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/ I am also using doctor Frost as reference again. https://www.webtoons.com/en/mystery/dr-frost/list?title_no=371 I am also mentioning the K-drama “Bad and crazy”
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
You are probably wondering why I selected such a title, when the story in episode 93 took place in the kisaeng house. I was inspired by the new episode from Doctor Frost again. Right now, doctor Frost and his former student are fighting against a terror organization using brainwashing. Here, the author explains the birth of terror which can lead to war and even to a genocide. 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 180) As you can observe, fear and hatred are the main components for unleashing agitation and violence. But this can only work if the medias are amplifying these emotions. Yes, I am talking again about propaganda. And today in the newest episode, the commissar used the fire as a metaphor to describe the evolution of terror. 
(Doctor Frost, episode 183) This means that you can stop the fire from spreading, if you observe the fire path. In other words, if you pay attention to the evolution of the hate crimes, you can slowly put an end to the climate of terror. Important is to find its origin. Then she added this. The fire becomes the most effective in the winter forest. 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 183) Here the manhwaphiles should see the forest as a symbol for society and humans. 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 183) This signifies that the people will get easily influenced by their fear and rage, if there exists a cold climate. A society without compassion and affection. And with only one spark, the forest can get destroyed. This signifies, the absence of love and understanding play a huge role in creating an environment full of hatred and violence. This is not surprising that because of the Coronavirus, intolerance and violence are on the rising, since people are getting more and more isolated and scared. And now, here is the next question: What symbolizes the winter forest in Painter Of The Night and more precisely in episode 93?
1. The hoodlum Yoon Seungho
When people read the episode 93, they had mixed feelings. On the one hand, they were moved by the way Baek Na-Kyum was treated by his noonas. It was such a warm welcome that it made the painter so happy. He was literally glowing out of delight. 
(chapter 93) On the other hand, many readers were greatly disappointed by Yoon Seungho’s behavior. He had prevented Heena from meeting her brother, and the painter was left in the dark. But the lord had also sentenced her to seclusion. 
(chapter 93) In their eyes, he was indeed a hoodlum or a bastard. According to the blogger theprocrastinatingredkitty, in the Korean version Yoon Seungho was called a bastard 
(chapter 93) Yes, he had done it again… he hadn’t trusted Baek Na-Kyum and had become violent or ruthless again. But after reading my introduction, you can already anticipate what I am about to say. The winter forest was in fact Baek Na-Kyum’s family. The noonas and the painter had been missing each other so much, but because of Heena’s belief and intervention, she had destroyed this family. Yes, I see her as a religious fanatic who unfortunately got brainwashed by Jung In-Hun and now by Kim. This is no coincidence why Heena is sent to a cold and dark room
(chapter 93), while the noonas and the artist are sitting in a comfortable room. Hatred versus love… even the colors in the picture reflect the true emotions of the characters. Now, it is time to elaborate my interpretation.
2. Baek Na-Kyum and his noonas
When the painter arrived in the courtyard of the kisaeng house, he was alone. 
(chapter 93) So where was the lord? I will give you the answer below. Striking is that during the whole time, the artist didn’t notice his absence, until his lovely sister asked him about his whereabouts: 
(chapter 93) Her question reminded him of Yoon Seungho, therefore the artist looked for him, and got surprised, because he didn’t see his husband by his side. 
(chapter 93) This scene is important for two reasons. First, the behavior of the kisaeng clearly showed that she had been left in the dark as well. She was not lying, as there was no drop of sweat on her face. While she had no idea where her brother had been this entire time, Heena knew this the entire time!! 😬 But she kept silent and as such, she hindered her sisters to meet the painter as well. But this doesn’t end here. 
(chapter 93) The kisaeng had not only been left in the dark, but she had also been lied. How did I come to this interpretation? The caring noona employed the expression “you’ve flown the nest already”. With this idiom, she implied that Baek Na-Kyum had willingly left the kisaeng house. He had made this decision on his own, for he felt the need to leave the gibang, whereas the readers already know that this was the opposite. He had been forced to leave by Heena. 
(chapter 46) Like I had already pointed out, the kisaeng had made sure that Baek Na-Kyum didn’t bid goodbye to his noonas. Heena had lied to them saying that this was the boy’s desire and he was now old enough to leave the mansion. This explains why the nice noona employed the idiom “I know”. This is a signal that she had been told by her sister!! But the most infuriating is that Heena left her colleagues in the ignorance for 18 months. None of them knew where the painter was exactly. In the beginning, they had actually no idea that he first lived with the scholar. Besides, notice that the kisaeng complained to the artist. Why didn’t he visit them once in a while? The older sister had given him an order not to!! The most astonishing is that the gentle noona showed great understanding. She accepted the painter’s white lie. (chapter 93) I couldn’t help myself smiling, when I read his excuse: “I was caught up in something important” (sex? spring poetry?😂). At the same time, it broke my heart, for he reduced his long suffering with a single sentence. The noonas had no idea how he got brainwashed and abandoned by the kisaeng and the scholar. The latter even abused him. Note the huge contrast between the noona’s attitude and Heena’s: 
(chapter 68) Heena put the whole blame on the painter, though the latter had been following her orders. She showed no understanding contrary to her sister. Besides, since she knew where he was, why didn’t she contact him in the end?
To conclude, Heena was the reason for the separation between the painter and his noonas. This means that she was responsible for the painter’s agony and trust issues. He had never been abandoned in reality. Hence we could say that she was paying for her sins. She was not allowed to participate in the family reunion. Striking is that when the kisaeng showered her brother with love (I would like to know her name!!), Yoon Seungho walked past them. (chapter 93) You can detect his presence on the left. This means that so far, he had been standing in the background observing the reunion attentively. I couldn’t help myself connecting this scene to this one panel: 
(chapter 76) Back then, Nameless had been confronted with reality: the protagonists were just two men in love and their affection was deep and genuine. So imagine what it meant for the lord, when he saw this scene in the shadow: (chapter 93) He could see what a real family was! This is not surprising that he spoke nicely to them later, and even didn’t take the seat of honor later. In fact, he showed humbleness, for he took the seat next to the door, the lowest in the rank. 
(chapter 93) There’s no doubt that he was seeking for their approval. To conclude, he remained in the background in order to judge the kisaengs correctly. Would they behave like Heena or not? In fact, Yoon Seungho had made a jump of faith. He had trusted the painter’s heart. However, he couldn’t let Heena ruin this happy reunion. Therefore she got excluded. She could have made a ruckus.
More striking is that when the lord walked past them, none of the kisaengs got shocked or condemned him. They couldn’t identify him right away. This means, they only knew him by his name, lord Seungho. Even one of them said this: 
(chapter 93) In her eyes, he was a handsome man. Another fell under his spell as well: 
(chapter 93) This is important, because this shows that the kisaengs are not thinking like Heena at all. They don’t resent him, because he is a noble. 
(chapter 65) I would even add that they couldn’t recognize him, and I am now assuming that they had not heard about Yoon Seungho yet. They couldn’t put a name on him, he was just a fancy companion. (Chapter 93) They were not shocked or surprised. They had no reaction at all. This means that the smear campaign started much later: hate speech! The spark of the fire in the winter forest! 
(chapter 93) In the first version, I had blamed Heena, yet I have to admit that I made a mistake, because I had paid too much attention to this image. 
(Chapter 93) Here, they whispered quite loudly and actually blamed the noona for her negative description. But this declaration contradicts the previous one. (Chapter 93) Observe here that none of the kisaengs clearly said that Heena had been spreading rumors about the protagonist. The two women employed the following expressions: „They say“/„I am sure we don’t know the half of it“. The kisaeng with the purple hanbok was pointing out that these rumors were actually upsetting their colleague. This means that in the gibang, someone made sure to call him many names similar to this situation: 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 175) It created the illusion that Heena had been badmouthing Yoon Seungho and desired to obtain the support from her eonnies. But who had called him a rake and a pervert? The noona herself! (Chapter 93) We could say that they were spreading the rumors herself. Therefore their karma was to get caught! 
(Chapter 93) However, they were just repeating what they had been told. Hence it didn’t work. Why? First, it is, because the painter appeared alone. They could see with their own eyes how well he was doing. (chapter 93) In that scene, the kisaengs were pure and innocent. The other reason is that the noonas aren’t brainwashed, hence they are still selfless and compassionate. In other words, the winter forest was just sleeping, and as soon as the sun appeared, the forest was being reborn. Love and affection never disappeared despite the long separation. That‘s the reason why the fire couldn‘t spread in the end. But who described the main lead like that? 
(Chapter 93) Naturally Min!! How do I come to this conclusion? Simply by recollecting his words in the tavern: 
(chapter 93) He was actually portraying himself as an immoral person lacking in sexual restraint. He would not know fidelity. But the moment the kisaengs got caught, the lord proved their words wrong. He remained calm and treated them well despite the insult. 
(Chapter 93) He made no fuss and accepted their apology. The most striking is that he ended up apologizing to the noonas. 
(Chapter 93)
3. Fighting against the fire
And this leads me to the following conclusion. Heena was now under the spell of Kim, hence she insulted the main lead as a murderer, whereas the other kisaengs were under the influence of Black Heart, though it is very possible that they could have been influenced by another colleague, who was acting on Min‘s order. 
(Chapter 95) The manhwaphiles should recall the following rule: a scene will be reflected in the next episode. There is no doubt that the valet was the one who ruined the Yoons in the end by causing mistrust and jealousy. He destroyed the family. Therefore Kim sent the ruined painting to the father, and even refused to give the letters from the brother. He made sure to create misunderstandings, silence and tensions between the Yoons, portraying each of them like a monster or a selfish and common brute. This is not surprising that for the father, the son is a monster: 
(chapter 86) Kim was successful, for he could change their personality entirely. He used social norms, people’s superstitions, fears and flaws to his advantage. Why? It is because he had to hide his own wrongdoings and betrayals. That’s the reason why the lord’s mansion could be considered as a winter forest as well. But since Heena resents powerful nobles, her negative emotions and her bias made her the perfect tool for the next scheme. But Min and Kim failed. Why? It is because they had two different approaches: The valet preferred using the scholar‘s death for the smear campaign, whereas Black Heart wished to destroy the affection and trust between our beloved couple. Moreover, since the noonas had stopped Heena from approaching her brother with their warm welcome, the kisaengs‘ attempts to ruin the relationship between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum were rather half-hearted. The noonas were lacking determination and stubbornness.
First, it is important to examine why the lord even agreed to the painter’s request. What caught my attention is this panel: 
(chapter 92) The lord saw that the painter was looking elsewhere and his gaze was full of longing. Secondly, he had promised his lover to fulfil all his wishes. 
(Chapter 91) He didn’t want to break his promise. I am wondering if this idea was not suggested by the butler, because the meeting in the inn was no coincidence. The noble Min made sure to trigger the painter’s memory with the presence of the kisaeng and the blue-lavender hanbok. As you can see, Yoon Seungho didn’t have much choice in the end,
What caught my attention is that Yoon Seungho went in direction of the party where Heena was participating. 
(chapter 93) First, I thought that the man with the green hanbok was Black Heart, since the kisaeng facing the man in green resembles to one who followed him to the tavern, the one under the purple jacket. The color of the skirt is the same. 
(chapter 92) However, at some point I began doubting this, for for the green shade is a little different. Moreover, I was reminded of this panel: 
(chapter 87) Yes, the same colors, the green hanbok and the kisaeng’s clothes are the same. On the other hand, since Min had wet clothes, it is also possible that once in the gibang, Min received a new hanbok from the host, similar to the scene in chapter 59, when Lee Jihwa was asked if he had played in the snow. 
(Chapter 59) On the other hand, Min appeared later as the doppelgaenger of Lee Jihwa. 
(Chapter 96) So we have to wonder if Min switched clothes three times during the same evening. But it is definitely possible, for each episode is reflected in the next.
Another possibility is that Yoon Seungho met his former abuser, but I have my doubts about it, since the man kept his distance from the main figure for quite some time. In my eyes, he needed a reason for his return. Consequently, my theory is that the main lead met Black Heart again, and talked to him about Heena. Don‘t forget that the main lead was present, when the kisaeng had made a ruckus in his mansion. 
(Chapter 66) The Joker could serve as a witness, and Black Heart couldn‘t lie at all, as he needed to keep his trust. Besides, it is possible that he must have noticed the disappearance of the Spring poem. Don’t forget that it had vanished in the inn, and Min was the last one seen with it. 
(Chapter 92). Their sudden meeting could be the reason why he disappeared. (Chapter 93) He didn’t wish to create a ruckus because of the painter, and Min had no interest to become involved so openly, as his image would have been ruined. The kisaeng could have caused a scandal. In my opinion, Yoon Seungho picked Heena there, and the man with the green hanbok didn‘t hinder him. Hence Heena was forced to follow the protagonist. So by going directly to the party, he put an end to the fire. The kisaeng couldn’t cause a ruckus or describe the main lead as a criminal or brutal murderer. Therefore there was no fire in the winter forest. If she had come close to her brother, she would have tried to make him feel dirty and have made him many reproaches. I have to admit that this episode was difficult to read, for they were a lot of blanks. We never saw what Yoon Seungho did, before he entered the room, just like there is a time jump between the moment the painter wants to leave the courtyard, and the moment he is sitting in the room. Furthermore, notice that the kisaeng with the green jacket disappeared as well. In fact, 2 noonas disappeared from 4! So where did they go?
What caught my attention is the contradiction between these two panels: (chapter 93) 
(chapter 93) Now, they know that the young painter lived with the scholar. How come? Baek Na-Kyum didn’t tell them, because the noona asked him this question. This means that she wanted a confirmation. And now, we have to question ourselves this: who told them about the painter’s past? One possibility is that it was Yoon Seungho, but I doubt it, for the noona didn’t recognize him outside. From my point of view, the noona had left her brother’s side. There was a time jump, because the kisaeng was now wearing a different skirt, khaki!! This means that now, she was acting on the order of someone. Like mentioned above, it could be Min via the other kisaeng. But there exists another eventuality: the Yoons! Don’t forget that khaki is the color of Yoon Chang-Hyeon. 
(Chapter 44) 
(chapter 57) Besides, just a few episodes ago, he had mentioned the scholar and the civil service examinations, and the story is following this rule: the next chapters will reflect the previous ones. Moreover, in season 2 and 3, the father was seen in the kisaeng house. Finally, in front of the learned sir‘s home, the manhwaworms could identify the guards from the patriarch. 
(Chapter 99) This scene outlined that Black Heart and Yoon Chang Hyeon were working together, and they had planned to blame the Lees. But the irony is that the father was doomed to fail, because he was using the noonas‘ goodness and innocence. So the scholar was mentioned for one reason. The kisaeng desired to push Baek Na-Kyum to question his sponsor about the learned sir‘s well-being and whereabouts. The purpose was to generate a quarrel. Note that the other helped her colleague. As you can see, the hat and the change of the color of the noona’s skirt was an indication that there was a time jump. Thus I am deducing that the kisaeng was not present the entire time. Remember that the magician Byeonduck is always creating a fake continuity.
First, the noona had the hat with the orange skirt: 
(chapter 93) When she mentioned the learned sir, Yoon Seungho entered the room. (Chapter 93) But observe that the woman had a green skirt with the hat. This means that in the meantime, she must have left the room!! Striking is that he only opened the door, when Jung In-Hun was mentioned. This was no coincidence! He was putting an end to the fire by replying this: 
(chapter 93) What could the noonas say to this answer? They couldn‘t call the main lead a liar! And note how he introduced himself: (chapter 93) This means that he had heard their conversation for quite some time. He also must have seen the kisaeng leaving and entering the room too. She was still wearing the green skirt with the hat! (Chapter 93) So here we had no time jump! And now, you comprehend why the author made us hear the conversation from the hallway. (Chapter 93) This corresponds to the main lead‘s arrival. In my eyes, from that moment on, he was spying on the family. But contrary to the past, he had no outburst of rage because of their badmouthing and lie. Why? It is because he had seen their genuine affection in the courtyard. The lord had witnessed the artist‘s happiness and joy! Thus I am deducing that Yoon Seungho had been manipulated in the past. Heena had provoked our beloved protagonist with a deception 
(Chapter 68) which I had already sensed in the past. This chapter reinforces my previous interpretation. But why did the noona change her skirt? It is because it was wet! I had observed that the lit of the well had been removed. (Chapter 93) 
(chapter 94) That‘s the reason why Yoon Seungho went to the well later. My explanation is that he had been suggested to go there by the noonas, while the latter had proposed a different idea to their brother: the walk to the pond. But why? In reality, the schemers envisioned that Yoon Seungho would behave like a hoodlum, he would kill the kisaeng Heena. Remember the threat expressed to the noona: 
(Chapter 69) But like I had explained, this menace was voiced by Kim, which was only validated by Yoon Seungho afterwards. And naturally, this threat had been revealed to the schemers: Min and the patriarch. They all imagined that the main lead would punish Heena for her accusations. Kim had experienced this scene in the courtyard 
(chapter 68) He had taken these words as face-value. But he never recognized that the main lead would never use violence against Baek Na-Kyum‘s family, and this was already perceptible in chapter 68. He never barged in the study, when the noona called him a bird of misfortune. 
(Chapter 68) He respected their privacy, the opposite of the butler. 
(Chapter 85) This explicates why the kisaengs blamed Heena for the rumors. (Chapter 93) They were trying to fuel resent towards their colleague. But for a benevolent listener, their words reflected a different reality: the kisaengs’ open-mindedness. They were perceiving the main lead in a better light. That’s the reason why their „smear campaign“ failed.
Hence I come to the following conclusion. During that night in the gibang, Min and Yoon Chang-Hyeon had expected that Yoon Seungho would kill the kisaeng. And her body would have been thrown into the well. That way, the elder master could have used his messenger‘s death as another evidence for the lord‘s criminal activity. And now, under this new light, I believe that the silence and resignation from the noona (chapter 93) in the kitchen created the illusion that the main lead had silenced her. Besides, observe that the light from the room had vanished. It is visible, if you contrast the last two panels. 
(Chapter 93) This gesture (blowing the candle) outlines that he was indeed trying to stop the fire, a symbol for hatred and fear, from spreading.
But let‘s return our attention to the conversation between the kisaengs and the couple. What caught my attention is that while the noble lost in his thoughts by recalling his conversation with Heena, he didn‘t realize that something had changed. 
(Chapter 93) This time, the noona had no longer the hat, but she was wearing the orange skirt again. The only explanation is that she had left the room. Since the kisaengs had no drop of sweat on their face, their admiration and surprise were genuine. But now take a look at this 
(chapter 93) We have the return of the hat! Moreover, another detail caught my attention: the paper is blank! Where are the calligraphes? One might argue that it was too difficult for the author to draw them, but I can only refute this point by using this scene. 
(Chapter 36) Here, the handwriting was even smaller compare to this calligraphy: 
(chapter 92) From my point of view, the Spring poem got switched and was returned to the schemers. Another evidence for this theory is the length of the piece of paper. (Chapter 93) It is much longer here, as the end disappears under the table. But not here: (chapter 93) This was the famous blank piece of paper, a new version of this scene: 
(chapter 65) First, the noona couldn‘t see her brother‘s painting, until Kim showed her the picture with Jung In-Hun which he had kept! 
(Chapter 65) Kim was embarrassed in that scene, like the drop of sweat indicates it.This was the negative version of chapter 93. Don’t forget that Heena had been manipulated by Kim, when she visited the lord’s mansion. The latter had shown her the painting from the painter and then he must have told about the flashback in the bedchamber and the second marathon session in the shed. 
(chapter 68)
For chapter 93 represents the positive reflection from the noona’s stay in the mansion, I think that first, the noonas saw the original Spring poem, then they gave it to someone else and the woman returned with a blank page. Like I had already explained, they needed to remove the evidence that Yoon Seungho was highly educated. (Chapter 93) Striking is that neither Baek Na-Kyum nor his lover had eyes in this panel, a sign that they were blind to the noona‘s tricks. Nonetheless, I would like the manhwaphiles to keep in their mind that these women were just naive, and got manipulated too. They were definitely acting for their sibling’s best interests: Baek Na-Kyum. At the same time, we could say that this was Yoon Seungho’s karma! Don’t forget that he had stolen a poem from the painter too 
(chapter 4) and he had never returned it. He had replaced it with another sijo, according to me with the original sijo. 
(Chapter 7) It doesn‘t matter, if the scholar had deceived the painter. The latter viewed the paper as a treasure, a memory from his learned sir.
So during the family dinner, the noonas had an ambiguous attitude towards the main lead, which I explained with their social status. How could they disregard a noble, especially an elder! From my point of view, Yoon Chang-Hyeon must have listened to their conversation, for we have to remember that there is always a reflection within the same chapter. So imagine how the patriarch must have felt, when he heard the lord‘s rejection: 
(Chapter 93) The father was mocked for his dream!! He was portraying the elder master as a poor and weak noble! He was even compared to the learned sir. We have two proofs for this signification: 
(chapter 86) This was the father‘s karma. He had insulted his own son, made him feel little and even jealous 
(chapter 86) Remember that karma will always retaliate shortly, and the punishment will be even worse. The irony is that the lord was actually repeating the butler‘s words! (Chapter 93) This is what he had been told, when the lord had let transpire that he was thinking about taking the civil service examination. There’s no ambiguity that the noble was talked out of it, for if he went to the court, he would meet the pedophile and recognize the identity of his abuser.
What caught my notice is that here, the noona had no longer the hat again! 
(Chapter 93) This symbolizes that she was not acting here. The drop of sweat on their face showed their embarrassment. They could not deny his statement, for the learned sir was indeed poor and with no connection. They anticipated that the lord would boost about his talent, but no he was showing humbleness. On the other hand, he outlined his wealth and power, which the noonas couldn’t contradict. His words were indeed reflecting a certain reality. Another important detail is their reply to the lord‘s statement: the points of suspension which I connect to the butler. Since chapter 77, the latter had switched loyalty and was now serving the elder master Yoon.
But let’s return our attention to the noona who tried to divert attention from their shame and guilt: 
(chapter 93) “I heard” indicates that she wasn’t the entire time with Baek Na-Kyum. This proves my previous statement that the woman must have left the room leaving her siblings inside at some point. Secondly, the drop of sweat on the cheek is a signal for a lie. This means that the kisaeng was well aware of Heena’s arrest. She was actually covering up. It was, as if she was working for Yoon Seungho, while in reality she was acting on someone else’s behalf.
Heena was in the kisaeng house and there’s no ambiguity that she knew where her sister was. This means that she was deceiving her brother. This truly shows that she didn’t feel upset about the situation. I have the impression that the schemers must have discovered that Heena had kept hidden from her co-workers that she knew where her brother had been. They must have discovered her deception. For me, Heena was just receiving the punishment she had deserved. Don’t forget that she had barged in his mansion with guards 
(chapter 69), and back then the lord had showed leniency. However, Heena didn’t want to acknowledge his benevolence. Thus she sent letters to her brother, in which she called Yoon Seungho many names: a rake, a hoodlum, a bastard and finally a murderer… 
(chapter 93) One might bring up the freedom of speech, but there’s a reason why in Germany total freedom of expression is not allowed. During the Republic of Weimar, parties were authorized to announce their hatred for democracy and republic. The result was that right-extremist parties as such the NSDAP led by Hitler became more and more powerful. This is no coincidence that this republic vanished. The NSDAP could spread fear and hate against democrats, Jews and other minorities. Hate speech encourages hate crimes. Yes, this is the consequence of the butler’s philosophy: “don’t take it to heart”. This saying symbolizes indifference and as such passivity and silence which contributes to create the perfect climate for hatred and fear.
But let us return to the letters. From my point of view, Yoon Seungho never gave the order to hide the letters, but once he discovered their existence, he didn’t decide to ignore them. I have the impression that he read them, when the painter took a nap first. 
(chapter 91) They didn‘t go to the calligrapher right away. One week had passed, since the elder master Yoon had visited the mansion. This signifies that Heena is forced to face the consequences of her past actions. 
(chapter 88) This is no coincidence that she was sitting the same way in the “jail”, than when she discovered the blood. However, this time she was facing the door. (chapter 93) She was forced to face her isolation. One might say that these were just letters… The lord was just too harsh with her. But remember what I wrote above: calling names is the start of discrimination and terror. That‘s how the lord‘s downfall started too. People shouldn’t underestimate the power of words in the letters. Baek Na-Kyum already went through this terrible experience. Just because Yoon Seungho is used to this, he shouldn’t accept this. Besides, by acting so, she is tarnishing her brother’s honor. If the artist lives with him, he becomes guilty by association. Her goal is to make the painter leave the mansion. She could have confronted the main lead like in the past, but she didn‘t. She never went to the authorities either.
In addition, I would like to bring up the K-drama Bad and Crazy. In this story, teenagers got brainwashed by a so-called therapist who pushed them to commit crimes. He used their low self-esteem and lack of confidence to gaslight them. Striking is that in episode 9, the main lead Soo Yul discovered that a man got sentenced instead of the real culprit. However, when he met the convict, Soo Yul asked him why he didn’t ask for a retrial. The innocent man confessed his guilt immediately. He started explaining everything which confused Soo Yul. Until he saw this: 
(episode 9) The real culprit had sent him letters each day for years… The content of the correspondence was always the same: 
(episode 9) That’s how he got brainwashed and convinced that he had indeed committed a crime. In jail, he was isolated and due to the suffered injustice, the prisoner definitely suffered from an emotional and mental breakdown, explaining why he was receptive to manipulations. That’s why you see the mouth and the letter together. So imagine that Baek Na-Kyum had read all the letters and all of them were saying the same thing over and over again. Since the painter is someone with a low self-esteem, he would have started doubting his own judgement. This is gaslighting. Naturally, Kim never intended him to read them. The whole purpose was to create a quarrel in the couple. I am quite certain that Heena never asked about her brother’s well-being. She was already convinced that the lord was a rake and a bastard. Her letters were full of contempt and hatred, something Yoon Seungho could sense in the correspondence. 
The reflection of this scene. 
(chapter 87) But note that Yoon Seungho never used any violence at all. He just asked her to remain quiet and cause no trouble. (chapter 93) We could see that once rumors about Yoon Seungho started spreading in the kisaeng house, Heena didn’t stop them, she heard them, and believed in them. The start of the smear campaign began in the gibang: 
(Chapter 69) And who was there during that night? Black Heart. This is important, because in the first episode, the noona had badmouthed the main lead, but she was well aware of the truth.
(Chapter 1) It was, as if the kisaeng was now paying for her past sin. She had become a victim of her own trick. (chapter 93) In her eyes, the main lead was just a man consumed by sex, hence he is a “rake” and a “pervert”.
But “rake,” when used in the context of a regency romance, has nothing to do with chores. A shortened version of the word “rakehell,” this category of carefree, libertine aristocratic men became popular in stage plays written during the Restoration period in 17th century England. […] He’s definitely someone who’s not interested in marriage. Celibacy is off the table. No serious relationships of any kind. Often, rakes really adore women of all shapes and sizes. They have an innate sense of how sexy they are, and how to use that sexiness to get what they want from anybody around them. Essentially, the rake is the bad boy with the heart of gold. quoted from https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a35034695/what-is-a-rake-person-romance-novels/
This means that her job was to deny the existence of the marriage between the painter and the noble 
(chapter 87), since the rumors of his union in town were already spreading. The purpose of this smear campaign was to portray the lord as someone who was not interested in monogamy and fidelity. And who had an interest to oppose this union? The father!! As you could detect, through these comparisons I could connect Yoon Chang-Hyeon, Kim, Heena and Black Heart together. In the end, this badmouthing couldn’t succeed, for her eonnies were different. They were more innocent and less selfish, they had been left in the dark concerning the lord’s past. They never admired the learned sir in detriment of Baek Na-Kyum. They certainly don’t reject sexuality and they have less prejudices. As you can see, I detected a war of rumors, reminding me of the war of the waves during World War II.
Here, I would like to bring up the manhwa Doctor Frost again. 
(chapter 175) Because of this comparison, I couldn’t help myself thinking of the water vapor as the grapevines in Painter Of The Night. They’re everywhere and no one can stop them. And now, you comprehend how the noble’s reputation got ruined. 
(chapter 175) That’s how hatred and contempt were spread. And Lee Jihwa listened to them, this is no coincidence why his mind and heart got poisoned. As long as he remained by Kim and Min’s side, his heart and mind would always be clouded. This means that Yoon Seungho was able to stop a fire, before it ruined the winter forest. People were upset, for he had such a cold gaze, when he remembered his interaction with Heena. 
(chapter 93) But he was just mirroring the schemers‘ thoughts and gaze. He had to remain cold. So what does Heena’s isolation mean? Yoon Seungho has no idea, but he is clearing her mind from the brainwashing. 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 183) There exists two methods. First, 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 183) And we could clearly detect this in the confrontation between Heena and Yoon Seungho: 
(chapter 93: In the Korean version: Your little brother will be with me now) For Heena, the painter should live with the scholar. This was her faith: 
(chapter 46), though I am quite sure that it was in truth her biggest wish. She was in love with the learned sir herself. By looking him in the eyes, she could detect the lord’s determination and frankness. This was his choice. The problem is with deprogramming is 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 183) That’s the reason why nowadays, psychologists prefer the other method 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 183) And now, you comprehend what happened. The deprogramming didn‘t work out, for Heena was approached by the schemers again. They used another noona to deceive the sibling, for they could no longer use the women close to Baek Na-Kyum. Thus Heena was still under the influence of the haters. 
(Chapter 98) Since she resents nobles, I deduce that the so-called witness was a commoner. In my eyes, it can only be Kim who justified his silence by saying that he could do nothing. He was the only one who knew, because the other had been already killed.
Since the other kisaengs were not involved in the lord’s suffering, they were more innocent. This is the reason why it was important for the main leads to have some good time with the noonas first. The latter could see with their own eyes that the couple was happy. 
(chapter 93). Hence their punishment for their deceptions couldn‘t be so harsh. 
(Chapter 99) The symbol of their dinner and reunion was pushed away. In my eyes, this ruckus put them in a bad light. However, I believe that these deceptions were necessary, for the bond between Heena and the other noonas 
(Chapter 99) was quite strong. In this scene, they had sided with the kisaeng again, hiding the fact that they had seen leaving Heena with Lee Jihwa. They knew that the kisaeng was running away from the gibang, for she was not dressed up. 
(Chapter 99) Hence the moment the kisaengs see how the brother was hurt by Min, they will realize the deception from Heena who abused their affection and loyalty. They will definitely blame themselves for their lies, and since I discovered connections between Yoon Chang-Hyeon and the noonas, I have the impression that Yoon Seungho will discover the backstabbing coming from his own father. According to me, the schemers had planned to frame the main lead for Heena‘s death (well), but the puppet masters‘ karma is to receive the sentence that they had planned for the main lead: accusation of violence and murder. The more I am analysing, the more I am sensing that Yoon Chang-Hyeon will be judged as an accomplice of Lee Jihwa’s crime in the nobles‘ bloodbath. He had helped Lee Jihwa and deceived Black Heart. And if the kisaeng is alive, the survivor will recognize the deception from the guards.
Besides, I would like to point out how gentle the lord was, when he forced Heena to look him in the eyes. (chapter 93) Don’t forget how he grabbed the servant’s face: 
(chapter 80) Heena could have pushed away his hand, her movements were not restrained contrary to the lord in the kisaeng house 
(chapter 86).
People have the impression that this reunion was too beautiful to be true, but the reality is that we are witnessing a war!! But each time, the main lead was able to defeat his opponent, for he was no longer avoiding the problems. He faced them head on. But he didn’t work alone. His wife assisted him. He already started by defending his husband’s honor. 
(chapter 93) Secondly, he introduced his partner to his family properly. 
(chapter 93) It is here necessary to contrast this introduction with this one: 
(chapter 01) In the beginning of the story, the protagonist was not presented as a lord, but as a master!! This means, he belonged to the Yoons. However, Baek Na-Kyum is now viewing the protagonist as the real lord of the mansion. He is independent, which means that the artist is not truly acknowledging Yoon Chang-Hyeon and Yoon Seung-Won as his family. And if you compare the first episode with chapter 93, you’ll realize the similarities. Back then, Heena had mentioned the main lead in order to scare the painter, she had used rumors… (chapter 01) But exactly like in episode 10, where the grapevine was created to target the painter and Jung In-Hun, the “rumor” in episode 1 never reached the noonas’ ears. They only heard about the black sheep of the family recently. (chapter 93) In the last panel, we can detect Heena’s hypocrisy. She got worried the moment she heard her brother was living with the main lead. I would even say that her mind was in peace until the scandal in town, this explicates why she could enjoy buying clothes. 
(chapter 64) But she started worrying for her brother, when she realized that he wasn’t living according to her belief: abstinence. And now, we have to question ourselves this: why did Yoon Seungho encourage his bride to sleep in the kisaeng house? 
(chapter 93) Naturally, he had many reasons to do so. First, he wished to keep his promise. Secondly, he had sensed the painter’s sadness. 
(Chapter 93) But Yoon Seungho never imagined that he was himself the cause for this heartache. The painter could detect the lord’s agony and low self-esteem. He knew how hurtful it is to be called names like rake or bastard or hoodlum. And the lord’s selflessness got rewarded: his biggest wish came true during that night. There was someone who loved him despite his flaws and wrongdoings. We could say that their stay was to confirm his marriage with the painter to the noonas. At the same time, season 3 exposed the slow transformation of Yoon Seungho. Little by little, he was showing an interest to his own past and no longer accepting the justification that he was just a bird of misfortune. Don’t forget the master’s previous statement: 
(chapter 86) He was already pondering on the question why the family name was sullied. This shows that Yoon Seungho is slowly uncovering the truth, and he is now using Kim’s MO: deliver the information in delay, feign ignorance and act, listening to conversations behind the doors. This is no coincidence that he is recovering his memories as well. This is important, because he is less manipulable and as such no longer weak to brainwashing.
And here I would like to thank my follower @Spppeedy who made me discover another aspect. Yoon Seungho’s real emancipation didn’t occur just with the hug, but also with the whisper: 
(chapter 88) When the lord got embraced, the painter whispered this to his ear:
“I like to hold you close.”
This explicates why he said this later
(chapter 91) This represented Baek Na-Kyum’s first mini-love confession. His action was supported by his words. Therefore the lord could realize the honesty and genuineness of the painter. He could be embraced and as such accepted, he was no monster. Yes, it was the opposite of the love session in the physician’s office. Back then, the painter had remained silent. 
(chapter 62) And this made me realize the signification of whispers in the manhwa. They stand in opposition to the hate speech and brainwashing!! This is no coincidence that the noonas whispered, when they noticed that Yoon Seungho was totally different from the description which Heena was supposed to have spread. (chapter 93) The whispers symbolize secrets, trust and intimacy. They embody love, honesty and truth, though here they blamed their noona. This means that the louder a character in the manhwa is, the more dishonest and insensitive he or she is. 
(chapter 18) The whisper contrasts so much to the rumors, anonymity versus personal. Thus I conclude that the whisper represents a weapon against the brainwashing and terror. This is not something that a spy can hear from the window or the door! Hence you have Yoon Seungho whispering this to Lee Jihwa 
(chapter 18) or Yoon Seungho saying this to Heena: (chapter 93) Due to the closeness, the lord incited them to face reality. He confided to them his wish and goal, though after 6 months, the master’s dream changed. He views Baek Na-Kyum as his wife. That’s why I believe that the lord’s whisper 
(chapter 92) reflects the nature of their relationship: Love and closeness. Even outside and in front of the calligrapher, the lord felt the need to know his lover’s thoughts, the positive version of this rumor: An aficionado for the painter with no regard for time and place. 😉
So when you read this
(doctor Frost, chapter 83), you should just replace the name Juhwan Park by Heena. She was just manipulated by the butler and Min’s trick. They used her strong belief and prejudices. However, I had the feeling that Heena could come to her senses, because she remained silent and her gaze was different. 
(chapter 83) Besides, what caught my attention is that she never replied to Yoon Seungho. She never fought back like in episode 65: 
Why was she so passive? It is because the exclusion from the reunion represented the biggest punishment for Heena. She has always seen herself as a knight in shining armor. Imagine all the noonas could see the little brother and enjoy his company, while she couldn’t. I was hoping that she would start regretting her actions. As you can see, I really viewed Heena more as a victim, blinded by her faith and her own suffering than as a big perpetrator. There’s no doubt that she rejects sex because of a traumatic experience. Yet, due to her blindness and selfishness, she was an accomplice to her brother‘s suffering in the past, and unfortunately, she made the same decision. 
(Chapter 97) Seeing the corpse in the well was the trigger for her to believe everything she saw and heard without questioning the coincidences and appearances. She didn‘t doubt the testimony of the so-called witness. (Chapter 98) This image illustrates perfectly her fanaticism, her vision full of prejudices, for the author drew her without eyes. She shares some common denominators with the persons in this picture: (Dr. Frost, chapter 180) Fear, rage and the absence of eyes!! She chose the scholar over her brother.
And now, you comprehend why Byeonduck decided to let this season take place before the spring. The lord and painter needed to put an end to the terror and terrible rumors circulating about Yoon Seungho. They had to find and remove the source of the hatred and fear leading to violence. Once the winter ends, the climate of hatred and terror will vanish. The forest will come to life again… just like Yoon Seungho’s new home and family. Thus I am expecting that the noonas will come to accept the aristocrat. Hence the marriage takes place in the gibang 
replacing these three fake feasts: 
(chapter 87) (chapter 93) 
(chapter 99) No scandal in the past and in chapter 93, but now it can no longer be contained!! 
(Chapter 99) On the other hand, the resent for Heena didn‘t turn Yoon Seungho into a fool or a person full of prejudices! He still trusted the noonas, as he believed in his lover‘s heart and his genuine confession! The fire couldn‘t spread in the gibang! The lord showed mercy towards the kisaengs and the domestic Seok-Dae! Hence no one will ever come to believe that Yoon Seungho is a murderer. In their eyes, he makes nothing but hot air!! 😉
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My Reddit-Instagram-Tumblr-Twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
(chapter 34), only spiritual love was allowed 
(chapter 19)
(chapter 68). This signified that in his education, not only sex was prohibited, but also sexual desires were denied. Although love was expressed through hugs 
(chapter 66)
(chapter 68) and caresses 
(chapter 10) 
(chapter 68), they were devoid of sexuality. The painter experienced love, but was not allowed to experience sexuality. He was only authorized to paint it for the scholar’s sake. On the other side, Yoon Seungho was raised the opposite: love was not allowed, as it was a sign of submission and weakness. Sex was permitted, because it was considered as a fight in order to defeat his opponent. These were the butler’s doctrines. That way, he could still have a connection to the main lead. If he came to love someone (the pedophile), the lord could definitely abandon the valet and reveal his betrayals. In other words, he used pity as a way to tame the lord. At the same time, sex also served to gain some benefit, as it was an exchange of favors (giving versus receiving), 
(Chapter 71). I connect this philosophy to the king and indirectly to the butler. With sex, the nobles could exchange some favors. These huge divergences in the mindset explicate why there were so many misunderstandings between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum, as their education diverged so much. 
(chapt45), as the painter had accepted him as his sexual partner, he had to realize slowly that he was wrong. He imagined that since the artist had remained by his side and was accepting to have sex with him, he had achieved what he wanted: in his unconscious it was to be loved. Yet, it was just an illusion. The painter saw himself as a whore and the master as a man consumed by lust. As you can see, the noble was forced to judge the nature of the sexual encounters differently. He had associated sex to love due to their Wedding night, therefore he imagined that the moment the painter was accepting him, the problem was solved. He would be able to relive this wonderful moment, but however nothing like that happened. He felt never satisfied, as there were no feelings at all. Hence he even had sex during the day
, believing that the artist’s lack of experience was the problem. 
(Chapter 45) While the lord became Baek Na-Kyum’s sexual emancipator, the painter became the lord’s teacher for love. This explicates why the low-born forced the lord to question his own identity and feelings. 
than a master- servant relationship, because the commoner was never treated like a domestic. He only had sex with the lord and had some privileges. 
(chapter 46) He was never asked to do other work, although the artist tried to change his situation. Since he was behaving like a whore, he felt that he had no right to express any thought and emotion. He couldn’t show any pleasure. That’s why there were no feelings in their sex encounters, and the lord could sense the difference. Consequently, when the lord realized that he was still perceived as a man consumed by sex
(chapter 48), he changed his behavior. He acted like a real client at the brothel
(chapter 48), but at the same time he cornered the painter to have multiple climaxes in order to let him experience that he liked having sex with him.
(chapter 49) As you can observe, the lord linked sensuality to love. If he could provoke ejaculations, then it meant that the artist was definitely feeling something for him. However, the moment the lord liberated the painter from his pejorative perception about himself (he is a prostitute), the painter reacted the exact opposite. Now, he was the one using Yoon Seungho, the latter was his plaything. 
(Chapter 49), his prostitute, for he was the one procuring pleasure to Yoon Seungho. As you can see, the roles had been switched. This means that now the painter had the upper-hand in their relationship. We could even say that the noble was willing to accept his fate. 
(Chapter 49) Yet there was a difference from the past. Yoon Seungho would feel pleasure as well. This is not surprising that Kim chose to intervene and separate the couple right after. Without sex, the painter had no power over the master. That’s the reason why the butler revealed his knowledge the morning after. The protagonist had to hear from his butler the real cause for Baek Na-Kyum’s passivity and torpor: 
(chapter 50). Through this revelation, the lord was indirectly confronted by his own reflection: he was indeed asking from Baek Na-Kyum sexual favors in exchange for his stay at the mansion. That’s the reason why the lord had a “relapse“ and kept his distance from the painter. 
(chapter 52). This was important, because for the noble, it meant that he could no longer have sex with other partners. Without sex, the lord was forced to question himself and ponder on the true nature of his relationship with Baek Na-Kyum. He felt jealousy during that night, he was very protective as well. 
(Chapter 52) His sexuality had already become an expression of his love, although the main lead was still unaware of his own feelings. That’s why I come to the conclusion, chapter 52 was actually revealing Yoon Seungho’s monogamy, although it looked the opposite. And this becomes truly visible, when the gangrape was about to occur. He felt no urge, when he was with the guests, yet the moment he brought the artist to the bedchamber, he couldn’t stop himself from kissing his loved one. 
(chapter 54) He was definitely longing for his warmth. This explicates why the noble got so infuriated, when he was confronted with the consequence of his bad decision: 
(chapter 54) the artist was on the verge to be no longer monogamous, as he would be tasted by other aristocrats. In this scene, the lord would have indeed become a client and pimp, if he hadn’t chased away his guests. Although the painter was indeed upset afterwards about this incident
(chapter 55), deep down he sensed that his master had protected him. This night was important for the main lead: he was forced to admit his own feelings for the painter. Therefore, we could say that the issue with the prostitution was solved after chapter 54. Yoon Seungho thought that the moment he confessed, the painter would get scared and run away, but it didn’t happen. Why? Love among men and especially between a brutal noble and a commoner, was a taboo, like Min had underlined. Secondly, if the lord had indeed feelings for him, he had behaved like a beast during that night. He had mistreated Baek Na-Kyum. In his mind, the artist would never accept him.Besides, the painter had clearly denied the affection from the main lead. In his eyes, the painter’s words were indicating a rejection. 
(chapter 54) Thus I conclude that Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum had come to an implicit agreement: they had a master-servant relationship
(chapter 56), although Baek Na-Kyum started perceiving himself as a domestic from chapter 51 on again. He kept following the head-maid 
and Kim 
(chapter 51) in order to help them. Therefore the readers could witness the return of the white headband in chapter 52: his task was to paint for his master.
(Chapter 52) 
(chapter 63), exactly like he had wished in chapter 49. The only difference is that this time, the painter was here for the lord’s pleasure. The roles had been switched again. As the manhwaphiles can perceive, the noble and painter had a similar reaction: they both tried to deny the existence of love in their relationship. That’s the reason why the noble stopped the artist from confessing: 
(chapter 63) They just had a sexual relationship which could provoke pleasure, but that was it. But in order to ensure that the artist wouldn’t run away again, he used sex to “tame“ Baek Na-Kyum. If the main lead could procure multiple climaxes to the artist, then the latter was forced to admit that only Yoon Seungho could be his “partner“. This explicates why the noble kept pointing out how the artist would react to his lover’s body. 
(Chapter 63) 
(chapter 64) He was moaning and would ejaculate constantly thanks to the main lead. Yet, during this second marathon, the noble was actually deceiving himself. 
(Chapter 62) 
(Chapter 65) This shows that the painter had gained a new position: he was indeed a favored servant. He was allowed to spend the night in his lover’s bed and he could see the lord getting dressed. 
(Chapter 65) The slight change was that now the main lead was aware of this. This truly exposes the lord’s affection for the artist. He might have treated him like a plaything in the shed, in reality he had attempted to show “his skills“ as a lover. He had licked him, bit him and the painter had felt pleasure, though he kept saying no! This is not surprising that Yoon Seungho had denied the kiss in the study. 
(Chapter 64) Because that’s how he had been deceived that night in the study. 
(Chapter 49) Baek Na-Kyum had silenced him with the kiss, as the main lead was about to protest. 
(chapter 65) What caught my attention is that the painter’s disappearance mirrored the lord’s wrongdoing. Lee Jihwa and the main lead had both kidnapped the artist. That’s why I believe that when he heard Heena’s words in the study
(chapter 68), the noble could only come to the following conclusion: he could only let the painter choose his destiny. But the moment the artist decided to remain by his side, he needed to change Baek Na-Kyum’s position in the mansion. He was no longer a servant, but a noble guest. Hence the lord tied the scarf like aristocrats did. 
(chapter 69) Consequently, we could say that the painter had a similar status than Jung In-Hun. Yet, there was a huge difference: the owner of the mansion was now acting like the painter’s servant. Hence Deok-Jae’s words came true: 
(chapter 46). 
(chapter 71). Why? It is because the lord made the decision that the painter chose him, then this means that he became his wife, though at the end of season 2, he was not thinking about marriage yet. He was not aware of this perception. By becoming his official partner, the spouse obtains the status of his husband: nobility. This explicates why the lord ate with his lover 
(chapter 74) and allowed him to smoke. Then in season 3, he gave him ladies-in-waiting in order to give him some company. 
(Chapter 78) He even gave him the music box, which was mistaken as a dowry. However, the problem is that the painter was still fighting his own feelings for the protagonist due to Heena noona’s words and past experience with the scholar. He feared that this new situation was too beautiful to be true, hence he thought that the lord’s feelings would fade away. But there was another reason for doubting the lord’s affection: there was no sex. 
(chapter 74) The painter had come to associate sex with love too. Yet, the moment he relived his trauma, he only found comfort and safety in the lord’s embrace. 
(Chapter 76) The main lead didn’t reject the painter’s urge for a hug in front of commoners. At no moment, Yoon Seungho felt embarrassment. He treated him like a special treasure. That’s how the painter came to realize that Yoon Seungho‘s love for him was true and genuine. Consequently, he decided to rely on him and to trust him. That’s why in this panel, the painter closed his eyes: 
(chapter 76) We could say that he was reminded of his own past. When he was a child, he sensed love through hugs and caresses. Since the painter could feel the lord’s genuine affection and warmth, he recognized that even when there was no sex, love was present. All his senses made him perceive the lord’s love: 
(chapter 76) His words showed his care and concern, then he bought him an expensive music box. 
(Chapter 76) 
(Chapter 80) And now, you comprehend why the painter didn‘t confess during that night. He got interrupted. The kiss was the symbol for their love. Thus it is no coincidence that just after his confession,. 
(Chapter 94) the painter initiated a long and sensual kiss with his “husband“. 
(Chapter 95) Since the painter had received caresses and embraces in his childhood, he came to view the kiss as the symbol for true love. And note that the kisses exchanged in the gibang were full of passion and love. This was the perfect combination of love and sex. 
(Chapter 95) 
(Chapter 96) This shows that Yoon Seungho has always longed for a pure and spiritual love in the first place. His sexual preferences were already palpable in the last love session (season 2): 
(chapter 72) We could say that he discovered all his sexual preferences thanks to the painter. 
(Chapter 80) But he failed due to the intervention of the butler and other schemers. Besides, the whispering of „Kyumah“ could only make his heart race. Let’s not forget that his painting in the sand 
(chapter 1) externalized his own philosophy: love and sex can’t be separated. Note that the couple is is hugging and kissing at the same time! 😍 This picture will represent the peak of their love! Striking is that when the couple confirmed their mutual affection, they did in the kisaeng house, the symbol for prostitution. This truly exposed that Yoon Seungho had been treated like a male night servant in the past. .
(chapter 72) in the next season, for the painter is still calling his lover “lord Seungho“ 
(chapter 99) 
(chapter 102) This means that he is still viewing himself as a low-born. But note that contrary to the past, Baek Na-Kum is now wearing a hanbok and he has no other clothes. Thus I am deducing that the painter’s next lesson is to drop his notion that he is a commoner. He will be taught to view himself as an equal to Yoon Seungho. Only when he has internalized that there is no gap between him and his lover, then he will be able to address him as “Seungho-YA!“ At the same time, both protagonists will come to realize that they can express their love differently. Poetry, painting and more importantly through their desire to protect their loved one. The lord will start protecting Baek Na-Kyum more actively, just like the painter will decide to show more interests in his lover’s skills and past life. Baek Na-Kyum will feel responsible for the bloodshed in the shaman’s house. In my opinion, the lord will confide to him what happened to Min and the other nobles. I am assuming this, for the lord remained silent, when the messenger of his father came to the mansion. He didn’t want to scare his lover because of his brutal outburst. 
(chapter 84)
The trigger for the change is the noble’s words. The latter keeps talking to the painter asking for an reply. Hence in my eyes, there are glimpses of love the moment Baek Na-Kyum said this: 
It sounded like a confession, hence the seme became more passionate: 
Here the lord acted like a client. Yet, notice that the lord is speaking again forcing to express himself. And the moment the painter cried and started voicing his own opinion, the sexual encounter was affected. 
(chapter 49) An expression of love and affection, but the painter rejected it, as he mistrusted his own judgement. He couldn’t help thinking of the learned sir’s fake embrace. Striking is that despite the rejection, the painter kissed and hugged back his lover
(chapter 49), which made the lord believe that he could only get embraced by the painter, if they had sex. 
. Although the second sex marathon starts like a pure sex session, the moment the painter calls Yoon Seungho differently
, the lord’s attitude changes. The painter is turned around and faces his lover
, a sign that they are getting closer. Striking is that again through their conversation, the painter is pressured to think about his own emotions. 
However, due to his own insecurities and fear, the noble still can’t trust the artist’s words, therefore there’s no confession. 
, it is just that both main leads were in denial. 
(Chapter 58) Thus he should become responsible for him. Yoon Seungho was unconsciously trying to push the painter to reciprocate his feelings, an imitation of Lee Jihwa‘s confession. Nevertheless, the painter remained silent, therefore it meant that his love was still denied. That’s why it stands more under the sign of dream and illusion. Consequently, the night in chapter 70, 71, 72 and 73 contrasts so much to the one from chapter 58. This time, it symbolizes the lord’s pure love. As such, the sex is already a real expression of love. That’s why the lord asked to be called intimately: Seungho-Ya 
(chapter 72) On the other hand, this love session was strongly intertwined with the notion of forgiveness and punishment as well. This is important, it reveals that Yoon Seungho had internalized that sex was the expression to redeem himself. He had been tasked in the past that if he desired to obtain “forgiveness“, then he should have sex. And by comparing all these sexual encounters, I came to the following conclusion: the lord’s words definitely contributed to change the nature of the sex session, just like the hug. 
In chapter 66, he had a flashback, hence he couldn’t witness his lord’s attention and care.
But the lord discovered this kind of embrace, when he helped the painter in chapter 53: 
That’s how the noble experienced the embrace as a source of comfort and affection. Therefore you can comprehend, why I wrote above that the painter was teaching the lord how to love properly, but also why the embrace became the symbol for love in the lord‘s eyes. He had never been embraced before by a man. And Lee Jihwa had recognized the true signification of this gesture, when he spied on the couple (chapter 43). That‘s how he knew the friend‘s biggest desire: and was deeply hurt after this discovery 
(Chapter 57) However, this shows that Yoon Seungho is a quick learner, because he knew what to do, when the painter was in pain and destress. At the same time, it explains why he could fake the embrace in chapter 62: 
This hug stands in opposition to the one at the end of season 3: 
(chapter 102) The artist was forgiving his lover! Love represents selflessness, tolerance, forgiveness, warmth, affection and assistance which is transmitted by the embrace. Now, you understand why Yoon Seungho was still not satisfied after the sex session in the study, he was longing for the hug. 
(Chapter 84) In his unconscious, he knew that if the artist hugged him, he would have forgiven him. But he had no idea about it, thus he couldn’t suggest this. So far, he had experienced the embrace from the artist while having sex. Deep down, he had already internalized the embrace to forgiveness. So we could say that the absence of the embrace in this scene was the lord‘s punishment for the fake hug in the shed. And the painter let him discover the true nature of a warm embrace: 
(chapter 91)
(Chapter 86) No one close to him had grabbed his hand in order to show their support. This gesture in the picture embodies abandonment. On the other hand, the painter had been the first one to take his hand and to swear “loyalty“. 
(Chapter 30) The joined hands were repeated in season 3 , the only difference is that this time, Baek Na-Kyum was doing it willingly. 
(Chapter 88) The symbol for support, company and responsibility.
and his request for help are strong indications that Baek Na-Kyum was now accepting his affection. He was now trusting the noble, hence he revealed an important clue about the abduction. 
(chapter 41) Under this perspective, it becomes understandable why the couple neglected these pictures. They were all devoid of affection, it was more about prostitution and battle! And here is now the question? Where are these drawings? 
(Dr. Frost, chapter 8) As you can see, home is strongly connected to identity and personality. In other words, without home a person loses his identity. This is no coincidence that homeless people often have no ID. 
He felt so lonely and lost, for he had no place he could call home. It was, as if he had no identity. When he deserted the mansion, he first thought of the kisaeng house and his noonas 
(chapter 46), until he remembered how he had been sent away by Heena noona. 
(chapter 75) and was restraining himself from falling more for Yoon Seungho. He had come to view the mansion as his home, and if he came to accept Yoon Seungho as his companion, then the latter would become his home, his family. Don’t forget my previous statement: Home is where the heart is. He was afraid of getting hurt a second time. If the lord came to have a change of heart, he could lose his new founded home. 
(chapter 58) And now, you comprehend why he stopped in the middle of the street during his escape. He had recalled how Heena had sent him away. 
(chapter 99) The idiom “bittersweet affections” indicated that the learned sir had expressed regret and disappointment concerning Baek Na-Kyum. This means that Heena knew that Jung In-Hun’s affection towards the low-born had been changing. As you can see, I come to the conclusion that Heena was already aware of the existence of tension between the painter and his former teacher. 
Heena noona is not even using the word “home”. At no moment, she employs this expression. When she parted from her brother in chapter 46, 
(chapter 68), when there was a ruckus. So when the kisaeng made the request to the teacher
(chapter 46), she envisioned that he would acquiesce her request, since he had done it so many times in the past (taking care of Baek Na-Kyum and becoming responsible for him). Moreover, she knew that the artist liked and admired Jung In-Hun. For her, the scholar was a liberator, because he acted so differently towards the kisaengs and Baek Na-Kyum. That’s the reason why she thought, she was doing the right thing for her brother, while in reality she was just projecting her own desires into the artist. And this interpretation was proven correct, because when she vanished from the gibang in season 3, she was no longer dressed as a kisaeng. 
(chapter 99) She was deserting the kisaeng house, and as such the noonas. And note the parallels between chapter 46 and 97/99. In both cases, the painter couldn’t bid farewell to the other kisaengs. 
(chapter 97) This time, it was for her own sake. But the price for her freedom was that she had to sell her brother. She could still have a clean conscience by convincing herself that Yoon Seungho had killed her idol. At the same time, she needed to fake her death. 
(chapter 99) [For more explanations read the analysis “Heena’s curtains”] This means that she was betraying the eonnies one more time. And that’s how I had another revelation. In my eyes, after their separation, Heena had come to view her life in the gibang differently. She had been able to perceive the good aspects of her life as a kisaeng. She could live a comfortable life and as such get new hanboks. 
reinforced her bad impression about Yoon Seungho. That’s why Heena noona will never believe that this place can become the artist’s true home. For her, this place can only represent a new prison, for she has a negative perception of nobles. Hence she needs to rescue her brother.
(chapter 69) Besides, I believe that she has another reason. The lord is connected to her own guilt, but she is not admitting her responsibility. In the first version, I had expected that due to his confession, the kisaeng would never trust Baek Na-Kyum’s words later. And this was proven correct. Why? First, Heena noona embodies a certain kind of knowledge: prejudices. Because she has already experienced many things, she has the impression that she knows everything. However, she is not realizing that her world view is based on her own perception. Secondly, her superficial knowledge turns her into a blind and deaf person. What she sees and hears will be interpreted the way she perceives the world. I had even written this back then:
(chapter 29) there exists a kernel of truth in the grapevine. Moreover, with her caresses and hugs, she used love to stop her brother from speaking his mind. 
(chapter 46) That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum could only express himself through painting, as he had become mute. Due to her decisions and actions and the scholar’s, she contributed to turn the artist into a boy full of insecurities, unable to express himself. Consequently, Heena noona was put in front of the same choice in season 3. Note that the return of the painter to the gibang coincides with her departure. This means that due to the couple’s love session, she was reminded of her own past. She was forced to recall why she had associated the gibang to hell in the first place. 
(chapter 96) She was definitely scared in that scene. That’s the reason why at the end, she utilized her brother to leave the gibang. 
(chapter 52) And finally Yoon Seungho treated him well on different occasions by sharing his breakfast with him or sending him to the doctor or by protecting him from Deok-Jae. Yet I believe that the decisive factor is the momentary separation. Although the painter had lost his position as favored servant, the noble never sent him away. He let him live in the study and kept treating him well. The artist could sense that despite the distance, the noble was not willing to cut ties with him. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum resisted to the vicious servant, when the latter tried to force him to leave the property. 
(chapter 53) This was his home now, and he wanted to protect what he had finally found. Despite the pain, he didn’t move. He was ready to do anything for his home. This gives us a glimpse of the painter’s future behavior, when his lover is targeted. There’s no doubt that he will fight for him. And now, if you compare the two following panels, you’ll realize the similarities between the two scenes: 
(chapter 76) In both scenes, the painter has a revelation. In chapter 46, he is alone and has no place to go. However, he is strong enough to stand on his feet, while in episode 76, he is paralyzed by fear and becomes so weak. Yet, exactly like in the first image, he feels lonely, but since he can’t escape, this position makes him realize his vulnerability. He needs help and protection. That’s why the moment he realizes the noble’s presence
(chapter 76), he seeks his embrace and warmth. 
(chapter 76) With these words, it truly outlines that the mansion has become Baek Na-Kyum’s real home, a place where he feels comfortable and secure, which represents a continuation of chapter 46. While in chapter 46, he just considered the mansion more like a refuge or shelter, now he connects it to family. It has truly become part of his identity. But the embrace on the street let him discover that Yoon Seungho could become a home too. 
and English version, when the lord replies to his request. 
In the original version, the lord is now admitting that the mansion is also his home now, whereas in the past it was just a prison and he wanted to have a companion by his side. In the English version, there’s only silence. This difference affects a lot the interpretation. By remaining silent, the noble is not acknowledging the mansion as his home, but this doesn’t mean that he has no home. In my opinion, Yoon Seungho perceives the painter as his home, hence he prefers remaining there hugging his lover. The painter gives him the warmth and love the lord has always been longing. That’s why he gives the excuse that they should stay there. It seems that the English version 
(chapter 85) Baek Na-Kyum represented the foundation of his home. Without him by his side, his “home” would crumble. 
hence his head moves closer to Yoon Seungho’s
and at the end he even closes his eyes
(chapter 74) This was a new version of the chapter 51 and 52. And you all know the saying: 
(chapter 78) 
(chapter 102) As long as he is by his side, everything is fine. This new definition of home appeared, when the painter and the lord confessed to each other. 
(chapter 96) It didn’t matter where they were. Thus they could confess in a gibang. They felt safe together. And this is the same in the mountain. Observe that the painter is not asking why they are in the mountain and what the lord intended to do there. In fact, he was more focused on the past than the present. However, for the painter, home is not just a family, he liked to sleep in a warm bed and have a warm meal each day 
(chapter 68), since he had lived like a homeless for a while. Hence both will have to look for a real home, a house. Moreover, the lord will have to provide for the painter, and the latter will feel obligated to assist his lover. This means, in season 4, home should have a new definition. It is not just a family, but also the mansion and the country! Don’t forget that many people died in season 3.
(doctor frost, chapter 9). What caught my attention is that the lord’s bedchamber is literally empty: There are only one big white vase, a red box, candles 
(chapter 55) and a windscreen. 
(chapter 55) The latter shows trees painted in black, there’s barely nature in the end. It mirrors the lord’s symbolic death. The emptiness of his room reflected the lord’s life. He was living like a zombie and avoided emotions, as he had no souvenir at all. Although he reads a lot, you never see them in his room. Why? It is because he separated his spirit from his body. In his bedchamber, he was a captive trapped in the past, hence he had nightmares. Moreover, I think that his bed is the source of his nocturnal panic attacks, as the colors are the same than the king’s. And now, the manhwaphiles can better comprehend why the noble has never considered his mansion a home. In this house, and in this room, he had traumatic experiences (abuse), which were so horrible that he had entirely repressed it. Nonetheless, the moment the painter calls the mansion his home, this has a huge impact on the lord’s life. The latter is now “forced” to consider the mansion as his home too. Hence in the Korean version, we have this panel: 
(chapter 98) This shows that he had conquered the bed. Season 3 exposes the painter’s conquest of the bedchamber. The turning point took place in chapter 87, when the artist went to the study on his own volition. 
(chapter 87) I can’t help myself thinking that in season 4, the painter will bring his possessions to the bedchamber for good contrary to season 3. 
(chapter 79) The music box was brought back to the painter’s studio after the argument. Since the lord bought a music box for Baek Na-Kyum, and the latter treasures this item, it also has a special meaning for the lord too. The music box represents the lord’s heart, but the main lead didn’t grasp the true meaning, until it was too late. So far, the broken music box got neglected after their argument
(chapter 85), yet I am still hoping for its return, for the lord had recognized its true signification to the painter afterwards. 
(chapter 85) But we shouldn’t forget the lord’s Spring poem 
(chapter 43) 
(chapter 82) Hence I am wondering if Yoon Chang-Hyeon didn’t punish his son by taking away the orchid, when he painted on the servant’s body: 
(chapter 36). 
(chapter 99) This new interpretation leads me to the following observation. In season 4, we will witness a new battle again, and it will be about the ownership of the mansion. Who is the true owner of the propriety? Kim, Yoon Chang-Hyeon, Yoon Seungho or lord Song?
(chapter 74), exactly like in the past.
(Chapter 40) On the surface, it looks like a repetition. Yet, the first contrast are the steps. While in chapter 40, lord walks away and the painter remains immobile first, in chapter 74 the young man is following the lord step by step. This illustrates the progression of their relationship. Yoon Seungho is like his guide and the commoner just follows him, full of trust.
(chapter 40) 
(chapter 74). However, the trigger for the joke is diverse. In chapter 40, he got jealous, while in chapter 74 he was curios. And this comparison between the two pranks led me to realize that the red dot on the forehead had another signification. In my first interpretation about the chapter 40, I exposed that the red dot on the forehead was the symbol of marriage, the bride would wear such a sign. However, if you recall that Yoon Seungho described the painter as a fool 
(Chapter 40) That’s why after pondering, the artist visited his teacher and expressed his wish for the first time that he would like Jung In-Hun to become responsible for him, like the former had promised. As you can see, the red dot and the questions did cause an Awakening. But it was a brutal waking up, as the painter discovered how the learned sir truly viewed him: a prostitute and nothing more. 
Imagine, the commoner was walking right behind him, yet Baek Na-Kyum was not mentally and emotionally present. His thoughts were directed at the scholar. This is not surprising that Yoon Seungho resented his lover. In the aristocrat’s mind, this signified that the painter was not even enjoying his time with him. He preferred thinking about the learned sir than talking or looking at his lover. In other words, he was standing behind the lord absentminded. And the lord sensed it, hence he looked behind
. How did he notice it? It is because the artist didn’t keep asking about the date.
There was a silence after the question. And when he saw the blushing accompanied with a huge genuine smile, Yoon Seungho was hurt that he couldn’t help criticizing his lover. 
Note that with such a comment, the noble is not interested in initiating a conversation, he already knows what the low-born is thinking. And if you contrast this to the scene in episode 74, you’ll detect a huge difference. Although the artist is absentminded as well, he is already meditating about his lover 
and his relationship. The lord’s back 
(chapter 74) is the trigger for him to ponder. And this shows the noble’s increasing influence on Baek Na-Kyum. Meditating is definitely the lord’s favorite occupation so far. In addition, this shows how much the aristocrat means to him. All his thoughts are now directed at Yoon Seungho. Therefore we have to imagine this. While Baek Na-Kyum is walking, the lord notices that he is just walking lost in his thoughts. Hence he throws him the hat as a joke. On the one side, he definitely wants him to be present mentally and emotionally, like in the past. On the other hand, note that unlike in the past, there’s no reproach, in truth he desires to discover what the artist is thinking. 
This is one of the biggest wishes Yoon Seungho has ever had: 
(chapter 49) The lord always felt the need to share what was in their mind. Now, I can truly grasp why it’s a dream for Yoon Seungho. Remember when I described how the lord lived for so many years in the darkness. He only knew that he existed through his mind and thoughts. But during this whole time, he could never communicate his thoughts to anyone, he felt terribly lonely. This explicates why he had such a huge desire to communicate with the painter. He felt closeness in their soul, which he could detect in the art. As you can see, although the noble detected that his lover was lost in his thoughts, he no longer reprimands him. In fact, he voices curiosity. Moreover, he is no longer claiming that Baek Na-Kyum is transparent contrary to chapter 40. There’s a reason for that. The artist has changed so much as well. He is indeed applying his lover’s philosophy: introspection and meditation. And this leads me to the next observation. There is a huge difference between these two scenes: the chronology.
(chapter 74) versus 
. He still had that dream, this explicates why he mentioned Jihwa. He envisioned that the artist would get jealous. But the artist remained silent. Then he confessed twice (“I adore you” and 
) in order to push the protagonist to reply to his confession. He definitely dreamed that if he confessed, the painter would feel pressured to return the affection. That’s why the painter was trapped under the noble and the latter was grabbing the painter’s hand. 
(Chapter 58) His gestures illustrated the pressure made on the artist. But the master never got a reply. Thus it elucidates why the noble got infuriated after the painter’s disappearance. He might have admitted his defeat, nevertheless he hoped for a confession, as a new form of allegiance. That way, Baek Na-Kyum was obliged by his words. However, in chapter 74, the only desire the noble has is to exchange their thoughts. He has truly given up on his dream. When in chapter 49 the master voiced this wish for the first time, he was lowering his expectations. That’s why I believe that this indicates that Yoon Seungho is no longer hoping for more. He is so in love, and the past Yoon Seungho would call him: a fool! 
(Chapter 74) The repetition of “nothing more” is an evidence for the painter’s longing for more. There’s no doubt that his wish is physical intimacy, because for the artist sex is a synonym for love. Consequently, he stands up during the night in order to look at the lord’s bedchamber from far away or he is awake
, (chapter 74) when the noble visits his study. All this exposes that he is longing for the lord’s warmth. A simple kiss is enough to make the painter blush, but not enough to satisfy his “thirst” for affection. 
That’s why his eyes are bigger than before, like in this panel. 
(Chapter 74) He is literally glowing. He is enjoying this moment with the noble, hence he stares at him so intensively. And this represents the biggest contrast to the chapter 40. Back then he didn’t truly enjoy the walk with the master. He was either embarrassed or thinking about the scholar. At the end, he was even called “a fool”. 
. (Chapter 7) Secondly, as the lord is the mirror of the artist and the former once expressed the wish to see the painter’s smile
(chapter 10) or silenced him with a caress
. Heena noona had a similar atttitude, she never asked for his opinion, when she sent him away. 
(chapter 74) he would be a fool, if he followed his instinct and heart. This leads me to the conclusion that Baek Na-Kyum restrains himself in the last moment and doesn’t reveal his true thoughts. When he recalls his sister’s warning, I interpret that he is refusing to have a leap of faith. However, he is not recognizing that he has already changed. He might deny his attachment to the master, yet the tailor is not blind: 
(chapter 74) Baek Na-Kyum’s behavior is acting like a man in love. This change of behavior is the sign of his slow transformation, but he doesn’t realize it. This explicates why he doesn’t pay attention to his surroundings and shows no embarrassment. He no longer cares for reputation or appearances. What truly matters for him is Yoon Seungho, the foolish one who is not asking for more. Besides, since the chapter 40 was about responsibility, it implies that Baek Na-Kyum is not willing to become responsible for Yoon Seungho, still too afraid of getting hurt. He has been a fool in love in the past with Jung In-Hun, he fears to re-experience it. 
due to the Joker’s arm and hand.
(Chapter 102) He knows the perpetrator, he is himself the murderer, but what he doesn’t know is how it came to this. The painter’s question is actually inciting the main lead to investigate the matter, and as such to discover the helping hands. Lee Jihwa blamed Min, and the latter reproached the red-haired master. But the Joker asked him this: 
(chapter 102) How come that Black Heart had the learned sir’s glasses? He has now to prove his reliability and trustworthiness towards his partner. He should become more proactive, if he wants to protect his loved one better. My final conclusion is that in chapter 74, we don’t have one fool in love, but two! 
If he hadn’t thought too much about Yoon Seungho due to the separation and been surprised by Min, he would have realized that his life was in danger. Both protagonists are so in love that they don’t realize that their special relationship represents a threat to others, especially to people who stand for social norms and traditions. Simultaneously, their scandalous relationship is a source of envy for others, as Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho were able to break free from the shackles of social customs and hierarchical society. The couple becomes a symbol of liberty and true love … no wonder why The Joker is so envious. Because both were two fools in love, they couldn’t detect the enemies around them and the existence of the plot. On the other hand, the last tragedy brought back the two lovers to reality. They needed to pay more attention to their surroundings. 
(chapter 45) The former mentioned this event to others so that a rumor started among the town folks. They were all wondering if Yoon Seungho was engaged due to the bridal carry. Since no marriage had happened, but simultaneously he showed great care in that person, they definitely perceived that the latter in his arm meant a lot to the master. They could judge that the noble was in love. At the same time, they were pleased, because they had realized that the black sheep of the Yoons seemed to have calmed down. Many painterofthenight-lovers couldn’t help smiling, when the entertainer praised the fiancée for her good sexual technics, 
(chapter 45) because the truth was that Yoon Seungho was so dissatisfied with the painter’s tricks. 
(chapter 45) That way, if the low-born was to disappear, no one would connect Baek Na-Kyum to the bridal carry. All the men were convinced that it was a woman due to the smooth legs.
(chapter 45) Since the painter had been kept in the dark about the noble’s action, he couldn’t realize the noble’s feelings. The only person pointing out the master’s affection for the commoner was the head-maid. 
(chapter 46) Since she had been kept in the dark by Deok-Jae and Kim about the bridal carry, she had to mention another conversation to prove her observation. Yet it was definitely less convincing, as it was more related to comfort and respect. 
(chapter 66) The manhwalovers will notice the progression. First, the identity of the “bride” is no longer hidden. This time, the lord’s attention is more focused on the head, as his hand covers the painter’s head. In other words, he pays less attention to the artist’s body. The latter is just wearing a shirt and nothing more. The reason for this divergence is simple. Baek Na-Kyum had just a flashback, a panic attack indicating that his spirit or mind was troubled. Yoon Seungho had recognized that the painter was injured mentally. Just like in the past, there’s a witness, but this time, it is the noble Min. Why only one witness? If you compare it to the first scene, you’ll note that Black Heart replaces the merchant and the servant Deok-Jae. The Joker is lusting after the low-born due to the smooth legs (a new version of this panel: 
chapter 45) and he is definitely jealous of the main lead, similar to Deok-Jae. This made me realize why The Joker revealed Jihwa’s abduction right after. Imagine, if people got aware of this incident, then The Joker wouldn’t be able to taste the artist. Every one would know about Baek Na-Kyum and his importance to Yoon Seungho. He was no longer a low-born, but the lord’s official wife and partner. If he were to disappear, no one would be able to escape punishment. Therefore he needed to separate the couple… since the artist was in a poor condition 
(chapter 66). He could only assume that the painter wished to disappear, for he had been abducted and Yoon Seungho had failed to protect him. Later, Kim could report to him what Yoon Seungho had done to the painter in the shed, so that Min’s belief that Baek Na-Kyum would leave the mansion could only increased. Both imagined that the commoner would desert the lord’s mansion. Both hoped that Baek Na-Kyum would reject the “marriage”, although he was already chosen as the lord’s bride. As you can observe, the bridal carry plays a huge importance, it definitely symbolizes marriage, even if it is between two men. And this led me to the theory that Min had already envisioned the next scheme. The conspirators had no time… especially if other servants noticed the bridal carry too. Let’s not forget that before Min stood in front of the master’s bedchamber, other domestics were standing there: Kim, the maid and another servant. 
(chapter 66) It is definitely possible that they looked at their lord’s action from faraway. If so, this would signify that the news about Baek Na-Kyum as the lord’s bride has finally reached the ears of the staff. 
(chapter 71) This signifies that now the artist is well aware of the signification of that action. That’s why he is definitely moved. He is blushing and letting his head rest on the protagonist’s shoulder. 
(chapter 71) He stares at the lord’s shoulder so intensively in order to confirm that this is real. More striking is that the painter’s nose is on the lord’s shirt implying that the commoner is smelling the lord’s fragrance. Furthermore, the painter senses the warmth from the master’s body, just like he hears Yoon Seungho’s footsteps on the wooden floor. To sum up, Baek Na-Kyum is using all his senses that he is not dreaming. Gradually, he is accepting it as reality, hence he can only blush.
(chapter 71) to this one: 
(chapter 33). Back then, the butler was worried that Baek Na-Kyum would reveal his complicity in the escape. However, this time Kim is concerned for another reason: the painter is no longer a favored servant, but now the bride and as such Yoon Seungho’s official partner. But if the readers compare the two previous bridal carries, they’ll remember that there were more than just one testifier… although in the second case, it was just implied. Thus I think that there could be another witness. In the first version of this essay, I had imagined that the Joker could have been present: 
In chapter 44, he saw how the painter walked to the study. Secondly, he was present during the second love session: 
. (chapter 60) However, I was wrong here. Then it occurred to me that if there was a second witness, then it could have been the new version of Deok-Jae. He had been following the guest 
(chapter 66), when Min entered the propriety. And according to social norms, he should have followed the noble. So he could have seen the painter’s legs from a certain distance. And this also would explicate why the domestic had such eyes, when he approached the bedchamber in season 3. 
(chapter 80) He was interested in the painter. And there is another evidence that there are always two witnesses of that bridal carry, the love session in the gibang. 
(chapter 96) The noona was joined shortly after by Min who could now hear their love session. 
Before the love session, though their intimacy began in delay. Note that the bride was the one who determined, when they should be intimate. However, they got interrupted. Then the consumption was quite painful, though the painter had masturbated before and as such prepared himself. 
(chapter 81) For me, this is an allusion to Yoon Seungho’s rape in his youth.
This happened after the sexual assault. The lord was acting like in chapter 66. He was full of regret and tenderness. We could say that he was acting like a knight protecting his bride. Here, again the bridal carry is intertwined with death and pain. Don’t forget his words in the bath: 
(chapter 70)
and kisses. 
(chapter 77) and clean up his mess… no wonder why Yoon Seungho came to resent the man. He left the young master totally unprotected, exposed to all forms of abuse. And the man might have wondered why Yoon Seungho was so difficult to tame… Therefore he could never entirely trust the main lead. Consequently I view the gesture as the symbol of bravery, care, responsibility and strength. From my point of view, the main lead must have recognized that he was “married” much too young to the pedophile. During his conversation with Bongyong, the lord indicated that age mattered. He still had time. 
(chapter 78) They shouldn’t get married too young, and in my opinion, he was speaking out of experience. 
(chapter 70). The learned sir acted like a father and with the recollection of the piggyback, Baek Na-Kyum recognized the true value of this carry. He was never loved, like the commoner desired, the young man just viewed him as a child. He was innocent and pure and couldn’t realize the true nature of the scholar’s feelings: trivial and fleeting emotions, which turned into indifference, when the artist became an adult. That’s the reason why the artist is no longer upset… he judges this event in a different light. Back then, he was only a child for Jung In-Hun. This scene represents Baek Na-Kyum’s loss of innocence. He is now a mature man who makes decisions on his own. He is no longer idealizing Jung In-Hun, and the bridal carry reflects this maturity. 
(chapter 70) 3 symbolizes perfection and completion. But I have not entirely explained how the artist could overcome his traumatic past and even find closure. So far, I elaborated that the missing farewells played a huge role in the painter’s trauma, as they triggered his abandonment issues. Thanks to Yoon Seungho’s decision, the artist was allowed for the first time to bid farewell to his noona properly.
(chapter 69) But there’s more to it. In my opinion, the physical touch, in the form of caress and embrace, played a huge role in the painter’s traumatic past too. However, before starting to explain this element, I need to elaborate how it came to this. 
(chapter 70) Then thanks to my readers @_Winnie_L_ and @
(chapter 67) Thus we have two possibilities. Either the head-kisaeng is someone else and Heena noona took over her role, or Heena noona became the head-kisaeng, but she never claimed Baek Na-Kyum as her son. Thus the painter ended up with a ghost mother. On the one hand, Heena noona acted like a sister in front of him and she requested from him to be called “noona”, on the other hand, she behaved like a mother towards Baek Na-Kyum. Observe that Heena is the only one with a name. The only difference is that the head-kisaeng relied on the kisaengs to raise the low-born, whereas the noble Lee employed his domestics. This explicates why Heena noona started acting like a mother. But this caused her to struggle due to her young age. She was so overwhelmed with this task, that she had to rely on the scholar. And there is a reason why the kisaeng trusted the low noble so much. She was not just blinded by her own feelings
(chapter 68). Her decision was influenced by her past experiences and fears. The head-kisaeng judged the learned sir as a good and responsible man. And how could he win her trust? Since the story is constructed like a kaleidoscope, this means, we must have a new version of this during the first season. In my opinion, the scene with the worker is the repetition from the past.
(chapter 29) First, observe that the young girl is sitting on the teacher’s lap and the learned sir is holding a book. So if someone saw this from far away, the beholder would think that the scholar is reading the book to the child. It even gives the impression that he is actually teaching the young girl to read. But note that in this scene, the low noble is in reality talking to the commoner. For the young girl, it means that she is forced to sit and do nothing. That’s why she turns her her head to the learned sir wondering what he is expecting from her.
(chapter 29) What is she supposed to do? Observe that he replies to her interrogating expression with a smile, yet he doesn’t give her any instruction. I would say, he treats her like a doll. And now, replace the young girl with Baek Na-Kyum, and the latter has to sit there for a while. You can easily grasp why the painter could only fall asleep.
(chapter 70) In front of the kisaengs, the scholar created the illusion that he was teaching, while in truth he just saw it as a diversion. This explicates why he utilized this idiom to Yoon Seungho. 
(chapter 6) Diversion has two meanings:
(chapter 29) And now the scene at the kisaeng house can only be perceived in a new light. 
(chapter 70) , in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by water and rice fields. While some might view these panels as quite idyllic, I interpret these as the opposite: Baek Na-Kyum had no roots and no roof over his head. He couldn’t even find a refuge, which reminds us of the scene in the first chapter: 
(chapter 1) This picture exposes the painter’s lack of attachment. He has no home, no wall to protect him… there’s only emptiness surrounding him, which contrasts so much to Yoon Seungho’s situation, who lived in a prison. Hence I understand now why Baek Na-Kyum is determined to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side. 
(chapter 52). Note that each time, he was unhappy, he was requested not to cry 
(chapter 26) 
(chapter 70) If you pay attention, you’ll notice the only one allowing the painter to voice his wound and to shed his tears is indeed Yoon Seungho. Each time, he desires to know the cause for Baek Na-Kyum’s tears.
(chapter 1) The difference is even palpable in chapter 26: 
He left him some space and time to cry, hence when he returned, he didn’t say: don’t cry. He just makes this comment
(chapter 26). And like I underlined it before, the lord is always focused on the reason for the artist’s tears. This led to the confrontation: who is responsible for his heartache? 
(chapter 26) Sure, in the bathroom, Yoon Seungho is still very rude, however he never employs the negation. Nonetheless, the low-born could never perceive this divergence, as the nuance is not so obvious. This explicates why in chapter 41, the artist misjudged the noble’s intervention. When the latter wanted to see his face and as such his tears
, (chapter 41) the former refused to do so, because he anticipated that the lord would ask the same thing: stop crying. However, the master wanted to know the cause for his agony, which is totally different. This scene is really important, because it shows another issue. Baek Na-Kyum was never allowed to cry. His tears were associated to annoyance and burden. That’s why he desired to be left alone in the end. He feared that if the lord saw his tears, he would be requested to stop crying. And this fear of letting his tears coming up explains why the painter hid his eyes with his arm during the physical abuse.
(chapter 68) What the noona didn’t realize is that the main lead’s decision to respect the low-born’s needs (crying and not entering his room) was the reason why Baek Na-Kyum selected him in the end. There’s no doubt that the lord was associated to home for good, because he is the first one who allowed him to cry and to have a room, where he could seek refuge after getting hurt. Under this new light, the readers can better grasp why Baek Na-Kyum is healed now. 
(chapter 94) Here, the infant hugged his noona, but she didn’t return his gesture. Moreover, she hadn’t stopped the laughing nobles as well. Furthermore, 
. (chapter 68) Why does she expect this? From my point of view, her words imply, she must have helped the learned sir in the past: one thing is sure. She was not entirely honest with her donsaeng here, as the manhwaphiles can detect the drop of sweat. But more importantly, we have to question ourselves if the gibang was not used in the past to spread rumors about the Yoons again, and Jung In-Hun could heard something. I am even envisioning that she must have reported conversations to him, a new version of chapter 24: 
Remember that in that scene the painter doesn’t comprehend the meaning behind this order. If this theory is true, then she never saw the consequences of her action, similar to her brother in chapter 24. If she truly did it, she must have justified this, because the learned sir needed it, she was responsible for him. 
(chapter 68) For me, her real “admiration” was for the learned sir, therefore it becomes understandable why she wasn’t bothered, if Jung In-Hun asked for her help in exchange for taking care of Baek Na-Kyum. According to my theory, the learned sir had brought himself the baby to the gibang, this means that in chapter 46, he could only accept the kisaeng’s request. He had no other choice, for in Heena’s eyes, they were somehow related. From my point of view, Heena noona hoped that Jung In-Hun would even assist her and help her to leave the gibang. But this never happened. In my opinion, there exists another reason why the painter was sent to the learned sir. And it is related to Yoon Seungho, the erotic paintings and the pedophile. 
(chapter 44) 
(chapter 24) With my new interpretation, you can comprehend why he did this. He tried to use the same method from the past: he knew that physical touch would make the artist submissive. And the climax was reached in chapter 29 with the fake embrace and the betrayal: 
(chapter 29) From that moment, it went down again. We returned to patting 
(chapter 35) and strokes 
(chapter 35) and finish with this final touch of the painter’s cheek: 
(chapter 38) And the physical interaction reflects the learned sir’s loss of power. Despite his attempts, he was not able to obtain the artist’s submission like in the past. That’s the reason why he could only resent the artist. We have to remember that the low noble really detested this physical intimacy, hence he would tighten his jaw or grind his teeth. 
(chapter 24) Note that in many panels, we never see the scholar’s facial expressions, but there is no ambiguity that he could never truly hide his disdain. But the painter was still blinded by his “admiration” for Jung In-Hun. However, after the argument at the library, the painter lost his sight and hearing again. He was too wounded by the final blow. 
(chapter 46) Then the readers witness the return of the artist’s 5th sense (touching) in chapter 49. 
(chapter 52) And now you comprehend why Heena and Jung In-Hun were defeated. The hug in chapter 66 helped him to satisfy an important need: he was truly embraced while getting comforted. 
Back then, he recalled the repressed physical abuse. However, his conscious dismissed it again. However, this time it is different. The painter in possession of his whole body is reminded of the scholar due to Heena noona’s farewell. The closure he got by bidding her farewell triggered a long repressed memory too. The learned sir was the one who consoled him in the past. And while he recalls that night, the adult Baek Na-Kyum realizes that the scholar’s care was not fake in the past. He would keep him company and talk to him, he was his companion of the night. However, for me, this scene outlines his superficiality and indifference. He diverts his attention so that he wouldn’t feel sad any longer. But it was, as if he was ignoring his sadness, for he wouldn’t talk about the incident. 
(chapter 70 Then he makes the following reproach: he was lazy. 
(chapter 70) The learned sir will always be a part of his life, as he belongs to the past. As you can see, in this scene, Baek Na-Kyum was moving on. Therefore I interpret this scene as a real breakthrough. The painter is no longer under the influence of the scholar. The latter can not longer manipulate him like in the past [though now I believe that he is dead], and this revelation was triggered by Heena noona and her embraces. But at the same time, he is not rejecting or resenting the man. And this interpretation becomes even more visible in season 3: 
(chapter 94) His heart and mind are now in peace. He is no longer suffering from a guilty conscience. And this truly exposes that the artist’s abandonment issues were created by Heena. 
before kissing him. 
(chapter 70) However, what caught my attention is that his touch is never to shut the artist’s mouth. Observe that he lets the mouth open, while he caresses the hands, the chin and even after kissing the painter. 
(chapter 70) He has the right to speak, while Heena noona and Jung In-Hun used the embrace and caress as a way to render Baek Na-Kyum mute. And since the affection through physical touch was a way to win the painter’s heart, there is no doubt that Yoon Seungho is on his way to win his heart. Now, the painter is finally looking at him and the scholar’s influence has been finally erased. Baek Na-Kyum is now totally over Jung In-Hun, as he has now only view him as a companion and friend, and nothing more. He is no longer his idol. In other words, the low-born has finally found closure. In episode 70, his heart is free.
(chapter 23) Ignorance is a blessing for him, because it allows him to let his master to be in the dark. That’s why the master relied on the valet all this time. Kim was his eyes and ears, therefore certain rumors didn’t reach the noble’s ears. 
(chapter 22) Since Yoon Seungho perceives himself as cultured, because he reads so much, he could only laugh about this rumor. However, he never realized the origin of these gossips. The valet utilized the rumors in order to deceive everyone, including the main lead. That’s why Kim could only judge “ignorance as a blessing”, because it helped him to manipulate the staff, the town folks and the nobles. He had an interest to create a bad image about Yoon Seungho. This helped him to keep the main character in isolation and in the dark. Moreover, it reinforced the lord’s dependency on his assistant. In order to corroborate my interpretation, I will use a panel reflecting the true nature of their relationship: 
(chapter 11) Observe that the valet is not portrayed with eyes. This is not just an indication of the butler’s lie. The valet’s eyes became the master’s. This signifies that the words and the vision of the valet became the noble’s reality. At the same time, the noble’s mouth is closed and his hands are not present either. Note, he is getting dressed by his own valet. As a conclusion, he is entirely relying on Kim. He has no mouth, no hand, no ear and no eye. Everything belongs to the butler. This single picture exposes the butler’s true powers. The lord was totally deprived of all his senses and his own body, a real puppet. And this interpretation leads me to the following question: Who killed the servant in chapter 1? In my eyes, the noble was just the executioner, while the butler was the judge. Why do I see it like that? First, note that in the scene, the main lead has no eye 
(chapter 1) and he doesn’t want to know about the painter’s reasons for not painting any longer. I know, some readers might reject this idea, but I would like them to remember that we see the butler acting like a judge in front of the doctor, that’s why the commoner begs the valet (“Are you trying to have me killed”).
(chapter 65) He uses Yoon Seungho’s power, yet the latter is described as a killer. In chapter 1, Yoon Seungho was the epitome of ignorance (narrow-minded, blind and deaf) 
(chapter 1) and the butler didn’t need to be by his side, as he had a real control over the lord’s hands, eyes and ears. Now you understand why Kim really treasures ignorance. Simultaneously, the valet values knowledge, as it procures him power. 
(chapter 50) This idiom doesn’t only imply to ignore your feelings, but also to deny the existence of your heart. If the noble has no emotions, then he can be the perfect puppet. This explicates why Yoon Seungho had a relapse after this conversation. Despite his warning, the master did listen to the butler’s advice.
(chapter 65) That’s why there is no sincere apology. 
(chapter 65). He prioritizes his own life. He is not interested in people’s passion and well-being. He doesn’t care about people’s motivations. The latter just become relevant, the moment they affect his life. He needs to know about people’s behavior and thoughts for his manipulations in order to protect his quiet life.
(chapter 65) therefore any incident must be covered up. At the same time, it implies as well that everything must be done in the shadow. That’s why without any spectator, he removes the snowman embodying the painter. The final panel contain all the butler’s doctrines. He will erase everything related to the past, acting as if nothing happened. It doesn’t matter, if someone gets destroyed in the end, because on the surface, it will look like he just cleared a way. He gives the impression that he helped the persons concerned, not taking into consideration how his actions and decisions will affect others. If someone has to pay the price for this, then so be it, as long as it doesn’t disturb his life. From my point of view, this scene is full of symbolism. From my perspective, he is ruthless and even willing to dirty his hand to a certain extent, since he is using a broom. However, this gesture exposes too that he is not directly soiling his hands. This is the reason why he is never directly involved with people’s wrongdoings. He will just push others to commit wrongdoings with remarks. They have to act according to his own thoughts and benefit. This interpretation is not exaggerated, if you compare this scene with Deok-Jae’s misdeed in chapter 46. The vicious servant used his own feet to ruin the artist’s creation 
or he pushed the painter with his own shoulder. 
(chapter 46) At the same time, with this new approach, it helps to understand why the butler’s evilness was never caught. He could always feign ignorance with such a behavior and was never directly involved.
, 17, 59). He also allowed the vicious servant Deok-Jae to betray Yoon Seungho and plan a murder
(chapter 51). He hoped that Heena noona would take the painter away 
(chapter 68) and he is now expecting that Min organizes a second abduction while framing others: Nameless, Heena noona and Jihwa. 
. Then another scandal appeared, when the lord punished the staff for not following his order (chapter 30).
As you can see, the uproar remained within the mansion in season 1. This is the reason why the noble retreated in chapter 30, when he was pressured by the other aristocrats. 
(chapter 33) Here, he was definitely avoiding any scandal. He was running away, although he tried to deceive the nobles by declaring that the painter would belong to him. And during the second season, the readers can observe a progression, the scandal and uproar is now reaching the town (chapter 64) 
. Thereby the climax was reached in chapter 67, when Yoon Seungho visited the Lees’ mansion. For the first time, he was confronting a noble and didn’t fear to cause a scandal, when he showed up with a sword and didn’t even remove his shoes. 
(chapter 67)
(chapter 70) And this confession could be used against the lord later, hence after that night, Yoon Seungho kept his distance from his lover. Thus he said this to his lover in chapter 75 
and later asked if the painter was truly resisting. Slowly, he had internalized that consent was central: 
(chapter 79) But this doesn’t signify that this doctrine had completely vanished. For me, it has been gradually weakened, the moment the lord started feeling remorse. The problem is that he still relied on the butler to correct his wrongdoings. That’s why he sent the valet to the artist in chapter 12 or left the artist behind in chapter 33. He ran away from his responsibility 
(chapter 33) and let Kim take the burden. Yet the more time passed on, the more the noble took his responsibility. He protected him from the maids and decided to buy him better clothes. This is no coincidence that in chapter 40, he implied to the painter that the latter could now rely on him. This progression is visible, when he took care of the painter in chapter 55. He covered him 
(chapter 55) and watched over him during the night. But this principle will be truly abandoned, the moment the lord apologizes properly, and this expectation was proven correct, as the real apology took place in season 3. 
(chapter 71) The problem is that in the bathroom, he chose the wrong words. Hence the painter could only misunderstand him and pushed his hand away. While the manhwaphiles could witness his huge pangs of conscience, the painter never did. He was either unconscious (chapter 32) 
or asleep 
(chapter 50) or blind or deaf
(chapter 49). And little by little, the lord learned how to apologize to his lover. In season 3, he admitted his wrongdoing right away. 
(chapter 82) Then later he tried to redeem himself. 
(chapter 23), because he liked keeping people in the dark as well. We had a perfect example with the deal between Jung In-Hun, the painter and the protagonist. First, Yoon Seungho gave the scholar the impression that the former was just an uncultured fool, whereas in truth the low noble was the one deceived, because Yoon Seungho was giving him just an empty promise. At the same time, the rich noble lied to the painter, when he claimed that Jung In-Hun had come to see him. 
(chapter 7) However, it backfired on Yoon Seungho the moment the latter saw the painter’s reactions. He would run to his former teacher immediately, leaving the main character behind. Then he smiled to Jung In-Hun 
(chapter 7) and blushed in his presence. That’s the moment Yoon Seungho’s heart was moved, justifying the words in chapter 63: 
(chapter 7) Note that at the end of the chapter, he treated the painter as a real guest. He invited him to his bedchamber officially. 
(chapter 8) And observe that the noble was here smiling, he was already imitating the artist. This explicated too why not only his moves in this chapter were contradicting each other, but also Kim was introduced here for the first time. And note that from that moment, the lord never tried to trick the painter afterwards. Like I have already pointed out, the incident at the pavilion was definitely organized by the butler. And with this example, the manhwaphiles can see that the lord was applying the 6th rule as well, but dropped it due to the low-born’s reaction. This is not surprising why this manipulation ended up causing more and more pain. Yoon Seungho had brought him upon himself, revealing how the first doctrine “ignorance is not a blessing“. With this new observation, I perceive the episode 7 as a first major turning point. The lord was dropping the 6th rule (to utilize others in order to achieve his goal). However, this doesn’t mean that he abandoned the first doctrine. Quite the opposite… it took him a long time to realize why he couldn’t achieve his goal. In my opinion, the master started changing in chapter 67. Contrary to chapter 33
, Yoon Seungho couldn’t bear to hear how people would talk behind his back: a sodomizer and a beast who corrupted Lee Jihwa and others.
(chapter 67). Note that for the first time, the lord decided to defend himself
, correct people’s perception about him, which he never did before (chapter 18, 22, 57
). This coincides the return of the lord’s hearing and speech abilities. In chapter 67, he is using his own ears and mouth, he is no longer relying on the butler’s help. What the lord imagined to perceive as help was just an illusion. However, I believe that the lord decided to drop the first principle in chapter 68
(chapter 70). And note that when the painter confessed, he externalized his fear. 
. However, the huge difference is that Yoon Seungho’s mind’s eye is no longer focused on himself, but on the painter. This explicates, why the master decided to retrieve and to give him space. Without seeing his face, he could sense that there was affection, because the painter was crying. The readers should recall that the painter’s tears have always had a huge impact on the noble, because they healed his eyes, hand and heart. The manhwaworms can comprehend why the lord chose to let the painter determine his own fate. The presence of tears and the painter’s voice were able to remove the lord’s veil on his eyes and ears for good. I would like to remind the manhwaphiles that in chapter 68, Kim tried to destroy the lord’s own judgement by recurring to gaslighting and distorting the past. [For more explications, read this essay: 
(chapter 69) although he is sitting in his bedchamber. Imagine, he is no longer relying on the butler’s information contrary to chapter 56: 
. Therefore I deduce that the butler can no longer control the lord’s body, since he is no longer required to be his eyes, ears and hands. However, this doesn’t mean that Kim is truly defeated. He still controls the staff, especially the male domestics. Here, I would like to make a little disgression. In my opinion, the butler played a huge role in the first abduction. How come that the servants were so sure that the painter had run away? 
(chapter 61) They were not present, since both protagonists were at the physician’s. From my point of view, Kim must have manipulated the servants… he just needed to imply that Baek Na-Kyum had escaped, while in front of Yoon Seungho, he would say the opposite later due to the commoner’s return: 
(chapter 62) There’s no doubt that with the painter’s appearance, he could use the incident to obtain more support from the servants. The painter had caused trouble again, he was responsible for their misery. But since he truly exposed his true nature to the main lead (abusing his authority, criticizing and judging his master), he can no longer appear in front of him. Right now, he has to lie low, hence he needs other people to be his eyes and ears. This explains why the servant is portrayed without eyes either
(chapter 70). The absence of the eyes is an indication that they belong to Kim, just like the lantern indicates that the domestic is acting on the valet’s order. And in season 3, we can observe a similar situation. This time, they faked obedience 
(chapter 99), while they badmouthed their master. 
(chapter 98) Because the lord feared to lose his lover, he didn’t pay attention to the domestic’s insult: 
(chapter 98) But the insult was the proof that they never treated the painter as a part of the household. He was just a spoiled brat. 
and gives orders
. He is truly rude. We could say that he treats the low-born like a servant, as though he wanted him to feel so little. Kim’s strategy was to remind the painter of his position: he is just a servant, a new version of chapter 52. Remember that Kim’s intention from the start of the second season was always to diminish the artist’s status: he is just a temporally favored servant, nothing more. Striking is that the domestic never says that the lord gave him the order to bring the painter. He uses here a passive sentence “you are to attend to him” which is important. That way, the servant can hide the identity of the person who requested this. And since the lord was looking at the intruder in a rather cold way, I believe that he didn’t expect Baek Na-Kyum.
However, when the door was closed loudly, the lord must have realized that this must have been Kim’s action. The lord didn’t mind, for it looked like the butler was helping him to improve his relationship with the painter. This interpretation was also confirmed in season 3. Yoon Seungho showed no desire to investigate the matter of “Jung In-Hun” or Deok-Jae’s death, for he was too much focusing on his lover. He kept saying that this was not of his concern. 
(chapter 98) However, he was totally wrong here. That’s the reason why the abduction could even take place. Because of the last incident, the main lead is forced to recognize that he needs to investigate the matter, as everything or everyone can affect his life. This is important, because that’s the only way for Yoon Seungho to recognize the butler’s wrongdoings. He encouraged him not to pay attention on others so that he wouldn’t detect his wrongdoings. Thanks this rule, Kim could live freely. 
(chapter 70) Under this new light, it becomes understandable why Kim decided to betray his master and rekindle with Yoon Chang-Hyeon. The punishment was the signal for the valet to switch the alliance.
(chapter 102) From that moment on, the light had now reached the mind. He could drop his self-loathing finally which was the foundation of Kim’s principle. It was okay to cry. These were tears of happiness and relief… He had been able to rescue his lover. This means that Yoon Seungho did everything what the butler rejects: the embrace as a way to console and apologize and the tears as a sign of regret and happiness. But why does the valet abhor them? It is because he could never admit his own mistakes and as such he could never beg for forgiveness.
(doctor Frost, chapter 211) 
(chapter 50) Here, the butler never cried, he just showed pity and sympathy towards Baek Na-Kyum, however he was not speaking from the heart. 
). Optimism is a choice (chapter 68/69: the lord recognized that he still had some chance, though he was very scared). Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice (chapter 69
). Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”
This would announce the butler’s complete loss of power. At the same time, it would signify that the lord is showing that he trusts Baek Na-Kyum and is using his hair to woo the painter. And this could definitely correspond to the master’s attitude: his will to open up. Simultaneously, he could express the following wish: he would like to comb his lover’s hair himself encouraging him to have a topknot.
He is not only playful, but also flirtatious. Note how he puts the headband on the main lead giving him a seductive allure. 
At the same time, he acts like an innocent teenager who keeps asking questions: 
Yet, the topic is actually about sex, which contrasts so much to purity and innocence. It was, as if Yoon Seungho was behaving like a teenager discovering sexuality for the first time.
While talking, he can’t even help himself smiling. Striking is that his joke and words are used to woo the painter. He keeps getting closer and closer to Baek Na-Kyum, so that his head approaches the painter’s, before his hand starts touching his leg.
As you can detect, the scene in episode 16 is a combination of seduction and frivolity. He is so happy to be by the painter’s side, hence he is talkative. He desires to have a real conversation with the painter. On the other hand, since the topic of the conversation is revolving around sexuality, it explains why Yoon Seungho is tempting the painter. And we have a similar situation in chapter 70. Therefore there exist so many similarities between these two episodes, which I will now list:
(chapter 16) versus 
(chapter 70) 
(chapter 70)
and 
(chapter 16) versus 
the removal from his hand and
(chapter 70) 
(chapter 16) versus 
(chapter 16)
(chapter 70)
And here, we can detect the first huge difference between these two episodes. Because the artist is no longer denying his homosexuality, and as such he has finally dropped the scholar’s doctrines, he is able to perceive the aristocrat’s true personality. He is indeed moved, 
when he sees Yoon Seungho smiling after playing his prank. He blushes so much that he feels the need to hide his face,
, when he hears the main lead calling his sister a wench. He requests respect from the lord. He is confident in his words and behavior. He even gives further explications. 
(chapter 26). Yet back then both were driven by negative emotions (anger and sadness) due to their wounds. However, this time it is different. They are both calm and very careful. The two are determined to treat each other with respect. 
(Chapter 70) In other words, the bathroom is the place where the main leads can be honest to themselves, hence they are genuine to their counterpart. This is no coincidence that the painter was indeed touched, when he reminisced the lord cleaning him.
(chapter 59) In this place, there is no rule or social class separating them, they are equal. In the washroom, there’s only purity symbolized by water. I would conclude that they are truly naked physically and mentally. That’s why they can only be honest to themselves and in front of each other. 
, when the painter retorts that he should mention her differently. His facial expression oozes naivety and shock. He didn’t pay attention to the idiom (“wench”), as all his thoughts were revolving about the painter’s happiness. He just desired to know if he had succeeded: 
(chapter 66). The artist has no idea that Yoon Seungho is referring to the flashback. 
to fakeness and hypocrisy due to the butler, who keeps repeating these words
(chapter 25) 
(Chapter 11) This explicates that he misjudged the painter’s apology in chapter 62. Moreover, exactly like in episode 11, the painter had selected silence over giving a proper explanation. As you can see, silence was another reason why the couple had such huge issues in the past. It generated doubts and increased insecurities. However, in chapter 70, silence is barely present. 
(Chapter 70) Both are communicating verbally in all sincerity. In other words, this panel 
quoted from 
I believe that for the first time, the low-born is able to detect a new side from the aristocrat. Imagine that the artist could not only make the noble laugh, but also smile. That’s why the painter can no longer reject the lord, as his fear is slowly disintegrating. Note that he doesn’t reject the kiss from the aristocrat. 
, because the butler had warned the artist not to irritate the main lead. According to him, he was in a bad mood, which was untrue. 
(Chapter 36) The noble had regained hope due to the painter’s genuine reactions (his shyness, blushing and his mention about the painting). And this truly exposes the valet’s evilness in the end. He made sure that both wouldn’t get close in reality by hindering a real conversation. For that, he utilized sex. That’s why he let the painter drink an aphrodisiac. He knew that the moment, the lord would notice the erection, the main lead would be attempted to have sex. For me, there’s no doubt that Kim made sure that the lord’s deepest wish wouldn’t come true: an exchange of thoughts, a real intimacy. This explicates why the prank played by the noble failed in this scene. 
(Chapter 36) With this joke, he wanted to initiate a conversation, but unfortunately he saw the erection. Yet, the valet’s trick didn’t work completely either. Note that during that night, there was no sexual intercourse, just a fellatio. We shouldn’t forget that during that day, the painter was still feverish which the noble had noticed. So envision what would have happened, if the lord had engaged a second sex marathon. Therefore, I believe that in chapter 70, the valet is hoping that the noble will behave like the previous night
(chapter 38) 
(chapter 50): caresses, embrace and kisses, the symbol of harmony, love and sincerity. 
(chapter 47) by saying that he had just made a prank. But now, you will wonder where there was a prank in chapter 46, 56 and 66. 
(Chapter 56) He knew that this would hurt the noble, yet note that he felt no remorse and blamed his childhood friend. However, like I pointed out, he was impersonating a person. If asked, the childhood friend would have used a similar excuse. That’s why Yoon Seungho answers in a quite similar way: he calls him “lord song”. However, he pushes him.
(chapter 66) , he implied with his words that Jihwa played just a prank, since the painter returned alive. Yoon Seungho shouldn’t just get angry, because it was just a joke. As you can observe, all the misdeeds are reduced to a joke. It was, as though they had done nothing wrong. However, the intention is definitely different: the perpetrators intended to hurt the protagonists. And this is not surprising that the chapter 36 contains both pranks: Kim drugged the painter against his will, while the joke from the noble was harmless. And in my opinion, the episode 70 contains both pranks as well. Kim was the one who sent the painter to the aristocrat. Why do I believe this? The reason is quite simple: the servant leading the painter to the bathroom is portrayed with no eye 
(chapter 36). And remember that this chapter is a new version of chapter 36. In that episode, the valet was the one who brought the artist to the lord’s chamber. Moreover, the way the door is shut clearly exposes a certain violence. 
(Chapter 70) Besides, the domestic is also urging the painter to join the bathroom. From my point of view, the domestic wants to make sure that the artist arrives, before the lord leaves the bathroom. Moreover, the lord’s expression in beginning is not quite welcoming
(chapter 33) 
(chapter 34) in order to incite the latter to have sex with the commoner. Imagine, he had just regained consciousness, therefore this trick could have cost the artist’s life. And we shouldn’t forget, the butler witnessed the second sex marathon. He even viewed the flashback from the painter. Therefore in my opinion, the butler is hoping with his “prank” that the lord will act like the previous night. Furthermore, I would like to point out the presence of domestics in chapter 16 and 36. We have Deok-Jae who spied on the couple and manipulated the butler to open the door
[theory confirmed by the author herself]. Then during that evening (chapter 36-37), Kim tried to stop Yoon Seungwon from entering the room.
(Chapter 37) Hence this means, he was paying attention to what was happening in the bedchamber. What caught my attention are the following panels: 
(chapter 69) Since Kim got caught disobeying his master, he needs to lie low. On the other hand, he needs to be updated. That’s why he is now using other servants as his spies. There’s no ambiguity that the servants, manipulated by the butler, must resent the low-born. He caused them another trouble. But the reality is that these tricks are no jokes but crimes. That’s why I feel that after the second abduction, there will be a purge among the staff. The ones who followed the butler’s instructions will definitely suffer. 
(Chapter 69) 
caught my attention. Striking is that neither the noble nor the painter cared too much about that gesture. The artist was too shocked due to the huge scandal, and the main lead had the impression, he just wanted to taste the artist out of curiosity and interest. So there was no deep meaning in the caress, yet this gesture was witnessed by the scholar Jung In-Hun.
(Chapter 18) And this not only shocked him, but more importantly, it really made him jealous. 
Imagine, he was upset, because the painter had been the recipient of a caress from the powerful noble. Yet, he didn’t feel repulsed, just displeased and resentful But if he was jealous, then it signifies that he desired to have received this mark of attention. That’s the reason why I come to the conclusion, Jung In-Hun would have even accepted the noble’s advances, if it meant that he would get some benefit from it. And this interpretation is even confirmed, when you compare it with its reflection in chapter 35. 
(Chapter 35) In other words, although the caress from Yoon Seungho was anodyne, his gentleness was genuine, whereas it is the opposite with the teacher’s stroke. Moreover, if you compare the vocabulary field, you’ll notice the contrast: duty/work versus entertainment. And although the low noble is aware that Baek Na-Kyum has been very ill, he just sends him back to his “work”. He makes sure that the artist doesn’t fall for the lord’s generosity. He should remember that this is just work, and not entertainment. Moreover, the teacher reminds the painter of his promise: he is his servant. As the manhwaphiles can detect, in chapter 19, Jung In-Hun was already jealous of the painter, because he was receiving the lord’s attention and affection. But this was just a caress, therefore envision how he must have felt, when he heard this from the painter: 
(chapter 35) He must have realized that he was on the verge of losing the artist’s favors. That’s why he reminded the painter of his “loyalty” and “promise”. In chapter 35, Yoon Seungho was the one jealous, hence imagine the resent and jealousy Jung In-Hun must have felt in chapter 19. Yoon Seungho had even cut ties with another aristocrat due to the low-born. But unlike the scholar, Yoon Seungho’s jealousy was much more intensive to the point he would have killed the artist, if he had set a foot outside the mansion, though I doubt that he would have done it for real. 
But why are these characters jealous? 
(Chapter 19) In truth, he projected his own thoughts onto the painter. He wanted to be the one getting closer to the powerful aristocrat, and would do anything in exchange for his own interests. Simultaneously, he needed the artist to remain obedient and loyal, so that he wouldn’t become a rival. And now, if we examine the protagonist’s jealousy in chapter 35 with this definition, we recognize that it is related to the sex marathon. Yoon Seungho had envisaged that after that event, the painter had finally accepted him as his partner, and their relationship had changed. Besides, after his return, Baek Na-Kyum had been in his bed and had never reproached the sexual encounter leading to his illness. Therefore, he had envisaged that the commoner was slowly accepting him. 
(Chapter 35) Moreover, he caresses his head 
(chapter 35) after finally asking him about his interest. This scene made him realize that he needed to get to know Baek Na-Kyum better, and their relationship shouldn’t only be limited to sex. Hence he invited the painter to his bedchamber that night. In my opinion, he really hoped to initiate a conversation. That’s the reason why he was writing something, he hoped that Baek Na-Kyum would ask, but due to the aphrodisiac and the “warning” from Kim, the artist didn’t dare to speak. As a conclusion, we could say, Kim would have totally succeeded to ruin Yoon Seungho’s plan, if the brother hadn’t appeared that night. At the end, Baek Na-Kyum did earn the lord’s trust, he was able to sleep by the lord’s side. 
(chapter 35) 
Not only he is no longer listening to his parents, but also he becomes proactive. He gives his noona his own scarf, a sign that he is now old enough to take care of her. 
(Chapter 69) He is no longer a child. In reality, this gesture has so much meaning. With this tender gesture, he desires to end the discussion. Notice that she keeps pressuring him 
(chapter 68) and pushed her hand away, a huge shock for the kisaeng. 
(Chapter 68) For her, the only explanation can be the negative influence of Yoon Seungho. And because she attempts to change the painter’s mind just before leaving, Baek Na-Kyum stops her by smiling. He is trying to reassure her that he is fine. 
(Chapter 69) But she doesn’t trust her son’s judgement. She believes, she knows what is right for her son. Therefore, her last words exposes her true intentions. She won’t respect the artist’s choice. 
(chapter 67), unaware that she is trusting a terrible servant who is determined to hurt her son. This reminds us of the chapter 35, where Jung In-Hun risked the painter’s life. I have to admit that after comparing the scene from episode 19 with 35, I had the impression that Jung In-Hun could have been demonstrating his affection in order to show off to the lord that the painter would only listen to him. Let’s not forget that in chapter 30, the teacher tried to sell off Baek Na-Kyum by telling Yoon Seungho that the artist would only obey to him. And in both cases, Jung In-Hun never recognized the real situation: he was putting his life in danger. And observe that we have many parallels in chapter 69 with chapter 30 as well. We have the painter’s intervention
(chapter 69), when he senses that Heena noona keeps challenging Yoon Seungho by refusing to recognize his benevolence and her wrongdoing. Here again, he speaks to the main lead in order to deescalate the situation. While in chapter 30, he feared the main lead, 
(chapter 30) yet he desired to protect his learned sir, in episode 69 we have a reversed situation. The one menacing is the kisaeng, and not the lord. The latter steps back
, as he knows that he did something wrong to his lover. Baek Na-Kyum could have exposed his brutality. However, due to Yoon Seungho’s past action, Baek Na-Kyum has learned to fear the noble’s power and strength. Hence he intervenes, because he wishes to protect his noona. 
(Chapter 69) Another similarity is the constant blushing of the painter, the lord’s action and words surprise him. Therefore there is this awkward moment, for both protagonists are trying to figure out the situation. The lord never expected a thank you from the low-born, especially after receiving such a mistreatment. 
(chapter 69) 
(chapter 69) He is not just affected by the main lead’s appearance, but also by his gestures. Baek Na-Kyum is finally able to see the kindness in Yoon Seungho. First, he did keep his promise to the artist. He restrained himself to punish the kisaeng. Secondly, he put himself the scarf around the low-born’s neck, which is quite extraordinary. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that Yoon Seungho is actually lowering himself by acting so, he prioritizes the commoner. This is not surprising that at the end, Baek Na-Kyum can’t help himself blushing. 
(Chapter 69) He notices the artist’s concern and attention towards his mother. This explicates why he allows the painter to follow the kisaeng to the front gate. However, as you can observe it, the painter is not realizing that the lord is paying attention to his facial expressions. In my opinion, Yoon Seungho is trying to make the painter smile, when he gives his consent. 
(chapter 69) This explains why he asks him to follow his mother only to the front gate. That’s the limit of his trust. I would even add, he can’t bear Baek Na-Kyum out of sight. That’s how much he loves him. He needs to feel his presence close to him. And exactly like in chapter 35, the readers sense the importance of the door. While in episode 35, the gate was associated to life or death, now the door symbolizes trust. Within the building, he will put his faith in the artist’s words. Finally, we have another allusion to chapter 35: the reference to coldness. 
(chapter 35) 
And this parallel reinforces my perception about the valet. He is a hypocrite, because he incited the lord to go to the window, while claiming that it was cold. That’s why I perceive the chapter 69 as a good sign. Yoon Seungho is definitely willing to trust the painter. He let him make his own choice, and the moment Baek Na-Kyum expressed that he was not leaving the mansion
(chapter 69), the lord could only feel relieved. That’s why he had a softer gaze right after.
(Chapter 69) He was definitely happy that the commoner had chosen him. However, there’s still awkwardness between them, hence the noble can’t entirely trust him. And this lack of trust becomes a reality, when in chapter 80, the manhwaphiles witness that Yoon Seungho had threatened the kisaeng behind the painter’s back. 
(Chapter 80) He had once again listened to the butler’s advice… How can I be so sure? It is because the real author of the threat was the butler and not the lord. 
(chapter 77) The young boy was looking at someone else. He would stop looking at him like that. 
(chapter 57) The butler would lose his influence over the boy. Under this new light, you comprehend why he decided to betray father Yoon after the straw mat beating. The young boy was rejecting him and despising him. 
(chapter 77) Yoon Seungho’s gaze was telling all his emotions and thoughts. That’s the reason why the butler isolated his master for so many years. And note that in chapter 69, he projected his own thoughts onto the painter again. Since the butler has always backstabbed, betrayed and abandoned Yoon Seungho, he imagined that the artist would have a change of heart too… like Kim always did in the past. Naturally, this is the negative version of a change of heart: not compassion and remorse, but resent and jealousy!!
(chapter 77) If the painter leaves the mansion, the butler will make sure to portray the painter in a negative light. But there’s one thing that Kim overlooked: Yoon Seungho’s ability to learn!! Remember that jealousy is there to make the partner realize that he needs to improve his behavior. Since he mistrusted the painter’s choice, he realized later that he needed to earn the artist’s trust first. Therefore he made the following promises: 
(chapter 71). Furthermore, the artist’s reproach in the tavern 
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 