This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
After reading the title, the manhwaphiles surely recall that these words were voiced by Yoon Seungho in chapter 71: 
The lord was definitely expressing his joy and excitement. For the first time he truly desired that the night would be long to enjoy this moment where he was accepted. Unfortunately, the night ended so abruptly due to the painter’s exhaustion. 
The power of the climax and the sex marathon from the previous night were too much for his frail body. Knowing that the artist liked his bed, the lord let his lover rest in the bed and chose to sleep far away from him. 
And the readers should wonder why, especially after witnessing how in chapter 38, they lied next to each other. 
What caught my attention is that he had a similar attitude in chapter 55.
Back then, he didn’t put the painter on the bed, but covered him with his beautiful hanbok. Since he abhors his own mattress, he believed that the artist would judge his bed the same way after the terrible night (the assault and the interrupted gangrape). However, he didn’t stay by the artist’s side unlike in chapter 38. For the lord, the night after the eviction of the nobles must have been very long. That’s why there are bottles of wine next to him. He sat there drinking in order to kill time. The readers have to envision that he was sitting the whole night without being able to open the window or the door, as Baek Na-Kyum was not sleeping under a real cover. He was scared that the pure man would catch a cold. Moreover, I believe that he kept watching over his lover out of fear that the artist might have a nightmare to the terrible event from the previous night. This explicates why in chapter 74, he went to rest in the next room in front of the opened window. 
He knew that the commoner would sleep peacefully. However, the chapter 74 gave us the final clues why Yoon Seungho has always had nightly activities in the past and why he avoids his bed. Remember how Jihwa in his love confession underlined the connection between the sexual activities and the importance of the nightmares
(chapter 57) which exposes that the nightly torment is related to his phobia of the bed and to his insomnia. I come to the conclusion that his nightly activities helped him to get through the night, because he couldn’t even lie down in his bed. They helped him to kill time. This is what Jihwa even witnessed. 
The beholder views how the main lead pushes his friend away with his arm. Why? One might say that as soon as he sleeps, he has a nightmare. However, as you can imagine, there’s more to it.
From my point of view, the main character is suffering from nocturn panic attacks and the nightmare in episode 74 showed us how the panic attack comes. A person is considered to be suffering from a night panic attack, when he experiences 4 or more from the following symptoms:
- sweating:
That’s why the lord has to sleep in the cold, outside the cover - chills
- feeling faint
- nausea
- palpitations, a pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate
- feeling dizzy or lightheaded
- feeling unsteady
- trembling or shaking
- feeling smothered :
- feeling a fear of dying
- depersonalization, or the feeling of being detached from oneself
- sensations of shortness of breath
Here, he could barely speak. - feelings of choking
- fear of losing control:
- pain or discomfort in the chest
- paresthesia, or sensations of tingling or numbness
- derealization, or feelings of unreality quoted from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324531#how-to-calm-down
As the manhwaphiles can detect, what the lord has are more than just nightmares or insomnia. This explicates why he doesn’t sleep next to the painter. The latter always sleeps so peacefully that Yoon Seungho can’t bear the thought of disturbing him. However, you can observe that by just being by the artist’s side, his panic attack disappears. That’s why he plays with the painter’s hair 
. This gives us the answer to why the artist had such a disheveled hair the next morning in chapter 38: 
On the one hand, the headband represents a hindrance for the lord, on the other hand it was removed even before he spent the night with Yoon Seungho. From my point of view, touching the artist’s hair has a calming effect indicating that the lord truly needed Baek Na-Kyum’s assistance that night. The night spent by the painter’s side helped him to go through the night, therefore he felt more refreshed the next morning. However, he must have had a panic attack, hence he left the bed before the painter woke up. I believe, the artist’s regular and deep breathing has a calming effect for Yoon Seungho. Therefore in chapter 74, he lied down next to Baek Na-Kyum 
and looked at his face. Like I pointed out the last time, the noble is in a fetal position which is a clue that he is relaxing. The panic attack vanished so quickly thanks to Baek Na-Kyum. Now, you understand why the lord is visiting the artist from time to time during the night. 
That’s when he has a panic attack and the sleeping face of his lover with his normal breathing helps him to recover quickly. He doesn’t want to trouble his lover. We could even say that when the main lead kisses the artist, it is to express his gratitude. Thanks to him, the night doesn’t seem so long now. That’s why he can smile more often 
and becomes cheerful again.
Let’s not forget that Yoon Seungho tried once to share his bed with Jihwa with the hope to get rid of these nocturn panic attacks, but the second lead couldn’t help him at all. That’s why Jihwa accepted these nightly activities afterwards, he had resigned that his friend could never recover. As the readers can envision it, the causes for these nocturn panic attacks are the lord’s traumatic experiences, these panic attacks are the symptom of PTSD. This explicates why he hated night in truth. In other words, he became a nocturn animal due to his suffering path.
After elaborating why the lord can’t rest in his bed, I would like to give another explanation for the trigger of these panic attacks. Since we know that Yoon Seungho was sexually abused by the king due to the drawing of the mountain
, I could make a connection with the bed. 
This picture comes from Gyeongbokgung palace and note how the colors of the bed and seats are similar to the one from the protagonist’s. Besides, I am sure that people have already watched sageuks, historical korean dramas, where the king is dressed with a red hanbok adorned with golden embroidery, where you can see a dragon like this one:
So this is not surprising that as soon as the lord sees these colors and especially the bed, he gets stressed. Thus it is important to examine the following picture again: 
(chapter 57). In this scene, the noble attempted to kill himself. Striking is that he had just lost his hair revealing that this had happened after the public humiliation with the topknot. I come to the conclusion that the bed itself triggered his anxiety and has so far represented a source of his panic attacks. Back then, it was so strong that he desired to end his own agony. Moreover, observe how the valet is forcing him to remain on the bed. The manhwaphiles certainly recall how I described that this picture actually illustrated the lord’s captivity. He was treated like a prisoner. Now that we know that his phobia of the bed is linked to sexual abuse and to the king, you can comprehend why Yoon Seungho desired to end his life here. As soon as he saw the bed, he was reminded of his time with the king and the sexual abuse. There’s no ambiguity that the main lead was held captive in the palace. Since the butler stopped him from committing suicide, the manhwaphiles had the impression that Kim truly cared for his master. On the other hand, for we are aware of the signification of the bed and its colors, the manhwaphiles should question why the master has such a bed. First, in this manhwa, nothing is random. For the lord was not in the capacity to choose his bed, someone had to pick the bed. As you can imagine, the butler made the choice and from my point of view, he did it on purpose. He made sure that the lord would always be reminded of his traumatic past. That way, he would remain trapped in the past. In my opinion, he must have accompanied the young master to the palace. Therefore he knew that the poor man was traumatized and chose to take advantage of it. Note that when the physician visited the painter’s study, he noticed that Baek Na-Kyum was lying on a bed reserved for nobles. 
Even the physician thought, it was Yoon Seungho’s bed which shows that technically the lord could have had such a bed. But no, the yellow-red bed was never changed. Since Yoon Seungho was mentally sick, I doubt that he could choose his own bed after returning from the palace. As for father Yoon, when he went into exile, I don’t think that he left his own mattress and cover behind. Moreover, if you pay attention to father Yoon’s bedchamber
, you’ll detect that the father prefers blue due to the bed and the background. That’s the reason why his sons were both dressed in blue: 
(chapter 57) 
(chapter 55)
We have two possibilities: either the butler acted on father Yoon’s order or he made the decision himself. As you can imagine, I’m more inclined to believe that the butler made the choice on his own. That way, Yoon Seungho would never try to get revenge on his tormentors and discover Kim’s betrayals, simultaneously the butler would be able to live a quiet life. The lord could never relax due to the bed, hence he would seek relief elsewhere. That’s why he could fall into debauchery so easily, 
Kim made sure that Yoon Seungho would go down that road. Yoon Seungho is even wondering why he started living like that. This truly exposes that he never made the decision consciously. Therefore I come to the conclusion that the red and yellow bed represents the source of his misery, making sure that he never relaxes.
An important detail caught my attention in chapter 14. When Jihwa visits him for a sex session, 
the cover is turned over. Yoon Seungho never did it even with Baek Na-Kyum. 
(chapter 31) and (chapter 73) . From my perspective, it outlines how much Jihwa meant to Yoon Seungho. He never saw the sex sessions with him as a battle, exposing why Yoon Seungho is so lenient towards his childhood friend. But it was different with the painter. The latter kept rejecting him in the beginning
, so he had defeat his opponent and enemy, forcing him to surrender. However, when the latter didn’t fight him back and showed no sign of resistance
, he was bothered. Deep down, he felt that he still hadn’t truly won the war. Strangely is that the painter started conquering the yellow-red bed to the point that in chapter 72 the low-born preferred making love on the bed.
Hence the lord followed his request. Since here, he was making love to Baek Na-Kyum, his mind was not focusing on the bed. All his attention was directed to his lover, hence he could lie down for the first time. That’s why I come to the deduction that the lord should buy a new bed or put the painter’s bed in his bedchamber. The lord will only be able to overcome his nocturn panic attacks, when he has the painter by his side. But more importantly, he should talk about it to Baek Na-Kyum. The latter would definitely give him the comfort and reassurance that he is safe next to him. However, as long as Kim is working at the mansion, I fear, the bedchamber will never be a safe place.
No wonder why the lord felt so happy, when Baek Na-Kyum was accepting his advances, for the first time he truly desired the night to be long, whereas he had wished the dawn came quicker, when he was on his own. And when the second abduction takes place, it will be a very long night for everyone: the protagonists, the villains and the readers as well. 😓
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However, there’s another reason why the painter is associated to butterflies. It is because the protagonist used an expression with “butterflies”. It all starts in chapter 34, when the low-born witnesses Yoon Seungho’s return which makes the artist’s heart race so much. 
Just after facing Yoon Seungho in his bedroom with an almost kiss
, he rushes to his study. Once arrived there, he wonders why his heart is racing so much and why he feels something in his stomach: 
(chapter 35). What caught my attention is that we have a similar scene in chapter 72: the painter is also questioning the origin of his physical reaction: 
. However, there’s a huge contrast between these two situations. First, the painter employs a different expression. It feels more real and precise than “butterflies”. From my perspective, it reflects the artist’s loss of innocence, or better said, his gained maturity. Moreover, due to his sexual experiences, he has a better understanding of his own body. Secondly, the fear has totally vanished, exposing that Yoon Seungho has truly achieved his goal. Finally, the other difference is that this time he is facing the lord himself. 
Back then, he only pondered about it after leaving the lord’s bedchamber. He was sitting behind the door. And if you recall the whole scene, you’ll notice that the artist’s heart started pounding, the moment the lord entered the bedroom. Moreover, the aristocrat removed his clothes so that the artist could see his back and later his chest. Consequently, I come to the deduction that the artist was so moved by the lord’s presence that his body was reacting immediately. This shows that both protagonists are affecting each other. One gets a huge erection, and the other feels butterflies inside. But more importantly, for the first time, the artist’s conscious was sensing his own body and the sexual attraction towards Yoon Seungho. Another parallel between these two scenes is the presence of the almost kiss: 
(chapter 72). In chapter 34, he must have observed how the painter reacted, he was definitely blushing, because he repeats these gestures during their wedding night. Strangely is that when the lord approaches his mouth in chapter 72, the readers don’t witness any “butterflies”, as we can’t hear the painter’s thoughts. However, there’s no doubt that Baek Na-Kyum is excited due to the presence of his reddening and the sweat, very similar to chapter 34. Yet, I believe that the commoner doesn’t realize it yet, because all his energy is concentrated on his mouth. He has to whisper Seungho-Ya. 
First, the manhwaphiles can observe the absence of the lord’s face and penis. Then when the lord came closer, 
Baek Na-Kyum could only see the master’s face. Then the painter was able to view the lord’s phallus, 
, the chest and the face were hidden by the low-born’s body. It was, as if Yoon Seungho had been cut in parts, and Baek Na-Kyum was exposed to them. In other words, Yoon Seungho showed him parts of his body and not his whole body. The artist should accept them. However, like the noble pointed out, the artist was physically reacting to him: 
But since the artist was looking at the noble through the mirror, he never got to face the lord’s body in his entity. And imagine that back then, the artist was already aroused by the master’s parts. This signifies that the butterflies in chapter 72 are much stronger. 
that just the thought and sensation of the penetration was strong enough to have him climaxed. Note that the artist’s exclamation (“oh”) is a signal that he is already feeling an immense pleasure that he can’t control, as he said the same word during his first anal orgasm 
As a conclusion, the moment Baek Na-Kyum saw the lord’s body with his erected phallus, his sexual desires had reached a new peak. 
This divergence is comprehensible, as the lord had to find a stratagem to be accepted by the artist. The use of the mirror was a calculated move, which he had already announced the night before. Moreover, he had been hurt and enraged by the commoner’s escape, hence he couldn’t show the same affection. Finally, he had no idea about his own emotions.
, the commoner was either not looking at him or sitting in a such a position that he couldn’t see the lord in his entirety. 
Then during their love session at the physician’s, the lord was so closed to the painter that the latter was not capable to look at his lover. Moreover, he was still avoiding the aristocrat’s gaze and face. 
The lord was also diminished, hence he was in the incapacity to stand up like that too. Besides, Yoon Seungho was afraid of a possible rejection. And during the second sex marathon, the lord was dressed
, then later Baek Na-Kyum was no longer facing the noble: 
(chapter 64). Moreover, when he was able to look at the lord, he was hoping for a kiss, a sign of tenderness, which was refused. Moreover, his mind and body were still influenced by fear. 
, hence the lover couldn’t view the whole body and the erected phallus. He could only sense the erection through his foot. 
. Once arrived in the bedchamber, the noble was busy making amends, hence he was on his knees. That’s why I believe that we are now witnessing a major turning point in Baek Na-Kyum’s life. From my point of view, with such an experience, the artist will recognize that his affection for his lover is much stronger than he has even imagined. I can’t help myself connecting this scene to the first wet dream the painter had. He was already so attracted to Yoon Seungho that he wished to replace Jihwa and imagined, he was lying under the lord’s body. 
Just the view and the thought of the noble’s body aroused him so much that he had to remove himself from his trance, the moment he sensed an orgasm coming. This outlines how strong his sexual desires were. But now, it is different, because he is now excited by the lord’s gaze full of warmth and love. 
And imagine what this signifies for the painter. He is able to make someone smile… to make someone happy, which he didn’t see in chapter 49. We shouldn’t forget that the painter had always felt excluded and had abandonment issues. In other words, he saw himself as a burden, but this can only change, if his life gets a new meaning. His presence, orgasms and smiles can make Yoon Seungho smile and happy, this can only give strength and joy to Baek Na-Kyum. Let’s not forget that Yoon Seungho is a reflection of the painter, just like the latter is a mirror for the lord. 
Then he closes the main gate in front of Baek Na-Kyum who is deeply disappointed and hurt.
(chapter 37)
(chapter 46)
(chapter 69)
are mirrored in the lord’s confession from chapter 56. 
Therefore, we could say that he was present in the farewell as well, because the scholar kept referring the moon to the innocent boy. Since I have already pointed that in each departing two people got involved, this means that their relationship is strongly intertwined with other bonds. Relatives or acquaintances affect the farewell.
That’s why he gave him an order “you ought to head back in” and the painter couldn’t argue. Moreover, the learned sir asked him to keep his promise, he needed him to work for him.
What caught my attention is the silence from the painter. At no moment, he can speak and bid farewell, and this is understandable due to the noble’s remarks. Although the commoner wasn’t the one leaving, he had the impression that he was abandoned. This explicates why the artist was wounded by this departure. 
Striking is that this scene was observed by the main lead and his butler. While the noble felt himself betrayed and abandoned, he was indeed relieved in the end that Baek Na-Kyum had remained by his side. Consequently, the first departure was marked by disappointment and heartache from the protagonists. Both felt helpless, as they had no saying in this. 
is an indication that he believed that his personal visitation had been successful. By pressuring his brother, he had finally been able to get the reply he desired. But the reality must have hit him hard later, because in the end, he just got a ruined painting of sodomy. And this explicates why the father ended up receiving the paper from his younger son. 
In other words, Seungwon decided to get revenge on the humiliation. Besides, I also think that he hoped that with such a gesture, father Yoon would make the decision to pay his rebellious son a visit and have him punished for his lack of respect. But what Yoon Seungwon seemed to overlook is that when he barged into his brother’s mansion, he showed no real respect either. 
Imagine, he even desired to open the door of Yoon Seungho’s bedchamber. Hence, it is not surprising that the eldest brother didn’t follow his brother to the main gate. He didn’t feel obliged to pay his respect to Yoon Seungwon. To sum up, in this farewell, both characters were quite rude to each other, and Yoon Seungho showed no leniency towards the younger master, as the latter had violated the social norms first. This animosity was even encouraged by the valet’s intervention. And let’s not forget that in that scene, Yoon Seungho chose the painter over his brother. He asked him to remain by his side, because he was too upset and wounded by Yoon Seungwon’s sudden appearance and selfish request. 
There’s no doubt that this must have indeed disappointed Yoon Seungwon. His father still chose to focus his attention to Yoon Seungho instead of him, hence he kept looking at the closed door. Yet before leaving he blamed his oldest brother for his father’s lack of concern and respect. Striking is that the main lead was not present, yet through his mention, the brother gave the impression that Yoon Seungho was still part of the family despite the incident with the topknot and the long separation. Yet, Yoon Seungwon felt bothered that his own father didn’t even pay attention to customs. He didn’t send off like a respectful and dutiful father either.
Here, he reminded him that he was living according to their father’s principles, showing that despite the abandonment and betrayal, he never dared to drop his father’s doctrines. From my point of view, the ruined painting was given by Kim on purpose, to incite the father to intervene. Besides, we shouldn’t forget that the “letter” was delivered 
but Jung In-Hun didn’t care. In his eyes, he was just a low-born, and the former didn’t need him at all. 
Striking is that the low noble paid his respect to his sponsor out of obligation and nothing more. As long as Yoon Seungho was useful, then the learned sir would have to be polite and respectful. That’s why he bowed in front of the wealthy aristocrat. In other words, the scholar’s bow is fake
More importantly is that in this fourth farewell, the artist didn’t get the opportunity to bid farewell properly to his former teacher too. Neither Jung In-Hun nor Kim had informed him about the time of his departure.
Striking is that in that chapter, the rich main lead was the only one who desired to make the painter happy, hence he suggested the low noble to depart properly from the low-born. What caught my attention is the opened door in front of the painter. 
Why was the door left open like that? The manhwaphiles should remember that in that scene, Kim was already aware of the discussion between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum at the library. And with this new approach, it becomes clear, Kim was hoping that the artist would leave the place, since he had been insulted and abandoned by his teacher. He had no reason to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side. Besides, we shouldn’t forget the noble’s words addressed to the learned sir: 
In other words, Kim was just waiting for the low-born’s departure, and in order to push the painter to leave the mansion, he made sure that he wouldn’t see Jung In-Hun leaving. This would reinforce the betrayal and abandonment issues the painter had felt due to the scholar’s attitude and words before. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget the parting between Jung In-Hun and his former pupil in chapter 35. 
In other words, he was showing her a huge respect and as such biding her farewell. He even acted as a real host, because he offered to send her off with a servant from his mansion in order to guarantee her safety. And if you keep in mind that he did nothing for his own brother, and the latter is a noble, while Heena noona is just a kisaeng, you’ll detect how much the lord has already changed. He is definitely determined to keep the artist by his side, hence he is aware that he needs to show him a different side from him. He definitely heard the painter’s confession, because in chapter 70 Yoon Seungho asked the low-born directly if he was afraid of him. 
And with this new approach, the main lead did succeed. Baek Na-Kyum was able to recognize the lord’s leniency and honorable attitude. And contrary to the scholar’s bow in chapter 44, the artist is sincerely showing his respect towards his master. 
She keeps questioning the lord’s authority and personality. However at no moment, the aristocrat doesn’t lose his temper. In fact, he even retreats, until the kisaeng’s brother intervenes to stop her. Another huge difference contrasting to the departure of chapter 35 and 44 is the change of attitude of both protagonists. While with the scholar, Baek Na-Kyum could say nothing and had to resign to his fate, in chapter 69 he is the one speaking. 
and smiles. 
For the first time, he feels that he is not left behind, but he can determine his fate. Imagine in the past, he used to be sent away by his noona and he couldn’t protest.
but the worst is that he even had to leave the kisaeng house and walked through the countryside.
In this adieu, the kisaeng’s words and the panel indicated that he was ordered to leave the kisaeng house without his noonas’ knowledge. With her rhetorical question, she forced the painter to resign to his fate. Besides, the readers can one more time notice that in this scene, the artist remained silent as well. As a conclusion, the painter’s abandonment issues are related to the fact that he was forced to leave and he couldn’t take his time to bid farewell properly. He was either caught by surprise (35, 44, 46) or simply too powerless (68
despite his own insecurities, the painter could only select him. For the first time, a person was willing to listen to the low-born’s voice. And the moment Yoon Seungho treated Heena noona with respect and even allowed the painter to bid farewell properly
, his behavior could only reinforce the painter’s choice. In other words, he gave the power to the painter to determine his fate and as such reinforced his certainty. For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum was able to send someone away and not the other way around. He could also choose his fate. Simultaneously, the painter helped the powerful aristocrat to witness with his own eyes that he was not left behind and was selected. Both helped each other to overcome their abandonment issues. And this explains why after the departure, Baek Na-Kyum remembers the past. Back then, he was hurt because he had been dragged again from his noona. The scholar tried to console him by saying that the moon was always by his side, 
but this couldn’t truly comfort the artist. And because in chapter 69, the painter experienced for the first time a real good farewell, he could only recall this incident. But unlike in the past, the moon appears differently. 
In my opinion, this scene is important, as it symbolizes that Baek Na-Kyum is finally able to perceive the lord. And for the first time, he looks at the satellite with a certain fascination. He stands still and doesn’t sense the coldness. For me, this panel announces that the painter has finally perceived the lord’s presence. I would even say that the picture implies that Baek Na-Kyum is slowly accepting the existence of Yoon Seungho in his life. Unlike in the past 
, he is not sad and not thinking too deeply as well. 
The lord is indeed replacing the scholar, the painter doesn’t need his comfort any longer. Why? Because unlike in the past, the powerful noble allowed him to part from his sister properly, which the teacher never did. Remember what I had denunciated in a former analysis: the scholar hid behind the boy in order to avoid any responsibility for the brutal incidents at the kisaeng house. In other words, the teacher is responsible for the low-born’s abandonment issues. What Jung In-Hun never imagined is that he was right about the moon
The missed goodbyes were the reasons why both main characters were deeply hurt in the past, both victims of circumstances due to the actions of selfish and ruthless people. 
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