Protected: Painter Of The Night: Black Heart🖤 and Green Heart💚
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Sweet painful lessons
Pearl Boy: Preys and predators
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/pearlboy (English) https://www.lezhin.com/ko/comic/seashell_boy (Korean) The second season has not been released in English yet, hence I will just use 10 screenshots from the Korean version due to copyrights. Besides, be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link, if you are interested in more analyses about this manhwa and others https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/
In the essay “Choi Pilwon’s true face”, I pointed out that the fish in the aquarium represented Jin Jooha’s fate. The CEO desired to keep him trapped in a huge house so that no one would know about his existence. Only him would be entitled to look at him. But since the poor fish felt lonely and encaged in this huge aquarium, the latter started eating his own tail
, a sign that the fish was suicidal and could no longer bear its situation. Hence I had predicted that Jooha would attempt to commit suicide later, and my prediction became a reality in episode 31. However, what caught my attention in the second season is the stronger presence of animals. That’s why in this essay, I will examine the allusion to the preys and predators in the manhwa, which will help us to perceive the characters’ evolution. Hence I can make some new predictions too.
1. The cover for the second season
Striking is that the manhwaphiles can detect the presence of an animal, a black snake, whereas in the first season the cover only portrayed the two protagonists. As you can imagine, the snake symbolizes Choi Pilwon. This was already outlined by the authors: 
Besides, it fits his personality perfectly, as he is the one seducing Jin Jooha and his mother to temptation. I couldn’t help myself connecting it to the bible. As you already know, the original sin is actually a metaphor for sex. 
(chapter 30)
The brown-haired man was the main character’s first lover, and had even planned to marry Jooha’s mother to hide his relationship from his own family. He knew that if he came out, he would be rejected by his own family. That’s why he imagined that by getting married to Jooha’s mother, he would meet less resistance from his own family. Let’s not forget that he belongs to another social class: the high society, where homosexuality can only be rejected, as it is judged as a weakness and abnormality. However, the young CEO never anticipated that Jooha would reject the idea, and even perceive the marriage as a betrayal so that he would choose to end their relationship.
The innocent boy had many reasons to be wounded. Choi Pilwon had never explicated his plan in advance. Besides, his boyfriend was caught in the act, so that Jooha could only view it as cheating. As for the mother, she saw the young CEO as a blessing, for he would help her to live a decent life: no more debts and no more running away from the creditors due to her first husband. She definitely considered the wealthy man as a blessing, a way to escape poverty and help her son to have a real future (college). However, nothing happened like expected, because Jooha refused his lover’s project. He hated the deception and lies. Observe that with such a plan, Jooha would always live in the shadow and darkness, exactly like the image displays it. On the surface, they would live like a normal family, whereas the relationship between Jooha and Pilwon would become a secret, even a sin.
Therefore Jooha’s rejection announced the start of the main lead’s suffering. What the family Jin saw as a blessing was in reality a curse: Choi Pilwon ruined their life. He used the debts from the first husband in order to pressure Jooha to accept his idea. That’s why I perceive this panel as a new version of the Fall of man, the departure from Eden. Consequently, the main lead paid a huge price for accepting the CEO’s advances in the first place. He never thought that the CEO was a hypocrite and coward. He would choose to act behind people’s back. He was ruthless enough to manipulate Jooha’s mother, not taking into consideration the lover’s feelings towards his own mother. That’s why the CEO can only be judged as a snake, as the latter is connected to evil, death, destruction, deception and temptation. Jooha’s mother died, and the main lead suffered terribly: isolation, sexual abuse and prostitution.
This is not random that Choi’s words are also poisonous to the point that he is able to manipulate and gaslight the protagonist, particularly visible in episode 29. Observe that at the end of his duplicities (the manipulation of the footage and recorded conversation), his smile looks malicious. 
(chapter 29) At the end of the first season, it became clear that the purple-haired man started believing that his lover Kang Dooshik had betrayed and abandoned him. That’s why during the episode 29, Jooha was slowly vanishing, before getting replaced by the fish as a metaphor. The last image has even something in common with the cover of the second season: the colors and in particular the red. Unaware of the consequences of his actions, Choi Pilwon was hurting Jooha so much that the latter was bleeding internally, which corresponds to the red eye of the snake. 
As you can see, Choi Pilwon is associated to red, the color for passion and love, but also for blood, violence and rage!
Another difference is that the black snake is wrapped around the necks of the main leads, a sign that Choi Pilwon will do anything to disturb the OTP. He is willing to strangle them.
Yet, if the manhwalovers pay attention to its position, they can notice that the snake is bringing them closer. Due to adversity, Dooshik and Jooha will come closer. Their relationship can only deepen. Dooshik was able to convince his lover that it was just a trick from Choi Pilwon, and he had never planned to use his partner with his special ability. That’s why at the end of chapter 32, both main leads kissed each other so passionately.
They could overcome the riff created by Choi Pilwon’s lies.
The black, dark purple and red in the cover announce the darkness of the second season. Imagine that within three episodes, we had a lot of bloody and painful scenes: Jooha got raped, hence he bled. In addition he had to fight against his creditor, just like Dooshik had to defend himself from thugs sent by Choi Pilwon. Then the restaurant from Jooha’s mother exploded, and Jooha attempted to commit suicide twice. Finally both protagonists clashed against each other.
As a conclusion, Choi Pilwon, as a snake, is a predator and this is not surprising that Jooha as his prey couldn’t defeat him, for the former is a fish. But there’s more to it. Choi Pilwon, too blinded by his own desires, misjudged his lover’s real personality. He thought that Jooha was just a fish due to the pearls, hence he stood in front of the aquarium and compared him to Jooha. 
(chapter 29) The antagonist didn’t recognize Jooha’s second nature: a cat. This explains why Choi Pilwon couldn’t accept his struggling and rejection. He thought, both were similar: two cold-blooded animals.
2. The fish as Choi Pilwon’s prey
Though Jooha is a fish, he could escape from the snake. The irony is that he broke a vase on the antagonist’s head. 
(chapter 30) For me, this gesture is not a coincidence. It was, as if the fish broke the glass from the aquarium in order to free himself. But as you know, a fish leaving an aquarium can die. Therefore the vase already implies that Jooha’s escape can only lead to his death. The fish can only suffocate, as its lungs are not adapted to the air. That’s why Jooha’s first suicidal attempt fits to the fish’s death. The latter decides to kill himself by breathing gas. 
(chapter 31) In other words, the main lead plans to die by asphyxiation. That’s his only way to escape from his miserable life and from Choi Pilwon.
However, what brings the main lead over the edge is the reminiscence of his last date with Kang Dooshik. Both were sitting next to a blossoming tree, which made Jooha totally happy. He had the impression, a dream had come true. However, now by looking back, he believes that this was just an illusion and the petal from the tree was in fact the forbidden fruit. This means, Jooha concluded that this event was a lie and as such a sin. The blossoming tree had deceived him… reminding me once again of the original sin in the bible. And now, you comprehend why Jooha chose to kill himself in the end. He had no longer any hope, every happy moment with Dooshik felt like a lie. He felt more lonely than before to the point that he started having an hallucination. He imagined himself having a conversation with his mother. In his mind, she was the only one genuine and honest with him. Since she is dead, he preferred following her in the afterworld. At least there, he would no longer suffer and could be comforted. Only by dying, Jooha could escape from Choi Pilwon’s obsession. He felt so lonely and hopeless.
3. Jooha as a cat
However, if you read the main lead’s portrait, you will notice that he is also associated to the cat.
And this connection was already palpable during the first season. We had an allusion to it, when Jooha, following Dooshik’s advice, used the scissors to protect himself. It was, as if the scissors were a claw.
(chapter 9) Observe how the protagonist’s face got scratched with the scissors. It definitely looked like an animal had used its claw to defend itself. 
(chapter 9) But there were more obvious clues.
First, I could mention Jooha’s closeness to the black cat
(chapter 5), the latter even rescued him from getting raped. Furthermore, Jooha behaved in certain situations like a cat: 
(chapter 7). In the last panel, he looks like he is hissing with spiky hairs. The double nature of the main character explicates why he resisted to the snake Pilwon. He was hot-tempered and he would never blindly follow his former boyfriend. He would always try to run away and fight back. However, in chapter 29, Jooha had been suffocated by Pilwon’s last tricks, so that Jooha could only wish to die. The tragedy is that he chose the claw to commit suicide. 
(chapter 31) Observe the debris next to the scissors. The beholder gets the impression that an animal had scratched some tissues, like a cat sharpening his claws, whereas in reality Jooha had used the scissors to destroy the gas pipes. By acting so, it was, as if he was giving up on his nature as cat and as such on Dooshik. Remember that the latter was the one who taught him how to use the scissors and as such his claw.
From my point of view, Jooha had never sensed his other personality: the cat. He only viewed himself as a fish, but by meeting the black leopard Dooshik
, he discovered his second nature.
4. Kang Dooshik, the black leopard and the crow
Exactly like the protagonist Jin Jooha, the other main lead is embodied by two animals. However, I doubt that the young man was also aware of his true nature. Only by meeting the “mermaid”, his true personality came to the surface. His attraction to Jooha triggered his protective instincts. But since he hadn’t detected Choi Pilwon’s true character, he never saw an occasion to demonstrate his strength in front of his boss.
However, in chapter 30, he, as a captive, is wounded by thugs. In this panel, the manhwalovers can detect in him the predator, the black leopard. 
(chapter 32) He’s growling like a panther, the clenched fist on the left reminds us of a paw, while the fingers from the other hand resemble to claws. Once faced with a terrible situation, he can unveil his real strength. That’s the reason why the gangsters could get defeated so easily. For Choi Pilwon had never sensed his rival’s true nature, he didn’t warn his minions. Then he runs so fast that Jooha is not able to escape from him. 
And now, you comprehend the significance of his encounter with Jooha. Thanks to him, Dooshik’s second nature came to life. That’s why he taught him how to use the scissors, the symbol for the claw. Under this new light, the readers can comprehend why Dooshik is wearing a black shirt in the cover of the second season. It is a reference to the black leopard and the crow.
And now, it is time to list the features linked to the black leopard. First, a leopard usually embodies strength, agility, stealth, elusiveness, perception, self-reliance, authenticity, and rare beauty. However, Dooshik is a black leopard, which signifies that this animal has even more significations: mystery, rebellion and transformation. Dooshik helped Jooha to change and to reveal his second nature. This explicates why with his appearance, Jooha couldn’t resist to help Dooshik and become attached to his sexual partner. Jooha’s second nature as a cat became more obvious. However, it ends the moment he wants to end his life. As a conclusion, since a cat and a black leopard are both felines, the authors gave us an explication why both fell for each other so quickly.
But like I mentioned above, the main lead has two natures, he is also a black crow. The readers could sense this in the following panels: 
(chapter 32) The hand has turned into a claw, Dooshik, as a strong bird, is a natural predator of the snake. Then when Dooshik is able to catch his lover so that the latter doesn’t try to kill himself a second time, you have the impression that his arms are like wings. 
(chapter 32) He caught his lover by flying over. From my point of view, his encounter with Choi Pilwon incited to transform and show his true nature: he was a strong animal, capable to resist to any attack. Let’s not forget that the black crow is not just associated to death, it is associated to change and transformation. And now, you comprehend why Jooha changed in his company. Their encounter awoke Jooha’s second personality: a cat, which is also a predator. Therefore he will be able to protect himself more and more from Choi Pilwon.
Since this bird doesn’t live alone, but in a colony, the black crow embodies teamwork and reciprocity. Therefore this is not a coincidence that Dooshik was so popular in Seoul. His colleagues and clients liked him for his cheerfulness, modesty and honesty. Furthermore, he was always willing to assist his friend Lee Choonbae or his ex-lover. For the black crow lives in every continent, except Antarctica, the bird is also linked to adaptability, cleverness and intelligence. It can survive everywhere and is full of resources. No wonder that Dooshik could adapt so easily in the small town next to the sea. This truly shows that the author paid attention to the characters’ features.
As a conclusion, the crow brought the change in the relationship between Jooha and Pilwon. He naturally incited Jooha to metamorphose. The latter started having hope again and desired to rely on him. But with the second season, this signifies that a cat and a black panther will have to fight against a snake.
5. Lee Choonbae
One might wonder about his role in the story, since so far, he didn’t play a huge role. He was tasked to separate the couple, but he decided not to accomplish his mission, for he sensed that Jooha and Dooshik were compatible. He couldn’t bear the thought of separating the couple. What caught my attention is the following: Lee Choonbae is a snake as well, more precisely a python. 
As you already know, a python is capable to eat a goat, even a human!! Therefore, Lee Choonbae is a predator to the black snake. That’s why I believe that he will play a major role in Choi Pilwon’s defeat. We could detect his strength and his “predatory” nature in episode 17. 
He could push down the man, and it gives the impression that he is almost swallowing the man. Here, at no moment he felt intimidated by the CEO. He even refused his money, a sign of his strong will. He could even make a deal with Choi Pilwon. 
(chapter 17). During this episode, it was obvious that the CEO imagined himself with the upper hand. However, if the manhwaphiles pay attention to Lee Choonbae’s words and actions, they will notice that at no moment, he was hurt or humiliated by the antagonist’s actions. The former knew exactly what he wanted. That’s the reason why I deduce that the antagonist misjudged the second lead’s personality and as such his dangerousness.
Consequently, I am wondering if the black snake in the cover for the second season is an allusion to Lee Choonbae as well, the latter is next to the protagonists, not strangling them but surrounding them in order to protect them, ready for the battle. Or it is also possible that he has already swallowed the antagonist.
Unlike Choi Pilwon who would like to get a real family with Jooha, Dooshik’s friend is not truly looking for love. His dream is to get a rich guy as sponsor. Yet contrary to the antagonist, he has not become immoral and ruthless. He is well aware that Dooshik has different needs than himself. The blond-haired man is sensitive and selfless enough to recognize that his own desire shouldn’t ruin others’ happiness. Striking is that he considered the CEO as a blessing, when he met him for the first time. He corresponded to the dream Lee Choonbae had. That’s why he followed the CEO’s request in the first place with the idea that after his deal was done, he could get more out of it. There’s no ambiguity that the young man misjudged the antagonist’s personality. That’s why it is definitely possible that he will retaliate against the antagonist, for his desire to assist Dooshik will be stronger than his own desire. Let’s not forget that he was the only one who was truly worried about the main lead, and looked for him. He truly desired to help him. Besides, observe in the biography that the second lead’s strong trait is fakeness and hypocrisy. This signifies that he has a cunning side, and can even act. Consequently, I have the feeling that Lee Choonbae will not only be able to deceive Choi Pilwon, but also swallow him. The result is that he will push the antagonist to transform into a swan.
Note that each character has two natures, even Choi Pilwon. I had already elaborated that Choi Pilwon must have been raised in a cold and ruthless family, which pushed him to become a snake. However, his second nature is a swan. I have to confess that I couldn’t restrain myself from connecting him to “the ugly duckling”. Remember that he has siblings… similar to the ugly duckling who felt rejected by his own family. Furthermore, this would explicate why Choi Pilwon is so arrogant as well. A swan is known for its beauty, but also for self love, which would coincide with Pilwon’s narcissistic personality.
On the other hand, the swan symbolizes love, trust and loyalty. But since Choi Pilwon is always connected to black
, I have the feeling that he is in truth a black swan, and the latter represents personal power. As a conclusion, I believe that the antagonist will be cornered and transformed into a black swan thanks to Lee Choonbae. Remember what I wrote about the latter in “Curse or blessing?”, he could be a blessing in disguise. There’s no doubt that if this theory is correct that Choi Pilwon will view him as a curse at some point.
As a conclusion, the second season is already announcing a hunt, a fight between preys and predators, a snake fighting against a crow and black leopard and even later at some point against a python. On the other hand, I believe that we will witness another transformation, Choi Pilwon’s. Simultaneously, I am encouraging the readers to pay attention to the images so that they can try to perceive the characters’ animalistic behavior. When is Lee Choonbae acting like a python or Dooshik like a black leopard in the second season? Moreover, it is very possible that the authors introduce other villains: Dooshik’s former partner, Choi Pilwon’s family etc.
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The Pawn’s Revenge: A perfect plan?🔞 (second version)
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/pawn But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Besides, this manhwa is categorized as HARDCORE. Here is the link, if you are interested in more analyses about this manhwa and others https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/
Feel free to make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. It would also cover my expenses for the blog.
When the episode 24 was released, I couldn’t help myself connecting this panel 
with the following one 
(chapter 21) As you can detect, both have so many similarities: a memory, an open area, the blue sky with clouds, two people close to each other, a very confidential conversation, a plan and a clear view. When I analyzed the second panel [read for that the essay “Hope” https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/07/13/the-pawns-revenge-hope-%f0%9f%94%9e/], I described that this image represented a dream and as such a hope. Kang Hyeon-Jong explained his plan to his younger brother, and envisioned that an open space was the perfect place for secrecy. In a park, no one would ever suspect them to have such a project (getting rid of corruption among the police and its connection to the red-light district). However, we all know that the police officer’s dream got ruined, for he went missing. There’s no doubt that he got killed, because he got betrayed.
As you can imagine, this image oozes the same atmosphere. Do Seong-Rok and the former prostitute are “hoping” that everything will go well with their plan. By killing Jeon Hee-Seong’s enemies, the serial killer has the impression that he will free her so that they can be together. Because of the parallels, the manhwaphiles can already sense that their dream is doomed to failure, since Kang Hyeon-Jong’s vision never came true. This signifies that their “dream” is in fact just an illusion. Why? I believe that first we can get some answers by comparing both panels again. Yet this time I will focus on the divergences. Then in the second part, I will elaborate their “perfect” project more concretely.
1. Comparison between the detective and the prostitute’s project
1. 1. The beach
First, the place diverges. The protagonist is with Jeon Hee-Seong at the beach. This is no coincidence, as the beach symbolizes new beginning. The reason is simple. It’s because the water washes away the sand and allows the sand underneath to have its new beginning on top. This means that the moment their project is finished, the couple is supposed to start their life anew.
1. 2. The ocean
Secondly, both are facing the ocean, while the brothers were facing the city. It was, as if the couple desired to leave the civilization and to return to nature. They would leave everything behind, as there exists nothing else next to them. They are alone and carrying no possession. On the other hand, the detective’s wish was to clean the city with his brother’s support. We have the impression that the protagonist and his companion have no real aspiration except escaping from their “prison”, whereas the detective, associated to the mountain, is full of idealism and ambition. Imagine that he plans to purge the whole organization alone, a huge task for a simple human. But as you know, the villainess Jeon Hee-Seong is actually far from being contented and humble. Like the author has already revealed it, her flower is snapdragon embodying greed and ambition.
This aspect is even reinforced with the choice of color, purple.
Purple: “pompous and arrogant, fraudulent and corrupt, delusions of grandeur and the social climber.” Quoted from https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-purple.html
And this truly shows that the chosen place for the confidence, the beach, is actually a deception planned by the former prostitute.
Striking is that the ocean is a symbol of power, strength, life, mystery, hope and truth. It is also referred to as being the tears, or sorrow, of God. These associations can be perceived with the following legend. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and love, was born from the ocean and its foam, as a drop of blood and semen fell from the sky into the ocean. The titan Cronus had severed his father’s genitals and flung them into the sea. Her birth reflects life, mystery but also power and strength.
Simultaneously, the ocean is also related to chaos. Remember that the goddess’ birth is linked to blood and violence. But the chaos is also explainable, as the ocean is boundless and ungovernable. This signification is important, for it already announces the prostitute’s huge mistake. She thinks, the beach is the perfect place to manipulate her lover, making him believe that they have a future together: they are facing the limitless ocean, a symbol for freedom. But she is overlooking one aspect: the ocean can be a synonym for destruction represented by hurricanes and tsunamis. That’s why I come to the conclusion that the ocean embodies Do Seong-Rok. Remember how Lee Je-Oh viewed him as a god and admired his force.
(chapter 1) I would like the reader to keep in their mind that even in Janggi, the protagonist is acting as a cannon, hence he is definitely no ordinary pawn. For her, the young man is still an innocent and pure lamb, easily manipulated, that’s why she said this to her ally Ahn: 
(chapter 11) In her mind, he is just a worker and not a boyfriend. She is unaware that by turning him into a killer, she will change his nature. He can no longer be a lamb or even a simple pawn. That’s why he gets an erection while strangling Ma Jong-Seok.
(chapter 18) He has become a weapon, and as the ocean, she can never control him. As you can see, if you interpret such an image, you can already anticipate the evolution of the story and realize the villain’s errors. Besides, pay attention to the place of the biggest cloud. It stands next to the main lead. The cloud often represents hope, but it also embodies danger, because it covers the view. And now if we combine the ocean with the cloud, we have a hurricane, the chaos!! This observation really outlined the villain’s mistake one more time. She is not realizing her lover’s true nature. And we have another clue for Do Seong-Rok’s dangerousness: 
The color yellow! This pigment is often associated to positive features like optimism, cheerfulness, logic and wisdom. [For more information: https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-yellow.html] But what is less known is that this shade is the color of deception, physical illness (jaundice, malaria, pestilence) and caution. That’s why we have the yellow signal light for example and the yellow tape for a crime scene: 
(chapter 1) This negative association comes from the Middle-Age in Europe, where Jews and prostitutes were forced to wear some yellow on their clothes reflecting their social status. This pigment was a warning, and this justifies why in French (yellow=jaune) and in English there exist many negative expressions with yellow: “rire jaune” (two-faced laugh) or “jaune cocu” (cuckold yellow) or “yellow belly” (coward). Therefore yellow represents deception, betrayal, adultery, arrogance, vanity and jealousy. And note that Do Seong-Rok is indeed committing adultery with the main lead, 
(chapter 18) though now the roles have been switched. In episode 25, Lee Je-Oh is already treating Do Seong-Rok as his boyfriend 
and has the impression that his lover will cheat on him with Jeon Hee-Seong. 
That’s why he gets upset. And now, you comprehend why the femme fatale’s dream is an illusion. She thought, she was deceiving her pawn, while in reality she didn’t recognize her own misjudgment. Her delusion of grandeur is the cause for her future defeat.
1. 3. Their position
Another difference is their position. (chapter 24) The villainess and her pawn are standing, while the brothers are sitting. This is relevant, for it indicates that the detective and his Kang Hyeon-Woo are resting. By confiding to his brother, the future victim is taking a break, trying to release his stress and getting some comfort and support from his relative. On the other hand, the couple is standing indicating a certain tension. They are attempting to relax, but they can’t due to the pressure. They are about to start their project.
Another divergence is that the main characters are touching each other, their physical intimacy is even reinforced, as both are holding hands 
(chapter 24), while the brothers are just sitting next to each other with a certain distance. (chapter 21) However, this doesn’t reflect the real nature of their relationship. The siblings are indeed very close, as Kang Hyeon-Jong is confessing his true desire and wish. That’s why his brother mostly remained silent, this was his way to express his support. 
(chapter 21) And when he spoke, he expressed his concern for his brother. This signifies that safety mattered more than his dream back then.
Now, you can grasp why there exists this physical intimacy between the former prostitute and the future serial killer. It serves a purpose: to mask their distance, which is actually perceptible through their words. On the surface, it looks like they are working together in this, however this is just an illusion. Note that the killer is bearing the whole burden (“It’s something that only I can do” and repetition of the personal pronoun I), while the femme fatale is supposed to risk her life by using something. In other words, she only needs to do one thing. This interpretation is even reinforced by her fake concern in the next image. (chapter 24) Her so-called comforting words truly display that only Do Seong-Rok is getting his life in danger, as he will be the only one prosecuted. This means, the serial killer will divert the attention of the investigation and the prosecution office from Jeon Hee-Seong. The woman’s gentle gesture is actually masking the high expectation she has from her “lover”.
1. 4. The sky
What caught my attention is the presence of darkness in the blue sky, while the black was only present as a frame in the other picture. This announces that their plan has nothing pure, for it is related to murders and as such death. Secondly, I interpret that this darkness indicates the presence of manipulation. The red-haired man is actually deceived by his lover, it was, as if the magician had created a fake vision of their hope and dream, while behind the blue sky and clouds the reality is waiting for the future murderer. He will become a scapegoat, but he is not realizing it.
1. 5. Their clothes
What caught my attention is that the villainess and the deceased police officer’s pullover has the same color: beige. 
Yet, this is not visible from behind, for she is wearing a black jacket. The appearance of beige is no coincidence, because this color is associated to loyalty and responsibility.
“Beige: is practical and reliable, conservative, constant, unchanging and loyal”. Quoted from https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-brown.html
Here, I would like the manhwaphiles to pay attention to the femme fatale’s clothes. Her choice of color is never random, they always reflect her intentions. She uses the colors to mask her true thoughts and deceive her counterparts. That’s why she was dressed like that in chapter 25: 
Her bun and her clothes gave the impression that she was just an average married woman, but when she visited her so-called boyfriend, she had dressed up. Her long hair was left in the open, an important sign for seduction, just like the white shirt exudes purity and innocence. 
(chapter 25) At the same time, the black skirt embodies mystery and seduction.
But let’s return our attention to the clothes she was wearing at the beach. So when she had the beige pullover on, she wanted to exude reliability and fidelity. That’s the reason why she asks her companion to trust her, just like she trusts him. In addition, beige is a devirated shade from brown, and brown symbolizes sincerity, warmth and protection. However, brown and beige can serve as deception and can definitely be associated to hypocrisy and fakeness. And now, you understand why the scene at the beach was just a vision, and not a real wish. The villainess used her body (the hand and her clothes) to convince Do Seong-Rok to set the plan in motion. The former prostitute had the impression, she had developed the perfect plan. She would get her freedom, but she would be able to achieve her dream: getting power and wealth, 
(chapter 23), while she would let the young man take the fall.
2. Jeon Hee-Seong’s perfect plan
Actually, she is well aware that she will become the prime suspect. Even Koo Jeong-Moo was already suspecting her after Choi Yeong-Gil’s disappearance.
(chapter 11) That’s why she is well aware that she needs to find someone to become her scapegoat. But who would be so stupid to do her dirty work and even trust her? Only a person blinded by her intelligence, her terrible situation (a fragile prostitute who got forced to get married to an abusive husband) and by his thirst for affection and warmth: Do Seong-Rok.
2. 1. Truth
What caught my attention is that her manipulations are based on truth. She told him for example that her life was so terrible that from now on, she would do anything for her own sake, she would use every trick, and even the main lead. 
(chapter 16) And observe that the future assassin was willing to accept this terrible situation 
(chapter 16) He would be her tool. And don’t forget that in that scene, she was trembling on her knees, a sign of huge vulnerability, which could only move his heart. He felt that she needed him, that’s why he accepted to follow her plan. I could use another evidence that truth is her MO. She confided to him this (chapter 23). For the pure man, her words sounded normal and natural. She didn’t desire to be stigmatized as a prostitute, she just wanted to be part of the society. However, in truth, she meant something else. By climbing up the ladder, she was aiming at a higher position: becoming the king of the red-light district. That’s why it is important to even question people’s intention, when they speak the truth. Nevertheless, when he decided to follow her perfect plan, he had one request: she was the only one who could save him, if it became too hard for him.
And now, it becomes understandable what he meant with this promise. It is related to her plan. 
(chapter 24) Once he has been prosecuted and he is proven innocent, he can’t be charged with the same crime. But just because this rule exists, this doesn’t mean that this will be applied in this case.
2. 2. Evidences and witnesses
And now, you comprehend why he killed Lee Soon-Cheol first. The latter was in possession of the videos compromising Jeon Hee-Seong. 
(chapter 24) These videos were her weaknesses, therefore the main lead needed to find and erase them. We don’t know for sure that he was tasked with this request as well. That’s my assumption, because she stated that she wanted to erase her past, and the footage was part of her terrible past. Once her husband was removed, she would be able to get rich thanks to the property situated in the redevelopment.
And now, you are wondering what the former prostitute was supposed to use. She just needed to keep a paper showing that she rented a car for Do Seong-Rok. She anticipated that the detectives involved in the investigations might look for a lover. 
(chapter 24) She desired to lead the detective to Do Seong-Rok and the pieces of Janggi left on the body would serve as a clue for his involvement in the assassinations. This explicates why Lee Je-Oh wondered about the reason for leaving evidence next to the victims an. 
(chapter 13) The femme fatale has power over his life, because she could reveal the truth. That’s her promise, if his situation worsens, she can save him implying that she has an evidence that could prove Do Seong-Rok’s innocence. However, she knew that once her husband dies, she will become a suspect. Thus she needed the main lead to divert the attention from her. Her plan was to redirect the investigation towards the red-haired man.
But as you can imagine, she has already planned to throw him away, once she got rid of all her enemies. When she stated (chapter 24), she implied that she was risking her life. On the other hand, she was actually lying. She is not truly compromising herself, as renting a car for a person doesn’t represent a crime. Yet, the true intention is to incriminate the young man.
Do Seong-Rok is becoming a serial murder, because he has already eliminated three people. Striking is that the former prostitute could say that he is just a delusional lover and even a psychopath, and the pieces of Janggi would serve as an evidence. Besides, she has Ahn by her side serving as protection, so her plan is still perfect.
2. 3. Far from perfection
But she made many huge mistakes, like I had already mentioned in the first part. But I will include other errors. First, she never told her lover how to eliminate the targets, that’s how the protagonist got aware of the killer’s presence. He could have been arrested much sooner, if Lee Je-Oh had revealed his observations. Secondly, she showed her true face, when she yelled at Do Seong-Rok. She declared that now, the main lead was on his own…
something she had always planned. That’s how the assassin started mistrusting her and relying on Lee Je-Oh. Since the latter has recognized her identity
(chapter 25), and has even realized her true goal thanks to Do Seong-Rok’s confession (chapter 23), he will change the game and do anything to protect his lover and weapon. 
(chapter 23) Unlike the female prostitute, the young man made the terrible experience by scheming very early on. He learned that he shouldn’t underestimate the killer’s strength and strong will. Hence he came to realize that he should treat his ally with respect. 
(chapter 12) Do Seong-Rok might not be clever, but he is not weak either. Actually, his major flaw is his innocence, for he is not cunning enough. And remember what I wrote above: she misjudge her lover’s true personality. Therefore she will recognize her error too late.
Furthermore, now the protagonist Lee Je-Oh represents a source of threat for Jeon Hee-Seong. He is an important witness and could testify against her.
Moreover, she is also making another mistake: she is underestimating emotions and affection. Her power over the serial killer was strong, for the latter was in love with her. But as soon as his admiration and affection vanish, her manipulations are no longer effective, and she loses her control over him. Their relationship is already falling apart. First, the main lead is forced to lie to her on different occasions. She even believes that the male prostitute has been removed. Secondly, their alienation is already announced with the following panel: (chapter 25). Notice the color of the sky: it is evening twilight, a huge symbol for a doomed relationship. And we have the presence of dark clouds and the presence of yellow… everything is signalizing the presence of a danger. Her perfect plan is on the verge of getting ruined, as the male prostitute will discover her identity. Because of him, her relationship with Seong-Rok can only be doomed.
Finally, since she is just judging her lover as a worker and pawn, she is not viewing him as a part of her life. He is just an accessory, whereas the male prostitute has a different perception of Do Seong-Rok. He considers him not just as a weapon, but also as a real boyfriend. I have to admit that I view the two protagonists as an entity. Lee Je-Oh is slowly becoming the brain
(chapter 23), while the serial killer will become his arm and hand! Besides, don’t forget my recent interpretation. Do Seong-Rok is linked to the ocean, and the manhwalovers will certainly remember how the male prostitute viewed himself: 
(chapter 1) A fish!! I am well aware that a goldfish is not living in the ocean, but I doubt that the male prostitute could ever afford himself an expensive fish from the ocean. Besides, in the essay “The goldfish and the lamb – part 1”, I had already explained that for me, the young main lead reminded me a lot of the devil firefish / common lionfish.
As you can see, my previous interpretation seems to be confirmed. Since Lee Je-Oh is a common lionfish and the other is the ocean, they are a perfect match.
In addition, both protagonists have a similar disposition. They are starving for affection and have a huge sense of justice… Lee Je-Oh truly perceived Do Seong-Rok’s intentions behind the murders: liberation from slavery, whereas Jeon Hee-Seong used Do Seong-Rok’s empathy and generosity for her own dream: power and wealth! Due to the young main lead’s past experience and cunningness, Lee Je-Oh will be able to anticipate the villainess’ “perfect plan” and protect his boyfriend. Thereby, the femme fatale will slowly realize that this dream of her was just an illusion, and she was a victim of her own delusion.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Painter Of The Night: Twitter and Yoon Seung-Won
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
Yesterday, the author generated a poll on Twitter. She was asking if people would like if Yoon Seung-Won got abducted and wounded, implying that he would suffer the same fate than his elder brother’s. 
In order to make sure that I didn’t misunderstand the content, I even used the app papago and it didn’t diverge at all. As you can observe, most participants agreed to this idea. This means that the author is planning an abduction and sequestration for Yoon Seung-Won. However, when the poll was still active, some users were saying that the author was asking if the readers wanted to have a happy ending or not. As you can see, the twitter generated rumors about the evolution of the story. Striking is that only 20% refused the idea of a kidnapping, because Yoon Seung-Won is handsome and he looks so innocent. They didn’t want another character to suffer again.
1. The reason behind the brother’s kidnapping
But what people failed to see is that none of the figures in Painter Of The Night is free from flaws and sins, not even Baek Na-Kyum! The latter was a liar in the beginning and is still one. This explicates why I still consider him as a hypocrite to a certain extent. 
(chapter 74) In this panel, he is showing a certain admiration for his lover, while he reproaches the “change” in the next panel. 
(chapter 75). As you can observe, change is linked to improvement in the first case, and to instability in the second. The manhwaphiles can still sense that the painter is not honest to his partner and to himself. Besides, let’s not forget that he is still not admitting his feelings for Yoon Seungho. Furthermore, he prefers the lord becoming responsible for him so that their love sessions would be legitimated by the master’s requests. This coincides with Heena’s intervention and influence, which shows how big her influence on Baek Na-Kyum was. The latter was raised to have prejudices and follow social norms. In other words, the painter’s flaws and sins are caused by his education. And for each sin (even white lies), he will suffer. Contrary to Christian philosophy, the characters in Painter Of The Night will not pay for their wrongdoings in their afterlife, but in their actual life. All the figures will meet their karma. That’s why Byeonduck already warned the readers that they should brace themselves for heartache in the beginning of season 3. And observe that “handsomeness” and “looking innocence” can not be an excuse for the absence of suffering, since the painter didn’t escape his karma. Therefore, Yoon Seung-Won can’t be spared just because of his beautiful face and his naivety.
And this leads me to the following conclusion. It is perfectly logical to plan an abduction for Yoon Seung-Won, and even to let him go a similar path than the main lead, though it will be much shorter. Why? It is, because the younger master resembles the painter in certain areas. He is also a hypocrite and a liar. And he became like that because of his father, just like Baek Na-Kyum’s flaws (ignorance, prejudices, hypocrisy and lies) are the result of Heena’s raising. Nevertheless, there exists a huge difference between them. The kisaeng acted like that out of selflessness. She always imagined, she was acting in her brother’s best interests, while in reality she was not recognizing that her actions actually were all selfish. On the other hand, the younger master learned from his own father that his own interest mattered the most. He witnessed how his father used and even abused his brother, therefore he started copying father Yoon’s MO and adopted his mentality. Yoon Seung-Won used his father’s authority to scare his brother and to impose his will onto him. 
(chapter 35) First, he “faked” a letter saying that it was from the former official
(chapter 35) , then he mentioned their relative in front of Yoon Seungho. 
(chapter 37) He definitely knew that his brother got hurt and scared by the mere mention of father Yoon. In the chapter 37, we could sense the young master’s lies and dishonesty. His goal was to obtain his brother’s help and sponsor. I believe that he desired to stay at his brother’s mansion in the capital too. But with his visitation, he failed, therefore he retaliated and gave the ruined painting on purpose to their father. He feigned ignorance, while in truth he hoped that his father would intervene.
(chapter 44) But his scheme failed for two reasons. First, he forgot that his lie had consequences. Valet Kim took his words as face-value: “The letter was from the eldest master”. So the butler envisioned that father Yoon was indeed requesting his eldest son’s help. That’s why he played the trick by giving the ruined painting. He anticipated that the former official would perceive the gesture as insubordination and retaliate. However, Kim didn’t realize that when father Yoon created the scandal and cut off Yoon Seungho’s topknot, he was indeed abandoning his son for real. There’s no doubt that such a man who pays so much attention to his own image and reputation, would like to be associated to the infamous sodomite. That’s why the lord remained passive in chapter 44 and could only clench his fist out of rage. As you can see, the rumors have become Yoon Seungho’s protection. Now, he is out of reach for father Yoon and I believe, it is the same for the king. But so far, Yoon Seung-Won didn’t truly suffer due to his lies. As a conclusion, he will have to meet his karma in the future. How? The abduction would be the answer.
2. Predictions
Then shortly after, the author released this picture on Twitter, asking the users to ponder the cause for Yoon Seung-Won’s embarrassment. 
The young master seems to feel uncomfortable, as there’s a drop of sweat on his face. Moreover, he is thinking the following: “There are so many twisted-minded people in the world…”. So what happened?
We have two possibilities. Either he lied or he just used his brother’s name to get some recognition, just like he used his father’s authority in the first season. Remember how he utilized Yoon Seungho’s name to explicate why father Yoon didn’t bid farewell properly, we have to expect a new version of this. But if he lied, we would have two possibilities again. Either he said that he was sponsored by his brother or he acted, as if his family hadn’t cut ties with Yoon Seungho officially. He acted, as if the incident with the topknot had not occurred or as if their alienation had been finally removed. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that in chapter 37, Yoon Seung-Won was seen visiting his brother’s mansion and he was accepted. He even got a letter from his brother delivered by Kim. Yoon Seung-Won could use this scene as a deception. One thing is sure: Seung-Won’s desire to get a high office through his brother is definitely the cause for this incident, as the young master has learned from his father that Yoon Seungho was just a tool for their family. And his dishonesty will lead to the abduction. But the new panel released by the author represents Yoon Seung-Won’s karma. He is now paying the price for his sins (selfishness, vanity and superficiality)
3. Explanations
Let’s not forget that until he left for the capital, he lived secluded in the countryside. Therefore he was never confronted with the gossips about the topknot incident and his brother as hell-raiser directly. He might be well aware of the “prostitution” and exclusion, but he was too young to realize the real consequences of such an action. Since his father has always paid attention to their good image, the young master never envisioned the real significance of the gesture: betrayal and abandonment. The latter just judged it as banishment. That’s why he suggested to his brother to pay a visit to their father.
(chapter 37) He thought that the topknot incident could be erased with a simple visitation. This truly exposes that Yoon Seung-Won has not honestly grasped the signification of the terrible event and its impact on his brother. I am even now wondering if he really knows about the extent of his bad reputation. This would explain why he couldn’t understand the presence of the fellow.
In his mind, the elder brother was still following their father’s rules, and as such was still acting on behalf of the Yoons: Having sex in exchange for favors.
(chapter 37) But he would lie a low profile just like in the past, when father Yoon hid his crime (prostitution) behind closed doors. Let’s not forget that Kim tried to stop him from entering the room, giving the impression that Yoon Seungho was somehow paying attention to his notoriety: sodomy would only occur behind closed doors.
So once arrived in the capital, he lets people know that he is Yoon Seungho’s brother. I can’t help myself thinking about the scholar who wanted to use the protagonist’s notoriety in order to attract attention. 
(chapter 44) I believe Yoon Seung-Won could have a similar idea. Yet, the moment he acts like that, he detects how people start looking at him strangely, just like 
(chapter 01) Baek Na-Kyum reacted, when he recalled the protagonist’s identity. The young master will witness people’s disdain and shock, or they will approach him believing that he is like his brother. 
For me, “There are so many twisted-minded people in the world…” is referring to the gossips. Yoon Seung-Won will become guilty by association. That’s why he will feel uncomfortable, as he will realize what it means to be associated to such a brother. They believe that he is like Yoon Seungho, a sodomite, who is looking for favors. But Yoon Seung-Won has already internalized that sex with men is done behind closed doors.
While the father only thought about himself, when he used his eldest son as scapegoat in order to divert from his loss of power and banishment, he never realized that he ruined Yoon Seungwon’s chances for a career, especially after he served as a role model for his second son. Because the young master has learned from his own father that he can gain power and attention by utilizing Yoon Seungho, he copied his method. He learned from him the easy way how to become an important official, he never saw his father working hard. Father Yoon didn’t anticipate that his younger son would copy him and end up being stigmatized due to Yoon Seungho. Slowly, the young master will realize the father’s hypocrisy and flaws. Only through karma, Yoon Seung-Won can recognize his wrongdoings so that he can ask for his brother’s forgiveness.
Since I detect some parallels between this image and the one from chapter 1, I believe that the author will use certain elements from episode 1. That’s why I came to the idea that Yoon Seung-Won could have been lying too. 
(chapter 1). It’s possible that Yoon Seung-Won lies about his brother’s support (he says “YES”) in the hope of getting connections and help. Or he acts, as if he had rekindled his relationship with his brother. But what happens is that people push him away or start looking down on him. Then the manhwaphiles will certainly recall how the artist got abducted in that scene. 
(chapter 1)
But if he attracts attention from people by using his brother’s name, this signifies that he will get the attention from Joseon’s ruler. It is definitely possible that the king is behind the brother’s abduction. One thing is sure: the person orchestrating the kidnapping values family and traditions, imagining that if the brother gets abducted, Yoon Seungho will intervene and rescue his brother. Therefore the mastermind has no idea of the impact of the topknot on Yoon Seungho’s mentality. Naturally, Min, the scholar, Heena and father Lee could be involved, as they all pay attention to social norms and notoriety too.
So when the young master arrives in Hanyang, he announces the Yoons’ return which can not escape the king’s notice. That’s how he gets abducted by the king. Since I have already portrayed the monarch as obsessive and abusive, there’s no doubt that he could never forget Yoon Seungho. By abducting the brother, the king is hoping that the brother will intervene and rescue his brother, just like he sacrificed himself in the past for his family. However, what happens is that Yoon Seungho will ignore the kidnapping, for he no longer views Yoon Seung-Won as his brother. Simultaneously, such an abduction and sequestration would help Yoon Seung-Won to recognize his father’s selfishness, greed and ruthlessness. The latter could make a similar deal with the ruler so that father Yoon can make a comeback.
In the monarch’s mind, Yoon Seungho didn’t desire to take the exam in order to keep his distance from him. But the return of the Yoons coincides with the scholar’s sponsoring, and the king could view these two elements that Yoon Seungho has regained his sanity, and is determined to use the learned sir and the family Yoon to get power over the officials and protect himself from the ruler. It is also possible that the scholar doesn’t get noticed by the ruler, for the rumors circulating about him only appeared in the countryside. 
(chapter 52) That’s why it is likely that the king only pays attention to the brother’s arrival and overlooks the learned sir. Let’s not forget that he passed the first exam in the town and not in the capital. The difference between the grapevines in the countryside and the capital explicates why the monarch has not heard of Yoon Seungho’s metamorphosis yet. As a conclusion, Yoon Seung-Won’s exam will be seen as a signal that Yoon Seungho is now sane in his mind, especially if the former acts, as if he was close to his brother.
There’s no doubt that the king hasn’t forgotten him at all, but since the noble was definitely suicidal and crazy, 
(chapter 57)
the ruler didn’t desire to face the consequences of his wrongdoings, and entrusted his lover to the so-called loyal butler Kim. This would explicate why Yoon Seungho became the owner of the Yoons’ proprieties in the countryside and in the capital. The king felt sorry and thought that by acting generous, he would make his crimes go away. Remember that Yoon Seungho chose to turn Baek Na-Kyum into a noble for his wrongdoings. 
(chapter 71) The monarch could have done the same, making Yoon Seungho the true lord of the Yoons. That’s why father Yoon chose to ruin his son’s reputation out of resent and hatred. The latter had “won”, while father Yoon was sent into exile!!
At the same time, this signifies that the valet was a double agent, he was supposed to take care of the young master, until he had recovered. 
(older version of chapter 33) And under this new light, it would explain Kim’s philosophy: lie low and feign ignorance. He had to incite Yoon Seungho to fall into debauchery
(chapter 55), that way the lord wouldn’t get the king’s attention. The latter would think, the young man was still traumatized. On the other hand, father Yoon thought that Kim was following his order: create a scandal and live in debauchery in order to divert attention from the purge of noble families close to the Yoons and father Yoon’s loss of power. Nevertheless the king was still hoping that with time, the young man would recover. So if he abducts Yoon Seung-Won, it is his way to approach his ex-lover. Since the young master is supported by his brother, the Joseon king has the impression that Yoon Seungho is avoiding him. He wants the protagonist to rekindle their relationship. And if this theory is correct, then this means that we would have a new version of the painter’s abduction in the second season. Remember that Lee Jihwa desired to get closer to Yoon Seungho by taking away the artist.
As a conclusion, the brother’s abduction definitely fits the story. In my opinion, it would even speed up the progression of the story. Simultaneously, this terrible situation would be an eye-opener for Yoon Seung-Won. Put in the same place than Yoon Seungho, he would be forced to recognize his sins and his father’s. He would recognize that lying and dishonesty are sins and as such can have terrible consequences. Remember that in the first episode, the painter’s lie caused the death of a servant, and in case of a new repetition, Yoon Seung-Won would pay his sin by getting tormented. Besides, he would be reminded of his past and recognize that back then he also betrayed and abandoned his brother. 
(chapter 55) He might have been stopped by the father here. Yet if he had lied before, he didn’t assume his responsibility by not revealing the truth. There’s no ambiguity that the young master was jealous of his brother in his youth, and must have lied about his brother. We already have a clue thanks to the episode from Alternative Universe: 
(special episode 2)
Sure, he never anticipated such a reaction from his father, yet the moment he remained silent, he became guilty. And since the sinners are always confronted with a similar situation, this means that Yoon Seung-Won will lie for the third time. This time, he will be caught and suffer the consequences of his dishonesty. He might look handsome, but he is far from being perfect. He is just a human, while father Yoon is a monster. Consequently, the young brother has the chance to redeem himself contrary to father Yoon. Why am I am so hopeful? It is because of the shoes!! The younger master removed his shoes before approaching the door of the host’s bedchamber. With this gesture, he showed a certain respect towards his brother. 
He imitated his brother in this aspect 😉, though he was not aware of this. 
(chapter 37) 
(chapter 53) Notice that Deok-Jae didn’t even remove his shoes, when he ransacked the painter’s study. Imagine, this detail only caught my attention today! That’s why I am predicting that we should see the kidnapping in a good way. Through pain, only the good persons will acknowledge their mistakes and express regrets.
That’s why this manhwa is called “PAIN”ter Of The Night, the suffering will bring enlightenment to the victims.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My reddit-Instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Power and salvation
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Soul on the skin (second version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Treacherous colors 🟪 🟫
Mad Place: Smiling ghost 👻 and sinful priest
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/madplace_en But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link, if you are interested in more analyses about other manhwas https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
After reading such a title, readers familiar with this story will wonder how I came to select such a headline, because it gives the impression that this manhwa contains supernatural elements, while in reality the story is a mystery, or more precisely a crime novel. Besides, the illustration of Mad Place is clearly reflecting this situation. The Korean prosecutor, Gu Sehyuk, has handcuffed and trapped in his arms the suspect Ha Ideun, while holding the keys of the handcuffs in one hand. But if you pay attention to the scenery, you will notice that the district attorney is also trapped, hugged by the chaebol Ha Ideun. Yet, at no moment there‘s a presence of a ghost or a priest.
However, the manhwaphiles should look carefully at the way the two protagonists are introduced and even portrayed. Only through a meticulous analysis, they will realize that both characters are more than just a prosecutor and a chairman‘s son.
1. Ha Ideun: the smiling ghost
And now, it is time to focus on Ha Ideun. 
(Chapter 7) After viewing such a panel, the readers can only judge him as weird, but funny. Though the main lead is now a murder suspect, he keeps smiling while making requests, and as you can see, his main condition is sex. Because of such a behavior, he can not look trustworthy in the attorney district’s eyes, rather obsessed with sex. It was, as if he was amused by this situation. That‘s even how Gu Sehyuk views him in the beginning of this story. Nonetheless, this is just a deception. The man is actually using the situation for his own benefit. Why? First, his first request is quite serious. He is asking for an investigation. 
(Chapter 2) This signifies that he needs Gu Sehuyk’s help and power as district prosecutor. And this observation leads me to the following conclusion. He created such an opportunity to approach his target, Gu Sehyuk. How did I come to such a conclusion?
1. 1. The true relationship between Ha Ideun and Gu Sehyuk
The author gave us clues on different occasions. First, he knows the code for the house. 
(Chapter 12) I doubt that the main lead gave it to the „suspect“, since the latter is under investigation. Secondly, he knows the prosecution officer’s life so well. Observe that he is the one telling the young detective how long Gu Sehuyk will stay at work. 
(Chapter 12) Moreover, he knows about the death of Gu Sehyuk’s brother and the circumstances of his assassination. That’s why he sent him a picture of the killer, Yoon Gyuho, who had committed suicide right after. Then, the manhwaworms can witness 
him kissing the prosecutor’s wrist tenderly, a sign of affection. He might have introduced himself as his biggest fan 
(chapter 2), yet such a gentle kiss expresses more than just admiration. Moreover, I would like to point out the absence of the eyes in the last picture, a sign that the protagonist is here wearing a mask and not entirely honest.
All these elements truly expose that he is well informed about the district attorney‘s life. But since the latter has no idea how he is connected to the „suspect“, the first assumption would be that Ha Ideun has been spying on him like a shadow. A second possibility would be that he was an acquaintance of Gu Sihwan, the assassinated brother, but the prosecutor was left in the ignorance. Yet, I have to admit that I have a different theory. I am actually more inclined to perceive him as a ghost from Gu Sehyuk‘s past, but the latter has no recollection due to his trauma. This means that he would have ghosted Ha Ideun. This theory would also explain why he proposes the deal: sex in exchange for information. That way, he would restore their past relationship. As you can detect, for me the sex scenes in a really good manhwa are not just created for entertainment, they always have a purpose (see Painter Of The Night, The Pawn’s revenge etc.) Moreover, we could perceive the ghost’s behavior in episode 18 as an evidence for this thesis. 
(Episode 18) Notice that in this scene, the „suspect“ is blushing and hiding his gaze with his hand, while he admits that he did it because of him. In addition, he reminds the attorney district of their actual situation. One sex session means the divulgation of intel. Here, Gu Sehyuk had the impression that he was the only one who got carried away, whereas Ha Ideun was still able to remain rational and calm. Yet, due the blushing and the covering of his eyes, it becomes obvious that the „suspect“ was definitely moved. Besides, Ha Ideun justifies his action with the prosecutor. It is for him or his brother. Then he begs him for his trust. Yet, this is just a theory of mine and you have every right to think otherwise. But one thing is sure: the young man is definitely more close to Gu Sehyuk than the latter is aware.
1. 2. The traces of a spirit
As you could see, I used in two opportunities the idiom „ghost“, when I described his relationship with the prosecutor:
- to ghost someone one: (slang) to ignore someone, until they go away. This phrase is often applied to failed love relationships.
- a ghost from (one‘s) past: the reappearance in the present of someone or something unsettling from one‘s past. Quoted from idioms.thefreedictionnary.com
Yet, at no moment I elaborated why I couldn‘t help myself connecting the chaebol‘s son to a phantom. First, the protagonist is presented as Gu Sihwan‘s shadow 
(chapter 6), exposing that both characters are similar and in fact related. Furthermore, what caught my attention is that the face of the chairman’s third son is never revealed to citizens, when his arrest is mentioned in the news. In fact, we only get to see a white television screen. 
(Chapter 1) But this doesn‘t stop here. Later, when the attorney district meets the deputy prosecutor general Na Joohwan, the latter reveals that during a search concerning the existence of a slush fund, he noticed that Ha Ideun’s room was devoid of life. 
(chapter 8). There was no picture and no cloth. It was, as if the owner of the room was a phantom. Besides, note that we have the presence of white again. The manhwaphiles certainly know the expressions „white as a sheet“, „pale/white like a ghost“. As you can see, these panels reflect these idioms. That’s how I connected the chaebol’s son to a ghost.
Furthermore, if the manhwalovers recall how the young man is described, they will notice that neither the detective and the prosecutors can truly perceive his identity. He is rumored to be consumed by sex 
(chapter 7), he is not working and he doesn’t own any apartment. In other words, he is living in the shadow, for he has no possession and is not interacting with people. His sexual habits are presented as hearsay. And now, you comprehend why I made this association. That‘s why it is not surprising that at the end of episode 18, Gu Sehyuk wondered about Ha Ideun‘s true personality. 
And note again that the young man appears quite emotional, once he is alone in front of the mirror. This truly exposes that their last sex session definitely affected him and he was controlling himself, when he made new revelations.
Another parallel is his words addressed to Gu Sehyuk. First, he confesses to him that he knows the truth.
(Chapter 5), while the district attorney is only aware of facts. 
(Chapter 4) There’s no doubt that the suspect is telling the truth. He is not blinded by agony, like Gu Sehyuk who suffered a lot from his brother’s loss. I will explain the difference between truth and facts more in details later. Besides, let‘s not forget that a spirit is able to see more than humans, because they are detached from the physical world. They can move from one place to another very easily. Therefore they can gain more insight than mortals. As a ghost, he is able to spy and discover new clues.
1. 3. The spirit’s light
Since Ha Ideun is related to the color white, a symbol for purity, wisdom, knowledge and light, it becomes obvious that the young man is in reality more than just a hedonistic and carefree person. Observe this scenery: 
(chapter 2) The light oozing from the television stands in the protagonist’s back and illuminates the prosecutor. It was, as if Ha Ideun was bringing light into the main lead’s darkness. With his knowledge, he will be able to help to unveil the mystery of his brother’s death. For me, there’s no ambiguity that he has long planned to approach the prosecutor and he knows very well, why Gu Sihwan was murdered. But he can‘t reveal everything at once, because the latter would never believe him. Besides, he needs to prepare the protagonist to face the truth and exactly for this reason, the young man has to investigate himself. Only by becoming the investigator, Gu Sehyuk can discover and accept the verity. Moreover, Ha Ideun has to gain the prosecutor‘s trust. And now the manhwaphiles can comprehend why he is asking for the prosecution officer‘s confidence. 
(Chapter 15) Therefore he is willing to be investigated and questioned by Gu Sehyuk. He has no problem to get tested. Since he is clean, he has nothing to fear. On the other hand, he is not releasing much information, because he is well aware that his knowledge could generate suspicions among the prosecution office. Observe that once caught in the CCTV, he was immediately turned into a murder suspect. Words can be misinterpreted, hence he is very reluctant to speak so freely. The readers should keep in their mind that each information he gave was related to a concrete evidence (the picture, the bag full of drugs and the knife), 
(Chapter 15) something that can not be tampered, as long as the district attorney is supervising the investigation. In other words, he is guiding the district attorney to unveil the mystery.
1. 4. The reason for the ghost‘s appearance
And now, you might be wondering why he approached the prosecutor after two years. In my opinion, it is related to his good notoriety. Gu Sehyuk has become famous as a hardliner, as a serious and integer prosecutor. He made sure that the accused would always receive a harsh sentence. Nonetheless, there exists another reason from my perspective. Since Ha Ideun is a „ghost“, this signifies that he is powerless. I suspect that the absence of his life and presence is related to his other brother Ha Sungjoon. 
(Chapter 2) After analyzing so many manhwas, I discovered that many characters wearing glasses were hypocrites, often manipulative and ruthless. Hence I am suspecting that everything is related to Hasung Group. I believe that Ha Ideun’s powerlessness is related to Ha Sungjoon. Note that in that scene, the main lead showed a disdain towards his brother, when the latter appeared on television. There exists a rivalry and Ha Ideun‘s bad reputation (lazy, consumed by sex) is definitely playing into Ha Sungjoon‘s hands. Simultaneously, it could be a diversion from the main lead‘s part, that way he could deceive his brother and investigate his crimes. The manhwaworms shouldn‘t forget the existence of a slush fund and the sudden increase of benefits from Hasung Group.
Finally, by approaching the district attorney, Ha Ideun is slowly revealing his existence to the outside world. For the first time, his name becomes public. This means, he can no longer be hidden. This is no coincidence that he allows the NFS to take his hair and blood, because that way he can prove his existence. I have to confess that Ha Ideun sounds similar to „hide“. From my perspective, it looks like the protagonist was forced to live in the shadow. And now, with this interpretation, it becomes more understandable why he would make the request to have sex. Through sexual encounters, he has the impression to feel alive. It was his only way to prove his existence. Furthermore, it would give him the perfect excuse to hide his true intentions. He needs Gu Sehyuk’s strength and trust, and through intimacy, he can get his faith and as such justice.
2. Gu Sehyuk: The sinful priest
Now, the manhwaphiles are wondering about the origin of this interpretation. What caught my attention is the protagonist’s behavior. First, he lives like a hermit, keeping his distance from his coworkers and totally disinterested in worldly pleasures. This explicates why after his victory at the trial he refuses to celebrate with his colleague. 
(Chapter 1) His whole life is revolving around his work as prosecutor, a life full of dedication, humbleness and chastity. He is actually not truly living, just determined to keep his vows. He is making sure that the defendants are all receiving harsh sentence. 
(Chapter 1) What the other district attorney calls as obsession, is in my eyes the protagonist’s religion.
2. 1. Gu Sehyuk‘s cult
The way I portrayed the main lead reminds me of a priest, and more precisely of a monk: seclusion, modesty, abstinence of worldly pleasure, hard work and virtue are the features corresponding to a ascetic. His cult is to make sure that culprits are receiving their punishment, since he failed to do it with his brother. It was, as if he was trying to absolve his sin towards Gu Sihwan. But if Gu Sehyuk is a priest, then he needs to have a shrine.
(Chapter 3) The pictures on the cupboard are representing his „idol“ or „saint“. Since Gu Sihwan got assassinated, he became a martyr and his brother turned him into a „saint“. And now, you comprehend why Ha Ideun is not allowed to touch his deceased brother’s belonging. They are sacred relics. 
Therefore it is not surprising that the brother’s bedroom is associated to white as well: 
It was, as if his bedroom was a crypt. That’s why I came to the following interpretation. The mansion, which Gu Sehyuk described as „frozen in time“, is his tempel. Consequently, his residence is intemporal. Because this is a sacred place, he can’t live properly there. At the same time, he feels the intrusion of a stranger as a sacrilege. Therefore the manhwaphiles can grasp why Gu Sehyuk cleaned the house after the ghost‘s visit. 
(Chapter 3) The tempel had lost his purity. The reason for his transformation is naturally his brother’s murder. The latter suffered so much from it, that he couldn’t move on. This is no coincidence that once he is confronted with the culprit’s face, he gets a flashback, a panic attack. 
(Chapter 3) But since he is so trapped in his past, he starts suffering, once he encounters Ha Ideun, for the latter forces him to remember his repressed memories.
2. 2. Truth versus facts
Because he lived as a monk, he never got the occasion to get emotional. However, once the „ghost“ touched his wounds from the past, the prosecutor could only get infuriated and upset, and as such became a sinner. This is not surprising that he even got violent. And now, it is time to explain what Ha Ideun meant with this:
(Chapter 4) The hard working man witnessed Gu Sihwan’s murder and caught the culprit at the crime scene. Hence he could never forget his face. 
But the problem is that memories are never objective. They are definitely influenced by the subject‘s past experiences, emotions and mentality. What Gu Sehuyk saw here could be viewed differently. He views a murderer in this image, while I detect the killer‘s despair and angst through the eyes. From my point of view, the man was not lusting for blood, though he stabbed him 7 times, a sign for rage and madness. And notice that after the crime, Gu Sehuyk investigated the matter from the culprit‘s perspective. Why would he stab his brother 7 times? Why would he do this? In other words, he tried to find out his motivations. But like Ha Ideun pointed out, he was missing something important there: the victim.
(Chapter 4) Because he was close to his brother, he had the impression that he knew his brother: he was a smiling and cheerful person with no secret.
The picture of his idol exposes Gu Sehyuk‘s blindness. And now, you comprehend why the „ghost“ put it down in the end. This was not the truth, Gu Sihwan hid things from his brother. And this leads me to the following conclusion. Because the prosecutor idolized his brother so much, he couldn‘t discover the truth. Moreover, he acted like every district attorney. They just need to catch the culprit and the case is closed. However, there‘s a huge difference between truth and identifying the perpetrator‘s identity. There was definitely a conspiracy, but the protagonist failed to see this, as he was too obsessed with the assassin. Here I would like to mention my other essay called „Truth and memories: Memorist, Nobody knows, Find me in your memories and The King“, where I elaborated the problematic of unveiling the truth through memories.
Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible, why Ha Ideun switched on the light in the prosecutor‘s residence, which caught the district attorney by surprise. This has a methaphorical signification. He brings the prosecutor closer to the truth, he enlightens him. This explicates too why the spirit entered Gu Sihwan‘s room and grabbed his book. He was violating the sacred place for one reason. He wanted Gu Sehyuk to leave the darkness of his temple and fight for his brother’s rights. 
(Chapter 4) Why did he have to die? Ha Ideun needs to transform the deceased brother into a human so that Gu Sehyuk decides to look into his brother’s past life.
2. 3. Mad Place
However, Ha Ideun has to change the prosecutor’s way of life as well. He needs to force him to become sinful so that he stops being a monk and the house is no longer perceived as a shrine. That’s another reason why the „suspect“ requests sex as an exchange for information. He is inciting the main lead to become a sinner. That way, the main lead is pressured to drop his role as an ascetic. By turning him into a sinful priest, the latter is forced to question himself. Hence the main lead gets violent enraged in the episode 3 and 4, signs of wrongdoings. Besides, this is exactly what is happening in episode 18. For the first time, he discovers pleasures 
and is taken by surprise. He wonders why he acted like this. 
(Chapter 18) In my eyes, this scene indicates that Gu Sehyuk is slowly coming back to life. But the problem is that the main lead has lived like that for two years, therefore he won’t change right away. From my point of view, his „temple“ will become a mad place, because he commits a sin in a sacred place.
(Chapter 1) Ha Ideun won’t be able to remove the prosecutor’s religion despite their sex sessions, as long as the truth is not totally unveiled. This is my explanation why Junah chose such a title.
And now, you comprehend why both protagonists are trapped in each other‘s embrace. Both need each other in order to unveil the whole truth. Ha Ideun is definitely lacking power, as he has always lived in the shadow. He needs to become a human in order to get justice, just like Gu Sihwan.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Jihwa the criminal
Protected: Painter Of The Night: “Huis clos” – part 2
Protected: Painter Of The Night: “Huis clos” -part 1
The pawn’s revenge: Hope 🔞
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/pawn But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Besides, this manhwa is categorized as HARDCORE: 🔞 Here is the link, if you are interested in more analyses about this manhwa and others https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/
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Readers familiar with The Pawn’s Revenge might be surprised that I selected such a title, because when you read the sypnosis and see this panel
, it gives you the opposite impression: dark, asphyxiating, destructive and hopeless.
However, when I read the latest chapter (chapter 21), I couldn’t help myself connecting it to hope, and as such to belief, aspiration and goal. And now, you might wonder how.
1. Kang Hyeon-Won’s memory
First, it is related to Kang Hyeon-Jong,
, the missing brother from lieutenant Kang Hyeon-Woo. When the former confides his intentions to his brother (he would like to clean the corruption in the police forces and remove the dirty connections between authorities and the red-light district), the former appears integer, righteous, courageous and determined. This means, he is full of energy and aspirations to achieve his goal.
But what caught my attention is that when Kang Hyeon-Woo recalls his conversation with his brother, we see them discussing it on the top of a hill. Not only they have a perfect view over the city, but also the weather is quite nice. The sky is blue and there are a few clouds. Finally they are sitting in a park surrounded by nature. As you can imagine, in my eyes this scenery is not random at all. This scene is full of symbolism.
The presence of the hill with the perfect view over the city is an indication that Kang Hyeon-Jong had the bigger picture of the situation in his head. He knew what was going on: officer Ahn was working with the hostess Jeon Hee-Seong, and the latter had already planned something out of resent. In addition, he was well aware that many police officers were dirty. Therefore the sight over the city is a metaphor of Kang Hyeon-Jong’s thoughts. The existence of the recorded evidence and his words to his brother truly display Kang Hyeon-Jong as an idealist and pure police officer. He was full of hope and bravery. Moreover, a hill represents the climb to higher attainment, wider view of life or opportunities. Hence it is linked to potential and change either. And now the manhwaphiles can grasp that the detective’s selected place mirrored his state of mind. He was attempting to climb to the top to remove all the corruptive elements.
This perception was also reinforced, when Evy drew this panel 
combined with the idioms “chance” and “expose this case to the public”. Note the presence of the wooden plank in the bottom. It was, as if the perspective and the wooden plank were the stage, and the city in the background was symbolizing the public. In other words, the scenery was representing the detective’s vision. He was full of confidence and dream here. Moreover, since it is an open air area, you can breathe more easily. This signifies that the scenery oozes a certain relief, liberation and release. The brother could confide to his brother about his intentions and his latest information. He knew that the young detective was trustworthy and would support him. It represented a moment of relaxation for the investigating Kang Hyeon-Jong. Thus the readers see the machines as a symbol for relaxation and entertainment. Since the hyung was disclosing his discoveries and his evidence, it means that the younger brother was his pillar in his quest to clean up the police forces.
But there exists another element for this interpretation. The cloud is linked to future, dream and change, because clouds always move on and their form can change. Besides, since they are close to the sky, the clouds are connected to the gods, the former are bringing messages from the gods. That’s why in certain cultures, shamans would read the clouds and interpret these. And now, you understand why the author created such a scene. The cloud was embodying the detective’s dream and ambition. He was full of hope.
2. Hope versus fear and doubt
In that moment, I realized that the author used the sceneries to express certain ideas and emotions. Remember how Lee Je-Oh reacted after leaving his testimony to Park Gwang-Soo. He expressed his admiration about the murderer. (chapter 2) Note the similarities: We had a nice weather with clouds and a hill in the background. The male prostitute was also full of hope here. He could breathe in that moment, he had lost another violent tormentor to his relief. Therefore I came to realize the existence of the connection between dream and nature contrasting to the city represented as a chicken battery.
And these two scenes (chapter 21-2) lead me to the following observation. The weather and the place reflect the mental disposition of the characters. When Do Seong-Rok killed the first victim, it was night, dark and raining.
(chapter 1) Furthermore, he abandoned the corpse in an abandoned area. This scene was quite oppressing and depressing which mirrored the perpetrator’s disposition. Let’s not forget that later the manhwaphiles could witness the murderer’s fears, when he had a nightmare. 
(chapter 6) Instead of looking up to the sky (a symbol for dream and hope), the criminal looked down. I could bring up another scene: 
(chapter 16) Both characters are looking down, both hurt and depressed. The prostitute is full of doubts and resigning to her fate. She will do anything in order to survive, and if it is necessary, she will betray and abandon her lover. She announces that she will be definitely ruthless and selfish. She is no longer expecting happiness and relaxation. It’s a fight for her. Besides, in that scene, the city looks lifeless, as there are no plant or people. I would even say, it’s suffocating, for the sky is so dark and clouded. It was, as if it functioned as a lid. As a conclusion, the weather and the scene reflect the character’s state of mind. The blue sky with clouds is linked to hope, while a raining dark grey day is associated to hopelessness, fear and doubts. Thus the town is related to suffocation, loneliness and resignation. Let’s not forget that the characters are all embodying animals (Lee Je-Oh is a goldfish and a dog, Do Seong-Rok is a dog, Jeon Hee-Seong is a snake etc…), but the problem is that they are all trapped in the Janggi game, that’s why they are not free and feel so oppressed. In my opinion, the Janggi board is in reality the city itself. Instead of representing civilization and progress, the town embodies despair, corruption and asphyxiation: death.
3. The couple in the bedchamber
And now, it is time to look again at the episode 21. If you compare the bed scenes with the protagonists, you’ll detect a huge change. The room and the sheets appear so white and pure
(chapter 21), which contrasts to this scene for example
(chapter 7) where grey was the dominant color. Contrary to the scene in episode 7, the main leads are no longer separated by the sheet, and they are facing each other. As you can sense, the color and the position mirror their increasing closeness and trust. I would say that the main couple is full of hope in that chapter. This is particularly perceptible in this image. Lee Je-Oh is already thinking about the future. 
He is confident in his skills and intelligence to protect his partner. The presence of relief and aspiration explains why the main leads are tender and caring towards each other. 
Here, you might argue that we don’t have the presence of nature, hence this contradicts my previous interpretation that nature is a signal of liberation and relief. However, I can refute this argument by pointing out that we don’t see the city here. In my eyes, the room has now become a refuge, a shelter of two wounded and lonely souls. Lee Je-Oh is no longer viewing the bedchamber as a place where he is held hostage. He is now cohabiting with the murderer. Thanks to him, Seong-Rok could sleep much better and wasn’t tormented by a nightmare, though he had killed Ma Jeong-Seok. To sum up, the bedroom shouldn’t be judged as a contradiction to nature. It is the place for privacy and relief as well. Furthermore, the better the bond between the killer and the male prostitute is, the clearer the room appears.
4. Kang Hyeon-Woo’s hope
Due to these last significations (the symbolism of the scenery and the bedroom as a shelter and place to relax and privacy), I come to the final scene from the chapter 21: Kang Hyeon-Woo in his bedroom. The latter is still full of hope as well 
despite the loss of his brother. He hasn’t given up on his dream and ambition. Consequently he makes this promise to fulfil his brother’s hope. Hence Kang Hyeon-Jong’s uniform hangs on the wall at the end of the bed. 
It symbolizes the detective’s goal: he is seeking for the truth and eradication of corruption. The bedroom is the officer’s refuge, where he can express his true thoughts and emotions. He doesn’t feel lonely, because he still has the brother’s uniform by his side. It was, as if the latter was still alive and by his side. And if you pay attention to the images, you’ll detect the indirect presence of nature: the wallpaper. It is slightly green and there are flowers. I tried to identify the flower, but I wasn’t sure. For me, it looks like a chrysanthemum which symbolizes longevity, fidelity, joy and optimism. Naturally, this flower has other meanings, but it depends on the color. A white one is offered to the relatives of the deceased as a sign of grief. On the other hand, a white chrysanthemum signifies loyalty and honesty. Striking is that the flower has the same color than the shirt Kang Hyeon-Jong was wearing, when he was confessing his last discoveries and dream. Consequently, I come to the conclusion that the flower in the background embodies the missing brother who is supporting Kang Hyeon-Woo in his quest to find the truth. One might argue that this can only be a coincidence, yet I can bring up the following point. Evy selected for each character a particular flower and color: 
But like I mentioned above, I am not certain about the identity of the flower on the wallpaper. It could be a dahlia too… If you have any idea or suggestion, feel free to leave a comment.
One thing is sure: the flower represents the brother and the light green could be seen as an allusion to the lieutenant’s actual investigation. He is only at the beginning of his quest: unveiling the truth. He is not aware that his brother’s former partner, Kim Seung-Tae, is also involved. 
(chapter 20) Though the latter desires to give the lieutenant the impression that he is honest and supportive, in reality it is the opposite. Since he asked the lieutenant for update, though he is quitting his job, this means that Kim Seung-Tae is actually asking for information. In my eyes, he belongs to the team facing officer Ahn and Jeon Hee-Seong.
Since the recorded evidence has not been used against officer Ahn, we can conclude that the opposite team doesn’t have it either, because they didn’t blackmail the former prostitute and her lover. In my opinion, the idealist Kang Hyeon-Jong made a huge mistake. While he was investigating his superior Ahn, he didn’t imagine that his partner was unethical too. Let’s not forget that when the hyung confided to his brother, he mentioned the prostitute’s resent against the brothel crowd. That’s why I think that he must have been digging some information about the origins for her animosity. Koo Jeong-Mo revealed that they did something terrible to her, indicating that this incident was quite important. In other words, Kang Hyeon-Jong must have discovered the existence of this terrible event. And if I recognized the flower correctly which embodies loyalty, this would explain why the officer went missing. He got betrayed by his partner, for he didn’t expect it. All his attention was focused on officer Ahn and the prostitute, because the two were more obvious.
And now, it is time to refer to the second meaning of the cloud. The latter is also related to secret and danger, as it hides the sun. This truly reflects the hyung’s past situation. He wasn’t aware of the deception surrounding him. Furthermore, I have two other reasons to suspect Kim Seung-Tae: the scar on his face and the black clothes, a symbol for death. So by meeting the younger brother, Kang Hyeon-Jong’s partner can hope to find evidences against his enemy and rival Ahn. And now, you understand why the conversation between Kang Hyeon-Woo and Kim Seung-Tae took place outside close to trees. The young officer full of energy and ambition represented a source of aspiration for the former police officer. The latter could get real results in order to get rid of his enemies. Once the officers supporting Ahn are removed, he can place people close to him so that the corruption and as such connections between the authorities and the red-light district remains unchanged.
As a conclusion, the chapter 21 stands for hope, belief and confidence. That’s why I love this manhwa very much😍 and recommend it. The story might be dark and painful, yet the author manages to find the right balance between light and darkness. The killer is the perfect example. He has already dirtied his hands, yet many readers are not condemning him, for he is not doing it out of selfishness, greed and sadism. He was in reality manipulated by the prostitute. And remember my interpretation in “Janggi and life”. In my eyes, only the criminal couple and the detective Kang Hyeon-Woo will be able to destroy this terrible corruption: the revolution is on its way.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My reddit-Instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Kisses and reactions
Protected: Painter Of The night: The Wedding Nights
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Sex and passion 😍 (second version)
Painter Of The Night: Tears and predictions 😉
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
Now, you might wonder if I have not developed an obsession with the tears. This is already the fourth essays about this topic, if I include the analysis about Baek Na-Kyum’s tears. However, remember that in the composition entitled “Tears and characters – part 1”, I had explained that Min’s tear 
had inspired me.
And now, it is time to reveal my theory. For the first time in the manhwa, we had a combination between tears and humor. Furthermore, just after Nameless had mentioned the intercourse between him and Jihwa, the latter had punched him in the stomach. 
However, as you can imagine, the lord’s punch didn’t hurt the criminal at all. But since Nameless didn’t desire to embarrass his former sexual partner, he acted, as if he had been hurt. In other words, he wasn’t actually honest, when he said this: “That hurt, my lord”. (chapter 76) For the readers, the situation was transformed into a joke and comedy, exactly like Black Heart pointed out right after. Yet, for the villain, it was a serious situation: “Jihwa had fallen so deeply into sodomy that he had reached to a low-born!” Besides, Min hadn’t been able to taste himself the painter.
And this combination between humor and tears made me realize that at the end of the story, the readers should expect that Baek Na-Kyum or Jihwa will cry out of laughing. Byeonduck’s fanarts are already indicating this, because the artist is always seen laughing with an open mouth.
This signifies that Yoon Seungho and Nameless will make jokes and tease their partners. In this picture, the noble is biting the artist’s finger. Let’s not forget that both ukes are always crying so much, when they are sad, angry and pained. It displays that they tear up easily.
Besides, Painter Of The Night indeed contains many jokes and pranks, but there are not perceptible right away. Let me give you another example.
(Chapter 67) Nameless excused his roughness with his lack of experiences. But the readers are well aware that The Joker did it from the back with the kisaeng in episode 51 
and he has quite a reputation. And when I combined the low-born’s excuse with Jihwa’s reaction, I couldn’t help myself laughing. 
The latter was so innocent here, for he believed the man. He wasn’t able to recognize why Nameless rubbed him so raw. His description reflected the butcher’s passionate desires. The latter couldn’t restrain himself. His heart had been moved by the aristocrat’s remorse and tears. The criminal could sense his purity despite his horrible intentions. The young master imagined that for the criminal had never done it with a man before, he would be more careful. Moreover, if he had done it with women before, in his eyes, it signified, the lover was quite delicate and tender. In other words, Nameless hid his sexual desires and affection behind a false excuse. We have another indication that the low-born did more than rubbing. He left many hickeys on his sex partner, a sign of possession and passion. For the first time, Jihwa experienced what a love session is, but didn’t recognize it. 😉 Nameless is well aware that the aristocrat has no real affection for him, therefore he has to hide his true emotions behind a joke.
In addition, we have Yoon Seungho who keeps playing pranks (chapter 16: 
, 74 
and teasing his lover
(chapter 23) 
(chapter 75). Nevertheless the latter hasn’t truly recognized his master’s sense of humor due to social norms.
Baek Na-Kyum is always worried about his doctrines and appearances. In chapter 16, he was fighting against his arousal and didn’t want to get caught. In episode 23, he tried to hide the fact that he had stolen the bottle of wine. Then in chapter 39, he was uncomfortable, because the tailor could see the nature of their relationship. In episode 75, he is still in denial that he is hoping for more. Therefore he refuses to admit the truthfulness of his lover’s words. Baek Na-Kyum could only blush, each time he was teased. Consequently I come to the conclusion that the protagonist will only shed tears out of laughing, when he has been able to overcome the social norms. That’s why the moment the artist won’t feel flustered any longer, he can pay attention to his lover’s words and behavior and grasp his intentions. From that moment on, he will sense the main lead’s sense of humor. On the other hand, this can only happen rather late in the story. Furthermore, since Jihwa is very similar to Baek Na-Kyum, for both are trying to follow traditions and are influenced by their peers (Min- Heena), it signifies that the young master will have a similar evolution.
As a conclusion, I am predicting that at the end of the story, the jokers Nameless and Yoon Seungho will make their respective partner laugh so much with their words and gestures that tears will come out. However, so far none of the ukes could enjoy the pranks and comical situations. Both were always very serious, because they are influenced by humorless and austere people: Min, Heena and Jung In-Hun.
Now, I will explain why I perceive them as unhumorous persons. The kisaeng lives in an environment, where she needs to entertain the rich and powerful nobles. That’s the reason why jokes are a synonym for work for the sister. In other words, humor is linked to seriousness. Besides, I think, she has never experienced fun with lightness. She was trained to make the clients laugh. Moreover, I would like to remind that Black Heart is no real jester, as his pranks are always aiming at hurting others, he wants to be entertained in detriment of others. This villain’s humor stands for Schadenfreude which is no real humor. As for the scholar, he is only focused on his dream: getting a high position, that’s why he never interacts with people. He only meets commoners, when he needs them. In other words, he is always very serious and doesn’t understand humor at all. This explicates why he failed to recognize the lord’s sarcasm in chapter 6. He took the compliments as face-value, but if he had paid attention to the tone of the voice and the smirk from the protagonist, he would have realized the situation: he was seen as a joke by Yoon Seungho. 😂
The presence of jokes and pranks truly shows that Painter Of The Night is not just a heavy drama and romance, the story contains humor as well. But the problem is that the jokes are and were never obvious. (see for example the scene with the book in episode 6) Only attentive readers can catch these little details. I have to admit that one of my favorite chapters from the first season is indeed the episode 6 due to the lord’s teasing and cynical remark. It’s because I laughed so much that I fell in love with this character. His sense of irony revealed his intelligence. My readers will certainly remember that my first essays were always about the infamous sodomite, who was greatly misunderstood by the manhwaphiles. And now you know why.
So my question is: Do you like the idea? Do you want to see Baek Na-Kyum and Jihwa crying out laughing?🤣 This would be a perfect ending for me, because this would compensate the readers for the long agony experienced while reading this manhwa. Besides, this would explain why Byeonduck created such happy fanarts.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My reddit-instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Painter Of The Night: Tears and characters – part 2 (Version with 10 different pictures) – second version
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
Now, it is time to focus on Black Heart and his famous tear. (chapter 76) Contrary to Baek Na-Kyum and Jihwa’s crying, the villain is shedding one single tear while laughing. It looks like he’s having fun and entertained. But if you replace the scene in the whole context, you’ll come to a different conclusion.
1. The context of Min’s tear
He is actually far from enjoying this “joke”. First, he had to witness before that he had been defeated by his rival Yoon Seungho. 
He couldn’t separate them. He was so annoyed and upset by the situation that he vomited. In other words, he was green of envy and simultaneously he was green (sickly)🤢🤮 due to his opium consumption. This signifies that he was definitely not in the best mood.
Then in the shed, he hears from Nameless that Jihwa had sex with the criminal behind his back. 
Though it looks like this secret puts him back in a good mood, I noticed two details:
- His eyes are always closed, especially when the tear comes out
- Secondly, his laugh is very short-lived.
2. The closed eyes and the tear
The manhwaphiles should wonder why the Joker has his eyes closed. It can’t be explained with the laughing, as his laugh comes to an quick end (only 2 HAHA), and he is already talking to Jihwa and the commoner. But observe that while mocking his puppet, he avoids eye contact. So why does he have closed eyes? In order to get an answer, I tried to compare it to the previous situations, when he laughed. That’s how I realized that Byeonduck never let the readers see his gaze, when he was laughing.
- chapter 19:
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 53:
- Chapter 54:
- Chapter 69:
The absence of his face (19, 43, 54, 69) and of his eyes (chapter 53) is an indication that he is actually wearing a mask. That’s why I deduce that the Joker is actually closing his eyes in front of the second leads, for he is attempting to hide his pain and vulnerability. After seeing how Baek Na-Kyum escaped from all his traps (the wine, the sex orgy, the murder, the kidnapping, the gangrape, the rape, the sex at the kisaeng house), he has to discover that he is also losing control over his puppet Jihwa. This can only increase his stress and bad mood. The manhwaphiles should remember how much Black Heart loves using his power and influence over Yoon Seungho’s childhood friend. That way, he feels powerful. This explicates why he punished him in chapter 67. He made sure to scare and humiliate him so that the latter would become obedient again: 
.
But during that night, he hears that Jihwa had even violated social norms. His disciple had sex with a commoner. Let’s not forget that the second lead had declared this in chapter 18:
Jihwa: “Yoon Seungho has fallen into sodomy that he is now reaching for a low-born”.
In my eyes, the red-haired aristocrat was just repeating what Min and the other nobles were advocating. This sexual encounter between the second leads could only infuriate Black Heart, as the latter in reality follows traditions blindly out of fear.
3. Fear and laugh
Here, I need to elaborate the signification of Min’s laugh. In truth, his laugh is not a signal for pleasure and excitement, but the opposite. It reveals his discomfort and anxieties. This means, his laugh is linked to negative emotions and nervousness, which the character tries to mask from the others. Why do I interpret it so? I could use the situation from chapter 53. He has just been punched by Yoon Seungho and he fell onto the ground. This was definitely painful. But notice that though he is laughing, he is hiding his mouth with his hand, a sign that he is masking his true thoughts and emotions. In this panel, the readers are seeing Min the clown as his best. The covered mouth and the absence of the eyes are strong indications that he is not honest at all here. Since he is laughing, we have to imagine, he is feeling the opposite: scared and hurt. But he has to grin and bear it. That’s his MO in my eyes. Furthermore, there exists this famous study organized by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram that revealed people often laughed nervously in uncomfortable situations. People in his study were asked to give electric shocks to a stranger, with the shocks becoming increasingly powerful (up to 450 volts). The higher the shocks, the more the participants were laughing in order to mask their embarrassment and fear. They did it to reassure themselves and give the impression to others that this was normal.
One might argue that in episode 43, Black Heart had no reason to feel discomfort. He was truly making fun of Jihwa’s hypocritical behavior. But even so, this truly outlines that while he was truly mocking Jihwa in episode 43, the new version of this scene (chapter 76) has to be different. Why? It is because this time, Jihwa didn’t act, like Min had anticipated. In chapter 36, The Joker had made sure that the second lead wouldn’t stick to his promise. He had manipulated him to visit Yoon Seungho’s mansion. In chapter 76, Min has to discover that nothing he had planed worked out. The assassination didn’t take place immediately, then he never involved Min like requested. Finally, Jihwa had even sex with the criminal. That’s why this comparison even reinforced my interpretation that Min’s laugh is more often a sign of stress, anxieties and negative emotions than real pleasure and enjoyment. Consequently I believe that the tear and the laugh are in truth a sign of discomfort, pain and stress.
4. The tear and Black Heart’s comment
But there’s another clue why I believe that his tear is the result of negative emotions.
What caught my attention is the presence of an oxymoron: a comedy of errors. While comedy stands for fun and lightness, error embodies gravity and seriousness. The contradiction indicates the presence of emotions, the noble is definitely torn apart by this revelation. Besides, notice the idiom “you found yourself in” which portrays Jihwa as weak and rather stupid. The words imply that the disciple is a puppet. According to Min, he had sex, because Nameless convinced his disciple to this. He was a victim of circumstances in Min’s eyes. That’s why his words truly exposes a huge reproach. Black Heart’s words reflect that he is very serious in that moment, he is even talking about money.
If I had to rephrase his true thoughts, this would be the result: “How could he let himself be so manipulated to make such a mistake? Is this a joke?” That’s why I believe that Min is not shedding a tear out of joy or out of laughing, rather because he is frustrated and pained. That’s the reason why in the same scene he will lose his temper in front of Nameless, and shows his true face: nasty, violent and arrogant. 
And note the contrast of the mouth. The lips are positioned in the opposite way than when he smiles. And now, you understand why Min had his eyes closed. He was hiding his true emotions from the others, as the eyes are the mirror of the soul. Yet during that night he could no longer keep his mask as the Joker.
5. The signification of the tear
Another huge divergence is that unlike all the other characters weeping, he only sheds one tear which is quite significant. This shows that Min’s heart has been wounded, yet due to his true personality, he can’t cry buckets. Let’s not forget that I had already diagnosed him as someone suffering from ASPD (Antisocial Personality Disorder). His lack of empathy is the explanation of his lack of tears.
One might say that this is just a crocodile tear.
- Crocodile tears: “display false, insincere, hypocritical sadness or remorse” quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/crocodile+tears%2c+crying%2fto+cry
This is definitely correct in the sense that the lord fakes his happiness and pleasure, while in my opinion he is masking his hurt, frustration and stress. In that panel, he is definitely a hypocrite, nonetheless I doubt that his emotions are insincere. It is just that he is a crocodile himself, therefore he has never shed a tear before.
As you can perceive, the appearance of the tear is important in my eyes. We have to imagine that until the appearance of the painter Min felt bored to death or better said bored to tears.
“bored to death/bored to tears”: extremely bored to the point of distraction, frustration or irritation. quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/bore+to+death%2ftears%2c+to
That’s why he kept looking for fun and entertainment. 
(chapter 66) Striking is that when the lord found Baek Na-Kyum in a terrible situation, he looked excited. In my opinion, the situation was pleasing to his eyes for two reasons. Min could see how Yoon Seungho had mistreated the painter, therefore he sensed that he could have an opportunity to approach the artist. Since Yoon Seungho was not willing to share his lover to others,. Min had only one possibility left: separate the couple. That’s why he found it entertaining. He imagined that his chances to taste the low-born had increased. This explicates why he takes pleasure in the misery of others. He is able to profit from the suffering of others. In other words, he never had to put a lot of effort. Everything was always delivered to him on a silver plate.
But since he was using others to play his games, this means that Min never had to work either. I am quite certain, the readers remember this idiom:
“blood, sweat and tears”: a huge amount of effort, dedication and hard work. quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/blood%2c+sweat%2c+and+tears
That’s another explanation why he couldn’t shed a tear. Note that during the first season, he made requests to Yoon Seungho (chapter 19, 33). The latter had to bring the painter to the bedchamber in order to show the pictures or to bring him to the sex orgy. Then he asked the same thing during the second season. The host had to fetch his artist. Then he incited Jihwa to hire Nameless and gave him the information about the criminal. Nonetheless he never went there himself. Striking is that the more he lusted after Baek Na-Kyum, the more he became proactive. In chapter 56, he visited his “student” on his own, and made the request to be involved: “Let me in on it”. Then he visited the protagonist’s mansion on his own in chapter 66, this signifies that he was more and more walking around. In chapter 69, we see him waiting at the kisaeng house. He hoped to meet the artist there, thinking that Baek Na-Kyum would want to run away from Yoon Seungho. The fact that Byeonduck portrayed Min walking in so different scenes (52, 56, 66, 76) is an indication that Min is becoming more and more active. In poetry and literature, the walk is often a metaphor for life. That’s why I come to the conclusion that the tear symbolizes Min’s revival. Hence this picture truly mirrors Min’s life before his meeting with Baek Na-Kyum. 
(quoted from https://9gag.com/gag/awXAwnW) This image is inspired by the song “Beautiful” written by Eminem, because the latter referred to the presence of a mask and act by singing “hide behind the tears of a clown”.
As you can observe, Black Heart is making a similar experience than Yoon Seungho. He is starting to live his true life and as such dropping his disguise: The Joker. And this picture truly mirrors Min’s life before his meeting with Baek Na-Kyum. But old habits are hard to die.
Min: “What if I said I could have you killed?” (chapter 76)
He threatened the criminal to have him eliminated. His words expose that Black Heart wouldn’t still do it himself, but he would use others. On the other hand, his remark displays a transformation, for Min is now taking responsibility for a person’s death. By becoming more active, he is no longer running away from accountability. This signifies that at some point, he will be responsible for his own actions and words and won’t be able to put the blame on others. Simultaneously, this situation forces him to show his true colors. However, there’s a huge difference between the wealthy main lead and Black Heart. Instead of transforming into a phoenix and shine, Black Heart will turn into a monster, a zombie. Since Min can now feel pain, this indicates that he is alive. I can’t help myself associating him to rotting flesh due to the opium and his nausea. Because of the connection between work and tears, I am expecting that Min will begin to show an interest in the officials and get in touch with Jung In-Hun.
6. The tear and the clown
To summarize, the Joker was always hiding his true self from others. He played The Joker in order to cover up his own anxieties, emotions and thoughts. Then he never had to make any effort. Finally, he always felt entitled due to his social status. Thereby I come to the conclusion that Black Heart was quite similar than Yoon Seungho in the end. He was also living like a ghost, yet he was different at the same time. Since he fears to break social norms, yet resents them deeply, he learned that he had to hide his true self behind a mask. Therefore he became a clown, a Joker who would use others as his puppets and as such toys. But as a clown, he couldn’t show his true emotions, for it was not his “function”.
tears of a clown: A phrase used to describe a person who appears joyful and chipper around people but is actually emotionally distraught. Usually this results from heartbreak or a severely stubbed toe. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tears%20of%20a%20clown
This expression corresponds totally to the image from chapter 76: , the clown was in really distressed and wounded, but he had to grin and bear it. He had to keep playing his role of the Joker, until his position as the puppet master got threatened by Nameless’ intervention. This explicates why The Joker had to stop Nameless from talking. The Joker realized that the commoner could have a huge influence over the second lead.
Min: “Such insolence from a filthy, lowly cutthroat…. How dare you, a worthless peasant, question your superior? You’d do well to bite your tongue and keep playing your tricks, jester.” (chapter 76)
He attempted to humiliate him through insults, but nothing worked on the commoner. In this scene, Min was defeated for the first time, though he managed to keep the red-haired noble by his side.
7. The tear and Min’s obsession
Since I elaborated that Min and Yoon Seungho had so many similarities, the Joker’s tear is another indication that the main lead will also come to cry. Yet, contrary to Black Heart, I am expecting the lord crying a river. In addition, this means that the reason for the appearance of Min’s tear is caused by Baek Na-Kyum, though it happened in front of Lee Jihwa. On the other hand, the manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that the latter is a different version of Baek Na-Kyum. Therefore we have to imagine that in the past Min became interested in the second lead due to his closeness to Yoon Seungho too. That’s the reason why Min chose to snatch Jihwa from Yoon Seungho. Remember the main lead’s words in chapter 55:
Yoon Seungho: “I brought you here as a new plaything, that’s all…” (chapter 55)
Because the main character and Min are similar, this image is in my eyes an evidence that Min considered Jihwa as his plaything too. First, the protagonist showed an interest in painting, so did Min. The former was close to his childhood friend, therefore Black Heart desired the same relationship between Jihwa and himself. And now, you comprehend why he is determined to taste the painter. Yoon Seungho’s gaze revealed that he was sexually attracted to the painter, and the latter had a similar reaction. Hence Min feels the need to lust after Baek Na-Kyum. But he is making a huge mistake: for he sensed sexual attraction in their gaze, he believes that this is the real foundation of the relationship between the two main leads. Yet, it becomes obvious that Black Heart has fallen in love with the painter, but unlike Yoon Seungho, the Joker is not willing to admit this. He fears the consequences: to be laughed.
But why is Min so obsessed with the main lead? It is, because he envies the protagonist for his way of life. On the one hand, he lives above social norms and doesn’t pay attention to rumors and traditions, hence he has a bad reputation. On the other hand, the nobles keep seeking his company despite everything. Yoon Seungho is attracting attention, therefore the clown can only judge Yoon Seungho as a rival. However, people are mocking him behind his back. That’s why Min can’t truly take the main lead’s place and can only copy him. In my opinion, Min is longing for freedom too, but in a more destructive way.
And now, you comprehend why Jihwa became his disciple. Min was able to earn his trust, which explains why Jihwa admires Min’s relationship with the noble with the mole in chapter 59.
Jihwa: “We have seen each other in the most wretched of states. Of course our relationship is not the same as yours.”
From my point of view, Min was motivated to take away Jihwa from Yoon Seungho and have the same influence over Jihwa than Yoon Seungho. But even here, Min failed in one aspect. The red-haired noble was always faithful to his childhood friend, therefore their relationship never turned into a sexual relationship. It is possible that first Min was aiming to have him as a sexual partner, until he realized that Jihwa only had eyes for Yoon Seungho. That’s why in the end, Black Heart played with the second lead’s naivety.
However, Min’s obsession over Yoon Seungho is slowly changing. I would say that he is now getting obsessed with Baek Na-Kyum. This would explicate why Min shed one tear in the shed after witnessing the embrace. He definitely felt agony in that moment, thereby he felt the need to vomit. But since Jihwa’s tears are famous, I can’t restrain myself thinking that Min’s tear was provoked by Jihwa’s betrayal. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. And this leads me to the following conclusion:
Min has now discovered that his influence over Jihwa is in danger, then this means that he has to pay more attention to his student. It is definitely possible that the “mentor” torments Jihwa more than before. But it could backfire on him. At the same time, his obsession for the painter is increasing, therefore I am expecting that Min will be forced to make a choice at the end: who is more important in his eyes? Jihwa or Baek Na-Kyum? And the moment Black Heart selects the painter, the second lead can only recognize Min’s hypocrisy and false preaching. One thing is sure: Min will shed more tears in the future… he will be more and more tormented which will be his karma.
As a conclusion, Min’s tear was a sign of his revival. The tear was triggered due to pain and stress. The puppet master experienced how little control he had over people. However, the master attempted to hide his heartache by masking with a laugh.
There will be a third part. 😉
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My reddit-instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Tears and characters – part 2 – second version
Painter Of The Night: Tears 😥 and characters – part 1 (Version with only 10 pictures)
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
I mostly used the following website as a source of inspiration: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/tears
What caught my attention in chapter 76 was Min’s tear combined with the laugh (chapter 76) which was totally new in the manhwa. We never saw such a combination: a single tear with a laugh. Moreover, for the first time, The Joker had shed a tear. The manhwalovers will certainly recall that so far, we had tears of happiness (chapter 21) and sadness 
, (chapter 59) but never tears out of laughing.😂🤣 Therefore I came to recognize the significance of this scene. First, it divulged a lot about Black Heart’s personality, and announced a turning point in his life. At the same time, this observation gave me a new idea, which I will elaborate in the second part. Striking is that until now, I had examined the painter and Jihwa’s tears, yet I had never focused on this topic itself. Hence in this analysis, I would like to study not only the weeping of the characters, but also the absence of their tears.
But before beginning with the real topic, it is necessary to define tears and their origins. There exist three types of tears:
- Basal tears: This is a normal and vital function in order to keep our eye moist.
- Reflex tears: They are triggered, when you get something in the eye, or when you cut an onion.
- Emotional tears: These are the tears, when one is overcome with emotions (sadness, joy, eg.) Striking is that these tears are richer than the two others. They contain proteins and hormones like endorphin. The latter serves to relieve stress. The fact that these tears are richer is important, because like I had mentioned in my analysis about Jihwa (Water and fire -part 1), the red-haired aristocrat’s tears are a signal of the revival of his eyes. From that moment on, he is less blind. That’s why I associated tears to life, especially if you combine it to water. Without water, there’s no life.
1. Tears and pride
The connection between tears and life is relevant, because it explains why Jung In-Hun is never seen crying. He has a heart of stone. Consequently, Byeonduck drew the learned sir next to a rock in two occasions: (chapter 6) and 
(chapter 22). The rock is a metaphor of his heart: he will remain cold-hearted. Striking is that even after the humiliation during the hunt, he never shed a tear. He was only frustrated and angry at his opponent and sponsor. His huge ego had been hurt by the main lead’s mockery, but despite his wound, he chose to look up to the sky, apparently waiting that fate/karma would punish the wealthy noble for his wrongdoing. This outlines that the learned sir still believed in his superiority. In other words, Yoon Seungho had not reduced the scholar to tears with his words, which stands in opposition to the second lead’s reactions.
“To reduce someone to tears”: to cause a person to cry through insults, frustration and belittling” quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/reduce+(one)+to+tears
In chapter 18, the main lead had reduced Lee Jihwa to cry through his reproaches and belittling. 
(chapter 18)
This huge difference between the two figures (Lee Jihwa and Jung In-Hun) shows that the childhood friend is still a human despite his egoistic and prideful attitude. He was overcome with negative emotions (pain, sadness, frustration and anger), while the other only feels resent and anger. Hence through this expression (“reduce to tears”), the manhwalovers can recognize the connection between pride and tears. And if you compare both situations, you’ll notice that during their argument, the main lead lowered himself and faced his childhood friend.
This reveals that the true intention of Yoon Seungho was not to humiliate his ex-lover per se. He didn’t desire to show his superiority to him. He had acted in the moment after witnessing Jihwa’s outburst. The former felt betrayed, as the second lead had acted behind his acts on different occasions (the spy, the slapping of Baek Na-Kyum, the ruined painting). Yoon Seungho still showed a certain respect towards his ex-partner by sending him away accompanied with a servant. Note that in the woods, he left the low noble on his knees without looking back. In other words, he showed no remorse towards Jung In-Hun, while it was not the case with Jihwa. There’s no doubt that the noble was indeed moved by Jihwa’s tears. However, it wasn’t obvious, because he didn’t touch his face and wipe his tears. The readers can only grasp it, when they compare both scenes (18-22). Through this comparison, I recognized that Jihwa’s tears were connected to his wounded pride. It becomes even more evident in chapter 21. It was, as if the red-haired second lead had an outburst. We have to envision that he literary burst into tears.
“Burst into tears: to begin suddenly to cry” quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/burst+into+tears
This explosion of emotions is visible, as the lord ruined his room.
He broke out to tears. And note that in that moment he was standing with a sword in his hand, another evidence that his tears were triggered by his frustration and bruised ego mixed with sadness and anger. And now, you comprehend why he represent a negative reflection of Baek Na-Kyum, the latter embodying humbleness and modesty. However, unlike the scholar, Jihwa was slowly learning his lesson and as such changing. Since the low noble’s heart is made of stone, he will never change in my opinion.
Jihwa reached the bottom, when he got confronted by Yoon Seungho at the tavern in chapter 57. He was not only pushed to the ground, but the latter was never able to stand up in front of his friend again, contrary to chapter 18. At the end, the second lead gathered his courage and confessed his love on his knees in front of commoners. And this truly outlines that Jihwa had finally realized that his bond with his childhood friend mattered more than his pride. He had to make a choice and selected affection over his ego. 
(chapter 57)
In addition, by comparing it with the episode 18, the manhwaworms can notice a divergence in the main lead’s attitude. Contrary to before, he no longer showed any respect towards his friend. He never lowered himself, but he was forced to sit down by valet Kim. For me, this is no coincidence, the sickness was a good excuse for the butler. If his master sat down, then the public humiliation would be lessened and as such, this would cause less ruckus. Important is that after his answer, Yoon Seungho left Lee Jihwa behind without paying attention to him. He never asked Kim to take care of his former lover. This displays that the gap between them had so much increased that their relationship would never be like before. This was even reinforced by the lord’s words: “Do not harbor any longing for me. There is not the slightest chance of my ever returning such sentiments.” (chapter 59)
Striking is that in the second season, Yoon Seungho was taught the same lesson by the painter. The former had to give up on his title and devalue himself in order to remain by Baek Na-Kyum’s side. That’s why in chapter 71, he called his lover Lord Na-Kyum and treated him as a master after that. But pay attention that the main lead never shed a tears due to his wounded ego. Yet this doesn’t mean that he is similar to the learned sir. In fact, the main character felt more like crying, when he was reminded of his past. 
(chapter 56). This signifies that his tears are not related to pride, but to his traumas. The lord can no longer weep due to the constant exposure to physical, mental and emotional pain. However, since he has been taught not cry in the presence of the butler, in chapter 56 it was, as if he was blinking back tears.
“to blink back tears: to try to stop oneself from crying” quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/blink+back+tears
How do I come to this conclusion? It’s because the butler avoided his master’s gaze, when the latter threw the letter (chapter 56) He acted, as if nothing was happening. Furthermore, it was the butler who asked the painter to stop crying after the rape: “Would you stop crying? Your eyes will be sore later”.(chapter 26) And since the painter’s fate is to go through the same suffering than the rich noble, it signifies that the butler must have said the same thing to his master in the past. There’s no ambiguity that father Yoon must have a similar mind-set too.
2. Tears, pain and emotions
As you can see, Yoon Seungho isn’t still capable to cry, as he has long internalized that he is not allowed to show such emotions. In his past, he was coerced to repress his tears. He was forbidden to show any emotion and pain, though he was repeatedly confronted with terrible events (rape, physical and mental abuse, gangrape, drugs, brainwashing, betrayal). This explicates why the lord chose to live as a ghost. If he was a spirit, he could no longer feel emotions and as such pain. I would like to point out the strong connection between emotion and hurt, though the latter is no emotion. It is an emotional experience. However, the chapter 56 indicates a slow transformation, as the lord feels the need to hide his gaze behind his hand and even turn away his head from Kim, like you can observe at the top of the composition. In my perspective, the lord must have sensed something in his eyes, but out of fear and habit, he preferred masking his wound.
2. 1. Baek Na-Kyum the role model
There’s a reason for Yoon Seungho’s gradual metamorphosis. Baek Na-Kyum cried, when he was physically (chapter 11, 25) and emotionally wounded (chapter 11, 41, 42)
Besides, right from the start the noble was moved by the painter’s tears, hence he felt the need to touch his face and wipe his tears. 
(chapter 2) And now, you can imagine which idiom I am about to bring up:
“Moved to tears”: to elicit such a strong reaction or overwhelming reaction in one that it causes one to cry. Quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/moved+to+tears
2. 2. The painter as the trigger of emotions
Since the noble was forced to repress his emotions and as such tears, it is normal that in chapter 1, he wasn’t moved to tears. Furthermore, living without any emotion, it signifies that he couldn’t detect and recognize them in chapter 1. He never realized that he was actually showing happiness first and later a certain sadness, when he killed the servant. However, the tears from the painter (episode 1) triggered something in his heart.
He sensed a slight pain, that’s why he asked him to stop crying. Let’s not forget that right before the artist started shedding tears, the noble reminded him of the death of the servant. He put the whole blame on the low-born, as the latter had lied to him. According to the main lead, the painter was responsible for the domestic’s death. After hearing this, Baek Na-Kyum was moved to tears. This incident is important for two reasons:
- The tears are connected to empathy. He feels pity and sorry for the deceased man.
- At the same time, they also express the artist’s guilt. Note that in the shed, the low-born never denied the lord’s statement.
And now, if the manhwaphiles look at the panel again, they will notice that the noble’s behavior displays remorse and compassion. Hence he asks him to stop crying, while wiping his tears. Consequently, during the night of the rape, we have a repetition of this scene: the lord feels uncomfortable in the presence of the tears (remorse), but also a certain compassion towards the painter. However, when his hand is rejected, the main lead tries to blame the artist for the situation. But this time, Baek Na-Kyum doesn’t accept the criticism and defends his position. Furthermore, he expresses a death wish: “I hate you so much I could die, sir”. (chapter 26) Only now, I truly realize the significance of this scenes. These words pained Yoon Seungho so much that it triggered emotions, which had been buried for a long time. That’s why we witnessed an outburst: “But if I am to be hated, I might as well be hated properly. Don’t you agree?” (chapter 26) But since he had forgotten how to cry, he could only show strong emotions like pain, rage and jealousy through violence.
However, we shouldn’t overlook that the painter had mentioned his death. In my eyes, it truly exposed the lord’s fear. He couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from the painter. If the lord had been able to cry, he would have. But he could only explode and in my opinion, in that scene he hadn’t just murderous, but also suicidal thoughts. This was the first version of this panel, though the lord never expressed it: “If I killed them all, and myself, would it be easier…” (chapter 55).
By killing the learned sir, he would push the painter to kill himself and the noble would have definitely followed him in his death. And now, you comprehend why in the hallway, the lord wondered about his own reaction. This was totally new to him, he had never felt anything like that before. Simultaneously, the manhwalovers can grasp why we haven’t witnessed the lord’s weeping yet. He needed to feel pain and emotions first. As a conclusion, during that night, the lord felt guilty, empathy, envy, rage and jealousy. Therefore I interpret that by witnessing the painter’s tears, the lord was taught to feel pain and emotions. Hence he stands in opposition to the scholar who chose to vent his anger and jealousy onto the painter, each time he felt humiliated. 
(chapter 75) This truly exposes the teacher’s cruelty and ruthlessness. We could say that the painter reinforced his admired sir’s cold-heartedness. Therefore I come to the following conclusion: Jung In-Hun will never feel remorse or empathy. He is destined to become a monster, as his wounded pride will just arouse brutality, resent and thirst for revenge.
3. Tears and indifference
Because of the strong connection between tears and emotions, I realized that the absence of tears isn’t just a sign of heartlessness, but also of indifference. There’s another person who never sheds a tear. It is the butler Kim. When in the pavilion he saw the painter lying on the ground, he was not moved to tears. The only comment he made was: “And here I was wondering why he lent me a horse…” (chapter 25) This means that he felt no empathy for the painter. However, he is different from the teacher. How? While Jung In-Hun senses no sympathy, the other tries to feel nothing. That’s why he gave his master the following advice: “Perhaps it would be best, if you did not take it to heart…” (chapter 50) In other words, Yoon Seungho should act, as if he had no heart. This explicates why he is annoyed, when he is facing someone in tears. He feels uncomfortable, especially if he is responsible for the incident. From my point of view, after Yoon Seungho got raped, the domestic made sure that the young lord would stop crying by making feel guilty and dirty. “Please!! No… It’s not…!” (chapter 65) Besides, I have the impression that he was turning his back on Yoon Seungho, when the teenager grabbed his shirt. Like I had pointed out above, tears are linked to a guilty conscience. And now, you comprehend, why Kim never cries. He is indifferent, because he doesn’t want to feel any pain and remorse. What is funny is that there exists a slang expression which connects tears to insensitivity:
“Two tears in a bucket” (rude slang): doesn’t matter, who cares. Said to express acceptance of or unconcern for the consequences of something. https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/two+tears+in+a+bucket+fuck+it
And look at this: we always see the butler carrying a bucket around. 
(chapter 56) I couldn’t help myself laughing, when I discovered it. I have no idea, if there’s such an expression in Korean. This slang expression comes from “to cry buckets”, which signifies that the person is like a cry baby. This new discovery made me realize that Yoon Seungho played a similar role to his admired valet than Baek Na-Kyum to his learned sir. Since the main lead was constantly facing terrible experiences, due to his cowardice and powerlessness the domestic chose not to take to heart. The more he witnessed, the more unconcerned he became. Therefore I deduce that Kim will never change his mind-set. He will prefer detachment, cowardice and blindness, because that way he is not suffering: neither regret nor heartache.
While Baek Na-Kyum contrasts so much to the valet, it means that Lee Jihwa stands between them. He is a mixture of indifference and empathy. This is particularly palpable in chapter 36. At the tavern, he cries out of frustration and anger, thereby he calls Yoon Seungho an “asshole” due to his wounded pride. Yet at the same time he feels a certain empathy for his childhood friend: “But I… know him best of all… I can… I can understand it all. Everything…” (Jihwa, chapter 36) He knows that he suffered a lot in the past. However, his compassion is quite superficial, because his bruised ego and pain are more important than his ex-lover’s traumatic past. As you can imagine, I am predicting that Jihwa will change in that aspect again. As time passes on, he will show more caring and respect towards others. However, as the readers can anticipate it, Nameless will serve him as role model. Besides, he has already triggered in him the right emotions:
- regret: “I have ruined it all myself” (Jihwa, chapter 61)
- empathy: “…I do. I pity you.” (Nameless, chapter 61)
On the other hand, the noble brings the goodness which was buried in the criminal’s heart to the surface. That’s why I come to the following deduction. Nameless might have not shed a tear until now, but he wasn’t indifferent. Contrary to the butler, he had a job, where he was forced to bury his compassion. In my opinion, he was confronted in a similar situation than Yoon Seungho. The only difference is that Nameless had to witness many wrongdoings committed on people close to him that at some point he chose to stop crying. In other words, Jihwa will teach the commoner to feel emotions (pity, caring, admiration, eg.) again so that at some point, we should expect Nameless to have tears in his eyes. Though he is not crying like the low noble and the domestic, he is not truly devoid of emotions. So far, he used his mask to protect his heart.
4. Tears and diligence
I am quite sure that you are surprised with such a heading. Nonetheless, there’s a reason for this selection. You all know the saying
“blood, sweat and tears”: a huge amount of effort, dedication and hard work. quoted from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Blood+Sweat+and+Tears
What caught my attention is that neither Jung In-Hun nor Kim are seen hard-working. I had already demonstrated in the essay entitled “Jung In-Hun’s worries and problems” that the scholar was more and more stressed, when he realized that he needed to pass the exam in order to get the high position as official. Before he envisioned that the powerful noble would give him a high position without putting any effort. As for the butler, he is only forced to work hard (chapter 12, 25, 33, 56), when he has to take care of the painter. However, if you pay attention to his action, you will notice that he doesn’t work like a real intendant. That’s why I am stating that he is not diligent. He shows no real authority around the staff. He lets them eat the painter’s dishes (chapter 17) or leave the mansion without any permission (chapter 12, chapter 51). Furthermore, Deok-Jae attempted to sell the stolen red dresser. That’s why the worker in episode 29 described the household as hush-hush. There was no real control over the domestics. In my opinion, Kim is not a true hard worker, as he is not taking any responsibility in the mansion. He prefers simple tasks, like sweeping
(chapter 65), bringing lunches or announcing the arrival of a guest. And this observation made me realize that the lord started working hard, the moment he desired to woo Baek Na-Kyum. He dressed up, ordered some medicine for excessive drinking, organized two hunts, started strolling through downtown. Yet, this is no real work. And note that Jihwa behaved in a similar way, when he sensed danger from the painter. He also dressed up, had to plant a spy and trespass the mansion on different occasions. From my perspective, Yoon Seungho will start working the moment he behaves like a master. He needs more than just give orders to his staff. He has to control them and pay attention to finances. From my point of view, it is also his duty to take care of them as well, as the head of the mansion. To sum up, he has to learn how to manage the mansion. That’s why I believe that the lord’s tears will only return, the moment all the conditions are met:
- hard working
- deep emotions which he can not control and repress
- emotional pain linked to his traumas
- he drops the habit to hide his face, when he is wounded. Like I mentioned above, he still hides his pain and emotions in front of his so-called loyal servant Kim.
That’s why after comparing these 5 characters concerning their “tears”, I realized Jihwa’s true position and Nameless’ role. The second lead is not truly the painter’s negative reflection. Therefore I created a table to summarize my interpretations.
| – | -/+ | + | |
| Pride | Jung In-Hun | Lee Jihwa / Yoon Seungho | Baek Na-Kyum/ Nameless |
| Empathy | Valet Kim | Lee Jihwa / Yoon Seungho | Baek Na-Kyum / Nameless |
| Diligence / hard work | Jung In-Hun / Valet Kim | Lee Jihwa / Yoon Seungho | Baek Na-Kyum / Nameless |
As you can imagine, the persons in the middle were in the beginning of Painter Of The Night selfish, lazy and quite superficial. But as time passed on, they were affected by the painter. The latter with his tears moved the lord’s heart which created a riff between the protagonist and his lover. The latter was forced to cry and as such to change.
And now, you are wondering when I will talk about Min and his tear! As you can anticipate, I can only examine him in the second part. This essay already has more than 3700 words! Furthermore, I haven’t mentioned Heena noona and Yoon Seung-Won yet. As a conclusion, there’s so much to say about the tears, which is no surprise, because many manhwaphiles call this work “PAIN”ter of the night. Many readers are crying buckets while reading this story.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 