This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
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In the first part, I examined the beginning of chapter 52 very closely so that I could give a better portray of Min, the so-called “Black Heart”. Consequently I came to the following results: Min approached Yoon Seungho with the intent to overthrow the alpha from his “throne”. He used his connections among the nobility to get intelligence about the main lead and then he approached him. Furthermore he influenced the aristocrats to generate rumors so that Yoon Seungho’s reputation would be destabilized (chapter 33 / chapter 43). Although Min is a manipulator, he places pleasure and fun in the center of his life. He has no sense of morality as he doesn’t feel any remorse committing wrongdoings (smoking opium so openly, though it is illegal; inciting Jihwa to have the painter killed). He is arrogant and feels entitled due to his social status. Not only commoners are below him but also the other aristocrats from the local nobility. Finally, I could perceive that Min’s information about the protagonist is inaccurate and incomplete as he relies on the nobles’ perceptions and the rumors. The only thing he could witness with his own eyes is the special place Baek Na-Kyum had in the main lead’s heart and mind therefore he believed, he had finally found the main lead’s weakness in order to win this war. Now, it is time to continue studying this character. I’ll start, when the first part ended:
There is another reason why Min doesn’t perceive Yoon Seungho as a madman. In my opinion, he senses a similarity to his own personality. He believes to recognize himself in the infamous seme. Since they share so many things, like for example disregarding social traditions, Min believes he knows how the protagonist thinks. According to Black Heart, Yoon Seungho is also a man prioritizing pleasure and fun over anything else. In other words, the villain only views his rival as “a man consumed by lust”. Sex and lust are definitely connected to joy and fun. Let’s not forget that’s the reason why the main lead became infamous. He never cared about rumors, general opinion and social norms. He did whatever he wanted… exactly like Min. In other words, Min is actually projecting his own thinking into the influential protagonist.
And this time, you can understand why I keep perceiving parallels between the scholar Jung In-Hun and Min. Both make the same mistake. In the chapter 6, Jung In-Hun thought that the rich lord would look down on commoners too. This was in reality the opposite. Black Heart and Black Mind (the scholar) thought that Yoon Seungho was like the rumors describing him: indulged in pleasure and no education. However this is just a misconception. Black Heart is making the monumental mistake not to question the intentions of Yoon Seungho’s daring behavior. He takes his abnormal attitude as face-value. He just thinks, the lord is doing it out of selfishness.
Min is quite amused by the comparison between the infamous hell-raiser and a madman hence he smiles.
(Chapter 52) In my opinion, he must be mocking the other noble. He feels that his fellow is just too stupid and naive. Yet Min is actually overlooking an important aspect. There is an explanation why the other aristocrats are calling the protagonist a lunatic. Yoon Seungho is indeed revolutionary as he rejects social hierarchy and as such criticizes nobility with its privileges. During the 18th Century, libertines were fighting for liberty and equity and this is not surprising that the French revolution began 1789. Remember what I told about libertines, sex was just one aspect in their life, they advocate reforms and changes in the tripartite society, in the rigid social hierarchy. That’s what Black Heart is overlooking, whereas the nobles sensed this aspect but were not able to define it.
This is the reason why I describe the protagonist’s mentality as revolutionary. I doubt that this philosophy was common in Joseon, whereas it was more widespread in Europe due to the rise of the bourgeoisie thanks to the trade with the colonies. There is no ambiguity that our beloved seme is an oddity in Joseon, while Min is just a corrupted libertine like Valmont [see my analysis about Dangerous liaisons]. Black Heart is determined to use his position for his own selfishness and fun, he uses sex as war in order to defeat his enemy. As you can observe, Min is not revolutionary contrary to the main character, since he supports the social hierarchy.
Consequently I come to the conclusion that in this moment, we can witness another flaw in Min’s thinking. The latter assumes that Yoon Seungho is like him, yet this is incorrect. The main lead never paid attention to rumors circulating among the nobility either. That’s why the main lead didn’t intervene during the chapter 33. 
His retreat was not a defeat, he was just ignoring their opinion. Yoon Seungho just saw them as nobodies hence he had no reason to fight back for his reputation, since he never valued his notoriety. What Min perceived as a first victory was nothing in Yoon Seungho’s eyes.
(Chapter 33) Here, he was challenging the lord for the first time. Furthermore like I had already underlined before, the lord created this image of hell-raiser as a shield. Thanks to his bad notoriety, he could deceive people and protect himself. Ecstasy was never his goal unlike Min, since Yoon Seungho desired to divert people’s attention. And based on my theory he never took pleasure in sodomy, he rather forced himself to live up to his bad reputation.
And in this chapter, we witness how successful the protagonist has been with his deception.
(Chapter 52) No noble imagined that the main lead had an interest in government posts. Admittedly, only the readers know the reason why he is sponsoring Jung In-Hun. It happened because of the painter. However, I detect another manipulation here because of the following picture: 
[chapter 11] The noble has always been honest in front of the painter hence his words outline how powerful the main lead is in reality. He already has connections in the government but he never made it public therefore aristocrats thought, he was indulging himself in lust. While he went to sex orgies, he did pay attention to what was happening at the capital, yet he never showed up there due to his trauma. I would even add that he even influenced the government, but always unofficially and indirectly so that people would never make any connection to him. His power seems to be quite important since he proclaims that he can ruin the teacher’s career. This can be also the explication why he even adjoins that he will never get caught with Jung In-Hun’s murder. 
(Chapter 11) He can use his connections in the worst case to cover his misdeed. Nonetheless, I sense that he is also referring to his reputation as a man consumed by lust. As a conclusion, Min has no idea how powerful the noble he is challenging truly is. His judgement is based on the nobles’ reports and hearsay. That’s why Black Heart believes Yoon Seungho is easy to understand, since the rumor is quite simple. To summarize, Min is just another arrogant and stupid fool, overestimating his own abilities and underestimating his opponent. Like one of my readers wrote, Black Heart confuses cunningness with intelligence. Yoon Seungho is not only ruthless but also very smart.
And Min’s stupidity becomes really obvious, when he faces Baek Na-Kyum. He is in the master’s room next to the owner, yet he can’t refrain himself revealing his scheme:
(chapter 52) But this doesn’t stop here. He even confesses Jihwa’s involvement.
(Chapter 52) How can I not judge him stupid? I guess, opium has already confused his mind and reduced his vigilance. He is indeed careless and thoughtless. Besides, in the picture above, I noticed another important detail. He started insulting Jihwa as sodomite. This word “sodomite” reflects his opinion about sodomy as such. He is no homosexual per se, he just uses sodomy to submit the other masters. He is indeed similar to Yoon Seungho in that aspect. Both perceive sex as war, however the powerful noble did it out of resent towards nobility, whereas the other wanted to establish himself as the new ruler among the local aristocracy. Black Heart desired to prove his superiority over the other lords. the main lead had a different goal, it was to tarnish and ruin the image of the nobility. One might argue that the outcome is the same… which is correct, yet due to this, Min jumped to the false conclusion. Min assumed that Yoon Seungho had the same intention.
Striking is that when Min is facing the painter, he acts as if he was the owner of that place. He opens the door, questions the artist
and takes the painting away from the low-born’s hands. In that scene, he has no right, as he is just a guest. Nevertheless, Min acts like usually: shameless and mannerless. In reality, Baek Na-Kyum is not obliged to answer him, for he is only working for Yoon Seungho.
After grabbing the painting, he starts insulting the host.
From my point of view, we should mark this comment as the beginning of his challenge. He is mocking the lord, implying that he is still a man consumed by lust. He underlines that the lord didn’t practice restraint, quite the opposite. He even dared to have sex with a commoner. What an affront for all the nobles! He is such a scandalous man, showing again no regard to normal standards and common sense. Min is here attacking the powerful lord.
From my point of view, this scene should be read from three different perspectives in order to grasp the significance of this scene. While many readers were upset to witness how Yoon Seungho kissed the vicious noble in front of Baek Na-Kyum, it is relevant to remember the intentions of Min and the main lead.
Since Black Heart is attacking him and indirectly the low-born, Yoon Seungho can’t ignore his remark. This time, the insinuation and his bad reputation can affect the painter. Yoon Seungho is well aware of Baek Na-Kyum’s low self-esteem. Remember how embarrassed the painter was at the tailor shop. He feared public opinion and the master knows now that the painter views himself as a prostitute. So this kind of comment could definitely hurt the artist more, even reinforce the bad opinion Baek Na-Kyum has about the owner of the mansion.
What Yoon Seungho doesn’t know is that the low-born has already adopted a new philosophy. Here, the main lead chose to follow the painter’s request
(Chapter 49), but due to the butler’s intervention, the protagonist decided to push the painter away. In his mind, it was the painter’s interest. The latter had just accepted the lord as his partner, as he felt obliged. But this was not entirely correct. Once the artist had admitted that he liked sex thanks to Yoon Seungho, this means that he had adopted this new philosophy. Furthermore the distance and separation helped the artist to realize that his lover had more meaning in his life than he had realized it before. Even in this chapter, the change is quite visible. 
(Chapter 52) The painter gets upset with the kiss but instead of letting his emotions take control of his thoughts, he ponders about the cause of these negative feelings. Why is he upset?
Now, it is time to pay closer attention to the lord’s behavior concerning the kiss. 
(Chapter 52) Notice the appearance of Yoon Seungho’s hand. It is directly put under the noble’s chin. This gesture is not anodine. His intention appears clear to me. He is aiming at his chin in order to mold his mouth. But he can’t make it too obvious, hence he disguises it after that with a kiss. The kiss is to shut Min’s mouth.
Observe the lord’s hand is still grabbing the chin and his mouth is literally devouring Black Heart’s mouth. It was as if he was covering up Min’s mouth. He made sure that he would stop talking. Note Min’s expression. He never expected such a gesture, he thought that the lord wouldn’t retaliate like that, he would retreat. On the other hand, the main lead is not happy, he is actually furious.
There are different explanations for his angry look. He is mad at the noble for hurting the painter with his remarks and for endangering his fragile relationship with Baek Na-Kyum. He is also angry as he had no other possibility to stop Black Heart from mocking him and the artist. Another possibility is that he is well aware that his kiss could affect the low-born, nonetheless he sees no other solution. Another cause for his anger could be that he never expected the painter would show up that night. He had organized something else concerning Min and he never predicted Baek Na-Kyum’s visit, complicating his plan. Another possibility is that he got upset to see that the low-born was wearing his former clothes and his white headband again. This could give the impression to the noble that his plan “distancing himself from the low-born” didn’t help him to improve his relationship in the long run. It had the opposite effect. He got upset that his subterfuge “keeping his distance from the painter” didn’t work like expected. He hoped to protect the low-born as he knew what was going around him and now with the painter’s appearance, his plan gets ruined. As you can conclude, a single gaze can have so many different significations. All this proves to me that the lord is far more complex than Min thinks. Even the painter noticed it, he compares the lord to a mystery.
The first impressions the manhwaphiles had about this scene were negative. They saw the lord cheating on the painter as he was kissing another man in the commoner’s presence. I was even myself speechless for a moment. However, if you look more closely, you’ll notice that there is no real kiss. On the first picture above, the lord was covering Black Heart’s mouth with his mouth wide open. And in the other drawings, only their tongues are touching other and their mouths are wide open too. Their lips don’t truly touch each other, their eyes are not closed either. As a conclusion, what we are witnessing is here neither sex nor lust but a battle. Therefore they have to focus their gaze on the opponent. They are fighting with their tongues. Their organs are their weapons. Notice that no tongue is able to enter the mouth of the other. Entering the mouth would signify defeat. Min had started the fight with his mockeries and Seungho had to react as the painter was present and could be hurt by these vicious remarks. From my perspective, Yoon Seungho is still very protective of the painter. He will use every possible mean in order to defend him, even if this solution seems weird on the surface. Compare these kisses to the one he had with the painter: 
(chapter 46) What a difference! Min dared to challenge his host and this time, Yoon Seungho didn’t remain passive or retreat. He accepted the defy. This is what I take away from this scene.
That’s it for today. In the next essay, I’ll analyse the conversation in the lord’s chamber. This might have a different title.
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(Chapter 52) 
(chapter 43) but this signification is reinforced with this chapter. To summarize, Min treats everyone as pawns, including nobles. This outlines his arrogance. He considers himself as a puppet master, a great mastermind hence he is superior to everyone, including Yoon Seungho.
(Chapter 43) Therefore I believe Min defends the values perpetuated among the aristocracy: titles give lords the right to consider themselves superior to commoners and to treat the latter as bugs. Min is the representative of this mentality, for him low-born have no value and no right. They can be killed or be mistreated, this is the normality for him. And this mentality is faulty as Min is neglecting an important factor: commoners. They represent the majority and play a greater role in the masters’ life. The result is that he made a huge mistake because of this source of info. He just relied on his fellows, however I have always said that Yoon Seungho used rumors and has always acted in front of other nobles. In other words, Min has a false image about the main lead and there is no doubt about it.
(chapter 8) Furthermore, after having sex one time, he remained by the painter’s side observing his expressions and reactions. He understood what the painter meant to the protagonist.
(Chapter 9) However, his judgement is only partially correct as his perception is also influenced by the reports he received through his connections, like I wrote above. After the two challenges, Min could no longer approach the main lead hence he had to rely on other sources.
(Chapter 41) Min never took it seriously. He only saw it as an empty menace. The problem is that Min’s perception is mostly influenced by the rumors existing about Yoon Seungho. I doubt, he is aware that the main lead has shadow guards. I even suspect that he never heard Yoon Seungho’s thread made in front of the painter.
If the manhwaphiles pay attention to the words used by Baek Na-Kyum, they notice in reality the vocabulary field is not love but worship. There is respect, admiration and longing (“pine for”). So it becomes really obvious that the commoner is not really loving the man. He is acting more like a member of a cult. Baek Na-Kyum venerates his teacher. It was, as if Jung In-Hun had become a deity in the painter’s eyes. However in fact he is not a god, just an idol, signifying he is only a fake god. The idolization is first truly visible, when the painter creates the painting: 
The scholar has become a high official in the drawing. He sits above all the people surrounding him, as if he was different and superior. His inauguration reminds me of a religious ceremony. Let’s not forget that this event is indeed linked to religion, as the new official has to thank the king and the gods in order to get good fortune. In other words, this picture is indeed linked to religion. The usual form of idolatry in the Bible is the worship of images or statues that are thought to embody the various pagan deities, like for example the golden calf. [For more explanations about the golden calf 
This scene is really important, as the strong seme demonstrates his power over the low noble. He shows him his powerlessness, he confronts him with the reality. He is not a god. He has no real authority, hence he can’t change the world like he would like. In this scene, the scholar has to recognize that Yoon Seungho stands above him. Moreover, the former makes him realize that the protagonist was never a new member of his cult. He never fell for his deceptions, he perceived his true abilities (the plagiarism and his poor poetry). That’s why Jung In-Hun got upset. For the first time, he met someone who was superior to him in all aspects (financially, physically and mentally) and couldn’t be manipulated, as he had wished. As a conclusion, the creation of the new cult was born out of the scholar’s arrogance and blindness. He thought, he was like a god due to the painter’s admiration. By the way, this explains why the intellectual asked the powerful main lead to follow him to the capital, he imagined that if Yoon Seungho accompanied him to Hanyang, then he would receive people’s attention due to the presence of the “famous” noble next to him. He wanted to use the main character’s reputation and attraction. He desired to create a situation where he could get the impression that he was also admired. Despite the scene at the hunt, the low noble hasn’t given up on his “dream”. He still wants to be regarded as a new god, receiving respect and admiration.
As a conclusion, the painter was more a fanatic than a man in love. It was the painter’s mind which was focused on the scholar and not the heart. From my perspective, the low noble had achieved to transform the painter’s love for him into an idolization or better said to fanaticism. That’s why in the artist’s first confession, the low-born voices yearning, aching and not just respect and admiration. The “I pine for you” reveals a certain pain. It can’t be simply explained by the coercive persuasion, since the latter had repressed it. The low-born had sensed that a distance had been created. Since Jung In-Hun was like a god, the painter could only watch him from far away, since he was just a commoner. There is another reason why I associate the first confession to fanaticism, it is the significance of the mind compared to the heart. 
hence the low-born could only recall the low aristocrat’s voice and mouth. Baek Na-Kyum was indeed indoctrinated, influenced by the learned sir’s speeches, therefore he used the same words. He also looked down on others (sodomite here). This explains why he became a victim at the end, since he was confronted with internal and external fights. Yoon Seungho wanted to get erotic paintings and later to have him as his true partner. In order to keep following the 7 rules, the low-born always used his brainwashed mind, cold reasoning, like f. ex. “I am painting it for the teacher’s sake” or “Seungho is just a man consumed by lust” and struggled against his sexual desires, his own heart. The painter’s mind was full of rules and “despise” hence he couldn’t judge Yoon Seungho differently. By connecting the doctrine or the new religion to rules and disdain, the scholar wanted to kill the painter’s empathy and as such his heart. Consequently Baek Na-Kyum always repressed his sexual desires as they are connected to the heart.
He, as a low-born, was asking his “idol” to take his responsibility. The low noble should take care of him, especially after the latter had supported him. Yet the scholar refused for many reasons. First, a god is not supposed to take care of their believers personally. The latter can just pray but never request it from their “god” directly and make them responsible. Then Jung In-Hun was under pressure, for he wasn’t sure if he would be able to succeed. Besides, he was jealous and resentful as the painter was treated better than him, a noble. Moreover, the artist had disobeyed him as he had lied to him. But like I mentioned it above, he had detected that his influence over the painter had seriously decreased. He was distancing from him, he no longer worshiped him like in the past. His questioning and his lies pushed the noble to hurt the low-born in order to remind him of his social status. As a person raised at the brothel, he was filthy, in particular as he had violated the 7 rules. The artist had succumbed to sodomy, the greatest sin in the scholar’s eyes. He needed to punish him. He was a nobody, whereas he stood far above him. His words and gaze were vicious and cruel for that reason: he is a god and Baek Na-Kyum committed blasphemy. He needed to destroy the man.
His sentences are broken, he voices fear because it feels so different from before, where he only used his eyes and brainwashed mind for the learned sir. Observe that in this picture he is covering his eyes, he fears the noble’s gaze. Let’s not forget that Jung In-Hun’s gaze was the weapon that killed the painter’s identity.
In the scholar’s gaze, he saw his own reflection: he was filthy, he was just a whore. Hence he is afraid of Yoon Seungho’s gaze. How does he perceive me, that’s why he is thinking. During that night, he becomes blind and deaf due to the injury caused by the teacher’s reproaches and abandonment. This is no surprise that his ears and eyes were destroyed. Like I had pointed out before, these organs are essential for indoctrination and for idolization [Remember the comparison to the Nazi event]. So during that night, the sex didn’t succeed to comfort the painter, because the latter was not looking for sex but for comfort and love. We shouldn’t forget that he asked for embrace. He wished to be hold. The problem was that the painter was confused, he didn’t know what he wanted. Besides, the noble had no idea how to show love.
The question mark “why” is related to critical thinking.
That’s why we should perceive a positive development in the painter. He is no longer fearing the gaze of others. He is thinking on his own, hence he can no longer become a victim due to fanaticism again. I perceive that Baek Na-Kyum has reached a turning point in his life. He could definitely confront Yoon Seungho, like he did in the past. Remember when he yelled at him this: 
Due to this comment “If that bastard Yoon Seungho hadn’t beat me”, I had some doubt. However now I believe that in reality, the servant Deok Jae was punished a second time. 
Unfortunately, I forgot that the bandages are there because of the cold, like my reader @Sh pointed out. 
Even Kim had such bandages. So the bandages can’t served as evidence for this theory. 
which is much smaller than a wall? He could identify the persons painted in the drawing. So his sight was good enough back then. I distrust that within a week, the servant’s eyes could become so bad without any cause. The first beating occurred months ago, at the end of the summer. Now, we have winter. If so, his sight would have deteriorated more progressively.
He could have used the excuse with his poor sight to escape suspicion, yet he didn’t. But we shouldn’t forget that he wasn’t the only one with a bruised eye. 
Even the valet Kim didn’t get spared, his battered eye was on the left side. However, the latter is not suffering from a loss of sight. 
Then he pushed him hard with his shoulder.
His intentions were to insult and hurt the painter. If he had such a poor sight, then he could have used this as an excuse in order to hide his true objectives. He never did it.
Thrashed is a synonym for flogged. In other words, the domestic wished that the painter had been flogged hence he is definitely referring to the straw mat beating. Back then, the painter escaped the punishment because the lord intervened personally.
That’s why Deok Jae says that Baek Na-Kyum should have received the punishment. Imagine, the artist never really suffered from the straw mat beating,
yet it took a few days for him to recover.
In the chapter 12, Baek Na-Kyum leaves his room for the first time before meeting Yoon Seungho indicating that he was indeed wounded, although he didn’t get really flogged. Jihwa even expected Baek Na-Kyum to be more injured after hearing the news that he had received the straw mat beating. 
This outlines the severity of that kind of punishment. This sentence can definitely cause disability or even death. Loss of sight is a disability. 
Deok Jae hates him so much for two reasons. While the artist was spared by Yoon Seungho, Deok Jae never received the same care. The lord never went personally there to stop the punishment. The opposite happened, my assumption is that the master was present, when he ordered the flogging. This would explain why Deok Jae expressed it that way: “If that bastard Yoon Seungho hadn’t beat me”. Since he was present during the punishment, it was as if he had beat him personally. This would stand in opposition to the painter’s fate. The latter was saved by Yoon Seungho personally. 
He must have heard the insult. Furthermore, Deok Jae admitted in front of valet Kim that he was the author of the “spoiled rice”. Fact is that the domestic made a terrible mistake, it was as if he was poisoning the food. Like the butler expressed it, with his action he disregarded the master’s authority. Yoon Seungho had to do something. Either valet Kim told him personally or the noble understood the valet’s message, when the butler sent Deok Jae alone to clean up the mess. Don’t forget that if people think that Deok Jae wasn’t disciplined for his evil actions, this makes Yoon Seungho appear as a lord lacking harshness and stringency. 
(Chapter 51) 
(Chapter 51) And now, if we look back at his first appearance, he was indeed recommended by hearsay. Min was the first one mentioning him to Jihwa. So in the following panel, the speech bubble represents Min’s voice. He is the one describing Nameless to Jihwa.
(chapter 51) The minions must be the musicians and the dancer. As you can observe, the man is not just some criminal driven by greed and brutality, he has abilities for he was able to impose himself as the leader of this band. I detect that he is methodical and quite decisive. Remember that he gave instructions to Jihwa in the chapter 50. 
(chapter 50) Strictly speaking, he is a strategist which is visible when he tells Jihwa that he has other channels. 
(Chapter 51) If you regard her clothes, you’ll note that her appearance resembles the one belonging to maids. 
(Chapter 47) The colors of the jacket and skirt are quite similar. However, there is a huge difference between the two maids. Although the servant in the picture above is the head-maid at the kitchen, she doesn’t own any expensive hair pin or ring, while it is different with the woman sleeping with Nameless. She possesses two jade rings and a golden hair pin. This is not something a maid would own. We have 2 possibilities. Either the woman disguised herself as maid by wearing such clothes and hid her real identity or she is a maid close to a lord and the latter gave her jewels for her sexual services. The third possibility is that she works as a gisaeng which would explain the contrast between the jewels and the clothes. She belongs to the lowest social class, yet she has to distinguish herself through her hair dress and jewels. This idea was proposed by one of my readers Anyway, in my opinion, Nameless approached her for a reason. He is digging for information. We have two possibilities: either he is spying on nobles (the clients of the gisaeng house) or he wants to know more about the painter. Let’s not forget that the latter was raised in a brothel. While Jihwa believes that Nameless is doing it for money, I think that he is using his body for information. Why do I come to this conclusion? It is quite simple. Since I sensed so many parallels between Yoon Seungho and Nameless, I am using the protagonist as role model. Because the noble used his body in order to defeat nobles and to hide his own self from others, I believe that the commoner is acting the same way. Both have a negative reputation through gossips and hearsay. 
(Chapter 51)
(chapter 50) that’s why he ordered him to stay home in the chapter 50 and here asks if he has been drinking. He can perceive people’s personality very well. I would even add that Nameless’ heart must have been touched, when he noticed Jihwa’s bad habit: biting his finger nails. He must have sensed that this noble had still an innocent soul. Striking is that although the red-haired noble is just a wreck and even insults the “criminal”,
(Chapter 51) Even the evil domestic got scared, when he experienced this gaze. 
(Chapter 51) That’s the reason why this zoom on his chin covered with tears was preceded with the drawing of Nameless’ face.
The latter looked at Jihwa’s mouth and tears, while the commoner allowed the noble to voice his worries and anxiety. His eyes don’t express any disdain or arrogance in the last painting. Here, we could say that Nameless is not cold-hearted, quite the opposite, he is sensitive. Sure, he doesn’t allow the red-haired aristocrat to mistreat him, yet he shows a certain curiosity and concern towards his client. In fact, this reflects the purity of his heart. He senses the noble’s sinlessness which stands so much in opposition to the criminal’s reputation. In this scene, the manhwaphiles can detect another similarity with Yoon Seungho again. The gaze and action reveal more than any word. And here is the next question: why would No-Name be quite nice to Jihwa? 
symbolizes perfectly the main characters’ personality. While Yoon Seungho has still a pure mind (White), his heart has been corrupted due to his tragic past (black) that’s why he keeps hurting the painter over and over again. On the other hand, Nameless has a pure heart, yet he has a corrupted mind due to a traumatic experience. His “vicious” mind could be the reason why he is able to perceive a conspiracy and even plot a crime. He doesn’t lose his temper, when he is threatened.
(Chapter 54) reminded me of Jung In-Hun’s behavior in the first season. He used commoners in order to dig up some secret so that he could blackmail Yoon Seungho.
(Chapter 29) Therefore I have the impression that the commoner is behaving like him, yet this time it is in order to unveil the identity of the mastermind. That way, he could protect Jihwa and at the same time, he would be able to get rid of a heinous person. On the other hand, since Min has become aware that his plot failed because the assassination didn’t take place, Black Heart can only condemn the red-haired aristocrat and Nameless. It is definitely possible that Min chooses to hurt Jihwa as retaliation which can only push the criminal to become very hostile to Min. From my point of view, Nameless will become a great helping hand for Yoon Seungho in the future. With his Black mind, he can even predict what villains will do. The protagonist’s mind is too pure to recognize the viciousness in the scholar. He might have perceived his hypocrisy and stupidity, nonetheless he still doesn’t know what Jung In-Hun afflicted to the painter. From my point of view, this explains why Yoon Seungho couldn’t defeat the scholar so quickly. He was too naive in this aspect. However, the main character needs to have someone with a black mind so that they can anticipate the scholar and father Yoon’s moves.
What caught my attention is the following expression: “sent him away”. Here, he imagined that putting some distance between the painter and the teacher would help him. His relationship with Baek Na-Kyum would improve, as you know the saying “out of sight, out of mind”. Nonetheless it didn’t happen like he had anticipated. Because Jung In-Hun had hurt the painter so deeply, the latter couldn’t forget his learned sir due to the agony. In other words, although the lord was physically closer to the low-born, the latter couldn’t perceive him at all, for his mind and heart were elsewhere. They were too focused on his own heartache and negative image. As you can observe, distance and closeness were in the center of the noble’s thoughts. He realized that the saying “out of sight, out of mind” is not true.
The latter felt comfortable and trusting enough to relax and fall asleep confirming what he had sensed before, when Baek Na-Kyum kissed and hugged him. 
The last panel is interesting because of the ambiguity of Yoon Seungho’s words: “How strange…”. The sentence is incomplete hence we have no idea what he is exactly thinking. First, we think that his memory could be the reason for this statement. This remembrance made him realize that he no longer had any reason to be jealous of the teacher. He knows, with the way Baek Na-Kyum behaved that his “love” for his learned sir has been destroyed for good. However, I have the feeling that this is only partially correct. I believe that in the last drawing, he made another huge revelation that’s why he decided to change his tactic in order to get the painter’s attention and affection. Striking is that the lord is starring at the books. From my point of view, one of the books must have stood out, which triggered the lord’s memory (not the flashback we saw, but another one) and led him to another epiphany.
So he needs to distance himself from the painter, creating a separation. Only then, the painter’s mind and heart will sense the emptiness left by the noble’s absence. On the other hand, Yoon Seungho will suffer for a while, he will be the one who can’t sleep and cry, hiding his pain in front of his servants, his acquaintances and the painter himself. We shouldn’t forget that we never saw the lord crying, it is something he has never been able to do, but he needs to in my opinion in order to overcome his traumatic past. Yoon Seungho will recreate the same situation, he will become the lover forced to be separated but who longs to return to his love. The noble is really a romantic one in the end. He is willing to be in agony, until Baek Na-Kyum gets aware of his own feelings but also of the protagonist’s affection. 
The master wanted the artist to discover the fraud and at the same time, he wished to correct the painter’s opinion about him. He was determined to prove to the low-born that he wasn’t a “man consumed by lust” but also a learned sir. This negative image had truly bothered him in the chapter 5 
to the point that he couldn’t have sex with Jihwa. However, the low-born didn’t realize the switch, too happy that his learned sir had come to the mansion (chapter 7). The poem had lost his purpose, since Jung In-Hun was close to him. He had his learned sir by his side, there was no separation any longer so that the artist didn’t feel the need to read it. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum never changed the negative perception he had about Yoon Seungho, as he never looked at the poem again. On the other hand, that’s how the noble discovered that the painter couldn’t read. The sex sessions with different sex partners contributed to this negative reputation, the stigma “man consumed by lust” got reinforced. The painter saw it with his own eyes and even seemed to experience it.
, the lord recognized that he was still associated to sex and depravity, although he had cut ties with other nobles and never organized or visited any sex orgy. As he couldn’t help himself from making love to the painter, the latter had the impression that Yoon Seungho was just obsessed with sex and his paintings. Consequently the aristocrat got mad. Yet this made him realize the significance of his own image. He needed to change his behavior in order to attract the painter’s attention, to get him aware that he was with him for other reasons than lust. 
Both are very similar because of the weather and the situation. Nonetheless the changes are quite telling. In the second drawing, the commoner is walking on his own underlining his loneliness. He has not been accepted by the servants at the mansion, while in the chapter 51 it is clear that now the staff recognizes him as a member of the mansion. Pay attention that in the chapter 51 Baek Na-Kyum is following the head-maid from the kitchen and later the valet Kim. He is no longer isolated and rejected. Secondly, in the picture above Baek Na-Kyum is just walking to the mansion but he is not paying attention to the lord smoking by the window. Only on his way to his room, he spots Yoon Seungho sitting at the window, therefore he stops walking for a brief moment. 
This happens very quickly, then he starts walking again in the direction to his study. This action is interesting because it reveals that the painter only remains there as he has no other home. Yoon Seungho as such was never the reason why he decided to remain by his side, just the notion “home” was good enough for the artist. We shouldn’t forget that the mansion is big contrasting so much to the tiny appearance of the master. The difference of size underlines the significance of the artist’s motivation: he is walking towards the mansion. His gaze just gets distracted by the lord’s appearance at the window but that’s it. This interpretation is confirmed later with the chapter 46. 
The commoner is following the head-maid, yet his body and head are turned to the lord. In this episode, he doesn’t make a pause to look at him, he keeps starring at the opened window, where he can observe his “lover” laugh. The other huge divergence is the wealthy protagonist’s attitude. He is no longer passive, sitting alone while smoking. He is drinking with another aristocrat, making jokes and laughing. 
he recognized that watching his lover resting could be satisfying. He also noticed the painter’s habit: he is a deep sleeper, hence he won’t wake up due to the noble’s presence. He didn’t even sense the kiss during that night. I can also imagining that drinking is a way to relieve the agony the rich protagonist is actually going through. He needs to numb his sexual desires since his feelings for the painter are so strong. He is now waiting that his lover recognizes his own emotions and questions the lord’s behavior so that they can finally have a frank conversation, where the lord can finally confess his affection to the commoner. A poem as love confession does fit our character as he is not someone talking much. He has always had difficulties to voice hie emotions and thoughts. The poem will serve as support. So please have faith in the master of deception! He can’t help himself hiding behind gossips but this time, the hearsay has a different function: trigger the painter to think on his own and question everything. 
becomes a disaster. His dream turns into a nightmare. Therefore I will come back to this confession in this essay, although my main focus is a comparison of the painter’s confessions in the presence of Yoon Seungho.
So there was a mixture of concern and lust. The reason why I adjoin care is that we have the same motivation in the chapter 41 and in the chapter 48/49. In both scenes, he is troubled by the painter’s behavior. In the chapter 41, he heard from the servants that the low-born had been working non-stop to the point that he was even skipping his meals.
As you can see, care was always the trigger for his visit to the painter’s study. In the chapter 48, he wasn’t just angry. If fury had been his only motivation in the chapter 48, then he wouldn’t have contained his anger. Yet during the chapter 48, the master remained quite calm.
He acted like a master or a client at a gisaeng house, yet he kept talking to the artist, pointing out the weirdness of his attitude. He kept asking why, just like in the chapter 41/42. Therefore I come to the conclusion that care and concern were the biggest motivations for the lord to visit the painter’s chamber. In other words, Seungho has never been cold-hearted, like some readers are still judging him. 
As you can see, the more the lord spent time at the pavilion, the more he became troubled. His despair and worry pushed him to make the wrong decision: force the painter to remember their wedding night so that he could claim Baek Na-Kyum as his “wife” and partner. 
Here, the kisses and the hug are a sign that the relationship between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum has improved, even deepened. They already had sex before, hence the kisses have another signification.
In the chapter 20, Baek Na-Kyum was the only one hugging his partner while kissing. He wanted to make love, while the master was following his sexual desires or better said, that’s what he believed. I would like to remind that from my perspective, the noble was already in love with Baek Na-Kyum but didn’t recognize his own feelings as he had never introspected his emotions before. I even have the impression that he is still unaware of the depth of his feelings for the painter. In other words, in the episode 49, both main leads start making love. From my point of view, Yoon Seungho is making love to the artist, while the latter just perceives it as a sex session, as he doesn’t want to get hurt emotionally again. He prefers following his physical reactions, he is no longer repressing his unconscious. Yet, there is affection coming from the artist as he is someone with a big heart, like his erotic publications suggested. That’s why we have here again a combination of sex and love. This is understandable as the low-born doesn’t even grasp the true motivation behind his actions. His gestures are exuding love and affection and not just pure lust but since the painter doesn’t see his own actions in a mirror, he has the impression, he is only following his sexual desires. As a conclusion, the kisses in the chapter 49 mark the second phase of their intercourse, the love session.
He was just following his own interests and never paid any consideration for the painter. He was just looking for sex in his mind, but the moment he was told that his partner was a virgin, he was surprised. Nonetheless he was willing to change his behavior and became more gentle. 
Let’s not forget that the master did follow all the painter’s requests in that scene. That’s why he kissed and hugged his lover so passionately, he wanted to comfort him so much but he failed to stop the painter’s heart from freezing. That’s why Baek Na-Kyum still judged himself as a whore after that night. And in the chapter 48/49, this time the manhwaphiles behold the lord acting like a real client at a brothel.
He wants to provoke a physical and emotional reaction in the painter so that the latter finally leaves his state of shock. By playing this role, he wanted to make the commoner realize the harsh reality of a brothel and the real fate of prostitutes. He frightened the painter so much that the latter begged the lord to stop, to listen to his requests.
However, this time he did succeed but still didn’t achieve his original goal: winning the painter’s heart. I am well aware that some readers are still thinking that Baek Na-Kyum hasn’t changed his view about himself. I have a different opinion because he is now the master of his own fate. For me, he has become a libertine, sure his negative opinion about himself is not entirely removed, yet he is now able to differentiate between his own interests and the ones from his partner, which he never did in the past. He imagined that Jung In-Hun’s interests were the same than his own hence he was willing to do anything for the scholar. He has finally realized his own existence so he is no longer the same person, a whore with no identity and desire. He is now creating his new life, making new rules. 
(chapter 48) Then I had started contrasting both scenes, nonetheless I was not able to examine all points. That’s what I wanted to do in the 4th part. However, at some point, I had a revelation. The confession in chapter 49 represents the painter’s evolution, and it could also be compared to the confession in chapters 41/42. Because there was a confession back then as well. Yet, in that scene the painter could barely speak, he could only admit this: 
(chapter 48) All this led me to the following observation. We had the artist’s many confessions. Hence I am listing the common denominators that are always present during the three different scenes.
The opposition of the two gestures illustrates the diminution of the social and emotional gap between the two main characters. Note that despite standing on tiptoe, the artist’s head was still below the aristocrat’s head.
(chapter 19), whereas his head in the episode 49 exceeds that of Yoon Seungho. During their first real kiss, the difference reflected the huge social divergence, however what changed later more was the emotional state of the noble. Now, he is the one looking up at 
(chapter 49) the painter. The former is literally admiring his lover, pining on him but he doesn’t express it. 
(chapter 49) Now, they have switched the position, the aristocrat is the worshiper and Baek Na-Kyum is his object of affection. So in this scene, I would even say that we have the first lord’s confession but he is not voicing it. But because the artist has been deaf and blind for so long, he can’t witness this with his own eyes and ears. That’s why he doesn’t catch the true meaning of the noble’s saying. That’s why he could only doubt the protagonist’s genuineness in the hug and warmth and pushed the man away. Strictly speaking, the aristocrat is once again rejected, although he has finally truly behaved like a man in love.
(chapter 49) he is apologizing to the artist. He might not use the word “apology”, unlike in the chapter 20, nonetheless his wording unveils regret and heartache. During their wedding night, the aristocrat did apologize for taking the painter’s virginity, nevertheless his excuse didn’t sound genuine. 
In the chapter 49, Seungho acts the opposite. He doesn’t mention the word “apology”, yet he feels regret. He is sorry for making his lover cry. He admits that he is responsible for this, as each time they had such an encounter, he cried. 
(chapter 21) In chapter 41/42, he cried due to the scholar too. So why would he mention “whenever”? Which occasions was he referring to? And now be ready for the next revelation. From my point of view, Yoon Seungho must be including the scene at the pavilion and the rape. I am positive that the lord wasn’t just remembering the scene, when he slapped the low-born or threatened him. Imagine, the lord is actually apologizing for all the pain he caused to his lover, he is expressing his atonement. And now, if the manhwaphiles recall the scene with the forced sex, they will also notice that there is a repeat of chapter 20/21. Besides, the readers witness a confession there too.
(chapter 25) The painter admitted for the first time that he loved a man and his confession was addressed to the teacher, his “learned sir”. We have a long kiss
(chapter 25), the attempt of a hug
, the tears, the rough actions, 
, the painter lying on the ground
(chapter 25), the lord’s comments
(chapter 49) The man had just humbled himself, yet this was totally ignored. I would even add that the artist’s words even devalued the noble’s words and actions even more. Like I mentioned it before, the low-born somehow treats the aristocrat as a tool for his own pleasure. We have an indirect rejection as the artist refuses to give him his heart. 
(chapter 20) The low-born’s head is much lower, and there is a certain distance between both bodies due to the way the low-born’s hands and head are placed. Here, the lord is even complaining about the painter’s lack of experience and reaction. Now, if you look at the hug in chapter 42
, you’ll note here that the low-born’s head is higher and they are physically much closer but there still exists some distance. Even the lord’s behavior is different. His gestures oozes warmth, love and despair. His affection has truly gone deeper and with this huge hug, the manhwalovers can detect that the painter is indeed his first priority, while it was not the case before. His own selfish desires mattered more (20-21/25) back then. And now, we should look at the hug in the chapter 49. 
(chapter 41)
Consequently, while liberation will be the topic of the essay, I’ll question at the end, if their emancipation just announces a positive change. 
The double-faced man even supervised their sexual encounters, he never took the uke’s pleasure into consideration. In fact, he actually enjoyed it, when the protagonist would cry.
He abused the main character so much that at the end, Joo Sooin had even adopted Sungha’s worldview. As a homosexual, he was a dirty and filthy pervert. The red-haired man had succeeded to transform Sooin into a man with no confidence, no dream and no desire. That’s why I described him as a zombie in my first analysis about Dine With A Vampire (“What defines being a human?”). Imagine that for a brief moment his “only hope and dream” was to be thrown away, as if he was some garbage. 
due to the colors (dark blue and black) the selected shirt and the trousers resemble to the jacket he wore, when he was living with the future doctor.
grab his head so that he could take his whole shaft, I believe that this desire was influenced by Kwon Sungha too. What caught my attention is the main lead’s reaction, when he hears from his lover that he will do what Sooin wants. 
The quotation marks indicate a certain surprise and hesitation expressed by the sensitive human. At that moment, the new lover has no idea that the request doesn’t truly reflect the human’s wish, it is more linked to the violent internist. Besides, if you consider how rough the fellatio is (deep throat), even the vampire wonders how he can allow this, because he knows how delicate the human is. This would explicate why at the end, when the vampire declares that Sooin looks like a mess, the latter starts crying and apologizing. The deep throat fellatio and Chi-Hwan’s words triggered the main lead to remember about the negative image he has about him.
. The personal pronoun “I” is quite central in order to detect the slow recovery. If you compare to the way he spoke much earlier
, his sentences in the second picture above are much longer and without any break. Sooin is less reserved and more determined. There is a progression between the two pictures, the “I” becomes more and more important.
He even tells Sooin that he will always listen to his wishes and desires.
Why is there such a huge contrast between this relationship and Sooin’s bond with Sungha? Sooin and Chi-Hwan call each other master hence there exists no superiority between them, unlike Sungha who was the only master. For him, Sooin was just his pet or his object. While Sungha planned to cage his sex partner in a studio for his own sexual desires, Chi-Hwan uses the expression “our home”. 
Notice that he smiles and even laughs more, while in the introduction, he appeared more grumpy. He was avoiding humans and even vampires. The reasons were quite simple. He disliked the scent of humans’ blood and he needed to avoid vampires so that he could hunt them without getting noticed. In other words, he was quite lonely. He couldn’t share anything with others. Affection and care were non-existent. I also believe that he also discovered sexuality and its pleasures thanks to Sooin. Notice his reaction, when he drinks the human’s blood for the first time. 
Since he has bonded with a human, the origin of his powers is now Sooin and no longer the vampires. Does it signify that he will lose his supernatural powers over other vampires in the long term? Honestly, I believe the opposite. But we’ll see if this impression will be proven correct. Besides, as human’s life is so fragile, it is normal that Park Chi-Hwan’s enemy will target Sooin because he seems to be the weaker one. Once Sooin is removed from Chi-Hwan’s side, the latter will lose his happiness and joy. 
So my thinking is that now Baek Na-Kyum has adopted Yoon Seungho’s way of life, the one of a libertine, unaware that his lover is no longer one, sexually speaking. That’s why people still think the painter is a prostitute as libertines are usually judged like ones. However all this is influenced by moral standards, yet their motivation for sex is different as it is connected to freedom and not money. 
Another example is when the butler asked for an aphrodisiac from the physician so that the painter would get an erection. He used Yoon Seungho’s trick in order to improve the relationship between Baek Na-Kyum and his master.
Then in the chapter 29, the master went to the low noble’s room again, once he discovered the painter’s escape.
He wasn’t just infuriated, he was totally eaten by jealousy. Imagine, he belongs to the high nobility and the painter chose a low aristocrat with no huge income and connection over him. He, used to be surrounded by many nobles due to his wealth and power, kept experiencing rejections. Not only he was turned down multiple times but the person even preferred running away from him. The aristocrat made terrible experiences for the first time: not only jealousy but also he started feeling insecure. His reaction towards his servants (the beating) demonstrates that he was not just mad but also panicking, trying to vent all his negative emotions onto the staff. The one he chose because of his feelings for him had no consideration for him, a high noble. Neither wealth nor power nor force could make the painter submit to him. Only the butler could read his master’s expressions and behavior as an open book. 
In the second picture above, he is so furious that he can’t restrain himself from destroying the book. If the learned sir had been present, Yoon Seungho would have definitely killed him. To summarize, the master went there because of his jealousy and his urge to “kill” the scholar, well aware that this was not possible.
He thought that if he kept putting new brushes and an ink stone next to Baek Na-Kyum, the latter would realize that he was a painter in reality and no prostitute. However, his actions didn’t help neither his master nor the painter. Remember the saying: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. And this is exactly what is happening. The valet caused more agony to both protagonists with his actions. First, he asked the tailor to hide the true identity of his master’s lover to the folks, then he never confirmed the real status of Baek Na-Kyum to Deok Jae (he is just favored) so that he kept the painter in a very ambiguous status, which his lord didn’t catch. The painter had been literally destroyed by these poisonous words and the butler didn’t even comfort the man because he couldn’t. Due to Kim’s neutrality/passivity, the lord’s behavior could only reinforce the negative reflection the painter had about himself and his sex partner. We shouldn’t forget that Yoon Seungho was described in the first chapter of the second season as someone obsessed with his new lover.
The lord initially imagined that he had finally won and enjoyed his time with the painter, only to slowly realize that he was still missing something: the lack of passion and warmth. But the valet Kim kept this important detail from him. That’s why the master is so angry with his loyal domestic and with the low noble. The former acted on his own accord, although he is just a servant and Jung In-Hun, despise his absence, was still able to cause trouble in his relationship with the painter. Therefore Yoon Seungho feels the urge to kill the scholar symbolically, once he discovers the truth. He comprehends the painter much better, why he behaved like a prostitute, why he had lost his strength and strong will. 
Here, in this drawing, the noble is definitely pushing the artist to interrogate the true nature of his relationship with his learned sir, while at the same time he shows that he’ll assume the responsibility for him. But in this scene, the manhwalovers could never see Kim as he had been left behind at the tailor shop, taking care of the order for the new clothes. If the lord had known about the existence of this conversation, he would have been happy and not hurt, since he would have noticed that his words and actions had affected the artist. Yoon Seungho is well aware of the true meaning of this exchange, while the valet Kim wasn’t. 
Now, you understand why it is important to know this manhwa very well. The previous chapters help me a lot to perceive the thoughts and emotions of the main characters. Byeonduck uses the episodes from the first season to enlighten the development of her characters, underlining their transformation. In the beginning of the chapter 50, the manhwaphiles witness how much the main lead has changed. He has become very gentle, selfless and making sure that his lover is feeling well. But he is still ignorant of his own feelings. For him, reasoning is the cause of his behavior. Let’s not forget that during the first season, the main lead had to ponder a lot and even suffer due to remorse. So the painter did occupy a big place in his thoughts that’s why the lord is still making the mistake. On the other hand, he is now capable of expressing his love much better, although the artist couldn’t see it with his own eyes. However, his body has already sensed it. 
Since Baek Na-Kyum has now adopted the doctrine of a libertine, then he is already open to this idea of receiving lessons from Yoon Seungho. The latter will show him what a real libertine is, it is not just about living his sexuality freely, it is also thinking freely, see beyond the facade and recognize the true nature of people. He still needs to perceive Jung In-Hun’s vicious and cruel personality. However, there is still a long way to go because the lord is now hurting. He knows now why the painter remained by his side. He never won his heart and he discovered it due to the valet’s revelation.
and at some point, they stopped for a moment, only to do it again for a while 
. The hug in the chapter 32 contrasts so much to the hug in the chapter 49. In the former, they weren’t facing each other indicating the gap between them. In the latest episode, the noble is truly comforting the painter, he wants him to rely on him, to trust him, whereas in the past, the noble was determined to have the painter recognized his own sexual orientation.
In the latest chapter, he sensed it right away. 
Here, there was an emergency, while in the chapter 50, the main lead has no reason to be so gentle and affectionate except to feel the need to express his love for the painter. At no moment, his gaze diverts from Baek Na-Kyum’s face, his eyes are always focused on his lover during that night. 
He felt the noble’s presence due to the tight hug. He wasn’t able to repose at all. He could only doze after witnessing, how vulnerable the noble was. He realized that the aristocrat needed him for real and there was no danger coming from him. (chapter 37/38) Notice in the chapter 50 that he fell asleep while fully embraced, 
(“let my body take the lead”) has come true. His body is already telling him that he can trust the noble, while his mind still fears to depend on him. His heart and mind have been scarred due to Jung In-Hun’s hypocrisy therefore the commoner is consciously convincing himself that he should keep a certain distance from his sex partner. Yet his soul is doing the opposite. In his doze, he lets his head rest on the noble’s hand. He doesn’t wake up from the kiss either. As a first conclusion, the choice, the artist made consciously, comes true. He allows his body to follow his instinct. His body already relies on Yoon Seungho and this is only a matter of time, until his mind comes to the same realization: he loves the noble and he can rely on his warmth and love because his emotions are profound and genuine. So the first scene is important for two aspects: the readers can perceive the real transformation of the rich protagonist’s personality (from a selfish and rude to a gentle and selfless man) and the painter’s realization helps him to connect to Yoon Seungho, although it is just his unconscious. 
In the previous chapter, he is angry and due to his fury, he destroyed his room. However, he could stand on his own feet, was able to sway the sword and he had his hair tied with a topknot. So his appearance was still intact. In the chapter 50, he is on his knees, unable to grab anything, even hiding his face from the world. It was, as if he couldn’t even face people due to the bad decision he made, accompanied with huge pangs of conscience. 
Later he didn’t even pay attention to his clothes and image (chapter 41) 
and after hiring the assassin, he looks even worse than in the chapter 41. Neither alcohol nor sleep can help him to relieve his anxiety. 
. First, he didn’t notice Min’s perversion as he was too overwhelmed with his recent discovery. His childhood friend was having sex with the low-born for real. Besides, he witnessed the tender hug so his only explication was he had been bewitched. Anyway, under the influence of his emotions, he only started worrying the moment the killer looked at the mansion and his target. The irony is that whereas the painter was just acting like a prostitute and showed no real and deep feelings, Jihwa behaved the exact opposite. His huge amount of guilt and tension makes him so nervous and unstable. He can’t calm down at all.
Let’s not forget that the teacher never showed his true gaze to the painter until the chapter 40. Besides, we should remember that I already associated Jung In-Hun to the day and the sun (a fake one), therefore he couldn’t choose the moon as a metaphor for himself. Usually, kings are associated to the sun (see Louis XIV, the sun king or the pharaon in Egypt) and not the moon. 
(chapter 3) He finally came to love himself. However, he never realized that the gaze reflected his affection and fascination for the artist, as his eyes were directed at the creator and not at his sex partner Jihwa. 
(chapter 2) Moreover, the noble showed his true self, the moment he met Baek Na-Kyum for the first time. He was acting like a fan meeting his idol which is a sort of love. 
(chapter 1) He was smiling and happy, he was very genuine. All his actions in the beginning prove to me that he fell for the artist at first sight. His admiration for the painter’s work served as a good preparation and when he saw the painter’s face, he was already gone. Consequently I wrote the essay about Yoon Seungho’s weaknesses. He fell very hard for him, but never realized that, because he had lived for a long time without his heart. He had forgotten how to interpret emotions. This is the reason why he had a low EQ. And now, I can bring an evidence that this interpretation was correct. In the third season, the lord admits that his affection existed very early on. 
(chapter 91) Another reason why the lord couldn’t recognize his affection for Baek Na-Kyum was that the painter kept pushing him away. Thus he had no time to introspect himself and question his feelings. He was busy pondering how to convince the artist to work for him or to think about the image the commoner had about him: “a man consumed by lust” (chapter 5). Then from the beginning, he felt the need to touch him 
(chapter 1) (his talented hands, then his tears and eyes, his hair, etc.). 
(chapter 2) He also liked his ears, because he often whispered to the painter’s ears, although he first threatened him. The whispering is important, as it shows his need for closeness. This is not surprising why he whispered and licked his ears during the masturbation scene.
Thus in the third season, we witness how the lord keep whispering to his lover in private 
(chapter 91) and in public 
(chapter 92) This truly exposes the protagonist’s true nature: he is delicate and sensitive. 
(chapter 57) Now, you can sense why I am writing this. The love Seungho had in the beginning has changed a lot, has deepened so much that he considers the painter as his wife, that he became monogamous and is even willing to get hurt, if it means that in the end, he can get closer to Baek Na-Kyum. His love for the low-born has transformed the man, 
(chapter 48) He is actually upset, because Baek Na-Kyum still views him as a man consumed by lust and the former acts as a prostitute. the aristocrat did so many things for him (lowering himself in order to pleasure him, becoming monogamous, buying him expensive and warm clothes, treating him with respect, going to town with him etc.). But with the painter’s remark, it was as if the lord had done it, as he was expecting something in return!! Yes, the existence of a new deal, but contrary to the past, Yoon Seungho had never mentioned it explicitely. The reality was that Yoon Seungho had acted generously out of selflessness. He didn’t expect anything in return, maybe just his presence. Because of the silence between them, a misunderstanding occurred. Thus the lord felt so upset. It was, as if all his benevolence had never existed, as if the aristocrat had paid him like a whore. 
(chapter 46), the painter felt somehow obliged to paint something… as you can see, he was trying to change the nature of their relationship. 
(chapter 47) He had been hired as a painter, but the lord had showed no real interest in the picture, it remained on the floor. Furthermore, he kept commenting about Baek Na-Kyum’s body 
(chapter 47) (his blushing and how thin he was). Thus the noble contributed to reinforce the painter’s prejudice. He was only interested in his body. Thus the artist jumped to the wrong conclusion: he was only a man consumed by lust. 
(chapter 48) His appearance is linked to his resolution to solve the issue. Since the painter didn’t understand the aristocrat’s pranks 
(chapter 48) His true goal is to provoke a reaction in the artist. However, in the chapter 20, he hesitated before deciding to slip into the role, as he didn’t respond to the kiss immediately.
(chapter 21) I interpret the way Byeonduck drew the glasses as if they are vanishing. That’s the reason why I state that the commoner was able to distinguish the disappearing of the glasses. The expensive wine had lowered the painter’s control body (conscious mind) so that the unconscious could finally be released. Here, the painter was expressing his inner deepest wish: making love to the person he was attracted to. Furthermore I consider the drawing above as a proof that the painter became aware of Yoon Seungho’s real presence. The artist could recognize Yoon Seungho by his lips and chin, let’s not forget that he is a detail-oriented painter who had both nobles as source of inspiration. Since the powerful lord was dishonest, then Baek Na-Kyum could also be insincere. The black in the pictures, corresponding to the artist’s eyelids, kept increasing symbolizing his denial of the reality. 
(chapter 21) It was, as if he was closing his eyes to his sex partner’s identity, choosing to follow his sexual desires which had been repressed for so long. Hence I come to the conclusion that during that night, the painter wasn’t entirely innocent and used the noble. Until the chapter 16, he had to fight against his sexual desires for Yoon Seungho. But he had to deny them and as time passed on, he was forced to hide them (see the masturbation in the chapter 9). So the scholar’s rejection and abandonment 
(chapter 19) not only pushed the painter to drink, but also to disregard the doctrine that had been imposed on him. I am not saying that Baek Na-Kyum had already realized the subterfuge right from the beginning. Yet it dawned on him as their sex session progressed. Once confronted in the pavilion, he could perfectly recall his love confession. Both main leads sinned during that night, hence they had to pay the price for their dishonesty: the rape and the rejection. But since in the study, the lord was selfless and even took the risk to jeopardize his relationship with the low-born, he got rewarded. The painter was finally accepting him as his sexual partner. 
(chapter 49) He was no longer a prostitute. This explicates why Kim had to intervene himself and reveal the incident in the library. 
(chapter 50) He needed to separate the couple. From my point of view, it is related to Deok-Jae’s insult. 
(chapter 47) Kim must have tattled on Deok-Jae to his master, faking that he was defending the painter’s best interests. 
(chapter 29) Notice the parallels. In the chapter 49, Baek Na-Kyum is associating the gentle lord with the double-faced teacher, just like during their Wedding night. One more time, the scholar becomes a hindrance and is the reason why the painter refuses to open up to the main lead entirely. He won’t make the same mistake: sensing the warmth coming the main lead as something genuine and real. 
(chapter 51) If he was no longer his sexual partner, why didn’t the lord chase him away? Why was he allowed to stay in the mansion? Remember the head-maid’s words: 
(chapter 38) Maybe he is expecting him to paint for him. Thus he created a new erotic picture. From my point of view, the artist was slowly realizing that Yoon Seungho was indeed favoring him. 
(chapter 53) He knew that this was not the main lead’s wish. And now, you comprehend why the artist didn’t paint so much in the second season. It was related to the lord’s interests. 
(chapter 44) He saw it as a confirmation that the teacher had truly abandoned him, for he never bid goodbye to him. However, now I believe that Kim never informed the artist of the scholar’s departure.
(chapter 44) He just delivered it in delay so that the artist would feel even worse than before. Without the farewell, he could only come to the conclusion that he had been truly abandoned by Jung In-Hun. Yes, the artist didn’t react like the butler had expected. He remained in the mansion despite the gate had been left wide opened. By getting rid of the painting, he was cutting ties with the learned sir. Yet this was a baby step compared to the scene in the chapter 49. Here, he has finally become the master of his own life and fate therefore he’ll live his life the way he wants. He is accepting his homosexuality and as such his sensuality. He views sex as a part of his life. He rejects abstinence and doesn’t view sex as an addiction. 
(chapter 49)
In fact, in this image, he was acknowledging his other part: he was a painter.
(chapter 1) I perceive this image as an indication that the artist had dreamed about this love session. Note that all dreams about the painter were linked to sex and love. For me, this picture is a proof that the brothel had nothing to do with it. He was drawing outside and he had no model for such a scene right in front of him. In other words, the child allowed his body (his arm, hand, eye and brain) to take the lead, hence he was able to create such a sensual picture. Even Yoon Seungho wondered how a virgin could produce such beautiful drawings.
(chapter 87) He saw no crime in it, rather as something lovely and beautiful, hence he never felt the need to hide it. Notice that in this picture, he was creating such a lewd painting 
(chapter 1) where people can behold it, he feels neither shame nor embarrassment. He had no idea that he was violating social norms. That’s why I came to the following interpretation, when the painter said 
By forcing him to drop painting, Jung In-Hun had already ruined the low-born’s life, as painting was a part of his soul. We could say that the low-born was already withering. However, back then Yoon Seungho was not interested in why the painter suddenly dropped his true vocation and why he lied to him too. The lord was more obsessed with the erotic drawings. The cause for this long explication is necessary as with this interpretation, I am predicting what is going to happen in the future. 
Here again, he allowed his body to take the lead, but it was once again behind closed doors and nobody was present. He was hiding again, indicating that he still wouldn’t admit his own sexual desires and his homosexuality. Until now, he had only asked for comfort and love from his counterpart (chapter 20/21 and 41/42). Remember that in the chapter 41, he just asked to be hold and as such, he only wanted to be embraced initially. However, due to his inexperience and pain, he confused love with sex. As you can see, the belief “the body taking the lead” had resurfaced indicating that little by little, the painter was changing. More importantly is that he hadn’t been triggered by an immediate sex session, unlike in the past (chapter 8/9). For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum’s sexual desires had come back to life. Unlike in the past, he didn’t judge the cum as something dirty and filthy. Moreover, Baek Na-Kyum could only ejaculate due to Yoon Seungho’s warmth and love. He had these flashbacks where the lord made love to him. 
That’s why his paintings lacked passion and warmth. He was working like a robot. As a conclusion, until the chapter 46, Baek Na-Kyum never considered his “husband” (I am well aware this is not how Baek Na-Kyum perceives Seungho) as his muse. He just used him as his model as he had been forced to or he wanted to smooth his agony. 
(chapter 1) He had no choice. He had to paint erotic paintings. Thus I conclude that the artist couldn’t fully show his true talent and express his passion for painting totally. Yet, his publications were still beautiful, since the lord’s heart and gaze were moved. On the other hand, the noona Heena sent her adopted son to Jung In-Hun, because she feared for her brother. 
(chapter 46) However, I believe that she was acting on the learned sir’s request. She justified her decision to send him away to the teacher, because she knew that by the learned sir’s side, the artist would never outlive his homosexuality. She imagined that the low noble was her son’s source of inspiration
(chapter 46), whereas the artist had other motivation. Therefore she thought that it was for the best, if he was by the teacher’s side. I assume that the teacher wished the low-born by his side for two reasons: money and the prospect to benefit from Baek Na-Kyum’s talent. It is very likely that out of greed, the learned sir desired to sell the painter’s works for his own benefit. But for the artist had been requested to paint these erotic paintings for survival, I come to the conclusion that he had been asked twice to paint erotic pictures. The first time, it was for a precise client, and the second time it got sold among the commoners, which explains why the tailor knew about the identity of the painter. 
(chapter 64) There’s no ambiguity that the scholar’s prospect got ruined, hence he unleashed his jealousy and resent onto the painter, until the man vowed to follow the scholar’s doctrine. The poor man could never tell Heena about the physical and mental abuse, as he had already been abandoned.
(chapter 34) He had to keep his promise to never return to the kisaeng house. I believe that the kisaeng must have used this incident 
(chapter 94) to send her brother away and exactly like in chapter 44, she made sure that the noonas wouldn’t be informed. That way, she could deceive her colleagues. It had been the painter’s choice. 
(chapter 93) For the man was his guardian, the low-born had to accept his situation. But since he was just a low-born, I doubt that he could sleep in the same room than the scholar. From my point of view, he had to sleep outside on the wooden planks, the older version of this scene. 
(chapter 1) Therefore it is not surprising why he didn’t leave the mansion in the end and why he said this to the head-maid. 
(chapter 75) Painting was his passion, and the childhood drawings kept by the noonas clearly indicate that he didn’t paint erotic paintings, since he was a child. 
(chapter 94) He painted animals and as such nature. 
(chapter 1) Sure, the painter’s mind was reminding him that this is filthy and vulgar, yet I sense that this affected the artist’s unconscious a lot. All the wet dreams Baek Na-Kyum had, the seme’s phallus played a huge part. Thus we have such drawings in the fantasies, where the protagonist’s sex is in the center of the painter’s imagination:
(chapter 2) 
(chapter 6) 
(chapter 8)
(chapter 94) The painter followed his heart. Observe that the numbers have been switched: 49-94. The mirror effect and in the study we had a reflection too. Both main leads reflected each other’s minds: acceptance of a sexual relationship, but rejection at the same time, no strings attached. 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 94) So the lord is now associated to the moon and as such to nature. Thus I conclude that the noble will discover the painter’s true talent. From my point of view, his new paintings won’t be just erotic pictures about himself with the uke, but also about nature (animals, plants). The diversity of the topics will increase, yet I am sensing that the pictures will definitely reflect the painter’s love and admiration for the seme. 
(chapter 92) Yes, it is very likely that Baek Na-Kyum decides to recreate this scene, because we could see that Baek Na-Kyum’s heart and soul was moved. A new version of this scene: 
(chapter 36) Besides, the painter’s works will reveal what the protagonists feel and think about each other: love. 
(chapter 48) The noble had noticed that the artist was blind and deaf hence he needed to use the low-born’s body to awake his senses and arouse the painter’s instincts. That’s why he licked the painter’s ears while whispering, 
(chapter 49) or pinched his nipples. At no moment, the protagonist let his emotions (anger, frustration) take control over the situation. That’s why we definitely can’t say that we have another rape in the chamber. First, since “Baek Na-Kyum is a whore” (in the painter’s mind), then the lord can do anything he wants. The noble’s reasoning is quite simple: “Because the commoner is acting, then I should act too”. Secondly, the noble is trying to discover the root of the problem
(chapter 49), until Baek Na-Kyum yells to his lover and starts crying for real. Notice that in the drawing above, the artist expresses his own thoughts and desires for the first time. What caught my attention is that in this drawing, Baek Na-Kyum is speaking without a pause, unlike in the past where he is not even using the pronoun “I” or “me”: 
(chapter 45). My interpretation is that in that situation, the painter was only perceiving himself as an object. Sure, right after he admitted that he was feeling something. 
(chapter 45) But the emotions were quite superficial, he had great difficulties to externalize these. While the pronoun “I” was only used for the first time for a short moment, there was still the presence of an object in his confession. In other words, he was still denying the existence of two naked bodies till the chapter 49. Either he was an object (“it feels nice”) or the lord was one (“I like it”). Hence the lord’s remark was so point on: 
(chapter 48) First, he had misunderstood the confession, yet at some point he perceived his “confessions” for its real value: the presence of an object in his expressions. 
(chapter 49)
(chapter 49)
(chapter 42)
(chapter 39) So he won’t react like in the past, hide his special relationship with the lord. He won’t show any fear, when it comes to gossip or judgement from others. Why should he feel ashamed? This is something natural, which means that the next time Deok Jae calls him 
That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum blames the noble for this. By doing so, he can keep denying his homosexuality and he would have kept following the teacher’s regulations. However, like I explained in the first part, Baek Na-Kyum wasn’t innocent either, he did know what was happening. By acting as if he was seeing the scholar, he had the excuse to forget this night. Besides, the painter was the one confessing first and not the other way around. We shouldn’t forget that the aristocrat didn’t respond to the kiss immediately. He still hesitated for a few seconds.
Imagine that with only one hand, the low aristocrat was able to create some distance with the artist. The latter stopped approaching his learned sir after this gesture. Then, the teacher argued with Baek Na-Kyum that with his explanation, he was questioning his abilities.
(Thank you @Slam_ for this observation) Therefore he views the painter as his “wife”. Only his love for Baek Na-Kyum could give the main character the strength to keep struggling. That’s why he doesn’t admit defeat, although the low-born hurt him over and over again, although he was once on the verge of giving up on him (chapter 35). Let’s not forget that back then, he saw how Jung In-Hun was flirting with his “wife” who kept blushing due to the scholar’s caresses. However, he didn’t do it because he saw the painter not following the double-faced man. That’s why I would like to examine the following chapters under the following aspect: Baek Na-Kyum’s attitude towards the rule 6 because Yoon Seungho’s struggle is strongly connected to this doctrine.
He is perceiving the low noble more and more in a different light in the chapter 35, especially when he hears the noble declaring that he would have never spent money for him. 
Baek Na-Kyum even replies that he was seriously ill, however Jung In-Hun shows no real concern. He still thinks that a few caresses will be enough to get what he wants. 
He is so used to the painter’s submission. He abandoned him twice, nevertheless the artist always viewed him as his master and never questioned his past actions (chapter 1, 19: the several abandonments). That’s why he doesn’t feel the need to put much effort in his deception. In the scholar’s mind, the painter is still his servant. He just needs to remind him of his task and the low-born will obey him.
That’s what he is expecting. However during this scene, the intellectual didn’t pay attention to the change in the artist’s attitude. The fact that the latter asked him why he never visited him and the commoner even replied that he was seriously ill, these were clues of Baek Na-Kyum’s transformation. But since Jung In-Hun is too selfish and was himself under pressure because he realized that he might end up with nothing, he didn’t catch these details. The picture of painter standing in front of the door with his head down reflected his second pain and disappointment.
Since he has already vowed to treat Yoon Seungho as his master, he can’t betray his second lord, the famous sodomite. The second reason for his dishonesty is that the seme’s vulnerability did move his heart, hence he could only hide the truth. Moreover, I would like to add another cause for the artist’s lie. 
Since Jung In-Hun had been acting as if he knew nothing of the real relationship between Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho, he couldn’t accuse the painter of lying. As he was the man who developed this doctrine where homosexuality is considered filthy and vulgar, the low noble couldn’t mention it because this would signify that he had been manipulating the painter and the latter would have got aware of it. So the regulations set by the teacher became the reason why neither Jung In-Hun nor Baek Na-Kyum could be honest. If they had been frank to each other, then this would have meant that the scholar had been violating himself his own laws and his authority would have not only been tarnished but also doubted. This would have displayed that the scholar has been acting as a pimp. I hope, this is understandable. 
He did hope that the teacher liked him. So he was indeed bothered until he felt the need to interrogate the scholar himself. Since I listed the teacher’s doctrine, now the manhwalovers can judge this episode differently.
I have to admit that in the past I only examined the chapter 40 under the aspect “fate” and “prostitute”, hence I wrote before that Jung In-Hun revealed his true personality because he was pressured, angry and jealous. First, he realized that the promise made by Yoon Seungho is fake. Moreover, he resented the artist because the wealthy noble favored the latter so much (new clothes, the room next to the master, the right to spend the night with the lord, invitation to the pavilion and to the hunt etc), while the rich aristocrat somehow neglected him, a noble too. Furthermore the hypocrite was asked by a commoner to take his responsibility. 
And the final words said by the low aristocrat cause the artist to become deaf as well. He is so traumatized that he is like paralyzed and let the noble leave the library without being able to argue. That’s why he has this negative perception of himself. 
In his mind, his last trick must have turned Baek Na-Kyum into a submissive person again and he knows it that’s why he still thinks, he can use the commoner as his pawn. He might have abandoned the artist for a third time, he has the impression that the low-born will always follow his orders like in the past. Despite each rejection, Baek Na-Kyum welcome him with open arms (chapter 7 and 24) so he still believes that he has the upper hand and he is still controlling the low-born. That’s why he leaves the artist without biding goodbye. He doesn’t need to keep the pretense but knows very well that the painter has stopped rebelling after destroying his identity and personality for good. With this new interpretation, I come to a different judgement about Jung In-Hun. 
He can’t escape from this new prison, a hell created by the gaze from others. 
It is pointless because the low-born is no longer using his eyes and ears to perceive the reality. He relies too much on others (Yoon Seungho, the head-maid, the servant Deok-Jae, Jung In-Hun). Through pain and pleasure, he might realize that he is a person on his own, he has an identity but for that, he needs to exist and express his wish, emotions and thoughts. 
. He believes that through pain inducing his tears, the painter could finally reveal what happened back then. He witnessed it with the rape and the fellatio.
Therefore the seme was forced to take the man with him and pressured him until the painter gave in. He had to admit that painting was his way to survive. Notice that Yoon Seungho cornered him to concede this. 
(chapter 7) Notice that in order to force the painter to violate the scholar’s rules, the noble had to use stratagems that didn’t require a lot of strength in the beginning: some little menace and the blackmail. Yet, the manhwaphiles can detect that the thread keeps growing as well. The aristocrat already has to use his power (influence and money) in order to corner the painter (chapter 7) which shouldn’t be neglected. It did represent a lot: a roof and free food for the low noble. 
I am quite sure that the innocent protagonist hadn’t done it before due to the scholar’s preaching. So the chapter 9 marked another progression. Baek Na-Kyum disrespected the rule 3 for the first time on his own. He can’t admit to feel attracted to another man, to be recognized as a sodomite. That’s why the masturbation represented a compromise. Since he was alone, nobody would know about it. As you can detect, little by little Seungho is removing all the rules set by the low aristocrat. But the higher the rules are, the more Yoon Seungho needs to use force. 
(rule 2) Surprising is that due to his interaction with the main lead, Baek Na-Kyum had somehow started thinking on his own, using his own critical thinking therefore he reprimanded the rich master for his cruel behavior towards the servant who got killed. In that moment, Jung In-Hun had to put him back to his place. He admonished the painter harshly for his criticism. As a low-born, he was not allowed to make such comment. 
(chapter 10) From my point of view, the chapter 10 not only reveals the huge influence Jung In-Hun has on the painter, but also illustrates the growing influence of Seungho on the artist. The master’s words and actions did shake the rule 6. But it wasn’t enough to remove this wall hence Baek Na-Kyum accepted the low noble’s reproach and remained silence. 
(chapter 11) Compared to the past where he just pushed the low-born away, his gestures in the chapter 11 displays the increasing use of Seungho’s force. But the master felt remorse hence later the painter was only scratched by the master. Nonetheless, let’s not forget that Seungho had already set his eyes on the painter. He wanted to taste the artist. As a first conclusion, the lord had only removed the rule 1 and 2. At the end of the chapter 15, the noble is facing another hindrance, the rule 3: his denial of his homosexuality. Therefore the masturbation in the chapter 16 marks the first step in order to destroy the rule 3. Notice that the noble was annoyed, when the artist gave the false excuse that he was tired in order to avoid the noble. So he somehow “attacked” Baek Na-Kyum by hugging him and grabbed his penis. 
(chapter 16) Let’s not forget that he didn’t ask for the commoner’s permission. That’s why the painter cried in that scene. The latter knew that he was violating the rule 3, yet the seme saw that Baek Na-Kyum was aroused and felt pleasure. 
(chapter 19), he was already on his guard waiting for a signal which appeared in the form of the stolen bottle. He seized the opportunity to meddle between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum. He needed to squash in between these two men. 
(chapter 21). 
(chapter 21) Yoon Seungho heard a love confession, got hugged and kissed tenderly and there was someone crying out of happiness because of him. For the first time, he saw that tears could be related to happiness and he could affect someone positively. That’s why he reacted by kissing the painter’s eye and tears. 
(chapter 21) Although he knew that it was just an illusion because Baek Na-Kyum had confessed to someone else, he hoped deep down that the painter would love him, if he remembered their night today. He tried to trigger his memory through different tricks (like here with the book) 
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 