Painter Of The Night: The purge (theory)

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.

First of all, if you are not convinced that Kim is a villain, then I guess, you don’t need to read any further. Since I have already explained why I perceive the butler as an antagonist and even predicted that he would be involved in the second kidnapping, you can easily imagine that my theory is developed based on this interpretation.

The reason I chose this title is quite simple. As the former servant from the Yoons explained to Jung In-Hun in chapter 37 that the noble families close to the Yoons became victims of a purge, this signifies that we have to expect an elimination in season 2 for the same reason: treason. Thus in my opinion, the domestic’s actions will lead to an extermination. But now, some of you might be wondering how. For me, the second kidnapping and the events happening around this crime will lead to the purge.

Moreover, after reading the chapter 71, it becomes more evident that the second kidnapping will happen the next day. Why? First, if you recall all the sex scenes (25-28/ 30-32/ 36/ 40-42/ 48-50/ 58/ 62-64), the couple always had to suffer right after: the painter’s escape organized by Kim and Deok-Jae strongly intertwined to betrayals, the painter’s illness, the incident with the sword in chapter 35, the drugging, the lord’s nightmare and suffering, the lack of privacy and the plan of assassination, the spoiled rice, the artist’s loss of favor, the first kidnapping, the artist’s punishment due to the cover up and the scandal with Heena noona. But more striking is that it was always involved with an “improvement” of their relationship, in the sense that Yoon Seungho chose the painter as his partner. The nature of their relationship would become more and more known and obvious to others. And now that we have an official marriage ceremony, the climax of happiness, there’s no doubt that a terrible event will take place the next morning. More importantly is that all the conspirators are running out of time.

First, the manhwaphiles will recall that Black Heart couldn’t even wait to taste Baek Na-Kyum and rushed to the kisaeng house during the same night. His “urges” became so strong after seeing the artist’s smooth legs and his poor condition, which could only excite his sadistic nature. In addition, the low-born is now recognized as a “noble” by Yoon Seungho, which means that Baek Na-Kyum has now become the master’s official right-hand. Kim has been dethroned from his seat. He has every interest to remove the commoner, as the latter is definitely his rival and opponent. However, he can not do it right away. For that, he needs to restore his relationship with Yoon Seungho so that the latter can trust him again, like in the past. Besides, he has never dirtied his own hands, he always lets others do the dirty work.

So far, I had pointed out that Lee Jihwa and Heena noona would be framed and a faked letter would become the evidence of the conspiracy. I had anticipated as well that the physician would play a role, because he was a witness of the first abduction. Yet, I still had problem to figure out how exactly Nameless and Deok-Jae would come into play. Let’s not forget that the disappearance of the vicious domestic has not been resolved. So far, only Nameless knows about his death… but if the servant’s body is discovered, then he will be brought up in connection with the first kidnapping. My initial thought was that Yoon Seungho would use the servant’s death in order to organize a purge. Nevertheless, so far I had no idea how his disappearance would be brought up. With my following theory, I believe to have found the perfect solution which I will explain below.

Furthermore, Min’s impersonification is also a major key in order to turn Jihwa into a scapegoat. Yet, since Baek Na-Kyum didn’t follow his sister, the subterfuge becomes pointless… How could this trick help him to frame the second lead now? Yet, I think that since Min is a smart psychopath, he can come up with new strategies very quickly. First, I had imagined that Min would approach the kisaeng and manipulate her by proposing her his help. This assumption is very possible, as Heena noona judges people based on their appearances and rumors. On the other hand, she despises rich aristocrats, and Lee Jihwa definitely belongs to that category. After recognizing while composing the essay “Love, embrace and caress” that Heena noona must have listened to the guests’ conversations in the past in order to report things to the scholar, I came to this idea: What if Min leaks details about Nameless by acting like the second lead, so that the kisaeng chooses to contact the buffoon in order to hire him? With this theory, we would have a repetition of chapter 43 and 44. The manhwalovers should remember that in chapter 43, Min incited Lee Jihwa to commit a murder, while the Joker portrayed him as a savior. He would save his lover from the witch Baek Na-Kyum.

Note that Min is hidden behind a curtain, which means that the kisaeng can’t see his face properly. Secondly, while Heena noona is speaking loudly, she doesn’t realize that her words are heard by Black Heart. And with such a situation, Min can seize the opportunity. While spying on her and discovering her weakness, he decides to manipulate her. But in order to fool the kisaeng truly, he needs to hide his face. So he starts talking about Yoon Seungho so that he catches her attention. The kisaeng listens to their conversation, especially if the impersonificator explains that he has a grudge against Yoon Seungho. He is planning to do something against his childhood friend who humiliated him twice, hence he plans to contact Nameless. Since the kisaeng never judged her spying actions as a crime in the past, she will think that she can use this to her advantage. She will ask Nameless to “rescue” her brother from lord Yoon Seungho. Let’s not forget that in the first part of the second season, we had Nameless acting with a kisaeng. It is also possible that she thinks that if a feud starts between the main lead and the young master Lee, then no one will pay attention to her brother’s disappearance. In other words, she will try to seize the opportunity of the quarrel between Lee Jihwa and Yoon Seungho in order to diver the attention from Baek Na-Kyum, a new version of this panel: Note that this panel was presented, while Heena noona was at the mansion. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t diminish the wrongdoings Heena noona has already committed. Like Yoon Seungho underlined it to her, she trespassed his property and arrived with guards, hence she definitely violated the law. However, in her eyes, her action was justified, because she imagined that she was rescuing her brother. And remember what I wrote in “Love, embrace and caress”. If Heena noona knew that leaking information was wrong, she legitimated it out of care for the scholar. Let’s not forget that the kisaeng is not afraid of human justice, but of divine retribution! In her eyes, the gods would approve her actions, since Joseon justice system is so flawed. Out of love she justifies her misdeeds. And since my perception about her was proven correct in chapter 71, then you can imagine how I consider her words in chapter 68: In this scene, she tries to use the authorities in order to convince her brother to follow her. How ironic that she uses Joseon justice system now to achieve her goal, while in truth she just looks down on it due to her social status! I mean, she is right to criticize such laws, but this doesn’t mean that she is allowed to disrespect people’s rights as well. She is indeed a hypocrite, a similar version of Yoon Seungwon. In her eyes, rich nobles are all evil. Why? It is because her loved one is a poor low-noble. Like my reader Luzy remarked to me, she must have hoped that if she helped Jung In-Hun, the latter would help her too: leaving her condition as a kisaeng, the former version of this scene: But love can’t be used for committing misdeeds. And since the night is long for the lovers, we have to envision that it is the same for the manipulators and conspirators. Heena noona could pay a visit to the “butcher” during the same night, not realizing that she is falling into the trap set by Min. In The Joker’s mind, her contact with Nameless will serve as evidence for a plot organized by the kisaeng. Framing commoners is the usual method for nobles to commit crimes. And Nameless experienced it for sure. The vicious lord is using the trouble she caused the day before as a diversion. Since she arrived with guards at Yoon Seungho’s mansion, this violation could be perceived, as if she had attempted to hurt the wealthy protagonist. Her ruckus will be turned against her as evidence. It is still possible that a faked letter written by Kim pushes her over the edge, especially after witnessing how Baek Na-Kyum was treated during this night, but I have now some reservation about it. She is already determined to take some action.

After elaborating my theory about the way Heena noona will get involved, it is time to focus on the valet and his manipulations. There’s no doubt that Kim has already sensed that his position is in danger. Why? First, Kim can no longer treat the main lead like his puppet, and secondly, the painter is on the verge to become the master’s official partner. Note that in chapter 71, Yoon Seungho is considering the artist as a noble, while the former is now a commoner due to the removal of the headband. Observe that these words are shown in front of a door, an allusion that a servant is spying on them. I can use the chapter 37 as an evidence: Kim is speaking behind the door, the protagonists didn’t detect his presence, until the former spoke. In addition, the manwhaphiles are well aware that the episode 71 is a new version of chapter 37. The chapter 37 starts with the noble’s fellatio: As a conclusion, it becomes urgent that the artist’s position is fragilized. The valet has now lost the master’s favor (new version of chapter 52 , because for the first time, his abuse of power was caught by the head-maid and the lord. In this scene, the readers could truly recognize Kim’s lie . However, the head-maid couldn’t detect his lie for good, as the master permitted Heena noona’s stay afterwards. Yet, there is no doubt that the butler must have perceived this conversation as a possible source of danger. If she just asked the master, she would discover the truth and from that moment, the head-maid would no longer perceive him the same way. Note that she relied a lot on Kim’s judgment, therefore her colleague and the head-maid requested to know about his opinion in chapter 63, a new version of the episode 17 Both maids trusted the valet’s decisions and action. However, in the second season, the gap between the butler and the maids kept increasing. From my point of view, the incident with the lie must have pushed the head-maid to show a certain reservation and mistrust concerning Kim. She is no longer relying on his perception and behavior. That’s why in my opinion, she brought the meal to Yoon Seungho in chapter 69:

Besides, we shouldn’t forget that during that terrible night (chapter 63), Kim disregarded both maids. He ignored their questions and comment. He left them behind without any explication. This scene is important, as we don’t see the valet’s eyes the whole time. However, we glimpsed his memories: he was wondering about the physician’s strange behavior. Therefore I come to this deduction: the butler was worried, if his complicity was witnessed. That’s why we don’t see the butler’s gaze in the panel above. Moreover, if you look closely, you’ll notice the butler’s pouting mouth indicating that he is really displeased. With this new interpretation, it becomes understandable why Kim ignored the maids. He had other worries. He needed to know what the physician had witnessed exactly. At the same time, he made a huge mistake, because he disregarded the maids for the first time. He gave the impression, he stood above them and could do anything he wanted. He was not obliged to answer them. And from my point of view, his attitude was the reason for the two women to distance themselves from him. Note that in chapter 66, the one with the green hanbok stood at the door, while the other followed Kim in chapter 67. In my opinion, they are now using their own critical thinking, which represents a source of danger for the valet. Dolls are not supposed to think on their own.

Let’s not forget that during this same night, Kim went first to the shed and from my perspective, he desired to know about the painter’s fate. Had the lord killed him in his rage or not? If yes, then he didn’t need to pay attention to the physician’s strange behavior. What he didn’t expect was to see the sexual intercourse. Hence Kim was forced to use an excuse for his appearance. Since the physician stood in center of his concern, he remembered him. Hence he requested from Yoon Seungho the permission to leave the mansion. Note how he is searching for his words. On the surface, the manhwaphiles had the impression, he was shocked by the scene, while in reality, he got scared, as he had been caught. Fortunately for him, Yoon Seungho blinded by his fear and wound didn’t question about the motive for the late visit. As a conclusion, the maids and the physician are all witnesses of the butler’s rudeness and possible manipulations. Remember that during that same night, Kim abused his position by threatening the physician. But this is just a short-time solution. The doctor could definitely talk and as such indirectly reveal the valet’s complicity. Consequently, I deduce that for Kim, the maids and the physician represent a source of danger too. Hence he needs to remove them and the best way to get rid of them is to organize an incident leading to a purge: the maids and the physician will be his target.

My theory is that by hurting the painter, he can get rid of his “enemies”, the one who could cause trouble to his quiet life. At the same time, he would use the lord’s agony to gain his trust again, but more important, he could usurp Yoon Seungho’s power and position, a new version of this scene: while he is legitimating that he is acting out of concern for the lord’s lover. Remember that each incident will be employed twice, but there exist some variation. But since Yoon Seungho is no longer under his control, he needs to create an incident, where he is requested to act on the noble’s name. He can take his power, if there’s a poisoning incident. He is the only one who knows that if the painter is hurt, he will lose his mind again. He witnessed it in the barn and his spy must have reported to him the following words: This would be perfect for him. If Baek Na-Kyum is wounded or even dies, then the butler can manipulate the main lead. The physician was a witness in the first abduction and remained silent, as for the maids, they were involved in the first “poisoning incident”: Back then, the identity of the culprit was never revealed to Yoon Seungho and notice that the maids were questioned first. Moreover, the lord experienced with his own eyes, how they looked down on him (chapter 38). And now, you will think… but what about Min’s plan? Let’s not forget that Kim has in reality a different interest than The Joker. For him, what matters is that Baek Na-Kyum is removed or is so wounded that the lord starts relying on Kim again. Since he has already attempted to kill him through the main lead and it never worked out, he needs to take a different approach. The drugging of the painter would be the perfect solution for him, a new version of the episode 36. He would get rid of all possible threads in one shot: the purge among the staff, like I had predicted… but the butler would be behind it. Consequently, my theory is that a drug will play a role in the second kidnapping.

My reader Luzy was the one who first brought up the idea of “drug”. Her theory was that Kim would poison the main character so that the latter in his rage would hurt the painter. First, it is relevant to reminisce that the incident with “poison” occurred twice during the first season: chapter 35 and chapter 36 One failed, whereas the second succeeded. Striking is that during the second “drugging”, the head-maid was involved. But as you can imagine, Luzy’s idea led me to this theory: Kim will poison the protagonist.

First, remember that we have this incident with the spoiled rice which was downplayed by Deok-Jae who called it a prank. However, the manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget in this incident, we had the two maids involved, just like Deok-Jae and Kim. I am quite sure that the readers will remember the butler’s words: this gesture was definitely a misdeed, worth of getting punished. However, back then no one got punished. Why? Due to Yoon Seungho’s good nature and leniency in the end. So we would have a new version of this incident. Nevertheless, like I mentioned above, we had two “poisonings” in the first season. One was a success and the other a failure. Since the commoner didn’t get hurt in the first “poisoning” , it means that the second will succeed. But more importantly, here is the twist. The victim of this “drugging” will be Yoon Seungho in reality!! I would like to point out that Kim never truly grasped the nature of the relationship between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum, hence he won’t expect this turn of event. How did I come up with this theory?

Remember that in chapter 47, the lord proposed his own meal to the painter after the discovery of the spoiled rice. Since the story is constructed like a circle, it means that we will have a repetition of this decision. However the chronology will be changed: the lord will give his own meal to the painter right from the start, while the former will eat the painter’s meal. The result is that Yoon Seungho falls ill.

But because in my eyes, the butler is very quick-witted, he will know how to respond to this sudden turn of event. He is already aware of Min’s project. The latter must have asked him to make the commoner leave the property, a repetition from chapter 51: I would like to outline the parallels here. The Joker was talking to a domestic, and since the manhwaworms saw it once, they don’t need to see this repetition. I have already noticed that the author uses similarities, when it comes to the main leads. Therefore we have to envision that the Joker Black Heart met Kim in the shed and they came to an agreement. However, like I mentioned above, the butler is not obliged to follow Min’s instructions. Exactly like in chapter 56, when the noble approached his “student”, he just requested this: That’s why I came to this idea. Min’s kidnapping will only be used as a second measure, for the butler’s philosophy is prioritize his own interests: And now, I am quite sure that you are questioning how this is possible that he can change his strategy so quickly. In order to elaborate this interpretation, the painterofthenight’s lovers have to remember the chapter 35. In one single chapter, Kim played tricks: first, he imagined that the painter was in the lord’s bed and another sex night would have caused the painter’s death. Then he proposed the medicinal tea (the drug) and finally when he saw Baek Na-Kyum speaking with the scholar, he seized the opportunity to trigger the lord’s rage and jealousy. He hoped that in his fury, Yoon Seungho would kill the artist. Yes, I judge the valet as very intelligent and perceptive. Why not? The painter as a commoner is also very smart. Imagined that when with one farewell, he could find closure and grasp the nature of his relationship with Heena noona and the scholar.

So now, what he needs to do is to make the painter leave the mansion. He will use the painter’s trust and his influence to manipulate the painter one last time, as the latter hasn’t grasped his true personality. Byoenduck visualized the trust between the two commoners thanks to the candle with the glass standing close to the three candles symbolizing the artist.

But it becomes a different story, if the butler usurps Yoon Seungho’s authority under the excuse that the latter has been poisoned and the culprits must get caught. He will use the master’s poor condition to frame the artist. And the incident with the spoiled rice happened, when the couple was eating their meal together in the bedchamber. Note that in this panel there’s an allusion to the artist’s wandering. I am expecting a new version of this. The painter will have some place to be: he will be sent away by Kim, the latter asking him to fetch the physician, as the lord has suddenly fallen sick. Knowing Baek Na-Kyum’s good nature and readiness to help lord Seungho, the painter won’t mistrust Kim’s suggestion.

As you can see, my idea is that the butler won’t reveal the poisoning immediately, just like it happened in episode 47. Remember that initially the maids were interrogated and they apologized… the discovery of the real culprit took place afterwards in the kitchen. Besides, in this scene, Kim was the one who gave the punishment: We all praised the butler for his intervention, while now I view it in a different light. On whose authority can he give a verdict? Actually, he should have reported it to his lord who would have made the decision. But note that in this scene, the butler plays the role of the judge. And now, imagine what happens if Yoon Seungho is “poisoned”.

First, people will think, the lord got sick again, as he was ill recently. And unlike in the past, the butler will ask the painter to bring the physician to the mansion. Knowing that Baek Na-Kyum cares for the master, he will listen to the valet’s suggestion and leave the property. He knows where the physician lives. And once arrived at the physician’s house, he will be abducted. How is it possible? This time, the doctor won’t be at his office and this is no coincidence. Either Kim or Min asked him to be absent so that he could feign ignorance later, the opposite behavior in connection with the first abduction. The valet will justify this, telling him that he needs to have an alibi. At the same time, it explains why an innocent doctor becomes an accomplice in the end. The physician chose silence and passivity forcing him to make another wrong decision… He needs now to cover up his crime.

But in order to frame the painter for “the crime”, the butler has to forge a letter explaining that he had to use such a method, because he was scared and he couldn’t push the main lead away. The male servant spied on their conversation in the bathroom. Kim will utilize the ruckus with the escape to his advantage. Yoon Seungho’s servants made sure that he was brought back to the property, hence his first flee caught the attention of the town folks. The male staff searched for him through the town. However, in my opinion, the butler has been miscalculating something: the tailor’s intervention. Imagine that the moment the painter leaves the property, the town folks will notice him. Furthermore, he had already caught their attention in chapter 45: So after the chaos created by his disappearance, I doubt that the town folks won’t notice him. In my opinion, they will stop him and ask if he is escaping again. However, this time Baek Na-Kyum will explain the situation, the lord is sick and needs a physician. Let’s not forget that in chapter 29, the inhabitants were intrigued by the conversation between the scholar and the painter, indicating that they will serve as witnesses, when the “crime” is discovered.

The second miscalculation will be Nameless. The latter through Heena noona will hear that Jihwa visited the kisaeng house and he intends to do something against Yoon Seungho. The butcher will pay the red-haired noble a late visit (new version of this scene) and question him. In my opinion, Nameless will realize through the kisaeng’s words the existence of a conspiracy. From my point of view, the buffoon will recognize that someone is setting a trap and Jihwa will be framed, especially after hearing that someone impersonated him at the kisaeng house. Secondly, when Heena noona describes to the criminal how Baek Na-Kyum was treated by Yoon Seungho (tied up in a room), the Joker will realize that Baek Na-Kyum never revealed Jihwa’s crime. Moreover, the brother would have confided to his sister what truly happened. After hearing from the second lead that Yoon Seungho created a scene in Jihwa’s bedroom and warned him to never approach him again, Nameless will get aware that Yoon Seungho did forgive the second lead, hence he has nothing to worry. At the same time, Jihwa could tell him in his innocence that Min asked him to remain at home. Since he is doing nothing, then nothing bad can happen to him in Jihwa’s mind. And that’s how the criminal will become involved in the second kidnapping again. But this time, his role will be different, as he will recognize that if the painter gets hurt, Jihwa and himself will be framed. Hence he will pay attention to the painter and follow him. We will have a new version of this.

In other words, this time the criminal will come to Baek Na-Kyum’s rescue and as such redeem himself. however, the criminal will be forced to reveal Deok-Jae’s death to Yoon Seungho. On the other hand, during the loss of his conscience, Kim will start with the purge blaming the maids, the kisaeng, the painter and even the doctor. Since the painter is not present, he can be framed, as he can not defend himself, unaware of what Kim is planning behind his back. The butler will go to the authorities. From my point of view, he could use the first poisoning incident and frame the maids. Since the real culprit is dead and no one will speak in their favor, Kim will usurp his master’s authority, while faking that he is protecting his lord. On the other hand, since the lord has been drugged for a long time, I am expecting that Yoon Seungho will recover very quickly from this poisoning incident. And once Kim brings the letter as an evidence blaming the painter and the maids for their complicity, Yoon Seungho will realize the butler’s treason and betrayal. Unlike in chapter 11, he will believe in Baek Na-Kyum’s innocence, as the paper will become the proof of his probity. Since we have to expect a repetition of the incidents from the first season, I realized that one event hadn’t been repeated yet: framing the painter for a misdeed. And remember that in chapter 11, Kim played a huge role in this incident and it happened, while the painter was away. However, the moment Yoon Seungho reads the letter, his eyes will be able to perceive the truth: he is surrounded by spies… as the paper will content sentences from conversations between the two protagonists. Consequently, he will discover Deok-Jae’s disappearance and he will remember that night. That’s how the purge will take place. I am expecting that during the painter’s disappearance and the lord’s sickness, Kim sends the guards to arrest Heena noona. Through this terrible experience, she will recognize her wrongdoings. She will tell the authorities about Jihwa and his plan, but as a kisaeng she won’t be trusted. Moreover, the authorities will reproach her spying activities. She will definitely accuse the lord for threatening her , but everyone won’t listen to her, until Yoon Seungho appears and believes her. That’s how the male servant will be questioned. Through that terrible incident the kisaeng will learn a terrible lesson. And since Nameless could rescue the painter from the second kidnapping, Baek Na-Kyum will be able to defend himself and protect his sister. While Kim wanted to eliminate people among commoners, Yoon Seungho will decide to retaliate against the nobles by utilizing Deok-Jae’s death and his own poisoning. The result will be a real purge, which valet Kim didn’t predict. Both Min and Kim will experience why “ignorance is not a blessing”. However, I have the impression, Min will be able to escape the purge, while he will betray and abandon his friend, the noble with the mole, who thought that he was playing just a prank. There’s no doubt that this time, Jihwa won’t be spared, yet thanks to Nameless’ help, the noble will suffer less.

As conclusion, Kim’s true personality will be finally revealed. At the same time, I am quite sure that the valet will send a letter to father Yoon to cover up the scandal… in case he got into trouble, a new version of chapter 44. The butler will justify his action, that he wanted to remove the painter from Yoon Seungho’s side. He did it out of selflessness and concern for the eldest master. His son was in love with a commoner, a scandal. Kim’s involvement will cause the return of father Yoon in the main lead’s life.

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