This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
In the chapter 53, we discover that Yoon Seungho is in denial about his affection for the painter. 
The cause for his dismissal is that he believes, he always made decisions influenced by his deep thinking and never recognized that behind his actions, it was his heart influencing his mind. Because of the opposition between mind and heart, I couldn’t help myself connecting this to the famous quote made by the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal:
“Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point”. “The heart has its reasons that reason doesn’t know.”
With this citation, the author means that the mind is unable to understand the justifications and decisions made by the heart. As you can observe, love has nothing to do with logic and rationale, yet the main lead thought that all his choices were made consciously. He viewed his mind as the supreme authority, while it was not the reality. In other words, he was blind to his own heart and confused the heart with the mind. This is not surprising that on his way out, he is acting like a blind person. While he is walking, his mind is focused so much on his thoughts that he doesn’t realize where he is going.
Observe that his eyes are focused on the door facing him and he keeps walking straight, until he pauses due to the scream he hears coming from the painter’s room. The reality is that he is actually acting on his impulses and emotions. He is definitely enraged because he was mocked by Min. He keeps denying the noble’s words and even tries to convince himself that what he has with the painter is nothing special. 
It is really complicated to pinpoint exactly what he was thinking here. Either he really wanted to bring the artist or he desired to let Min believe that he had finally given in and had planned something else. For me, I have some doubt that he was looking for the painter. His emotions were all over the place but he kept reassuring himself that Baek Na-Kyum and him had just a physical relationship. He was mad and he tried to convince his mind that the painter meant nothing to him. However, what caught my attention is that while he recalls his decision from that night, he sees the painter’s sleeping face. 
Back then, he felt the need to share what was on his heart, mistaking that his kiss and caress were motivated by his mind. What he really wants to share is not his mind but his heart but his eyes are not able to distinguish the difference. Because of the link between the heart, the mind and the blindness, I had a sudden revelation:
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
This means that only love or friendship can help you to distinguish what matters in life. The real values will become visible, the moment you recognize your heart. Do you know where this quote is coming from? The Little Prince, a famous work written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. And now, you know what the topic of this essay will be: a comparison between The Little Prince and Painter Of The Night. Before starting with the comparison, I need to explain the story and its signification of The Little Prince.
When you look at this picture, you have the impression that this is a book addressed to children, although it is actually quite the opposite. This famous work is in fact classified as a philosophical tale. First, the author was criticizing through this fiction our modern society… People should know that it was written during World War Two, where reasoning was misused to the extreme (see my analysis Baek Na-Kyum’s confessions part 1 and 6) therefore he wanted people to question themselves and their values. The main points are the following:
– the contrast between appearances and reality
– the incapacity of communicating between adults and children and people in general
– the importance of relationships among people and to take care of them
– the sense of responsibility towards others
– the loss of true values due to money and power (represented by different kind of adults: the king, the drunkard, the geographer as scientist, the businessman, the vain man and the streetlight igniter)
In The Little Prince, the adults are portrayed in a pejorative way: their lives consist of dependencies (alcohol, the need of admiration, the greed to possess etc.), of loneliness and lack of feelings. The main protagonist might be the little prince, yet this fiction is told from the perspective of an adult. The narrator is an aviator whose plane crashed in the desert and there, he meets the little prince. Yet the story doesn’t start with their encounter, it starts with the narration about the aviator’s childhood. It is important as it represents the key of the story. Because of his bad experience with adults, the narrator decided to grow up and give up on his imagination and creativity. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry associates these values to innocence and childhood. In other words, the narrator was incited to give up on his childhood. The cause for this change were drawings. Once he painted an elephant eaten by a boa and the adults couldn’t understand the picture.
They rejected it as they claimed, it was impossible in reality. They forced him to drop his passion, drawing, because he always had to give explications to his pictures. That’s why he chose his career as pilot and became like all the adults, a pragmatic person using his reason all the time. In the whole book, adults are criticized, they prefer numbers over emotions and simple things like laugh f. ex. They are often portrayed as superficial and narrow-minded.
However, by meeting the little prince, the narrator rediscovers the importance of innocence and childhood. As a conclusion, one of the main messages of this philosophical tale is that adults should keep the inner child in them, they should stop using too much the reason and mind so that they are able to realize what matters in life. If you have the time, then I encourage you to read this wonderful work, full of deep meanings, although it really looks like a fairy tale due to the title and the pictures. In reality, the images are addressed to adults, to let them rediscover the child in them they abandoned because of reality. The author is encouraging people that despite growing up, they should keep an innocent and pure side in themselves, hence the readers discover this quote in The little Prince
“All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.”
We have a scene in the manhwa where the contrast between adulthood and childhood is illustrated. 
The children can indeed enjoy the beauty in simple things, while the scholar’s mind is only focus on his books and his hunger for power and admiration. 
Therefore he can’t really enjoy life as he is left unsatisfied with his situation. As you can observe, the manhwa offers a similar philosophy. Jung In-Hun is just an adult who lost his inner child a long time ago.
And now, it is time to focus on the characters from the philosophical tale. You can imagine to which person I am associating Yoon Seungho, it’s the narrator and aviator. He truly resembles Yoon Seungho a lot. He is an adult through and through, using his mind all the time. That’s why he doesn’t know happiness and joy. Furthermore, their situations are similar. The pilot is in the desert, feeling lonely and facing a dangerous situation. The main lead in Painter of The Night is lonely as well. He might meet many people but he doesn’t share his thoughts to others. Furthermore, his sex sessions are fights so we could say, he has to face a certain danger as well. He needs to live up to people’s expectations: an infamous hell-raiser. A desert is like hell and for Yoon Seungho life has nothing to offer. He is already living in hell. From my point of view, just like the pilot, he was also forced to grow up, to face reality and used his reason and mind to survive… and everything happened because of an adult, his father. I am quite sure that father Yoon never loved his son, just viewed him as a tool for his own interests. And when his life and position were threatened due to the purge, he chose to betray and abandon his son in order to survive. The latter became an adult through really bad experiences. He hasn’t even recovered from it yet, therefore his hand is shaking in Yoon Seung-Won’s presence and he keeps having a nightmare, the moment he meets one member from his former family.
In fact, his inner child died at the moment he got betrayed by his own father so that he stopped living for real. He was like a zombie, the mind was the only proof that he wasn’t truly dead. His thoughts were the remains of his existence and this explains why he detests the idea that he is a man consumed by lust. For him, the body was just a tool thereby he never paid attention to his own body. His sex sessions were just a tool to deceive people, to hurt his father and ensure that he wouldn’t get wounded again. This explicates why he is no big eater, why he was even willing to give his whole lunch to the artist.
He only existed through the mind and his eyes. That’s why he can’t see and recognize his own heart even after meeting the painter.
And now, you can already envision who the little prince is. This is our beloved Baek Na-Kyum whom I strangely related to a lamb during the first season. The irony is that when the aviator and The Little Prince met in the desert, the latter asks the aviator to draw him a sheep. Since the narrator hasn’t drawn for a long time, he paints an elephant eaten by a boa and strangely, the boy understands the meaning of the drawing perfectly. However, the boy is not satisfied with this and keeps requiring his sheep. By each new drawing, he complains about the picture: too ill, too old etc. At the end, the aviator designs a box telling him that the sheep was inside.
The little prince accepts the image with the explication. This outlines that only imagination matters in a painting. As time passes on, the aviator gets closer to him and rediscovers his passion and talent: drawing. They become friends without realizing it. Striking is that in both words, the painting is important. Sure, in the manhwa, the roles are reversed. The lord is the one asking the low-born to draw him erotic pictures. However, remember painting is related to imagination and creativity which are both associated to childhood by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. And we know for sure that Baek Na-Kyum was inspired by his own creativity, when he started painting erotic picture of sodomy in his childhood.
They were the expressions of his innocence and purity in the end, which the aristocrat felt. We could say that through the publications, the noble rediscovered the forgotten childhood and innocence. And this coincidences with the narrator’s life. The latter used to love painting but was forced to renounce his passion, painting. So by meeting Baek Na-Kyum, the lord is encouraged to paint again. 
(chapter 8) 
(chapter 23) 
(chapter 36)
On the other hand, the topic of Baek Na-Kyum’s painting had nothing to do with innocence and purity, as they were all showing sex. However, I interpret that the boy was longing for love, and already knew about his sexual orientation. He saw it as something natural and nothing embarrassing. In his eyes, sex was an expression of love, which was unusual for this historical period. Sex was related to marriage, family and procreation. With this signification, the manhwa sends one message: homosexuality is no abnormity, it is also a form of love. So when the aristocrat discovered Baek Na-Kyum’s erotic publications, he sensed the naturality, purity and warmth in these paintings. That’s why he felt so moved and he needed them for his sexual activities. Before, he had to use subterfuges to fake erections. This is no surprise when he meets the painter for the first time, he is full of joy and innocence. 
Remember when he even grabs the painter’s hands, he is treasuring them. There is indeed a certain candidness in his gestures and comments.
The erotic paintings were the fire to ignite the main lead’s heart. The inner child was awaken. Therefore he is again happy like a little child, when the artist appears at his chamber in the chapter 8. 
Thanks to the painter, the lord’s heart started beating again. He was able to reconnect with emotions that were buried by his huge trauma. However, since he had to use strategies to force the painter to paint, he explained everything with his eyes and mind. Although the low-born rejected him in the chapter 49, the aristocrat overlooked an important aspect: 
The heart. Baek Na-Kyum’s heart is racing in the lord’s presence so this is definitely more than physical attraction. Another parallel with the French story is the value of responsibilities. The aviator and the prince become responsible for each other, while they live in the desert. And this is what is occurring in the manhwa. Yoon Seungho takes his responsibility for the low-born 
and it is the same for the painter. The latter is the one who offers comfort and warmth to the lord, only him can soothe the noble’s extreme emotions.
Since the painter is the little prince, we have to explain how he came to meet the aviator in the desert. He comes from a planet, where one day a rose suddenly appeared. Before, he worked every day, cleaned the planet. On his planet, he had to remove baobab seeds and to clean volcano chimneys so that they wouldn’t explode. And now, you can envision my smile, while writing this. Remember that from the start, I kept comparing the aristocrat to an dormant volcano, which erupted each time he was in a huge conflict with the painter. The latter was the spark to initiate the fire, he was the one who brought him back to life. However, the more time he spent with him, the calmer and the more patient our protagonist became. Notice that the little prince brought tranquility and regularity to his planet, as he cleaned the chimneys each day. This is exactly what is happening to our protagonist. Only the artist is able to calm the main lead.
Note the parallels between the little prince and the painter. Both symbolize innocence and purity. They are also hard-working and dedicated. They are social, although the manhwalovers shouldn’t forget that both the little prince and the artist came from a secluded place. The brothel is not a place where many children come by and where people want to chat with the gisaengs. As you sense, they were quite secluded, however they felt comfortable there. But if the little prince lived on his own on his planet and was happy, what made him leave his place?
If you look at the planet, you’ll notice a rose protected by a glass bell. The little prince fell in love with the rose but the latter was vain and quite arrogant. The flower requested a lot of things from the boy so that at the end, he couldn’t bear it any longer. He became unhappy as he was wounded by the rudeness and selfishness of the rose. At the end, he decided to leave her. The rose recognized her faults and even apologized. Finally she confessed her love to the boy, yet never asked him to remain by her side. She wished him happiness and tried to hide her tears before his departure. She regretted her behavior but she didn’t attempt to change the prince’s mind. She just complained that both were stupid to realize their feelings for each other. However, in this story the boy only realizes that he felt love for his rose after landing on earth. It took him a long time to recognize what love really is. For that, he needed a guide. Now, if the manhwalovers compare the philosophical tale with Painter Of The Night, they’ll detect some parallels between the rose and the scholar. Both represents the love of the innocent main lead. Furthermore, Jung In-Hun and the rose are arrogant, stupid, vain and selfish. The painter had to leave the scholar’s side too. However, the huge contrast is that the teacher never regretted anything, he felt no remorse for the physical and emotional abuse on the painter. Besides, he never cried for the low-born, while the rose was genuine. Nonetheless out of pride, the flower tried to hide her tears and sadness. With the departure of the prince, it is implied that the rose will die as there is no one to take care of her. She is already coughing. However, like I explained before, the low-born mistakes his admiration for love. His mind has been manipulated and influenced by the low noble and his noona, hence he is blind to the obvious. Just like our powerful protagonist, both ignore their hearts. One doesn’t know that his heart is beating again, while the other was constantly repressing his deepest desires at the beginning. He wouldn’t listen to his heart, just only his mind which was actually the scholar’s mind. Now, it is a little different. He is accepting his sexual desires, the mind is no longer controlling his body. However, the painter hasn’t recognized the meaning behind the racing of his heart.
Just like in the philosophical tale “Candide”, the little prince is learning through experiences. After leaving his planet, he meets different kind of adults, all of them living isolated on a planet. His initiatory journey makes him realize the danger of adulthood. The first one is a king who gives orders to the little prince. The latter questions his position as king, as there is no one else next to the king. The latter believes his power is unlimited and doesn’t recognize the absurdity of his situation. Here, the author wanted to criticize the futility of power. A person can’t truly rule over nature as he can’t control it. Then the monarch can’t truly rule over people as the latter can just refuse to obey the orders. Strangely, I couldn’t restrain myself to associate the king to our protagonist Yoon Seungho as well. The latter had to learn through the hard way that his power meant nothing in front of the painter. The latter kept rejecting him, criticizing him and even challenging him with his authority. It took him a long time to realize this… he was on the verge of abdicating, when he finally changed his approach.
Observe the painting is what brings them back together. This is no coincidence, since imagination and creativity are important for children. Then if I had to compare all the other adults, I would say that Jung In-Hun is a combination of the geographer and the conceited man. The former lives in his books and makes no experience, he doesn’t visit the places he reads in his books. He has no idea about real life and the conceited man lives in order to get admired. The scholar is often seen in company of books
and has no idea about the real world, therefore the lord warned him before his departure to the city. As for the conceited man, since he is alone on his planet, he is left unsatisfied. And we all know how arrogant and conceited the low noble is. The two adults represent each of them a negative feature which people should avoid in their life. Knowledge is good but without experience, it is reduced to nothing.
As you can sense, the little prince and the narrator stand both on opposite sides, yet after their meeting, they discover what they were both missing which coincides with our protagonists: childhood/innocence versus knowledge/experience. The pilot rediscovers his creativity and innocence but he shares his knowledge and experience to the little prince. This is the same with Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho. Besides, both of them stand on the opposite side of the social hierarchy reinforcing the contrast. In other words, they both change for the better. While the lord teaches the painter critical thinking, the former experiences what it means to take care of his partner. He makes many experiences, positive and negative, yet from them he is able to learn and change indeed for the better. While the pilot realizes the importance of friendship, as the boy becomes his companion and confident, the lord feels the same need: he wants to share what is on his mind… he would like to communicate his thoughts and feelings. As you can sense, the noble was not realizing that he desired to share his heart.
On the other hand, the prince makes on earth a huge discovery: he learns what friendship and love are. How does he know these?
Before encountering the pilot, the little prince meets a fox. The former tells him that he is looking for friends to which the fox replies, he can’t become his friend as he is not tamed. Hence the animal proposes a deal to the boy. The latter should tame him as taming signifies bonding. “if you want a friend, tame me”.
Now, you can observe how similar both works are. Right from the start I kept saying that the painter has been slowly taming the protagonist, an eagle, and the latest chapter (53) proves me that this metaphor was totally correct. The painter tamed Yoon Seungho, was even willing to get wounded in the process in order to soothe the lord’s anger. The hug signifies their special relationship.
The huge difference here is that taming is not connected to friendship but to love. However, as you can observe, the protagonists in both stories are making the same experiences. They learn the true value of love and friendship, they make bad experiences. One encounters terrible adults which resembles a lot to the painter’s past tragedies. The main lead made him suffer, yet everything was caused by the scholar… Remember that if the rose had treated the boy nicely, he would have never left his own planet. On the other hand, Yoon Seungho is discovering the innocence and purity through the painter. He comes back to life, as he reconnects with his inner child and his heart.
Another similarity is when thanks to the fox, the little prince realizes how unique his rose was:
“It’s the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important.”
And unique reminds us of the lord’s word at the beginning of the chapter: “special”. He refused to admit that Baek Na-Kyum was special to him.
The fox plays a huge role in the philosophical tale as he embodies knowledge and wisdom. In other words, he is the opposite of cunningness, which is usually related to the fox. Now, you already anticipate who the fox in Painter of The Night is. It’s Min. He is the one who tells Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho what the lord feels for the low-born. Yet, in this story, Min is far from wise and well-intentioned. That’s why he kisses the painter. 
Through his gesture, he reveals the secret. The lord likes the painter. In The Little Prince, the fox also unveils a huge secret:
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Striking is that his nickname “Black Heart” fits so well. Since he sees with his heart, he can recognize the true nature of their relationship. The problem is that neither the low-born nor the powerful lord were using their hearts in order to perceive their affection for each other, both were using their mind:
The lord confuses his mind with his heart. And the painter is in the same situation. He got hurt, when he saw the kiss between Min and his lord. However, he tried to rationalize this incident. 
He shouldn’t feel wounded. On the other hand, he kept asking why. As you can see, the painter’s mind is controlling his heart. I had the impression that he would be the first one to recognize his emotions, because he is the only one who talks about his heart. Notice the resemblance to the famous citation. The artist mentions his eyes and heart, just the the fox: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Yet, I had underestimated the strength in the artist’s will and mind. That’s why I come to the conclusion that Baek Na-Kyum values more his eyes and impressions than his heart.
Thanks to Min, the fox, the secret was finally unveiled.
However, I have the impression that unlike in the French novel, a rivalry could start between Black Heart and Yoon Seungho. In The Little Prince, the aviator and the fox didn’t fight against each other because they were too different. Yet I believe, this could become different here, for both are nobles. Back then I felt, Black Heart might try to covet the commoner, since he kept asking the lord to bring Baek Na-Kyum to him (chapter 33, 52). Sure, he enjoys the fun and likes playing with the protagonist’s feelings, yet I sense a certain obsession and envy behind his requests. I can’t forget the look he had on the painter in the chapter 8. Min looked at him with a certain desire.
And this assumption was proven correct: The Joker is determined to taste Baek Na-Kyum. However, he is not wise like the fox in The Little Prince. In truth, he embodies the negative version, because he is not reflecting on his own behavior and emotions. He has no idea why he is so obsessed with the painter: for me, there’s no doubt that he is confusing lust with love. He definitely got upset, when he saw the couple hugging 
each other tenderly. 
That’s why he felt the urge to vomit. Min is too focused on looking at Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum that he is not recognizing his true motivations behind his actions. That’s why he said this: 
In my opinion, The Joker needs the presence of others in order to feel his own existence. In other words, while the fox in the original story asked the prince to tame him, the fox in Painter Of The Night is acting the opposite. He is trying to tame the others, but he keeps failing all the time.
As you can observe, both works convey similar messages: value the right things. Power and wealth mean nothing, as they don’t bring happiness. Love, friendship and relationship are vital for humans. At the same time, it is important to keep a certain purity and innocence in us, even if we are adults. That’s exactly what the two protagonists are learning now. The noble is longing for chastity and love, although he hadn’t recognized it yet.
At the end of the story, The Little Prince leaves the aviator behind. Officially he goes back to his planet but since a snake bit him, we can wonder if he died. The adult would be rational and say yes, he died. The child would answer that he returned to his planet in order to see his rose, like the snake told him. And this is important as even this story mentions death. This belongs to the growing up and facing reality.
We have a similar evolution in the manhwa. The painter loses little by little his innocence, he experiences the harshness of the world, whereas the lord is rediscovering the lost childhood, his buried heart, just like the aviator.
At the end of the story, the narrator says that he is still looking for the little prince, even asking the readers if they saw him which shows, he refuses to imagine his death. He has maintained his pure heart despite their separation. Besides, when the aviator looks at the stars in the sky, he always thinks of him. As you can see, the aviator doesn’t forget his “inner child”. He is an grown-up after all, yet he shouldn’t forget his inner child. However, Painter Of The Night can’t have the same ending. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the moment the noble admits his love and is willing to show it correctly
(chapter 70) 
, he starts acting like a child again: he plays pranks
(chapter 70) 
(chapter 74) or he is teasing his lover. 
, These are signs of the return of his innocence. The readers can feel the inner child in Yoon Seungho.
Nevertheless the message is really similar: the lord and the painter are discovering what really love is. While the painter confused “love” for Jung In-Hun with admiration and later indoctrination, the noble never felt anything before. That’s why he couldn’t recognize his affection for the low-born, he was denying the existence of his heart. For him, he was just a mind and his body a tool. As a conclusion, they need to pay attention to their hearts and stop relying too much on their mind. That was the lesson the readers should learn from the chapter 53.
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When I examined this scene for the first time, I tried to define if this reflection was a prediction of the future or if it revealed the painter’s deepest desires which he was trying to repress all the time. Now, we can definitely say that the mirror announced the future for the embrace of the two protagonists occurs in the chapter 49.
. Observe that he is standing at the door, totally furious and even jealous. At the end of the chapter 52, the lord is also standing at the door as well, definitely infuriated for his gaze betrays his emotions. Yet he is saying the opposite of his true thoughts because he is standing in front of a double-faced and vicious aristocrat. In the chapter 26, he revealed his true intentions as he has always been frank and straightforward with the painter. Since he knows and values the artist’s honesty, he acts the same. That’s why I came to this idea. But the problem with this idea is that Yoon Seungho would be suspected. Since he once declared to the painter that no one would connect a noble’s death with him,
we have to envisage other possibilities. The protagonist has to be seen elsewhere. In order to divert attention, he needs to create a huge scandal. Therefore if a sword is used, then Nameless could be involved and they will frame the guest who is high with the excuse that he acted under delirium. 
. So from strangulation, I came to suffocation, the impossibility to breathe. I couldn’t restrain myself from associating asphyxiation to the first picture of the chapter 52, when the evil aristocrat is smoking with his mouth wide open and his head is looking up.
, since there is a question mark and he adds: „Dammit“. Because of this, I assume that the servant spied on the low-born and observed him going to the noble’s bedchamber. Therefore he imagined that the artist would spend the evening with the lord. For him, the master is just a man consumed by lust, hence he won’t send away the artist. I have to admit that my first thought was that Baek Na-Kyum would leave the mansion again, either on his own will or forced. However, I changed my mind as we already have three escapes from the low-born. The first one takes place in the chapter 4, where Yoon Seungho can stop him. Then we have another desertion in the chapter 29 and the third departure was mentioned in the chapter 46. 
His reaction was terrible: he was so enraged that he started beating all his servants since they hadn’t noticed the commoner’s escape. The staff should have kept an eye on him. And note how many parallels exist between the chapter 29/30 and 52:
before getting dragged to the lord’s room for a sex marathon, I have the impression, the manhwalovers could witness a new version of the sex marathon, especially if my theory is correct that the author might have developed her chapter 53 as a reflection of the chapter 30. However, there will be a huge variation: the chronology. We have a change of clothes, then the visit to the lord’s chamber. Finally the low-born discovers his ransacked room, while the lord is angry due to Min’s words and behavior. This divergence will lead to a different outcome. 
He only intervened, when he saw that the maids were still looking down on the commoner. Back then, the aristocrat had to warn them. I envision that the lord will intervene the moment Deok-Jae starts getting violent. Because of that, Yoon Seungho could decide to drag the servant and punish him for his behavior. We would still have a dragging, like in the chapter 30 but this time, the person is different and the lord has a reason. Deok-Jae committed a crime. Yoon Seungho could grab the domestic by the topknot and punish him, like he did with Jihwa.
Yet, I have the impression that Baek Na-Kyum could act differently and no longer remains passive, like in the chapter 18. This time, he pleads for leniency. 
He never replied and criticized him for his attitude. From my point of view, the low-born has really changed, has already rediscovered his identity and found a certain confidence. He is now part of the mansion hence he needs to be proactive. He hasn’t forgotten the valet’s words: he is not a spoiled princess and as such, he can’t expect rescue from anyone. He needs to fight for his own place. My prediction is that he will question Deok-Jae about the reason for his action. As we experienced in the chapter 52 how the commoner would even question the lord’s actions and behavior.
His mind is already proactive, he uses more and more critical thinking. I sense that the moment the domestic gets violent, the noble intervenes but the jealous man is spared instead of getting beaten. Despite his wrongdoings, the artist will ask the master for leniency after confronting him. Remember that Baek Na-Kyum saved Jung In-Hun’s life back then.
This could be the new version of the painter’s plea. 
and will confront his husband and ask him for the reason behind his change of behavior and what is his position at the mansion. The former could even interrogate his “husband” if he has to leave the mansion, since he has no interest in the painting. While we had the artist submitting himself to the lord in the chapter 30, I envision a renewal of this alliance, yet under a different form. The painter could confess to the noble for real. Another possibility is that since Yoon Seungho is questioned, the aristocrat decides to be more open about his feelings and we have a mini-confession from the lord. He could use Wang Bang Yeon’s poem… if this theory is correct. Back then, the aristocrat wanted the painter to draw new images of their intercourse and he requested from him to pay attention to his own facial expressions, since they were lacking. Remember that was the reason why the protagonist sent the mirror to the painter’s room. From my point of view, the new work reflects the painter’s emancipation. 
His face is drawn properly, you can identify him on the drawing. Furthermore the visage is not expressing pain or fear but pleasure, which is quite strange because if you look carefully at the new picture, Baek Na-Kyum chose the position where he expressed fear and pain.
That’s what the readers got to witness. However, I believe that the painter wasn’t feeling real pain in fact. He was more scared of his own reactions, feeling pleasure. We shouldn’t underestimate the power of the brainwashing and the criticisms expressed by Jung In-Hun. I interpret that the painter must have felt pleasure but refused to admit it. He chose to act like a whore following the teacher’s words so that he could still deny that he was a homosexual per se. As a prostitute, he had been forced to sex, hence he shouldn’t feel any ecstasy. It was an excuse, a subterfuge for his own conscious. Deep down, a part of him wanted to keep following the scholar’s words. Due to the lord’s action, the painter had a breakthrough and finally dropped the teacher’s doctrine for good. And in my opinion, the painting is reflecting this. 
The smoke of opium in the first drawing reminds us of the poisonous words Min voices in that chamber. Observe that during the scene in Yoon Seungho’s chamber, he keeps talking all the time. He is not even waiting for Yoon Seungho’s answer. There is a reason to this. His words resemble the arrows he used during the hunt.
He had to use many arrows in order to really hurt the pheasant. However the protagonist was the one ending the suffering of the wild bird, by killing him with his own hands. That’s why I conclude that Min’s mouth is full of poison, just like the opium, and his words are like arrowheads. Consequently he keeps stabbing from a certain distance, thinking himself safe. 
Because of the connection with the chapter 41, I have the feeling that Min considers the main lead as an easy target, for he views him as a pheasant. In an earlier analysis, I had imagined, the pheasant was Jihwa. And this interpretation was confirmed with the chapter 43 
and 67 
In both episodes, he used his words to poison the second lead’s heart and mind, so that the latter would suffer so much. Remember after each suggestion, the noble felt so tormented: chapter 51 
and chapter 76 
. He is so plagued by his existential fear and remorse that he feels like dying. But as you can imagine, due to my previous analyses and the evolution of the story, I would like to add another signification. From my perspective, we should consider Baek Na-Kyum as the pheasant too, for both ukes are mirroring each other. By living next to Yoon Seungho, the painter was slowly metamorphosing. Therefore I come to the conclusion that Baek Na-Kyum was indeed the deer in the first hunt. The scholar’s words were represented by the arrowheads and the lord’s sword symbolized his phallus. 
In other words, the first hunt announced the rape and the painter’s loss of innocence in episode 25 and the lord’s abandonment in chapter 40. 
As you can observe, the chronology of the hunt was not respected. But this interpretation allows us to be able to predict the future season and Black Heart’s personality. Since the two main leads are going through a metamorphosis, it signifies that this phenomenon will occur to Jihwa and Min as well. Since Min believes that the main lead is an easy prey, this signifies that he considers the host as a pheasant too. Moreover, I think that the vicious noble has the impression that he is similar to Yoon Seungho, that’s why he can understand him so well. Therefore he views himself as a pheasant, but in this battle for the painter, he attacks his rival with his beak, similar to the arrow points, unaware of the main lead’s true nature. The latter is a phoenix, based on different essays. This mystical bird embodies fire and passion – the flames of true inspiration. Moreover, it brings good luck, harmony, peace, balance, and prosperity. This signifies that by defying the phoenix, Min’s fate is doomed. His fight against him will bring only misfortune and destruction. Hence Heena’s words 
(chapter 68) seem to be true: Yoon Seungho will ruin misery to his adversaries. But in chapter 52, the noble had not gone through his spiritual death. That’s why the Joker had the upper hand in episode 52 and could hurt the main lead’s heart. As you can observe, I felt this chapter was announcing Min’s chronicle of a death foretold. And this perception was confirmed with chapter 76. His addiction to opium is already destroying The Joker, therefore he vomits and he loses his temper in front of Nameless. 
Observe the contrast with chapter 52, where the vicious noble controlled the situation and cornered Yoon Seungho. Black Heart was calm and vicious, he had the upper hand, whereas the opposite happened in chapter 76. But let’s return our attention to chapter 52. Yoon Seungho was put under pressure, thus the latter avoided Min’s gaze and remained silent, until the main lead gave in: 
(chapter 56), he wasn’t able to copy him entirely. This was a poor imitation. In other words, the Joker is short-sighted. He was able to defeat the protagonist in chapter 52, yet the one who definitely put the final blow to Yoon Seungho was not Black Heart, but the painter. His words in chapter 54 definitely wounded Yoon Seungho’s heart: 
(chapter 54). That’s why we could say that chapter 54 was a new version of the rape scene. Yet Min was not able to achieve his goal, for the main lead was confronted with his own reflection and his traumatic past: 
(chapter 54). Contrary to the first season, Yoon Seungho was able to stop before repeating the same mistake. And this is not surprising that the next morning, the noble confessed to the artist. He had been in truth defeated by the artist. The roles had been switched. And now, you comprehend, why we have two painful nights (52-53-54/62-63-64)) in the second season. They both represented the hunts from the first season, yet the roles had been reversed and the actors were different: Kim and The Joker. In chapter 68, valet Kim wounded his master
with his words in order to undermine his judgement and as such destroy him. 
(chapter 60), therefore I deduce that Nameless will become Yoon Seungho’s hands. The final episode already exposed the animosity between Black Heart and Nameless. Besides, the latter had to threaten the commoner: 
(chapter 60). But in order to get rid of Min, Nameless will have to get the support from Yoon Seungho. In other words, the latter could be the one giving the execution order. I would like the readers to keep in mind the protagonist’s words from chapter 11: 
. And the criminal behaved exactly like in chapter 54. He killed Deok-Jae and no one dared to suspect him.
(chapter 54) That’s why I am expecting a new version of this scene in the third season, and in my opinion The Joker will be the victim… let’s not forget that in Yoon Seungho’s words (chapter 11), the scholar’s life was threatened. This means, a noble will be targeted in the future. As a conclusion, I am predicting Black Heart’s slow destruction and final death. But he doesn’t turn into a beautiful bird like Yoon Seungho (phoenix) or Baek Na-Kyum (from a deer, he metamorphosed into a pheasant before becoming a crane!). Min has already transformed into a crow, consequently he wears a black hanbok in the final chapter 76! 
This is important, as it contrasts to Min’s gesture. The lord decided to look up, because he was wounded. He acted, as if he chose to ignore Min’s attacks. This stare at the ceiling was not connected to fun, rather to faked indifference and pain. His heart was wounded and he was trying to hide his vulnerability. At the same time, I also believe that he was also pondering, wondering why the artist came to visit him, although he had never asked for him. From my point of view, Black Heart’s poisonous words created a certain insecurity in him. Let’s not forget that in that scene, Min was describing the artist as a man consumed by lust. Besides, his butler had revealed to him that Baek Na-Kyum had become so easy, as he was now viewing himself as a prostitute. In other words, Yoon Seungho felt insecure and doubted the artist’s innocence. The position of his head symbolized the opposite, deep thinking, while it represented Black Heart’s carelessness and confidence, contrasting to Yoon Seungho’s doubts and mistrust. Min was not noticing his surrounding, as he was too focused on his own pleasure, while Yoon Seungho was looking up on purpose. The host was actually attempting to avoid Min’s arrows hurting him. Min was criticizing the main lead, insinuating that he was a killjoy. If he hadn’t sent away the boy, they could have fun. 
(chapter 66). the nobles would always fight against each other. This explicates why Black Heart had the upper hand in chapter 52 and why the main lead remained passive and silent for a while. He was applying what he had been taught: hide any weakness…. yet in this scene, the lord was definitely in pain. Then the author zoomed on the lord’s mouth, like she often does. 
In other words, the protagonist had the impression that he got the upper hand in the end. Black Heart had revealed his own “desire” and as such “exposure”. By giving in, Yoon Seungho was deceiving himself. His mind was telling him that he had found the perfect tool to control Min, while in reality he was playing into Black Heart’s hands. And now, you can understand why Yoon Seungho was infuriated, although he was smiling. 
He was definitely telling himself that he was just a ghost and had no heart. 
(Chapter 52) In my opinion, he must be mocking the other noble. He feels that his fellow is just too stupid and naive. Yet Min is actually overlooking an important aspect. There is an explanation why the other aristocrats are calling the protagonist a lunatic. Yoon Seungho is indeed revolutionary as he rejects social hierarchy and as such criticizes nobility with its privileges. During the 18th Century, libertines were fighting for liberty and equity and this is not surprising that the French revolution began 1789. Remember what I told about libertines, sex was just one aspect in their life, they advocate reforms and changes in the tripartite society, in the rigid social hierarchy. That’s what Black Heart is overlooking, whereas the nobles sensed this aspect but were not able to define it. 
His retreat was not a defeat, he was just ignoring their opinion. Yoon Seungho just saw them as nobodies hence he had no reason to fight back for his reputation, since he never valued his notoriety. What Min perceived as a first victory was nothing in Yoon Seungho’s eyes.
(Chapter 33) Here, he was challenging the lord for the first time. Furthermore like I had already underlined before, the lord created this image of hell-raiser as a shield. Thanks to his bad notoriety, he could deceive people and protect himself. Ecstasy was never his goal unlike Min, since Yoon Seungho desired to divert people’s attention. And based on my theory he never took pleasure in sodomy, he rather forced himself to live up to his bad reputation. 
(Chapter 52) No noble imagined that the main lead had an interest in government posts. Admittedly, only the readers know the reason why he is sponsoring Jung In-Hun. It happened because of the painter. However, I detect another manipulation here because of the following picture: 
[chapter 11] The noble has always been honest in front of the painter hence his words outline how powerful the main lead is in reality. He already has connections in the government but he never made it public therefore aristocrats thought, he was indulging himself in lust. While he went to sex orgies, he did pay attention to what was happening at the capital, yet he never showed up there due to his trauma. I would even add that he even influenced the government, but always unofficially and indirectly so that people would never make any connection to him. His power seems to be quite important since he proclaims that he can ruin the teacher’s career. This can be also the explication why he even adjoins that he will never get caught with Jung In-Hun’s murder. 
(chapter 52) But this doesn’t stop here. He even confesses Jihwa’s involvement.
(Chapter 52) How can I not judge him stupid? I guess, opium has already confused his mind and reduced his vigilance. He is indeed careless and thoughtless. Besides, in the picture above, I noticed another important detail. He started insulting Jihwa as sodomite. This word “sodomite” reflects his opinion about sodomy as such. He is no homosexual per se, he just uses sodomy to submit the other masters. He is indeed similar to Yoon Seungho in that aspect. Both perceive sex as war, however the powerful noble did it out of resent towards nobility, whereas the other wanted to establish himself as the new ruler among the local aristocracy. Black Heart desired to prove his superiority over the other lords. the main lead had a different goal, it was to tarnish and ruin the image of the nobility. One might argue that the outcome is the same… which is correct, yet due to this, Min jumped to the false conclusion. Min assumed that Yoon Seungho had the same intention. 
(Chapter 49), but due to the butler’s intervention, the protagonist decided to push the painter away. In his mind, it was the painter’s interest. The latter had just accepted the lord as his partner, as he felt obliged. But this was not entirely correct. Once the artist had admitted that he liked sex thanks to Yoon Seungho, this means that he had adopted this new philosophy. Furthermore the distance and separation helped the artist to realize that his lover had more meaning in his life than he had realized it before. Even in this chapter, the change is quite visible. 
(Chapter 52) The painter gets upset with the kiss but instead of letting his emotions take control of his thoughts, he ponders about the cause of these negative feelings. Why is he upset? 
Observe the lord’s hand is still grabbing the chin and his mouth is literally devouring Black Heart’s mouth. It was as if he was covering up Min’s mouth. He made sure that he would stop talking. Note Min’s expression. He never expected such a gesture, he thought that the lord wouldn’t retaliate like that, he would retreat. On the other hand, the main lead is not happy, he is actually furious. 
(chapter 46) What a difference! Min dared to challenge his host and this time, Yoon Seungho didn’t remain passive or retreat. He accepted the defy. This is what I take away from this scene. 
(Chapter 52) 
(chapter 43) but this signification is reinforced with this chapter. To summarize, Min treats everyone as pawns, including nobles. This outlines his arrogance. He considers himself as a puppet master, a great mastermind hence he is superior to everyone, including Yoon Seungho.
(Chapter 43) Therefore I believe Min defends the values perpetuated among the aristocracy: titles give lords the right to consider themselves superior to commoners and to treat the latter as bugs. Min is the representative of this mentality, for him low-born have no value and no right. They can be killed or be mistreated, this is the normality for him. And this mentality is faulty as Min is neglecting an important factor: commoners. They represent the majority and play a greater role in the masters’ life. The result is that he made a huge mistake because of this source of info. He just relied on his fellows, however I have always said that Yoon Seungho used rumors and has always acted in front of other nobles. In other words, Min has a false image about the main lead and there is no doubt about it.
(chapter 8) Furthermore, after having sex one time, he remained by the painter’s side observing his expressions and reactions. He understood what the painter meant to the protagonist.
(Chapter 9) However, his judgement is only partially correct as his perception is also influenced by the reports he received through his connections, like I wrote above. After the two challenges, Min could no longer approach the main lead hence he had to rely on other sources.
(Chapter 41) Min never took it seriously. He only saw it as an empty menace. The problem is that Min’s perception is mostly influenced by the rumors existing about Yoon Seungho. I doubt, he is aware that the main lead has shadow guards. I even suspect that he never heard Yoon Seungho’s thread made in front of the painter.
If the manhwaphiles pay attention to the words used by Baek Na-Kyum, they notice in reality the vocabulary field is not love but worship. There is respect, admiration and longing (“pine for”). So it becomes really obvious that the commoner is not really loving the man. He is acting more like a member of a cult. Baek Na-Kyum venerates his teacher. It was, as if Jung In-Hun had become a deity in the painter’s eyes. However in fact he is not a god, just an idol, signifying he is only a fake god. The idolization is first truly visible, when the painter creates the painting: 
The scholar has become a high official in the drawing. He sits above all the people surrounding him, as if he was different and superior. His inauguration reminds me of a religious ceremony. Let’s not forget that this event is indeed linked to religion, as the new official has to thank the king and the gods in order to get good fortune. In other words, this picture is indeed linked to religion. The usual form of idolatry in the Bible is the worship of images or statues that are thought to embody the various pagan deities, like for example the golden calf. [For more explanations about the golden calf 
This scene is really important, as the strong seme demonstrates his power over the low noble. He shows him his powerlessness, he confronts him with the reality. He is not a god. He has no real authority, hence he can’t change the world like he would like. In this scene, the scholar has to recognize that Yoon Seungho stands above him. Moreover, the former makes him realize that the protagonist was never a new member of his cult. He never fell for his deceptions, he perceived his true abilities (the plagiarism and his poor poetry). That’s why Jung In-Hun got upset. For the first time, he met someone who was superior to him in all aspects (financially, physically and mentally) and couldn’t be manipulated, as he had wished. As a conclusion, the creation of the new cult was born out of the scholar’s arrogance and blindness. He thought, he was like a god due to the painter’s admiration. By the way, this explains why the intellectual asked the powerful main lead to follow him to the capital, he imagined that if Yoon Seungho accompanied him to Hanyang, then he would receive people’s attention due to the presence of the “famous” noble next to him. He wanted to use the main character’s reputation and attraction. He desired to create a situation where he could get the impression that he was also admired. Despite the scene at the hunt, the low noble hasn’t given up on his “dream”. He still wants to be regarded as a new god, receiving respect and admiration.
As a conclusion, the painter was more a fanatic than a man in love. It was the painter’s mind which was focused on the scholar and not the heart. From my perspective, the low noble had achieved to transform the painter’s love for him into an idolization or better said to fanaticism. That’s why in the artist’s first confession, the low-born voices yearning, aching and not just respect and admiration. The “I pine for you” reveals a certain pain. It can’t be simply explained by the coercive persuasion, since the latter had repressed it. The low-born had sensed that a distance had been created. Since Jung In-Hun was like a god, the painter could only watch him from far away, since he was just a commoner. There is another reason why I associate the first confession to fanaticism, it is the significance of the mind compared to the heart. 
hence the low-born could only recall the low aristocrat’s voice and mouth. Baek Na-Kyum was indeed indoctrinated, influenced by the learned sir’s speeches, therefore he used the same words. He also looked down on others (sodomite here). This explains why he became a victim at the end, since he was confronted with internal and external fights. Yoon Seungho wanted to get erotic paintings and later to have him as his true partner. In order to keep following the 7 rules, the low-born always used his brainwashed mind, cold reasoning, like f. ex. “I am painting it for the teacher’s sake” or “Seungho is just a man consumed by lust” and struggled against his sexual desires, his own heart. The painter’s mind was full of rules and “despise” hence he couldn’t judge Yoon Seungho differently. By connecting the doctrine or the new religion to rules and disdain, the scholar wanted to kill the painter’s empathy and as such his heart. Consequently Baek Na-Kyum always repressed his sexual desires as they are connected to the heart.
He, as a low-born, was asking his “idol” to take his responsibility. The low noble should take care of him, especially after the latter had supported him. Yet the scholar refused for many reasons. First, a god is not supposed to take care of their believers personally. The latter can just pray but never request it from their “god” directly and make them responsible. Then Jung In-Hun was under pressure, for he wasn’t sure if he would be able to succeed. Besides, he was jealous and resentful as the painter was treated better than him, a noble. Moreover, the artist had disobeyed him as he had lied to him. But like I mentioned it above, he had detected that his influence over the painter had seriously decreased. He was distancing from him, he no longer worshiped him like in the past. His questioning and his lies pushed the noble to hurt the low-born in order to remind him of his social status. As a person raised at the brothel, he was filthy, in particular as he had violated the 7 rules. The artist had succumbed to sodomy, the greatest sin in the scholar’s eyes. He needed to punish him. He was a nobody, whereas he stood far above him. His words and gaze were vicious and cruel for that reason: he is a god and Baek Na-Kyum committed blasphemy. He needed to destroy the man.
His sentences are broken, he voices fear because it feels so different from before, where he only used his eyes and brainwashed mind for the learned sir. Observe that in this picture he is covering his eyes, he fears the noble’s gaze. Let’s not forget that Jung In-Hun’s gaze was the weapon that killed the painter’s identity.
In the scholar’s gaze, he saw his own reflection: he was filthy, he was just a whore. Hence he is afraid of Yoon Seungho’s gaze. How does he perceive me, that’s why he is thinking. During that night, he becomes blind and deaf due to the injury caused by the teacher’s reproaches and abandonment. This is no surprise that his ears and eyes were destroyed. Like I had pointed out before, these organs are essential for indoctrination and for idolization [Remember the comparison to the Nazi event]. So during that night, the sex didn’t succeed to comfort the painter, because the latter was not looking for sex but for comfort and love. We shouldn’t forget that he asked for embrace. He wished to be hold. The problem was that the painter was confused, he didn’t know what he wanted. Besides, the noble had no idea how to show love.
The question mark “why” is related to critical thinking.
That’s why we should perceive a positive development in the painter. He is no longer fearing the gaze of others. He is thinking on his own, hence he can no longer become a victim due to fanaticism again. I perceive that Baek Na-Kyum has reached a turning point in his life. He could definitely confront Yoon Seungho, like he did in the past. Remember when he yelled at him this: 
Due to this comment “If that bastard Yoon Seungho hadn’t beat me”, I had some doubt. However now I believe that in reality, the servant Deok Jae was punished a second time. 
Unfortunately, I forgot that the bandages are there because of the cold, like my reader @Sh pointed out. 
Even Kim had such bandages. So the bandages can’t served as evidence for this theory. 
which is much smaller than a wall? He could identify the persons painted in the drawing. So his sight was good enough back then. I distrust that within a week, the servant’s eyes could become so bad without any cause. The first beating occurred months ago, at the end of the summer. Now, we have winter. If so, his sight would have deteriorated more progressively.
He could have used the excuse with his poor sight to escape suspicion, yet he didn’t. But we shouldn’t forget that he wasn’t the only one with a bruised eye. 
Even the valet Kim didn’t get spared, his battered eye was on the left side. However, the latter is not suffering from a loss of sight. 
Then he pushed him hard with his shoulder.
His intentions were to insult and hurt the painter. If he had such a poor sight, then he could have used this as an excuse in order to hide his true objectives. He never did it.
Thrashed is a synonym for flogged. In other words, the domestic wished that the painter had been flogged hence he is definitely referring to the straw mat beating. Back then, the painter escaped the punishment because the lord intervened personally.
That’s why Deok Jae says that Baek Na-Kyum should have received the punishment. Imagine, the artist never really suffered from the straw mat beating,
yet it took a few days for him to recover.
In the chapter 12, Baek Na-Kyum leaves his room for the first time before meeting Yoon Seungho indicating that he was indeed wounded, although he didn’t get really flogged. Jihwa even expected Baek Na-Kyum to be more injured after hearing the news that he had received the straw mat beating. 
This outlines the severity of that kind of punishment. This sentence can definitely cause disability or even death. Loss of sight is a disability. 
Deok Jae hates him so much for two reasons. While the artist was spared by Yoon Seungho, Deok Jae never received the same care. The lord never went personally there to stop the punishment. The opposite happened, my assumption is that the master was present, when he ordered the flogging. This would explain why Deok Jae expressed it that way: “If that bastard Yoon Seungho hadn’t beat me”. Since he was present during the punishment, it was as if he had beat him personally. This would stand in opposition to the painter’s fate. The latter was saved by Yoon Seungho personally. 
(Chapter 51) 
(Chapter 51) And now, if we look back at his first appearance, he was indeed recommended by hearsay. Min was the first one mentioning him to Jihwa. So in the following panel, the speech bubble represents Min’s voice. He is the one describing Nameless to Jihwa.
(chapter 51) The minions must be the musicians and the dancer. As you can observe, the man is not just some criminal driven by greed and brutality, he has abilities for he was able to impose himself as the leader of this band. I detect that he is methodical and quite decisive. Remember that he gave instructions to Jihwa in the chapter 50. 
(chapter 50) Strictly speaking, he is a strategist which is visible when he tells Jihwa that he has other channels. 
(Chapter 51) If you regard her clothes, you’ll note that her appearance resembles the one belonging to maids. 
(Chapter 47) The colors of the jacket and skirt are quite similar. However, there is a huge difference between the two maids. Although the servant in the picture above is the head-maid at the kitchen, she doesn’t own any expensive hair pin or ring, while it is different with the woman sleeping with Nameless. She possesses two jade rings and a golden hair pin. This is not something a maid would own. We have 2 possibilities. Either the woman disguised herself as maid by wearing such clothes and hid her real identity or she is a maid close to a lord and the latter gave her jewels for her sexual services. The third possibility is that she works as a gisaeng which would explain the contrast between the jewels and the clothes. She belongs to the lowest social class, yet she has to distinguish herself through her hair dress and jewels. This idea was proposed by one of my readers Anyway, in my opinion, Nameless approached her for a reason. He is digging for information. We have two possibilities: either he is spying on nobles (the clients of the gisaeng house) or he wants to know more about the painter. Let’s not forget that the latter was raised in a brothel. While Jihwa believes that Nameless is doing it for money, I think that he is using his body for information. Why do I come to this conclusion? It is quite simple. Since I sensed so many parallels between Yoon Seungho and Nameless, I am using the protagonist as role model. Because the noble used his body in order to defeat nobles and to hide his own self from others, I believe that the commoner is acting the same way. Both have a negative reputation through gossips and hearsay. 
(Chapter 51)
(chapter 50) that’s why he ordered him to stay home in the chapter 50 and here asks if he has been drinking. He can perceive people’s personality very well. I would even add that Nameless’ heart must have been touched, when he noticed Jihwa’s bad habit: biting his finger nails. He must have sensed that this noble had still an innocent soul. Striking is that although the red-haired noble is just a wreck and even insults the “criminal”,
(Chapter 51) Even the evil domestic got scared, when he experienced this gaze. 
(Chapter 51) That’s the reason why this zoom on his chin covered with tears was preceded with the drawing of Nameless’ face.
The latter looked at Jihwa’s mouth and tears, while the commoner allowed the noble to voice his worries and anxiety. His eyes don’t express any disdain or arrogance in the last painting. Here, we could say that Nameless is not cold-hearted, quite the opposite, he is sensitive. Sure, he doesn’t allow the red-haired aristocrat to mistreat him, yet he shows a certain curiosity and concern towards his client. In fact, this reflects the purity of his heart. He senses the noble’s sinlessness which stands so much in opposition to the criminal’s reputation. In this scene, the manhwaphiles can detect another similarity with Yoon Seungho again. The gaze and action reveal more than any word. And here is the next question: why would No-Name be quite nice to Jihwa? 
symbolizes perfectly the main characters’ personality. While Yoon Seungho has still a pure mind (White), his heart has been corrupted due to his tragic past (black) that’s why he keeps hurting the painter over and over again. On the other hand, Nameless has a pure heart, yet he has a corrupted mind due to a traumatic experience. His “vicious” mind could be the reason why he is able to perceive a conspiracy and even plot a crime. He doesn’t lose his temper, when he is threatened.
(Chapter 54) reminded me of Jung In-Hun’s behavior in the first season. He used commoners in order to dig up some secret so that he could blackmail Yoon Seungho.
(Chapter 29) Therefore I have the impression that the commoner is behaving like him, yet this time it is in order to unveil the identity of the mastermind. That way, he could protect Jihwa and at the same time, he would be able to get rid of a heinous person. On the other hand, since Min has become aware that his plot failed because the assassination didn’t take place, Black Heart can only condemn the red-haired aristocrat and Nameless. It is definitely possible that Min chooses to hurt Jihwa as retaliation which can only push the criminal to become very hostile to Min. From my point of view, Nameless will become a great helping hand for Yoon Seungho in the future. With his Black mind, he can even predict what villains will do. The protagonist’s mind is too pure to recognize the viciousness in the scholar. He might have perceived his hypocrisy and stupidity, nonetheless he still doesn’t know what Jung In-Hun afflicted to the painter. From my point of view, this explains why Yoon Seungho couldn’t defeat the scholar so quickly. He was too naive in this aspect. However, the main character needs to have someone with a black mind so that they can anticipate the scholar and father Yoon’s moves.
What caught my attention is the following expression: “sent him away”. Here, he imagined that putting some distance between the painter and the teacher would help him. His relationship with Baek Na-Kyum would improve, as you know the saying “out of sight, out of mind”. Nonetheless it didn’t happen like he had anticipated. Because Jung In-Hun had hurt the painter so deeply, the latter couldn’t forget his learned sir due to the agony. In other words, although the lord was physically closer to the low-born, the latter couldn’t perceive him at all, for his mind and heart were elsewhere. They were too focused on his own heartache and negative image. As you can observe, distance and closeness were in the center of the noble’s thoughts. He realized that the saying “out of sight, out of mind” is not true.
The latter felt comfortable and trusting enough to relax and fall asleep confirming what he had sensed before, when Baek Na-Kyum kissed and hugged him. 
The last panel is interesting because of the ambiguity of Yoon Seungho’s words: “How strange…”. The sentence is incomplete hence we have no idea what he is exactly thinking. First, we think that his memory could be the reason for this statement. This remembrance made him realize that he no longer had any reason to be jealous of the teacher. He knows, with the way Baek Na-Kyum behaved that his “love” for his learned sir has been destroyed for good. However, I have the feeling that this is only partially correct. I believe that in the last drawing, he made another huge revelation that’s why he decided to change his tactic in order to get the painter’s attention and affection. Striking is that the lord is starring at the books. From my point of view, one of the books must have stood out, which triggered the lord’s memory (not the flashback we saw, but another one) and led him to another epiphany.
So he needs to distance himself from the painter, creating a separation. Only then, the painter’s mind and heart will sense the emptiness left by the noble’s absence. On the other hand, Yoon Seungho will suffer for a while, he will be the one who can’t sleep and cry, hiding his pain in front of his servants, his acquaintances and the painter himself. We shouldn’t forget that we never saw the lord crying, it is something he has never been able to do, but he needs to in my opinion in order to overcome his traumatic past. Yoon Seungho will recreate the same situation, he will become the lover forced to be separated but who longs to return to his love. The noble is really a romantic one in the end. He is willing to be in agony, until Baek Na-Kyum gets aware of his own feelings but also of the protagonist’s affection. 
The master wanted the artist to discover the fraud and at the same time, he wished to correct the painter’s opinion about him. He was determined to prove to the low-born that he wasn’t a “man consumed by lust” but also a learned sir. This negative image had truly bothered him in the chapter 5 
to the point that he couldn’t have sex with Jihwa. However, the low-born didn’t realize the switch, too happy that his learned sir had come to the mansion (chapter 7). The poem had lost his purpose, since Jung In-Hun was close to him. He had his learned sir by his side, there was no separation any longer so that the artist didn’t feel the need to read it. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum never changed the negative perception he had about Yoon Seungho, as he never looked at the poem again. On the other hand, that’s how the noble discovered that the painter couldn’t read. The sex sessions with different sex partners contributed to this negative reputation, the stigma “man consumed by lust” got reinforced. The painter saw it with his own eyes and even seemed to experience it.
, the lord recognized that he was still associated to sex and depravity, although he had cut ties with other nobles and never organized or visited any sex orgy. As he couldn’t help himself from making love to the painter, the latter had the impression that Yoon Seungho was just obsessed with sex and his paintings. Consequently the aristocrat got mad. Yet this made him realize the significance of his own image. He needed to change his behavior in order to attract the painter’s attention, to get him aware that he was with him for other reasons than lust. 
Both are very similar because of the weather and the situation. Nonetheless the changes are quite telling. In the second drawing, the commoner is walking on his own underlining his loneliness. He has not been accepted by the servants at the mansion, while in the chapter 51 it is clear that now the staff recognizes him as a member of the mansion. Pay attention that in the chapter 51 Baek Na-Kyum is following the head-maid from the kitchen and later the valet Kim. He is no longer isolated and rejected. Secondly, in the picture above Baek Na-Kyum is just walking to the mansion but he is not paying attention to the lord smoking by the window. Only on his way to his room, he spots Yoon Seungho sitting at the window, therefore he stops walking for a brief moment. 
This happens very quickly, then he starts walking again in the direction to his study. This action is interesting because it reveals that the painter only remains there as he has no other home. Yoon Seungho as such was never the reason why he decided to remain by his side, just the notion “home” was good enough for the artist. We shouldn’t forget that the mansion is big contrasting so much to the tiny appearance of the master. The difference of size underlines the significance of the artist’s motivation: he is walking towards the mansion. His gaze just gets distracted by the lord’s appearance at the window but that’s it. This interpretation is confirmed later with the chapter 46. 
The commoner is following the head-maid, yet his body and head are turned to the lord. In this episode, he doesn’t make a pause to look at him, he keeps starring at the opened window, where he can observe his “lover” laugh. The other huge divergence is the wealthy protagonist’s attitude. He is no longer passive, sitting alone while smoking. He is drinking with another aristocrat, making jokes and laughing. 
he recognized that watching his lover resting could be satisfying. He also noticed the painter’s habit: he is a deep sleeper, hence he won’t wake up due to the noble’s presence. He didn’t even sense the kiss during that night. I can also imagining that drinking is a way to relieve the agony the rich protagonist is actually going through. He needs to numb his sexual desires since his feelings for the painter are so strong. He is now waiting that his lover recognizes his own emotions and questions the lord’s behavior so that they can finally have a frank conversation, where the lord can finally confess his affection to the commoner. A poem as love confession does fit our character as he is not someone talking much. He has always had difficulties to voice hie emotions and thoughts. The poem will serve as support. So please have faith in the master of deception! He can’t help himself hiding behind gossips but this time, the hearsay has a different function: trigger the painter to think on his own and question everything. 
becomes a disaster. His dream turns into a nightmare. Therefore I will come back to this confession in this essay, although my main focus is a comparison of the painter’s confessions in the presence of Yoon Seungho.
So there was a mixture of concern and lust. The reason why I adjoin care is that we have the same motivation in the chapter 41 and in the chapter 48/49. In both scenes, he is troubled by the painter’s behavior. In the chapter 41, he heard from the servants that the low-born had been working non-stop to the point that he was even skipping his meals.
As you can see, care was always the trigger for his visit to the painter’s study. In the chapter 48, he wasn’t just angry. If fury had been his only motivation in the chapter 48, then he wouldn’t have contained his anger. Yet during the chapter 48, the master remained quite calm.
He acted like a master or a client at a gisaeng house, yet he kept talking to the artist, pointing out the weirdness of his attitude. He kept asking why, just like in the chapter 41/42. Therefore I come to the conclusion that care and concern were the biggest motivations for the lord to visit the painter’s chamber. In other words, Seungho has never been cold-hearted, like some readers are still judging him. 
As you can see, the more the lord spent time at the pavilion, the more he became troubled. His despair and worry pushed him to make the wrong decision: force the painter to remember their wedding night so that he could claim Baek Na-Kyum as his “wife” and partner. 
In the chapter 20, Baek Na-Kyum was the only one hugging his partner while kissing. He wanted to make love, while the master was following his sexual desires or better said, that’s what he believed. I would like to remind that from my perspective, the noble was already in love with Baek Na-Kyum but didn’t recognize his own feelings as he had never introspected his emotions before. I even have the impression that he is still unaware of the depth of his feelings for the painter. In other words, in the episode 49, both main leads start making love. From my point of view, Yoon Seungho is making love to the artist, while the latter just perceives it as a sex session, as he doesn’t want to get hurt emotionally again. He prefers following his physical reactions, he is no longer repressing his unconscious. Yet, there is affection coming from the artist as he is someone with a big heart, like his erotic publications suggested. That’s why we have here again a combination of sex and love. This is understandable as the low-born doesn’t even grasp the true motivation behind his actions. His gestures are exuding love and affection and not just pure lust but since the painter doesn’t see his own actions in a mirror, he has the impression, he is only following his sexual desires. As a conclusion, the kisses in the chapter 49 mark the second phase of their intercourse, the love session.
He was just following his own interests and never paid any consideration for the painter. He was just looking for sex in his mind, but the moment he was told that his partner was a virgin, he was surprised. Nonetheless he was willing to change his behavior and became more gentle. 
Let’s not forget that the master did follow all the painter’s requests in that scene. That’s why he kissed and hugged his lover so passionately, he wanted to comfort him so much but he failed to stop the painter’s heart from freezing. That’s why Baek Na-Kyum still judged himself as a whore after that night. And in the chapter 48/49, this time the manhwaphiles behold the lord acting like a real client at a brothel.
He wants to provoke a physical and emotional reaction in the painter so that the latter finally leaves his state of shock. By playing this role, he wanted to make the commoner realize the harsh reality of a brothel and the real fate of prostitutes. He frightened the painter so much that the latter begged the lord to stop, to listen to his requests.
However, this time he did succeed but still didn’t achieve his original goal: winning the painter’s heart. I am well aware that some readers are still thinking that Baek Na-Kyum hasn’t changed his view about himself. I have a different opinion because he is now the master of his own fate. For me, he has become a libertine, sure his negative opinion about himself is not entirely removed, yet he is now able to differentiate between his own interests and the ones from his partner, which he never did in the past. He imagined that Jung In-Hun’s interests were the same than his own hence he was willing to do anything for the scholar. He has finally realized his own existence so he is no longer the same person, a whore with no identity and desire. He is now creating his new life, making new rules. 
(chapter 48) Then I had started contrasting both scenes, nonetheless I was not able to examine all points. That’s what I wanted to do in the 4th part. However, at some point, I had a revelation. The confession in chapter 49 represents the painter’s evolution, and it could also be compared to the confession in chapters 41/42. Because there was a confession back then as well. Yet, in that scene the painter could barely speak, he could only admit this: 
(chapter 48) All this led me to the following observation. We had the artist’s many confessions. Hence I am listing the common denominators that are always present during the three different scenes.
The opposition of the two gestures illustrates the diminution of the social and emotional gap between the two main characters. Note that despite standing on tiptoe, the artist’s head was still below the aristocrat’s head.
(chapter 19), whereas his head in the episode 49 exceeds that of Yoon Seungho. During their first real kiss, the difference reflected the huge social divergence, however what changed later more was the emotional state of the noble. Now, he is the one looking up at 
(chapter 49) the painter. The former is literally admiring his lover, pining on him but he doesn’t express it. 
(chapter 49) Now, they have switched the position, the aristocrat is the worshiper and Baek Na-Kyum is his object of affection. So in this scene, I would even say that we have the first lord’s confession but he is not voicing it. But because the artist has been deaf and blind for so long, he can’t witness this with his own eyes and ears. That’s why he doesn’t catch the true meaning of the noble’s saying. That’s why he could only doubt the protagonist’s genuineness in the hug and warmth and pushed the man away. Strictly speaking, the aristocrat is once again rejected, although he has finally truly behaved like a man in love.
(chapter 49) he is apologizing to the artist. He might not use the word “apology”, unlike in the chapter 20, nonetheless his wording unveils regret and heartache. During their wedding night, the aristocrat did apologize for taking the painter’s virginity, nevertheless his excuse didn’t sound genuine. 
In the chapter 49, Seungho acts the opposite. He doesn’t mention the word “apology”, yet he feels regret. He is sorry for making his lover cry. He admits that he is responsible for this, as each time they had such an encounter, he cried. 
(chapter 21) In chapter 41/42, he cried due to the scholar too. So why would he mention “whenever”? Which occasions was he referring to? And now be ready for the next revelation. From my point of view, Yoon Seungho must be including the scene at the pavilion and the rape. I am positive that the lord wasn’t just remembering the scene, when he slapped the low-born or threatened him. Imagine, the lord is actually apologizing for all the pain he caused to his lover, he is expressing his atonement. And now, if the manhwaphiles recall the scene with the forced sex, they will also notice that there is a repeat of chapter 20/21. Besides, the readers witness a confession there too.
(chapter 25) The painter admitted for the first time that he loved a man and his confession was addressed to the teacher, his “learned sir”. We have a long kiss
(chapter 25), the attempt of a hug
, the tears, the rough actions, 
, the painter lying on the ground
(chapter 25), the lord’s comments
(chapter 49) The man had just humbled himself, yet this was totally ignored. I would even add that the artist’s words even devalued the noble’s words and actions even more. Like I mentioned it before, the low-born somehow treats the aristocrat as a tool for his own pleasure. We have an indirect rejection as the artist refuses to give him his heart. 
(chapter 20) The low-born’s head is much lower, and there is a certain distance between both bodies due to the way the low-born’s hands and head are placed. Here, the lord is even complaining about the painter’s lack of experience and reaction. Now, if you look at the hug in chapter 42
, you’ll note here that the low-born’s head is higher and they are physically much closer but there still exists some distance. Even the lord’s behavior is different. His gestures oozes warmth, love and despair. His affection has truly gone deeper and with this huge hug, the manhwalovers can detect that the painter is indeed his first priority, while it was not the case before. His own selfish desires mattered more (20-21/25) back then. And now, we should look at the hug in the chapter 49. 
(chapter 41)
So my thinking is that now Baek Na-Kyum has adopted Yoon Seungho’s way of life, the one of a libertine, unaware that his lover is no longer one, sexually speaking. That’s why people still think the painter is a prostitute as libertines are usually judged like ones. However all this is influenced by moral standards, yet their motivation for sex is different as it is connected to freedom and not money. 
Another example is when the butler asked for an aphrodisiac from the physician so that the painter would get an erection. He used Yoon Seungho’s trick in order to improve the relationship between Baek Na-Kyum and his master.
He wasn’t just infuriated, he was totally eaten by jealousy. Imagine, he belongs to the high nobility and the painter chose a low aristocrat with no huge income and connection over him. He, used to be surrounded by many nobles due to his wealth and power, kept experiencing rejections. Not only he was turned down multiple times but the person even preferred running away from him. The aristocrat made terrible experiences for the first time: not only jealousy but also he started feeling insecure. His reaction towards his servants (the beating) demonstrates that he was not just mad but also panicking, trying to vent all his negative emotions onto the staff. The one he chose because of his feelings for him had no consideration for him, a high noble. Neither wealth nor power nor force could make the painter submit to him. Only the butler could read his master’s expressions and behavior as an open book. 
He thought that if he kept putting new brushes and an ink stone next to Baek Na-Kyum, the latter would realize that he was a painter in reality and no prostitute. However, his actions didn’t help neither his master nor the painter. Remember the saying: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. And this is exactly what is happening. The valet caused more agony to both protagonists with his actions. First, he asked the tailor to hide the true identity of his master’s lover to the folks, then he never confirmed the real status of Baek Na-Kyum to Deok Jae (he is just favored) so that he kept the painter in a very ambiguous status, which his lord didn’t catch. The painter had been literally destroyed by these poisonous words and the butler didn’t even comfort the man because he couldn’t. Due to Kim’s neutrality/passivity, the lord’s behavior could only reinforce the negative reflection the painter had about himself and his sex partner. We shouldn’t forget that Yoon Seungho was described in the first chapter of the second season as someone obsessed with his new lover.
The lord initially imagined that he had finally won and enjoyed his time with the painter, only to slowly realize that he was still missing something: the lack of passion and warmth. But the valet Kim kept this important detail from him. That’s why the master is so angry with his loyal domestic and with the low noble. The former acted on his own accord, although he is just a servant and Jung In-Hun, despise his absence, was still able to cause trouble in his relationship with the painter. Therefore Yoon Seungho feels the urge to kill the scholar symbolically, once he discovers the truth. He comprehends the painter much better, why he behaved like a prostitute, why he had lost his strength and strong will. 
Here, in this drawing, the noble is definitely pushing the artist to interrogate the true nature of his relationship with his learned sir, while at the same time he shows that he’ll assume the responsibility for him. But in this scene, the manhwalovers could never see Kim as he had been left behind at the tailor shop, taking care of the order for the new clothes. If the lord had known about the existence of this conversation, he would have been happy and not hurt, since he would have noticed that his words and actions had affected the artist. Yoon Seungho is well aware of the true meaning of this exchange, while the valet Kim wasn’t. 
Now, you understand why it is important to know this manhwa very well. The previous chapters help me a lot to perceive the thoughts and emotions of the main characters. Byeonduck uses the episodes from the first season to enlighten the development of her characters, underlining their transformation. In the beginning of the chapter 50, the manhwaphiles witness how much the main lead has changed. He has become very gentle, selfless and making sure that his lover is feeling well. But he is still ignorant of his own feelings. For him, reasoning is the cause of his behavior. Let’s not forget that during the first season, the main lead had to ponder a lot and even suffer due to remorse. So the painter did occupy a big place in his thoughts that’s why the lord is still making the mistake. On the other hand, he is now capable of expressing his love much better, although the artist couldn’t see it with his own eyes. However, his body has already sensed it. 
and at some point, they stopped for a moment, only to do it again for a while 
. The hug in the chapter 32 contrasts so much to the hug in the chapter 49. In the former, they weren’t facing each other indicating the gap between them. In the latest episode, the noble is truly comforting the painter, he wants him to rely on him, to trust him, whereas in the past, the noble was determined to have the painter recognized his own sexual orientation.
In the latest chapter, he sensed it right away. 
Here, there was an emergency, while in the chapter 50, the main lead has no reason to be so gentle and affectionate except to feel the need to express his love for the painter. At no moment, his gaze diverts from Baek Na-Kyum’s face, his eyes are always focused on his lover during that night. 
He felt the noble’s presence due to the tight hug. He wasn’t able to repose at all. He could only doze after witnessing, how vulnerable the noble was. He realized that the aristocrat needed him for real and there was no danger coming from him. (chapter 37/38) Notice in the chapter 50 that he fell asleep while fully embraced, 
(“let my body take the lead”) has come true. His body is already telling him that he can trust the noble, while his mind still fears to depend on him. His heart and mind have been scarred due to Jung In-Hun’s hypocrisy therefore the commoner is consciously convincing himself that he should keep a certain distance from his sex partner. Yet his soul is doing the opposite. In his doze, he lets his head rest on the noble’s hand. He doesn’t wake up from the kiss either. As a first conclusion, the choice, the artist made consciously, comes true. He allows his body to follow his instinct. His body already relies on Yoon Seungho and this is only a matter of time, until his mind comes to the same realization: he loves the noble and he can rely on his warmth and love because his emotions are profound and genuine. So the first scene is important for two aspects: the readers can perceive the real transformation of the rich protagonist’s personality (from a selfish and rude to a gentle and selfless man) and the painter’s realization helps him to connect to Yoon Seungho, although it is just his unconscious. 
In the previous chapter, he is angry and due to his fury, he destroyed his room. However, he could stand on his own feet, was able to sway the sword and he had his hair tied with a topknot. So his appearance was still intact. In the chapter 50, he is on his knees, unable to grab anything, even hiding his face from the world. It was, as if he couldn’t even face people due to the bad decision he made, accompanied with huge pangs of conscience. 
Later he didn’t even pay attention to his clothes and image (chapter 41) 
and after hiring the assassin, he looks even worse than in the chapter 41. Neither alcohol nor sleep can help him to relieve his anxiety. 
. First, he didn’t notice Min’s perversion as he was too overwhelmed with his recent discovery. His childhood friend was having sex with the low-born for real. Besides, he witnessed the tender hug so his only explication was he had been bewitched. Anyway, under the influence of his emotions, he only started worrying the moment the killer looked at the mansion and his target. The irony is that whereas the painter was just acting like a prostitute and showed no real and deep feelings, Jihwa behaved the exact opposite. His huge amount of guilt and tension makes him so nervous and unstable. He can’t calm down at all.
Let’s not forget that the teacher never showed his true gaze to the painter until the chapter 40. Besides, we should remember that I already associated Jung In-Hun to the day and the sun (a fake one), therefore he couldn’t choose the moon as a metaphor for himself. Usually, kings are associated to the sun (see Louis XIV, the sun king or the pharaon in Egypt) and not the moon. 
(chapter 3) He finally came to love himself. However, he never realized that the gaze reflected his affection and fascination for the artist, as his eyes were directed at the creator and not at his sex partner Jihwa. 
(chapter 2) Moreover, the noble showed his true self, the moment he met Baek Na-Kyum for the first time. He was acting like a fan meeting his idol which is a sort of love. 
(chapter 1) He was smiling and happy, he was very genuine. All his actions in the beginning prove to me that he fell for the artist at first sight. His admiration for the painter’s work served as a good preparation and when he saw the painter’s face, he was already gone. Consequently I wrote the essay about Yoon Seungho’s weaknesses. He fell very hard for him, but never realized that, because he had lived for a long time without his heart. He had forgotten how to interpret emotions. This is the reason why he had a low EQ. And now, I can bring an evidence that this interpretation was correct. In the third season, the lord admits that his affection existed very early on. 
(chapter 91) Another reason why the lord couldn’t recognize his affection for Baek Na-Kyum was that the painter kept pushing him away. Thus he had no time to introspect himself and question his feelings. He was busy pondering how to convince the artist to work for him or to think about the image the commoner had about him: “a man consumed by lust” (chapter 5). Then from the beginning, he felt the need to touch him 
(chapter 2) He also liked his ears, because he often whispered to the painter’s ears, although he first threatened him. The whispering is important, as it shows his need for closeness. This is not surprising why he whispered and licked his ears during the masturbation scene.
Thus in the third season, we witness how the lord keep whispering to his lover in private 
(chapter 91) and in public 
(chapter 92) This truly exposes the protagonist’s true nature: he is delicate and sensitive. 
(chapter 57) Now, you can sense why I am writing this. The love Seungho had in the beginning has changed a lot, has deepened so much that he considers the painter as his wife, that he became monogamous and is even willing to get hurt, if it means that in the end, he can get closer to Baek Na-Kyum. His love for the low-born has transformed the man, 
(chapter 48) He is actually upset, because Baek Na-Kyum still views him as a man consumed by lust and the former acts as a prostitute. the aristocrat did so many things for him (lowering himself in order to pleasure him, becoming monogamous, buying him expensive and warm clothes, treating him with respect, going to town with him etc.). But with the painter’s remark, it was as if the lord had done it, as he was expecting something in return!! Yes, the existence of a new deal, but contrary to the past, Yoon Seungho had never mentioned it explicitely. The reality was that Yoon Seungho had acted generously out of selflessness. He didn’t expect anything in return, maybe just his presence. Because of the silence between them, a misunderstanding occurred. Thus the lord felt so upset. It was, as if all his benevolence had never existed, as if the aristocrat had paid him like a whore. 
(chapter 46), the painter felt somehow obliged to paint something… as you can see, he was trying to change the nature of their relationship. 
(chapter 47) He had been hired as a painter, but the lord had showed no real interest in the picture, it remained on the floor. Furthermore, he kept commenting about Baek Na-Kyum’s body 
(chapter 47) (his blushing and how thin he was). Thus the noble contributed to reinforce the painter’s prejudice. He was only interested in his body. Thus the artist jumped to the wrong conclusion: he was only a man consumed by lust. 
(chapter 48) His appearance is linked to his resolution to solve the issue. Since the painter didn’t understand the aristocrat’s pranks 
(chapter 48) His true goal is to provoke a reaction in the artist. However, in the chapter 20, he hesitated before deciding to slip into the role, as he didn’t respond to the kiss immediately.
(chapter 21) I interpret the way Byeonduck drew the glasses as if they are vanishing. That’s the reason why I state that the commoner was able to distinguish the disappearing of the glasses. The expensive wine had lowered the painter’s control body (conscious mind) so that the unconscious could finally be released. Here, the painter was expressing his inner deepest wish: making love to the person he was attracted to. Furthermore I consider the drawing above as a proof that the painter became aware of Yoon Seungho’s real presence. The artist could recognize Yoon Seungho by his lips and chin, let’s not forget that he is a detail-oriented painter who had both nobles as source of inspiration. Since the powerful lord was dishonest, then Baek Na-Kyum could also be insincere. The black in the pictures, corresponding to the artist’s eyelids, kept increasing symbolizing his denial of the reality. 
(chapter 21) It was, as if he was closing his eyes to his sex partner’s identity, choosing to follow his sexual desires which had been repressed for so long. Hence I come to the conclusion that during that night, the painter wasn’t entirely innocent and used the noble. Until the chapter 16, he had to fight against his sexual desires for Yoon Seungho. But he had to deny them and as time passed on, he was forced to hide them (see the masturbation in the chapter 9). So the scholar’s rejection and abandonment 
(chapter 19) not only pushed the painter to drink, but also to disregard the doctrine that had been imposed on him. I am not saying that Baek Na-Kyum had already realized the subterfuge right from the beginning. Yet it dawned on him as their sex session progressed. Once confronted in the pavilion, he could perfectly recall his love confession. Both main leads sinned during that night, hence they had to pay the price for their dishonesty: the rape and the rejection. But since in the study, the lord was selfless and even took the risk to jeopardize his relationship with the low-born, he got rewarded. The painter was finally accepting him as his sexual partner. 
(chapter 49) He was no longer a prostitute. This explicates why Kim had to intervene himself and reveal the incident in the library. 
(chapter 50) He needed to separate the couple. From my point of view, it is related to Deok-Jae’s insult. 
(chapter 47) Kim must have tattled on Deok-Jae to his master, faking that he was defending the painter’s best interests. 
(chapter 29) Notice the parallels. In the chapter 49, Baek Na-Kyum is associating the gentle lord with the double-faced teacher, just like during their Wedding night. One more time, the scholar becomes a hindrance and is the reason why the painter refuses to open up to the main lead entirely. He won’t make the same mistake: sensing the warmth coming the main lead as something genuine and real. 
(chapter 51) If he was no longer his sexual partner, why didn’t the lord chase him away? Why was he allowed to stay in the mansion? Remember the head-maid’s words: 
(chapter 38) Maybe he is expecting him to paint for him. Thus he created a new erotic picture. From my point of view, the artist was slowly realizing that Yoon Seungho was indeed favoring him. 
(chapter 53) He knew that this was not the main lead’s wish. And now, you comprehend why the artist didn’t paint so much in the second season. It was related to the lord’s interests. 
(chapter 44) He saw it as a confirmation that the teacher had truly abandoned him, for he never bid goodbye to him. However, now I believe that Kim never informed the artist of the scholar’s departure.
(chapter 44) He just delivered it in delay so that the artist would feel even worse than before. Without the farewell, he could only come to the conclusion that he had been truly abandoned by Jung In-Hun. Yes, the artist didn’t react like the butler had expected. He remained in the mansion despite the gate had been left wide opened. By getting rid of the painting, he was cutting ties with the learned sir. Yet this was a baby step compared to the scene in the chapter 49. Here, he has finally become the master of his own life and fate therefore he’ll live his life the way he wants. He is accepting his homosexuality and as such his sensuality. He views sex as a part of his life. He rejects abstinence and doesn’t view sex as an addiction. 
(chapter 49)
In fact, in this image, he was acknowledging his other part: he was a painter.
(chapter 87) He saw no crime in it, rather as something lovely and beautiful, hence he never felt the need to hide it. Notice that in this picture, he was creating such a lewd painting 
(chapter 1) where people can behold it, he feels neither shame nor embarrassment. He had no idea that he was violating social norms. That’s why I came to the following interpretation, when the painter said 
By forcing him to drop painting, Jung In-Hun had already ruined the low-born’s life, as painting was a part of his soul. We could say that the low-born was already withering. However, back then Yoon Seungho was not interested in why the painter suddenly dropped his true vocation and why he lied to him too. The lord was more obsessed with the erotic drawings. The cause for this long explication is necessary as with this interpretation, I am predicting what is going to happen in the future. 
Here again, he allowed his body to take the lead, but it was once again behind closed doors and nobody was present. He was hiding again, indicating that he still wouldn’t admit his own sexual desires and his homosexuality. Until now, he had only asked for comfort and love from his counterpart (chapter 20/21 and 41/42). Remember that in the chapter 41, he just asked to be hold and as such, he only wanted to be embraced initially. However, due to his inexperience and pain, he confused love with sex. As you can see, the belief “the body taking the lead” had resurfaced indicating that little by little, the painter was changing. More importantly is that he hadn’t been triggered by an immediate sex session, unlike in the past (chapter 8/9). For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum’s sexual desires had come back to life. Unlike in the past, he didn’t judge the cum as something dirty and filthy. Moreover, Baek Na-Kyum could only ejaculate due to Yoon Seungho’s warmth and love. He had these flashbacks where the lord made love to him. 
That’s why his paintings lacked passion and warmth. He was working like a robot. As a conclusion, until the chapter 46, Baek Na-Kyum never considered his “husband” (I am well aware this is not how Baek Na-Kyum perceives Seungho) as his muse. He just used him as his model as he had been forced to or he wanted to smooth his agony. 
(chapter 1) He had no choice. He had to paint erotic paintings. Thus I conclude that the artist couldn’t fully show his true talent and express his passion for painting totally. Yet, his publications were still beautiful, since the lord’s heart and gaze were moved. On the other hand, the noona Heena sent her adopted son to Jung In-Hun, because she feared for her brother. 
(chapter 46) However, I believe that she was acting on the learned sir’s request. She justified her decision to send him away to the teacher, because she knew that by the learned sir’s side, the artist would never outlive his homosexuality. She imagined that the low noble was her son’s source of inspiration
(chapter 46), whereas the artist had other motivation. Therefore she thought that it was for the best, if he was by the teacher’s side. I assume that the teacher wished the low-born by his side for two reasons: money and the prospect to benefit from Baek Na-Kyum’s talent. It is very likely that out of greed, the learned sir desired to sell the painter’s works for his own benefit. But for the artist had been requested to paint these erotic paintings for survival, I come to the conclusion that he had been asked twice to paint erotic pictures. The first time, it was for a precise client, and the second time it got sold among the commoners, which explains why the tailor knew about the identity of the painter. 
(chapter 64) There’s no ambiguity that the scholar’s prospect got ruined, hence he unleashed his jealousy and resent onto the painter, until the man vowed to follow the scholar’s doctrine. The poor man could never tell Heena about the physical and mental abuse, as he had already been abandoned.
(chapter 34) He had to keep his promise to never return to the kisaeng house. I believe that the kisaeng must have used this incident 
(chapter 94) to send her brother away and exactly like in chapter 44, she made sure that the noonas wouldn’t be informed. That way, she could deceive her colleagues. It had been the painter’s choice. 
(chapter 93) For the man was his guardian, the low-born had to accept his situation. But since he was just a low-born, I doubt that he could sleep in the same room than the scholar. From my point of view, he had to sleep outside on the wooden planks, the older version of this scene. 
(chapter 1) Therefore it is not surprising why he didn’t leave the mansion in the end and why he said this to the head-maid. 
(chapter 75) Painting was his passion, and the childhood drawings kept by the noonas clearly indicate that he didn’t paint erotic paintings, since he was a child. 
(chapter 94) He painted animals and as such nature. 
(chapter 1) Sure, the painter’s mind was reminding him that this is filthy and vulgar, yet I sense that this affected the artist’s unconscious a lot. All the wet dreams Baek Na-Kyum had, the seme’s phallus played a huge part. Thus we have such drawings in the fantasies, where the protagonist’s sex is in the center of the painter’s imagination:
(chapter 2) 
(chapter 6) 
(chapter 8)
(chapter 94) The painter followed his heart. Observe that the numbers have been switched: 49-94. The mirror effect and in the study we had a reflection too. Both main leads reflected each other’s minds: acceptance of a sexual relationship, but rejection at the same time, no strings attached. 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 94) So the lord is now associated to the moon and as such to nature. Thus I conclude that the noble will discover the painter’s true talent. From my point of view, his new paintings won’t be just erotic pictures about himself with the uke, but also about nature (animals, plants). The diversity of the topics will increase, yet I am sensing that the pictures will definitely reflect the painter’s love and admiration for the seme. 
(chapter 92) Yes, it is very likely that Baek Na-Kyum decides to recreate this scene, because we could see that Baek Na-Kyum’s heart and soul was moved. A new version of this scene: 
(chapter 36) Besides, the painter’s works will reveal what the protagonists feel and think about each other: love. 
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 