another clue for my prediction that the next chapters will contain elements from chapter 26 (the bath), 36 (the head-maid and the fellatio), 46 (the maid talking to Baek Na-Kyum), 56 (the wet dream and the bathroom) and 66 (the dream). Striking is that all the episodes I mentioned are ending with a 6!! The most incredible is that the symbolic meaning of six are harmony, balance, sincerity, love, and truth. 

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