Jinx: “Shocking discoveries!!” 😘😲 (10 pictures)

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex,  https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/  and the 12th essay about Jinx  In real bad shape  Here is the link of the table of contents about JinxHere is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas

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First of all, I was very happy to see my prediction come true. The protagonists kissed each other. (chapter 14) Thus one might wonder if something in episode 14 caught me by surprise. But yes, despite everything, I made a shocking discovery. But I was not the only one. Both main leads made shocking discoveries. Since I couldn’t finish the essay before the publication of episode 15, I am now including episode 15 as well. But let’s start with the doctor.

1. The physical therapist’s shocking discoveries

First, Kim Dan was shocked, when he saw Joo Jaekyung with a huge cold pack on his shoulder and surrounded by many people. (chapter 14) Coach Jeong Yosep even looked worried while talking to the athlete. Imagine that the night before, the doctor had met the champion, and he had showed no sign of pain or distress. So this scene must have shaken him deeply to the point that he felt guilty.. (chapter 14) Yes, guilty, because he has a drop of sweat on his face. He is feeling uncomfortable, for he didn’t take the situation seriously. Why? It is because in his eyes, Joo Jaekyung has been acting like a spoiled and immature child until now. Only in that moment, he started worrying very much about the athlete. Park Namwook’s words must have come back to his mind:

“I’ve never seen Jaekyung like this before, doc. He’s really going through it…!” (chapter 14)

However, the moment the sportsman asked the crowd to leave the room, Kim Dan made a new shocking discovery!! (chapter 14) Joo JAekyung grabbed him with the arm whose shoulder was supposed to be the issue! This means with his action, he exposed the lie. 😂 He could move his shoulder perfectly. That’s the reason why the author added an interrogation point with a exclamation point as Kim Dan‘s reaction which is not visible here. The irony is that no one noticed it and could detect his lie. Imagine that only after the match the athlete confessed the truth to his manager and huyng Park Namwook. (chapter 15) Thus Park Namwook must view the athlete as a spoiled child again. How could he do this? But let’s return our attention to Kim Dan’s first shocking discovery: the deception from the fighter.

Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible that the doctor began questioning the champion about his health issues. (chapter 14) Notice that he employed the expression “I heard” indicating that he was starting doubting the manager’s words. Maybe there had been a misunderstanding or an exaggeration from Park Namwook. But instead of answering his questions, the fighter replied this: STRIP!! (chapter 14) Once again, this must have deeply surprised Kim Dan. I would even say that such a request must have horrified Kim Dan. (chapter 14) The manhwalovers can notice that the protagonist’s face became blue with shock! 🥶 This order came like a bolt from the blue! Who on earth would make a doctor travel for 4 hours for just having sex? In his eyes, the champion must have appeared like a crazy, sex obsessed and immature child!! So in this scene, the young doctor’s negative perception about Joo Jaekyung must have reached a new peak. He was acting like an irresponsible and unreasonable person. Therefore the doctor still tried to divert the champion’s attention on something else.

Kim Dan: “But aren’t you… unwell?” (chapter 14)

Maybe he had felt a discomfort before, and had forgotten it. This scene shows that Kim Dan is not taking the champion’s jinx and belief seriously. Then at the end, when he asked the main lead to be more gentle, he never expected to be kissed. Yes, this was another huge discovery. (chapter 14) That’s the reason why he had his eyes wide open. And naturally, we have to envision that this represented the doctor’s first kiss. This interpretation is confirmed in episode 15. (chapter 15) He has no idea how to kiss, and his notion of kissing is based on prejudices. The sudden change definitely caught the doctor by surprise for two reasons. First how could he become more gentle, after punching the door like that? (chapter 14) Besides, for the first time, the fighter had listened to his plea (chapter 14) contrary to the past. In my eyes, when Kim Dan was grabbed by the chin (chapter 14), he thought, Joo Jaekyung would warn him again, like in this scene. (chapter 12) Because of his unpredictable behavior, the champion must appear in the physical therapist’s eyes as a powerful but uncontrollable teenager. Nevertheless, in episode 15, Kim Dan made another huge discovery: (chapter 15) By watching the champion’s victory live, he was forced to admit that the man is more than just a spoiled and immature child. HE is above all a celebrity, someone people admire. He is a serious athlete. (chapter 15) In this scene, he is reminding of reality. While many readers thought that Kim Dan was falling in love with Joo Jaekyung due to the heartbeat and his facial expression, (chapter 15) I come to a different interpretation. Kim Dan is simply realizing that he is standing in front of his idol. There’s no doubt that he has always admired the man, since he watched his fight on his cellphone. Then he idolized his body and his attitude during the training. For me, Kim Dan was reacting like a stan in front of his idol!! That’s the reason why Mingwa drew such a panel. (chapter 15) For the first time, he was able to watch his fight live… something he could never afford before. Right now, he is standing far away from the ring, but slowly he will move closer and closer to the ring. Yes, this scene moved not only Kim Dan, but also me! Why? It is because I felt that the doctor was slowly moving on from his prejudices about the athlete. He is more than just a childish, sex obsessed and self-centered man. Hence it is not surprising that he thought about his own responsibility. (chapter 15) This implies that Kim Dan is now taking his job seriously and as such the athlete’s jinx. We could say that as his “stan”, he desires to work properly, as his doctor and sex partner. Under this new approach, it becomes comprehensible, while at the end, the doctor made the following request to Joo Jaekyung:

“It’s just… if you could let me know in advance… I could, um, prepare myself a bit better ? Uh… emotionally… (chapter 15)

Kim Dan has the intention to do his “job” properly, he will act as his stan, he has no intention to get emotionally attached. This means that the young man no longer views himself as a “whore” which is a good thing. But admiration is something different from “love”. A fan might adore a celebrity, but the person always separates his life from his idol’s. Therefore I don’t think that the doctor will fall in love with the athlete first… quite the opposite! These positive emotions represent an obstacle.

2. Joo Jaekyung’s “crazy behavior”

I am sure that many readers felt the same way than the doctor while reading episode 14: Joo Jaekyung appeared as a self-centered and brutal “child”. Who would f…k like that just before a fight? (chapter 14) It was rough to the point that Kim Dan was in pain and even scared. It was, like Joo Jaekyung was fighting against Kim Dan. The sex resembled to a boxing match. But the most terrible aspect is that the athlete’s mind was elsewhere. He was recalling the affront made by the boxer Randy Booker. (chapter 14) This means that Joo Jaekyung is separating the body from the mind. How? It was, as if he was not sensing his own body. This explicates why he didn’t notice that he was hurting Kim Dan while having sex. For me, the fighter had lost almost all his senses (touch, vision, smell). He was only brought back to reality, when the doctor whispered to his sex partner: (chapter 14) The weeping sound and his voice reminded him of the doctor’s existence and presence. He was not with Randy Booker, but with a weak creature who could die, if he kept behaving like that. Joo Jaekyung didn’t feel pain or heard the sound, when he punched the door. (chapter 14) As you can see, only the doctor could bring him back to reality. Hence we could say that the physical therapist had become a surrogate of Randy Booker. That’s the reason why Joo Jaekyung never hugs and embraces his “lovers”. He is fighting in bed, they replace the “fighters. But why was he so upset in the end? For me, it is related to the rival’s words. (chapter 14) He insulted him by saying that he was a little baby. I believe that this was the worst offense for Joo Jaekyung.

2. 1. Joo Jaekyung: A baby or a man?

For me, there is no doubt that the athlete has a different perception about himself. He views himself as an independent and mature man. Yes… you are reading it correctly. Let’s not forget that he is a successful athlete. He takes care of his health (balanced meals and abstinence), and he makes sure that he lives in a decent house. This is perceptible, when the manhwaphiles pay attention to his behavior towards Kim Dan. (chapter 9) (chapter 10) He acts, as if he was the mature one next to the doctor. He gives him advices (chapter 13) and makes some reproach. (chapter 11) In episode 15, he even seems to be all-knowing.

“Tell me something I don’t know. “ (chapter 15)

Furthermore, he often listens to his huyng’s advices and opinion. As you can see, he perceives himself as a mature and reasonable man, while for him, Kim Dan seems so irresponsible!! That’s the reason why he could only get infuriated by the insult from Randy Booker. But there is more to it in my opinion.

2. 2. Rejection and admiration

I detected another cause for his outburst. I would say, rejection! He hates not being accepted! This was particularly perceptible in chapter 15. You could sense his sense of satisfaction, when the crowd called his name. (chapter 15) He was smiling. (chapter 15) He looked happy there. This can only reinforce my interpretation that the athlete was neglected in his childhood. Through his fame, he is compensating the lack of attention in his childhood. This explicates why he looks out for his reputation (chapter 13) and met “lovers” in club, which is something secretive and private. Therefore the manhwaphiles can comprehend why the athlete is hiding his homosexuality in the end. He fears rejection, a sign of abandonment issues, hence it explicates the origins of his rage and violence. He doesn’t desire to be reminded of his own past. Therefore it is not surprising that he couldn’t forget Randy Booker’s insults (the spit in chapter 14) and retaliated the same way after his victory. (chapter 15) He seems to live by the principle “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (“lex talionis”, law of retaliation).

In addition, I think the words “little baby” triggered such a strong reaction, for he hates being a child. But why? It is because he has been neglected in his childhood, like mentioned above. He doesn’t want to be seen as a kid. He wants to forget his childhood. It was, as if he was erasing his own youth.

Nonetheless, because the champion was no longer sensing his body and using his senses while having sex, I started researching about the origins about such a behavior. And this is what I discovered: Somatosensory affectionate deprivation, SAD. But what is it exactly?

“During my tenure at the NICHD (1966-1980), I formulated a novel developmental brain-behavioral theory of emotional-social regulation to explain the pathological depression and violence that results from maternal-social deprivation or the social isolation rearing of infant animals. This theory involved the cerebellar-limbic-frontal lobe complex where I proposed that the cerebellum has a major role in the regulation of sensory-limbic (emotional) brain activity which also integrates (or not) this activity with higher brain processes (frontal-temporal cortex). I established a number of basic research programs to evaluate this theory and with other scientists documented that the failure of “mother love” results in developmental brain dysfunction and damage which underlies the depression, stereotypical movement disorders (e.g. rocking behaviors and self-mutilation), hyperreactivity to sensory stimulation, particularly touch with, paradoxically, impaired pain perception; social alienation, rage and pathological violence against other animals that have been commonly described in isolation reared monkeys and in other isolation reared animals. Quoted from http://www.violence.de/prescott/pppj/article.html

Thus, it was proposed that affection deprivation would be associated with the sensation of physical pain as well as with poor-quality sleep. Three studies involving a total of 1,368 adults from nearly all U.S. states and several foreign countries revealed significant associations between affection deprivation, physical pain, and multiple facets of disturbed sleep.” Quoted from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305695316_Affection_Deprivation_Is_Associated_With_Physical_Pain_and_Poor_Sleep_Quality

I had already outlined that the athlete wouldn’t sleep much. SAD would also explain why the manager desired his champion to have a physical therapist. Consequently, I assume that the champion grew up in an environment, where he was surrounded by men in my opinion. This explains why he calls Park Namwook and coach Jeong Yosep “hyung”. The absence of women in his world caused him to become rough. He had no feminine role model. And now, you comprehend why episode 14 represented a huge discovery for me. Joo Jaekyung was forced to change his behavior, because Kim Dan symbolizes the “child”… something he actually “hates”. This explicates why he was shocked (chapter 14) by the tears and the shaking voice from the physical therapist. (chapter 14) He was reminded of the seriousness of the situation. He couldn’t act like in the past. That’s how he remembered the advices from his chingu doctor. This scene exposes that Joo Jaekyung is relying more and more on the doctor. I would even add, the athlete needs him, because thanks to him, he could feel pleasure. For the first time, he could blush and make unusual facial expressions…. (chapter 12) In other words, he is rediscovering his inner child, something he deeply repressed.

Since I detected the contrast between Kim Dan and Joo Jaekyung, I am quite certain that Kim Dan has a huge advantage over his idol, he was embraced and kissed by his halmoni. (chapter 5) He learned what love is and how to display affection. He might have not kissed a woman before, but he knows sensuality (chapter 15), while the other views sex as a struggle. Since I detected the contrast between Kim Dan and Joo Jaekyung, I am quite certain that Joo Jaekyung had no woman close to him.

To sum up, because he was neglected in his childhood, he came to hate being a child. So from my point of view, he learned to become independent and act tough very early on. He internalized to rely on noone, as men are supposed not to cry and show vulnerabilities. Hence being called a “baby” could only represent the biggest insult for the athlete. It is worst than a child. He views himself as a strong, reasonable and responsible man. However, by meeting Kim Dan, he is discovering a new world, the lost childhood, thus he acts like a child (blushing, sometimes immature…). And now, observe how Joo Jaekyung reacted after their first kiss. He got upset, for the latter was not reciprocating the kiss. He felt like he was rejected. (chapter 15) He still viewed this sex session like a battle, that’s the reason why he observed the partner’s facial reaction. (chapter 15) He got shocked, when he realized that he could “defeat” the doctor with his kiss. (chapter 15) He truly enjoyed seeing Kim Dan’s blushing and ecstasy (chapter 15) As you can see, the doctor was teaching Joo Jaeykung something he didn’t know. The latter can have a good “fuck” (repeating the champion’s expression), if he is able to pleasure his partner too. Pay attention that he came to his climax, shortly after witnessing this face. (chapter 15) The doctor’s reaction aroused him so much that he started thrusting again, but this was really short. As you can see, the fighter discovered the positive aspects of kisses. He felt powerful, for he could still make his “counterpart” surrender to pleasure. For the first time, he was facing his partner. The champion still viewed this sex session as a fight, this explicates why he dropped the doctor right after. (chapter 15) He had defeated his “enemy” that’s the reason why he has always “abandoned” the young man after their intercourses. After this short but intense sex session, the fighter was now in possession of all his senses. He was no longer controlled by his negative emotions, thus he could plan a strategy how to defeat Randy Booker. But is he truly the winner of his “fight” with the doctor?

3. Victory or defeat?

While the athlete won the fight so easily, (chapter 15) I consider the sex session as the champion’s defeat. Why? It is because now they are kissing and facing each other. The distance is slowly diminishing, yet the champion is the only one who looks at Kim Dan which can only make him vulnerable. He called the protagonist a sleeping beauty, so imagine the effect that the man’s aroused and pretty face had on the athlete. (chapter 15) This can only work like a “charm”. Then the champion learned the following lessons. First, he needs to give pleasure to the physician to achieve his goal, defeat his enemy. Thus he has to become more sensual than before. Secondly the kiss implies the existence of emotions. But Joo Jaekyung is denying them. (chapter 15) Finally, he is confusing admiration with love. Observe that he looked at Kim Dan after hearing his compliment. (chapter 15) It shows that his words already have a huge signification. Moreover, since the young man blushed, the champion believes that he is getting “loved”. (chapter 15) However, admiration and love are not the same. Besides, since he bit Kim Dan, this means that he claims him as his “possession”. (chapter 15) This shows that Joo Jaekyung is falling more and more for the doctor, while the other is able to keep his distance from the champion, for he views Joo Jaekyung as his idol and his patient. He is able to differentiate between work and life. Thus he wants to be prepared emotionally. He shouldn’t get too much attached. This is only for the athlete’s sake and his career. However, this is not the same the athlete, for the latter is using his job to compensate his lack of warmth and affection in his childhood. He has long assimilated that admiration and fame are substitution for “love”. The young doctor might feel pleasure, but this doesn’t equal to love and affection. Thus I believe that the first one to fall in love will be the champion, and not Kim Dan. Like pointed above, his admiration and his sense of responsibility create a distance in the end, though it is not visible. Besides, who initiated the first kiss? JOO JAEKYUNG! Finally, he closed his eyes, a sign of trust! (chapter 15)

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Painter Of The Night: “It all started with…”

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. 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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Now, you are wondering why I chose such a title, because it offers so many possibilities. And that’s exactly the reason why I selected this title. I didn’t want to reveal immediately the real topic of the subject. Furthermore, I desired to look at the manhwa under this aspect, since it helps the readers to get a new understanding of Yoon Seungho’s actions and behavior.

1. … A painting

It all started with a painting, which caught Yoon Seungho’s attention and aroused him so much, that he became slowly dependent on the erotic pictures made by Baek Na-Kyum to the point that he had to use them all the time. (chapter 1) However, the moment Baek Na-Kyum stopped publishing, the addicted noble realized his terrible situation. He needed to have the creator by his side, since he couldn’t give up on his “addiction”. The paintings had become his drug and the moment the author stopped publishing, it made the lord recognize, that he needed to become the supplier. He couldn’t remain a buyer, since he was put in a vulnerable and insecure position. Therefore we could say as well, it all started with the painter’s vow.

Because of Baek Na-Kyum’s resignation, the lord suffered immensely, yet simultaneously the latter didn’t want to change his habit for his nightly activities. That’s why he had to find the source of his addiction: the anonym artist. And now, the first image gets another dimension. His smile not only expressed his happiness, but also exposed his intoxication at the same time. In other words, his euphoria was more artificial, as he was in the presence of his drug. This explicates why the lord was so self-centered and selfish in the beginning. He was prioritizing his own needs. Don’t get me wrong… I am not saying that his feelings for the low-born were not genuine, it was actually a combination of both. His unconscious had sensed the painter’s sensitivity and felt a certain closeness, yet because of his debauchery, the lord had perverted it and was behaving like a drug addict. Now, it becomes more understandable why Yoon Seungho had already announced a death sentence, (chapter 1) in case his wish didn’t get fulfilled, and why he became so “bloodthirsty” after the rejection. Just like a drug addict who becomes violent, if he is unable to get his drug, he felt the urge to release his anger. (chapter 1) It was, as if he was in withdrawal and couldn’t bear the thought, he hadn’t obtained what he desired. So when I compare the painter and his work to a drug, it puts the low-born in a bad light. Nonetheless this is not my intention at all. For me, the painter represents his cure in reality. Let’s not forget that the powerful aristocrat’s heart has been poisoned, corrupted by his father, therefore in order to get cured, he needs to find another “poison”, it’s like fighting a poison with another poison.

First, the painter confronts him with his own reflection (beautiful, attractive), which he has never experienced before. This drug is even more addictive than before, procuring new sensations. He becomes so high that he can’t control his erection and feels the need to have sex so early. (chapter 3) We see here the lord intoxicated by the new drug. It did release him from his prison, his self-hatred. Moreover, it helped him to see more clearly for the first time. His eye in his mind was now free from any corruption. Nonetheless the next day, he is faced with a different image. More precisely, his ears have to hear a terrible truth. Now, he is a man consumed by sex, which causes him to become pensive and depressed. He is no longer feeling the urge to have sex with Jihwa. And now, the manhwaphiles comprehend the true nature of the new drug: the painter’s gaze is liberating the lord’s senses, very similar to Jihwa. This is not surprising that the first two paintings (chapter 2) (chapter 10) he makes show our lord looking at the painter. Imagine, in the second image, he even has two sex partners by his side, yet his attention is directed at the creator and not his partners. This painting exposes their locked gaze and their growing intimacy. Baek Na-Kyum’s gaze has become the lord’s obsession, his new drug. The paintings Baek Na-Kyum creates exude warmth, beauty and naturality which stands in opposition to the world, where the lord is living: fakeness, superficiality, distance and coldness. But the lord’s attraction towards the painter increases so much that he would like to taste the artist. In other words, if he devours Baek Na-Kyum, he might get high again because the pictures are no longer enough to satiate his urges. Now, you can understand what this means. Having sex with the low-born signifies, he is “increasing” the dose. Note that this coincides with the third painting, where he is looking at Jihwa and not at the painter. During that night, he asked the commoner to join them. He was clearly expressing his interest in the artist. The locked gaze was no longer satisfying. This is also not surprising that the next day, he has no problem to cut ties with his long-time lover Jihwa. The artist has slowly replaced the sex partners. Without realizing it, the lord is becoming monogamous. Observe that from chapter 16, he has no nightly activity at all, contrary to the past. He makes a relapse in chapter 33, due to his guilty conscience. However, the moment he realizes that some nobles, especially Min, are looking at his “drug”, he recognizes what it really means, if he came to lose his new “drug”. His life and situation would be worse than before. Baek Na-Kyum’s gaze only belongs to him, hence he is willing to face a negative reflection.

Notice that the moment he is no longer obsessed with the paintings but with the artist’s love, he is no longer interested in his nightly activities. After chapter 21, he waits for the painter. He has already become monogamous. The long awaited picture serves a different purpose. Yoon Seungho would like to have a proof that he is loved by the painter. The image no longer represents his victory over a man and as such the noble he despises, but the mark of their love. He doesn’t feel the need to get aroused by the pictures.

2. … a kiss and embrace

Striking is that the moment he has sex with the artist, he discovers a new world: love and warmth. That’s the reason why this night still haunts his mind till the chapter 58. It all started with an innocent kiss but most importantly with the painter’s hug. (chapter 19) Notice that the moment the painter confesses to Seungho, he puts his hands on his shoulder and then he kisses him. But this doesn’t end here, later he puts his hands around his shoulders. (chapter 20) For the first time, the noble is embraced. And now, if you look at all the sex sessions he had with Jihwa or the others, the main lead was never truly hugged. (chapter 8) (chapter 9) (chapter 15) [I am not quoting the paintings again which could be added to this list] One might argue that in the first panel, the sex partner is hugging the main lead from behind. However, this gesture reminds us much more of a fight than of a real embrace, corroborating my initial interpretation of sex sessions. In truth, they are battles, where the ukes are the defeated ones. It looks like the noble is restraining the protagonist from moving. It’s, as if he was trapped. From my perspective, there is always a distance between him and the sex partners, especially in the threesome. (chapter 10) The lower part is focused on Min, while the mouth is busy kissing the other aristocrat. Yet Seungho’s chest, eyes and mind are neglected. Striking is that the main character is portrayed with no arm exposing his incapacity to hug anyone. And now, you understand the importance of the hug. During their first night, the painter keeps hugging the lord, although his gesture is quite reserved in the beginning. This ignites a desire in Yoon Seungho, the latter feels the need to return the embrace and hug the artist. (chapter 20) Yet, the more time passes on, the more the low-born holds the noble more tightly. (chapter 21) The painter voices the wish to be embraced. That’s why the former puts him on his lap. (chapter 21) You can sense that Yoon Seungho is willing to fill the gap and feel as close as possible to Baek Na-Kyum. He hugged him on his own first, yet the artist was the one embracing him fully at the end. (chapter 21) That’s why we could say that it all started with an embrace, the real cure. The painter’s gaze accompanied with the hands on Seungho’s shoulder created a new euphoria. This explicates why he was so obsessed with that night, why he attempted to renew this wonderful experience. In chapter 25, he tried to hug the painter from behind but failed terribly. (chapter 26) This was a gesture of defeat and submission and never an embrace full of love. One might argue that the noble had already hugged the painter before, (chapter 16) hence the artist’s hug during their Wedding night can’t mark the start. Yet, if the manhwaworms look at the way the master held the commoner in chapter 16, they’ll notice that the lord is hugging Baek Na-Kyum from behind. He was definitely restraining him from leaving his bedchamber, like a predator catching his prey. Sure, there’s no doubt that there exist emotions behind his gesture. Nonetheless, the hug was more under the influence of the unconscious. Consequently it is different from the night in chapter 19. Here, the lord was more looking for sex, whereas in chapters 20 and 21, it was a mixture of sex and love. However, at the end love became triumphant and the lord was no longer interested in sex.

And now if you perceive the painter’s gaze and hug as “drugs”, you can imagine why Yoon Seungho became so infuriated, hurt and violent at the pavilion. Like a person on withdrawal, he couldn’t control his emotions and behavior. Once he became sober, he realized his mistake. His mind had become clearer again. In my perspective, the “cure” helped him to release his emotions, which he had been repressing for so long. This explicates why he was reminded of his tragic past and relived his traumatic experience. He had decided to become numb in order not to feel any pain. The problem is that the moment he discovered love, he was not recognizing that he was allowing his heart to feel pain as well. Love and pain can’t be separated.

With this new perspective, it becomes understandable, while the lord hugged the artist while bathing. (chapter 59) He became addicted to the hug. The problem was that the painter seemed to have forgotten their lovemaking. On the other hand, the lord couldn’t forget the painter’s arms therefore he often grabbed the artist’s arm (chapter 22) (chapter 30), as if they were a treasure to him. The roughness vanishes gradually, for the lord changes for the better as well. But more importantly, in the following gestures, the readers can sense his desire to hug the artist. And as time passes on, the gesture becomes more obvious and pronounced. It started with an arm, (chapter 22) then it was the chest(chapter 40) , (chapter 42) until it became a real hug. (chapter 49) However, the real climax is reached in chapter 58. This time, the aristocrat in love is holding him so tightly with his both arms. (chapter 58) There is no gap between them, the artist is no longer putting some distance with his head, unlike in chapter 49 (third panel above) or the lord is grabbing the neck to make sure that the artist keeps kissing him (second panel above). Yet, while they make love (chapter 58) , the lord is no longer holding him and gazing at him, he is just grabbing his hand and whispering his love confession. This signifies that the lord has truly given up on his dream and has accepted reality. The painter’s gaze and hug were just an addiction and he is admitting that he will never be loved. He will see this night as a wonderful illusion but he won’t feel any anger, despair and pain after that night. We could say that the lord has finally defeated his inner demons and addiction. He is free from his past and can now use his mind clearly. (chapter 61) Baek Na-Kyum purified the lord so that the latter has truly become selflessness and no longer needs sex. He won’t organize any sex session or any party with wine and opium. In my opinion, the last debauchery symbolized his final relapse. Observe that during that week, he had no sex and wasn’t even aroused, when a noble gave him a blowjob. Sex has become irrelevant thereby we can conclude that his transformation is complete. He has become a truly reformed man. (chapter 61) And as much as it pains me that the lord won’t look for the artist right away [that’s my theory and since Byeonduck liked a tweet where I expressed this], I believe, this picture symbolizes something positive too. The lord’s mind and heart are at peace. Now, he can think and see lucidly and once he discovers Baek Na-Kyum’s painting and the tools left in the study, he will recognize his mistake.

3. … the arms and hands

And because it started with a hug, it becomes comprehensible why the lord loved hugging his lover. In reality, he wished to be embraced too and the hug in chapter 16 externalized his deeply repressed desires. This is not surprising that a hug from the painter could stop Yoon Seungho’s rage and fury. Imagine his emotions, when the low-born did this. In that scene, the master was acting like a monster, nevertheless it didn’t stop the artist to embrace him despite the slap and his ugly behavior. But for Baek Na-Kyum, it was the same as well. He also longed to be embraced hence for him, their Wedding night represented a dream, where he could express his desire and experience what he wanted to have. He wanted to express his love, shower his learned sir with his affection. Strangely, it started with a hand (chapter 30) forcing the low-born to accept him as his new master. However, notice that the painter’s hands become more decisive and grab more firmly Yoon Seungho’s wrist in chapter 42. (chapter 42) This reflects the evolution of their relationship. The painter is here accepting the aristocrat as lover. Simultaneously, he is touching the place where the lord’s unconscious is voicing his desires. And this gesture triggers the lord later to put him on his lap, attempting to embrace him. And the more the lord hugs the painter, the more the latter is affected by it. The reason is simple. Just like the main lead, the commoner was deprived from warmth and love for so long and receiving it for the first time, this could only move the main lead. The manhwaphiles should remember that the artist asked the master to hold him in chapter 41 (chapter 41), exposing his need for comfort and embrace. Yet back then, the lord was confusing love with sex hence he couldn’t give correctly what the painter desired. He was not able to distinguish the difference. In truth, both were lost persons mixing up sex with love due to their terrible fathers.

Nonetheless the latter rejected the affection from Yoon Seungho in chapter 49, as he had been reminded that a hug could be fake. So he was still doubting the protagonist’s feelings. The significance of the embrace explicates why the low-born is affected in chapter 58. He keeps blushing displaying his emotions. He is really loved, displayed by the lord’s words and gestures. That’s why the hug is reciprocated but it is too beautiful to be true. Consequently the noble doubts its existence.

But because it all started with a kiss with a hug and love confession, we have to imagine that the artist will feel the same need than the protagonist in chapter 22. He will long for his lover’s arms, especially after that terrible experience. That’s why I am convinced that the moment Baek Na-Kyum returns to the mansion, he will definitely try to embrace Yoon Seungho, missing his warmth and protection so that we have a new version of the hug in chapter 53.

As a conclusion, we have two protagonists deprived from their own body due to their fathers’ abuse. Finally, both were able to find what they had been longing for a long time. And since the lord is no longer a man consumed by sex, he will be able to show his love differently, supporting his love in his education and his talent. Yoon Seungho will become his sponsor and drop the surrogate father for good.

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