Protected: Painter Of The Night: Interpretation of a nightmare (second version)

April 12, 2021August 30, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: Truth and memories (second version) 🧠

April 11, 2021February 5, 2023 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 7 Comments

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/

Many readers are able to recognize the similarities between chapter 40 and 75, because both episodes contain the following elements:

The prank: (chapter 40) (chapter 75: repetition from chapter 74)
The presence of the bulletin board (chapter 40) versus (chapter 75)
The honest conversation between the protagonists, where Yoon Seungho is encouraging his lover to introspect himself (chapter 40) versus (chapter 75)
The color of the sky (chapter 40) versus (chapter 75)
The presence of memories: (chapter 40) versus (chapter 75)

Yet despite all the parallels, if I had to give a title to chapter 75, I would select “Memories” and not “Responsibility”, although the latter is still present in episode 75. Why? It is, because the painter talks about his past and youth and as such, he is forced to bring up memories. (Chapter 75) And this made me realize two things: Baek Na-Kyum embodies memories, hence we got many flashbacks from the painter (chapter 2, 11, 23, 34, 38, 40, 41, 46, 56, 57, 60, 66, 74, 75), whereas Yoon Seungho embodies truth. Note that unlike the artist, Byeonduck showed us only a few memories from the aristocrat (chapter 19, 25, 48, 55, 74 with the nightmare). Moreover, the latter is always confronting the painter with his questions and observations. The noble wants him to be true to himself and question his own motivation. (Chapter 75) And this observation made realize another aspect about Yoon Seungho, because unlike chapter 40, the aristocrat stands in the center of episode 75: the significance of memories in the lord’s life.

1. Memories and identity

In order to understand why I came to this conclusion, it is relevant to examine the memories in chapter 40 due to the parallelism. There, the painter recalled the questions and comments from Yoon Seungho, which incited the commoner to ask his teacher about his future. Once the scholar had succeeded, would he become responsible for the painter, like he had implied? And observe that during the confrontation, the artist used a statement from the past: (chapter 29) Thanks to the memories, the low-born had gathered courage and faced his teacher. However, this discussion led to a tragedy. Baek Na-Kyum got hurt, because his learned sir chose to destroy him in the worst possible way. With his words, he showed his true thoughts (chapter 40) and in order to reinforce his statement, he made sure that Baek Na-Kyum would perceive his real gaze: cold and ruthless. (chapter 41) But more striking is that the scholar used memories (the kisaeng house) to define the painter’s identity: he was born to be a prostitute despite his “lessons”. He puts the whole responsibility and blame on the commoner. As a conclusion, the memories served in the conflict to identify Baek Na-Kyum. Who was he really to the scholar? Was he his helping hand, like the low-born claimed, or was he just a “prostitute” according to the scholar?

2. Memory loss and identity

This connection between memory and identity in the manhwa is not random, because according to John Locke’s “memory theory”, a person’s identity only reaches as far as their memory extends into the past. In other words, memory is a necessary condition of personal identity. Thus, as a person’s memory begins to disappear, so does his identity. Therefore, we could say that without memory, there’s no identity. On the other hand, in my previous analysis, I had demonstrated that the lord’s unconscious was trying to force his conscious to remember his past, because he had repressed his traumatic past. This meant that he was suffering from memory loss. Hence we could say, that he lost his own identity. This is not surprising that childhood trauma and memory loss go hand-in-hand. Blocking out memories can be a way of coping with the trauma. It goes even so far that an adult survivor of childhood trauma can even believe that he was never a victim of childhood trauma. Consequently, in case of a permanent memory loss, it signifies that the victim even loses his own identity. Since my theory has been confirmed that the lord was a painter in his youth, chapter 75 actually exposed the memory loss in two different ways:

First, the lord couldn’t even remember painting an orchid (Chapter 75), an indication that his short-term memory was defective due to his lack of sleep.
However, the master’s hand could still paint a orchid without paying too much attention to his hand. It exposes that it was actually an automatic gesture, revealing that he had internalized such a gesture in the long-term memory. And note that when he did this, he mentioned his youth (chapter 36) Therefore I come to the conclusion that Yoon Seungho’s short-term memory is not working properly. Imagine, he could remember one incident from his childhood, but he couldn’t remember painting the orchid. Hence I believe that the lord can’t even reminisce the drawings in chapter 8 and 23 . Only thanks to Baek Na-Kyum’s mention, he was able to recall the drawing. Thus the manhwalovers can comprehend why I consider the artist as a synonym for memories.

3. Trauma and memories

But in the manhwa, there’s more than just memory loss due to a coping mechanism. Traumatic events such as sexual assaults, are encoded differently than more routine due to extreme fear. The victim won’t be able to remember everything, just details, the chronology will be mixed up due to existential fear, that’s why if you recall the following panel, you’ll truly grasp the real atrocity of Yoon Seungho’s suffering. (Chapter 65) While he can’t remember what truly happened due to his poor emotional and physical state, Kim somehow blames him. The young master is so confused that he has to defend himself. This means that after the first rape, the domestic didn’t even comfort the protagonist, but he used the victim’s vulnerable state of mind (who was confused due to this terrific incident) to manipulate the noble’s memory.

That’s why when police investigate a sexual abuse and interview a victim, the latter will always be interrogated twice. The first interview focuses more on the sensory and emotional memories, while during the second, the officers will try to reconstruct the chronology. This explicates why they always wait for quite some time for the second statement. It is necessary, as the memories are now stored and they can be retrieved, although due to fear and stress, the incident can never be properly reconstructed. As you can imagine, Yoon Seungho was not in the capacity to testify about the sexual assault. This terrible event affected his memory so much that he was not given the opportunity to denunciate the crime. He was made speechless in the end due to the insinuation and as such manipulation. I bet, he couldn’t even describe what had truly happened to him. That’s why he repressed the first rape.

4. Amnesia and manipulation

But now imagine this. You are exposed to physical and sexual abuse for more than a decade, this means that your memory will be definitely affected. You are living constantly in fear and stress, two important factors, which can trigger memory loss. [read more here: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-causes-memory-loss-4123636] Like I explained briefly above, terrific events are never encoded normally. This signifies in our case that the lord’s faculties to memorize were definitely affected due to the constant exposure, which can make him more vulnerable to false memories. Studies show that individuals with PTSD, a history of trauma, or depression are at risk for producing false memories, when they are exposed to information that is related to their knowledge base. This also signifies that they are more receptive for manipulations. Therefore I come to the next deduction that in chapter 68, Kim was definitely attempting to distort the past and create false memories. (Chapter 68) He mixed facts with lies in order to confuse his master’s judgement and memory. That’s the reason why it is important now to recall my initial statement: without any memory, there’s no identity. This signifies that in chapter 68, when Kim tried to give him memories, he desired to give him a certain identity: he was similar to his father. The latter would punish or imprison the boy and not release him. Giving a false reflection and identity is something Kim had never done before in front of his master, as he knew that his master feared his own image. However, he never imagined that Yoon Seungho would react differently. Instead of pushing away the painter, he let the artist choose his fate.

5. Making memories and forgiveness

However, in order to comprehend the topic memory, it is relevant to know how memory functions. The latter is divided in 3 parts: encoding, storage and retrieval. And in order to encode information, you have to utilize your senses. There are 3 types of encoding: semantic (words), visual and acoustic (sound). The manwhaphiles should recall that according to my interpretation, Yoon Seungho had been deprived of all his senses, therefore he lived like a ghost. And this signifies that he couldn’t make any memory at all. And with no memory, you have no identity and as such no life. That’s why when he cut ties with Jihwa the first time, he never mentioned the word “memories”, but time spent together: (Chapter 18) In my opinion, this shows that Yoon Seungho had no true memory in reality. He knew that they had sex together, but that was it. It was more like “the night is long and I need to kill time so that dawn can come faster.” Note that he never mentions their childhood together. With this interpretation, it becomes comprehensible that the main lead could act, as if nothing had happened between Jihwa and himself after the topknot incident. From my point of view, he had literally forgotten the incident, yet for Jihwa, it meant that he had been forgiven. (Chapter 59) And this explicates why Yoon Seungho barges in the mansion in chapter 67: he makes it clear that he won’t forget what happened. (Chapter 67) The real forgiveness occurred in chapter 59: Despite the caused pain, Yoon Seungho was willing to overlook the terrible action (chapter 59), but he made it clear that he would never reciprocate the feelings. This was real forgiveness from my perspective, whereas in the past, Yoon Seungho couldn’t remember anything. Jihwa had the terrible habit to use the past in order to torment his childhood friend, which always triggered buried emotions connected to memories, which the noble couldn’t control. From my point of view, the lord only had flashbulb memories which the readers could discover in chapter 55: (chapter 55)

“A flashbulb memory is an accurate and exceptionally vivid long-lasting memory for the circumstances surrounding learning about a dramatic event. Flashbulb Memories are memories that are affected by our emotional state.” quoted from https://www.simplypsychology.org/flashbulb-memory.html

These memories connected to emotions were the remains of his deeply repressed memories. The lord could only remember the feelings he had felt during his traumatic past. To sum up, the lord had no real recollection of his past, and the few things he knew were manipulations and lies explained by his butler. Therefore you can comprehend why Kim got scared (chapter 56), when he heard that lord Song asked for a meeting. The latter could definitely reveal new information and let the protagonist realize that he was truly suffering from memory loss.

6. Recovery from amnesia: memories

However, due to the exposure to arts, his eyes got healed, hence he could sense positive emotions and as such create good memories (visual encoding). From my point of view, when Baek Na-Kyum entered his life, the noble had started developing good memories, because so far, all he had were traumatic memories. However, Yoon Seungho’s capacities to memorize were under-developed due to the lack of practice. This explicates why he shows no interest to discover why the commoner stopped painting. This was not meaningful to him, and the readers should know that people will only memorize significant information. The emergence of his memory is visible in chapter 1. We see him speaking about his nightly activities so positively, but observe that he is only talking about recent and meaningful memories. (Chapter 1) Striking is that when Baek Na-Kyum confronts him with his poor image (“man consumed by lust”) (chapter 4), the lord is bothered. He is forced to ponder why he is described like that, hence he has to recall events from the past. At the same time, when the lord read the poem, he was encouraged to recall the original sijo. This shows that at some point, Yoon Seungho rediscovered literature. Words and paintings helped to create memories. Thus if you pay attention, you’ll notice that the more time passes on, the more memories the lord has. They are strongly intertwined with the paintings. The latter helped him to reminisce the sex sessions and his past. He can’t forget how the painter masturbated behind the door. He is even getting more and more good memories. (chapter 18) Then in chapter 19, he reminisces the painter’s facial expressions which puts him in a good mood. (Chapter 19) This explicates why Yoon Seungho was so moved by the painter’s confession during their Wedding night. For the first time, he experienced warmth and love, he even heard a love confession. This could only be stored as a wonderful memory. At the same time, he hoped, the artist would create a picture of this night in order to ensure that this memory was real. Moreover, note that in chapter 58, he externalized how much this night meant to him. (Chapter 58)

Yet, the manhwaphiles can detect that in his confession, the memory is not entirely described as positive: “haunt”. This explicates why I consider the Wedding night as a turning point in Yoon Seungho’s life. This memory is a combination of positive and negative elements. The lord wished to relive this, but he was not satisfied, because he knew that he had impersonated the scholar. Moreover, the manhwaphiles should reminisce that after this night, the lord will do terrible things to the artist and as such, he gets now terrible memories. That’s the reason why in my opinion, Byeonduck chose to expose the rape as a flashback from the master’s perspective. Because of his bad actions, Yoon Seungho feels huge pangs of conscience and can’t act like nothing happened. He is now forced to remember. However, in my eyes it is different from the past. Before, he was just a ghost, hence he was incapable to get memories, with Baek Na-Kyum’s help, he can get memories which will help him to face his own traumatic past.

7. Memories and learning

There’s one aspect, strongly connected to memory, which I didn’t mention so far: learning.

” Learning and memory operate together in order increase our ability for navigating the environment and survival. Learning refers to a change in behavior that results from acquiring knowledge about the world and memory is the process by which that knowledge is encoded, stored, and later retrieved.” quoted from https://opentext.wsu.edu/psych105/chapter/8-2-how-memory-functions/

As you can see, in order to change, the lord needs memories. Through positive and negative experiences, the noble can gain knowledge leading to a change of attitude which the readers could observe. Gradually, the noble learnt from his mistakes and good memories. Therefore, this is no coincidence that when in chapter 75, Baek Na-Kyum talks about his past and memories, he criticizes his master: (Chapter 75) He gives him the impression that he will never change, the lord wouldn’t even remember him after his death. Now, you grasp why he reproaches Yoon Seungho his fickle nature, he is indirectly referring to the lord’s memories. (Chapter 75) His feelings will fade away just like memories. He will forget him. What the painter doesn’t realize is the following: this date is actually an important moment in Yoon Seungho’s life. For the first time, he gets to discover the painter’s memories and past, which now the noble can store as his own. He will never forget this day, especially when he heard that the painter would cry because of him (a new version of chapter 21: (chapter 21) , but here out of concern. In other words, Baek Na-Kyum would like to be remembered. Hence he complains that the lord didn’t call for him. And this can only make the lord happy, because he can detect through the painter’s words that the latter is longing for his presence and care. From my perspective, Yoon Seungho has finally grasped why the artist is not truly honest with him. Therefore he can only tease his lover pushing him to make the first step. Let’s not forget that right now, the master is now treating his lover as his new lord. So the latter has to call for him. (Chapter 75) Here, the protagonist clearly displays that he has never forgotten his companion. Their date is so important for two reasons. It allows the noble to gather more information about the commoner, and get a really good memory before the next tragedy.

From my point of view, it will help him to face his own traumatic past. Let’s not forget that a rape is planned, so if the noble was to discover this, he would be definitely reminded of his own past. And this truly happened in season 3. Simultaneously he would be able to help his lover to recover from the traumatic incident. We shouldn’t forget that during the kidnapping, the lord’s smile was the reason why Baek Na-Kyum didn’t lose his sanity (Chapter 60) and could cope with the kidnapping much better. Note that he has no nightmare afterwards. And this detail is important, because we have to envision that while Yoon Seungho was exposed to physical and sexual abuse for a decade, he had no good memory at all in order to remain sane. Moreover, he never felt loved. Consequently, he couldn’t even think of anyone in a positive way. That’s why he was so damaged in the end. (Chapter 57) The presence of a loved one is necessary in order to cope with traumatic childhood abuse.

8. The impact of Yoon Seungho’s traumas on his mind and attitude

And this leads me to the next observation: Due to his childhood trauma, the lord’s memory was affected and didn’t work properly, as for a long time, his memory was not encouraged to encode events. On the other hand, because of Baek Na-Kyum, Yoon Seungho was forced more and more to face his traumatic past, therefore his fears and abandonment issues came to the surface. This explicates why he couldn’t pay attention to details and never questioned the circumstances of the first abduction. Note that during the night at the physician’s, he still doesn’t trust his own senses. (Chapter 58) This signifies that he is unsure if what he is experiencing is real or not. From my point of view, the memory loss and his life as ghost affected his brain and the way to encode and store information. Hence he has no real recollection of the incident with Deok-Jae (chapter 30 and 53). That’s why he is not asking for his whereabouts. However, I believe to see a turning point in chapter 75. By giving the lord the opportunity to have a real date, where he could hear and see that Baek Na-Kyum was definitely affected by him, the noble will react differently compared to the first abduction and after the painter’s first flashback. He will not lose his mind blinded by his emotions and insecurities, he knows that the artist chose him. And he won’t blame himself like for the first flashback. Remember that in chapter 66, he never called the physician. Why? Because someone told him that the painter needed the presence of a loved one to recover. Kim made sure that Yoon Seungho would feel guilty. Deep down, Yoon Seungho knew that he was responsible for the panic attack. (Chapter 66) But the real cause for all this was the butler’s silence and complicity. That’s why he remained by his side, until the artist had recovered. Thus I had predicted that after meeting Nameless, Baek-Na-Kyum would get a panic attack. (Chapter 75)

This is what I wrote in the first version:

“However, this time, the noble will wonder how this could happen. They had a nice conversation, where they exchanged thoughts. He is not responsible and it can’t be the alcohol. Moreover, he will recall his lover’s words: He won’t focus on his own emotions, but will try to calm down the artist and investigate why the painter reacted like that.” It is definitely possible that he brings back the painter to the mansion and decides to visit the physician in order to ask for an advice. From my point of view, thanks to the new memories, the noble is learning more about his surroundings and gaining more experience.”

However, the reality was that Yoon Seungho thought that the painter’s panic attack had just been triggered by the entertainers. (Chapter 76) He didn’t take his words seriously, for he believed that he had discovered the truth. Therefore the lord never investigated the circumstances of the kidnapping. Since he thought, he knew the truth, he had no reason to question this. Why did the Joker scare the painter so much? Thus the lord didn’t take the memories from the painter seriously. How could he, since he had been already informed? However, the revelation from Min had diverted Yoon Seungho’s attention from the real problem: the involvement of the helping hands (Kim, Deok-Jae, No-Name) and of the mastermind behind this.

9. Baek Na-Kyum’s memories and truth

What caught my attention is that Baek Na-Kyum is also hurt, though he has memories from his past. What he confessed to his lover represented a bad memory, and this made him feel guilty. Striking is that he believes, he knows the truth, as he can reminisce his past. Yet, he is making a huge mistake: memories are by no means facts, they are biased and even tainted. The artist took the scholar’s words as face-value. He never questioned his words, therefore he blamed himself for Jung In-Hun’s failure. Here, I would like the manhwaphiles to notice the parallels between Jihwa and the artist: both feel responsible for a tragedy, while in reality it was not the case. Both were victims of manipulations and lies.

My theory is that the learned sir imagined that he had finally the possibility to get a high position. Yet the incident in the gibang put an end to it, and this is definitely related to the erotic pictures. However, there is no ambiguity that Jung In-Hun was actually receiving his karma. Remember that in the Alternative Universe, the protagonist used Jung Na-Min as his artist name. In other words, the name of the artist must have had an effect on his career. Besides, let’s not forget that the teacher is preaching immobility, for people’s fate is always determined. (Chapter 6) They can not escape their conditions. Thus the gods chose to punish him the following way: he could never escape his own situation. He would remain a man with no wealth and connection. Thus no matter what he did, it ended with a failure. Therefore it is not surprising that he came to resent the painter, for he caught the attention of a powerful noble and this at least twice. The scholar was offered a position, but due to the incident in the gibang, the sponsor changed his mind. Hence he blamed Baek Na-Kyum for not securing a post. It was, as if he had stolen it from him. I think, Jung In-Hun published poetry, but couldn’t get recognition. Therefore he used the incident (discovery of the erotic pictures) in order to punish him and force him to give up on painting. He couldn’t allow that a commoner was more successful than him. At the same time, it was the reason why there was a ruckus in the gibang too. But now, we have to wonder why Baek Na-Kyum talked about his past. From my point of view, an important detail played a huge role at the inn: (Chapter 74) Observe that the woman has a similar hair dress than his noona. That’s why I believe that when he saw her, he must have been reminded of her. Note that when he speaks about the leftovers, he describes leaving food as a sin, but strangely, in chapter 40/41, he had the opposite attitude. (Chapter 41) He didn’t eat all the sweets or even skipped meals. (Chapter 41) In other words, he didn’t eat everything and committed a sin. This indicates a certain hypocrisy, simultaneously Baek Na-Kyum’s lack of critical thinking, when it comes to his noona. Moreover, he says the opposite of what he thinks. In chapter 74, he claims that the lord has changed(chapter 74), in episode 75, he claims that he has not improved his behavior. The painter’s memories clearly reveal Heena’s strong influence, which explains why he doesn’t make the first step in the end. He would like the lord to become responsible for him. But Yoon Seungho would like the opposite, because that way, the low-born can never claim that he was forced or pressured by him. In my eyes, Baek Na-Kyum still fears to be perceived as a man consumed by lust, if he makes the first move.

That’s why I believe that Yoon Seungho embodies the truth, while Baek Na-Kyum represents the past and memories. The commoner’s past will become the trigger for Yoon Seungho to decide to discover the truth about his own past and as such regain his own identity: he was a talented painter with a promising future. Since the low-born’s past with the kisaeng and the scholar are more recent, it is much easier for Yoon Seungho to unveil the lies concerning Baek Na-Kyum’s past in the kisaeng house. At the same time, thanks to the physician, Baek Na-Kyum is gathering information about his lover’s past (chapter 57), which will assist him to regain his lost memories.

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 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.

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Nightmares and their message (second version)

April 9, 2021August 24, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: A Fool 🤡 in love 😍❤️‍🔥 (third version)

April 5, 2021September 1, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 9 Comments

Announcement: I updated the essay “Painting and desires – part 3”

Like I already pointed out in the essay “Animals of misfortune”, chapter 74 is a new version of chapter 40, for there are similarities in the topics (responsibility and jealousy) and the situation. The main leads are on a date again. However, I didn’t examine a particular scene in details: the walk on the street. Hence this will be in the center of this analysis and by contrasting the two scenes, the manhwaphiles will discover the protagonists’ state of mind reflecting the evolution of their relationship.

After leaving the physician’s, the lord is strolling in front of the painter (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.

Moreover, in the two scenes, we have a prank (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 , the red dot is also a reference to the Third eye, the chakra. In other words, when the lord put the red point, he hoped that the painter would experience an awakening. By meditating, he would introspect himself and get new insight. That way, he would no longer be foolish. And exactly like the main lead wished, it truly happened. Through the lord’s critical thinking triggered by rhetorical questions , Baek Na-Kyum realized that he was indeed hoping for more, although he claimed the opposite during the conversation. (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.

But why did the lord play this prank, not recognizing that his gesture was totally ambiguous? According to him, he was just hoping that the painter would meditate, while in his unconscious, he was already claiming the artist as his “wife”. The reason for this prank was that he got jealous and annoyed, when he saw the artist smiling by simply thinking that the scholar would pass the exam soon. 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 40	Chapter 74
criticism	no reproach
Prank	Introspection
Questions: why?	Prank
Introspection	Open question

This meditation at the beginning displays the artist’s maturity. However, if you pay attention to Baek Na-Kyum’s thoughts, you’ll notice that he is not meditating about himself, but about his lover. (Chapter 74) He recalls all his actions, and he notes the lord’s selflessness and humbleness. And this truly exposes that now the roles have been switched. The so-called foolish one is Yoon Seungho, but the latter has long forgotten his own words. On the other hand, Baek Na-Kyum is the one wishing more, he is definitely not content with a kiss from time to time, while Yoon Seungho is thinking like the artist in the past: (chapter 74) versus (chapter 40). What caught my attention is the significance of hope. Yoon Seungho is definitely no longer hoping for a love confession, which makes me think that in chapter 58, he wasn’t entirely honest. 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!

However, there’s a huge difference between episode 40 and 74. Contrary to the actual Baek Na-Kyum, Yoon Seungho was acting under the influence of his unconscious and he wasn’t aware of this. That’s why he never realized the signification of the gesture with the red dot. He had no idea that he was already in love and he was longing for the painter’s confession. On the other hand, the painter is already aware that he has developed some feelings for Yoon Seungho. He even admitted to his noona that he would think a lot about the noble (chapter 68), which is a similar attitude to the past Yoon Seungho. The latter was confusing the heart with the mind, however the low-born has been just afraid of admitting his affection.

Striking is that in his reflection, Baek Na-Kyum senses that he’s hoping for more. (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.

When the lord plays the prank with the hat, Baek Na-Kyum’s attention returns to his lord standing in front of him. When he sees the noble smiling and showing curiosity, he is definitely moved. From my point of view, he is slowly realizing his true affection for Yoon Seungho. 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”.

From my perspective, this scene (chapter 74) marks a turning point in the painter’s love life. He is on the verge of accepting his feelings, for the noble. That’s why we have the color of the rainbows, a sign for hope. He has made up his mind for three reasons. First, he has just admitted that the lord has changed. This signifies that he recognizes that Yoon Seungho is trustworthy. Secondly, he views the noble’s huge and genuine smile. I believe that this was one of the triggers for Baek Na-Kyum to face his love. Let’s not forget that in the past, the commoner was definitely affected by the scholar’s smile. (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 63), I deduce that Baek Na-Kyum has a similar mentality. As long as he can make someone happy, he is really touched and thankful. The manhwaphiles should reminisce that the painter has always felt as a burden and had abandonment issues. But there’s another important reason for Baek Na-Kyum to be so affected by Yoon Seungho. For the first time, someone is wishing to know his thoughts. (Chapter 74) Imagine, in the past the scholar reprimanded him (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 46) The painter is realizing that the only one who is treating with great respect is the noble. First, the lord eats his meals with the artist in his room, giving the impression that Baek Na-Kyum is the host and the lord his guest. Secondly, the lord allows him to speak freely. Thus the painter is so moved to the point that he is about to recognize his affection for Yoon Seungho. But then he remembers Heena’s words: (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.

Another divergence is that this time, the lord is declaring the commoner as his wife consciously, that’s why he chose such a headgear, which is reserved for women. Contrary to the past, this significant gesture is noticed by the tailor, that’s why we see him whispering. (Chapter 74) There’s no ambiguity that he will mention it to the other shop owners, creating some new gossips. However, I don’t think, town folks will condemn the lord, because he has definitely changed. After the disappearance, there was no scandal any longer and the aristocrat didn’t organize any sex party. He had settled down for good. Consequently if the artist disappears for a second time, I doubt that the tailor will believe in his escape. He saw how they flirted in front of his shop.

However, as you can imagine, I believe that “their blossoming romance” can be interrupted. We have Min monitoring their moves and after watching them from afar, his envy and jealousy will reach a new peak. In this scene, he was sensing that his chances to get Baek Na-Kyum were diminishing. He could definitely sense that the relationship between the protagonists had changed. Baek Na-Kyum was not keeping his distance from Yoon Seungho. He even accepted the hat without protesting, while in the past he rejected the lord and remained distant to him. (Chapter 54) And in the first version, it came to my mind that we could have a new version of this scene due to the Joker’s arm and hand. In chapter 52, the lord was protecting the painter with his arm and hand, which became true in chapter 76. The lord’s hug gave Baek Na-Kyum a certain comfort and safety. The existential fear could slowly disappear.

Due to the last terrible experience, the noble is slowly realizing that he needs to pay better attention to his surroundings and enemies. As a fool in love, he must recognize that he is behaving the same way than Baek Na-Kyum in chapter 40: (chapter 40) After the fake abduction, he had not investigated the matter, though the painter had mentioned one detail: (Chapter 76) For him, the incident had been resolved, but he never imagined that in reality, he had not solved the problem at all. The real mastermind was Min. Hence after the last tragedy, he is tasked to investigate the circumstances which led to the bloodbath in the shaman‘s house. (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! The painter has unfortunately forgotten Min’s confession in chapter 52. 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.

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho’s suffering path (fourth version)

April 2, 2021June 13, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: Cowardice versus courage: innate or learnable?

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 20 Comments

Announcement: I updated the essay “Past, present and future – part 3”

This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. 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/

For this topic, I used the following websites:

It took me a long time before I came to the conclusion that Kim was a villain, because he was betraying the protagonists. Striking is that I am receiving comments from readers saying that they have a different opinion. For them, he is no villain. Interesting is that they justify his actions and lies, because he fears for his life due Yoon Seungho’s mood swings. And this leads to the following observation. These readers are not denying Kim’s fear and as such cowardice. Why? It is because in chapter 64 and 65, his gutlessness is especially visible. (episode 64) When the butler sees the painter being treated like a sex toy, the valet doesn’t interfere at all. The manhwaphiles can even observe how Kim is so paralyzed before speaking. Then he acts, as if nothing was happening in front of him. He bows in front of his lord, not out of respect but out of fear. Then he gives an excuse for his interruption before taking to his heels, leaving the artist behind to his misery. Striking is that this attitude didn’t occur just once, but twice… as it is revealed in the next episode that Kim witnessed a similar scene. He heard how Yoon Seungho got assaulted, but he did nothing. He literally abandoned him too. And he knows what he did was wrong, since he shows signs of culpability. He is repressing his guilty conscience. He had even forgotten it, until he was confronted with a similar situation. However, his reaction was the same. This indicates that cowardice has become a major part of Kim’s personality. No, there’s no mistake. Fear is a synonym for cowardice, for it means that a person has not been able to overcome his fear. But what is a coward actually? How does someone become one? This pushed me to make some research.

When I watched the documentary “dans la tête d’un lâche” (in the head of a coward), I recognized the parallels between Kim’s behavior and the testimony of a person who refused to help a girl from getting raped. Her words were: “This is normal”, “nothing is happening”, “I fear for my life”. These kind of thoughts represent the psychological mechanism called “cognitive dissonance”. It’s a coping mechanism that helps people to feel less guilty. Put in a terrible situation and confronted with a dilemma, people try to explain why they behave like that. Since they are acting against their principles and beliefs, they feel uncomfortable and in order to reduce their embarrassment and discomfort, they adapt their values to their behavior. Hence if someone witnesses a person in danger, the witness tends to minimize the danger in order to justify this disregard for not providing assistance to a person in danger, like for example “sex won’t kill the painter” or “the artist is not calling for my help” or “I am just interrupting a rough sex session” or “Yoon Seungho could definitely kill me”. However, concerning the last point, if you pay attention, you’ll remember that the noble clearly said, he had no intention of interrupting his sex session and he didn’t mind the valet watching them. In other words, Yoon Seungho was not threatening Kim’s life. Now, someone might argue that these points above were just developed by me and we never saw any “cognitive dissonance” from the butler, which I can immediately refute. Byeonduck made the readers see what “cognitive dissonance” is:

: Why should I feel guilty, if it doesn’t concern me? It is not my problem, why should I have helped the painter?
: Why should I feel guilty, because the sex session proved clearly that the lord wouldn’t hurt the painter? If I had intervened, this could have had terrible consequences.

This means that the head is rationalizing a terrible behavior which stands in opposition to the witness’ initial values and beliefs. Therefore in order to become brave, a person needs to feel a lot of empathy. Only with a big heart, the initial fear can be overcome. This explicates why faintheartedness is a synonym for cowardice. The longer a person struggles in front of a dilemma, the higher the chances are that a person won’t help, as the latter will start convincing himself that his help is not needed.

To sum up, in chapter 64, Kim acted, as if the sexual encounter was normal and nothing was happening. This is the typical behavior of a coward, a person who refuses to help someone, because he feels frightened, exposing that the valet’s empathy is not truly developed. In my eyes, this indicates that his care and concern are more a show and an act than reality. He is indeed fainthearted. That’s why I consider him as a villain. He is a hypocrite like all the other villains: Min, the scholar Jung In-Hun and father Yoon. A person with a big heart would definitely help, exactly like Baek Na-Kyum proved it. And imagine, the painter protected a criminal, as Deok-Jae had assaulted him before, whereas Baek Na-Kyum was always respectful towards Kim. He always calls him “sir”, and even takes his words to heart.

But there’s more to it. A psychologist described the different reactions that are going through a person’s mind observing a crime: surprise, confusion and different kind of fears (embarrassment, shame, pure fear and incapacity to help). You might be surprised that shame appears in such a situation. Yet, a witness of a wrongdoing is often questioning his own senses. Is what I hear or see really a misdeed or it is just a small quarrel between lovers (in our case, a rough sex session)? Do I misinterpret the situation? What if I intervene and I was wrong… I’ll embarrass myself and even cause some trouble for nothing. And this explicates why Kim fears so much scandal and ruckus . As you can observe, cowardice is indeed connected social norms and embarrassment. Moreover, remember what I wrote about the trigger for cowardice. A person is put in front of dilemma: there are two values contradicting each other, and the person has to overcome this contradiction, like for example

A person in need should be always assisted
You have to make sure not to put your life in danger, hence you have to avoid dangerous situations.

In order to comprehend the notion cowardice, scientists developed different tests and one of them was to ask children. These would listen to a story and they had to make a big decision afterwards. In this story, a man loves his wife very much, but the only medicine that can save his spouse is so expensive that he can’t buy it. He has two choices: either he steals the drug and saves his wife or he lets his wife die but remains honorable. The children below 7 years old will always reply that the poor man has to let his spouse die, because if he steals the medicine, he ends up in jail. Why? It is because these children under 7 years have already internalized that stealing is bad, and you’ll get a jail sentence. However, the older children will make the opposite decision, as they are already aware that life is more important than jail. They are not afraid of getting imprisoned, they are willing to become responsible for their crime. As you can see, courage and cowardice are strongly intertwined with social norms and peoples’ values and opinions. Hence this means that in order to develop courage, a person needs to have developed his own taste, opinion and values. Therefore a brave person has not only a strong heart, but also a strong will and desires, which Baek Na-Kyum truly embodies.

But for that to happen, a child needs to get through an important phase: he needs to learn to control himself and as such his desires. That’s why I couldn’t help myself laughing, when I read the chapters 71 and 72: As you can observe, the child Yoon Seungho is learning to control his urges. Secondly, a child has to learn to make an effort and be patient. This might sound anodyne, but the psychiatrist truly outlined the importance of this development stage. This explicates why Yoon Seungho would behave like a spoiled child in chapter 30: and observe how it is strongly connected to his fear and abandonment issues. However, the moment he made a real decision and showed strong will by allowing the painter to choose his own fate, he becomes brave. It means that he is overcoming his huge fear. His strong will and big heart are the reasons why Yoon Seungho could transform into a phoenix.

And remember what I wrote about Kim in the essay “Past, present and future – part 3”. He was like a father or mother figure who would refuse to let his child grow up. He desired his master to remain in an infantile stage. And this is not surprising that Yoon Seungho was so selfish and even coward (chapter 33) in the past. He ran away, too afraid of facing the consequences of his misdeed or of getting too much into trouble with his peers. His role model was himself like that. As you can see, the rebirth of the phoenix means that Yoon Seungho is now learning to become brave and he will become a real and strong fighter, like it was perceptible during the first season. His conversation with the scholar in chapter 6 gave us a glimpse of the lord’s real values. Here, he was mocking the teacher. The former doesn’t care for social norms and treats commoners as humans in truth. He doesn’t think that peasants should remain peasants and peoples’ fate is already determined.

But let’s return our attention to the emotions a witness feels, once put in a uncomfortable situation. What caught my attention is that the specialist exposed that fear was associated to 3 reactions:

desertion, running away
attack, assault: let’s not forget that a cornered animal will bite and attack, if it feels threatened
freezing which means that the body is immobile, yet the heart is beating very fast and the blood is circulating more quickly.

And now, if you observe the butler’s reactions in chapter 64-65, you’ll note that we have all these three reactions:

: here he is threatening the doctor, if he speaks, then he will pay with his life.
(chapter 64)

Because people associate cowardice to desertion or freezing, they always overlook one aspect: fear, a synonym for cowardice, is not excluding attack. This explicates why Ernesto Mallo wrote this:

“It becomes clear that there are only two kinds of cowards: those who flee backwards and those who flee forward.”

And this truly shows that if a coward feels threatened, he can definitely retaliate, but naturally he will never attack a person directly. He has to use another strategy due to his fear. He will use others in order to protect his own interests. And Kim is definitely using others in order to get rid of the painter. In chapter 67, he clearly implied that Heena noona should take away her brother, while the master was away. He knew from her behavior, she wouldn’t leave Baek Na-Kyum in that mansion due to the way she attempted to reach the lord’s bedchamber.

And now it is time to focus on the part why Kim became such a coward in the end. From my point of view, Kim’s attitude didn’t start with the first incident in the shed, when the lord was a teenager. It started much earlier, when the valet was himself a child. Why? It is related to education and the environment a child grew up. Let’s not forget that Kim only became Yoon Seungho’s butler, when the latter was a teenager, meaning that he wasn’t a part of the Yoon household right from the start. He was raised elsewhere. The author from the following website (fr.housepsych.com) pointed out that three important factors explain why a servant like Kim could become a coward:

An authoritarian upbringing
The child’s will is broken. And in our manhwa, this can only be reinforced, if the boy is a commoner, as he is considered as nobody. He has no right.
“Faintheartedness” develops where impunity and powerlessness, violence and crime prevails. Therefore the child internalizes that he is weak in front of the outside world.

And now, you understand why I underlined out how important education and upraising were so relevant. After experiencing impotence, the child learns that he just needs to adjust himself in order to survive. This means that he obeys and follows his parents’ or master’s order very well, yet this is just a subterfuge. The weaker one quickly understands that an open conflict is dangerous and starts to act in a hidden and average way, while showing humility on the outside. And this description fits our butler perfectly. Since he is a commoner and as such weak, he became caring and humble on the outside, while in reality he is just defending his own interests, as his survival instinct has become a normality. And now, if I include Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you’ll realize that Kim is not motivated by love or esteem or self-actualization.

maslow's hierarchy of needs five stage pyramid

Safety and physiological needs are what matter to him. That’s why he desires to lead a peaceful life far away from trouble and ruckus. At the same time, this explains why Yoon Seungho never felt loved by his butler, as the latter was not focused on giving and receiving love. The irony is that the moment the domestic finally accepts the painter as his master’s lover (“let’s keep it this way”) implying that he will stop with his tricks, Heena noona barges in the mansion and creates a scandal, which he can only considers as a threat. Therefore the valet changes his mind. But more importantly, this scene is important for another reason. Kim is in the backyard working and this shows his true mindset. For me, he likes being alone, and it looks like he is hiding from others. It was, as if he feared the outside world, reminding us of the following remark: “he is weak in front of the outside world.” Moreover, the manhwalovers should recall my initial analysis about the valet. I compared him to a dog watching over the house. This interpretation fits totally. The courtyard is his world and he feels safe there. Therefore Byeonduck showed us many panels with Kim in the courtyard. (chapter 33) This explicates in my opinion, why Yoon Seungho is not willing to go to the capital. He doesn’t just fear old white-bearded men, his lack of motivation is strongly connected with Kim’s needs. The latter fears trouble, which stands in opposition to politics. If his master were to become an official, he would have to deal with other nobles and enter in conflict, which stands in opposition to Kim’s philosophy. That’s why the butler had an interest that his master remains as a man consumed by lust. He wouldn’t develop any desire and ambition. As you can see through the Maslow’s motivational hierarchy needs, fear and cowardice are somehow innate due to the survival instinct, yet by living in society, peoples’ life change, as through love and status, people feel the need to growth.

Now, I would like you to read this following quote, because it actually describes Kim’s personality so well:

“A fainthearted person lives hard, being in tension and leading a separate fictional life, he still does not get the events necessary for his personality. Those who often have to come into contact with such people are also very worried, because if you are in a dominant position, such a person will bend with fear (he will support you and love you surprisingly in the same combinations as you), but there is always a threat: you will be betrayed. It is impossible to know what such a person really wants, because he lives with an eye on those around him, but such attention does not reflect any desire to improve him. No, such a person will betray you and deny you, tell secrets or pretend that he or she is not familiar with you, as soon as the situation changes. Friendship and trust are out of the question, because these concepts require loyalty to the chosen person, nobility to him, immutability of their principles and courage.” quoted from http://fr.housepsych.com/malodushie_default.htm

What caught my attention first is the constant fear a coward is feeling. It is deeply rooted in him, and this explains why the valet would say this to the painter . The latter justifies his fear with the noble, while now I believe that it is more related to his state of mind. Since he has been living for so long in fear, he associates it to Yoon Seungho. That’s the reason why the valet always looks so frightened and tired. He is always in tension. Hence he always has dark circles. Another important detail in this quote is the importance of the coward’s attitude. He observes his surrounding to get knowledge. He feels the need to perceive their true personality and desires, and will mirror their reaction. This is particularly perceptible, when the butler calls Baek Na-Kyum as “no-good painter” and the head-maid describes him as a charlatan. This projection is implied with the following quote: ” he will support you and love you surprisingly in the same combinations as you “. However, this will never reflect his true emotions and thoughts, as a coward’s attitude is to avoid emotions. “Not feeling means not suffering”. That’s why Kim gives his master the following advice: Don’t take it to heart. Under this new approach, you understand why Yoon Seungho had a relapse. He was encouraged not to feel anything and as such not to face his fear… He never confronted the painter.

Moreover, by paying attention to people’s attitude, he can manipulate people in order to achieve his goal. He will never act in the open, but in the shadow, for he needs to keep his image of an obedient and loyal servant, while in reality he is only loyal to himself. By monitoring his surroundings, he is able to discover secrets (like f. example the future abduction or the ruining of a painting) and will use this for his own benefit. He will even deny a person: Note that here, Yoon Seungho has to defend himself and his honor, although the butler is well aware of the truth: his master was a victim.

Strangely is that the author from that website recommends to a person suffering from cowardice to start with voicing his own desires. Why? Such a person has already internalized that his dreams and ideas could never become true. In reality, the coward has no longer any wish. His mindset is only focused on self-preservation. Since they are asked to express their own wishes, they are forced to change their mindset. And this is not surprising that before the lord’s final transformation, Yoon Seungho started externalizing his own hopes:

chapter 58:
chapter 63: These were glimpses of a growing courage. He developed a dream and became motivated to obtain it. The manhwaphiles can recognize that thanks to his love for Baek Na-Kyum, Yoon Seungho was slowly moving up in the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. The latter is already announcing the lord’s raising. There’s no doubt that he will reach the highest level: Self-actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. A desire “to become everything one is capable of becoming”(Maslow, 1987, p. 64). quoted from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html#gsc.tab=0 The self-actualization corresponds to the moment when the Phoenix will truly shine.

Now, I would like to return to the testimony of the woman who witnessed a rape and did nothing. She was plagued with a guilty conscience, which led her to reflect on her own behavior. Therefore she forced herself to face reality and assume her responsibility for her own wrongdoings. She decided to make a short movie in order to encourage people to intervene. And this leads me to the following observation. The butler is a coward for another reason. He has never reflected on his own behavior. That’s why he says this: Repressing and forgetting is an important factor why Kim never reflected about his own behavior. His fear was too deeply internalized, at the same time he was always focused on the others, making sure to perceive people’s personality correctly. That way, he would be able to manage to survive. For him, manipulation has become an important of his survival instincts. This explicates why the servants listen to him, he always knows what he needs to say in order to convince them. (chapter 69) There’s no doubt that Yoon Seungho never gave such an order. He was already too happy that the painter had chosen to stay by his side. Besides, note what the domestic says: “He will have you killed”. In other words, he will give the order to eliminate the kisaeng. Yet we know for sure that Yoon Seungho killed the servant with his own hand. Therefore it displays that Kim was the one speaking behind this. This exposes that the butler considers the mansion as his propriety. Hence I come to the conclusion that Kim didn’t choose to follow his master out of loyalty for him, but because he had become comfortable in that mansion. But he had definitely other reasons, like for example following the eldest master’s order (on the surface).

Furthermore, he lets others commit the wrongdoings so that he can not really become accountable for this. This is perceptible in chapter 17, when he asks the maids not to approach the study, he knew that Jihwa was there. Let’s not forget that he lets Deok-Jae take the fall for the painter’s escape when he was clearly the one who talked to Jung In-Hun . By using the personal pronoun “we”, the jealous servant wanted the butler to become responsible as well, but Kim remained silent and even kept his distance from Yoon Seungho. That’s why I come to the deduction that Kim was really content with his life, until the painter showed up. First, he was the real master of the courtyard, but he never had to take any responsibility, as Yoon Seungho as a master would take the whole blame: he was a sodomite, a violent and bad master etc… On the other hand, Kim could dress outside as a noble, as he represented the lord. But if there was any trouble, then his master was the one responsible officially. Besides, if Yoon Seungho was changing, the butler would make sure that Jihwa would control his master. As you can see, he never had to assume any responsibility. And this leads me to the following observation, the lord started becoming brave thanks to his affection for the painter much earlier. He truly desired to become responsible for him. The manhwalovers shouldn’t forget that in that scene, Kim was not present. If he had seen this gesture, he would have realized the danger. That’s why he imagined that the moment Jung In-Hun had abandoned the artist, the latter would run away, as he had no reason to stay at the mansion in his mind. That’s why the door was left opened. He had no idea that “responsibility” was the trigger for Baek Na-Kyum to stay there. This word implied that the low-born was not perceived as a burden. In other words, cowardice is strongly related to responsibility. That’s the reason why the valet needs scapegoats (the amateur spy, Jihwa, Deok-Jae…) and lets others take the blame. He sees responsibility as a burden. Moreover, there is another reason why cowardice is linked to accountability. Scientists discovered bystander effect (in French it is called as “effet spectateur”). What is it exactly? One might think that the more people are witnessing a person in danger, the more highly the victim will be saved on time. But no… the truth is the more people are present, the less they will intervene. This is related to diffusion of liability. All the witnesses think that someone else will come and intervene. Therefore they all remain passive. This explicates why a woman could be raped in front of many people. No one felt responsible, as they waited for the intervention from the other beholders. And now, you might wonder why I am bringing this up. It is to show that courage won’t appear, if you are surrounded by people. Real courage occurs, when you have the impression that you are on your own. Let’s not forget that Kim has the support from his staff. He is even able to motivate and manipulate people with his words, hence he has definitely the power to use the staff in order to protect himself. And he actually did it. Deok-Jae was the one who suffered the most, while the butler had a bruised eye. That’s why I can’t accept Kim’s fear for his life as a justification for his cowardice. Besides, chapter 56 clearly reveals the butler’s role: he is an advisor, hence his words will be taken seriously.

As a conclusion, it shows that cowardice is not truly innate. Moreover, courage is learnable, yet it can only be nurtured in a good environment. That’s why it is important to protect children very early on, as safety helps them to develop other needs. Hence, the earlier they are exposed to danger, the higher the risk is that they become cowards and hypocrites. But more importantly, it truly shows Yoon Seungho’s strength and greatness. Although he was abused physically and sexually, exposed to the worst situations, he was not able to forget the importance of love. His desire to feel loved was the reason why he could overcome his traumas. He never gave up on love, which explicates why Yoon Seungho will be able to shine as a phoenix later. On the other hand, the valet only saw love as superfluous, as it could cause trouble. Note that the butler prefers being alone which coincides with his mentality. Only his life matters and no one else.

Painter Of The Night: Words

March 27, 2021August 24, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 12 Comments

On the surface, it looks like in chapter 73 nothing important happened, because the two protagonists have just sex. However, this is just deceiving, for the significance lies in the details, and more precisely in the words. First, what caught my attention are the expressions used by Yoon Seungho. These reveal a lot about his actual state of mind. Pay attention to the following images, and try to find out the common lexical field: (chapter 73) Here, the relevant word is “enter”, an equivalent for invade.

(chapter 73) Mess is a synonym for chaos and wreck. (chapter 73) In the third panel, Yoon Seungho is implying that the painter just has to call him Seungho-Ya, and he will stop immediately. Strictly speaking, he is referring to the saying: your wish is my command. (chapter 73) Strangely, the word “bow” has two significations: a ribbon or a weapon. (chapter 73) In the fifth image, Yoon Seungho actually means seduction, yet he utilized the idiom “provocation”. Finally, we have Yoon Seungho’s favorite expression “fret”. During this night, he keeps mentioning it in connection to the painter: (chapter 72) (chapter 73) I have to confess that in this situation, I can’t help myself associating this idiom to an anxious animal trying to escape. Now, I would like to sum up all the expressions the main lead employed: enter, mess, word as a synonym for command, bow, provoke and fret. As you can observe, they are all connected to war and conquest. However, since the lord dropped his armor for good, I believe that the aristocrat is thinking about something else: hunting, which coincides with his second hobby. (chapter 41) Baek Na-Kyum is his prey, and the lord is trying to catch his heart through sex. However, Yoon Seungho’s attitude is not consciously done, he is not aware that he is speaking like a hunter. More astonishing is that the painter’s vocabulary mirrors his lover’s: (chapter 73) The word spot is a synonym for target and prey. (chapter 73) The prey has to move on at his own pace in order to escape from the hunter. Nevertheless, (chapter 73) the target is wounded (“it hurts”) and tied up. Even Yoon Seungho’s words are referring to a wound, as if the animal was bleeding to death (chapter 73) , as it keeps leaking (chapter 73) As you can observe, Yoon Seungho is so pleased by the painter’s reactions. Imagine, with a few licks and one thrust his lover had two climaxes. He has the impression that he is getting closer to his goal, winning Baek Na-Kyum’s heart. Therefore he becomes more passionate and impatient. He can’t wait to claim the artist as his “wife”, that’s the reason why he can’t take a break. Hence his lover has to refrain him, asking him for a moment of respite. (chapter 73) But the lord is known as an impatient man, which seems to be confirmed here. However, in reality it took him many months to be gazed and even accepted. Now that Yoon Seungho is seeing how affected the artist is with his words, caresses and kisses, he is so happy that he calls his lover (chapter 73) revealing that they have no longer a lord-servant relationship. This exposes how much the main lead wishes to be intimate with the artist. Therefore, he can’t simply wait contradicting himself. (chapter 73) His actions prove that he is definitely in a hurry.

This association to the hunt exposes two important aspects: the noble has not entirely changed… these idioms are the remains from his previous doctrines, but they are much softer. The lord is now attempting to woo the artist, so that the painter can finally admit that he loves being with him and that only Yoon Seungho is able to make him happy, even if it is through pleasure. This chapter is an allusion to chapter 45, where I had already pointed out that the noble was deluding himself by calling the artist an easy conquest. Back then, this comment made me so laugh, because chapter 42 clearly outlined that it wasn’t even easy due to the lord’s grimace during the intercourse. (chapter 42) And observe that this chapter confirms my interpretation. First, the noble has a similar facial expression exposing that he has to work hard in order to please his lover. He is still clinching his jaw, however the manhwaphiles can detect two huge differences: the mouth is more open and he is now blushing. This shows how much this hunt is touching his heart. And the comparison makes me realize that Yoon Seungho’s final sexual emancipation could be symbolized, when he moans his lover’s name while having an orgasm. That’s why we have the lord calling the painter so affectionately (Na-Kyum-Ah) before the second round. (chapter 73)

Since this love sessions reminds us of a hunt, it is not surprising that winning the painter’s heart is not easy, because he might scare the target. First, when the lord continued thrusting, his lover begged him to stop. The former had to yell and use his hand to stop him. (chapter 73) In order to reassure his partner, he kissed his hand (chapter 73) showing that he was serious with his saying: Your wish is my command. In addition, he wanted to demonstrate that he hadn’t forgotten his promise: not to scare him.

At the same time, Baek Na-Kyum likes rough sex as well, hence he has to beg his partner for his help. He is not satisfied with his own actions. This explicates why there is this alternation between speed accompanied with roughness and a breather. (chapter 73) The noble and Baek Na-Kyum’s desires stand in opposition to the artist’s weakened physical condition. The latter can’t physically keep up, hence he faints at the end. (chapter 73) The prey has definitely been wounded by this special hunt. However, Yoon Seungho did achieve something really important. The blushing painter cried out of excitement during his final climax. (chapter 73) Yet, I doubt that this will be noticed by the aristocrat. He is definitely too shocked by the incident. His lover fainted. In my eyes, there is no ambiguity that Yoon Seungho will panic again. He has three reasons for that:

He never forgot the consequences of the first sex marathon. (chapter 32) He felt so remorseful and was so worried that he ran away, too scared to face the painter and assume his responsibilities. However, he made sure that a physician was fetched. This terrible experience explicates why the lord panicked in chapter 50. He envisioned for one moment that he had overdone it again.
Secondly, he witnessed within one day how the painter fainted twice. The latter had a flashback so that he became unconscious. The lord thought that he could die. The noble had such huge pangs of conscience that he couldn’t forget the painter’s poor condition. Hence he desired to verify if he had recovered in the bathroom.
Finally, during this night, he noticed how the painter breathed heavily. (chapter 72) He was worried, but the painter reassured him. In truth, the heavy breathing was caused by a climax, which the artist tried to hide from his lover. Therefore, there’s no doubt that after this chapter, the noble will question his behavior again. As a hunter, he overestimated the strength of his “prey”. Moreover he will realize that Baek Na-Kyum’s words contributed to this incident. Let’s not forget that Yoon Seungho was following the artist’s request. (chapter 73) This time, the painter’s exhaustion occurred due to both protagonists. That’s why Yoon Seungho will realize that he has to become more responsible and can’t just give the whole responsibility to Baek Na-Kyum. He should have paid more attention to the artist’s health and physical condition. And Kim took advantage of the situation. Thus from that night on, the lord kept his distance from his lover. From my point of view, the valet used these expressions against the main lead. He had been targeting the artist, turning him into a prey, hence the painter could not refused. Kim’s MO has always been to mix cause and consequences. Besides, since he heard such words, he could only have a negative impression. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that the valet is a pessimistic person due to “fortunetelling”. [For more read the essay “Fortunetelling”] As you can see, due to this incident the main lead learned another important lesson: consent. Therefore the lord said this later (chapter 75) (chapter 79) In the second case, he made sure that both were on the same page. He had felt coerced. Through this fainting, the main lead became more careful and responsible for both of them. The problem is that he was still influenced by his past experience: sex is like a battle… which was now transformed into a hunt.

This parallel between this love session and the hunt gives us an explication why the author chose to include gestures and words from the sex session with Jihwa (chapter 14-15). First, the positions are similar, which my follower @I_Love_Seungho truly observed. . (chapter 15) Secondly, Yoon Seungho repeats similar expressions: (chapter 73) (chapter 14) And this is how I made the connection with this love session, as I was paying attention to the words.

Let’s start with the last two pictures. Note that in episode 14, the seme didn’t smear the sperm on his own body, but he put it into his childhood friend’s mouth. This gesture gave us the feeling that the sperm was something dirty. Notice that the lord’s words sound like a reproach towards his friend. The personal pronoun “You” stands in the first position, while in chapter 73 it looks more like a compliment (What a mess you’ve made), as “what a mess” is associated to an exclamation. In other words, in chapter 14 the second lead is blamed for the chaos and dirt he created, while Baek Na-Kyum gets praised..

Besides, the manhwaphiles should recall that initially the noble just gave pleasure to his sex partner without getting anything in return. (chapter 14) It didn’t happen, because he was selfless… no, this was the consequence of Jihwa’s attitude who did nothing to “seduce” his friend. He refused to kiss him (chapter 14), but like he explained, his visit was because he was giving in to Yoon Seungho’s ways. But we have to question ourselves: who wanted whom here? The second lead did visit his friend, as he was seeking his company for sex. He could have refused, as his friend never forced him, but he did not. Moreover, the lord made it clear that Jihwa was just coming for sex and nothing more, yet the childhood friend never denied it.

In addition, he punished his partner by not kissing him. Hence his behavior implied that Yoon Seungho had to pleasure him. As you can truly observe, Jihwa never made the effort to conquer his friend, he projected his own thoughts into his sex partner in reality. This sex session reflects the epitome of war… who will admit his defeat first? That’s why there’s no love and warmth. Besides, both protagonists were quite passive in this sex session. Jihwa only changed his attitude, when he sensed the presence of an enemy in the room: the painter. The friend never asked for his host’s help either. This explicates why the lord could only look at the painter’s facial expressions during the sex session. The latter was the only one who seems to be affected by his gestures and gaze. Jiwa hid how he was affected, he never allowed him to see his weak side. In addition, Jihwa’s words were full of criticisms. This is not surprising that Yoon Seungho was behaving in a similar way. He was reflecting the second lead’s behavior. In my eyes, Jihwa treated his friend like a real sex toy who was there to pleasure him, hence the fellatio is done to prepare the penetration. That’s why there’s no real exchange, the lord is very passive as well during the blowjob. He feels nothing at all . When the sex session started, he seemed to be in a hurry too, similar to chapter 73, but for a different reason. He desired his job to be over. Therefore I come to the conclusion that Jihwa was having sex on his own. Note that once the penetration happened, the second lead had the impression, he had won the battle and war. (chapter 15) However, Jihwa never truly invested his energy and effort to woo his childhood friend’s heart. This is no longer surprising why the second lead felt so lonely, even during their intimate time. Yet the irony was that the head-kisaeng was treated like a tool for Jihwa’s pleasure, and the latter never realized that.

On the other hand, Baek Na-Kyum keeps complimenting his partner , he even recognizes that praising him too much could encourage Yoon Seungho to become more passionate, hence he diminishes his praise afterwards. (chapter 72) Baek Na-Kyum’s words and reactions are the reason why the lord is so affected. But unlike in chapter 14, the painter asks for his lover’s help showing that making love implies the involvement of two persons and not just one. Like I had written in a previous analysis, the lord is discovering that giving pleasure to his lover is also receiving. Hence he blushes and becomes more passionate. (chapter 73) His blood is boiling not due to anger, but due to his intense feelings. Both lovers are proactive here (chapter 73) which contrasts so much to the sex session in chapter 14. (chapter 15) That’s why words are really important, they reflect people’s mentality. The lord went after his lover’s heart, therefore he “worked” hard to please his partner discovering that he felt so much pleasure as well. However, now he needs to become more patient and responsible by resisting to temptation: (chapter 73) But more importantly, he has to learn to woo the artist differently, not only through sex… Winning the lover’s heart and hand is called courting, and not hunting. On the other hand, for Kim, the conversation let appear Yoon Seungho as a rather “brutal” man imposing his will onto the artist. He was cornering his prey… while the artist could only look like a man consumed by lust for he would accept this “pressure” and “mistreatment” (tie up, bow).

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Adoration

March 26, 2021August 18, 2021 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: The rebirth of the Phoenix

March 23, 2021March 26, 2021 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 6 Comments

When the lord was dressed with a hanbok with a pattern showing phoenixes, I realized that we would witness the lord’s spiritual death followed by his rebirth. However, I have to confess that I had no idea when it would occur. The only clue I had was that it was related to the low-born’s abduction and planned assassination. Striking is that Jihwa’s nightmare was actually announcing the lord’s spiritual death: (chapter 50). But if you pay attention, you’ll observe that in this terrible vision, there were two dead people: the painter and master Yoon. That’s why both characters had empty gaze. This means that in truth the manhwalovers would assist to two “spiritual deaths”, Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho’s. But wait… Only the aristocrat was wearing a hanbok with phoenixes, not the painter. But I am certain that the painterofthenight lovers will recall the robe the lord covered the commoner with in chapter 45: Baek Na-Kyum was linked to cranes. Therefore, this signified that the painter’s death would be different. Note that the artist’s head is bleeding just like his body indicating that there’ll be a real transformation. My explanation is that he is supposed to come back to life as a crane. This beautiful bird means good fortune, happiness and longevity. I am quite sure that my readers remember the analysis about the animals embodying the two protagonists. Back then, I had explained that the lamb represented Baek Na-Kyum perfectly: innocence and purity, but this animal is also associated to sacrifice and selflessness, because in Christianity, the lamb represents Christ as both suffering and triumphant. And now, you understand why Byeonduck made the painter suffer so much. Moreover, the artist is also associated to the butterfly and the latter is also a symbol for rebirth. My interpretation is that Baek Na-Kyum will transform into a crane, hence there’s blood on his head and body. He will get a new identity. Furthermore, I had elaborated that all nobles were represented by birds: Jihwa imagined himself as crane, while in reality he was a pheasant(chapter 41), Jung In-Hun was a peacock, Min a crow and finally Yoon Seungho a Phoenix (although in that essay I had imagined, Yoon Seungho was an eagle). And this final transformation occurs, when the lord calls him: The moment he is perceived as a noble, he becomes a crane.

With this new interpretation, I recognize that the main leads made a similar experience. I have already developed the theory that both protagonists mirror each other, hence they are so fascinated by each other and help each other. Therefore, if the lord is supposed to die spiritually, the artist has to go through a similar process. And it is time to ask ourselves, when their spiritual death happened? In my eyes, this was symbolized by the painter’s vision: (chapter 66) This was the new version of Jihwa’s nightmare. It looks like the lord is mourning the deceased. The black hanbok with a white collar resembles a lot to the clothes Koreans are wearing at a funeral: black with white stripes. Besides, if I add this panel, the readers will now understand why the noble felt this way. He was sitting next to the painter’s body fearing for his death, hence he was touching his hand . He waited, until he saw the artist opening his eyes for a brief instant. In that moment, the aristocrat recognized that the artist was coming back to life. That’s why he called his name. As you can see, the lord only left his side after making sure that his life was no longer in danger. That’s why the lord has no eye in this scene. That’s the moment the aristocrat dies spiritually. This is not surprising that this dream is framed with black. Moreover, it was, as if there was a black veil covering this vision. However, the protagonists’ death started much earlier, to be more precise, in Yoon Seungho’s bedchamber. Baek Na-Kyum had a flashback and was terrified, hence his gaze was so lost, which damaged so much his lover that the latter had a similar reaction. In my eyes, their empty gazes correspond to these empty eyes from Jihwa’s nightmare: (chapter 50). This explicates why the lord visited the culprit right after the artist’s “death”. At the same time, the lord’s presence was the trigger for Baek Na-Kyum to come back to life. He felt his presence, hence he was confused if what he saw in his vision was a dream or reality. In my eyes, this “dream” is important, as for the first time, his dream is less linked to desires and the future. It is strongly intertwined with the present. On the other hand, these terrible experiences made both main leads realize the importance of their lover in their life. While fearing for his death, Baek Na-Kyum remembered Yoon Seungho’s smile which made him scream for his help. The same occurred to the powerful noble, when he imagined that the painter would die. He thought, he would never be able to see the painter’s smile. There’s no doubt that first the aristocrat blamed himself, until Min revealed Jihwa’s crime. However, for Yoon Seungho, it was enough. Not only he hadn’t believed in his lover’s words, but also he had mistreated him. That’s why in the artist’s study, the lord died spiritually. Due to the gestures, the manhwaworms can feel the lord’s regret and heartache. Consequently the protagonist is holding the artist’s hand. He is admitting his failure as a lord, too blinded by his own emotions, the artist kept his word as requested, even if he was tormented. He showed courage and strength, but also loyalty and humbleness. Let’s not forget that the commoner had asked for forgiveness, although he had done nothing wrong at all. His apology was sincere, and the main character had misjudged it. There’s no ambiguity that while sitting next to Baek Na-Kyum, the noble realized the painter’s true personality. Hence this is not surprising that Yoon Seungho shows such a respect towards Baek Na-Kyum later. In my opinion, when the master arrived in his mansion, he wanted to send away the kisaeng for two reasons. He had seen how weak the painter was and feared that the kisaeng would drag her brother away. We shouldn’t forget how the kisaeng managed her way to reach Yoon Seungho’s bedroom, therefore in his mind, she would act the same way. Moreover, if the painter were to disappear, the noble would never be able to redeem himself. In my eyes, he wanted to make it up to him. However, once he stood in front of the study, he recognized that he couldn’t do like nothing had happened. He heard the artist’s confession which was linked to fear and a certain reluctance to face the lord and his own feelings. Moreover, he realized that he had to respect the painter’s wish, he let Baek Na-Kyum take his destiny in hand. In other words, the dream of the painter presented the lord’s future action and decision. This was his leap of faith, and as such it announced the Phoenix’ rebirth. The moment the master decided to give the commoner the freedom to choose his fate, the artist’s hand would follow his worshipper.

This explicates why Yoon Seungho is so intimidated by Heena, when the latter approaches him. His words might sound confident, yet if the beholders examine more closely these, they will note the presence of a question, exposing the aristocrat’s certain hesitation. The noble is definitely lacking self-confidence due to his recent “death”. But I have to admit that for me, the real rebirth happens in the bathroom. Why?

First, I can’t help myself connecting the bath to Christianity. The baptism is done with holy water. It is supposed to announce a new life as a Christian. Water symbolizes that all your sins are washed away. Your soul becomes pure again. And note that in the tub, the lord is acting very differently from the past. He doesn’t speak well, hence he makes some mistakes, exposing a certain shyness. Moreover, his gestures are so gentle and precise, because his armor melted away. Since water is associated to purification, it means that the bath represents the lord’s rebirth as a phoenix. But because the bird comes back from its own ashes, the animal returns in the form of a baby. That’s why the lord is so innocent and pure from chapter 70 on. First, he plays a prank in the tub. Then in the bedchamber, he decides to switch roles… (role play). Now Baek Na-Kyum is the powerful lord, while he is just his subordinate. Finally, when he sticks out his tongue, he looks and acts definitely like a playful child. This explicates why words can move him so deeply. At the same time, as a new born, this is not surprising that Yoon Seungho lacks maturity. Hence the painter has become the ultimate authority. Let’s not forget that Baek Na-Kyum transformed into a crane, which I associate to tranquility and wisdom. Just like his lover, he transformed into a crane in the tub. Water cleaned his heart and mind for good. This is not surprising that the artist is more mature than his lover. He had a different rebirth, as he reflected on his emotions and thoughts before the baptism. Thanks to Yoon Seungho’s teaching about critical thinking, the artist was able to free his heart and mind from the learned sir, and the baptism marked the final step.

But let’s return our attention to the phoenix. By submitting himself to “lord Na-Kyum”, the lord is implying that the commoner is now responsible for him. This is a new version of chapter 40: , nonetheless there are two huge differences. This time the lord has taken over the scholar’s position. The painter will be responsible for him, and the former will hope to be loved by the noble. This signifies that the phoenix will be able to shine thanks to Baek Na-Kyum. The latter will be Yoon Seungho’s good fortune, just like the lord has become the painter’s good fortune. A phoenix is a mystical and powerful bird, this explicates why the commoner could turn into a lord and as such into a crane.

Some readers wondered why the noble wouldn’t pay attention to the circumstances of the first abduction, and why he wouldn’t anticipate the enemies’ schemes. This is related to the aristocrat’s innocence. Right now, he is like a child, hence he is not focused on the future. As a child, Yoon Seungho is now living for the moment which I can totally understand. Until now, he had been living trapped in the past. With his rebirth, he was able to move on. Yet, he will realize that he needs to anticipate more and make concrete plans for the future, if he wants to protect his lover. However, I would like to point out that he has already prepared the ground. First, he created such a ruckus at the Lees that now, father Lee can no longer feign ignorance. If Jihwa commits another misdeed, then Yoon Seungho made it clear that father Lee will be held responsible for his son’s crime. The phoenix made it clear that out of respect for father Lee, he wouldn’t do more than create a scandal, yet this signifies that if there’s another incident, he won’t be respectful again. In my opinion, it already announces the purge.

As you can see, I perceive that Byeonduck used a lot of references to religion. We have the presence of water and the white bougies embodying knowledge and clarity of the mind. Finally we have an altar: The lord is kneeling in front of his deity, the crane, making amends due to his “sins”. That’s why I am more than ever convinced that Yoon Seungho will create either a painting or a poem for his “god” at some point exposing his love and admiration. He is already treasuring the artist’s tongue and hand, therefore I am expecting him to recognize the artist’s true intelligence. Remember that in the past, he used to call him a fool, from my point of view, he will realize his mistake. Baek Na-Kyum only received a single lesson about critical thinking and he applied it right away. Secondly, he never forgot his “lesson”, as he started reflecting about himself from chapter 46 on (“why”) and he never stopped it. This was particularly perceptible in chapter 70, when the artist remembered his past and realized that he had overcome his trauma caused by Jung In-Hun. Now, he is even applying this lesson concerning others He wants to know his lover’s motivation. Therefore, I come to the deduction that Baek Na-Kyum has matured so much that he will now be able to question the scholar’s words and actions. He won’t be able to be manipulated like in the past.

One of my readers proposed as a theory that the lord would get poisoned and the painter would decide to assume his responsibility as lord Na-Kyum, which would create a conflict between Kim and the artist. Now after examining the rebirth of the phoenix and the crane, I have to admit that her theory sounds more and more possible. Furthermore, this would announce that the painter would be able to defeat Kim and Min’s plan. Let’s not forget that in reality, Min is the painter’s enemy, although the former has developed an obsession for him. Besides, the manhwalovers should recall how Black Heart used the painter to hurt Yoon Seungho, therefore I am expecting that the new version of chapter 53/54 will show us the Joker’s defeat thanks to Baek Na-Kyum.

Under this new approach, the manhwaphiles can comprehend why the noble is listening to lord Na-Kyum’s requests. The crane proved him how brave, mature, strong and loyal he is…. while he was so blinded by his own fears and self-hatred. In his eyes, he is truly superior to him. Simultaneously, it is also understandable why the phoenix has problems to control himself in front of his god. The latter is not a blind and deaf idol who wants to be admired and worshipped constantly without giving anything in return. His god listens to his requests and wishes. The crane is the real god, while Jung In-Hun is a fake one. After examining the rebirth of the phoenix and the crane, my interpretation that Jung In-Hun will become the painter’s rival seems to become more and more certain. However, thanks to the phoenix’s support, lord Na-Kyum will be able to defeat his “learned sir”. Concerning Yoon Seungho, the latter will also have to fight against his own father, and he will definitely defeat and surpass him, since he is a phoenix. This is not surprising that the protagonists fell in love with each other, as their souls are very similar: both are associated to good fortune, which could only make the fathers jealous.

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Lord Na-Kyum and Seungho-Ya (second version)

March 20, 2021June 23, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Baek Na-Kyum’s orgasms (second version)

March 17, 2021August 23, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: The bride 👰 (second version)

March 15, 2021August 18, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 13 Comments

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I am quite sure that you all know the saying: “Things always come in threes”. Striking is that this idiom exists in many other languages:

French: “Jamais deux sans trois”
German: “Aller guten Dinge sind drei”
Spanish: “No hay dos sin tres”

Moreover, the human being is even composed by three parts: the body, the mind/spirit and the soul/heart. All this proves that the number “3” is indeed associated to completion and perfection. I am quite certain that you are now wondering about the connection between the magical and mystical number three and the title “the bride”. The answer is quite simple: we had three bridal carries in season 2, which the manhwaphiles could witness.

1. The first bridal carry

The first bridal carry occurred in chapter 45 Back then, the identity of the “bride” was unknown. However, there were two witnesses: the wandering merchant and the servant Deok-Jae. (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) And with such a contrast, it becomes obvious how strong and deep the noble’s affection for the artist already was. While the commoner’s comment diminished Yoon Seungho’s love for Baek Na-Kyum, as it was reduced to sensuality and seduction, the lord’s attitude clearly displayed that Yoon Seungho was expecting something else, but he had no idea what exactly. Striking is that the low-born was also clueless that the aristocrat had carried him like that, for he had fallen asleep. The fact that the wealthy man used his own hanbok to carry the commoner to the bathroom illustrated how caring Yoon Seungho was, but no one told him about this. Furthermore, this gesture outlined that the protagonist was taking great of the painter’s body. He shouldn’t get cold and he should get cleaned immediately, underlining that the first sex marathon had left a huge trauma on him. This incident (the bridal carry) was never mentioned within the mansion for two reasons. The domestic Deok-Jae had no interest in telling it to others, as he was filled with jealousy and still hoped that Baek Na-KYum would lose the lord’s favor. As for Kim, when he discovered that the incident had reached the ears of the inhabitants, he seized the opportunity to hide the fiancée’s identity in order to limit the damages. On the surface, it looked like he was protecting the couple’s interest, whereas in reality he feared a scandal. But more importantly, he wanted, just like Deok-Jae, this situation to be just temporary. Therefore he could only reduce the painter’s status: he was neither a bride nor a fiancée, at best a favored servant. (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.

2. The second bridal carry

Then the second bridal carry took place much later in chapter 66: (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.

3. The third bridal carry

In the third bridal carry, there is another huge difference. This time the painter is awake and his mind is no longer troubled. (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) What caught my attention is that the lord carries the painter closer to his chest, while the artist is hugging the noble too. In other words, their hearts are close to each other. Hence this bridal carry is associated to the heart. While the first one represented the body, the second the spirit, now the last one is related to the soul. To sum up, the third bridal carry symbolizes the official marriage. Both have chosen each other. And now, here is the question: where are the witnesses? So far, Byeonduck didn’t draw any witness. Nevertheless, we have to imagine that there exist witnesses. Since Kim was always present during the three kowtows (for that read my analysis called The five candles), I believe that he definitely observed the scene in the shadow, especially after comparing this panel (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. (chapter 96)

4. The meaning behind the bridal carry

And that’s how I discovered two important aspects: timing and consent.

Chapter 45: It happened after the sex session, and the painter had returned. This means that he had accepted Yoon Seungho as his partner.
Chapter 66: One might say that it occurred after the sex session. Yet, people shouldn’t forget that they were sleeping in the bed, when Heena caused a ruckus. (chapter 65) This means that the painter was now the official partner of the protagonist. Nonetheless, the lord tied his bride so that the latter wouldn’t leave. The bridal carry was connected to forced marriage.
Chapter 71: The bridal carry took place before the love session, and the painter had agreed to it. He had accepted the main lead’s advances.
Chapter 78: 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.
Chapter 96: The wedding night got interrupted by Heena. This time, the bridal carry was strongly associated to sex.
Chapter 102: 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)

Another huge difference between the two first bridal carries is the importance of the caresses. Yoon Seungho had sex before the bridal carry in both scenes. But more importantly, neither in the first case nor in the second he spent his time entangled, kissing and fondling. He was either teaching sexual lessons or claiming the painter as his belonging. In the third Wedding night, the chronology is respected. We have first the bridal carry, then the shower of caresses and kisses.

Through this examination, I realized that the bridal carry must have played a huge role in Yoon Seungho’s past. Either he experienced it, but he could never witness it (chapter 45, 66) or he has repressed it. Another possibility is that the bridal carry represents the biggest wish of the main lead. Back then, he wished that the pedophile had carried him like that. If only the “pedophile”had treated him that way… The manhwaphiles should keep in their mind that the bridal carry symbolizes marriage. The groom is supposed to bring his bride to the nuptial room, and according to me, the lord was raped in his own bedroom (the stranger in the night). And if this is true, there could be no bridal carry. Besides, the manhwaphiles should remember that the bridal carry in Painter Of The Night is strongly intertwined with sorrow and regret. Thus I had the following idea. Yoon Seungho would have forgiven the sexual abuser, if the latter had done it at some point, because this meant that he didn’t fear to be seen together. Hence we have the constant presence of witnesses during these scenes. I had already said that the bloody marriage was fake, for it was never official. Moreover, the bridal carry indicates that the man is taking his responsibility. But if the pedophile let others carry Yoon Seungho (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.

As a conclusion, in season 2, I noticed 3 bridal carries. We could say that the first bridal carry symbolized the union of the bodies, the second of the spirit and the last one, the marriage of the souls. But since the story is going in circle, this signifies that in each season, we had them, but we couldn’t see all of them. Why? It is because Yoon Seungho never realized what he was doing. In chapter 45, he was like in trance. (chapter 45) Then in many occasions, the painter didn’t discover that Yoon Seungho had carried him like that, for he was either sleeping or unconscious. Hence the lord had to do it over and over again, until both realized the existence of the bridal carry and its significance. And it only happened in season 3: (chapter 78) Here, both were conscious. Thus I am deducing that Kim could have realized the lord’s biggest desire (embrace and bridal carry), but Kim chose to remain silent. He never divulged this information to lord Song. According to me, the latter kept sending beautiful clothes as a sign of contrition and support. This proves one more time that ignorance is not a blessing.

At the same time, the teacher’s embraces in chapter 68 and 70 clearly revealed that the scholar was treating Baek Na-Kyum like a child: (chapter 68) (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 71) Baek Na-Kyum is not seeking warmth and affection out of despair or pain, he is finally able to detect the lord’s affection in each situation: in the bathroom and on his way to the bedchamber. Baek Na-Kyum was slowly accepting his position as Yoon Seungho’s bride, though I have to add that here, the painter was not thinking about marriage yet. During that scene, the couple was rekindling. It was make-up sex. Hence he could only blush. (chapter 71) I can imagine that his heart must be racing as well. Then in season 3, the painter is now seen carried fully naked in front of his sister. (chapter 96) He has no idea that she witnessed their union, but she already knew the true nature of their relationship. However, till the end of season 3, neither Yoon Seungho nor Baek Na-Kyum were even envisioning marriage, this topic was brought up by Bongyong, the witness of the first bridal carry. This is relevant, because we have to judge these bridal carries as a gesture influenced by the main lead’s subconscious. Deep down, he wished to make the painter his bride, but he had never realized it. However, this dream will become a reality, like Byeonduck implied it with this panel: Thus expect new bridal carries in season 4, but some of them will be connected to death, pain and sorrow. 😥 (chapter 66) (chapter 102).

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Peace and Love ☮️ (second version)

March 14, 2021September 9, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: The purge (theory)

March 13, 2021March 13, 2021 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 9 Comments

This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Painter Of The Night: Five candles 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

March 12, 2021September 9, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 10 Comments

I have to admit that I kept an information hidden all this time, because I was waiting for the chapter 71. And now, it is time to reveal it: the significance of the five candles. You certainly remember that the number 2 is associated to woman, while 3 represent a man. What does it mean? 2 + 3 = 5. Five symbolizes a marriage. This explicates why The Pythagoreans thought of five as the marriage between heaven and earth.

And if the manhwaphiles are aware of Asian wedding ceremony, they will recognize that in a wedding ceremony, they have to kowtow 3 times: first to earth and heaven, then to the parents, to each other. On the wedding day, the couple needs to first kowtow to the heaven and earth, this is to pay respect to gods and ancestors. They also need to thank the parents for taking care of them until now, hence they have to bow to their parents. Finally, to show respect to each other, the couple will kowtow to each other.

As you can imagine, the protagonists’ marriage started with the first nuptial night, when the groom visited the bride’s study. (chapter 20) Note that he was even accompanied with Kim, which became a witness of their marriage. This corresponds to the first kowtow. That’s why the author gave us such a panel: (chapter 21) The earth is symbolized by the house and the ground, while heaven (air) is embodied by the rain and the thunder. During this night, the painter and the lord discovered love and sensuality. Yet their wedding was not completed for two reasons. Remember that the main characters possess all the elements: the painter is associated to Earth and water, while the lord is related to fire and air. Yet, if you pay attention to the image above, you’ll notice that one element is missing: fire. The “painterofthenightphiles” can now realize why this night stood under the sign of illusion. Something was missing, real warmth and love. Yoon Seungho had not even realized his own feelings. Besides, let’s not forget that the noble was quite rough during that night. He only became really tender, after he had witnessed the painter’s tears, tears of happiness.(chapter 21) The real reason for the “failure” is that one was drunk, while the other was impersonating the scholar. Both were not true to themselves. That’s why they couldn’t start a real relationship.

Then the second bow corresponds to the love session in chapter 58: (chapter 58) this time, the lord confesses, but both don’t look at each other. Note, that during this night the lord is pining down the artist, as if he was afraid that Baek Na-Kyum would reject him and escape from him. The lord’s armor was just ruined, but not removed. As for the painter, he was still doubtful due to his own insecurities: destined to be a prostitute. But more importantly, the second kowtow is to the parents. And in my opinion, this was illustrated with this picture: (chapter 58) The shoes are an indication of their different origins, the noble and the low-born. Here again, we have a witness: the butler who is represented by the bucket of water. And if you compare this panel to the one from chapter 21, you’ll notice that one element is missing again: the air. We have now the presence of water, the fire and the earth through the house. But since there is no sky and as such no moon, I come to the conclusion that their union couldn’t be celebrated, because the lord wasn’t still honest to himself. He hadn’t dropped his fathers’ principles completely.

As you can imagine, the last bow is addressed to the partner. The groom and the bride are showing through this gesture that they respect each other. The respect is truly palpable in chapter 71. (chapter 71)

The painter as the bride has the right to refuse. Note that this scene is a reflection of the painter’s kiss during their first night. Back then, the lord waited some time before kissing back. (chapter 20) With such an approach, the noble couldn’t truly object, his mouth was shut with a kiss. Anyway, this time Yoon Seungho gives him space and time to ponder about this. What caught my attention is that the artist bites his lip (chapter 71) while pondering. This gesture is important, as it has two significations: the painter is wondering if this situation is real. He doesn’t even trust his own senses which is totally normal, after living for so long with the loss of his body and senses. Secondly, it exposes his last inner struggle. Should he follow his instincts? Striking is that the low-born’s conscious is the one who makes the final decision. His critical thinking and free mind allow him to perceive the truth. First, he was never in love with the scholar. (chapter 71) I consider this picture as a proof of my interpretation. The kisaeng approached Baek Na-Kyum because of the teacher, who kept using the boy in order to enter kisaeng house. Observe that “chosen out of desperation” stands below the words from the sister, exposing that he sensed that her choice was motivated by something else, or better said, by someone else. The sister influenced the artist to believe that he was in love with Jung In-Hun so that she could maintain her closeness to the scholar. At the same time, the teacher acted, as if he was honorable, so that the kisaeng had the impression that the artist would never truly outlive his sexuality. For her, it was the perfect solution. The low noble wouldn’t fall into sodomy, but maintain a platonic relationship with the boy, allowing her to remain by his side. However, this illusion only lasted, until the painter had to leave the kisaeng house. That’s why he was cornered in the end. (chapter 71) And this situation (being cornered) reoccurred, when he moved in Yoon Seungho’s mansion. It was the same again… Jung In-Hun pressuring him, until he revealed his true thoughts: jealousy and contempt. For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum is detecting genuine affection and it comes from Yoon Seungho and nobody else!! (chapter 71) This is a huge step for the artist. He realized that even Heena noona was not selfless in the end. As you can imagine, my last analysis called “love, embrace and caress” was validated with this new chapter. But the respect is not just visible through the words, but also through the actions. We could say that we have indeed two bows: (chapter 71) First, we have the lord, then later the painter, (chapter 71) as the latter has to look up. Finally, we have the groom bringing his own bride to the nuptial bedchamber: (chapter 71) And just like in the first two kowtows, there’s a witness: Kim who is listening behind the door. (chapter 71) Since this night represents the union between a noble and a commoner, the social status are switched indicating that they are now both lord and low-born simultaneously. (chapter 71) And this night announces the completion of their marriage ceremony. The most beautiful aspect is that the lord brought the painter to his own bedchamber, indicating that Baek Na-Kyum has been chosen as his official “wife”. At the same time, the conversation in the bathroom exposes that the artist chose Yoon Seungho as his groom as well. (chapter 71) This image illustrates how the artist decided to listen to his heart. That’s why the readers can hear the artist’s heartbeat. His heart is racing so much that he blushed. Moreover, he can identify that the racing is not caused by fear, but by the lord’s affection. In other words, because Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum chose each other, they are now married.

Since the three bows are related to love, the manhwaphiles are able to comprehend the signification of this marriage. It is not a marriage of convenience, but of love, which is quite extraordinary in this historical period. Back then, love had nothing to do with it, in particular for nobles.

(chapter 71) The place of their official union is the lord’s bedchamber. When Byeonduck drew this image, she didn’t just want to illustrate the nuptial night. What caught my attention is that now all the elements are represented. The earth (house) and water (snow) which are associated to the painter are present, just like the moon (air) and the fire (light in the bedroom) embodying the lord. This image mirrors the balance and harmony, the sky occupies the top half of the picture, whereas the mansion occupies the bottom part. Their marriage is now completed and a painting will become the official document of their union. Under this new light, it becomes clear why the lord never got to see a picture of their first night together, the wedding ceremony was not completed.

Remember what I wrote previously, the lord would shower the painter with kisses and caresses so that Baek Na-Kyum wouldn’t be able to resist, since physical touch is the painter’s most sensitive sense. And chapter 71 proved my prediction and elaboration correct. But there was another reason for that. (chapter 71) The five candles again!

5 represents the human being. Why? It is because you add the body parts together (one head, 2 legs, 2 arms), you end up with 5 again. Secondly, the manhwaphiles should remember that we have 5 senses. And now, it becomes clear what the chapter 70 announced: the real marriage between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum because of their physical intimacy. Both had finally recovered all their senses and their mind as well. They were no longer under the influence of their unconscious, because this time, they possess their own body and their mind for real. With this new interpretation, the manhwalovers can grasp why the protagonists were suffering so much in the end. Due to the loss of their bodies and mind, their unconscious was the only way to send them a signal that they were not living like they should. And both are now liberated and can witness how the caresses and kisses affect each other. It already starts in the bathroom. The lord touches the artist’s phallus with his tongue (chapter 71), he is caressing it. He is not focused on ejaculation like in chapter 36. (chapter 36) That’s why he doesn’t use his hand here, only his mouth. It was as if he was kissing the penis. He is taking his time, his ultimate goal is to procure pleasure, hence we have a lot of panels with the master’s tongue on the phallus. That’s why later the lord interrogates if he liked his anal licking. (chapter 71) Everything is done to give pleasure to the painter: the kisses and the caresses. Yoon Seungho desires to give his love to the painter. (chapter 71) This chapter is not just an illustration of a marriage, it shows us two men who are finally themselves, giving affection to each other with kisses and caresses. This signification is perceptible with the following panel: (chapter 71) Note that the painter is stroking the lord’s chest, while they both kiss each other. And this is not surprising that at the end, both protagonists close their eyes while kissing. (chapter 71) Both trust each other, they are no longer insecure, as they saw, heard and sensed the affection through the gestures and words. Yoon Seungho could only be happy to see that the artist was blushing due to him. Moreover, the low-born had several ejaculations without any penetration, exposing that this was not just a physical reaction. What caught my attention is the appearance of the master’s blushing. First, it started with the ear in chapter 70 (chapter 70) and the redness has now reached his temple and cheek. Therefore I deduce that the manhwaphiles will witness the lord’s real blushing. As a conclusion, this wonderful night will help the lord to heal completely. By changing his approach, he obtained exactly what he desired the most: to be chosen. His dream came a reality. (chapter 71) The man, Baek Na-Kyum, chose his bride, Yoon Seungho… since the latter is linked to the number 2, while the other is associated to manhood due to the number 3. And this final image announces the final step to their marriage. The wedding will be now completed, and red as the color of Asian wedding ceremony is present. First, we have the painter’s red shirt and later the blushing on both faces. (chapter 71)

Painter Of The Night: “Love💘 , embrace and caress👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨” (second version)

March 11, 2021August 29, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 4 Comments

In my last analysis entitled “The Light in the Heart”, I had portrayed Baek Na-Kyum as someone whose recovery and transformation were completed due to the number of white candles next to the painter’s head. (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.

First, I have to admit that I had problem to discern the true nature of the relationship between the painter and Heena. She is acting like a mother, although the protagonist describes her as his older sister. (chapter 70) Then thanks to my readers @_Winnie_L_ and @AkaiHikariChan who pointed out, the kisaeng is definitely too young to be the mother, I got a new revelation. Since Baek Na-Kyum is a reflection of Lee Jihwa, it means that the commoner was raised by an absent parent too. That’s why we don’t see the head-kisaeng at all. She is also like a ghost, the female version of father Lee. (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:

something that takes your attention away from something else: Shoplifters often work in pairs, with one creating a diversion to distract the staff while the other steals the goods.
an activity you do for entertainment: Reading is a pleasant diversion. quoted from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/diversion

This outlines that this expression is far from anodyne. While we all associated “diversion” to the second significance, the low noble meant the first meaning. In the past, I used to think that the scholar was hoping for the artist to doze off so that he would spy on the guests at the kisaeng house. He was talking to the noonas with the boy on his lap in the hope to discover “secrets”. However, since I realized that Jung In-Hun was the one who brought the baby to the gibang, he had many reasons to go to the kisaeng house. He could hope to get connection to powerful nobles and even get information. However, from my point of view, since he had entrusted the artist to the noonas, he knew that the gibang was the perfect place to hide secrets as well. Remember that the conversation in this precise chapter was about “secret and protection”. (chapter 29) And now the scene at the kisaeng house can only be perceived in a new light. (chapter 68) Jung In-Hun must have come to an agreement with a rich noble and made a deal with him. The presence of the painter was no coincidence, and it diverted attention from the real target of abuse: Yoon Seungho, who got dragged away. The painter and the other noona thought that Heena had been the victim of violence from a noble, but she was not. She served as diversion. Too blinded by her prejudices and own fears, the young woman wasn’t able to perceive the true nature of the learned sir. While she saw the scholar as a hero, because he hugged the painter and took him away from this terrible place, she never questioned the scholar’s attitude. If he had been a true hero, he would have rescued her and not abandoned her. She never got aware of his betrayal. In other words, the scholar helped to create a secret. This explicates why the learned sir is well aware of the nobles’ fear. In his eyes, they all have something to hide.

But let’s return to our first observation: the head-kisaeng neglected her adopted son, for she was too overwhelmed with the huge responsibility. The manhwaphiles should remember that neglect is a form of abuse and it can lead to the loss of senses. That’s why I described Lee Jihwa as blind and deaf. With this new interpretation, I come to the conclusion that Baek Na-Kyum had the same fate. Moreover, his mind’s eye couldn’t get developed. Due to his abandonment issues, he desired to grant Heena’s wishes. That way, he wouldn’t be rejected. However, this couldn’t fill the void. That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum drew a lot of paintings as a child. (chapter 1) Here, the witness was lying, as he was distorting the past, the painter wouldn’t draw erotic pictures constantly. The head-kisaeng didn’t take care of her son and during the day, the noonas were all resting so that the painter was on his own. This panel illustrates the painter’s isolation and loneliness. At the same time, I envision that the scholar visited the kisaeng house during the night so that he could approach the noonas, explicating why the boy would doze off too. Moreover, painting was a way for the painter to cope his loneliness and his loss of senses. As a conclusion, the painter was not only suffering from abandonment issues, but also from neglect which made him more and more dependable on Heena noona and the learned sir.

Yet, this doesn’t end here. Each time, Heena noona was confronted to violence, she sent away the painter. He was not just forced to leave his noona’s side, he had to leave the house as well. He ended up in the countryside (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 68) For the first time, he has a room for himself, and even if he is pushed away, he can express his sadness and seek comfort in his room: (chapter 41) and (chapter 52). Note that each time, he was unhappy, he was requested not to cry (chapter 26) (chapter 68: he is sent away due to his tears) (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 34) Under this new approach, we understand better (chapter 68) why the lord chose to retreat. Here, the master saw the commoner’s tears with his mind’s eye and realized that he needed to give him some space and time again. But more importantly, he never entered the room, giving him some privacy. He learnt an important lesson here: solitude doesn’t stand in opposition to distance and abandonment. In this scene, Heena noona never requests from the painter to stop crying, she just wipes his tears with her hand and caresses her brother’s cheeks. (chapter 68) In my opinion, she hoped that if he voiced his emotions, he would follow her. She had an interest in this, that way she could express her disapproval and use her authority to force the painter to obey her. (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.

However, my examination is still not finished. I had portrayed the commoner as suffering from the loss of sight and hearing due to his neglecting mother/noona. But this doesn’t mean that he had lost his body too. Since he was deprived of these two senses, he had to rely on the physical touch in order to compensate his isolation. And now, you understand why the learned sir and Heena noona had such power over him and why the young boy was so submissive. They used the caress and the embrace as a way to impose their will. That’s how they got so close to Baek Na-Kyum, explaining why the commoner would lose his voice after all (speech ability). He became submissive in his desire to please his loved ones. He saw in their caresses and embraces a sign of affection. He was not wrong, but their attachment was linked to their own interests. Thus their love was rather superficial.

What caught my attention is that the kisaeng stroke the painter’s cheeks, (chapter 46) when the latter was sent away, But she didn’t hug her brother. Why? It was to stop him from protesting. (chapter 46) But I would even go further. I don’t think that Heena noona used to embrace her brother. This perception was somehow confirmed in season 3. (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 66) note the huge distance between the two characters in the last panel. This is no coincidence, therefore I perceive the embrace in chapter 66 in a new light. (chapter 66) It was the first time that Baek Na-Kyum got embraced by his noona. And all this, thanks to Yoon Seungho. In my opinion, the kisaeng got really scared and concerned for her brother. And there’s a reason for this lack of worry. She relied too much on Jung In-Hun. Her false perception is particularly visible, when she claims . (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. This would explicate why she is surprised that the artist is responsible for the learned sir. Anyway, due to her assistance, she expected from Jung In-Hun that he would take care of the painter. There’s no doubt that she loved the scholar, and since the boy had entered the kisaeng house due to the learned sir, there is a high possibility that Heena noona got close to Baek Na-Kyum for that reason too. That way, she hoped to earn the scholar’s acceptance and admiration. Since the painter was left alone and longed for love, the latter could only rely more and more on Heena noona, especially due to the incidents where Baek Na-Kyum was wounded. (chapter 94) She created a dependency, while simultaneously, she would delegate her responsibilities on the other noonas. Heena noona became the painter’s mother, yet she was never one officially. Consequently, I believe that her bond was not entirely selfless, which became truly visible in season 3. Let’s not forget that the kisaeng was portrayed as quite rude and selfish in certain scenes. The way she hugged her brother was not tender in my eyes. (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.

The kisaeng helped the scholar, while the latter assisted her with her burden: raising a boy. From that moment, a toxic relationship started, which could only affect the young boy. This would explicate why she accepted that Jung In-Hun would leave her behind while getting beaten. For this kind of incident recurred, we have to imagine that the low noble and the kisaeng contributed to add another artist’s trauma: the abandonment issues and the loss of home.

From that moment, he was forced to roam around with the scholar during the night. (chapter 70) And now, we have to question ourselves why the kisaeng chose to send away the painter in the end. From my point of view, it wasn’t really to protect him… since Baek Na-Kyum was now an adult, the role of the scholar was no longer necessary. First, the artist was supposed to be literate. At the same time, the low noble couldn’t take him any longer, when the kisaeng got hurt again. This kind of diversion was no longer possible. The man was old enough to intervene, hence not only he could have defended his sister, but also he could have investigated what was happening in the gibang. That’s why Heena sent him away to the scholar and observe that the noonas were not even informed. (chapter 46) Why? Because she knew that they would have questioned her. Moreover, the noonas might have convinced the donsaeng to stay in the gibang. In my eyes, the noona thought that she was doing it for her son’s best interest, while in reality she had other motives to ask the painter to leave the gibang. Unconsciously, she desired to leave that place too. From my point of view, she dreamed that the learned sir would take her away at some point. This interpretation was proven correct in season 3. (chapter 97) In exchange for her services, she had to bring Baek Na-Kyum to Min, the noona would be able to escape the gibang.

Therefore it is time to focus on the learned sir again. Exactly like I had anticipated, the low noble blamed the painter for his inability to read: he would doze off , while in reality the low noble made sure that the artist would fall asleep. Besides, if the painter was awake during the night, this signifies that he had to sleep during the day. And in order to obtain the painter’s assistance, he noticed that the low-born was sensitive to physical touch: the scholar chose the hug. That’s why we see him embracing the young boy in chapter 68 or piggybacking in chapter 70. We have to envision that first he embraced him in front of the kisaeng, then once they had left the town, the noble would change the position. Yet, I believe that Heena had here romanticized this embrace. It represents a distorted memory mixed with fantasy. What caught my attention is that in both hugs, the noble could hide his face and in particular his eyes. At the same time, the learned sir wasn’t faced with the commoner’s tears and sadness. He could feign ignorance. (chapter 70) But this could only work, until the painter entered adulthood. After that, he could no longer use the boy as tool and diversion. Even if the learned sir’s affection was genuine in the beginning, the nature of their relationship could only change, for the learned sir had kept using him in the past. It had become a habit.

Envision this: his ties with the kisaeng house were cut off. And since he had never taught the painter to write and read properly, Jung In-Hun was cornered. Moreover, there is no ambiguity that the learned sir started viewing Baek Na-Kyum as a burden, this means that at some point Jung In-Hun must have felt the exact opposite of this: (chapter 44)

And since the scholar has always disdained the commoners, he could only abhor the idea to keep hugging the artist. The latter was now a grown-up. Hence he used the erotic painting as an excuse to abuse Baek Na-Kyum physically. That way, the noble was no longer obliged to caress or embrace the painter. However, because of this method, he destroyed the painter’s body symbolically. (chapter 34) And this leads me to the following conclusion: the painter ended up in the same state than Yoon Seungho’s. Both lost their senses and their own body. And now, you can comprehend why the main lead can’t cry yet. The return of his tears will mark the end of the transformation and his recovery.

Nonetheless, let’s return our attention to the scholar and his relationship with the painter. If the manhwaphiles pay attention to the progression of the first season, they will notice the increasing intimacy between Baek Na-Kyum and Jung In-Hun. First, it started with a stroke (chapter 10), then in chapter 24 he touches his shoulder and kisses his hands. (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.

And now, you understand why Yoon Seungho’s actions (seeking intimacy) could only help the painter to recover. First, he had been able to remove the poison from the artist’s mind before the backstab in the library. The lord had encouraged Baek Na-Kyum’s critical thinking. This explicates why after the scholar’s betrayal, the painter’s independent mind resurfaced first. (chapter 46) Then the readers witness the return of the artist’s 5th sense (touching) in chapter 49. That’s the reason why the noble could finally get the painter’s attention afterwards. For me, the touching has always been the most important sense in his life, which explains why Heena and Jung In-Hun had such control over the low-born. Then in chapter 52, we assist to the revival of the artist’s sight: (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. Simultaneously, the hug is not entirely related to the kisaeng, but to the study. Remember that we never saw her hugging him before. At the kisaeng house, he didn’t feel like he truly belonged there, and Heena would always send him away due to his cry. While Heena anticipated with this embrace, the painter would follow her like in the past, she experienced a shock. Now, the painter was no longer blindly listening to her suggestion. And now, you understand why she kept touching the artist. She was trying to influence the painter through the physical touch. Under this new light, I understand why she said this after all: (chapter 68) Yoon Seungho is famous for intimacy, then this would signify that she would lose control over the painter forever. This explicates why Heena noona is not respecting her brother’s wish in the end. And if you compare the two farewells between the kisaeng and the main lead, you will detect a huge progression: (chapter 69) They hug each other here, the painter can get closure, because this is just a goodbye. The noona asks him to send letters, this means that she is telling him that he is not abandoned. This night was important, because the painter’s abandonment issues got treated. Hence it is no wonder why the painter could move on from the past during the same night.

And now, it is time to come to the final part, the significance of the painter’s memory in chapter 70. From my point of view, we should perceive as a new version of chapter 34: 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), He would even smile making him look indifferent. (chapter 70 Then he makes the following reproach: he was lazy. (chapter 70). For me, during that night the artist realizes that despite the huge blow in the library, Jung In-Hun had not been bad to him all this time. He had good memories. This means that he was able to take his distance and look back at his childhood under a new perspective. The learned sir had been there for him in the past. In this moment, when he saw the moon, he was reminded of the learned sir. It might not follow him specially, but it is always there. (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.

Under this new interpretation, the scene at the bathroom becomes another significance. The lord decided to let the painter feel and see his affection. He chose a different approach: caressing the finger and the hand tenderly, then the chin 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.

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.

Painter Of The Night: The Light 💡in the Heart❤ (second version)

March 9, 2021August 18, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 14 Comments

I would like to thank Luzy 😉again for pushing me to ponder more about chapter 70 and its significance.

(chapter 70) When you look at the panel, you’ll observe that Baek Na-Kyum is represented by three white candles, while on the lord’s side there are just two white bougies. Since the color white symbolizes purity, this picture exposes that both protagonists are not just healing, but also getting less selfish and more open. Nonetheless, the noble’s purification is not complete yet. Here, I would like the manhwaphiles to keep in mind that since 3 is often associated with order, perfection, completion, reconciliation or fecundity due to the fusion of 1 and 2, it explicates why 3 is considered as magical and mystical. On the other hand, the number 2 symbolizes not only duality (light-darkness; ying-yang), but also balance and companionship. It is also related to kindness, and reflects a quiet power of judgment. At the same time, it indicates the need for planning and boundaries in order to keep the balance. And now, the readers can grasp why I view this panel as a confirmation that the master’s carthasis isn’t finished. In chapter 70, he has finally dropped his armor, this just means that he has finally abandoned father Yoon’s doctrines for good. But let’s not forget that Yoon Seungho’s life has not only be determined by father Yoon, but also by Kim, his surrogate father. Hence he is still under his influence.

1. The butler’s principles

But what are Kim’s rules?

(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 18) On the other hand, the butler let him know about this gossip. (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.
Don’t take it to heart (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.
Act, as if nothing happened (chapter 65) That’s why there is no sincere apology. (chapter 65)
“It’s none of my business” (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.
He hates trouble and scandal,(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.
And this leads to the following observation. Kim’s final rule is to utilize others in order to achieve his goal. The butler allowed Jihwa to torment the painter three times (10, 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.

After exposing the butler’s doctrines, I would like to describe the impact of these rules over Yoon Seungho’s life, and they slowly disappeared or diminished.

2. Yoon Seungho’s life under these rules

First, the rule “don’t take it to heart” was completely abandoned in chapter 58, because he was confessing his love to the painter properly: (chapter 62) Here, the noble stated that he adored the painter). This means that the light and warmth had finally reached the lord’s heart, which is also mirrored by the light in the panel. But the problem is that after the low-born’s disappearance, the master had the impression, he had been betrayed and abandoned. Hence he became enraged and blinded by his own wound. This is a sign that he definitely took it to heart. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget that despite the incident at the barn, the noble was not even able to stick to the rule, treating the artist like a sex toy. In the end, Yoon Seungho brought him to his own bed, indicating that he considered him as his partner. To sum up, the noble was still not honest to himself exposing the valet’s influence.
The longer the painter remained by his side, the more the main lead caused trouble and scandal (rule 4). First, it started with the nobles’ humiliation in chapter 8 and 18.. 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)
As for the principle “act, as if nothing happened“, the manhwaphiles can detect that it is still present in the lord’s life, because he still doesn’t judge his action in the barn as a wrongdoing. (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 102) Nevertheless, for me, he truly changed a lot from episode 70, because there he expressed regrets for the first time in front of the painter. Notice that in episode 71, we had a semi-apology, for he was admitting his mistakes: (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 84) Note that here, he was doing everything himself. He was no longer relying on Kim. Hence in the first version, I had voiced that the lord would apologize to Baek Na-Kyum, after the second abduction had been solved. And this expectation became a reality. The lord felt definitely huge pangs of conscience. (chapter 102) He knew that Baek Na-Kyum had been targeted. Yet he thought that by just warning his childhood friend, the problem was solved. He didn’t desire to cause too much trouble. However, I believe that after this crime, the noble will realize that he needs to take matters into his own hands. He can no longer live like that, he needs to become more reliable and not to fear scandal. We have another clue for this theory, the painter’s question: (chapter 102) He is tasked to investigate how this tragedy could take place. Why did they get separated for so long.
“Ignorance is a blessing“
with to utilize others in order to achieve his goal: Yoon Seungho praised Kim in that scene (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 63) No one has ever questioned how the master could treasure the artist’s smile so much? One might say that the first smile occurred in chapter 40 (chapter 40), but as you know, each event happens twice during the same season. So the lord experienced it much earlier. That’s why I believe that the first smile in chapter 7 played a huge role. The incident marked the return of the aristocrat’s jealousy, which had been buried for a long time. That’s why Yoon Seungho decided to reveal his plan. He hoped that with this new approach, Baek Na-Kyum would perceive him as a benevolent lord and look at him differently. He hoped that Baek Na-Kyum would smile for him. This explicates why the lord underlined the importance of connections and wealth. (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, when he heard the conversation between Baek Na-Kyum and Heena noona. Observe that he is listening behind the door, as if he was spying, which I perceive as another evidence for Kim’s spying activities. Nevertheless, this was never the main lead’s intention, hence he left quietly. Yet the painter’s words did push the lord to abandon the butler’s first principle. But what did he hear exactly? Here, I have to admit that I can’t be 100% sure, but I think that he heard the painter’s confession, because in chapter 70, Yoon Seungho asked the painter, if the latter was afraid of him (chapter 70). And note that when the painter confessed, he externalized his fear. (chapter 68) But what caught my attention is that when we see the lord’s feet in front of the door, we have to keep in mind, Yoon Seungho was not able to see the painter’s tears. He could only hear his words. Consequently he was relying on his own ears. However, this doesn’t signify that Yoon Seungho is blind. In my opinion, in this precise moment Yoon Seungho was able to envision Baek Na-Kyum’s tears, because he was forced to use his mind’s eye. Then with this new perspective, we have a new version of chapter 3. 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: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2021/01/30/painter-of-the-night-heroes/ ] In other words, the discussion in chapter 68 represented the most important battle between the master and his domestic, where the latter wanted the main lead to lose his sight and hearing for a second time. However, the butler failed. The irony is that people perceived the argument as the butler’s victory, while in truth it should be judged as the valet’s loss of power. What Kim didn’t expect is that with his manipulations, he encouraged the main lead to rush to the painter’s study. The butler never expected that the lord would stop right in front of the door and listen to the conversation. For me, this marked the return of the lord’s senses. This is the reason why the lord is able to hear the door opening and the commoners leaving the study, (chapter 69) although he is sitting in his bedchamber. Imagine, he is no longer relying on the butler’s information contrary to chapter 56: (chapter 56) With this new approach, the readers can understand why the aristocrat can make such a comment in chapter 70: . 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 since the noble is now using his own body and all his own senses, it becomes clear why the lord is gradually becoming less selfish. He needed to be selfish in the past in order not to become completely alienated. This signifies that he would have lost his own identity. This explicates why his selfishness is slowly vanishing, indicating that the noble is on the verge of dropping rule 4 (“This is not my business“) which embodies selfishness. On the other hand, his selfishness can not completely be eliminated, as long as the butler is by his side. Why? It is because the valet is trying to justify his actions by acting selfless. He lulls the lord in the illusion, he will do anything for Yoon Seungho, and the new scene in the bathroom is the perfect example. Observe that the lord is determined to treat the painter more like a guest, hence he asks his servant to follow the painter to the door. From my point of view, it was not, because he wanted the domestic to keep an eye on the painter, but because he wanted to treat the artist with great respect. Yet, note that the moment the kisaeng leaves her brother and the door closes, the servant’s behavior and tone change drastically. He pressures Baek Na-Kyum 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.

All this leads me to the final observation: since the butler is relying on others, this signifies that these persons become his eyes, ears, mouth and hands. Therefore he becomes dependent on them. This indicates that the valet has switched his position with the noble. And this is relevant, because this announces Kim’s future demise. He will experience himself, how ignorance can’t be a blessing. In chapter 69, they heard from the kisaeng that the painter could write, hence he will take this info as face-value. I am assuming now that he knows that the painter can not read Chinese and will come to the conclusion that he can read Hangeul like any commoner. However, while in the past, I used to think that Kim had asked the domestic can only listen to their exchange, I realized that I was wrong. It was still Kim behind the window. (chapter 70) But he is deprived of his sight. And now, if you look at the conversation in the bathroom, we have to question what information the spy gathers:

“You refuse to watch” and “Don’t push me away”

This means that the servant will have the impression that the artist is still resisting the lord, especially after hearing that the low-born corrected the lord. However, the spy can’t see what is happening in the room. He can’t observe how the painter is letting the lord caressing his face (chapter 70), kissing him tenderly . That’s why Kim will have the impression that the painter is still not accepting the lord. This explicates why after that night, they were separated. The butler imagined that if they had no longer sex, the artist would feel neglected and believe that the lord had already a change of heart. He hoped that after such a separation, the painter would leave the mansion, exactly like the lord had been encouraged to have a relapse in chapter 50. In my eyes, Kim was slowly viewing the artist as a man consumed by lust. How could he still accept to have sex with Yoon Seungho after the latter had treated him like a sex toy in the shed? The butler couldn’t grasp the protagonists’ thirst for love and warmth.

From my perspective, Kim had already realized the urgency of the situation at the end of season 2. He was on the verge to lose his position. The painter was getting more and more power, while the reality is that Yoon Seungho was slowly regaining his freedom, because he was just owning his own body. This explicates why he is now delicate and treats the painter’s hand as a treasure. (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.

Therefore as long as the butler remains by the noble’s side, the transformation is not completed. That’s why we still have no proper apology and the lord is not determined to get justice for the artist. Yet, the light has already entered the master’s heart, irradiating his whole body. Consequently, the main lead could finally drop his armor: it melted away. To conclude, the final transformation took place in the mountain which was symbolized by the lord’s tears. (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) 8chapter 50) Since he has been denying the existence of his heart, there can be no light in the heart. (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.

And now, I would like to close this analysis with three quotes from the book called “The Light in the Heart written by Roy T. Bennet which inspired me to write this essay, because it illustrates the lord’s metamorphosis:

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice (chapter 63/70). 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.”

“Don’t Just

Don’t just learn, experience.
Don’t just read, absorb.
Don’t just change, transform.
Don’t just relate, advocate.
Don’t just promise, prove.
Don’t just criticize, encourage.
Don’t just think, ponder.
Don’t just take, give.
Don’t just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don’t just hear, listen.
Don’t just talk, act.
Don’t just tell, show.
Don’t just exist, live.”

With this quote, the readers grasp better why the lord was just existing like a ghost in the past before meeting Baek Na-Kyum. He was only a puppet, while he was lulled in the illusion, he was a free spirit haunting an armor. This explicates why he couldn’t feel remorse in the past, why he could neither hear, nor see, nor talk nor dream nor give etc. And since he has promised that he won’t frighten Baek Na-Kyum (chapter 70), he needs to prove it. He will never hurt anyone close to the painter, hence he spared the kisaengs. I have to admit that I have been thinking about the next step: asking the painter to brush his hair. 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.

And now, I would like to close this essay with the following quote from Bennet

“We are all different. Don’t judge, understand instead.”

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Sex and sensuality

March 7, 2021July 5, 2021 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: Farewell

March 5, 2021March 10, 2021 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 5 Comments

This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes.

Striking is that when I started writing this morning, I had no idea that my topic would fit with chapter 70. What caught my attention in chapter 69 was the way Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum bid farewell to Heena noona, his sister, which contrasts so much to the scholar’s goodbye. Therefore I decided to compare them, and then I realized that there existed other farewells. In the manhwa, we have seven different sendoffs:

The first goodbye occurs in chapter 35, when the learned sir is decided to visit the former servant from the Yoons household. While the painter follows his teacher, he doesn’t realize that Jung In-Hun is leaving the mansion, until the low noble caresses his cheek and reminds him of his duty. Then he closes the main gate in front of Baek Na-Kyum who is deeply disappointed and hurt.
Yoon Seungwon is sent off by the butler, when the former leaves his brother’s mansion. (chapter 37)
The younger master Yoon is leaving his father’s home in order to go to Hanyang (chapter 44)
Jung In-Hun is departing from his sponsor’s propriety for the capital (chapter 44) after taking the first round of the civil service examination
The painter is leaving the kisaeng house on Heena noona’s order. (chapter 46)
Heena noona with her brother and his lord (chapter 69)
In chapter 70, Baek Na-Kyum recalls an important goodbye from his youth. Back then, the young boy was sad and upset after departing from Heena noona. He had been entrusted to the scholar Jung In-Hun.

What do these adieux have in common?

Chapter	People involved in the farewell
35	Baek Na-Kyum, Jung In-Hun, Yoon Seungho, Kim
37	Yoon Seungwon, Yoon Seungho, Kim and Baek Na-Kyum
44	Yoon Seungwon, father Yoon, Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum through the painting
44	Jung In-Hun, Yoon Seungho, Baek Na-Kyum and valet Kim
46	Heena noona, Baek Na-Kyum, noonas and Jung In-Hun
69	Heena noona, Yoon Seungho, valet Kim and Baek Na-Kyum
70	Heena noona, Jung In-Hun, Baek Na-Kyum and the moon

Observe that all seven goodbyes are revolving around four people, although the adieu was just between two persons. Moreover, the main leads, Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum, are always involved. You might argue that in the seventh case, it is not possible. But I would like to remind my readers that I have already associated the main lead Yoon Seungho to the moon. Furthermore, the teacher’s words about the moon (“fond of you”) are mirrored in the lord’s confession from chapter 56. Therefore, we could say that he was present in the farewell as well, because the scholar kept referring the moon to the innocent boy. Since I have already pointed that in each departing two people got involved, this means that their relationship is strongly intertwined with other bonds. Relatives or acquaintances affect the farewell.

Striking is that the way they part from each other exposes the true nature of their relationship. In the first case, the scholar just faked his concern for the artist’s health, whereas he desired to use the commoner as spy. That’s why he gave him an order “you ought to head back in” and the painter couldn’t argue. Moreover, the learned sir asked him to keep his promise, he needed him to work for him. What caught my attention is the silence from the painter. At no moment, he can speak and bid farewell, and this is understandable due to the noble’s remarks. Although the commoner wasn’t the one leaving, he had the impression that he was abandoned. This explicates why the artist was wounded by this departure. Striking is that this scene was observed by the main lead and his butler. While the noble felt himself betrayed and abandoned, he was indeed relieved in the end that Baek Na-Kyum had remained by his side. Consequently, the first departure was marked by disappointment and heartache from the protagonists. Both felt helpless, as they had no saying in this. Since the closed gate resembled more to a jail gate than a real home, I come to the conclusion that both main characters were trapped in reality. This explains why the lord feared the painter’s departure. He had the impression that if the latter set a foot outside, the noble would end up alone again. Another aspect is that this farewell forced the aristocrat to leave his room and window, he had to run to the gate… a desperate measure to stop this moment.

Now it is time to examine the next goodbye. The brother was officially on the verge of departing from his brother, but the host was not present. Hence there’s no real goodbye. Since the main lead didn’t show him any respect by following him to the gate, the younger master was just followed by the butler. Moreover, the latter gave him in his master’s name a letter, like the younger master had requested it in the morning. From my point of view, the brother’s smile is an indication that he believed that his personal visitation had been successful. By pressuring his brother, he had finally been able to get the reply he desired. But the reality must have hit him hard later, because in the end, he just got a ruined painting of sodomy. And this explicates why the father ended up receiving the paper from his younger son. In other words, Seungwon decided to get revenge on the humiliation. Besides, I also think that he hoped that with such a gesture, father Yoon would make the decision to pay his rebellious son a visit and have him punished for his lack of respect. But what Yoon Seungwon seemed to overlook is that when he barged into his brother’s mansion, he showed no real respect either. Imagine, he even desired to open the door of Yoon Seungho’s bedchamber. Hence, it is not surprising that the eldest brother didn’t follow his brother to the main gate. He didn’t feel obliged to pay his respect to Yoon Seungwon. To sum up, in this farewell, both characters were quite rude to each other, and Yoon Seungho showed no leniency towards the younger master, as the latter had violated the social norms first. This animosity was even encouraged by the valet’s intervention. And let’s not forget that in that scene, Yoon Seungho chose the painter over his brother. He asked him to remain by his side, because he was too upset and wounded by Yoon Seungwon’s sudden appearance and selfish request.

In the third case, Yoon Seungwon was waiting for his father, but since the door remained closed, he decided to depart from home. There’s no doubt that this must have indeed disappointed Yoon Seungwon. His father still chose to focus his attention to Yoon Seungho instead of him, hence he kept looking at the closed door. Yet before leaving he blamed his oldest brother for his father’s lack of concern and respect. Striking is that the main lead was not present, yet through his mention, the brother gave the impression that Yoon Seungho was still part of the family despite the incident with the topknot and the long separation. Yet, Yoon Seungwon felt bothered that his own father didn’t even pay attention to customs. He didn’t send off like a respectful and dutiful father either. From my perspective, it looks like the younger master was trying to cover up the lack of father Yoon’s manners by making the main lead responsible for this. We shouldn’t forget that the main character was considered as the black sheep of the Yoons. At the same time, the younger brother was attempting to make himself look good, because unlike the head of family, the former paid his respect to his father before. With a single panel, we can conclude that Yoon Seungwon is acting, as if he was a honorable and dutiful son, contrary to his older brother, who upset father Yoon so much that the latter forgot his duties. The irony is that while the younger master talks about his brother, the latter has no opportunity to contradict this, as he is not present. On the other hand, the brother’s words are somehow true, because the father is indeed infuriated due to the ruined painting. On the other hand, the younger master played a role in this as well, because he was the one wo delivered the painting. Moreover, like I have already underlined, I am no longer thinking that Yoon Seungho entrusted it deliberately to his brother as an affront for the simple reason that Yoon Seungho still fears his father. Let’s not forget Yoon Seungho’s words addressed to his brother. Here, he reminded him that he was living according to their father’s principles, showing that despite the abandonment and betrayal, he never dared to drop his father’s doctrines. From my point of view, the ruined painting was given by Kim on purpose, to incite the father to intervene. Besides, we shouldn’t forget that the “letter” was delivered after the brother had parted from Yoon Seungho. Hence the main lead never got to see what the butler did behind his back. Another evidence for this misdeed is the absence of the valet’s eyes. Since Kim had told his master that he needed to deliver an answer personally, the butler used this request to his advantage. And Yoon Seungwon is too naive to realize that he has been misled, that’s why he is also represented without eyes. The manhwaphiles should recall that in this scene, the younger master was humiliated, as his elder brother didn’t send him off properly. Why should he give a letter under such circumstances? And if we compare the three goodbyes, we will detect the recurrence of discourtesy and the missed opportunity of saying goodbye properly.

In the fourth case, we also have the absence of a third person: the painter. Yoon Seungho invited the teacher to bid farewell to his former student through his rhetorical question, but Jung In-Hun didn’t care. In his eyes, he was just a low-born, and the former didn’t need him at all. Striking is that the low noble paid his respect to his sponsor out of obligation and nothing more. As long as Yoon Seungho was useful, then the learned sir would have to be polite and respectful. That’s why he bowed in front of the wealthy aristocrat. In other words, the scholar’s bow is fake which stands in opposition to the artist’s bow in chapter 69. More importantly is that in this fourth farewell, the artist didn’t get the opportunity to bid farewell properly to his former teacher too. Neither Jung In-Hun nor Kim had informed him about the time of his departure. Striking is that in that chapter, the rich main lead was the only one who desired to make the painter happy, hence he suggested the low noble to depart properly from the low-born. What caught my attention is the opened door in front of the painter. Why was the door left open like that? The manhwaphiles should remember that in that scene, Kim was already aware of the discussion between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum at the library. And with this new approach, it becomes clear, Kim was hoping that the artist would leave the place, since he had been insulted and abandoned by his teacher. He had no reason to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side. Besides, we shouldn’t forget the noble’s words addressed to the learned sir: In other words, Kim was just waiting for the low-born’s departure, and in order to push the painter to leave the mansion, he made sure that he wouldn’t see Jung In-Hun leaving. This would reinforce the betrayal and abandonment issues the painter had felt due to the scholar’s attitude and words before. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget the parting between Jung In-Hun and his former pupil in chapter 35. Note that in both farewells, the young man had no saying. In the first incident, he got caught by surprise and in the second goodbye, the learned sir was already gone. Since this closed door contrasts so much to the open gate in episode 44, and in both chapters Kim was present, I come to the deduction that the butler was observing the low-born in the shadow. In his mind, if the door was left open, the artist would leave without saying goodbye to anyone. Striking is that despite the previous desertion and wound, Baek Na-Kyum was still showing respect towards his learned sir, indicating that despite his heartache, he was willing to overlook everything. There’s no doubt that the missed goodbye did increase the artist’s abandonment issues. And here again, I detect the lack of respect towards the main leads. The scholar might have bowed in front of Yoon Seungho, yet he rejected the noble’s suggestion and even started plotting behind his back, how he would use the painter for his own benefit.

And it is time to focus on the parting between Heena noona, the artist and the noble. Striking is that for the first time, the lord left his room and walked towards the painter and his guest. In other words, he was showing her a huge respect and as such biding her farewell. He even acted as a real host, because he offered to send her off with a servant from his mansion in order to guarantee her safety. And if you keep in mind that he did nothing for his own brother, and the latter is a noble, while Heena noona is just a kisaeng, you’ll detect how much the lord has already changed. He is definitely determined to keep the artist by his side, hence he is aware that he needs to show him a different side from him. He definitely heard the painter’s confession, because in chapter 70 Yoon Seungho asked the low-born directly if he was afraid of him. And with this new approach, the main lead did succeed. Baek Na-Kyum was able to recognize the lord’s leniency and honorable attitude. And contrary to the scholar’s bow in chapter 44, the artist is sincerely showing his respect towards his master. On the other hand, the disrespect is still present here. The one showing a rude attitude is the guest, the kisaeng. She keeps questioning the lord’s authority and personality. However at no moment, the aristocrat doesn’t lose his temper. In fact, he even retreats, until the kisaeng’s brother intervenes to stop her. Another huge difference contrasting to the departure of chapter 35 and 44 is the change of attitude of both protagonists. While with the scholar, Baek Na-Kyum could say nothing and had to resign to his fate, in chapter 69 he is the one speaking. Unlike in the past, he is the one sending off the loved one. But there’s more to it. Not only he can decide about his noona’s departure, but also he can choose the way he bids her farewell. He can hug her, he takes his time and smiles. For the first time, he feels that he is not left behind, but he can determine his fate. Imagine in the past, he used to be sent away by his noona and he couldn’t protest. but the worst is that he even had to leave the kisaeng house and walked through the countryside. Try to put yourself in his place: Each time, he could never say goodbye and had to leave the place. He got carried away, when he was young and later, he was simply ordered to leave the kisaeng house without biding farewell properly. In this adieu, the kisaeng’s words and the panel indicated that he was ordered to leave the kisaeng house without his noonas’ knowledge. With her rhetorical question, she forced the painter to resign to his fate. Besides, the readers can one more time notice that in this scene, the artist remained silent as well. As a conclusion, the painter’s abandonment issues are related to the fact that he was forced to leave and he couldn’t take his time to bid farewell properly. He was either caught by surprise (35, 44, 46) or simply too powerless (68,70). In other words, neither Heena noona nor Jung In-Hun respected the painter’s wishes. Sure, the head-kisaeng sent him away in order to protect him. Yet like I underlined it before, she was definitely too overwhelmed with her situation. With these observations, I deduce that the moment the lord chose to respect the painter’s will despite his own insecurities, the painter could only select him. For the first time, a person was willing to listen to the low-born’s voice. And the moment Yoon Seungho treated Heena noona with respect and even allowed the painter to bid farewell properly, his behavior could only reinforce the painter’s choice. In other words, he gave the power to the painter to determine his fate and as such reinforced his certainty. For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum was able to send someone away and not the other way around. He could also choose his fate. Simultaneously, the painter helped the powerful aristocrat to witness with his own eyes that he was not left behind and was selected. Both helped each other to overcome their abandonment issues. And this explains why after the departure, Baek Na-Kyum remembers the past. Back then, he was hurt because he had been dragged again from his noona. The scholar tried to console him by saying that the moon was always by his side, but this couldn’t truly comfort the artist. And because in chapter 69, the painter experienced for the first time a real good farewell, he could only recall this incident. But unlike in the past, the moon appears differently. In my opinion, this scene is important, as it symbolizes that Baek Na-Kyum is finally able to perceive the lord. And for the first time, he looks at the satellite with a certain fascination. He stands still and doesn’t sense the coldness. For me, this panel announces that the painter has finally perceived the lord’s presence. I would even say that the picture implies that Baek Na-Kyum is slowly accepting the existence of Yoon Seungho in his life. Unlike in the past , he is not sad and not thinking too deeply as well. The lord is indeed replacing the scholar, the painter doesn’t need his comfort any longer. Why? Because unlike in the past, the powerful noble allowed him to part from his sister properly, which the teacher never did. Remember what I had denunciated in a former analysis: the scholar hid behind the boy in order to avoid any responsibility for the brutal incidents at the kisaeng house. In other words, the teacher is responsible for the low-born’s abandonment issues. What Jung In-Hun never imagined is that he was right about the moon. Yoon Seungho, represented by the moon, has fallen in love with him. However, if you recall that the adieux between Yoon Seungwon, father Yoon and the main lead, you will notice that the aristocrat has not overcome his abandonment issues yet. How could he, since the father left him behind after humiliating him like that (incident with the topknot)? He never had the opportunity to bid farewell to his family properly, since the latter treated him with disrespect. And this explicates why Yoon Seungho asks the painter not to push him away at the end. The missed goodbyes were the reasons why both main characters were deeply hurt in the past, both victims of circumstances due to the actions of selfish and ruthless people.

Painter Of The Night: Love and trust

March 1, 2021September 30, 2021 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 9 Comments

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“You may not always trust the people you love, but you can always love the people you trust.”
“The best proof of love is TRUST.”
“When mistrust comes in, loves goes out. -Irish proverb”

What do these quotes have in common? They all underline that trust is more valuable than love, and trust is a condition for true love. Without this virtue, love is unstable, and can even vanish. Striking is that chapter 69 was centered on faith and confidence. Baek Na-Kyum chose to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side despite his fear and doubts. Although he had to listen to many arguments from his sister, he decided to believe in the lord’s love confession. Yoon Seungho did exactly the same: he chose to wait for the painter’s resolution. Therefore this signifies that he decided to trust the artist’s will. In other words, both protagonists took a leap of faith, although they were scared and full of doubts.

That’s why when the lord put the scarf around the painter’s neck and added that he believed in the artist’s words, Baek Na-Kyum could only be moved. With these words, Yoon Seungho was not only showing his care and gentleness, but he was expressing his confidence in the low-born. The latter could feel it through his eyes and ears. Simultaneously, Baek Na-Kyum reciprocated this mark of faith. First, he obeyed to the noble’s order. Secondly, he allowed the main lead to touch him with the scarf. This submission was different from the past, because the painter was totally honest here and not wounded. Then after covering the artist’s throat, the lord pays attention to the low-born’s reaction. He sees with his own eyes that this simple but tender gesture has already affected Baek Na-Kyum. The latter keeps blushing and if the manhwaphiles look carefully at the commoner’s gaze, they will detect a glimpse of hope due to the light in the eyes. This explicates why Yoon Seungho allows his loved one to follow his noona to the gate in order to bid farewell properly. As you can observe, both main characters are starting trusting each other despite the wounds and fear. They are actually applying what the famous author Ernest Hemingway once wrote:

The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.

However, the improvement of their relationship coincides with the deterioration of Baek Na-Kyum’s bond with Heena noona. This is not surprising that the kisaeng is already jealous of Yoon Seungho. She blames him for affecting her relationship to her “brother and son”. That’s why she glares at the protagonist. Their mistrust is actually mutual. In her eyes, the main lead can be the only reason why Baek Na-Kyum is no longer listening to her advices and requests. In the past, he used to be so obedient and never talk back to her. He rejected not only her suggestions, but also her hand. For the first time, she was pushed away, that’s why she got so shocked. In that moment, she could no longer be blind, hence the author zoomed on her gaze. And now, you are wondering why I am talking about chapter 68, when my main focus was chapter 69. The reason is simple: Heena noona is actually becoming more daring and defiant, because she feels legitimated in her actions. She has the impression, Baek Na-Kyum has become submissive due to the noble’s abuse. Let’s not forget that the artist also portrayed Yoon Seungho in a rather negative light before and he even added that he didn’t want to love him. With such words, the kisaeng’s prejudices about Yoon Seungho could only get reinforced. No wonder that she can’t trust the painter’s decision. Since Baek Na-Kyum was not brave enough to become responsible for his feelings and let the aristocrat take the “blame”, the noona could only take his words as face-value. Yoon Seungho was accountable for this situation, and the painter’s affection for him was not real, just an illusion. Since the painter didn’t trust himself, Heena noona couldn’t trust him as well. This explicates why she remains blind and deaf in chapter 69 and why Byeonduck drew her without eyes in this panel.

When the painter gave her the scarf, she is not capable of recognizing the signification of the gesture, because she doesn’t trust Baek Na-Kyum’s judgement. In her eyes, her son and brother has the impression, he is mature enough to take care of her, but the reality is different. She is sure that Baek Na-Kyum is making a huge mistake, he is trusting the wrong person. That’s why I judge the last panel as a contradiction to the following picture: Mistrust versus trust. If you compare both images, you’ll notice the difference in the attitude. Baek Na-Kyum is lowering his head, putting his faith in the lord’s hands, while Heena noona is looking straight, exuding a certain confidence and defiance. She is definitely not trusting her adoptive son and brother. It was, as though she was closing her eyes to reality. She can’t come to terms with the new situation and her son’s decision. That’s why her eyes are missing, whereas in the panel with Baek Na-Kyum, the perspective is the reason why the readers can’t see the painter’s gaze. However, due to the slight bow, the artist shows trust and respect.

Besides, if I examine the characters’ behavior more precisely, I detect a huge switch. While in chapter 65, Heena noona appeared fearless, confident and selfless, in episode 69, she is reckless, arrogant and selfish. Why do I perceive her like that? First, she ignores the fact that the lord treats her as a guest despite her status, because he appears the moment she leaves. It was, as if he wanted to pay her a certain respect, especially in the moment he answers her question and adds that one of his servants will accompany her to the kisaeng house. Secondly, she questions Yoon Seungho’s decision, ignoring the fact that she did violate laws by entering the mansion with her guards. The tone she speaks to Yoon Seungho is disrespectful, because her sentence is not even completed. But this doesn’t end here. When she starts arguing with him “What kind of…”, the lord replies while remaining calm. Sure, he is firm, when he justifies his resolution, yet simultaneously this indicates that Yoon Seungho is listening to her despite her rudeness. I have to admit that it took me some time to interpret the following image: My first impression was that the lord was approaching Heena, but after pondering for a while, I came to a different deduction. In fact, this is the opposite: Heena noona is the one approaching Yoon Seungho, although the words from the protagonist gives the impression, he is confident and determined. In other words, the kisaeng keeps defying the host. She is the one threatening the main lead, this explicates why Baek Na-Kyum intervenes and puts himself between them. However, unlike in chapter 30, the painter is here protecting Yoon Seungho. That’s why he yells at Heena: This displays that he is not protecting his sister here, he definitely disapproves her attitude. That’s why Baek Na-Kyum sides with the lord and is grateful for his behavior. Another evidence for the kisaeng’s threatening attitude is the master’s exhausted gaze. The return of “lord Seungho” exposes that the low-born is truly grateful with the lord’s decision and generosity. The commoner is able to recognize his honorable manners. Moreover, this shows either that the painter is trusting his words. This is not surprising that the noble is surprised and touched by the “thank you” , as it is a first for Yoon Seungho. No one has ever thanked him before, his guests took everything for granted, not even the painter. And with the return of respect, trust can only flourish and as such love. This new gaze from the aristocrat astonishes the painter as well. In my opinion, the painter witnesses a different gaze for the first time: his gaze is no longer impenetrable. He can see through him, and sense his true soul. That’s why Baek Na-Kyum is moved and feels awkward. And now, you understand why the author chose to draw Baek Na-Kyum’s chin, which is similar to the following panel: (chapter 35). Back then, the lord was exhausted and on the verge of giving up, until he saw the artist’s blush, which made him smile and gave him strength and hope again. In my opinion, the painter is in a similar situation, in the sense that he is already sensing that Heena noona is determined to reject Yoon Seungho. There’s a certain disappointment, that’s why he sends the kisaeng away. He realizes that Heena noona is not willing to show any compromise and respect towards Yoon Seungho. She has already made up her mind. Although he still loves her, the confrontation before has created a certain mistrust and riff between them.

Another important aspect is the hug between Baek Na-Kyum and his “adoptive mother”. Note that here the artist’s gaze is missing. From my perspective, the embrace is less affectionate and genuine, especially if you compare it to this hug: Don’t get me wrong: both characters still love each other, yet the disagreement from before and Heena noona’s behavior has already disturbed Baek Na-Kyum. Furthermore, observe that the kisaeng seizes the opportunity to influence her “son”. Therefore I judge the embrace as less honest and more selfish from her part. She keeps attempting to change his mind. She is refusing to accept his resolution, hence neither the hug nor the scarf let her forget her decision: Baek Na-Kyum should follow her and not remain by Yoon Seungho’s side. This explicates why the warning from the servant in front of the kisaeng house ignites her resistance to resign to her fate. It pushes her to fight back. She can not trust her “son’s” judgement, because in her mind the painter has been negatively influenced by the main lead.

However, I believe that Heena noona is mistaken here. The origin of her argument with the artist is not the noble. In my opinion, she never trusted the artist from the start. Why? She feared that he would cause trouble. Let’s not forget that in the past, Baek Na-Kyum’s cry in front of her getting beaten was his way to protest and his desire to protect her. Because she wanted to keep him out of trouble, she relied on the scholar to take away Baek Na-Kyum from the kisaeng house. In her mind, she was actually making the best decision: she was protecting him. However, she never reflected on the impact of her choice. She let the painter consider himself as a burden. Why? He couldn’t help her, moreover he had the impression that he was a source of trouble. That’s why he was entrusted to the scholar. The more she relied on Jung In-Hun, the more Baek Na-Kyum’s self-esteem was affected. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum couldn’t tell her that he was still illiterate. That’s why his low self-esteem is palpable in chapter 40. He feels very embarrassed, when he has to admit that he can only read a few characters. The worst is that the kisaeng still doesn’t know that he can’t write. If he revealed his illiteracy, he feared that she might get upset. Moreover, there is no ambiguity that the scholar made sure that Baek Na-Kyum would be blamed for his incapacities. Since Heena noona always viewed the teacher as a trustworthy person, but she didn’t trust the painter’s personality, the artist could only internalize the criticisms from Jung In-Hun. In his eyes, he must have been too stupid and was responsible for his inability, especially when Heena noona kept praising the low noble. Besides, since Baek Na-Kyum had been abandoned since his birth, he felt pressured to please Heena noona and never question her words and judgement. He followed her advices and prejudices blindly with the hope that he would get trusted by her. There’s no doubt that she loves him, yet love without real trust can only deteriorate the relationship in the long run. And now, imagine how the painter must have felt, when she entrusted him to Jung In-Hun. His insecurities must have increased. Moreover, due to her words, when she is justifying her resolution with the painter’s love and admiration, she gives the impression that she is trying to impose her own feelings onto her “adoptive son and brother”.

Furthermore, I would like to point out the following problem: Heena is called “noona” by Baek Na-Kyum and not mother. So strictly speaking, she is just an older sister, yet she acts like a mother. So why is she not called “mother”? It was, as if she didn’t want to assume her responsibility as a mother. If she is just a noona, she is less accountable. Then if we take into consideration that she kept using the low noble in order to protect the young boy, we have to question her intentions: did she feel too burdened by Baek Na-Kyum, hence she wanted to share her responsibility with the scholar? Or did she use the boy in order to get the scholar’s attention and love in order to create a bond with him? I do believe that calling her “Heena noona” must have reinforced Baek Na-Kyum’s insecurities in the end. On the other hand, in chapter 69, she definitely acts like a mother, who is unfortunately narrow-minded and selfish. She doesn’t trust her son.

Moreover, since his childhood Heena noona kept sending him away, hence he continued experiencing abandonment over and over again… That’s why his bound with the scholar was reinforced, he represented his last anchor. And now, the manhwaphiles can sense why Baek Na-Kyum’s critical thinking was never developed. His desire to be accepted led him to become submissive and silent. Furthermore, he was never allowed to express himself (anger, powerlessness, fear etc.) The hug was used to shut his mouth. Due to her overprotectiveness, the kisaeng affected the painter’s personality: she increased his insecurities so that he withdrew more and more, and found refuge in painting. At the same time, he tried to please Heena noona more and more, therefore he adopted her prejudices and her admiration for the scholar. From my perspective, the kisaeng’s biased vision is the result of her own seclusion. She lives in the kisaeng house, hence she doesn’t interact with commoners in general. Her judgement about people is based on her own experiences, therefore she generalizes: rich nobles are all bad. She doesn’t realize that commoners and poor nobles are also humans, hence they can also be selfish and ruthless. Remember what I wrote before: her perception is influenced by appearances. What she sees leads her to judge people. Servants are humbly dressed, then she thinks, they are modest and not sneaky.

What bothers me the most is that she has never wondered why Baek Na-Kyum didn’t write her all this time. Moreover, it looks like she never wrote to him, because she doesn’t say “reply”, but write. Why doesn’t she write to him too? It was, as if she didn’t want to keep in touch with him. And the way she deals with the new situation is quite telling: she is again forcing her perception without showing any respect towards the artist. Since neither her words, nor the caress nor the hug helped her, she has to find another way. That’s why I believe that she will hurt the painter in the end.

For me, Heena noona is represented by the following quote: Love makes people blind. This explicates why she misjudged Jung In-Hun, and why she disliked seeing Baek Na-Kyum’s cry. On the one hand, she associated his tears and shouting to trouble, on the other hand she couldn’t bear the thought that her son was in pain. Hence she thought caress and love were the right answers for these terrible situations. At the same time, she must have felt uncomfortable too, hence she is called Heena noona. Sure, the kisaeng is a honest and loving “adoptive mother”, but love is not enough to raise a child, especially if you are really young. From my point of view, she was definitely too young, when she adopted him and got too overwhelmed by the huge weight of responsibility. Hence she relied on others to share her “burden”.

And in that chapter, Baek Na-Kyum is slowly distancing himself from her, indicating that he is maturing. As a son, he wants to become responsible for her. Hence he gives her the scarf. He would like her to trust him, something he never did in the past. That’s why he smiles at the end. He would like to reassure her. There is no ambiguity that if Heena noona participates in the kidnapping, because she has been misled, the painter will definitely confront her and even criticize her for her bad decisions, and reveal the truth about the scholar.

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