Protected: Painter Of The Night: Clueless ❓Jung In-Hun 👨🎓 (part 1)
Category: Lord Song
Protected: Painter Of The Night: 🎉The spectacular return of 👓Jung In-Hun🎉
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Scary, treacherous body language 👄 👀 🤝
Painter Of The Night: The enigmatic and dark face 👹behind the purple hanbok 🟣 (second version)
Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night
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As you have already noticed, I am writing less about Painter Of The Night, though this manhwa remains my favorite story. The problem is that more and more people are moving away from the Korean webtoon for different reasons, like the absence of eroticism, or Lee Jihwa and No-Name are no longer included in the story. Another reason is that the author is focusing more and more on the mystery and as such on the lord’s past. This means that right now, the manhwaphiles are asked to read the manhwa like detectives looking for evidences and traces. Finally, I believe that the biggest reason for the loss of interest is that the manhwalovers hoped to witness more romance, yet Baek Na-Kyum keeps suffering and this partially because of Yoon Seungho’s “bad decisions”. Some readers couldn’t understand why Yoon Seungho would run after the man in the purple hanbok. 
(chapter 106) How could he abandon his lover like that? For some readers, he acted like a fool. Nevertheless, his reaction was normal, because the man with the purple hanbok represents the cause for Yoon Seungho’s martyrdom. This means that the ghost with the purple hanbok symbolizes danger for the protagonist. And if he gets targeted, his lover will suffer too. Striking is that during the same day and night, there is another person wearing a purple hanbok: Yoon Seungho! 
(chapter 107) Therefore it is no coincidence that in chapter 107, he was portrayed as a source of danger for the elder master Yoon and the mysterious “lord Song”. 
(chapter 107) According to “lord Song”, him and Yoon Chang-Hyeon were forced to renounce their position because of Yoon Seungho. In this image, the villain implies that the main lead is a blackmailer. 
(chapter 107) In other words, in episode 107, the manhwalovers are witnessing a fight between 2 men wearing a purple hanbok!! In this story, purple is the symbol for violence and peril. This explicates why Byeonduck employed this color, when Yoon Seungho was portrayed as a ruthless lord: 
(chapter 10) Under this new approach, it becomes comprehensible why the artist was wearing a purple hanbok after the bloodbath. 
(chapter 102) He was the reason for the “purge”. From my perspective, the artist is cleaning the “place”, hence he is the target of the villains and antagonists. At the same time, this color represents Joseon’s royalty, hence it is no coincidence that the king was mentioned in this very episode. 
(chapter 107) Therefore my theory that Baek Na-Kyum is related to the ruler gets reinforced. However, in episode 107, only the main lead and the new villain were seen with the purple hanbok, therefore in this essay, I will examine not only the new character “lord Song”, but also Yoon Seungho!
1. Between poker face and face like thunder
In the latest episode, some manhwalovers were upset, when they saw Yoon Seungho turning his back on the painter. 
(chapter 107) They had the impression that he was abandoning the artist one more time. And that’s how the painter felt the situation either! That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum was upset. 
(chapter 107) It was, as if the main lead was acting like the patriarch Yoon. This perception got reinforced, because the lord had a poker face and didn’t talk to his lover. (chapter 107) However, we could see before that the main lead was far from being detached, when it comes to Baek Na-Kyum. When he entered the study, his visage oozed shock and worries. (chapter 107) This truly divulges that the artist means everything to the lord! But there is more to it. I would like to point out that the noble did listen to Baek Na-Kyum who criticized the doctor’s diagnosis. 
(chapter 107) Yoon Seungho didn’t side with the old bearded man in front of the painter. He thanked the man and sent away him with respect. 
(chapter 107) So he gave the impression that he was listening to the painter. However, the reality was that at the end, he still listened to the doctor thinking that it was for the painter’s best interest. Since Baek Na-Kyum was traumatized from the sexual assault, the main lead thought that he was hiding his illness or he was in denial. What caught my attention is that Yoon Seungho followed the doctor leaving the artist in the bedchamber alone. On the one hand, this could be perceived as a prison, yet I judge his gesture as the opposite. It is to protect Baek Na-Kyum! In Yoon Seungho’s mind, behind the closed door, his lover won’t see or hear what is happening in the courtyard. He will be protected from cruel reality.
2. The lord and the physician
Since the main lead was very courteous towards the physician, it shows thatYoon Seungho valued the physician’s effort and talent. He trusted the man like his father did with the other physician. While Yoon Seungho appeared emotionless, the doctor had no poker face during his explanation, he was even caught smiling: 
(chapter 107) He showed no real empathy for Baek Na-Kyum. It was, as if he was showing Schadenfreude. But this doesn’t end here. Kim brought a different doctor. It is not the same physician who assisted Baek Na-Kyum a month ago!! 
(chapter 107) First, the clothes diverge. The belt is blue, his sleeves are covered with some white protections. 
(chapter 107) 
(chapter 103) Finally, the white hanbok is much longer, and his pants are blue, while the other had white trousers. In my essay “The mysterious doctor”, I had already pointed out the existence of different physicians. But now, I have a definite proof for this interpretation. 
(chapter 107) How could he say that his health had deteriorated since a month ago? This is how the artist looked like a month ago: 
(chapter 103) 
(chapter 103) He was under the influence of the aphrodisiac, and he could have died of an overdose. 
(chapter 103) His face and his body were covered with bruises. How could the doctor say that his condition had worsened? This means that he had not seen the patient a month ago. To sum up, the doctor was impersonating his fellow. Note that he claimed to have prescribed the drug himself. (chapter 107) Striking is that the doctor is often utilizing the expression “seem” and “imagine”, yet a physician should use facts and as such symptoms. But he never did. The idioms exposed his manipulation, this was not a real examination. The author made sure to confuse the readers. They had seen the painter vomiting before, hence it looked that the physician was right. 
(chapter 106) However, this image displays the betrayal from the physician, for I believe that this represents his view The latter had seen the artist in the restroom, but he had not intervened!! Besides, just because the artist had disgorged once, this doesn’t signify that he had done it all the time for one month. This is how the artist looked like, while he was walking through the street: 
(chapter 104) He looked healthy and happy. The reason for his nervousness was the lord’s actions during that day. Moreover, the painter’s hand had been scratched… yet you see no bandage around his hand.
(Chapter 107) As you can see, the doctor was exaggerating, as he was generalizing the regurgitation! (chapter 107) This means that the painter was telling the truth! To conclude, the physician was utilizing the butler’s MO: mixing a truth with a lie. And turning an incident into a generality, and as such into a prejudice.
Observe that during the same episode, Yoon Seungho had a sudden revelation, he had discovered that the form of the mouth was betraying the thoughts and emotions of the counterpart: 
(chapter 107) Yoon Seungho was slowly realizing that his butler has not been telling the truth. He was gritting his teeth exposing his discomfort! This gesture indicates that someone has to endure something unpleasant, has to control himself and persevere. However, he was telling the opposite to his master: he had nothing to worry!! He should do nothing and simply lie low. The authorities had no suspicion about him. That’s the reason why the main lead desired to talk to the valet
(chapter 107), and he got angry, for his servant was talking back and not answering him properly. 
(chapter 107) We could say that the latter was not obeying his lord. Striking is that the domestic was also lying, for he feigned ignorance first, before giving a more precise answer. 
(chapter 107) It looks like valet Kim and the physician got away with their tricks, for neither the doctor nor the the butler got admonished in the bedchamber. But what caught my attention is that after hearing the words from his lover, he replied that way: 
(chapter 107) This expression (“I see”) is important, because it could be the indication that the noble could discern the truth with his mind’s eye, like this 
(chapter 107) or the opposite, though I am still optimistic. We will see in the next chapter.
Nevertheless, after 3 seasons, the lord was taught that he should trust his lover. In season 4, he is hiding the truth from the painter, for he wished to spare his lover’s mind and heart. This has nothing to do with faith, but for Baek Na-Kyum it leaves a different impression. Yoon Seungho might have doubted his words here…. 
(chapter 106), but we shouldn’t overlook that later the painter had yelled in order to voice his opinion which had caught his companion by surprise. (chapter 107) Therefore I thought that the noble would believe Baek Na-Kyum, but in reality, the opposite happened. He acted exactly like his father, trusting the words from the doctor. Let’s not forget that Yoon Seungho was drugged since his youth because of Kim and the physician!! 
(chapter 57) The father was convinced that his son had been ill for a long time. And from the mysterious “lord Song”, the manhwalovers discovered that the main lead was fed with an aphrodisiac: 
(chapter 107) 
(chapter 57) Therefore the doctor’s statement in episode 57 appears in a different light: he knew what he was prescribing! He knew what Yoon Chang-Hyeon desired thanks to the idiom “the wayward yang energies”. It was to provoke an erection. I would like to expose that the physician deceived the painter, 
(chapter 57) for at the end, the physician admitted that he had given the “solution” to the father. The father had received the medicine!! [For more read the essay “Yoon Seungho and the puzzled physician”] That’s the reason why I am suspecting that the lord’s cold demeanor is not linked to the artist, rather to the physician who “smiled” 🙄 while accusing the painter of lying. (chapter 107) He was hiding his illness, he was in denial. Nonetheless, the form of his mouth was betraying him. Moreover, don’t forget what the painter had said to his lover before: 
(chapter 106) He was supposed to get a drink from the physician. So the lord could remember the artist’s words and perceive the doctor as a traitor and liar. He could jump to the conclusion that the man had given his lover a drug. Under this new light, it dawned on me that the artist could have been telling the truth to his lover there: (chapter 106) He could have eaten something at the kisaeng house, and as such been drugged there. This would explain why the couple got interrupted while eating.
(chapter 106) That way, the “doctor” would not be suspected of a crime. Besides, according to me, the couple was actually sitting in the courtyard where the medicine store was!!
Finally, let’s not forget that the doctors often got threatened by Kim: 
(chapter 33) 
(chapter 65) Furthermore, in season 1, the artist had been forced to drink an aphrodisiac. So far, the main lead has never threatened or suspected a doctor. As you can see, there is a strong connection between the doctor and death! To sum up, we are witnessing the start of the storm… and when the painter was recovering, this represented the calm before the storm!!
3. The lord’s revelation
And now, it is important to explain why the main lead returned to the shaman’s shrine. He seemed to have forgotten his lover. 
(chapter 107) It is related to the rumors he heard in the street. 
(chapter 106) The woman announced that the sacred tree had burned to the ground!! That’s the reason why it was gone… However, her words were just lies, for the tree is still standing there. 
(chapter 107) But note that she connected the incident to misfortune! In other words, she was denying the intervention of humans!! However, the lord had visited the place of his crime before. 
(chapter 104) This is what he had been told: the intervention of ghosts or spirits!! On the other hand, the unknown speaker had never mentioned the tree! Only the house had burned down. Nonetheless, even this statement was a lie, for the house was still standing too. (chapter 104) The anonymous tattler has been actually deforming the reality which Yoon Seungho had accepted as such back then!! But due to the grapevines, the lord noticed that he had been misinformed. There were differences between the declaration of the anonymous witness and the gossips which forced him to return to the scene of the crime. Because the tree was still standing, the lord recognized that he had been deceived: not only the tree was intact, but also the house despite the traces of a fire. That’s the reason why he looked in the direction of the building. (chapter 107) For the second time, he was using his own senses. This means that he was no longer relying on the informant’s eyes and ears! Nonetheless, this time, it is concerning his perception of his own surroundings, and no longer how to judge the artist. To conclude, he is now slowly using his own eyes and mind’s eye to perceive reality and as such the truth. For the house was not burned down, it implies that bodies were not turned into ashes. 
(chapter 106) Since the schemers are mixing a lie with the truth, the lord heard that lord Shin had been killed during that night! However, when the lord had assassinated Black Heart and his friends, the young noble had never met lord Shin! Hence the gossips in town made the lord recognize that something huge is about to happen: a manhunt, and he could get into trouble. Besides, the grapevines are revealing the existence of witnesses and the main lead is aware that the noona is an important « witness ». But the problem is that by mixing each time a lie with a fact, the schemers are not realizing that the truth is coming to the surface, as minus and minus make plus.
Striking is that the author never revealed the identity of the speaker (chapter 104) Why? It is to keep the mysterious vibe, to encourage the manhwalovers to ponder on the identity of the informant. One thing was sure, the lord was the listener due to the expression “I shudder to think”! Thus he didn’t use his mind’s eye in that scene. I am suspecting that the valet was the one who had informed his master. I have two reasons for suspecting him. First, this view is quite similar to this picture from chapter 50: 
(chapter 50) Here, the butler had tattled on the painter so that the noble would distance himself from his sex partner. And in episode 104, we have a similar situation: through suggestions, the main lead was encouraged to send back the painter to the kisaeng house. Secondly, why would the lord think of the butler, when he saw the sacred tree? (chapter 107) It is because the valet is connected to this place. From my point of view, the noble discovered the truth: his father is involved in the plot, though Yoon Chang-Hyeon is just a tool to wound and weaken him. That’s the reason why he remembered his father’s mouth from that night: displeasure and hatred. (chapter 107) At the same time, I couldn’t help myself associating this image to this one: 
(chapter 88) During that night, he discovered warmth, loyalty and tenderness! In the darkness, the lord could detect the presence of the light: the painter! During that night, they vowed fidelity to each other. And in the garden next to the shrine, Yoon Seungho made the opposite experience: it was dawning on him that people from his own family, Kim and Yoon Chang-Hyeon, 
(chapter 88) are lying to him and even betraying him, especially if his life is threatened. Let’s not forget that this time, the lord did commit a crime and he is aware of this. In the bedchamber, the lord had criticized his own father, nonetheless he still thought that his father had just made a bad decision.
(Chapter 86) His words implied that the elder master Yoon had never intended to wound him. It was just because of his stupid believes: 
(Chapter 82) Preserving the continuity of the lineage and ensuring that the Yoons remain powerful and wealthy. However, in front of the tree, the lord is slowly recognizing that his father is about to ruin him for his own sake.
That’s the reason why in the same chapter, the author put the elder master Yoon in the same situation, he is not using his own senses and as such his mind’s eye. Hence he is repeating the same mistake. He would still choose to trust lord Song and his black guards 
(chapter 107), and abandon his own son. This (chapter 107) He listened to the reports of others. This signifies that he chose darkness over the truth. That’s the reason why his face is now covered by a shadow, he is turning his back on the light. 
(chapter 107) This image is the negative reflection from the night of the revelation in season 2. Despite the betrayal and agony, 
(chapter 62) the main lead chose not to punish his lover
(chapter 63), he even swore that he would never let him go. 
(chapter 63) As the manhwalovers can detect, the main lead was always able not to get swallowed by the darkness, thanks to the artist, he could still see the light. However, his father is making the opposite decision, unaware that he is “doomed” to fail! Karma is already waiting for him. And because the patriarch is now living in the darkness, he can not recognize the manipulations, as he is forced to use others to guide him.
This is particularly visible in episode 107. Yoon Chang-Hyeon never went to the shrine, thus he is unaware that there are traces to be found!! The house and the tree are not razed! Moreover, 
(chapter 107) the branch on the ground is the evidence that someone set fire to the shaman’s shrine and the tree! Secondly, the black guard deceived the patriarch: 
(chapter 107) Lord Shin was murdered afterwards and not before Black Heart and his friend!! The word “later” is relevant, for it implies that the young yangban was killed close to the place where the nobles Min and his friends were sentenced. But his body is lying elsewhere! 
(chapter 103) This signifies that Yoon Chang-Hyeon is innocent! He never murdered Lord Shin in the woods, for he relied on the assistance of the helping hands. He never visited himself the scene of the crime. 
(chapter 103) At the same time, we can exclude that the black guard was the one killing the young scholar, for his pants are rather brown than grey. (chapter 107) Nevertheless, the helping hand is far from innocent, because he is deceiving the bearded man. And now take a closer look to the black guards from episode 99: 
These two men are different, for their mask is white and not black. Besides, their clothes are black and not brown. Finally, the belt diverges as well: a huge purple strip with a different color in the middle, while the other guard is only wearing a simple ribbon. Thus I am inclined to think that the black guard is not only manipulating Yoon Chang-Hyeon, but he is also in truth working for someone else. Moreover, why would the man cover his face in the room, if he is truly working for the patriarch? 
(chapter 86) And this observation leads me to the following question: when was lord Yoon informed about the protagonist’s crime and lord Shin’s death? (chapter 107) As you can see, timing is essential. And how did the elder master Yoon know about lord Song’s visit at the gibang? Everything is pointing out that during this night, people are plotting against the couple. And the elder master Yoon took Lee Jihwa’s place.
But why would the schemers wait for a month before deciding to attack and frame Yoon Seungho? 
(chapter 102) From my point of view, it is related to Lee Jihwa. My theory is that the elder Lee can frame the main lead for assassinating his son, because during that night, Black Heart was dressed like Lee Jihwa. They needed the corpses to be decomposed so that father Lee could claim that Yoon Seungho had killed his son!! And the hanbok would serve to identify the corpse. In addition, he would use the incident with the sword as an evidence for his lunacy. 
(Chapter 67) It is important that the red-haired master is not perceived as traitor, rather as a victim. Moreover, since some time passed on, people have already forgotten the friend’s confession in the inn. However, the elder master Lee will never report Yoon Seungho to the authorities, it has to come from the father himself. That way, his involvement will never be detected. From my point of view, the schemers are trying to turn father and son against each other so that the Yoons get destructed. One might reject my theory about the implication of father Lee, but let me ask you this… What are “Lord Song” 
(chapter 107) and Lee Jihwa’s colors?
(chapter 12) Purple and yellow, right? Observe that the lord is wearing the same colors during that night: a purple hanbok with a yellow scarf! (chapter 107) This is no coincidence.
“Purple and yellow are complementary colors, which means they sit on opposite sides of the color wheel. Yellow and purple paint mixed together makes brown. The type of purple and yellow you choose can affect how light or dark the brown appears. The result is usually a lighter brown. ” Quoted from https://www.color-meanings.com/what-color-purple-yellow-make-mixed/
And what is the patriarch Lee’s color? BROWN! 
(chapter 67) Under this new perspective, it becomes comprehensible why I am suspecting that this guard (Chapter 107) is actually working for father Lee while faking to help Yoon Chang-Hyeon. He is wearing brown pants and his shirt is maintained with a purple ribbon! Besides, we need to question ourselves where the father is staying: And now, it is time to focus on the mysterious “lord Song”.
4. Lord Song, the man with the purple hanbok
Finally, the author revealed the face of “lord Song”. 
(chapter 107) Furthermore, he could be recognized with the purple hanbok. 
(chapter 107) However, if you compare the form of the beard and the nose, the manhwaphiles can quickly recognize that Lee Jihwa saw someone else in the past, although the hanbok seems to have the same pattern than in episode 83. 
(chapter 83) Besides, another divergence is that the faceless lord Song has a rebellious strand in the neck which is not the same with “lord Song” from episode 107. As you can see, I deduce that we are dealing with two different “lord Song”. But this doesn’t end here. Secondly, according to father Lee, the man lost his home! 
(chapter 82) So how can he be wearing a purple hanbok, if he lost his position and home? This color is reserved for important people. In addition, when he entered the kisaeng house, the artist’s noona called him differently: 
(chapter 107) She called him “lord Haseon” and not “lord Song”! Interesting is that neither the Korean nor the Spanish version utilizes such a name! I don’t think that the translator took the liberty to create a fictional name. Hence I am deducing that the author is trying to leave different clues in each version!! Naturally, Haseon could be his first name, yet there is no ambiguity that this man has a bad reputation among the kisaeng house. He was called “lecher” and in the Spanish version, he was described as sexual maniac. 
(chapter 107) Hence I doubt that the noona would feel so close to such a man and address him with his “first name”. On the other hand, the kisaeng has a drop of sweat on her face, which is a sign for a lie and deception. (Chapter 107) Nevertheless, here she was talking to herself. Thus I deduce that she was deceiving herself. But where did she lie? The important guest had announced his arrival, so his visit was never « Out of the blue…? » This explicates why many kisaengs were gathered next to the gate while waiting for the arrival of the « honorable » guest. 
(Chapter 107) This signifies that « lord Haseon » is true, while « out of the blue » is the lie.
Finally, let’s not forget that during the same day, we saw different “lord Song” strolling through the street!! According to me, 3 different enigmatic men wearing a purple hanbok. And now pay attention to this: 
(chapter 86) We also have three men in this scene… For me, it becomes clear that the man facing Yoon Chang-Hyeon has been impersonating the real “lord Song”, and the stupid patriarch has never recognized the “prank”. Now, I am even questioning if Yoon Chang-Hyeon is even able to identify lord Song correctly!! I mean, due to the name and the color of the hanbok… he could be thinking that he is meeting lord Song again. Imagine that they have not seen each other for 10 years!! 
(chapter 107) Besides, Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s vision of the world is based on the words from lord Song and others. Who informed him about the whereabouts of « lord Song » in the gibang? The man had not come to the kisaeng house for a long time. Because of this information, the patriarch is led to think that he is meeting « lord Song ». His perception of the world and his eldest son is embossed by lord Song. Thus he repeats the same expression from his counterpart: “lowly beast”. 
(Chapter 107) 
(chapter 107) Finally, like outlined above, the main lead imagined that he was meeting the same doctor, while in truth it was not the case. So « old friend » could be deceiving:. 
(Chapter 107) He could be one of the three men! The real « lord Song » who brought pain to Yoon Seungho is someone else. Let’s not forget that Kim fears the man, 
(chapter 56) and his statement implies that Yoon Seungho is usually not allowed to ignore the man’s request: 
(Chapter 56). « At this time » stands in opposition to « always » which means that he can reject the invitation only because he is sick. To conclude, for me, this is not the lord Song Yoon Seungho hates and fears!
What caught my attention is that the mysterious and evil « lord Song » calls the young main lead « lowly beast » (chapter 107) which actually reflects the mind-set of the speaker. He is projecting his own thoughts and emotions onto the protagonist. In reality, he is the one licentious and we know that for sure, as the kisaengs are the witnesses of his perversion. Thus he is called « a lecher » and they wish to avoid him like the pest! 
(Chapter 107) Moreover, he didn’t visit the kisaeng house for a long time, (Chapter 107) yet his recent short visits left such a negative impression on the noonas. 
(Chapter 107) Hence they judge him as a pervert. And since the head-kisaeng received him at the gate, this signifies that this man has been in contact with the kisaeng house and in particular with the kisaeng leading him to the room.
The bearded man claims that he has been punished like the elder master Yoon (chapter 107), but note that his words are contradicting father Lee’s version! The former never mentions the loss of his home, in fact, only the elder master Yoon lost everything! (chapter 107) This statement confirms that the protagonist’s father is so stupid, because he is blinded by his hatred and resent. He is not detecting the contradictions. But we have another source confirming that this “lord Song” is actually fake!! 
(chapter 37) The fake servant NEVER mentioned the retirement of lord Song. As you already know, for me, No-Name is the real lord Song who took the blame for everything, for he let people use his “name”. The most terrible thing is that “lord Song” puts the blame on Yoon Chang-Hyeon, when he explains his failure about the sexual education. (chapter 107) The main lead was too young back, and this was the father’s decision to let his son receive such a sexual education and even to feed him with some drug. Remember that the patriarch is the one who procured the aphrodisiac, for he followed the suggestion from others. As you can see, lord Song is putting the responsibility onto the elder master Yoon. At the same time, he insinuates that the lord’s fever back then was the result of the abuse of aphrodisiac. But is it true? Why am I doubting his words? First, the painter had become ill due to the sex marathon. 
(Chapter 33) Secondly, how does the lord know about the master’s illness, when his fever was only discovered after the straw mat beating?
(Chapter 77) Besides, no physician had been fetched back then. Finally, how can lord Song remember the lord’s condition so well after 10 years? It is because he is using the diagnosis on the painter from the previous doctor: 
(chapter 103) Here, the man with the purple hanbok was utilizing the painter’s illness to hide his own crime. Under the pretense to help « Yoon Seungho » to become a man, the man abused him not only physically, but also sexually. There is no doubt that this reconversion was fake!
And since his strategy worked in the past, he makes the same suggestion. He offers his assistance to educate his second son: 
(chapter 107) However, the trick doesn’t work, exactly like No-Name’s prediction: 
(chapter 76) But there is another reason why Yoon Chang-Hyeon doesn’t get fooled a second time. (chapter 107) It is because he would be forced to question himself, if he is not the cause for this disposition: (chapter 107) That’s the reason why he puts the whole blame on his eldest son.
Furthermore, the manhwaphiles could detect that the « sexual education » didn’t last one night, but days! Compare the two following pictures: (Chapter 86)(chapter 107) In episode 86, there are two kisaengs and 3 men next to the main lead. I am excluding the father. The young master’s hands were tied with a white ribbon, and he still had his jacket on. However, in the second picture, the ties are now black and he is no longer in possession of his white jacket. How could they remove his shirt, when his hands were attached? This means that we are witnessing a different night. Striking is that it is raining, exactly like during the scene in episode 77. 
(Chapter 77) Thus I come to the following deduction: Yoon Seungho was sentenced to the straw mat beating, because after 2 nights, he had not been able to « have an erection ». They mixed a truth with a lie: (chapter 107) They never let him have an erection, for he was always tied up!!
But what caught my attention is that the lecher (chapter 107) was sitting exactly like Min. 
(chapter 52) And what had Black Heart thought during that night? He had wished to taste the artist, while before he had desired his death. This is not random at all. There is a strong connection between death and sex which is also present in the conversation between lord Song and his « old friend ». The former reproached the elder master Yoon to have protected his son for too long. (Chapter 107) Yet, the readers could witness that this was not the case, as the father had refused to send for a doctor, when Yoon Seungho had become ill. But who was protecting whom here? Naturally, Yoon Seungho is the one who has always helped his father. Note that despite being the real owner of the mansion, he never tried to dethrone his father. He still protected his father’s reputation. 
(Chapter 78)
Observe that the painter was supposed to be in the kisaeng house, if he had not detected his lover’s departure! 
(chapter 107) Hence I am now assuming that this night is a reflection from chapter 67 and 69!! Min’s plan! 
(chapter 69) He had gone to the kisaeng house with the hope that the artist would return with his noona, and back then he had impersonated Lee Jihwa for the first time. 
(chapter 69) As the manhwalovers can detect, the sudden return of lord Haseon is intentional. So who is he targeting here? (Chapter 107) Here, the fake lord Song never named the protagonist specifically, he just employed the idiom « lad ». For me, the real schemers are after the painter, for the latter painted a picture which exposes the real lord Song’s crime: the sexual abuse. For me, the « document » is the erotic publication. Yet, the evil joker is gaslighting the patriarch by implying that he is now blackmailed by his own son. They need to remove the main lead in order to be able to target Baek Na-Kyum. Besides, I have already outlined that the artist is a witness and victim of Lee Jihwa’s crimes… just like he is a witness of the fake lord Song’s abuse. Thus the noona said this: (chapter 107) Her words indicate that these two characters know each other.
Note that the father is incited to kill his own son, for the latter represents a source of threat for his ambition. He could ruin Yoon Seungwon’s career. (Chapter 107) To conclude, the schemers are presenting the main lead as a hindrance to the patriarch’s dream. (chapter 107) Striking is that the man implied that Yoon Seungho would blackmail the father and lord Song because of a document. But this statement is wrong! The main lead never threatened his own father… First, he only reminded him of the past and the accusation for “treason”. 
(chapter 86) 
(chapter 86) He was the keeper of his secret!! This explicates why the fake lord Song mentions « lad » and not the main lead. He gaslighted his counterpart, and created a false reality, while for me, it is clear that the real source of threat is Baek Na-Kyum. And who wanted him to be removed from the main lead’s side? Father Lee! 
(Chapter 82) In fact, both schemers have one goal in common: the couple is the victim and witness of their « crimes ».
To conclude, while Yoon Seungho stands for love, sanity, truth and reality, the other man with the purple hanbok symbolizes abuse, perversion, deception and illusions. Whereas the father is about to get deceived a second time, I believe that the opposite is happening to Yoon Seungho. Since the latter saw the ghost in town during that day, he can only deduce that « lord Song » is assisting his father again, exactly like in the past.
PS: I still have so much to tell, especially about the kisaengs and the abuse in the gibang. However, I can only write a new one, when this analysis reaches at least 100 views.
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: Uncatchable 👻 ghosts 👻👻 in town 🌆
Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
1. The man with the purple hanbok
When manhwaphiles saw the man with the purple hanbok (chapter 106) strolling through town, they jumped to the conclusion that this must be lord Song! They remembered the recollection from Lee Jihwa. 
(Chapter 83) However, since I have been examining Painter Of The Night so closely, I learned to pay attention to details. Consequently, I recognized very quickly that Yoon Seungho was not chasing one ghost, but he was running after 3 different people 
(chapter 106) impersonating „lord Song“ 
(chapter 106) If you look very attentively at the hanboks, you will realize the slight differences. First, the shade of the cloth diverges, then one cloth has a pattern, the other hanbok none. The form of the gat is also a little different, just like the color of the hair diverges. Besides, the readers should keep in their mind that in season 3, we had at least 3 bodies, though I am suspecting 4 corpses: 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 97) 
(chapter 97) and 
(chapter 101) Thus I come to the following conclusion that these 3 persons wearing the purple hanbok are not the “real lord Song”, the one who tormented the protagonist. In my eyes, he was watching the protagonist from the tower! (chapter 106) Let’s not forget that each scene is reflected in each season! And in episode 37, we had this memory from the fake servant: 
(chapter 37) The empty street was the indication that the monarch was present in the city. And now pay attention to the situation in episode 105: 
(chapter 105) Why is the street empty, when it was not the case during the night in episode 69? 
(chapter 69) For me, the pedophile was in the kisaeng house. But let’s return our attention to episode 37. (chapter 37) The view was divulging that the person was watching the town from above… so it had to be from the gate. Such a scene should be repeated, as the story is going in circle. Besides, note that the lord is also wearing a purple hanbok with a design. This means that he can be recognized very easily and this from afar! 
(chapter 106) To sum up, for me, the 4th “lord Song” was present in this scene, but the protagonist couldn’t detect his presence, for the other “shadows” were there to divert his attention.
2. The purpose of lord Song’s ghosts
But what was the purpose to use these „ghosts“ embodying lord Song? For me, they served two purposes. Since the painter had refused to be separated from his lover, they had to create a subterfuge, to create the illusion that Yoon Seungho was abandoning Baek Na-Kyum. In other words, they wanted the painter to witness how the main lead would break his own promise. 
(Chapter 106) As you can see, they used a prank to wound the artist. Their goal was to incite the painter to return to the kisaeng house. He should cut ties with the main lead, as the latter is a man with a fickle nature. Yes, episode 106 was the negative version of chapter 75. 
(chapter 75) That’s the reason why the couple was sent to the same inn. However, I don’t think that they had expected the painter’s fainting. 
(chapter 106) For me, this is a blessing in disguise.
3. The helping hands in the trick
But how could they plan such a „joke“ so quickly, for the painter was supposed to stay in the gibang? Here, it is important that the manhwalovers remember what the lord did before eating with his companion. He stopped at the tailor’s shop!! 
(Chapter 106) The latter had to be informed not to send the new clothes to the kisaeng house, but to his own mansion. That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum asked this question to the butler. 
(chapter 106) That’s how the schemer and his accomplices knew for sure that their original plan had not worked out. And if you read my previous analyses, you are aware that I had discovered the existence of two tailors!! (chapter 106) Observe how the tailor in the background is wearing his scarf. It is the same way than Yoon Seungho‘s! But now take a closer look at the tailor from episode 45
(chapter 45) and 74
(chapter 74) This tailor is wearing the scarf the same way than the artist‘s. Finally, in episode 64, the manhwalovers could see the face of the second tailor. : 
(chapter 64) In the past, I had already outlined the divergences in the body shape and the clothes, but the most visible evidence is the scarf!! Finally, I would like my avid readers to detect that the tailor from chapter 64 has been calling the main lead master Yoon, and not lord Yoon Seungho. This shows that this man is involved not only in the recent prank, but also in the main lead‘s suffering. He is not recognizing Yoon Seungho as a real lord. The usage of different hanboks is the proof that the tailor is an accomplice in the latest trick. But this also explicates why the tricksters had not planned the artist’s fainting. First, he had been able to run after his lover. 
(chapter 105) Besides, this is how Baek Na-Kyum acted, when he saw his lord looking at him: 
(chapter 106) The fake smile from Baek Na-Kyum was hiding his true condition, he was still suffering from PTSD. Nonetheless, for the tailor and the other witnesses, it looked like the artist was strong. Nonetheless, since the main lead had learned in the past to fake his smile, he could detect that his lover was far from feeling well. 
(chapter 106) But there is another reason why they had not predicted such an outcome: the doctor!! They had to ensure that the lord’s path never crosses the physician’s! That’s the reason why the manhwaphiles never saw him in episode 106. He was like a ghost. But there is more to it.
What caught my attention is the couple was first encouraged to eat before meeting the physician. Here, it is implied that they are not at the medicine store. (chapter 106) Yet, in the Spanish version, the butler informs them that it’s soon their turn. This means that they are next to the medicine store. But let’s return to our main observation. Why was the couple pushed to „eat“? For the painter had wounded his hand, the first priority would have been to ask for an immediate treatment. Since the valet mentioned that it was about time to go to the medicine story, the manhwalovers should wonder why it was time. Thanks to the Spanish version, we know that according to the valet, the doctor had been treating other people before indicating that lord Yoon could not receive special treatment.
Secondly, Byeonduck drew such a panel where you could see the kitchen outdoors: (chapter 106) As you already know, each picture contains important information. Why did the artist create such an image? That’s how the mortar and the grinder caught my attention. I had seen these tools before. 
(chapter 57) Yes in the kitchen of the physician! Then in a different image, you can the kitchen with the stool and the circle with the shamanism drawing right behind the lord’s back. 
(chapter 106) We assumed that the couple was eating in an inn, but it is true? Finally, in the shelves, the manhwalovers can see small packages hanging around, 
(chapter 106), they look exactly like the medicine Kim fetched in episode 55. 
(chapter 55) Because of these parallels, I started wondering if the couple and the readers had not been fooled in the end. They were actually sitting in the medicine store, but due to the butler’s words and episode 75, the manhwalovers had the impression that the couple was in an inn. And the Spanish version seems to confirm my suspicion. I had already outlined that the furniture and shelves in the library had been switched. So it could be the same with the doctor’s office. Besides, the form of the building reminded me a lot of the house from the physician’s. 
(chapter 106) 
(chapter 74) Once you remove the cupboard from the side, you have a patio where you can eat. Under this new light, it explains why Yoon Seungho would say this to the butler: (chapter 106) It is because they were already there! And this would explain why the painter went to the restroom! (chapter 106) This coincides to the night of the abduction executed by No-Name! 
(chapter 59) To conclude, there was another ghost in episode 106, the invisible doctor. No matter what, the couple was not supposed to see the physician. Why? It is because he would have noticed the existence of two different doctors. That’s the reason why Kim acted as a mediator! 
(chapter 106) This was not to help his master and the painter at all. Quite the opposite. He had to cover up his own wrongdoings and help the schemer. Therefore it is not surprising that the valet was confronted with the artist’s fainting! 
(chapter 106) The latter had played a mean prank on Baek Na-Kyum!! Yes, you are reading it correctly. Now, you are wondering when the valet fooled the pure painter. Observe that Kim had joined his master (chapter 106), while the latter was waiting for his lover. He was standing next to him. (chapter 106) But look where he was standing, when Baek Na-Kyum saw him: 
(chapter 106) He had barely moved… maybe run for 4 meters! How could he be out of breath? Besides, why would he scream like that, when the lord was standing next to him? 
(chapter 106) It is because he needed Baek Na-Kyum to hear his lover’s departure!! Because we see this panel, we assume that the valet was left in the dark, especially after witnessing such a scene. 
(chapter 106) Our brain is trying to fill the blanks. But the moment you realize that Kim didn’t run such a long distance to be out of breath, you will realize that this “abandonment” was staged. This was the reflection of chapter 85, another fake run! 
(chapter 85)
In episode 106, Yoon Seungho just had to ask Kim to wait for him there with Baek Na-Kyum, similar to this scene! 
(chapter 86) Thus the butler got punished for his acting. He has now to take care of an unconscious painter. (chapter 106) And now, Kim is put in front of a choice. What should he do with the fragile artist? In my eyes, no matter what he chooses, he will get into trouble. Why? If he brings him to the doctor, the young noble will question the identity of the physician. Why is he not the same doctor than in the past? If he decides to bring him to the gibang, the lord will never believe that this was the artist’s choice. Besides, according to me, the noble asked his servant to wait for him there. Finally, if he brings him to the mansion, the lord will question his choice, for the artist needed the presence of a doctor. So the moment Yoon Seungho returns to the place where he left the butler and the painter, he could get scared, for they are no longer there. Thus the main lead could jump to the conclusion that his companion has been “kidnapped” again, especially after seeing the purple man circulating around them and hearing such grapevines. 
(chapter 106) Besides, I have another evidence that the painter got fooled by the valet. According to my observation, there is always a reflection within the same episode. Since the lord got fooled and was incited to follow the man with the purple hanbok, the artist had to experience the same. However, while the one got scared out of abandonment issues, the other got worried because of “lord Song”‘s obsession! Besides, because neither the butler nor the physician got punished for their crimes (passivity, silence, lies and disobedience), both need to receive their “punishment”. Let’s not forget what Yoon Seungho had said to the artist back then: 
(chapter 58) Kim had usurped his authority, he had made a decision without his master’s permission.
Moreover, I would like to outline that the place where the artist fainted is actually very close to the place when Jung In-Hun had dragged him.
(chapter 24) The gate serves as the indication. 
(chapter 24) And in that episode, the artist got dragged twice. 
(chapter 24) First, it was the scholar, then the butler. However, in that scene, the butler had lied to the artist, for the noble had never requested to meet the artist in the pavilion. From my point of view, he was still hunting in the woods. As you can see, episode 24 contained all the elements of an abduction, though it was not perceptible. That’s the reason why I am suspecting that Yoon Seungho might think that his lover has been kidnapped again, especially after hearing such horrible gossips. Nonetheless, since the painter fainted, the valet will be forced to take care of Baek Na-Kyum. In addition, observe that the butler brought back the unconscious painter to the mansion, though the doctor was right next to them! This shows that Kim and the physician had not the artist‘s best interests in heart. He should have been treated right away.
4. The purple hanbok
But why did they utilize a purple hanbok in order to attract Yoon Seungho‘s attention? We have to envision that this mean prank is the negative version of the incident in chapter 76!! 
(Chapter 76) Coincidence versus trick! They wished to scare Yoon Seungho, to let him think that „lord Song“ knew about his crime and was about to denunciate him. Yes, in my eyes, the man with the purple hanbok embodies treason and was the reason why Yoon Seungho got arrested and tortured in the past!! Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the lord would get so mad at his childhood friend. 
(Chapter 59) But the moment Yoon Seungho’s mother killed herself, it became clear that her son had been unfairly arrested and tormented. So someone had to take the fall for the injustice, the real lord Song. the (chapter 82) Nonetheless, there is no ambiguity that in reality the one behind the denunciation was father Lee. But the purple hanbok is connected not only to the arrest and torture, but also to the sexual abuse. Thus the painter had such a memory in the gibang: 
(chapter 1) The latter is the witness of Yoon Seungho’s sexual abuse. And what did the women say in the street? (chapter 106) The nobles would lust after men and women. Thus I am suspecting that Yoon Seungho won’t act like the schemers had planned. He will get the impression that the nobles might be still lusting after his lover, and the man with the purple hanbok is behind this. Yoon Seungho could remember Min’s words 
(chapter 102), Lee Jihwa was behind the scheme… and what had Lee Jihwa done in the past? He had sent a letter in his name. 
(chapter 59) Back then, Yoon Seungho assumed that his childhood friend knew nothing… but now, he is seeing the ghost lord Song circulating in town. So he could jump to the conclusion that the Lees have been helping lord Song. Finally, the manhwaworms will certainly recall the red-haired master’s confession, he knew everything!!. 
(chapter 57)
In my eyes, the women were spreading rumors on purpose!! They could recognize the main lead with his hanbok. 
(chapter 106) And this scene is a reflection of episode 64, where the two women were ignorant about the incident of the previous night. 
(chapter 64) Once again, this proves that the tailor is involved in the scheme.
The person behind this hoped to scare the noble, believing that Yoon Seungho was a superstitious man. Why? It is because he has the poem composed by Yoon Seungho. 
(chapter 106) The Spring Poem is actually reflected in this scenery: (chapter 106) This explicates why there is the refraction. During that day, both main leads are making important discoveries which indicates their relationship will only get reinforced.
When the lord wrote the poem in episode 92, what did the readers see there? A man in the shadow observing the couple, but the main lead had not detected his presence! 
(chapter 92) Yet this doesn’t end here. Episode 92 
(chapter 92) is the positive reflection of episode 106: (chapter 106) This is no coincidence that there is the tower and gate in the background. From my point of view, the schemers are trying to manipulate the lord through rumors. But the puppet master is overlooking one important aspect, the gossips can be interpreted very differently. Besides, while the woman pointed out the existence of a manhunt against nobles 
(chapter 106), she contradicted her statement right after. (chapter 106) If nobles were involved in this, why did they kill the son of lord Shin? Besides, let’s not forget that Yoon Seungho never ordered the fire in the shrine and he never killed lord Shin! This means that he is innocent. That’s the reason why I come to the conclusion that contrary to their expectation, the lord won’t decide to leave the painter behind because of the imminent misfortune! From my point of view, Yoon Seungho could ask his lover to paint a lucky charm on their house, the tiger! 
(chapter 105) That way, the artist would feel that his master needs his help and talent. Moreover, I have the feeling that the main lead will go to the authorities and ask for their assistance. (chapter 101) Why did the shaman’s house get burned? How come that the son of lord Shin got killed? But we know for sure that the murderer had staged his death, he died because of a tiger. (chapter 103) Why are such rumors circulating in town and who are the witnesses? (chapter 106) Moreover, it is not random that the woman gossiping is similarly dressed than the maid in the kitchen. 
(chapter 103) As you can see, the schemers are no longer able to control Yoon Seungho and his lover, for both are supported by the gods. Chance stands on their side!
And this prediction leads me to the following observation. In town, there exists another ghost, the captain of the guards and his officers! 
(chapter 100) (chapter 101) 
(chapter 104) Though there is a manhunt, where is he? (chapter 106) As you can see, his absence is contradicting their statement. On the other hand, Yoon Seungho heard from the women this. 
(chapter 106) (chapter 106) So he could ask about the identity of the culprits and the witnesses, the new version of this scene. 
(chapter 98) To conclude, while the schemers thought that due to his crime, Yoon Seungho would lie low and cut ties with his lover, due to their meddling, they achieved the opposite. The lord will request an investigation… something he has never done before. He could even denunciate Lee Jihwa 
(chapter 67), that way he can escape punishment. This means that Black Heart’s last confession (and lie) could help the lord to protect himself and his lover. Finally, if Yoon Seungho were to mention the purple hanbok to his lover, the latter’s memory could get triggered and he could remember this night: (chapter 01) To conclude, the mysterious man with the purple hanbok is bringing the couple closer than before, whereas he hoped to achieve the opposite.
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.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: “Baek Na-Kyum’s -?” 👀🧐 (second version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: “Right here beside you.”👬
Painter Of The Night: The shadowy plot(s) 👀 from the past 🙊
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
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
There is a reason why I selected the illustration 
of season 4 for this essay, though my focus is the past, and more precisely Yoon Seungho’s suffering. It is because the darkness surrounding the protagonist not only refers to his tragic youth, but also it reflects the situation of the manhwalovers. The latter are still in the dark concerning his torment. His terrible secrets have not been totally unveiled. So far, the author allowed the readers to see glimpses of his past, like f. ex. the gangrape or the suicide of his mother. But these were just small pieces of the puzzle, thus it is still impossible to have a complete picture of his martyrdom. There are many reasons for this. The main victim never testified about his suffering, he refused to open up to Baek Na-Kyum. 
(chapter 84) Then many witnesses vanished 
(chapter 86) or the ones alive preferred telling lies in order to hide their own wrongdoings or are simply in denial about their own culpability. Finally, the victim, the perpetrators and accomplices had no idea about the whole truth. They only know or knew certain facts, because many of them were deceived as well. What exactly happened to Yoon Seungho? How could this take place, though he belonged to one of the most powerful noble families? Now, you are probably expecting that I will give you answers to all these questions, and recreate the past. But I have to admit that it is not possible, for I don’t know the whole chronology. Consequently, I added “shadowy” in the title. To conclude, my real intention is more to offer new pieces from the riddle than create a whole new “story”. The main source for this new insight is the painter’s fate which is a reflection from the noble’s past and torment. This means that Byeonduck left traces in season 1, 2 and 3! That’s how I discovered that he had been abandoned and betrayed by everyone, kidnapped, treated as a male kisaeng, robbed, abused, raped and even gangraped at least twice, tortured and finally drugged! But like mentioned above, it is difficult to give the proper order and the persons truly involved in the crimes. On the other hand, what I can guarantee is that Yoon Seungho’s nightmare is linked to conspiracies. I came to this conclusion, because if you compare all the seasons, you will detect the presence of plots. There exists at least 3 main plots in each season, though there definitely exist more. The conspiracies are all connected to incidents.
1. The conspiracies
To validate my theory, I will use the first season as an example. The incident with the ruined drawing was actually initiated by Min and his friend with the mole. Black Heart had slapped his friend 
(chapter 9), so that the latter visited Lee Jihwa to arouse his jealousy. It was to push him to commit a crime so that Baek Na-Kyum would be removed from the main lead’s side. As you can see, there were 3 people involved, though the readers only saw the result. 
(chapter 12) They had the impression that the red-haired master had acted on his own. However, he had been manipulated, incited to commit a crime. But my point is not to diminish his wrongdoing, rather to expose the involvement of the schemers. Hence at the end of season 1, the author unveiled their true role and as such their identities. 
(chapter 43) However, observe that when Lee Jihwa went to the pavilion, the noble with the mole had other guests. 2 nobles left the place, as they refused to participate in a murder. 
(chapter 43) Funny is that they are now witnesses of Min’s crime. This can have repercussions in season 4. Black Heart had been the one who had suggested the assassination to Lee Jihwa. And the aristocrats were still there, when he had made this proposition. (chapter 43) But the two empty seats also serve as a metaphor for the existence of other helping hands: Kim and No-Name! The latter was about to get hired by the young master. Hence I deduce that this scene was to display the existence of accomplices who had always been acting in the shadow. Or we could say that the number of conspirators increased! However, I would like to point out the existence of a second conspiracy: the stolen wine. 
(chapter 19) And this is related to Kim and the gibang. Yet, the butler ruined Black Heart’s plan. To conclude, we have two main plotters in season 1, but the butler’s bad intentions were not detected, for Yoon Seungho’s bad actions were more eye-catching. People had the impression that the valet was defending the artist’s best interest. From my point of view, the number of persons involved in the plot kept increasing, as they needed more and more accomplices. The reason is that their plans didn’t work out like expected. At the end of season 3, Min involved the kisaengs in the gibang, while Kim asked the assistance of the staff, the maids 
(chapter 91) and the servants (chapter 97). Thus I deduce that in the past, the same must have happened. Many people were involved in the downfall of Yoon Seungho and his family. But who was the real target in the end? It is difficult to say with 100% certainty.
While Min serves as a reflection from the main mastermind in the past, his actions are not entirely clear. Note that he kept changing his mind and heart. On the one hand, he wished to have the painter killed, then later to have the young artist by his side as a source of entertainment. Yet, there is no doubt that he wished to have sex with Baek Na-Kyum right from the start. 
(chapter 8) Thus in season 2, he came to this resolution: 
(chapter 56) He had planned to rape him before having him eliminated. This shows his inner conflict. From my point of view, the painter’s death is connected to the incident in the gibang. (chapter 1) Baek Na-Kyum was a witness of Min’s wrongdoing, just like the painter was a witness and victim of his crimes in the shrine. (chapter 99) One thing is sure: Min was full of greed and jealousy. He was determined to harm and ruin Yoon Seungho. Hence I come to the deduction that the real target of the conspiracy in the past was Yoon Chang-Hyeon. And his son was used against him.
Interesting is that in the first season, the plots were not obvious, except one: the painter’s murder! The conspiracies only came to light, when the readers paid attention to details. The best example is the incident with the open door: 
(chapter 16) This doesn’t look like a crime. However, it is one! It was done on purpose, to separate the couple. Someone had intervened in order to interrupt this session, and as such someone had been spying on them. Deok-Jae only revealed his spying activity from chapter 16 in season 2: 
(chapter 53) Yet, the one opening the door had been Kim. This gesture can be considered as trespassing and invasion of privacy, the new version of this scene. 
(chapter 16) But instead of revealing the truth, the butler sided with Lee Jihwa, and allowed him to trespass the propriety again. In my eyes, the butler thought 
(chapter 17) that Yoon Seungho would come to perceive the painter as a man consumed by lust. He imagined that he would caught them fooling around. As you can see, this ruckus was also a plot, though it doesn’t look like one. Why would the maids gossip in the courtyard? 
(chapter 18) From my point of view, the valet expected that the lord would fear people’s gaze and a scandal. Thus he would send away the painter to protect his “reputation”, but the opposite happened. Under this perspective, the manhwalovers can grasp why it is difficult to calculate accurately the number of plots and accomplices. Besides, some were naïve pawns, others not. And since I examined the first season more closely, it is necessary to analyze the vanishing of Jung In-Hun. His disappearance is strongly intertwined with Yoon Seungho’s secret. How so? The learned sir was determined to find the lord’s vulnerability and as such secret.
2. The scholar’s disappearance
Many readers have the impression that the learned sir is still alive, for they never saw his corpse or his execution. Since they had somehow witnessed Jung In-Hun’s departure, they knew that the learned sir could not have been killed in his humble home. I had already detected very early on, like other manhwaphiles, that the murder scene had been staged. (chapter 88) Thus many readers jumped to the conclusion that the learned sir had already switched sides and was plotting against the main lead. They had his following words in their mind: 
(chapter 29) Thus many concluded that he had participated in the prank, faking his death. On the other hand, the manhwalovers believed to have seen Heena’s death! 
(chapter 99) However, observe that we never saw her corpse. She was still alive in this panel. I had already pointed out that her murder was actually faked. Her mouth was not covered, hence she could have screamed, but she remained silent (blank speech bubble). Secondly, she never moved her legs… contrary to Yoon Seungho’s behavior in the gibang. 
(chapter 68) That’s the reason why I came to the conclusion that Heena’s curtains didn’t take place. Hence I deduced that in the past, someone’s death must have been “faked” too and this vanishing must have affected the main lead’s fate. The other deduction is that the learned sir must be “dead”, as the author is working with positive and negative reflections. I had already presented this theory in two different compositions (“That day” and “The secret behind the library“) However, for each murder, the culprit must have a strong motive. For me, the mastermind behind his death is the pedophile himself. This man, 
(chapter 37) who is the king in my eyes. [For more read the essay “The face of lord Song“]
3. The reasons for the assassination
Why would he eliminate the learned sir? In the past, I had said that he had ordered it out of jealousy. He believed that Jung In-Hun had become Yoon Seungho’s lover, for his brother had mistaken his identity. 
(chapter 37) Since Baek Na-Kyum was wearing a hanbok, Yoon Seung-Won thought that the person hidden under the hanbok was no commoner! Thus he called him a fellow. However, this motive is quite thin! Yet, two new details caught my attention. His visit to the “fake shaman” and his request. Notice what he told the man:
(chapter 29) He was announcing to the dark haired man his true intention. He desired to abandon and betray Yoon Seungho the moment he reached the first place in the civil service examination. He saw him as a burden. This is important, because his words represent a confession of his “sin”!! The scholar was admitting to the commoner that once he reached the first place, he would cut off his ties with the protagonist. But actually, the latter is connected to the pedophile. It was, as if he was saying that he would betray the king, for the young main lead is close to the king. On the other hand, he needed to reach the first place for this. And now, you have the explanation why he got killed. He needed to vanish, before he participated in the next round! The mysterious lord Song needed to remove him, before Jung reached the first place and betrayed his “lover”. In a certain way, the man could justify his action that he has been protecting Yoon Seungho from a future betrayal. However, there is no ambiguity that the true motive was jealousy. But he had naturally another motivation. It was important that the lord’s past never came to light either, as his secret was strongly intertwined with the ruler’s past actions. To conclude, the pedophile had every reason to order his assassination. But he was not the only one behind his death. Other people had an interest in this crime as well.
Jung In-Hun’s ”dream” stands in opposition to Yoon Seungwon‘s statement who somehow promised his father that he would reach first place. That’s the reason why the father boasted in the bedchamber. 
(chapter 86) However, in reality, he was relying on the king’s help and intervention. And this confession to the “fake shaman” represents the learned sir’s karma. He had asked the painter to act like a spy 
(chapter 24), not realizing that he could be spied himself! He didn’t grasp that he exposed his weakness to the commoner: the civil service examination. Thus the man had constantly drops of sweat
on his face and interrogated Jung In-Hun. 
(chapter 29) The girl was there to create a certain closeness. He was acting like Kim, asking why! But the stupid and arrogant learned sir thought that because the man was a commoner, he was ignorant and could be manipulated like the painter! 
(chapter 29) He thought that the low-born would buy his lie here… but in my eyes, it was the opposite. He had already perceived the learned sir’s true nature. But he acted, as if he was agreeing. In other words, the scholar fell into his own trap. He envisioned that the man was “powerless”, but he overlooked his connections. The manhwalovers can see the contradiction, for he had approached the man due to his connections! .As you can see, I am more than ever convinced that the scholar has long been murdered. He was betrayed, exactly like he had planned to abandon Yoon Seungho! The pedophile must have heard from the servant about Jung’s plan, as he had confided it to the worker!!
Thus the man decided to meet Jung In-Hun himself, and give him a warning. He described the Yoons as powerless due to the purge. (chapter 37) But this doesn’t end here. 
(chapter 37) Yoon Chang-Hyeon was portrayed as a traitor! The “fake servant” implied with his statement that there was a conspiracy, and the patriarch was involved. But in exchange to save his own skin, he had tattled on the others! He was trying to insinuate that if Jung In-Hun interacted more with the Yoons, his reputation could get tainted. He could get suspected of “treason” too, or he could get betrayed too. While the man met the learned sir during the day, the brother went to the villa in a hurry during the night. (chapter 37) So it looked like the “scholar” had not grasped the warning. And if Yoon Seungwon had been informed about the content of the conversation between the learned sir and the “fake shaman”, it is not surprising that he rushed to his brother’s side. He could use this opportunity to warn him about a betrayal. However, he couldn’t do it so, because he imagined that the learned sir was present. This would explain this image: 
(chapter 36) Hence he chose a different approach: filial duty. And the brother’s observation could only corroborate the pedophile’s perception. The scholar was Yoon Seungho’s lover, but he was also a backstabber. But let’s return our attention to the “mysterious lord Song”‘s statement: Yoon Chang-Hyeon is a denunciator, not a man of honor. (chapter 37) Due to his denunciation and crime, he had to leave the mansion so suddenly leaving the protagonist behind. That’s what the old bearded man implied here. However, I believe that this declaration is a mixture of truth and lie! That’s how I could make the sudden connection: 
(Chapter 67) Lee Jihwa had not only been denunciated, but he had been confronted by his friend! And the traitor was right by his side. As you can see, chapter 67 was a reflection from episode 37!! These two episodes have another common denominator: the betrayer had made the following suggestion. 
(chapter 67) In exchange for his “survival”, he should help Black Heart and allow him to act on his behalf. This was the new plan. That’s how he started impersonating Lee Jihwa. That’s the reason why I come to the conclusion that in the past, the impersonation must have happened, but it took place in the beginning. Secondly, I am assuming that a traitor must have suggested to Yoon Chang-Hyeon to leave the mansion and abandon his son behind! 
(chapter 27) And who is it? For me, it is Kim acting on the pedophile’s behalf. Striking is that in episode 27, the learned sir escaped death thanks to the intervention of the old bearded domestic and Baek Na-Kyum. Thus it came to my mind that the pedophile could even claim that he had eliminated the learned sir, because Yoon Seungho had attempted himself to kill him in the past. He had acted on his behalf. And what do have all these chapters have in common? SPYING and tattling! In episode 27, the servant unveiled a part of the past, 
(chapter 27) Someone had tattled on the Yoons in the past, but the patriarch was turned into the traitor himself which the young main lead came to believe. Thus Yoon Seungho could say this to his father: (chapter 86) However, I am suspecting that this is not true, someone else tattled on the powerful family and made a false accusation! As you can imagine, I am inclined to think that father Lee must have been behind this! Why? It is because he can no longer do it! Thus in season 3, he approached the patriarch Yoon. (chapter 82) If the lord Seungho had truly committed a crime, he should have reported it to the authorities. The stupid Yoon Chang-Hyeon never wondered why the elder Lee visited him during the night and asked for his assistance. Furthermore, the elder Lee had been allowed to enter the bedchamber and see the huge drawing which could have been perceived as a sign of treason. He was eyeing at the throne. 
(chapter 82) Note that the aristocrat mentioned “punishment” in this context. So maybe, he denunciated the patriarch so that the whole family would get punished. Father Lee was definitely played in this scene, hence I believe that someone had already anticipated his reactions. He would seek revenge. But this doesn’t end here. I had connected “rash departure” to “treason and spying”. And now, observe what Yoon Seungho said to his butler 
(chapter 50) He had sent Jung In-Hun away in order to get rid of him! However, because of the expression “I thought”, I am quite certain that this idea had been suggested to him by the valet! I would like to underline that in this episode, the valet was acting as a tattler! 
(chapter 50) But in order to hide his own crime, he portrayed it as a rumor (It may not be accurate”). This truly underlines the butler’s MO. He used information and turned it as gossips to hide his spying activities. The shadow… Simultaneously, he turned gossips into a verity!! This is no coincidence that in season 3, the same method was employed. Yoon Seungho was supposed to have murdered the scholar and Deok-Jae! My avid readers can sense the leitmotiv in all these episodes. RUMORS are turned into a reality, and as such a CRIME! Even here… (chapter 37) (chapter 37) But Kim is not the only spy and traitor! The younger brother Seungwon is also one! Thus he was introduced in the same chapter. And I have an irrefutable evidence that the old bearded man was in contact with the younger master. Only recently, I realized that the man never mentioned the protagonist’s name, he just said “this one”. This idiom implies that there is another one!!! This is the evidence that he was in contact with Yoon Seungwon. Finally, why would the man talk about the elder master Yoon the entire time? It is, because technically Yoon Seungho is just the elder son. This means that the pedophile never officially gave the title to the protagonist. These were empty words. (chapter 86) But since our beloved man started living in the bedchamber, this became a reality. That’s the other reason why Yoon Seungho was encouraged to live in debauchery and not to take the civil service examination. But this only occurred, the moment the lord returned living in the mansion and not before!! Secondly, I realized that this statement about Yoon Chang-Hyeon will become a reality for the “fake servant” himself. (chapter 37) Not only he justified his return to the familial domain with the main lead’s lunacy (“under the pretense of some problem with this one”), but also he accused his own son of a crime. 
(chapter 94) This means that he acted as a traitor, tattling on his own relative. Finally, observe that once confronted with brutal reality, the father did run away. 
(chapter 87) The white bearded man’s words became a reality. However, since the fake servant, the mysterious lord Song, judges the elder master Yoon as a troublemaker and hypocrite, there is no ambiguity that the elder master Yoon will get into trouble. Since he did it in the past, he can only get suspected in the present.
Besides, because the scholar is now dead, the pedophile can only put the whole blame on someone else refusing to become responsible for this. He has always acted in the shadow. We have three possibilities: he puts the blame on Yoon Seungwon, and say that he had done it out of jealousy. Or Yoon Chang-Hyeon had intervened, because Jung represented an hindrance to the Yoons’ dream. Besides, he was supposed to stay in the mansion in Hanyang, and that’s where the rest of the family is living. 
(chapter 86) But the worst would be that the painter is blamed for his assassination. He did it out of resent! But this would expose the true thoughts of the schemers, the pedophile and Kim. That’s how they act, when they feel offended and bothered.
Striking is that the protagonist has no idea, that the banishment was staged, for he was told the same lie. In his mind, the father lives in exile.: (chapter 37) One thing is sure: the father’s dream will turn out to be an illusion. 
For me, the younger brother’s biggest wrongdoings are spying, tattling and badmouthing. And the best evidence for this interpretation is this situation: 
(chapter 44) He had given the ruined painting to his father, putting the blame on his brother, well aware that the latter would get angry. He was observing his father’s reaction. 
(chapter 44) Yet, there is a difference to the past. Here, he had been fooled! He truly believed that this was his brother’s doing, whereas in truth the butler had been the one who had fooled him. 
(chapter 38) And this is important, because when the letter was given to the brother, Jung In-Hun witnessed the wrongdoing from the butler!! 
(chapter 38) And now, you know why the learned sir had to die!! He had caught the valet in the act. He had betrayed Yoon Seungho, though he didn’t realize it. The learned sir tried to discover the content of the letter, and as such was prying on his sponsor’s weakness.
(chapter 38) Hence I come to the conclusion that KIM played a huge role in the learned sir’s death as well. I would even say that he was the one who pushed the others to have the scholar and the painter killed. Both knew about the butler’s tricks without realizing his significance. 
(chapter 37) Hence I deduce that as the story progressed, the role of the butler started changing. Now, I see him as a the main plotter, while all the others are now his pawns. We could say that the valet has gradually followed the pedophile’s path. However, there is no ambiguity that it was not the same in the past!
4. A new plot
I am quite certain that many manhwalovers are doubting my theory that the fake servant is the king and the main culprit in Yoon Seungho’s nightmare. Why? It is because in chapter 83, we saw a dark haired man, and according to Lee Jihwa, this was the mysterious lord Song. (chapter 83) How can he be the same than the one from episode 37? The change of his hair color could be explained by a huge shock. But this is rather thin as a justification. Besides, now I am more inclined to think that these are two different persons, and that the main culprit is the one from episode 37. Why? It is because he smoked and utilized the same expression: “strange”. 
(chapter 37) An idiom that Yoon Seungho constantly utilized: chapter 16, chapter 21
, chapter 50, chapter 71 
(chapter 71). This means that he couldn’t understand, for he has a different way of thinking. This outlines his narrow-mindedness and his tendency to plan everything. He doesn’t like surprises.
Since the readers saw the hanbok and the beard, they imagine that he is the main culprit. But I would like the readers to keep in mind that Baek Na-Kyum’s fate is the clue about the main lead’s suffering. And how many people desired to have him by their side? TWO! Yoon Seungho and Min…. and we could say that both kidnapped the artist! The main lead did it in episode 1, and the other in episode 99! This means that Yoon Seungho should have two main sexual abusers in the past! However, in difference to the young lord, the painter only had sex with the main lead. Min always failed to taste him! That’s the reason why I am suspecting that the man from chapter 83 could represent the “first sexual abuser”. Besides, observe that he is not smoking! (chapter 83)
Because we saw the purple hanbok, we all imagined that he was representing the king or was connected to the palace. But is it true? Notice that one of the guests only has a moustache beard (chapter 83) which is actually connected to commoners. [For more read the essay “Painful departures“] Remember that Min tried to deceive people by wearing a similar hanbok which Lee Jihwa would often wear. (chapter 69) Hence I started wondering if the mysterious man with the beard was not impersonating someone, for example “lord Song” and in reality he was just a merchant. Why merchant? It is related to the shungas and the hanboks. The king can not be involved in trading directly. However, this is what Yoon Seungho told to the learned sir: 
(chapter 22) Nevertheless, the main lead could have never been involved in commerce, for he lived as a prisoner for many years. And this is what was said about the ruler: 
(chapter 76) He is not so wealthy. How come? Yoon Seungho’s fortune must have a different origin.
Besides, I would like to outline that when Min was facing the ghost Yoon Seungho, he denied his responsibility by putting the blame on the childhood friend: 
(chapter 102) Min had never predicted that the young master would run to his friend and denunciate him to Yoon Seungho. However, since Black Heart had employed the assistance of servants (chapter 101) , the kisaengs 
(chapter 95) 
(chapter 96), the officer 
(chapter 98), No-Name, the doctor with the drugs and butler Kim, this signifies that behind the name Lee Jihwa stand many people! As you can see, the name “lord Song” doesn’t refer to one person, but many… My theory is that No-Name is the true owner of the title, but that’s how he ended up losing his home and his name! That’s the reason why I believe that in this image (chapter 83), we only see one of many persons hiding behind the name “lord Song”. To conclude, I came to the theory that the men from chapter 37 and 83 are both “lord Song”, though the one from episode 37 can only be the king. But if the man in episode 83 was impersonating lord Song, and as such was dressed up as a royal, he was actually violating laws.
I would like to point out that Min had three goals, not only to ruin Yoon Seungho, but also to get rid of Baek Na-Kyum and Lee Jihwa. Why? It is because he had framed them for the incident in the gibang. (chapter 1) Furthermore, Lee Jihwa could testify that Black Heart was the mastermind of the murder. Thus I deduce that in the past, the mastermind must have had three intentions as well:
- remove Yoon Chang-Hyeon from his son’s side. That way, he could outlive his sexual fantasies. (chapter 50)
- ruin the Yoons which represented a thorn to his power, hence the young man was incited to hate and blame his father.
- get rid of all the potential witnesses and accomplices.
We shouldn’t overlook that Min used to be the main lead’s sexual partner too. Hence we could say that he was trying to get rid of a former lover and potential rival! That’s why I can’t help myself thinking that the man in purple could have been fooled himself. (chapter 83) Here, he was smiling… but don’t forget that in this story, karma always retaliates immediately! The best example is the scholar who wished to discover the noble’s secret, but didn’t realize that his vulnerability and intentions were revealed. In episode 83, this smiling man tried to drive an edge between the two childhood friends, and he could definitely witness how the two sons entered the room before the arrival of the elders! Therefore his punishment should have been separation as well. (chapter 83) The main lead was slapped and called animal, hence there is no ambiguity that at some point, the man must have suffered as well, unless he let others take the fall for him. We know for sure that the main lead was tortured, and as such arrested for a crime he didn’t commit! Besides, I would like the manhwaworms to keep in mind the importance of cosplay and “coup de théâtre”. We had the perfect illustration in chapter 37, 
(chapter 71) 
chapter 87) and 
episode 92. The schemers in the past had definitely played with illusions and tricks. Thus I am expecting that it is now the pedophile’s turn to get fooled.
One possibility is that father Lee denunciated the Yoons saying that they were planning a coup d’Etat, and had already selected a new king. And don’t forget that he was wearing clothes that was indicating that he belonged to the royal family!! Thus his identity could have been mistaken. To conclude, for me, the man with the purple hanbok represents the reason why Yoon Seungho suffered. This led to the purge of the noble families close to the Yoons. But since the real “lord Song” had allowed people to use his name, he became the culprit for all the wrongdoings committed by others. Hence he lost everything. (chapter 82)
5. The poisoning
Another possibility is that the man with the purple hanbok got poisoned, and Yoon Seungho was framed for the man’s death or injury. I am suspecting a poisoning incident in the past. If it didn’t take place during that fateful night/day (chapter 83), then it definitely must have taken place before. But how did I come to this conclusion? According to my observations, karma always retaliates right away, though the “wrongdoer” has no idea, as the person doesn’t see the connection between the “punishment” and the sin. But I would like to point out that in each season, we had poisoning. 
(chapter 36) Here, the painter was forced to take an aphrodisiac under the pretense of his health. This action was repeated in season 2 
(chapter 54) and 3. 
(chapter 100) The nobles made him smoke opium or drink the aphrodisiac. The purpose of such drugs is to obtain the painter’s submission and control his mind and reactions. Striking is that each time, the perpetrators were “punished”. Kim was insulted and his plan didn’t work out. 
(chapter 37) As for the young lords, they were evicted like commoners and later the others were even killed. As you can see, each time the poison was employed, there was a retaliation.
But note that in season 2, Deok-Jae had put stones in the painter’s rice. 
(chapter 47) 
(chapter 47) If the painter had not eaten with the lord, the latter would have never noticed the incident. However, he believed the maids’ words. 
(chapter 47) Hence he never investigated the matter. But this prank represented a serious issue. This could have been judged as an attempt against the owner of the mansion. 
(chapter 47) And now look at this panel: 
(chapter 83) Yoon Seungho had refused to take the drug! The bowl reminded me of the one from chapter 47! Finally, the butler had tried to give his master the drug in season 3 
(chapter 77), but the latter had again rejected it and this twice.
(chapter 77) Kim calls the drug “medicinal tea”, truly an euphemism. It is also possible that the real target of the poisoning was Yoon Seungho, but since he was protected by the gods, someone ended up taking the “drug”. Because he was wearing a purple hanbok, the investigator mistook his identity, a royal member. Hence the Yoons were suspected of treason. Don’t forget that during this party, there was a kisaeng by their side. (chapter 83) And the latter are trained to cook dishes for the clients. My avid readers are certainly recalling that since season 2, I have been waiting for a poisoning incident which became a reality at the end of season 3. Thus I come to the conclusion, that such an incident should be shown in season 4, one in the past and the other in the present.
To conclusion, since many people were hiding behind the name “lord Song”, it became a taboo. However, as the king had achieved all his goals thanks to this name, (chapter 56), he came to adopt this title in order to hide his identity and actions. Byeonduck explained in her notes that Baek Na-Kyum had no idea about Min’s name. And this is the same for Yoon Seungho. The pedophile could continue hiding behind “lord Song”, as the latter was blamed for everything. The pedophile could divert attention from his own tricks. That’s the reason why he would never write any letter to Yoon Seungho under this name. This means that at the end, the main culprit, the king, will be perceived as the main responsible for Yoon Seungho’s torment, similar to Min’s situation, just before got killed. Though many other people were involved, Yoon Seungho was able to judge the joker’s actions correctly, he was the main mastermind behind the plots. This explicates why the gods made Yoon Seungho forget the old bearded men’s face. 
(chapter 44) This was a blessing in disguise. The moment the main lead faces the king, Yoon Seungho will be able perceive the truth. The king was behind his torment, and the butler had been his helping hand all along, the professional spy planted in his family. However, I don’t think that the monarch will admit his crimes and apologize for his wrongdoings. He will need a scapegoat, and this can only be the butler, the only one who knows the truth!
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: “Promise me 👄 you’ll never forget me because … 🥺”
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
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
Notice: Each new follower or new subscriber with an email address is contacted by me so that they can get the password.
As the readers can see, the title consists of an unfinished sentence. I did it on purpose for two reasons. First, it would have been too long. Secondly, it would have revealed the central topic of this essay. The name of this composition is in truth a quote from A. A. Milne. The manhwaphiles can see that I would like to analyze the new pictures released from Lezhin inciting me to present new interpretations, theories and predictions.
1. Yoon Seungho and Sleeping beauty
Interesting is that on February 1st the Korean company tweeted this image. 
The manhwalovers could barely see Yoon Seungho’s face, for he was surrounded by darkness. When I saw it, my first thought was to associate the protagonist to “Sleeping beauty”. He had the same expression than in the bedchamber, when he was sleeping totally relaxed. 
(chapter 87) He was not tormented by a nightmare, like the painter discovered it in chapter 38: 
And the darkness reminded me of the forest of thorns and as such of the curse put on the princess. The darkness, the metaphor for the forest of thorns, is the reason why the lord felt trapped and suffocating in his torment. 
(chapter 86) This contrasts to the princess’ situation, for the latter had no idea about the existence of the prison. It only appeared, when she fell asleep. Moreover, in this picture the obscurity is slowly disappearing announcing that the main lead is about to wake up, he is on the verge of being released from his curse. This signifies that the protagonist is slowly returning to life, allowing him to be able to fight back, the moment he is confronted with reality. He will be able to voice his thoughts and emotions contrary to his past lethargy.
In the fairy tale from Charles Perrault and the brothers Grimm, the princess was put to sleep for 100 years in order to avoid the terrible curse that the wicked witch had placed on her. Originally, she should have died, but thanks to the intervention of one fairy, the curse could be modified and attenuated. Instead of death, it was just “sleep”. My avid readers can already detect the similarities, as the young master’s martyrdom lasted 10 years. Not only the numbers are similar, but the idiom the lord employs to describe his past life is related to sleep: “nightmare”. (chapter 86) This shows that he had problems to distinguish illusion from reality. Why? He had long internalized that nightmare is real world. Hence any pleasant event could only be judged as dream and illusion. This explicates why the lord still feared that the painter’s love confession was a chimera. Besides, I had already pointed out that till the lord’s final suicidal attempt linked to the painter’s love and death, the lord was not truly living. I had compared him either to a dormant volcano or to a zombie. It is relevant, because thanks to the artist, the noble is learning that realism is not just made of betrayal, agony and torment. Happiness can still exist in real world, but in order to achieve happiness, the person has to work! That’s the reason why the American dream combines happiness with zeal and commitment. Therefore the main lead could only end up suffering, for he remained passive till the end of season 3. Therefore, till the end of season 3, he was not able to detect his true enemies and anticipate their moves.
Consequently, both characters, the lord and Sleeping beauty, have another common denominator. They couldn’t determine their own fate due to the intervention of others: the fathers, the “fairies”, the prince/king and the fortunetellers. Yes, sleeping beauty is connected to horoscopists. Actually, the fairy tale “Sleeping beauty” has its origins in the story “Sun, Moon, and Talia” from the Italian author Giambattista Basile. In this narration from the 17th Century, the so-called talented astrologers, tasked by Talia’s father, had predicted her future.
“at length they came to the conclusion that she would incur great danger from a splinter of flax. Her father therefore forbade that any flax, hemp, or any other material of that sort be brought into his house, so that she should escape the predestined danger.” Quoted from https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0410.html
However, the lord’s attempts were a failure. The young woman couldn’t escape her terrible destiny, for she was left in the dark. Moreover, Talia was raped 😨 during her sleep by a king who was already married. Due to this encounter, the cursed protagonist got pregnant, and gave birth to twins, Sun and Moon. Under this new perspective, the readers realize that this panel is actually announcing the content of season 4. The lord’s rape will come to the surface! Furthermore, my avid readers can notice another parallel with the manhwa. I had already compared the main characters from Painter Of The Night to the moon and the sun. For Yoon Seungho, the painter symbolizes the sun and as such life, for he was slowly bringing him light, warmth (chapter 63), love and happiness in his nightmare. In his darkest moment, he voiced a wish, which exposed the return of hope. This corresponds to the spark of faith, the gradual return of trust in his life. On the other side, Baek Na-Kyum came to view his lover as the moon giving him light and hope during the night again. 
(chapter 94) I would like to point out that the artist has always associated this satellite to a source of joy and love, like we can detect it here. 
(chapter 94) Finally, Talia could get liberated from her curse thanks to her children. The splinter of flax got removed from her finger, the moment the babies were sucking on them. This signifies that she got revived thanks to love and life. Moreover, she woke up, the moment the source of her pain was removed. This observation leads me to the following conclusion: the noble can only be completely freed from this darkness, the moment his suffering is removed and as such revealed!! This means that Yoon Seungho will be able to voice his misery and denunciate the crimes he was exposed to. He will be able to identify the persons responsible for his suffering. He might know a name, lord Song, but he has no idea about his true identity. That’s how his burden will be erased. Like mentioned above, the noble’s physical and sexual assault will be brought up to light. That’s the reason why the new image announcing season 4 is so dark. They represent a reflection from Yoon Seungho’s past and torment.
Nonetheless, we should focus on the positive aspects, the gradual vanishing of the blackness. Hence I see this dark picture in a good light. It actually symbolizes peace, hope and faith. This explicates why once I detected the painter’s hair in this image, I imagined that the lord was sleeping with Baek Na-Kyum while holding him in his arms. At the same time, he was smelling his hair, a new version of this scene: 
(chapter 38) I thought that the couple would share the bed, thus the lord could relax. He felt protected by his lover. In other words, I was already envisioning that this scene is a reflection from chapter 97/98, for the couple had not been able to sleep together. 
(chapter 97) However, the moment Lezhin published the second panel, I realized that this illustration was referring to a different element in the same scene: separation. Thus I deduce that the embrace during the sleep must have happened before, for the noble’s eye has no dark circle. He looks rested and relaxed.
But let’s return our attention to the comparison between sleeping beauty and our beloved seme. The king was actually cheating on his wife, hence he only stayed in Talia’s home for a certain time. He not only hid the truth from her, but also made an empty promise, he would bring her back to his kingdom!
“In the meanwhile the king remembered Talia, and saying that he wanted to go hunting, he returned to the palace, and found her awake, and with two cupids of beauty. He was overjoyed, and he told Talia who he was, and how he had seen her, and what had taken place. When she heard this, their friendship was knitted with tighter bonds, and he remained with her for a few days. After that time he bade her farewell, and promised to return soon, and take her with him to his kingdom. And he went to his realm, but he could not find any rest, and at all hours he had in his mouth the names of Talia, and of Sun and Moon (those were the two children’s names), and when he took his rest, he called either one or other of them.” Quoted from https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0410.html
And that’s how she became the victim of another plot, the queen got jealous and chose to get rid of Sun and Moon before targeting Talia herself. And this shows that deceptions and conspiracies stand in the center of this fairy tale! At no moment, the main lead heard the truth from her father or her future husband. Thus she couldn’t protect herself correctly, just like she could never anticipate her enemy’s moves. And that’s exactly what happened to Yoon Seungho. He was left in the dark the whole time, while people made empty promises to him. When Kim revealed Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s promise, the butler was implying 
(chapter 77) that he was doing it for the noble’s best interest. He insinuated that he was protecting him and he should trust him and his father. But this was not true, for he had not revealed the truth to Yoon Seungho, the stolen kiss. 
(chapter 88) This image was mirroring the past, someone had made the promise to the young master that he would “stay by his side”, implying that he would protect him, but he had failed to keep his words, for he had trusted more in others’ comments. (chapter 88) Because of the tragedies, the main figure got blamed, and as such he got cursed. He was a bird of misfortune, while in reality he was the main victim. In “Sun, Moon and Talia”, the perpetrator and the accomplices, the king and the astrologers, they all got scot-free. I am certain that it was the same in Yoon Seungho’s past. And because there are astrologers in this fairy tale, I am more than ever convinced that a shaman played a huge role in the young master’s downfall.
Yet there exists a huge difference between Painter Of The Night and the Italian story. Contrary to Yoon Seungho, Talia was not conscious, when she got sexually assaulted. She was left in the dark about the true origins of her motherhood. That’s the reason why she didn’t suffer from PTSD or better said from nightmares while asleep. She could never make the connection between the rape and the birth of Sun and Moon. She just saw them, and fell in love with them, as they marked the end of her solitude. The king never described the intimacy as a crime, it was portrayed as a normality. Thus her sleep is not connected to pain and nightmare, rather to a blessing and peace.
2. Memories and farewells
What caught my attention is that the king from “Sun, Moon and Talia” never saw the sex as a crime. Why? From my point of view, it is related to his position. As the ruler, he can do whatever he wants. Yet, the reality is that he is bound by traditions and religion. Yet, he chose to disregard them. Moreover, the most surprising is that he actually forgot his encounter with Talia for a while.
In the meanwhile the king remembered Talia, and saying that he wanted to go hunting, he returned to the palace, and found her awake, and with two cupids of beauty. Quoted from https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0410.html
It exposes his selfishness and superficiality in the end. He was not truly motivated by love, rather by lust. It took him more than a year before returning to her side. And that’s how he discovered that he had now heirs! This explicates why he made such a promise to the young mother (bringing her to his realm with her kids), though he still remained passive afterwards. He had been able to continue his lineage, thus everything was fine. The fairy tale is actually exposing the king’s flaws and sins. In my eyes, his behavior is reflecting the pedophile’s from Painter Of The Night. Moreover, the ruler vowed faithfulness to Talia, when he announced that he would bring back her and their children to his realm. But he knew that it was not possible, for he still had a wife. This means that the king couldn’t live with Talia together. His time with her was limited, hence he justified his vanishing with “hunting”. Yes… another parallel with the lord’s attitude. 
(chapter 83) In Painter Of The Night, the hunts were always used to provoke a quarrel and as such a separation, but it never worked. This is important, because this shows that the couple from the Italian story had to separate. It is now time to reveal the whole quote from Milner:
“Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”
His words indicate the difficulty of departure. In order to overcome the distance, one needs absolute trust in the partner’s love and loyalty. And this situation is actually reflected in the second picture released from Lezhin. Byeonduck is now announcing the separation arc. Since Yoon Seungho is closing his eyes while kissing Baek Na-Kyum’s eye, I come to the interpretation that the lord is trusting blindly his lover. He is not doubting the artist’s affection. There is no ambiguity that he is also embracing his lover. He is actually making here a promise to the painter. This is what Lezhin wrote on Twitter:
시샘달 하루부터 닷새까지. 매일 정오 찾아 오겠노라, 약조하마. From the first day to fifth day, I’ll come to you every day at noon, in the morning (translated by papago).
He will not only return to him, but also he is telling the time of his return!! This means that the lord has now regained the notion of time! Kim, whom I consider as a new version of Chronos, is no longer controlling the main lead, because he is no longer owner of his time. The panel with the text is already displaying the butler’s loss of power. To conclude, this panel represents the positive reflection from this scene: 
(chapter 97) Back then, the lord was scared, for he still doubted the artist’s love confession. It was too beautiful to be true! However, back then, the artist never doubted his own resolution, thus he gave comfort to his lover by giving him his hand. 
(chapter 97) (chapter 97) At the end, the lord expressed the following wishes: 
(chapter 97) In other words, he desired that the painter would follow his requests and as such he should vow him loyalty and trust one more time. The irony is that the lord was actually the one breaking his vow, for he left his lover without saying goodbye. Thus I conclude that in this scene, the characters have switched their position: Yoon Seungho is no longer doubting the artist’s sincerity and loyalty, for he could witness with his own eyes the abduction and the sexual assault. Yet, the painter is in tears, because he is already missing his lover. The tears doesn’t just represent agony, but also longing. What caught my attention is that the drawing is very similar to this image: 
(chapter 78) This means that the lord is smelling his partner’s hair helping him to remain strong and calm. He is now trying to memorize his lover’s odor so that he can forget this stench, a remain from the past: 
(chapter 86) This can only help him to defeat his “opponents”. Finally, in different analyses, I had already interpreted that Baek Na-Kyum was embodying memory, whereas the lord stands for truth. The image is actually a reference to recollection and as such honesty. There is no ambiguity that both men are trusting each other, but the painter is crying, for he fears for his lover’s life either. Yoon Seungho is leaving him in order to protect him in my eyes. And this leads me to the following deduction. When the lord is about to leave, Baek Na-Kyum is not left in the dark contrary to episode 97. He knows the whole truth, for the lord must have confessed to him. We could say that he is not leaving without a word 
(chapter 97). Furthermore, this signifies that the artist doesn’t need any longer to rely on the explanations from others. Thus the artist will keep his promise (chapter 88), though he won’t be by his side physically! They are no longer relying on the butler and his “information”. The trick played at the end of season 3 won’t work on Baek Na-Kyum any longer. He will no longer be swayed. And the promise made by the lord is the reason why the painter will remain loyal. He will stay at the place he is living and wait for his lover’s return. He has no question either.
Many manhwalovers might be unhappy about this evolution, for they love watching the couple living together. But keep in mind that this is totally necessary, because this will push Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho to create paintings and even poems. This can only incite them to recall their past moments together. A new version of this scene: 
(chapter 23) 
(chapter 24) In other words, this announces the return of Yoon Seungho’s passion for painting! And it is the same for the painter. The erotic picture should reflect their love for each other, created based on memories. At the same time, this can only push the noble to demonstrate his talents to others refuting all the negative rumors about him: he is intelligent and possessing his whole mind. Furthermore, this can help him to reminisce his tragic past, what led him to his downfall and suffering. This signifies that he will be able to confront his past and his memories. He will be able to identify the rape, and Kim already exposed the truth to Yoon Seungho, when the former suggested him to ensure the painter’s consent. This shows that Kim was well aware of the sexual abuse, but he chose to never divulge the verity. On the other hand, the pedophile thought in the past that the young master would never forget him due to his position, thus he had no problem to leave Yoon Seungho behind and make no real promise. Departure was never painful for him… hence this quote (“Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”) will become a reality for the mysterious lord Song, but it is already too late. In fact, the gods punished him by making Yoon Seungho suffering from amnesia. He is not attached by loyalty to the pervert.
Yoon Seungho’s vow with Baek Na-Kyum diverges so much to the monarch’s behavior from “Sun, Moon and Talia”. The latter broke his promise on so many levels. First, he hid the queen’s existence to the protagonist. But this doesn’t end here. He left her behind without making sure that her family was protected. He thought that this secret would guarantee her safety. However, in the story, the king couldn’t help himself revealing the secret and that’s how the queen discovered his betrayal and infidelity. I would like the readers to keep in mind that back then, polygamy was considered as a huge sin in Europe. Note that at the end, the legal wife was the one who brought the “princess” to the kingdom and this for a trial. So where was the king? He was often busy eating! We could say that he didn’t keep his promise out of laziness and even naivety. He allowed that Talia was accused of infidelity and witchcraft, for she had seduced him. He only appeared at the end of the fairy tale. He only voiced regret and put the blame on the queen, while in reality he was the main culprit for this situation.
“The king suddenly appeared, and finding this spectacle, demanded to know what was happening. He asked for his children, and his wife — reproaching him for his treachery — told him that she had had them slaughtered and served to him as meat. When the wretched king heard this, he gave himself up to despair, saying, “Alas! Then I, myself, am the wolf of my own sweet lambs. Alas! And why did these my veins know not the fountains of their own blood? You renegade bitch, what evil deed is this which you have done? Quoted from https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0410.html
The manhwalovers can detect many similarities with Painter Of The Night. The ruler will never recognize his crimes and even wrong decisions. He neglected Yoon Seungho, but chose to put the blame on others. First, the young master, then the patriarch Yoon Chang-HYeon, the kisaeng, “No-Name” and finally Lee Jihwa. At some point, it will be the butler’s turn. On the other hand, since no one of them was willing to recognize their own fault and involvement, they preferred blaming the victim, for the latter was the only one without a voice. Thus Yoon Seungho is accused of being consumed by lust, he was neither faithful, while in truth, he had no saying from the start. 
(chapter 57) That’s the reason why I believe that when an incident occurred during that night (chapter 83), the main lead was framed. He got accused of a crime, whereas he had been the true target in reality. There is no ambiguity that the abusers doubted the protagonist’s loyalty and integrity, for they were themselves untrustworthy. They all knew that they had lied and deceived the young master at some point.
And this leads me to the following conclusion. The separation is necessary, since the story is going in circle. Back then, the “pedophile” couldn’t stay by the young master’s side due to his duties. Thus he could only appear, when he was “hunting”. This means, the painter is put in the same situation than his lover in the past. However, the huge difference is that Yoon Seungho came to hate the mysterious lord Song! He never wished his return… However, since he had lost the notion of time, he could only live in fear. That’s how he came to develop insomnia. This explicates why the man trained the protagonist to have a sex marathon, for his time in Jemulpo was limited. Thus I deduce that the pedophile never bid farewell to Yoon Seungho and barely talked to him as well, unless he gave orders. In my eyes, he relied on others: Yoon Chang-Hyeon the kisaeng, Yoon Seungwon and Kim. Yet, deep down, the perpetrator was well aware that he was abusing the young master. But he chose to close an eye, until an incident occurred. That’s the reason why he could never trust the male kisaeng in the end. As a conclusion, season 4 symbolizes the opposite to the past: acceptance, love, faith, closeness, verity and transparence despite the return of darkness. This explicates why the illustration is quite “easy” to interpret despite the blackness.
3. Interpretation of the second panel
It is possible, if you compare the image to others. This picture contrasts so much to this one: 
- prank – seriousness
- light – dark
- smile – tears
- Yoon Seungho made sure that the painter stayed by his side, he even stopped him to retrieve the music box, while now the lord has the opposite intention. He is now the one leaving the painter.
- The small gap between the main leads indicating that despite their closeness, there still existed a wall between them. This displays that in the new illustration, the distance is no longer existing. Both are fully trusting each other. The lord must have confessed what happened to the painter at the end of season 3, and the painter must have also explained how he came to leave the mansion. In other words, both revealed many secrets concerning the last incident,
That’s the reason why I come to the following deductions. They are biding farewell outside. The painter followed him to the door. However, here the lord is not suicidal at all. In fact, the promise represents the source of strength for Yoon Seungho. The latter has to remain alive in order to protect Baek Na-Kyum, definitely a new version of this scene: 
(chapter 11) However, there is no ambiguity that the painter can only fear for his lover’s life. The closed eye contradicts the haunted gaze in the shaman’s house. 
(chapter 102) Despite his closed eyes, he is now able to discern the truth, and it is the same for the painter. Their Third eye is now fully awakened.
But the most important detail is the lord’s kiss on the artist’s eye. The lord had already done it in the past. When he kissed the artist there for the first time, the latter was unconscious. 
(chapter 21) This gesture symbolizes the epitome of the noble’s affection and the desire to give “happiness”. Then in the bedchamber, he did it in order to console his partner. 
(chapter 82) With his kiss, he was asking for his forgiveness. This means that the kiss on the eye serves as reassurance and comfort either. Thus we had this scene in the study: 
(chapter 84) The lord had kissed his lover there, because he was voicing his attachment and desire to redeem himself and to comfort the artist. As you can see, it was a combination of all the previous significations. Yet, the lord had not grasped the “gravity” of his “wrongdoing”. Thus the kiss was associated a certain playfulness in the study. As a conclusion, this image symbolizes the reality. Both are aware of the truth, willing to face it together. The lord is attempting to console his lover, to reassure him that everything will be alright. He is sorry, for he is making him cry again, but this separation is necessary. It was, as if he was seeking Baek Na-Kyum’s forgiveness. He is honest and serious. He is now capable to face reality. But there is more to it. The new image contrasts to this one too: 
- light -dark
- happiness – sadness
- sun – moon
- the hand with a foot – the couple’s faces
This contrast confirms my previous signification: this happy moment in the painter’s childhood had been short-lived, because he had been left in the dark. While he was with the scholar and was happy, something terrible must have happened to someone close to the painter. It reinforced his guilt and abandonment issues. Besides, I had already outlined that this scene must be connected to a departure, a “farewell”. [For more read the essay “Baek Na-Kyum’s foot“] In the past, I had assumed that it was related to Heena, but it could be linked to the gibang in general. Another kisaeng could have vanished suddenly. That’s how I realized why the painter came to love the moon and night! I recognized that many wounds in the painter’s life had occurred during the day: 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 34) 
(chapter 11) 
(chapter 19) He came to feel more safe during the night, until he met Yoon Seungho in season 1. From that moment on, his night life got slowly affected. That’s how he discovered that night could be associated to pain and agony too. Yet, deep down, he still felt safe by the noble’s side. As you can see, the new illustration is reinforcing my theory that this image is not just mirroring a happy moment in the painter’s youth. The latter actually symbolizes illusion and deception, whereas the dark panel oozes reality and honesty.
And all this leads to the final conclusion: the last common denominators between Sleeping beauty and Yoon Seungho are vengeance, greed and jealousy. That’s the reason why Talia came to be arrested and falsely accused. Nonetheless, none of the characters realized this. The cursed princess in the Perrault’s or the Grimms’ version had no idea about the intervention of the witch/fairy who had felt insulted either. This is the reason why the Yoons’ reputation got ruined. The couple can only discover these elements, when someone witnesses such a scene and reports it to the “schemers”, and as such to the “mysterious lord”. The latter can only be upset, for the young man has never acted this way with him.
“Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”
Yoon Seungho can leave his lover’s side without fearing his sudden vanishing. He is exactly thinking like Milner. However, these words stand in opposition to the butler’s philosophy: (chapter 51). Hence the butler could perceive this promise as a betrayal from Yoon Seungho. The latter is slowly forgetting the valet, he is no longer seeking his assistance and his side.
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: Juicy Deeds🤝 and Dry Words 🗯
Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night
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I am quite certain that people are wondering about the connection between the title and the illustration. In the latter, we have Baek Na-Kyum’s hand holding Yoon Seungho‘s. Yet there is neither word nor sex in the panel, for both are still dressed and there is no speech bubble. 
Yes, when people read juicy deeds, they were already imagining that I would describe a love session like this one 
(chapter 96), because of the expression „to do the deed“: 
(chapter 87) However, the deed is not just related to intercourse, like the manhwaphiles could discover it in chapter 51. 
With „deed“, Deok-Jae was referring to murder and assassination. As you can see, deed has other meanings than sex. Thus it has for synonyms action, accomplishment and reality!! So when I selected this name for the essay, I was thinking of the relationship between action and word. And this connection came to my mind, when Byeonduck released the last picture, because the painter’s action symbolizes a conversation and as such words.
1. Interpretation of the newest release
As my avid readers already know, it is already possible to understand the symbolism behind this picture by contrasting it to similar gestures. Because the painter‘s hand is above the noble‘s hand, I deduce that the artist was the one initiating the touch. Note that he is intertwining his fingers with Yoon Seungho‘s indicating that he is seeking closeness and intimacy. This detail is important, for the hand is conveying a message: „I feel you. I understand you. I am by your side.“ How do I know this? It is because this gesture corresponds to this one from chapter 88:
1. 1. Reflection from chapter 88
(Chapter 88) By reaching his hand, the painter was letting him know that he was no longer alone in this world. He was not only joining his side, but he was willing to try to understand the main lead. 
(Chapter 88) This gesture stands in opposition to the situation with Yoon Chang-Hyeon.
(Chapter 86) During that fateful night, the father neither talked to his son nor looked at him. He even turned his back to him, when the young master attempted to grab his father‘s hanbok. Both scenes from chapter 88 and 86 have two common denominators: an action accompanied with silence!! Yet, what distinguishes them from each other is the nature of the deed, the action. Alliance and empathy versus abandonment and estrangement! This is no coincidence that after reaching his hand, Baek Na-Kyum started confessing his thoughts and emotions to his lover: 
(Chapter 88) As you can sense, the hand gesture delivered a message, but the painter still felt the need to clarify the meaning of his hand. He was willing to remain by his side, but he was still afraid of him. He didn’t want to create a misunderstanding, like for example that he wouldn’t argue with him or that his loyalty was now unconditional or total. That way, Yoon Seungho wouldn’t come to view him as a hypocrite or as dishonest, if an argument would appear. Thus he needed words to explain his position. He would remain by his side and attempt to sympathize with him, but he still felt insecure and had doubts. In other words, his action (his hand gesture) was not truly reflecting his mind and heart. (Chapter 88) Hence we could say that there was still a gap between the gesture and the words. He was willing to trust him and to be loyal to him, but not all the doubts had vanished. That’s the reason why the lord hesitated before hugging him. 
(Chapter 88) Later he even asked his lover not to leave his side no matter what. 
(Chapter 88) To conclude, the hand gesture in episode 88 was connected to insecurities and as such fear, yet the painter had shown no hesitation to take his hand. The anxiety was not visible.
1. 2. The hand and anxiety
Striking is that when the painter had reached Yoon Seungho’s hand for the first time, his hand was trembling. He was so scared of the main lead that he didn’t dare to take his whole hand. 
(Chapter 30) His fingers barely grabbed his hand, so when he made the following vow, he was not entirely sincere or better said, truly determined to keep his promise. 
(Chapter 30) The words were not truly in unison with the gesture either. Therefore he once tried to leave the mansion in season 2. When he pledged loyalty, his intention was to protect his teacher. To conclude, fear has always been present, when the painter took Yoon Seungho’s hand. Even in chapter 88, but contrary to the scene in the courtyard, his hand was not shaking. (Chapter 88) Why? It is because the origin of his fright was different. In the courtyard, he feared for his life and Jung In-Hun’s, whereas in the bedchamber, he was more afraid of the lord’s flashbacks and dissociative states. He had no idea why Yoon Seungho could change so much abruptly to the point that he would hurt himself, not just him. 
(Chapter 82) This explicates why the artist chose to remain by his side, though the lord had broken his promise. 
(Chapter 82) On the other hand, in this scene 
(chapter 82), the lord was grabbing his lover’s hand out of fear. He was recognizing his mistake and was trying to beg for his forgiveness, though he couldn’t express it directly. Striking is that during the lord’s flashback, his hand was trembling as well, grabbing onto his partner’s body. 
(Chapter 81) It was, as if Baek Na-Kyum was his rescue buoy, helping him not to be swallowed by the darkness. Thus I came to the conclusion that the protagonists’ hand gestures are all connected to anxiety and pain. 😲 Hence I am deducing that in this scene, Baek Na-Kyum is holding his lover’s hand, for he has already sensed the noble’s doubts and insecurities. He is there to comfort and reassure him. He won’t leave his side no matter what. Therefore I deduce that such a gesture can only encourage Yoon Seungho to open up and reveal his traumatic past. This is something that Baek Na-Kyum had always wished in season 3, nonetheless his wish never got granted.
1. 3. Reflection of chapters 97 and 98
And note that Baek Na-Kyum was unconscious, when Yoon Seungho had a flashback and was sent back to the past. (Chapter 102). This would have definitely scared Baek Na-Kyum, especially Yoon Seungho’s haunted gaze. On the other hand, since the painter had been himself the victim of physical and sexual abuse, the artist can only grasp why the noble reacted that way: fear, anger, despair and heartache. The artist had also been desperate, in pain and scared in the shrine, though this time, he had not screamed for his help. Since the lord had not returned to the mansion, how could he expect him to come to his rescue?
From my point of view, the lord has to explain the reason for his behavior from that night, he committed a massacre. Since the couple is in the bedchamber, I come to the conclusion that this image is linked to the painter‘s nightmare too. 
(Chapter 98) Back then, he had been waiting for his lover‘s return and explanations. He wanted to hear him and get his reassurance and comfort. .
(Chapter 98) The latter couldn’t reassure the painter with his hand contrary to the previous night. (chapter 97) Exactly like mentioned above, the painter’s hand gesture is connected to fear and conversation. 
(chapter 97) Striking is that in the gibang, the lord confessed his biggest fear to his future “spouse”. He feared to lose him, though one of his biggest desires had been finally fulfilled. This means that Yoon Seungho felt even more insecure and frightened than before after receiving the artist’s love confession. That’s the reason why I believe that the new picture is standing in opposition to the scene in the gibang. The lord will feel relief after his admission. As a conclusion, the image is announcing the lord’s confession and the artist will listen to him without any judgement or fear. He will never reject him or call him crazy due to his past action.
1. 4. Reflection of chapter 89
What caught my attention is that the painter had touched the main lead’s hand in another occasion. 
(Chapter 89) While the painter was sitting on his partner’s lap
(chapter 89), he was massaging the wounded fingers. It was, as if he was treating his companion’s wound. Note that after his terrible flashback, the painter had avoided to grab his hand out of fear that he might hurt Yoon Seungho even more. 
(Chapter 84) Therefore I conclude that the new panel is an allusion to treatment. While in episode 89, the painter was acting as a doctor, in the new image, the young man is working more like a counselor or psychologist. The aristocrat’s hand might not be wounded in that scene, but this is not the case for his heart and mind. So for me, this scene is connected to mental treatment. And by confessing his past, he will get liberated from his burden, released from that darkness. He will be able to finally see the light and to have hope again. As you can sense, I see a connection between episode 84 and this new panel. Note that during that day, the painter was also holding the noble’s hands, but here they were facing each other. 
(Chapter 84) However, the lord had refused to open up. This is no coincidence that the author had not created such a picture during that chapter. As the manhwalovers can detect, I believe that in that scene, Yoon Seungho will confess and reveal the source of his self-hatred and guilt. As a conclusion, though this image looks very romantic and beautiful, I think that it is accompanied with fear, guilt and agony. The readers could definitely come to cry while the lord’s revelation. Since the painter spoke in chapter 30, 84, 88 and 89, I am assuming that this time, he won’t talk much so that the lord can speak more freely.
But if the manhwaphiles compare all the mentioned scenes, they will realize that the hand gestures were strongly connected to promises or vows. It becomes even more obvious, when the artist criticized his lover for his bad behavior (chapter 82), caused by the panic attack. This is no coincidence that the painter employed the expression „empty words“. His action was not reflecting his words. Thus there exist the following quotes
- “Actions speak louder than words“.
- „Words are from the lips, actions are from the heart“: Rachida Costa.
- „Well done is better than well said“: Benjamin Franklin.
- The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.” – Confucius
And that’s how I realized the importance of the link between action and words. The former is mirrored in the hand, while the words are connected to the tongue and mouth. Thus I come to the conclusion that when Baek Na-Kyum is holding his lover’s hand, he is no longer scared of Yoon Seungho. Therefore, I deduced that here it was not the case for the noble. Hence I believe that this gesture is to encourage Yoon Seungho to open up, to confess his doubts, guilt and pain. But by putting his hand over Yoon Seungho‘s, the artist is demonstrating that he is protecting him. He will listen to him and remain by his side and this no matter what. As you can sense, I am expecting a new version from that night (chapter 88), and this, although the lord is indeed a murderer. For Baek Na-Kyum, his gesture will have a different meaning: he saved his life and freed him from his torment. Secondly, if the lord reveals the circumstances of his mother’s death, the artist will definitely deny his responsibility in her death, a new version of this scene. 
(chapter 75) And because I detected a discrepancy between words and gestures, I recognized the presence of another trick from Byeonduck.✨
2. Passivity and silence
What caught my attention is that during the love session from chapter 91, the readers discovered the painter’s likes. While the lord said this to the painter: 
(chapter 91), the latter denied this with the following statement. 
(chapter 91) But when did the painter admit that he liked embracing him? In this panel! 
(chapter 88) That’s the reason why the lord got surprised and moved. As you can see, the author never revealed this whispering to the manhwalovers! The latter had the impression that the lord’s reaction was related to the loving embrace, but it was only partially correct.
This is important, because in this scene, the words were matching the action! That’s the reason why Yoon Seungho could finally accept it as a warm and sincere hug!! The painter was honest towards him. This scene contrasts so much to the love session at the physician’s, where the painter had hugged him, but had remained silent
(chapter 62), when the lord had confessed to adore him. 
(chapter 62) This explicates why Yoon Seungho was so pained in season 2. He got embraced, but there were no words. Consequently, when the painter vanished during that night, the lord could only perceive the embrace as hypocrisy and fakeness. That’s how I realized that the story is developed on the contradiction between words and actions. But not only that, there exists a strong link between silence and passivity. Thus after the abduction in season 2, Baek Na-Kyum remained more or less silent
(chapter 62), and as such he was totally passive. He never stood up and begged the lord for his leniency. He stayed there on the bed giving the impression that he was indifferent. That’s the reason why Yoon Seungho got more enraged, for he felt fooled. This means that the absence of words represent inaction… This explains why Yoon Seungho had to corner the main lead in chapter 48 
(chapter 48) to say something, as he had sensed his passivity behind his „submissive attitude“. This is no coincidence that during this night, the painter felt extreme pleasure to the point that he peed. Therefore he could voice his wish to Yoon Seungho during the love session from season 2. 
(chapter 73) That’s how the lord concluded that the painter liked riding him, while in reality such a climax had appeared for the first time, when both were facing each other! 
(chapter 49)
And this leads me to the following observation. The protagonists were the targets of plots, because both of them had been silenced. By being voiceless, they had been turned into naïve puppets. Their silence corresponds to their passivity. This interpretation helps to understand why the artist was more active in season 1 
(chapter 4) than season 2. He was encouraged by his future partner to speak up, yet the moment he got heartbroken, he was left speechless. And note that when the lord played his prank in the bedchamber, he never said anything to his father. 
(chapter 83) He didn’t move as well. Why? It is because he knew that talking to his father was pointless. However, Yoon Seungho had hoped that with his prank his father would finally see the truth. He had been fooled by Lee Jihwa and father Lee!! But the stupid father never realized it. As you can see, the lord had in that scene long given up to use words, he hoped that his father would see the truth with the prank. Don’t forget that deed stands for truth and reality. He thought that “actions would speak louder than words”, but he was proven wrong. This signifies that in this scene, 
(chapter 86) Yoon Seungho had acted the opposite, he had tried to speak up, but he had been muted. I am also thinking that the young master must have attempted to converse to his father 
(chapter 77) here as well, but the lord had not listened to him. Why? It is because Kim had said nothing!! 
(chapter 77) Silence was considered as an admission. This is no hazard that the butler didn’t take care of his young master. This scene symbolizes the quote “Actions speak louder than words” 
(chapter 77) The butler had betrayed the young master’s trust, for he had not intervened. He should have defended Yoon Seungho, but no in fact he had sided with the elder master Yoon once again. Not only he had not reminded Yoon Chang-Hyeon of his promise, but also he had assisted the ruthless father by giving himself the straw mat beating! (chapter 77) That’s the reason why the other servant looked down on Kim. Even after hurting his young master, he stayed paralyzed giving the impression that he felt nothing for Yoon Seungho! And this was actually true, for the valet felt more betrayed by the master’s attitude than pained due to the wounded noble. Like mentioned above, he could have refused to do it, but no! This is not surprising that the young master felt pained and angry. Striking is that in this scene, the main lead never said anything… a sign that he was already resigning to his fate! He was no longer resisting! And this leads me to the following conclusion. In season 3, Yoon Seungho was rather passive, hence he didn‘t voice the source of his suffering to Baek Na-Kyum!! However, he was not totally inactive, for he still opened up to the painter at the end of season 3. He was able to express his likes, dislikes and fears, hence Min’s first plot didn’t work out like expected!! And the return of his active attitude was already perceptible in the bureau of the authorities. 
(chapter 98) Here, he examined the robe and questioned the officer. The problem is that he was still relying on his staff and as such Kim. Therefore it is not surprising that he could still be manipulated by the schemers. Hence I am anticipating a total change in season 4. By conversing with the painter, the lord can only become more proactive to the point that he will be able to ruin the next schemes. I am even expecting a prank from the protagonists in season 4!! But this doesn’t end here. I am deducing that in the past, Yoon Seungho suffered because one tormentor would do things and say nothing, while the other would talk a lot, but act the opposite!! For me, these descriptions fit to Kim and the pedophile. I have the impression as well, that both characters came to switch their behavior. In one circle, Kim did many things, but remained mute, but later he did the exact opposite. I would like to point out that in season 3, he acted this way. He would promise loyalty to the lord, 
(chapter 77), but backstabbed him in the shadow. Besides, we shouldn’t forget that a narcissist’s words don’t match their action, because they are pathological liars. And so far, I had portrayed father Yoon (overt), Kim (covert) and even Jung In-Hun (overt) as people suffering from NPD. And I am assuming that the mysterious lord Song is not different from them, though I am suspecting that he must be a covert type.
And now, you are probably wondering why I added the adjectives “juicy” and “dry” to the title, while so far, my main focus was “action” through the hand gesture and words. The reason is simple. There exists an Arabian proverb: “A promise is a cloud, fulfilment is rain”. Since in this country, rain is rare, the saying is showing that people make promises easily (cloud), but they never keep their words, for it almost never rain. I found it interesting that it rained, when the butler and the father betrayed both the main lead. Their actions exposed their true colors. 
(chapter 77) Besides, it also snowed, when the painter got abducted twice, a sign that actually a promise had been broken.
3. Conclusions
Thanks to the lord’s actions (his obsession and love for the painter), Baek Na-Kyum could finally become owner of his own body and thoughts. That’s the reason why he could pee in the study, the bedchamber and the gibang and this without getting any reprimand, while the painter’s actions could bring the lord’s tears back! Their actions, the hand gestures and the embraces, became fruitful. This means that Yoon Seungho is finally possessing his own body and mind. This is no coincidence that he lowered himself, when he apologized to his lover. 
(chapter 102) He is no longer following social norms. This could only happen, because the lord had just committed a huge crime. What is the point to respect laws and tradition, when he became a murderer? Any other transgression can only appear as harmless. That’s the reason why I am expecting that Yoon Seungho decides to disregard social norms from that moment on and play a prank on the “villains” of this story.
Before closing this essay, I would like to mention other scenes, where the hand from the protagonists was connected to fear, confession, comfort and reassurance: 
(chapter 76) 
(chapter 53) 
(chapter 87), while the same extremity symbolizes the opposite with the villains and antagonists: violence, silence, submission 
(chapter 83), hatred and resent 
(chapter 97) Here, Heena was hurting her brother, because she wanted him to face “reality”. What caught my attention is that we never saw the father’s hand in chapter 86! 
(chapter 86) Why? It is because it reveals his powerlessness. And this leads me to the following conclusion: the deed stands for reality and honesty, while the words symbolize emptiness, illusion and deception. And now, you comprehend why this work is composed by the dichotomies: dream, words and mouth versus reality., action and the hand. This means that in season 4, the manhwaphiles should try to analyze the thoughts and emotions of the characters behind the hand gestures. At the same time, they can also verify if my interpretation is correct. Is the zoom of the protagonists’ hand connected to fear, confession, empathy and assistance?
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 riddle of the enigmatic covers🔍🕵️♂️ (second version)
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night
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The purpose of this essay is not just to interpret the illustrations for each season, but also to anticipate the future illustration of season 4. However, before revealing my new knowledge, it is important to explain how I came to develop these significations. This means that I will present new pieces of the puzzle “Painter Of The Night”. Everything started with this panel. (chapter 9)
1. The slap and hands
The noble with the mole had a red cheek and a bruised lip indicating that he had been slapped. Yet contrary to the painter, he had wounded on his right side. 
(chapter 1) This means that no one had witnessed the wrongdoing committed on the anonymous lord. However, it is important, because it exposes how a person committing a wrongdoing could escape scolding and punishment, even from the readers. There was no witness! Only an attentive reader could detect this. Hence you have the explanation why Yoon Seungho suffered for so long. There was either no witness or the persons chose to close an eye and remained silent. Since it was the negative reflection from Baek Na-Kyum’s slap and the main lead had used his right hand 
(chapter 11), I deduced that the culprit was left-handed. That’s how I could identify the culprit, lord Min. The lord was in reality left-handed. We could observe this in chapter 8
, episode 19 
, chapter 33
and episode 43
, but also in episode 76 
, in chapter 96 
, in episode 100
and finally in chapter 102 
! Yet, in other occasions like in episode 33 
or 43, or 52 
, he used his right hand! Thus one might argue that Min was simply ambidextrous. However, I can prove 100% that Black Heart is left-handed!😮 The evidence is the usage of the bow. 
(chapter 22) This is how a right-handed man shoots an arrow. On the other hand, we never saw Min using the bow. The bird was already wounded by the arrows, when the scene of the second hunt took place. 
(chapter 41) However, the manhwaphiles can discover the verity thanks to one detail: the bag of arrows. 
(chapter 22) As you can see, the bag is carried on the right side, but the arrows are almost touching the left shoulder. They need to be on the other side, since the scholar needs his right hand to grab the item. And now compare the position of Min’s bag. It is inclined in the opposite direction, hence the arrows are visible on his right side! 
(chapter 41) Thus the noble is carrying the bag 
(chapter 41) differently from the painter too. 
(chapter 22) Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why Byeonduck never showed the Joker’s hunting skills. People would have noticed that he is left-handed immediately. She made sure to hide this important fact, thus within the same chapter Min was often portraying as using both hands. In episode 43, he employed his left hand to pour the alcohol in the glass, but then he switched the hand
(chapter 43), when he gave the drink to Lee Jihwa.
This raised the following question. Why is he ambidextrous, though he prefers his left hand? It is because he has been conditioned to use his right hand. In Latin, sinister means left. This explicates why left is associated to sinister, dark and bad omen. Thus there exists this superstition that being left-handed is evil or a bad sign!! Till the end of the 20th Century, people in Europe were encouraged to write with their right hand. And now, if you compare all the scenes, where he employed his left-hand, you will detect that he was acting under the influence of his subconscious. In chapter 8, he was lusting after the painter; explicating why he got mad at his friend. Because of his nagging, Min could no longer ask his host to let the painter join the sex party. Therefore it is no coincidence that he slapped his friend with his left hand. Finally, we never saw his departure from the bedchamber! 
(chapter 9) Here, he was still present, but even before the end of the sex session, he had already vanished. 
(chapter 9) Finally, when the noble with the mole visited Lee Jihwa, the latter claimed that he had spent a long time at Yoon Seungho’s. 
(chapter 9), and his friend never denied it. As you can see, the characters made sure to confuse the readers with the change of the chronology. As you can see, it took me a long time before noticing the bruised face (only during season 3), then to bring up the conclusive evidence that Min was the culprit of the slap. Then in the shaman’s house, he took the dildo with his left hand, because he was angry and frustrated. (chapter 100) With the same hand, he pushed Jihwa
(chapter 100) too. This shows that he could barely control himself here. And once he faced the main lead’s sword, he got so scared that he showed Jung In-Hun’s glasses with his left hand again. (chapter 102) Due to stress and his strong emotions, he exposed his true self, but since the readers were more focused on the actions and Min’s punishment, they never paid attention to his hand. This contrasts so much to the way the author portrayed Yoon Seungho. She often zoomed on his hands. 
(chapter 92) The irony is that in this scene, the main lead employed his left hand too, the positive reflection from the night in the pavilion (chapter 43). While here it was to bring him back to reality, in the pavilion, the Joker had the opposite intention: to lure Lee Jihwa to believe in illusions. (chapter 43).
Why did she confuse the readers then? It was to hide an important information, the culprit is left-handed!! And now it is necessary to examine the lord’s nightmare.
2. The hand in the nightmare
If you read my previous analyses about the visions, you are aware of my following observation. The visions represent not only memories, but also predictions. 
(chapter 74) They announce the future events, though the information is not given properly. On the other hand, since they are memories either, this signifies that they contain insight about the lord’s tragedy. Thus I noticed that the anonymous perpetrator used his left hand to grab his hanbok!! I deduced that the perpetrator in the past is also left-handed!! Secondly, since this vision can also be seen as the announcement of the painter’s second kidnapping, this is no coincidence that Byeonduck created such panels during the painter’s last torment. 
(chapter 99) However, in the shaman’s temple, Black Heart grabbed Baek Na-Kyum with his right hand. He was trying to manipulate the artist, he was acting. He was not showing his true self. Yet, the vision was revealing the truth: the future mastermind of the last scheme was in reality left-handed!! It didn’t matter, because at the end, the main lead was able to discern the truth. He sentenced Black Heart, for he believed that he had killed his loved one! That’s how I realized why the author would focus so much on the hands and on the distinction between unconscious and conscious! The hand in Painter Of The Night represents the crucial clue to identify the culprits!!
3. The illustrations and the mystery
Because of these new discoveries, I realized the signification of the covers. 
In season 1, we had the hands in the illustration. The hands were revealing the crime committed against the main lead. The latter was totally passive in this picture. The hands are touching and unclothing the immobile man. It also shows that Yoon Seungho was at the center of the conspiracy, in the past and in the present! The painting in the background indicates the presence of a hidden painter. Thus Baek Na-Kyum was not drawn in the cover. The painter of the night was in truth someone else, the painter from the past! Nevertheless, the main lead was looking at the readers, indirectly at Baek Na-Kyum, the young painter of the night. This describes the arrival of Baek Na-Kyum in his life. Striking is that the painting in the background was destroyed… indicating that the portrayed relationship was no longer existent. This represents another clue that the lord’s suffering is linked to a previous relationship. Then in season 2, 
the author revealed Baek Na-Kyum as the painter, who had now become the target of the plot. Yet behind him we see Yoon Seungho’s foot. The latter symbolizes the main lead feared to get close to him, but he wouldn’t leave his side. Moreover, this corresponds to the lord’s impulsive decisions, he let his foot guide him. Thus during the first night of the failed gangrape, he walked towards the study and stopped unconsciously, when he was next to the room. 
(chapter 53) Due to his strong denial, he was strolling not realizing that his feet were under the influence of his subconscious. And it was the same, when he opened the door with his foot at the Lees’ 
(chapter 67) Nonetheless, I believe that the author had another reason to draw the foot in the cover. The foot prints are the evidence of the crime, and as such the deceptions and the culprits. 
(chapter 59) 
(chapter 60) 
(chapter 61) The shoes were the clues how to recognize the perpetrators and accomplices. That’s why I compared these feet 
(chapter 59) with those 
. (chapter 66) My avid readers are already aware of my theory. For me, we have two kidnappers, and one tried to kill the artist! To conclude, Byeonduck left the clues how to unveil the mystery from the past and the present in the illustrations of each season. The paper in the second cover is a reference to the forged letter 
(chapter 56), but also to the theft of the painting
(chapter 56) and the painter’s break! At the end of season 2, he was no longer painting and in the beginning, he had also stopped due to his heartbreak. Simultaneously, we have the presence of water which serves as a connection to season 1 with the ruined painting and to season 3 with the well and drowning. The dark shades were an allusion to the lord’s darkness and suffering. The latter would come to the surface. However, since the cover only showed the lord’s foot, it exposes that the lord would not divulge his traumatic past. 
(chapter 78) In season 3, this time the main leads were facing each other, they were recognizing each other: their true self! But this stands in opposition to the deceased people without identity! (chapter 94) We never saw the face of the corpses, as they were either covered (chapter 97) or the manhwaphiles could only view the hand, 
, the back (chapter 97) or the clothes and shoes (chapter 100)! And since Min had disguised himself as Lee Jihwa, it was clear that the deceased shouldn’t be identified by their clothes, but by their faces. As you can see, season 3 was about the face and identity! This indicates that in the past, someone had been not identified correctly!! Why? It is because the main lead has long repressed this memory. He had forgotten his face out of fear and hatred. The only thing the victim remembers is the BEARD, and old bearded men! (chapter 44) And the nightmare exposed the number of persons involved in his suffering: 4 men!! 
Here, we have 3 men, and don’t forget the left hand from before. (chapter 74) But if I include the painting, then I come to 6 people: the patriach Yoon Chang-Hyeon and the king. This coincides with the cover from season 1: 3 hands indicates 3 people and we have two lovers in the background. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget the peeper, the person Yoon Seungho was looking at. Hence we have 6 people involved in the conspiracy.
But what caught my attention is that the illustration of season 2 and 3 are showing locations: the painter’s study and the bedchamber. Thus I conclude that Byeonduck was revealing the places where a crime was committed in the past and in the present. In the study, the painter lost his virginity, he was bullied or slapped, while in the past, Lee Jihwa stole Yoon Seungho’s first kiss. So in my opinion, the illustration for season 4 should be the gibang, unless we assume that the cover of season 1 is a reference to the kisaeng house! (chapter 1) Anyway, from my point of view, the cover of season 4 should indicate a location which is connected to the town. Why? It is because now I am suspecting commoners to be involved in the lord’s suffering. I have already expressed my theories about Kim, the guard blacks, Heena and the physician. But there are more suspects! Moreover, observe that the kisaeng house is not only visited by aristocrats, but also by commoners. 
(chapter 99) That’s the reason why I am anticipating a cover with the gibang. It would be the perfect place to find closure for the couple. It is a place where both suffered. Moreover, I think, belongings should serve as an evidence for the identification of the schemers and accomplices. Remember that we had the glasses as the evidence of a murder in season 3, yet I am sensing that the possession should serve to identify the perpetrators from the past and the present. Since the clothes were used to confuse people in season 3, I am assuming that in season 4, they should help to recognize people, but at the same time, it is totally possible that our main leads decide to employ the same method to fool the schemers and accomplices. And now, we have the cover for season 4. Both protagonists are not only facing each other, but also touching each other. They are no longer hiding their emotions and thoughts. 
This image represents the opposite to the other seasons. At the same time, the author is again referring to the bedchamber indicating that this place is strongly connected to the protagonists’ suffering. On the other side, since the painter is wearing a silk white shirt, it implies that he is not a commoner. This panel indicates that the main lead was able to the true owner of the study and even bed. However, due to the tears, the beholder can sense that this season will be painful as well. Striking is that in the cover, they were either alone, or they were just looking at each other, hence they didn’t pay attention to their surroundings. Consequently, they couldn’t sense the presence of a plot and the schemers. This indicates that the couple is still not prepared to face new schemes. To sum up, the author selected such covers because she had planned to leave clues there about the mystery! But wait… I had outlined that the person who grabbed the young master Seungho was left-handed, and he played a huge role in the main lead’s downfall and suffering! But who is left-handed in this story?
4. The mysterious left-handed
Naturally, I investigated the matter right away. My first suspect was Kim, but he seems to be right-handed! 
(chapter 12) 
(chapter 56). But then I noticed that he carried his master on the left side. 
(chapter 57) Nevertheless, the person threatening the painter was right-handed. 
(chapter 66) and since it is for me the butler, he was not the person from the nightmare. That’s the reason why I am excluding him from the suspect list. For me, if he was involved in the past, it is because he lit the candles 
(chapter 74). Furthermore, don’t forget that in his nightmare, the author exposed the presence of plates with 3 candles 
(chapter 74) which were also used in the shaman’s house. Finally, in this picture, we have a right-handed person. 
(chapter 74) So Kim could have been the one silencing him with his hand.
Then I realized that Yoon Chang-Hyeon had also switched his hand. In season 3, he slapped his son with his left hand. (chapter 86) Hence his right cheek was red and he had a wounded lip. 
(chapter 86) On the other hand, at the doctor’s office, he employed his right-hand to keep his son by his side. (chapter 57). Why is there this change? The turning point was the prank in the bedchamber. (chapter 83) During that scene, the father slapped his son with both hands. First with the right
(chapter 83), then with the left! Striking is that the author never showed, when the patriarch employed his left hand. The readers could only hear the sound, and see the result of the beating. Both cheeks were wounded. From my point of view, he was conditioned exactly like Min! He was not allowed to use his left hand, but the angrier he got, the less he could hide his true self: he was left-handed and he was a stupid and brutal father!! (chapter 74) However, note that this switch happened after the sexual abuse had started!! That’s the reason why I conclude that he is not the man from the nightmare. For me, the father is symbolized by the painting, just like the pedophile! So where is the left-handed person? So far, the fake servant smoked with his right hand. (chapter 37) On the other hand, I am doubting that Byeonduck will introduce many new characters in season 4. That’s the reason why I believe that the man with the pipe is the real schemer, as the pipe was in the annex. Since Min grabbed Baek Na-Kyum in the shaman’s house, I am more inclined to think that the perpetrator grabbing the young master Seungho by the collar was just an accomplice and not the mastermind. In other words, he was the helping hand.
And there are two persons left that fit the profile of a left-handed old bearded man. The physician!! 😮Notice that he placed his box on the left side and this twice!! (chapter 57) 
(Chapter 74) I don’t believe in hazard. Besides, the lord had his nightmare during the same chapter. This means that he could have leaked this information about Yoon Seungho to an outsider, like he did with the painter. As the manhwalovers can grasp, the physician is more suspicious than before.
As for the second person, it is none other than the calligrapher!!
(chapter 92) Besides, observe that the angry man put the brush on the left side. 
(chapter 92) The man is left-handed! And what did Yoon Seungho do? 
(chapter 92) He grabbed him by the collar! Exactly like in the dream!! (chapter 74) Thus I had this sudden idea: the calligrapher could have been Yoon Seungho’s teacher!! The latter became jealous of the young master due to his talent and notoriety. Another possibility is that he was commissioned by the elder master Yoon to write a talisman, a spring poetry, as we have these writings on the door 
(chapter 44) or patio of his mansion, similar to Heena’s. And since the young main lead suffered so much, it is normal that he doesn’t have such believes. IT is also possible that the young master Seungho played a prank which made the man angry and humiliated. As you can see, I come to the conclusion that jealousy and resent were the reasons why he got involved in the first place. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget that the calligrapher is linked to the kisaengs! He even recognized Baek Na-Kyum, as he called him a peasant. 
(chapter 92) Yet, he was either perceived as servant, a noblewoman or as a sir so far! He was never recognized as a peasant. Since he could identify the artist, it is also possible that he was also able to identify Yoon Seungho. But he thought that he was not well educated after living as a male kisaeng for so long. From my point of view, the man could have decided to get revenge on Yoon Seungho and participated in his abduction and gangrape!! Thus his karma was to lose his home! 
(chapter 91) The fact that Yoon Seungho grabbed him the same way than in the nightmare is not random. It was, as if he was getting justice. Honestly, I am more and more suspecting that in the past, Yoon Seungho got raped by commoners! Naturally, I have not changed my mind that the king was behind this plot: to get revenge on the Yoons! Who benefitted the most from the crime? Definitely the king, as he was able to ruin their influence.
Finally, I would like to remind the readers that according to me, the tailor is involved in the lord’s past suffering. However, according to me, there exist two tailors. While the other called the main lead “lord Yoon Seungho” 
(chapter 39), the other only recognizes him as master Yoon. (chapter 64) This means that the latter knows about the existence of elder master Yoon. Like mentioned above, the calligrapher, the physician, the tailor, the fake servant and the “shaman” from chapter 29 have all one thing in common: the beard!!
5. The other accomplices: the hanbok and the beards
Byeonduck left pieces of the puzzle in the covers in order to unveil the truth about the past and the present. Hence the moment the illustration is released, try to examine it attentively. It definitely gives clues about the evolution of the story, and the evidences concerning the perpetrators and helping hands. My recent discoveries led me to develop the following theory: the involvement of merchants. This man (chapter 83) disguised himself and hide his true identity behind “lord Song”. But is he the king or someone else? He was definitely a pedophile, but since we can’t see his face, it is not certain that it was the king. (chapter 83) Striking is that he is not “smoking here”, yet I had outlined that one abuser was a heavy smoker due to Yoon Seungho’s behavior. (chapter 83) On the other hand, I discovered that the man with the green hanbok was smoking! And why doesn’t the patriarch suspect the king behind the plot? It is because he was never officially banished or sent to exile. Thus he explains his desertion from the mansion as an absence. 
(chapter 86) Let’s not forget that in season 3, clothes were used to deceive Yoon Seungho, and the authorities played along. Besides, as the painter had become the love interest of Yoon Seungho and Black Heart, it is very likely that in the past, the victim was exposed to two different abusers, but they all hid behind the name: lord Song. Note that during this feast, one man had a moustache beard which is in Painter Of The Night the sign that he is no yanbang, not even chungin, the upper-middle class. He could be a rich merchant. Just because they are all wearing hanboks (chapter 83) 
(chapter 87), this doesn’t mean that these men belong to the aristocracy. Furthermore, Kim never said “nobles”, he just said “visitors”!! Finally, I would like to point out that since Yoon Seungho lived secluded for 10 years, I doubt that he had the means and the knowledge to be involved in the trade: (chapter 22) This theory of the participation of a merchant got even reinforced, when I made the following discovery. The wooden boxes in season 1 were present at the tailor‘s shop!! 
(chapter 39) Thus I am deducing that the barn in season 2 
(chapter 51) could have belonged to the tailor or the owner of this shop. And note the couple was in the same position than with the kisaeng with No-Name in episode 51! 
(chapter 51) This was the negative reflection from episode 39: no penetration versus penetration, no interruption versus interruption, no rumor versus rumor etc. And this contrast clearly displays that the tailor shop is involved in Yoon Seungho’s suffering. And the best evidence for this is the nightmare. The main lead’s clothes had a design. (chapter 74) and the readers never saw the protagonist wearing it so far!! So where is this special hanbok? The latter is the evidence of the tailor’s involvement, as he had to create it. To conclude, there is a strong connection between the gibang, the tailor and the trade. And now, you comprehend why I am more than ever suspecting commoners’ complicity in the main lead’s suffering.
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Protected: Painter Of The Night: The hidden painter of the night 🎨🖌️ 🖼️ (second version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Truthful Flowers 🌸🌺🌹🥀 (second version)
Painter Of The Night / A Sip Of Poison: A Question Of Perspective: The loss of the topknot 💇🏻♂️ (second version)
This is where you can read the manhwas. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/sip_poison This manhwa is mature. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/ I also used briefly Doctor Frost again which I highly recommend to my readers. https://www.webtoons.com/en/mystery/dr-frost/list?title_no=371 If you want to read more essays about other manhwas, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/
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1. Castration or abandonment?
Anyone reading my previous analyses about Painter Of The Night will certainly recall that I had perceived the loss of the topknot as a castration. Why? In Joseon, the topknot was given to men the moment they became adults and this Coming-Of-Age ceremony took place just before a marriage. [For more read the essay “Coming Of Age”] In other words, no topknot meant no marriage and as such no responsibility and maturity. However, this is important to recall that the loss of the topknot was brought up in a different context. It was mentioned for the first time in the painter’s statement. (Chapter 1) When Baek Na-Kyum remembered his noona’s words about Yoon Seungho, he connected it to the loss of his future lover’s topknot. Here, the gesture had a different meaning. By cutting off his hair, the father was acting, as if he was abandoning his son. According to social norms, the hair was considered as a heritage from the parents. So if Yoon Chang-Hyeon had truly done it, the latter was showing that he was no longer considering the main lead as his son. While the rumor about the haircut gave the impression that the elder master Yoon was a honest and honorable noble, anyone can perceive the elder master’s action differently: the father is a coward, a selfish, ruthless and disloyal lord, especially the moment it is revealed that Yoon Seungho was abused sexually, physically and mentally. Let’s not forget that the protagonist used to live in the shed, for he was viewed as an animal. His situation reflected the father’s betrayal and abandonment. It doesn’t matter if he had been manipulated, because in the end, he made the decision to treat his son as a slave. He refused to send for a physician. To sum up, the loss of the topknot in this rumor would be judged as the epitome for cruelty and intolerance!! This shows that the loss of the hair in Painter Of The Night has actually many significations: castration, mercilessness and abandonment.
Then it occurred to me that the painter has been cutting off his hair all this time because of his noona. (Chapter 94) In this scene, the painter was rejected by the children, for he had no braid. Due to his hair dress, he was recognized as orphan immediately. The justification was that that way, the artist would appear more boyish. But by mentioning the loss of Yoon Seungho’s topknot, Heena was actually revealing that she knew the true signification of the haircut: abandonment and intolerance. Her words to her brother exposed her hypocrisy, though she attempted to portray the elder master as respectable. One might argue that when Na-Kyum was just a child, she had suggested the short hair, for she had good intentions. But after this experience with the children, the noona should have grasped the wrongness of her decision. She should have admitted her bad decision and stopped the painter from cutting his hair. Moreover, don’t forget that Na-Kyum was just a young boy, so the haircut must have been done by Heena herself. This shows that her gesture actually divulged her future behavior: she would betray and abandon the painter constantly (season 1, 2 and 3). At the same time, since the painter was seen with short hair in chapter 68 
, this indicates that Heena kept cutting Baek Na-Kyum’s hair. So even in the past, she was betraying her brother, though the latter never realized it. The loss of hair could never be viewed as a sign of love or empathy, for it contributed to the painter’s abandonment issues and his self-loathing. He was suffering as an outcast and due to his girly features. The men in the gibang could mistreat him, for he had no long hair or topknot. Why? (Chapter 94) He had no parents or guardians protecting him which is true, for here he was exposed to violence. Heena, as the head-kisaeng, had not protected him at all, she must definitely have portrayed herself as powerless. Yet as a slave of the state, she was belonging to the king. So she had connections to officers and the court. In my eyes, the head-kisaeng made sure that the artist could never get a topknot, and as such he would never be able to become a “noble” or even a man. Hence Baek Na-Kyum was constantly called boy 
(Chapter 56) 
(Chapter 59) 
(chapter 66) and treated as one too. This observation made me realize that Heena’s belief could be used as an explanation for her action (cutting off his hair): she hates nobles so much that she didn’t allow her brother to have a topknot. But why would she do that? My idea is that deep down, she resented him, for he was a free man, while she was a slave. It went so far that he was encouraged to wear a white headband, the symbol for servitude, though he is no slave! To conclude, the loss of hair in Joseon should be perceived as a brutal and harsh punishment. Without a topknot, one is left unprotected, is not viewed as an adult. But this stands in opposition to Yoon Seungho’s action in front of Jung In-Hun’s home. 
(Chapter 101) Here, the lord had spared his friend’s life.
2. The loss of the topknot: Symbol for forgiveness?
As you may have noticed, I often use other manhwas as a source of inspiration for my interpretations concerning Painter Of The Night. In the story “A Sip of Poison”, the main lead, the prince Nan-Woo 
(Chapter 23) cuts off the hair of the general Woo Jong Han, because he had committed crimes. First, he hid the fact that his sister had had a child before getting married to the emperor, which was actually a huge sin. The future Empress should have been a virgin. To sum up, he had committed treason, for he had allowed his sister to become Empress unrightfully. Then the field marshal had treated his niece as a slave violating social norms. 
(chapter 34) That way, he assisted his sister to become powerful by covering up for her crimes (silence and passivity). She had killed many people to hide her previous relationship and to increase her power. Striking is that the prince still spared Baek-Ha’s uncle, and this for many reasons. First, the latter had not only saved both protagonists, the empress’ illegitimate daughter Baek-Ha and the prince Nan-Woo, but also had admitted his sins. Secondly, he was thinking of his wife Baek-Ha who is kind-hearted. He knew that his death could upset his bride. 
(chapter 26) But there is more to it. Nan-Woo didn’t spare the man out of benevolence. 
(chapter 26) He had a role to play. By cutting off his topknot, the general lost his “power”, he became the prince’s pawn! Nan-Woo wished to use the uncle in order to get rid of the Empress. 
(chapter 23) That way, the protagonist wouldn’t even have to dirty his own hands. On the other hand, we could also say that Nan-Woo was forcing the Empress’ brother to undo his bad decision. 
(chapter 23) Since he had protected his sister Seo-Ha out of affection, it was normal that now he had to show no mercy towards her. By presenting Baek -Ha to Nan-Woo, the general was well aware that the future ruler would recognize the female lead’s origins due to her resemblance to her mother. Therefore, we could interpret that Nan-Woo had spared the general, for the latter had switched sides and expressed the wish to undo his wrongdoings.
As you can see, Woo Jong Han shows many similarities with the second lead from Painter Of The Night: he was an accomplice of the real culprit, as he never intervened. He is connected to the notion: pity, knowledge, silence and passivity. Because Seo-Ha was his sister, as a dutiful older brother, he felt obligated to protect her. He was not blinded by greed like his donsaeng. This explicates why on the one hand, he saved Baek Ha’s life, on the other hand he still treated her as a slave in order to hide his sister’s wrongdoing. He felt torn between his obligation towards his younger sister and his empathy for his niece, Baek-Ha. Consequently, it is no coincidence that he once warmed her feet with his hands after the young girl had complained about her cold feet. Moreover, she received an education contrary to all the other slaves. He was caught in the middle, exactly like Lee Jihwa who had an attachment towards the main lead, yet he was still bound by social norms to his father. He needed to protect the family’s reputation. So when I saw this scene, (chapter 23) I couldn’t help myself thinking of Lee Jihwa and Yoon Seungho. How could the latter view the loss of a topknot as a gesture of leniency?
(Chapter 101) It is because he must have witnessed it himself in the past. I have already pointed out that Yoon Seungho would imitate people, especially his tormentors. So where did he learn from? I believe, Yoon Seungho copied it from someone… and this can only be “lord Song”. And now, the first loss of Lee Jihwa’s topknot can be perceived in a different perspective. The red-haired master was well aware that he had been spared, when he had lost his hair for the first time. 
(Chapter 101) He knew deep down that thanks to his friend, he had been able to escape the worst. Since he had been spared once, he was well aware that this time, the ruler would show no leniency and would ask for his head, as the main lead was no longer protecting him. Remember what the lord had whispered to Baek Na-Kyum: (chapter 88) (chapter 88) By cutting off the friend’s hair, he was showing that he was abandoning his friend. He was leaving him behind, and Lee Jihwa was forced to face lord Song alone. (Chapter 83) This time, he had not his father by his side either. The latter could not protect him too. I had already voiced this theory before, as it would explain why Lee Jihwa is masking the man’s face. And note that Nan-Woo from A Sip Of Poison cut off the topknot, as he is already acting as the future ruler. Another important detail caught my attention. Just before receiving his sentence, Woo Jong-Han made an oath, 
(chapter 23), he swore loyalty to the future emperor. This signifies that the topknot also symbolizes faithfulness, especially because it is connected to marriage. Thus I deduce that when Lee Jihwa lost his topknot for the first time, he was already judged as disloyal. Hence it is no coincidence when the antagonist screams that he would become the target of lord Song’s fury.
But the red-haired noble could never reveal the king’s meddling, as his relationship with Yoon Seungho was a secret. Hence he needed to blame someone: The Yoons! I had already exposed that the words from the noble with the mole were ambiguous and as such deceiving. 
(Chapter 59) First, lord Yoon could be a reference to the father and not only the son. Secondly, he implied that he had witnessed the scene, yet in reality he could have been referring to the outcome: the friend’s hair cut, just like the noona had only seen the hickeys on her brother’s neck. She had never witnessed the sex session. The noble with the mole assumed the perpetrator’s behavior, rage, based on the hair loss. Moreover, he could have been telling the truth: he had never seen Yoon Seungho so angry before, as the latter used to be weak in the past due to his social status: he was a male kisaeng due to his braid. This explicates why the noble with the purple robe would give an order to the host 
(chapter 8) He felt himself superior to Yoon Seungho, and never expected “disobedience” or “rage” from the protagonist. Striking is that the lord didn’t vent his anger onto him, he first smiled before grabbing him by the topknot. 
(Chapter 8) A simple change of hair dress had transformed the main lead. This exposes the gods’ intervention in this story. They let the man with the mole see the wrongness of his manipulations. Since he had stated that he had never seen the man so angry, his words became a reality in 3 occasions: chapter 8 like mentioned above, chapter 53 
, for he was not present, chapter 57 
in the inn. Here, he chose to run away, yet despite everything he still helped his friend Black Heart, for he was present in the gibang.
(Chapter 69) Under this new light, this panel from Twitter get a total new meaning: 
The aristocrat knew about the true identity of “lord Song”, and he had indeed never seen the man so angry that he would cut off the topknot of a noble!! This means that the fate of the noble with the mole should be to end up as the lord’s new plaything. In other words, he takes over the main lead’s previous status. He becomes the male kisaeng and ends up living in the shed like the protagonist in the past where the pedophile vents his rage and resent him for his tricks. But we will see.
Another important detail caught my attention: the noble with the mole judged the loss of the topknot as a harsh punishment 
(chapter 59) Furthermore, he associated it to abandonment too. 
(Chapter 59) Yet, observe the drop of sweat. This exposes that neither Min nor the noble with the mole were expecting that Lee Jihwa would be spared!! They acted, as if the loss of the topknot couldn’t be a sign of mercy. But observe what Lee Jihwa was recalling, when the “friend” was talking about abandonment. 
(Chapter 59) He was by the protagonist’s side! This means that lord Song had spared Lee Jihwa’s life, for he had been present, when Yoon Seungho was suffering. Till the middle of season 2, no one was aware of the fallout between Lee Jihwa and the protagonist. None of the incidents in season 1 was leaked to the outside, hence the “pedophile” was not officially aware of the red-haired master’s wrongdoings. But the loss of hair in front of the learned sir’s house becomes the proof that the main lead has now left his friend’s side. He will be blamed for his suicide. Therefore it is not surprising that the young master chose to run away. 
(Chapter 101) He knew that the ruler would show no leniency or understanding. Thus the noble with the mole’s karma should be to keep his topknot. That way, he will realize that if he had lost his topknot like Jihwa, his torment would be short-lived and as such it was a sign of mercy. But in this image, it doesn’t look like it. He will suffer for hours and even days before even losing his life. Now, he will be able to see and experienced how enraged or lenient the culprit for the loss of Lee Jihwa’s topknot was towards the antagonist.
The manhwaphiles should keep in their mind the following two rules: the painter’s fate mirrors the lord’s, since the story is constructed like a kaleidoscope. And now, look at this: 
(chapter 27) The painter had saved his teacher’s life, and later the lord had restrained himself from hurting the scholar in the courtyard despite Jung In-Hun’s lies and lack of respect (he had touched the man’s shoulder). 
(Chapter 30) Here again, the scholar had been spared. Then in episode 53, the painter had embraced the lord to stop him from killing Deok-Jae. This means that Yoon Seungho must have also saved people in the past by using his body, and this twice, for I had detected the presence of two circles: Yoon Chang-Hyeon and Lee Jihwa. That’s the reason why the father could survive the purge, and why Lee Jihwa only lost his topknot. And the heroine from A Sip Of Poison can serve as an example. (chapter 26) The red-haired noble was able to escape death thanks to Yoon Seungho. But Lee Jihwa had to hide from others that he had been punished by the king, hence Father Yoon and Yoon Seungho got blamed (chapter 1 and 59). And now, you have the explanation why father Lee accepted to receive the main lead in his mansion. 
(Chapter 1) As long as the latter was living there, the Lees had nothing to worry. The main lead was protecting them from the king. However, the manhwalovers should keep in their mind that Nan-Woo had showed mercy to the general for his own interests. He should become his helping hand in order to obtain the throne. Hence I come to the following deduction: neither Nan-Woo nor the “perpetrator” had cut off the topknot out of real leniency. This shows that for these characters, the loss of the topknot is not the symbol for forgiveness which is not true for the last incident with Lee Jihwa. (chapter 101) Why? It is because the main lead had no intention to use his friend as a pawn. There was no pledge of loyalty… in truth, in this scene, Yoon Seungho was truly cutting ties with the second lead.
But if the pedophile chose to employ the young master after the loss of the topknot, what was his role? In my opinion, it was to keep Yoon Seungho by his side. The pedophile had slowly recognized that he could never separate these two boys, and without him by his side, Yoon Seungho would still reject him. In my eyes, the main lead had followed his friend. Under this new light, the manhwaworms can comprehend why father Lee accepted to let the main lead stay in his mansion. He could secure his position, yet pay attention that despite the topknot, he was still dressed so poorly. 
(chapter 1) Even the headband was different. This was no coincidence. He should never develop confidence and act as a lord. That’s how I recognized the following pattern. In front of the painter who looked like a minor, the main lead was forced to act like an adult. Thanks to the painter, he was encouraged to mature. Simultaneously this meant that at some point, while living with the Lees, the elder master Lee had to be confronted with the truth: his son’s sodomy.
Under this new light, it becomes understandable why Heena and Kim called the main lead a bird of misfortune. 
(Chapter 86) The reality was that the pedophile was the bad omen, but they couldn’t insult the king. Hence the young main lead became the scapegoat, people couldn’t separate the pedophile from Yoon Seungho. The “mysterious lord Song” would never give up on the protagonist. No matter what he would keep him by his side.
But like pointed out in an earlier analysis, Black Heart and his friend were definitely the reason why the red-haired master had to lose his topknot. From my point of view, this is related to this night, (chapter 1) and Lee Jihwa had no idea about it. Hence the painter got framed. On the other hand, Black Heart and his friend had to spy on Lee Jihwa in order to know about his ignorance concerning their “prank”. At the same time, they could only get intrigued, why the mysterious lord Song would behave that way, though he had been treating the main lead as a male kisaeng. Towards Yoon Seungho, he was quite selfish and cruel. The discrepancy in the treatment (mercy versus ruthlessness) could only surprise the young nobles. And this observation led me to the following question. Why would Heena mention the topknot to her brother in order to manipulate him? The kisaeng was well aware that he had witnessed the sex party in the kisaeng house, for this image represents a memory from the artist. It is to divert his attention: he should never connect Yoon Seungho to the braided man!! If he had a topknot, then he could never be the one doing the fellatio to the man with the purple hanbok!! But if the painter had pondered a little more, he should have realized his noona’s lies. She mentioned the loss of a topknot, but yet the smiling hell-raiser still had a topknot: 
(chapter 1) Moreover, we shouldn’t overlook the publications with the braided man: 
(Chapter 1) Baek Na-Kyum was not supposed to recognize the identity of the man having sex with the bearded man. From my point of view, Heena made sure to confuse her brother. Lee Jihwa’s humiliation became Yoon Seungho’s stigma. He became the culprit. Since in the past, the main lead had been blamed for everything, the perpetrators and accomplices chose to follow this “tradition”, because so far, they had been able to cover up their crimes. But thanks to the painter, it is no longer possible. Why? It is because the painter’s hair dress will serve as a mirror of truth: the absence of a topknot due to the braid and the hair cut will be perceived as an evidence for abandonment, cruelty and huge wrongdoing. This won’t be seen as a gesture of mercy or leniency by the two protagonists, for they suffered because of it!! That’s the reason why I am thinking that the pedophile’s karma should be the loss of the topknot which he viewed as a gesture of mercy and tolerance. But without the topknot, he is actually “castrated”, and as such humiliated for he can not wear his golden sangtu. 
Yet, contrary to Lee Jihwa’s haircut, the loss of the topknot should not be judged as the symbol of mercy and forgiveness, in fact, the lord would officially cut ties with him. That’s how the mysterious Lord Song would be taught an important lesson: he was a huge hypocrite and a violent and ruthless pervert.
3. The tool for the loss of the topknot
Once again, A Sip Of Poison inspired me. The prince Nan-Woo asked his assistant Yoon 
(chapter 23) to give him a knife: 
(chapter 23) before grabbing Woo Jang-Hon by his topknot 
(chapter 23). Hence the hair fell between the men. 
(chapter 23) And now, let’s return our attention to Painter Of The Night. Compare the position of the aristocrat’s topknot after Yoon Seungho had punished his friend. 
(chapter 101) It was behind him!! Thus I deduce that he had used the sword, when Lee Jihwa had approached his friend. But wait… in season 1 and 2, Byeonduck drew scenes with a knife:
- Chapter 18:
And what had happened before? Yoon Seungho had dragged his friend by the topknot before stabbing the amateur spy. This is no coincidence. - Chapter 57:
When this chapter had been released, I had assumed that this must have happened, when Yoon Seungho had lost his topknot! As you can see, I had already connected the knife to the loss of the topknot incident. - However, note that the weapon was used to threaten the painter
(chapter 66)
That’s the reason why I am assuming that when Lee Jihwa lost his topknot for the first time, the mysterious lord Song must have used a knife and cut off the young master’s hair. Hence Byeonduck created such a picture where Lee Jihwa was put in a similar situation: