Painter Of The Night: “It all started with…”

November 26, 2020March 30, 2023 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night

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Now, you are wondering why I chose such a title, because it offers so many possibilities. And that’s exactly the reason why I selected this title. I didn’t want to reveal immediately the real topic of the subject. Furthermore, I desired to look at the manhwa under this aspect, since it helps the readers to get a new understanding of Yoon Seungho’s actions and behavior.

1. … A painting

It all started with a painting, which caught Yoon Seungho’s attention and aroused him so much, that he became slowly dependent on the erotic pictures made by Baek Na-Kyum to the point that he had to use them all the time. (chapter 1) However, the moment Baek Na-Kyum stopped publishing, the addicted noble realized his terrible situation. He needed to have the creator by his side, since he couldn’t give up on his “addiction”. The paintings had become his drug and the moment the author stopped publishing, it made the lord recognize, that he needed to become the supplier. He couldn’t remain a buyer, since he was put in a vulnerable and insecure position. Therefore we could say as well, it all started with the painter’s vow.

Because of Baek Na-Kyum’s resignation, the lord suffered immensely, yet simultaneously the latter didn’t want to change his habit for his nightly activities. That’s why he had to find the source of his addiction: the anonym artist. And now, the first image gets another dimension. His smile not only expressed his happiness, but also exposed his intoxication at the same time. In other words, his euphoria was more artificial, as he was in the presence of his drug. This explicates why the lord was so self-centered and selfish in the beginning. He was prioritizing his own needs. Don’t get me wrong… I am not saying that his feelings for the low-born were not genuine, it was actually a combination of both. His unconscious had sensed the painter’s sensitivity and felt a certain closeness, yet because of his debauchery, the lord had perverted it and was behaving like a drug addict. Now, it becomes more understandable why Yoon Seungho had already announced a death sentence, (chapter 1) in case his wish didn’t get fulfilled, and why he became so “bloodthirsty” after the rejection. Just like a drug addict who becomes violent, if he is unable to get his drug, he felt the urge to release his anger. (chapter 1) It was, as if he was in withdrawal and couldn’t bear the thought, he hadn’t obtained what he desired. So when I compare the painter and his work to a drug, it puts the low-born in a bad light. Nonetheless this is not my intention at all. For me, the painter represents his cure in reality. Let’s not forget that the powerful aristocrat’s heart has been poisoned, corrupted by his father, therefore in order to get cured, he needs to find another “poison”, it’s like fighting a poison with another poison.

First, the painter confronts him with his own reflection (beautiful, attractive), which he has never experienced before. This drug is even more addictive than before, procuring new sensations. He becomes so high that he can’t control his erection and feels the need to have sex so early. (chapter 3) We see here the lord intoxicated by the new drug. It did release him from his prison, his self-hatred. Moreover, it helped him to see more clearly for the first time. His eye in his mind was now free from any corruption. Nonetheless the next day, he is faced with a different image. More precisely, his ears have to hear a terrible truth. Now, he is a man consumed by sex, which causes him to become pensive and depressed. He is no longer feeling the urge to have sex with Jihwa. And now, the manhwaphiles comprehend the true nature of the new drug: the painter’s gaze is liberating the lord’s senses, very similar to Jihwa. This is not surprising that the first two paintings (chapter 2) (chapter 10) he makes show our lord looking at the painter. Imagine, in the second image, he even has two sex partners by his side, yet his attention is directed at the creator and not his partners. This painting exposes their locked gaze and their growing intimacy. Baek Na-Kyum’s gaze has become the lord’s obsession, his new drug. The paintings Baek Na-Kyum creates exude warmth, beauty and naturality which stands in opposition to the world, where the lord is living: fakeness, superficiality, distance and coldness. But the lord’s attraction towards the painter increases so much that he would like to taste the artist. In other words, if he devours Baek Na-Kyum, he might get high again because the pictures are no longer enough to satiate his urges. Now, you can understand what this means. Having sex with the low-born signifies, he is “increasing” the dose. Note that this coincides with the third painting, where he is looking at Jihwa and not at the painter. During that night, he asked the commoner to join them. He was clearly expressing his interest in the artist. The locked gaze was no longer satisfying. This is also not surprising that the next day, he has no problem to cut ties with his long-time lover Jihwa. The artist has slowly replaced the sex partners. Without realizing it, the lord is becoming monogamous. Observe that from chapter 16, he has no nightly activity at all, contrary to the past. He makes a relapse in chapter 33, due to his guilty conscience. However, the moment he realizes that some nobles, especially Min, are looking at his “drug”, he recognizes what it really means, if he came to lose his new “drug”. His life and situation would be worse than before. Baek Na-Kyum’s gaze only belongs to him, hence he is willing to face a negative reflection.

Notice that the moment he is no longer obsessed with the paintings but with the artist’s love, he is no longer interested in his nightly activities. After chapter 21, he waits for the painter. He has already become monogamous. The long awaited picture serves a different purpose. Yoon Seungho would like to have a proof that he is loved by the painter. The image no longer represents his victory over a man and as such the noble he despises, but the mark of their love. He doesn’t feel the need to get aroused by the pictures.

2. … a kiss and embrace

Striking is that the moment he has sex with the artist, he discovers a new world: love and warmth. That’s the reason why this night still haunts his mind till the chapter 58. It all started with an innocent kiss but most importantly with the painter’s hug. (chapter 19) Notice that the moment the painter confesses to Seungho, he puts his hands on his shoulder and then he kisses him. But this doesn’t end here, later he puts his hands around his shoulders. (chapter 20) For the first time, the noble is embraced. And now, if you look at all the sex sessions he had with Jihwa or the others, the main lead was never truly hugged. (chapter 8) (chapter 9) (chapter 15) [I am not quoting the paintings again which could be added to this list] One might argue that in the first panel, the sex partner is hugging the main lead from behind. However, this gesture reminds us much more of a fight than of a real embrace, corroborating my initial interpretation of sex sessions. In truth, they are battles, where the ukes are the defeated ones. It looks like the noble is restraining the protagonist from moving. It’s, as if he was trapped. From my perspective, there is always a distance between him and the sex partners, especially in the threesome. (chapter 10) The lower part is focused on Min, while the mouth is busy kissing the other aristocrat. Yet Seungho’s chest, eyes and mind are neglected. Striking is that the main character is portrayed with no arm exposing his incapacity to hug anyone. And now, you understand the importance of the hug. During their first night, the painter keeps hugging the lord, although his gesture is quite reserved in the beginning. This ignites a desire in Yoon Seungho, the latter feels the need to return the embrace and hug the artist. (chapter 20) Yet, the more time passes on, the more the low-born holds the noble more tightly. (chapter 21) The painter voices the wish to be embraced. That’s why the former puts him on his lap. (chapter 21) You can sense that Yoon Seungho is willing to fill the gap and feel as close as possible to Baek Na-Kyum. He hugged him on his own first, yet the artist was the one embracing him fully at the end. (chapter 21) That’s why we could say that it all started with an embrace, the real cure. The painter’s gaze accompanied with the hands on Seungho’s shoulder created a new euphoria. This explicates why he was so obsessed with that night, why he attempted to renew this wonderful experience. In chapter 25, he tried to hug the painter from behind but failed terribly. (chapter 26) This was a gesture of defeat and submission and never an embrace full of love. One might argue that the noble had already hugged the painter before, (chapter 16) hence the artist’s hug during their Wedding night can’t mark the start. Yet, if the manhwaworms look at the way the master held the commoner in chapter 16, they’ll notice that the lord is hugging Baek Na-Kyum from behind. He was definitely restraining him from leaving his bedchamber, like a predator catching his prey. Sure, there’s no doubt that there exist emotions behind his gesture. Nonetheless, the hug was more under the influence of the unconscious. Consequently it is different from the night in chapter 19. Here, the lord was more looking for sex, whereas in chapters 20 and 21, it was a mixture of sex and love. However, at the end love became triumphant and the lord was no longer interested in sex.

And now if you perceive the painter’s gaze and hug as “drugs”, you can imagine why Yoon Seungho became so infuriated, hurt and violent at the pavilion. Like a person on withdrawal, he couldn’t control his emotions and behavior. Once he became sober, he realized his mistake. His mind had become clearer again. In my perspective, the “cure” helped him to release his emotions, which he had been repressing for so long. This explicates why he was reminded of his tragic past and relived his traumatic experience. He had decided to become numb in order not to feel any pain. The problem is that the moment he discovered love, he was not recognizing that he was allowing his heart to feel pain as well. Love and pain can’t be separated.

With this new perspective, it becomes understandable, while the lord hugged the artist while bathing. (chapter 59) He became addicted to the hug. The problem was that the painter seemed to have forgotten their lovemaking. On the other hand, the lord couldn’t forget the painter’s arms therefore he often grabbed the artist’s arm (chapter 22) (chapter 30), as if they were a treasure to him. The roughness vanishes gradually, for the lord changes for the better as well. But more importantly, in the following gestures, the readers can sense his desire to hug the artist. And as time passes on, the gesture becomes more obvious and pronounced. It started with an arm, (chapter 22) then it was the chest(chapter 40) , (chapter 42) until it became a real hug. (chapter 49) However, the real climax is reached in chapter 58. This time, the aristocrat in love is holding him so tightly with his both arms. (chapter 58) There is no gap between them, the artist is no longer putting some distance with his head, unlike in chapter 49 (third panel above) or the lord is grabbing the neck to make sure that the artist keeps kissing him (second panel above). Yet, while they make love (chapter 58) , the lord is no longer holding him and gazing at him, he is just grabbing his hand and whispering his love confession. This signifies that the lord has truly given up on his dream and has accepted reality. The painter’s gaze and hug were just an addiction and he is admitting that he will never be loved. He will see this night as a wonderful illusion but he won’t feel any anger, despair and pain after that night. We could say that the lord has finally defeated his inner demons and addiction. He is free from his past and can now use his mind clearly. (chapter 61) Baek Na-Kyum purified the lord so that the latter has truly become selflessness and no longer needs sex. He won’t organize any sex session or any party with wine and opium. In my opinion, the last debauchery symbolized his final relapse. Observe that during that week, he had no sex and wasn’t even aroused, when a noble gave him a blowjob. Sex has become irrelevant thereby we can conclude that his transformation is complete. He has become a truly reformed man. (chapter 61) And as much as it pains me that the lord won’t look for the artist right away [that’s my theory and since Byeonduck liked a tweet where I expressed this], I believe, this picture symbolizes something positive too. The lord’s mind and heart are at peace. Now, he can think and see lucidly and once he discovers Baek Na-Kyum’s painting and the tools left in the study, he will recognize his mistake.

3. … the arms and hands

And because it started with a hug, it becomes comprehensible why the lord loved hugging his lover. In reality, he wished to be embraced too and the hug in chapter 16 externalized his deeply repressed desires. This is not surprising that a hug from the painter could stop Yoon Seungho’s rage and fury. Imagine his emotions, when the low-born did this. In that scene, the master was acting like a monster, nevertheless it didn’t stop the artist to embrace him despite the slap and his ugly behavior. But for Baek Na-Kyum, it was the same as well. He also longed to be embraced hence for him, their Wedding night represented a dream, where he could express his desire and experience what he wanted to have. He wanted to express his love, shower his learned sir with his affection. Strangely, it started with a hand (chapter 30) forcing the low-born to accept him as his new master. However, notice that the painter’s hands become more decisive and grab more firmly Yoon Seungho’s wrist in chapter 42. (chapter 42) This reflects the evolution of their relationship. The painter is here accepting the aristocrat as lover. Simultaneously, he is touching the place where the lord’s unconscious is voicing his desires. And this gesture triggers the lord later to put him on his lap, attempting to embrace him. And the more the lord hugs the painter, the more the latter is affected by it. The reason is simple. Just like the main lead, the commoner was deprived from warmth and love for so long and receiving it for the first time, this could only move the main lead. The manhwaphiles should remember that the artist asked the master to hold him in chapter 41 (chapter 41), exposing his need for comfort and embrace. Yet back then, the lord was confusing love with sex hence he couldn’t give correctly what the painter desired. He was not able to distinguish the difference. In truth, both were lost persons mixing up sex with love due to their terrible fathers.

Nonetheless the latter rejected the affection from Yoon Seungho in chapter 49, as he had been reminded that a hug could be fake. So he was still doubting the protagonist’s feelings. The significance of the embrace explicates why the low-born is affected in chapter 58. He keeps blushing displaying his emotions. He is really loved, displayed by the lord’s words and gestures. That’s why the hug is reciprocated but it is too beautiful to be true. Consequently the noble doubts its existence.

But because it all started with a kiss with a hug and love confession, we have to imagine that the artist will feel the same need than the protagonist in chapter 22. He will long for his lover’s arms, especially after that terrible experience. That’s why I am convinced that the moment Baek Na-Kyum returns to the mansion, he will definitely try to embrace Yoon Seungho, missing his warmth and protection so that we have a new version of the hug in chapter 53.

As a conclusion, we have two protagonists deprived from their own body due to their fathers’ abuse. Finally, both were able to find what they had been longing for a long time. And since the lord is no longer a man consumed by sex, he will be able to show his love differently, supporting his love in his education and his talent. Yoon Seungho will become his sponsor and drop the surrogate father for good.

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 tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and the support.

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho’s secrets (second version)

October 13, 2020June 15, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Conscious versus unconscious (part 2) – third version

October 6, 2020June 25, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: “Baek Na-Kyum’s confessions” (part 4) (second version)

September 3, 2020June 24, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 8 Comments

This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/

In the third part I listed all the common points between the two scenes, where Baek Na-Kyum confessed to Yoon Seungho.The first one first happened (chapter 19) in episode 19/20 and the second in chapter 49. . (chapter 48) Then I had started contrasting both scenes, nonetheless I was not able to examine all points. That’s what I wanted to do in the 4th part. However, at some point, I had a revelation. The confession in chapter 49 represents the painter’s evolution, and it could also be compared to the confession in chapters 41/42. Because there was a confession back then as well. Yet, in that scene the painter could barely speak, he could only admit this: (chapter 48) All this led me to the following observation. We had the artist’s many confessions. Hence I am listing the common denominators that are always present during the three different scenes.

The noble’s visit in the painter’s study
Yoon Seungho acting as someone else (41/42: client, later as a servant as he does what the painter asks him)
The painter’s confession
Their kisses
Seungho’s surprised gaze (41/42: when he sees the inauguration painting)
The two hugs
The prostitution/brothel
The painter’s tears
Baek Na-Kyum’s position on the floor
Seungho’s rough actions (41/42: the slap, grabbing the hair)
Seungho’s comments
The presence of Jung In-Hun as a shadow
The painter’s emotional heartache
The mixture of love and sex session

Since I had already compared the scene 41/42 with the first confession (19/20/21), I won’t do it again, yet my main point is the following. Byeonduck used all the same ingredients in all three scenes but change some details, thereby the manhwalovers could observe a huge progression in the relationship between Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho. The small switches reflect the slow transformation of both protagonists.

Now, compare the way the lord was kissed in chapter 19 with the latest episode. While Baek Na-Kyum had to stand on tiptoes in order to be able to kiss the powerful aristocrat,

in episode 49, he just needs to catch his lover’s head as he is already sitting on his lap. The opposition of the two gestures illustrates the diminution of the social and emotional gap between the two main characters. Note that despite standing on tiptoe, the artist’s head was still below the aristocrat’s head. (chapter 19), whereas his head in the episode 49 exceeds that of Yoon Seungho. During their first real kiss, the difference reflected the huge social divergence, however what changed later more was the emotional state of the noble. Now, he is the one looking up at (chapter 49) the painter. The former is literally admiring his lover, pining on him but he doesn’t express it.

His eyes and gestures are revealing his thoughts and emotions. The huge distance between them reflects how much the lord cherishes him. Notice that he doesn’t stop Baek Na-Kyum at all. (chapter 49) Now, they have switched the position, the aristocrat is the worshiper and Baek Na-Kyum is his object of affection. So in this scene, I would even say that we have the first lord’s confession but he is not voicing it. But because the artist has been deaf and blind for so long, he can’t witness this with his own eyes and ears. That’s why he doesn’t catch the true meaning of the noble’s saying. That’s why he could only doubt the protagonist’s genuineness in the hug and warmth and pushed the man away. Strictly speaking, the aristocrat is once again rejected, although he has finally truly behaved like a man in love.

The noble’s words and hug are quite telling, he is so deeply in love with Baek Na-Kyum. He truly wants to comfort his lover, the best he can. Imagine that with his own words (chapter 49) he is apologizing to the artist. He might not use the word “apology”, unlike in the chapter 20, nonetheless his wording unveils regret and heartache. During their wedding night, the aristocrat did apologize for taking the painter’s virginity, nevertheless his excuse didn’t sound genuine. In the chapter 49, Seungho acts the opposite. He doesn’t mention the word “apology”, yet he feels regret. He is sorry for making his lover cry. He admits that he is responsible for this, as each time they had such an encounter, he cried.

But back then, he wept due to Jung In-Hun’s rejection and later out of happiness. (chapter 21) In chapter 41/42, he cried due to the scholar too. So why would he mention “whenever”? Which occasions was he referring to? And now be ready for the next revelation. From my point of view, Yoon Seungho must be including the scene at the pavilion and the rape. I am positive that the lord wasn’t just remembering the scene, when he slapped the low-born or threatened him. Imagine, the lord is actually apologizing for all the pain he caused to his lover, he is expressing his atonement. And now, if the manhwaphiles recall the scene with the forced sex, they will also notice that there is a repeat of chapter 20/21. Besides, the readers witness a confession there too. (chapter 25) The painter admitted for the first time that he loved a man and his confession was addressed to the teacher, his “learned sir”. We have a long kiss (chapter 25), the attempt of a hug, the tears, the rough actions, , the painter lying on the ground (chapter 25), the lord’s comments (chapter 25) and the commoner’s agony either. And this confirms that the lord did attempt to recreate the wonderful night he had with him, but could only fail, because the painter couldn’t recognize him as his partner. His “love” was for someone else. Therefore, I stipulate that this manhwa contains not just three but actually four confessions of the painter. In other words, my title “Baek Na-Kyum’s confessions” was indeed so point on. Yet, each confession diverges from the others, as the artist’s emotional state differs each time. However, all of them mirror the painter’s heartache. No wonder, if the lord blamed himself for the low-born’s tears. Indirectly, he was apologizing to him, as he recognized that he was wounding him. He was the reason why the artist would cry.

Striking is that in the chapter 49, the lord is expressing his remorse in front of the painter, but the latter didn’t notice it because he could only feel Yoon Seungho’s warmth. (chapter 49) Due to this, he didn’t realize the consequence of the noble’s statement. The latter was already lowering himself without being too obvious. Now, you can better grasp why the lord wasn’t pleased, when he heard that Baek Na-Kyum was just admitting that he was attracted to him physically and there was nothing more. (chapter 49) The man had just humbled himself, yet this was totally ignored. I would even add that the artist’s words even devalued the noble’s words and actions even more. Like I mentioned it before, the low-born somehow treats the aristocrat as a tool for his own pleasure. We have an indirect rejection as the artist refuses to give him his heart.

Now, I would like to focus on the hugs because they mirror Baek Na-Kyum’s growing influence on the protagonist and Yoon Seungho’s flourishing love for the commoner. If you really pay attention, you’ll notice how little by little the artist gains importance in the noble’s mind and heart. Let’s take a look at the first hug. (chapter 20) The low-born’s head is much lower, and there is a certain distance between both bodies due to the way the low-born’s hands and head are placed. Here, the lord is even complaining about the painter’s lack of experience and reaction. Now, if you look at the hug in chapter 42, you’ll note here that the low-born’s head is higher and they are physically much closer but there still exists some distance. Even the lord’s behavior is different. His gestures oozes warmth, love and despair. His affection has truly gone deeper and with this huge hug, the manhwalovers can detect that the painter is indeed his first priority, while it was not the case before. His own selfish desires mattered more (20-21/25) back then. And now, we should look at the hug in the chapter 49. There is no distance between them, the gap has totally disappeared. The low-born’s head still exceeds that of Yoon Seungho confirming that the noble’s mindset hasn’t changed. He is still determined to put the artist first. The master might have been rejected, yet this is only partially true. The artist’s gestures (the kiss and hugs) reveal that he feels much more than he is aware of.

Another difference are the kisses. The first one was full of innocence and inexperience. Yet, there was warmth and affection. The lord responded to it with passion and lust. Then during the scene in chapter 41, Baek Na-Kyum initiates the kiss again. Here, the kiss is lacking of emotions. (chapter 41)

The kiss is again full of innocence accompanied with pain and resignation. That’s the reason why the noble doesn’t respond to the kiss. He even complains about the nature of this gesture. In this scene, the master’s comment outlines his longing for a passionate kiss. And now, in chapter 49, the kisses contain both passion and experience. (chapter 49) There is lust and love mixed together. Therefore the lord can’t restrain himself from accepting the kisses. This is exactly what he was longing for. So Yoon Seungho made a huge progress, little by little he was getting closer to his goal. The painter was slowly opening his heart to the rich noble.

As you could see in this short essay, I determined that we had the noble’s confession through his gestures and words. But so far, he had not reflected on the true motivation behind his actions. Since the artist was not recognizing his growing affection for Yoon Seungho, it was the same for the main lead. However, I realized that the painter’s multiple confessions have always been the driving force that pushed the lord to change. Each time, there was a confession, both got affected in the end. But it only happened, because Yoon Seungho was always there to confront and to console the artist. This is no coincidence that by acting so, he was winning more and more in his battle to obtain the low-born’s affection. He had already gained a place in Baek Na-Kyum’s mind, like he admitted to himself in the chapter 47.

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: Yoon Seungho’s long fight and struggle (part 1)

August 19, 2020June 12, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 23 Comments

The chapter 48 marks a turning point in the relationship between the wealthy noble Yoon Seungho and the low-born Baek Na-Kyum. If we look back at the evolution of their bond, we will notice a certain pattern. Everything is related to the scholar’s teaching and the following doctrine based on seven rules:

The artist can’t be associated to sodomy.
He is not allowed to paint erotic paintings.
He can’t admit to be a homosexual.
He isn’t permitted to have sex with a man.
He is not allowed to concede that he feels pleasure, when he has an intercourse with a man.
He is not authorized to question the teacher’s words and actions. He has to obey him blindly.
He is not permitted to fall in love with another man.

As you can observe, the 7 laws Jung In-Hun imposed on the low-born through the coercive persuasion, the scientific term for “brainwashing” represent the different barriers Yoon Seungho has to overcome. The 7th rule is the final step before removing Jung In-Hun’s indoctrination for good. This is important since it explains why the lord had to fight right from the beginning. Furthermore it explicates why Baek Na-Kyum had chosen Jung In-Hun as his true love. By doing so, the painter would follow the scholar’s rule. He would never have sex with a man, since the teacher hates homosexuality. On the other hand it allowed the artist to remain true to himself. It was his subterfuge to give up on his own identity and personality.

The first barrier: The painter rejected the noble’s offer, when he remembered the main lead’s reputation. He can’t be associated to a sodomite hence he lied about his identity. Therefore the seme was forced to take the man with him and pressured him until the painter gave in. He had to admit that painting was his way to survive. Notice that Yoon Seungho cornered him to concede this.

The second wall: The master blackmailed the artist in order to have him worked as his painter, when he noticed that his pressure was short-lived. We shouldn’t forget that the painter tried to flee in the chapter 4. Fortunately, the seme discovered the poem and his admiration for the noble Jung In-Hun. So he used the teacher as leverage. First, he made an offer: paint for me and your learned sir will get a high position. (chapter 7) Notice that in order to force the painter to violate the scholar’s rules, the noble had to use stratagems that didn’t require a lot of strength in the beginning: some little menace and the blackmail. Yet, the manhwaphiles can detect that the thread keeps growing as well. The aristocrat already has to use his power (influence and money) in order to corner the painter (chapter 7) which shouldn’t be neglected. It did represent a lot: a roof and free food for the low noble.

Since it wasn’t enough. The powerful main character had to exert his own strength and body to touch the painter’s mind and body. Note that the noble invited 3 nobles to his sex session in the chapter 8 and this is no coincidence. He had to demonstrate his stamina and charisma to arouse Baek Na-Kyum and he did succeed. The artist wished to replace the two ukes thereby he was so excited that he had to masturbate right after. I am quite sure that the innocent protagonist hadn’t done it before due to the scholar’s preaching. So the chapter 9 marked another progression. Baek Na-Kyum disrespected the rule 3 for the first time on his own. He can’t admit to feel attracted to another man, to be recognized as a sodomite. That’s why the masturbation represented a compromise. Since he was alone, nobody would know about it. As you can detect, little by little Seungho is removing all the rules set by the low aristocrat. But the higher the rules are, the more Yoon Seungho needs to use force.

Let’s take a closer look to this evolution. The increasing use of violence is linked to Jung In-Hun’s presence at Yoon Seungho’s mansion. After being invited to Yoon Seungho’s mansion, the jealous scholar had to remind the commoner of his obligations. (rule 2) Surprising is that due to his interaction with the main lead, Baek Na-Kyum had somehow started thinking on his own, using his own critical thinking therefore he reprimanded the rich master for his cruel behavior towards the servant who got killed. In that moment, Jung In-Hun had to put him back to his place. He admonished the painter harshly for his criticism. As a low-born, he was not allowed to make such comment. (chapter 10) From my point of view, the chapter 10 not only reveals the huge influence Jung In-Hun has on the painter, but also illustrates the growing influence of Seungho on the artist. The master’s words and actions did shake the rule 6. But it wasn’t enough to remove this wall hence Baek Na-Kyum accepted the low noble’s reproach and remained silence.

Due to the incident with the ruined creation, the commoner got punished. This time, the main lead used his own physical strength directly on the artist (slapping and blocking the painter’s mouth). (chapter 11) Compared to the past where he just pushed the low-born away, his gestures in the chapter 11 displays the increasing use of Seungho’s force. But the master felt remorse hence later the painter was only scratched by the master. Nonetheless, let’s not forget that Seungho had already set his eyes on the painter. He wanted to taste the artist. As a first conclusion, the lord had only removed the rule 1 and 2. At the end of the chapter 15, the noble is facing another hindrance, the rule 3: his denial of his homosexuality. Therefore the masturbation in the chapter 16 marks the first step in order to destroy the rule 3. Notice that the noble was annoyed, when the artist gave the false excuse that he was tired in order to avoid the noble. So he somehow “attacked” Baek Na-Kyum by hugging him and grabbed his penis. (chapter 16) Let’s not forget that he didn’t ask for the commoner’s permission. That’s why the painter cried in that scene. The latter knew that he was violating the rule 3, yet the seme saw that Baek Na-Kyum was aroused and felt pleasure.

Since the lord knew about Baek Na-Kyum’s affection for his teacher (chapter 7), he was well aware that he needed to wait for the right opportunity. When the main character witnessed the fight between the low-born and Jung In-Hun (chapter 19), he was already on his guard waiting for a signal which appeared in the form of the stolen bottle. He seized the opportunity to meddle between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum. He needed to squash in between these two men.

So when he appeared in front of the painter, the artist was hallucinating because he had revealed to his scholar that he had broken the rule 2. Besides, he was violating the law 6. We shouldn’t forget that from the chapter 8 on, the painter started disobeying the low noble. First he justified his violation by claiming that this was for the scholar’s sake. Then in the chapter 10, he expressed his own mind in front of the teacher, however it concerned Yoon Seungho. Finally in the chapter 19, we see the painter for the first time talking back to his “master”.

He rejects the teacher’s criticism that he was the one who seduced the main lead. Pay attention that the low-born voiced his own thoughts for the second time in front of the arrogant “peacock”. As the manhwaworms can sense, the rule 6 is more and more shaken, the longer Baek Na-Kyum is living under Yoon Seungho’s roof.

Striking is that their “first night” represents a violation of the rule 3 and 4. This explains why Baek Na-Kyum has every reason to deny the presence of Yoon Seungho in his chamber. By acting as if he was delirious, the painter found a subterfuge in order to deny his homosexuality and his love for a man. This was supposed to be addressed to the scholar, yet the painter was well aware that the scholar would never accept him at all. That’s why the readers get images from Baek Na-Kyum’s perspective and it is quite clear that the artist never saw Jung In-Hun. (chapter 21) In fact, he was attempting to deceive himself and the noble. During their night, Baek Na-Kyum was well aware that this could only remain a dream because if he admitted it as a reality, then this would signify that he was conceding his own sexual orientation and even his attraction to Yoon Seungho which he felt very early on (chapter 2, 6, 8-9, 13-16). Therefore I come to the conclusion that the artist somehow knew what happened during that night but chose to act as if the noble was Jung In-Hun. Later he repressed his memories and even ignored them so that he would act as if he was still following the teacher’s doctrines. (chapter 21).

As a conclusion, from the chapter 1 to 21, the rules 1 and 2 were removed, whereas the laws 3 and 6 were just shaken. This is important because it justifies why the noble has to use more and more force in order to get what he wants.

However, their first night marks a pivotal moment for the noble as well. While in the past, the main reason for inciting the artist to break the rules set by Jung In-Hun was rationalized by the main lead’s desire to have erotic paintings, the motivation started shifting, the master felt more and more attracted to the artist. We could say that the reason for Seungho to pressure the painter was the noble’s libido till the chapter 20. The moment the protagonist feels love for the first time, his motivation changes. He is no longer looking for a sexual satisfaction but for warmth and affection. The discovery of Baek Na-Kyum’s purity left a huge impact on him.

In the chapter 21, Yoon Seungho made love for the first time. He experienced something totally new. For the first time, he had an intercourse with a virgin and they made love. Secondly Baek Na-Kyum had kept his chastity because he was determined to remain faithful to his love Jung In-Hun. Since the low-born was deeply in “love” (For me, this is not a real love) with his teacher, it was as if he had made a vow of fidelity and chastity. Yoon Seungho discovered someone so pure and innocence, although the latter painted erotic images and came from a brothel. Imagine what the lord must have felt. He met someone so pure despite his filthy surroundings hence he stands so much in contradiction to Jihwa. The red-haired noble never confessed his love to his childhood friend and he never said that he kept his virginity for him, out of love. In the painter’s chamber, (chapter 21) Yoon Seungho heard a love confession, got hugged and kissed tenderly and there was someone crying out of happiness because of him. For the first time, he saw that tears could be related to happiness and he could affect someone positively. That’s why he reacted by kissing the painter’s eye and tears. (chapter 21) Although he knew that it was just an illusion because Baek Na-Kyum had confessed to someone else, he hoped deep down that the painter would love him, if he remembered their night today. He tried to trigger his memory through different tricks (like here with the book) but he failed (chapter 23). Yet he showed a certain patience as he didn’t pressure the artist to paint their night immediately, he gave him time. He imagined that once Baek Na-Kyum remembered their night and painted it, it will become a reality, a proof that this was not an illusion. But because of the coercive persuasion, Baek Na-Kyum tried to repress his memory. He had to if he wanted to keep following the scholar’s rules. The painter chose to ignore the images he had since it meant that he hadn’t kept his vow. All this time, Yoon Seungho has no idea about the true nature of the relationship between Jung In-Hun and the low-born. First, he believes to see it as a crush, then he witnesses the depth of the painter’s feelings. This is important because from that moment, the main motivation for the lord will be love and no longer his libido. This will be his goal which will give him the necessary strength to remove the other rules: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Yoon Seungho imagined that since he took the painter’s virginity, the latter would give up on his love and focus on him, but it didn’t happen. The painter had to as he had been formatted to respect the teacher’s doctrines. That’s why even when the lord forced himself on the artist, the commoner still whispered the scholar’s name. (chapter 25) The rape represented the ultimate use of violence which kept increasing from the start. But the noble failed as he was not able to remove the rule 4, 5 and 6. Yet he did achieve something which I’ve realized only now. For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum was admitting that he loved a man and he could no longer the excuse that he was under the influence of the alcohol. So at the pavilion, the artist violated the law 3 (being a homosexual) as he confessed his love for Jung In-Hun.

That’s it for today. I’ll write the second part later.

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: A new adaptation of Fall of man

July 19, 2020June 12, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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Some of my readers might not know what Fall of man is referring to. Fall of man is the term used by Christian theologists to describe the expulsion of Eva and Adam from paradise after eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now, you know where this expression comes from. It’s from the bible and more specifically from Genesis 2-3. It explains the story of the original sin.

The Fall of Man — Lucas Cranach, The Garden of Eden, 1530

In the Garden of Eden, God planted two trees and he asked Adam and Eva not to eat the fruits from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, Satan, taking the form of a snake, convinced Eva to disobey God’s order. She took a bite from the forbidden fruit and after tasting it, she gave it to Adam so that Adam committed the same sin. Once God discovered their disobedience, he chased away the woman and the man from the Garden of Eden. This represents the end of paradise for humans. The forbidden fruit is actually an apple therefore eating the apple from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil symbolizes the original sin, the loss of innocence and indirectly death too. Since Eva and Adam were expelled from paradise, their fate is associated to death. Now, Eva and Adam can no longer live forever and are confronted with evilness, hardships and temptation their whole life. Humans can only return to paradise after their death, if they behave as good Christians and are true believers.

Now, you are wondering where the common denominators between the Genesis and the manhwa Painter of The Night are, since the Korean story is actually a book with many explicit sex scenes. First, eating the apple is often viewed as a representation of sex. The snake embodying temptation and evilness seduced Eva to discover sexuality hence Adam couldn’t resist her so that they had an intercourse for the first time. That’s the reason why women during the Middle-Age were judged so negatively in Europe. Catholic Church reproached them of being the cause of the original sin. If Eva, the archetype of women, hadn’t listened to the snake representing the devil/Satan, Adam wouldn’t have fallen to temptation and he would never have had sex. Therefore sex and nudity are often related to Satan, like in this picture.

Notice that Satan’s sex reminds us of a vagina, he is not eating men through his mouth but also through his sex. Therefore we can take note of the demonization of the woman’s sex. This explains why women were often suspected to be witches. This is also the cause why Catholic Church only encouraged sex for procreation. Sex should never be linked to pleasure. Now, you can understand why sex is perceived as dirty and enjoyment is associated to sin. During the Middle-Age, Christians should never enjoy sex and only judge it as a duty so that God could get more believers. As a conclusion, the original sin and Fall of man are connected to the discovery of sexuality, copulation and joyance.

Then we have to remember that the expulsion from the Garden of Even is linked to the Tree of Knowledge between good and evil. What should get your attention is the word Knowledge. If you read my analysis about Spring Awakening (part 1 and 2), you know the importance of sex education. Wendla, one of the protagonists of Spring Awakening, got pregnant because she had no idea about sex and its implications. Her mother never told her how women got pregnant. That’s why I pointed out earlier that the original sin is linked to the discovery of sexuality, the knowledge what sex means and implicates.

In order to grasp better the similarities between Fall of man and the manhwa, I am listing the following elements:

The presence of the forbidden fruit, an apple, symbolizing temptation and sin
Three people were present during the original sin: the snake, Eva, Adam
Garden of Eden personifying Nature
Sex
Knowledge

Maybe you have already recognized the picture chosen above as an illustration for this analysis. It comes from the chapter 23. Let’s contextualize the episode. Here, we have Yoon Seungho who invited Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum to go hunting. The hounding occurs after Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum had their first sexual encounter together.

What caught my attention is the presence of the apple in this chapter.

Notice that Baek Na-Kyum is the one eating the apple and later, the fruit is taken by Yoon Seungho who bites in the apple tasted by the painter.

So their actions resemble a lot to the ones from Eva and Adam in the Garden of Eden. Hence we can say that the painter is Eva and the lord Adam fitting their part in the couple. The woods correspond to the garden of Eden because the forest embodies nature, just like the location created by God. Then you might now ask who the snake is. Here, the loyal valet personifies the snake but his role diverges from the Genesis. He is not seducing the artist to get knowledge, to discover sexuality. He acts the opposite in reality.

Note that he pleads for ignorance, while the snake tempted to taste the fruit and get knowledge. He advises the low-born not to remember his coition with the lord. And we come to the most important part, the biggest contrast between the bible and the manhwa. The intercourse has already happened whereas in the bible, the sex only takes place after eating the fruit because they become aware of their own nudity and body. It looks like the chronology has been changed. Another difference is that Baek Na-Kyum is still innocent as he has no memory about that fateful night, while the lord is in the knowledge. Knowledge is what separates them. In other words, in this scene from the chapter 23, the chronology and the role of the snake diverge, yet it looks like the Genesis inspired our author. However, there is more to it.

Since eating the forbidden fruit means sex, then we have to return to their first sex together. Striking is that Yoon Seungho might have had a lot of sexual experiences due to his past, but their first night together represents a first for him too. He was able to discover what lovemaking is. So eating the forbidden fruit has a divergent signification for the master. He discovered a new side of sex, it is not just about having pleasure but giving joyance to his partner, feeling loved and admired and returning the same affection and warmth to his loved one. So he gets a new knowledge. (chapter 20) (chapter 21) That’s why he is embracing the uke wholeheartedly and kissing him so gently. Once he has tasted the forbidden fruit, lovemaking, he can no longer return to his old-self. He wants to renew and even deepen their relationship but for that, he needs the painter to remember. He is well aware that the drunkenness had an impact on the artist’s consciousness hence the next morning after their lovemaking, he visits the artist’s chamber waiting for him. The latter had to go out because of nausea and vomiting.

And now pay attention to the words and actions of the noble who has already fallen deeply in love.

First, he is wearing an dark purple robe with short sleeves. We can observe that he has dressed up especially for the painter. Now, you might realize my mistake. While treating the different clothes of the protagonist (the significance of clothes, part 2), I overlooked this chapter. However, it actually confirms my observations made there. When it comes to win the artist’s heart, Yoon Seungho pays attention to his appearance and wants to use his charismatic image in order to attract the man’s attention and awake sexual desires.

In other words, he improves his apparel because he wants to seduce him. Is he here acting like the snake, the devil seducing the uke to temptation? But if you look more closely, you’ll notice that there is a book with an illustration on the table. There are two men fornicating. This is not random, the master put it there in order to trigger the hint about their lovemaking. However, the painter pays no attention to this picture. Yet this doesn’t discourage the master hence he speaks about the events of the night before.

The irony is that Baek Na-Kyum committed a crime, he stole a bottle of expensive wine. Here, we can see another reference to the original sin and the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eva committed a sin by disobeying to God’s words and here, we have the painter who acted like a thief. We could even add that the bottle could be another representation of the forbidden fruit. Does this mean that their fateful night embodies another Fall of man? It seems so because Seungho is acting like God here, commenting about the low-born’s actions through insinuations and trying to confront him with his theft. The moment the painter is faced with his wrongdoing, he decides to lie about it.

Instead of chasing the commoner away for his larceny and as such expelling him from the garden of Eden, the noble just laughs it off.

On the other hand, the readers should keep in their mind that the commoner is in fact committing another sin. However the knowledge of their sexual encounter hasn’t resurfaced, since sex and knowledge are what matters. That’s why there is no Fall of man here. Yoon Seungho, the combination of God and Satan, is patient and even very lenient. Hence he doesn’t punish the artist for his sins, on the other hand the master doesn’t renounce so easily. He wants the painter to get the knowledge, to remember his first sex and their fateful night. Therefore he initially implies that he saw the painter during that night but Baek Na-Kyum doesn’t comprehend this signal.

Therefore the master refers directly to sex hoping that this would finally trigger the artist’s memory.

The irony is that Baek Na-Kyum is still clueless till the end. He has no recollection despite the repetitive insinuations of the lord. Each time, Yoon Seungho became more and move obvious to the point he had to mention pregnancy.

Even when he is given the medicine for his hangover indicating that the master is well aware of his sin, the artist remains innocent and pure. So due to his lack of knowledge, he can’t be expelled from paradise. However, we have to remember that in that scene, Yoon Seungho acted like a corrupted God, since he doesn’t condemn him for his crimes. Yet there is no ambiguity that the lord would have acted differently from God in the Genesis, if the commoner had remembered their lovemaking. He never wanted to make him leave the mansion which could be seen as paradise. Instead the main protagonist wanted to keep him there forever. That’s why we can interpret the manhwa as a new adaptation of the Genesis because we have two “scenes” referring to the Genesis 2-3: their fateful night together and the scene in the woods. The apple and the bottle were the forbidden fruit, whereas the learned sir and the loyal valet Kim were the snake. (Chapter 19) Baek Na-Kyum was seduced by an illusion, he was tempted by his “pure love”, although I have to say that here the painter’s unconscious played a huge part. The bottle that was stolen by the low-born was later used by the lord as lubricant hence we have this picture in the chapter 20.

This is just like in the bible. Baek Na-Kyum gave the forbidden fruit to the protagonist. That’s why I keep writing that each drawing has a purpose and deep meaning. Then we have the first original sin where Yoon Seungho was playing two roles, God and Adam, since he is the master of his domain. The Garden of Eden is the mansion and the forest simultaneously. While sex occurred in the first place, in the chapter 23 the focus is on the knowledge. Will the painter remember their fateful night? The moment he remembers, he loses his innocence and purity. That’s why the servant Kim advises him not to remember.

However, it is too late because the moment Baek Na-Kyum feels that he committed a sin, he catches a glimpse of a image from that fateful night.

The feeling that he did something wrong is related to the flashback therefore I would say that the last drawing personifies Baek Na-Kyum’s loss of innocence. The Fall of man is about to happen.

Interesting is that although we have two scenes referring to the original sin, the readers never witness the expulsion of “Eva and Adam” from the garden of Eden all this time. The reason is that Yoon Seungho chose to be patient, nevertheless he demanded the artist to paint hoping that at some point the low-born would recollect their wonderful night.

Because of this request, the painting becomes the symbol of the original sins. The aristocrat would like to engrave this night forever because it felt so beautiful, it was for him as if he had reached the paradise. That’s why when the noble hears that Baek Na-Kyum is transporting with him a painting causing him embarrassment and blushing, the lord misunderstands the content of the painting.

The noble thinks that the painter has finally recalled their memorable night hence he is so happy. That’s why later he decides to invite him to the pavilion through his loyal valet.

Now, you can understand what the scene at the pavilion means. This is the new version of the expulsion of paradise, the actual Fall of man, the revelation of all sins. Here, Yoon Seungho thought that he would see a painting of their sexual encounter so that the artist would become his lover. He was so wrong and misunderstood the low-born’s action. In the chapter 25, he really believes that if he acts like in their first encounter, the uke will accept him. (Chapter 25) But he is rejected. The forced sex seems to be the only way for the lord to claim the painter as his lover and partner (in his opinion), hence the rape becomes the expulsion of paradise for both men.

Baek Na-Kyum remembers that he confessed his love and lost his virginity to the lord, it is as painful as losing his virginity. The rejection and the forced sex make the lord realize that what he experienced during that memorable night was just an illusion and he can not experience it again.

(Chapter 26)

The commoner has the impression that since he has lost his purity, he can no longer remain by the low noble’s side hence he whispers the name of his learned sir. Both realize that they lost something important… Both lost their innocence. Baek Na-Kyum experienced sex for the first time, fully aware, whereas the lord was hurt that the painter could never treasure their unforgettable night. They are like expelled from the Garden of Eden therefore the following chapters are so painful for both protagonists. Both meet hardships, the lord keeps getting rejected and criticized, while the artist is forced to do a fellatio and later to have a sex marathon. However each time, Yoon Seungho fails to win the man’s heart because he hasn’t understood yet that feelings are important when it comes to lovemaking. He can never act as if sex was a fight. Feelings can’t be forced.

Now, you can understand why the rape had to happen at the pavilion. It is a combination between nature (woods) and civilization (mansion) so that they would feel the banishment. Yoon Seungho can no longer imagine that the love he received during that night was directed to him, this is the end of paradise hence he gets jealous and angry. He would really love to become the recipient of such a love. Both made a terrible experience with sex, something connected to pain and gain a new terrible knowledge. Sex and love are not really similar but the lord had no idea how to gain the painter’s affection. (Chapter 23)

Fall of man just occurred once, however we have two original sins. The first one was when the lord took the teacher’s place (chapter 26) and the other is when the artist stole the bottle of expensive wine and lied about his action.

The latter paid a huge price for his sin, just like the powerful noble. It took them a long time to overcome their trauma, the pain of rejection and betrayal. Yoon Seungho also made the mistake to act like God, because he thought that his wealth and power were convincing enough to win over the painter. However, he was just a human as his assets meant nothing to the commoner. Hence he had to pay for his sins. Let us not forget that Baek Na-Kyum sinned twice when he had sex with the lord for the first time. He stole the bottle and later he didn’t resist the temptation, when he imagined the low noble’s visit. He couldn’t bear the rejection from the teacher and had a hallucination. He might have forgotten it but he was the one leading their intercourse so he is not entirely innocent either. Deep down, Baek Na-Kyum always wanted to have sex before and even fantasized about the lord (the wet dreams in the chapter 2 and 6). Furthermore by stealing the wine, he sent the wrong signal to the seme (see my analysis about Breakups, chagrin and alcohol).

Nevertheless, I am not stating that Baek Na-Kyum is the reason why the lord sinned. We are no longer in the Middle-Age, where women should be blamed for the Fall of man. No, even if Baek Na-Kyum is a new version of Eva, both persons are equally responsible for their sins. No one is innocent, however the uke appears more virtuous due to his purity and chaste love through his heartfelt confession, hence the rape is a terrible “punishment” for the painter. He, who never connected sodomy to violence and sin before he met the low noble, has to discover another side of homosexuality. It is not just about love and warmth. It is a harsh fall for the artist that’s why it is important for the artist to rediscover his first perception of homosexuality. Sodomy can be something natural and as pure as love between a woman and man. Hence their relationship improves the moment the noble learns from his mistakes and is willing to give up on his pride and position as master, he starts prioritizing the low-born’s pleasure. Little by little, the painter is discovering the joyance connected to sex and no longer denying his own sexual orientation.

After the Fall of man, Eva and Adam had to work and encountered many hardships, yet they got children: Cain and Abel. In other words, their love became fruitful. Therefore it becomes clear that the noble will be able to become the real recipient of the painter’s love. It is just a matter of time. However, in the bible, Cain killed Abel out of jealousy. Should we see it as another allusion to what will happen in the second season? Will the valet Kim become the victim of the attempted assassination on Baek Na-Kyum? Honestly, this is what I have been fearing for a long time. I hope, I’m wrong because this would mean that Yoon Seungho would lose the only person who knows him so well and shows such an understanding. Imagine his pain and this will reinforce his need and longing for the painter’s love.

This will be my final words for this essay. If someone commits a sin, it is possible to find redemption that’s why forgiveness plays a huge part in Christianity. Repentance and admitting his sin are the conditions. It is the painter’s choice to forgive the lord for his sin, just like the lord forgave the artist for his sins (larceny and lie). It is just a matter of time until the painter forgives Yoon Seungho entirely, since the lord has already started protecting his painter and showers him with his care and attention. No servant is allowed to speak ill about Baek Na-Kyum and he has to be treated like a master. That’s why his clothing has also changed. Little by little, the artist’s status is elevated. But here is the next question: who will confess first? Will the lord be able to express his feelings, since he is not skilled in this matter/field?

Painter Of The Night: Breakups, chagrin and alcohol 🍾

July 16, 2020October 14, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

In this essay, I’ll focus on the causes and consequences of a rift between the characters. Since you have already seen the pictures chosen as illustration for the analysis, you know the identity of the persons I’ll focus. But this is only partially correct. We need to look at the partners’ reactions carefully as well. What caught my attention are the similarities between chapter 18 and 19. In chapter 18, we have the end of relationship between Yoon Seungho and Jihwa, whereas we have a rift between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum in the next chapter.

1. The break-up between Seungho and Jihwa

First, let’s examine the first parting. Striking is that the powerful noble is the one who decides to cut ties with his childhood friend.

The latter has been caught as the culprit who ruined Baek Na-Kyum’s second painting. But this incident is just the trigger for the split. In fact, there are other roots for the rift. Interesting is that the red-haired man never expected this to happen revealing that he had never comprehended the true nature of his relationship with Yoon Seungho.

He believed that since he had been by Yoon Seungho’s side for so long and the latter had been his only sex partner, the protagonist had given him some privileges. He was only partially right. The lord closed his eyes, when Jihwa came unannounced and when the latter bought one of his servants in order to spy on him.

All this time, he showed a certain tolerance towards his friend but each time, he revealed displeasure and had a cold gaze which the friend never caught, too self-absorbed in his own feelings and thoughts. That’s the reason the main lead didn’t great him properly in the chapter 12.

It even culminated to a firm warning. But Jihwa overlooked it. From my point of view, the red-haired lord made two huge mistakes. First, he misjudged the warning because of a misunderstanding.

For our beloved seme, the reproach made by Jihwa implied that his friend was spying on him. Therefore he asked him to stop prying into his life by getting info through his “informer”.

Furthermore, Jihwa was acting as if he had a prerogative to meddle in his friend’s life. He had to tell him how to live his life.

Notice the seme’s behavior in the last picture. He puffs the smoke into his friend’s face showing his dissatisfaction and frustration. During their whole conversation (chapter 12-13), Seungho was well aware that Jihwa was prying into his life, however the powerful noble remained distant and didn’t let anything transpire: “Nothing much happened”. So when he warns him not to cross the line, he has something else in his mind. For him Jihwa acts like all the other nobles, keeping an eye on him because valuable info could give him some leverage. The master never thought that his friend’s actions were the result of his jealousy. This is where the misunderstanding lies. Moreover, due to Seungho’s leniency, the red-haired man believed that he had a special place in Seungho’s heart. The reality was different. Yoon Seungho always perceived him as a sex partner like the others because he was a noble. Despite their long relationship, the main character holds deep grudges against the aristocracy. In his eyes, they are all hypocrites and snakes, trying to backstab their acquaintance for their own benefit.

This is what Yoon Seungho learnt through his traumatic past, he saw beyond his father’s actions but Jihwa failed to comprehend this because he is too immature to grasp the whole situation in the past. And this leads me to believe that our protagonist resents the nobility for conspiring against the king. The purge wouldn’t have happened if they had done nothing and he had to bear the whole burden as he was the sacrificed lamb for his family. Simultaneously, the other aristocrats were betrayed by one of their fellows who did it in order to gain more benefit. This explicates his refusal to meddle with politics. For him, all the nobles and the king are terrible. Now, you can understand why the main character couldn’t differentiate Jihwa from the others as he was a noble. What Jihwa recognized as an advantage (his title), it symbolized a hindrance in reality in Yoon Seungho’s life. No wonder that the latter never looked down on the painter because he discerned his talent and hard work.

Furthermore our seme was well aware that Jihwa had been using him all along. Therefore when his friend claims he has been using him all this time, this is no novelty for the seme. However, the readers know very well that these words are not reflecting the entire truth. Jihwa had been waiting for Seungho’s love. Interesting is that these words reinforced the impression the main character had about his childhood friend and this deepens their misconception. Yoon Seungho misunderstands Jihwa’s motivation behind his actions. He can’t detect the love his friend has for him since on the surface, it seems like Jihwa is disregarding his authority, acts behind his back and puts informers in his mansion. Hiring an amateur spy could be for another reason, like discovering his secrets so that he can be blackmailed. The irony is that due to his plot, Jihwa even encourages the former friend to seduce the low-born. Yoon Seungho even teases the red-haired noble by announcing that he will turn this gossip into a reality.

Here, we can clearly observe that Yoon Seungho never viewed Jihwa differently from the other aristocrats. The main lead has the impression that he doesn’t belong to their order hence he has no problem to taste a commoner. For him, title means nothing. That’s the reason why their friendship or sexual relationship could never deepen and become real love. Jihwa could only predict his friend’s behavior but never what triggered his actions. Striking is that the end of their relationship doesn’t affect Yoon Seungho at all. That’s why his heart is not moved when he sees Jihwa’s face full of tears as he doesn’t wipe his tears, like he does with the artist.

For him, the tears can only be a simulacrum, nothing genuine because Jihwa has always faked his facial expressions. In addition, he perceives more anger and rage than pain. I would even add that Yoon Seungho seems to be relieved for the loss of his acquaintance therefore he caresses the painter’s cheek and thanks him for the amusing incident. What caught my attention are Yoon Seungho’s words. While the latter commented to Jihwa that nothing much happened in his life despite the straw mat beating, he considers the parting with Jihwa as exciting. It leaves the impression that Yoon Seungho was living like a zombie with his friend by his side. So hurting another noble has become an amusement and now, we understand why the protagonist had so much fun during the hunt. (chapter 22) He enjoys humiliating nobles, it gives him sensations, whereas punishing commoners or killing servants is nothing extraordinary.

Jihwa’s humiliation and his rift with his childhood friend happens in the courtyard, where many servants witness this incident generating gossip. Due to their parting, Jihwa becomes a drunk and visits the tavern very often. He drowns his sorrow in alcohol. (chapter 41) His chagrin is so deep that he is losing little by little his dignity. In chapter 41, he even has his hair loose and sleeps on the street like a commoner. He no longer acts and dresses like a noble. All this illustrates that Jihwa did love his friend but his lack of consideration and egoism were the reasons why he could never get close to the seme. The irony is that Yoon Seungho has already experienced Jihwa’s betrayal hence this is no surprise if the main lead will know right away who was behind the attempted assassination. The problem is that the main lead never thought that the moment he is in a relationship with the painter, he has to protect his loved one very well. This is no longer amusing and exciting when your loved one gets hurt. This will teach him a lesson so that he will be better prepared, when his other enemies start targeting him.

On the other hand, the dissolution of his relationship with Jihwa liberates the seme, as now he has no particular sex partner. He is free to go after the low-born, even if it means that he will be outcast by the other nobles. (chapter 18) He never cared for his reputation or seclusion anyway. Then we have to remember that from early on Yoon Seungho was aware of Baek Na-Kyum’s feelings for the teacher. In my opinion, he must have even thought that they were in a relationship because Baek Na-Kyum treasured the teacher’s poem so much, was willing to get punished instead of his “learned sir”, when the latter was suspected of the “crime”. In addition, he has never heard the low noble’s words about his disdain for sodomy and erotic pictures. He observed as well that the painter was keeping his distance from him despite the arousal and his advances (chapter 16). From my point of view, the seme got aware that the artist was faithful to the teacher, yet he misjudged the true nature of their relationship. Hence he never anticipated that the painter was a virgin, influenced by the power of the erotic paintings, the place he was raised and the blushing caused by the teacher.

2. The separation between Na-Kyum and In-Hun

And the most important picture in chapter 19 is that only Seungho becomes the witness of the rift between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum, unlike with the breakup with Jihwa.

As you can observe, this time there is no servant, only nobles and the latter are not aware of the presence of the two persons in the courtyard. Notice that this scene makes the lord stop walking indicating that he is very attentive and interested because the painter means a lot to him. Now, he gets aware that there is a quarrel between these two people.

First he was in a good mood, when he visited the gisaeng house

because he couldn’t forget the painter’s expression during the masturbation. It had affected him so much that night that he had an arousal too. In other words, their sexual encounter had left a deep impression on the lord. Then the rift with Jihwa changed everything, it encouraged him even more to pursue the uke.

Later he keeps thinking about the scene he witnessed in the courtyard. He is trying to judge what really happened there. When the painting is presented to his guests, he pays attention to the artist’s facial expressions and sees the tears in his eyes masked by the drop of rain.

Sadness is written all over his face but he has no idea about the outcome. Is it just a quarrel or a breakup because he only saw a simple gesture coming from the teacher? He just raised his hand.

Compare this behavior to Yoon Seungho’s, when he cut ties with his friend. The former grabbed the red-haired noble by the topknot, literally threw him on the ground and finally stabbed the spy. Despite the same location, the gestures were more dramatic and more comprehensible hence this scene doesn’t look like a parting. As you can detect, the flashbacks are quite important in this chapter because it outlines the noble’s preoccupations. While he is physically present with his guests, he is actually lost in his thoughts thinking about his “prey”.

When he hears that the bottle of expensive wine has disappeared, Byeonduck focuses on the noble’s gaze.

This is the signal for Yoon Seungho. Now, he knows what occurred between the two men, I mean, he believes to know. Here, look at his gaze, there is surprise but also a light reflecting in his eye. It was as if a fire had been ignited, therefore he is not angry that someone stole the bottle. He knows the identity of the thief but doesn’t care because he sees this as an opportunity to approach the painter. They must have broken up or something similar hence the painter is drinking his sorrow in alcohol.

Imagine the irony, Yoon Seungho doesn’t even pay attention to his childhood friend after the rift. If he had heard that his red-haired friend would spend his days and nights at the tavern drinking, he would have noticed that Jihwa might have had other motives for spying on him. (chapter 36)

For the master, the theft of the bottle is the trigger for him to visit the painter’s chamber. He must seize the opportunity, maybe in his chagrin, Baek Na-Kyum will accept his advances. Therefore he goes there hoping to have sex. What he doesn’t expect is that though he envisaged that he would have to seduce the man, he isn’t in control of the situation. He has to hear a love confession and is even kissed so suddenly. (chapter 19) Right from the start, the low-born is the one controlling their encounter. Like I had mentioned in another analysis, their “first night” together has two phases. The first one is when Seungho is just looking for sex but he is stopped by the artist, when the latter admits his fear since he is a virgin. The second phases is where both make love. In both phases, Baek Na-Kyum is the one affecting the lord’s actions and decisions. Yoon Seungho might have taken advantage of the situation, he is mistaken for the learned sir, but in reality Baek Na-Kyum was the one leading the sexual encounter. The alcohol made their “first night” possible, while for Jihwa it increased his pain and distance to Yoon Seungho.

So if we look again at the scene at the pavilion, we realize that Baek Na-Kyum’s rejection and slap sounds like a breakup for the lord. (chapter 25) It was as if they had an one-night-stand and the other has already forgotten their memorable night… because it meant nothing to the uke. Imagine the irony of the situation. The painter kept his virginity for the teacher but once he lost it to another man, he doesn’t want to enter into a relationship with the man who took his virginity. He values more the feelings than the sexual encounter. This explains why the master uses force in order to submit the painter. He can’t accept the rejection or we could say the breakup in Seungho’s eyes. Then since he has internalized that sex is war through his sexual encounters with the other nobles, he believes that he can act the same way with the commoner. He just needs to defeat the artist sexually and the latter will accept his fate. However, he never expected that the outcome would be different. He might have forced the artist to sex, in reality the painter was never defeated as he mentioned Jung In-Hun, the loved one. (chapter 26) Unlike Jihwa and Baek Na-Kyum, the noble didn’t drink any alcohol in order to ease the pain of the breakup because he never accepted it as such. He preferred fighting for this relationship, hence he took care of the artist after the rape. He refuses to admit defeat, even if his actions even worsen the situation and damage his relationship with the low-born. In other words, there will be no breakup or rejection hence he will never drink his sorrow into alcohol. On the other hand, he will be plagued with pangs of conscience and crack his brain in order to salvage his relationship with Baek Na-Kyum. Strangely, he is far more active than Jihwa and Baek Na-Kyum, when it comes to love which contrasts so much to his passivity concerning politics and the nobility. The lord’s chagrin provokes violent reactions so that at the end, he is truly exhausted because he didn’t manage to succeed. Any attempt to win the painter’s heart failed, until he finally showed his true self: tired, vulnerable and depressed. (chapter 35) Only then he is able to have hope again because he no longer perceives hatred, rejection… he even catches the artist’s blushing. And this outlines the painter’s purity, strength and determination.

Now, it is time to pay attention to Jung In-hun and his “breakup” with the painter and as such its impact on the uke. We have to imagine how hard Jung In-Hun’s fall is because in chapter 18, he starts conveying Yoon Seungho’s possessions,

he strolls through the property while thinking that he is far superior to this noble in term of intelligence and morals.

That’s why he calls the powerful lord “filthy fiend”, yet he has to learn through the incident with Jihwa that the painter occupies a bigger place in the noble’s heart than himself. He discovers the artist’s true role at the mansion, he was never a servant like the aristocrat declared. He had to paint erotic pictures for the master.

(chapter 19)

He can’t imagine that the lord would value the low-born more than him, who thinks of himself as skilled and intelligent. Imagine that he has to hear that he has to rely on a low-born in order to get sponsored. He denies this accusing the low-born of seducing the noble, proclaiming that he had used immoral means in order to get this position. Let us not forget that with these words, the teacher is trying to diminish the artist’s talent which he can’t recognize as he is just a low-born. Only people from the nobility, even if they belong to the low nobility, have skills, that’s what distinguishes them from the commoners. This is exactly what Jung In-Hun believes hence he is so blinded by his arrogance and entitlement that he can’t admit Baek Na-Kyum’s talent. What a humiliation for the teacher and if we remember how highly he thought of himself while envying the lord’s wealth, he envisioned himself as rich and powerful as his sponsor in the future. This shows how delusional he is. However, he was not sponsored for his abilities but because he was used as leverage for the painter. He had to thank a low-born for his future career due to erotic pictures of sodomy, something he loathes and hates.

What Yoon seungho saw as a simple gesture, is full of meaning and power hence it is so painful for the painter.

The raised hand means that he can no longer remain by the teacher’s side. Jung In-Hun doesn’t need to use violence in order to cut ties with the low-born, he has already physically and emotionally abused him in the past. The low noble pushes him away. Strictly speaking, he can never claim that he was his acquaintance or friend or supporter. By cutting ties, the noble tries to hide from the reality. If they are no longer together, then the deal becomes ineffective.

Now, imagine the irony of the situation, he is the one who ends their relationship because he has some difficulties to accept the truth after discovering the existence of the deal, on the other side he will be the one running towards the artist renewing their relationship, the moment he hears the truth from the powerful lips.

(chapter 22)

The end of the relationship between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum means nothing to the low noble hence he doesn’t need to drink in order to forget the pain. On the other hand, he needs some time in order to digest the news: he was never considered as a great man full of potentials by the lord he envied.

However, the revelation of the deal unveils how fragile his relationship with the painter was. Each time his pride was hurt, he rejected the artist and sent him away. We have to envision that this was the reason why the low-born turned into a drunk. Once the learned sir discovered that Baek Na-Kyum was a successful book author, he got jealous and ensured that he would stop painting. At the same time, he rejected him because of his erotic paintings. The uke could only drown his sorrow in alcohol because he could no longer paint and simultaneously no longer meet the learned sir. This explains why after the rejection, the painter steals the bottle and drinks it all.

He wants to forget that painful moment. It is like in the past. This chapter is important since it gives the readers a clue about the reason why Baek Na-Kyum became a drunk.

The moment Yoon Seungho opens the door and sees the artist’s drunkenness, he can’t help commenting about the poor state of the commoner: “What a sight!” So the painter should have realized the contradiction between the face he was seeing and the voice.

So now, there is only one element left to comment. Why does the painter believe to see his teacher opening the door of his chamber?

From my point of view, the alcohol is not the only explication. To me, it just unleashed his unconscious. It lowered his guard, he wished the return of his loved one. But if he had paid attention to the voice, he should have perceived the difference in the voice. Never mind, if you look at the pictures above, you’ll notice two things. When he hears the door opening and hears the comment, he turns his head so that he can’t pay attention to the voice itself, his desire is so strong that he imagines to see the teacher’s face. However, from that moment, he doesn’t look at the person’s standing in front of him. He walks towards Yoon Seungho while looking down and covering his face, then when he confesses his love, he is not even looking at the person’s face. (chapter 19) When he kisses the lord, his eyes are closed too. So the illusion was just for a brief moment, the readers were misled by Byeonduck. All this time, we have to envision that this is Yoon Seungho standing there. The drunkenness gave the uke the courage to confess his love but at the same time, it was just a wish that the low noble would be there. What caught my attention is that moment, they kiss each other, the painter is no longer able to discern the partner’s face. (chapter 21) We have to wonder why. My explanation is the following. Deep down, the uke knew that Jung In-Hun would never have sex with him, would never accept his feelings. However, his unconscious, meaning his repressed sexual desires, was unleashed, he wanted to have sex with a man, he had already dreamed of it twice and each time, it was with the powerful noble. So the painter’s unconscious allowed him to reveal his true sexual orientation, something he had kept hidden due to the brainwashing. So the alcohol not only reveals the chagrin caused by the rejection, it helped the painter to reveal his true desires and identity. That’s why the artist couldn’t remember the night spent with the powerful lord, it was like a dream and we all know that we always forget dreams.

And this leads me to the following observations and conclusion. The lord had no idea that the painter’s rejection and refusal were caused by the teacher’s coercive persuasion. He only thought that the genuine love felt for the teacher was the cause and they had a special relationship from the start. Sure, he discovered later that they had never entered into a physical relationship but he only explained this as an one-sided crush. Furthermore he knows the low noble’s true personality and anticipated that the learned sir would use the painter in order to obtain favors as soon as the existence of the deal is revealed.

But imagine his reaction when he gets aware of Jung In-Hun’s true behavior. The latter abused his loved one emotionally and physically, he was the real cause for the painter’s rejection as he had been indoctrinated that sodomy was dirty and filthy. Not only the powerful noble but also the painter suffered indirectly due to him. This would have changed a lot of things if the noble had met the artist much earlier… The uke wouldn’t have been forced to make a vow, wouldn’t have been hurt… the master wouldn’t have pushed to rape the painter because in reality the latter was indeed attracted by Yoon Seungho, like the two wet dreams unveiled it. Imagine the lord’s chagrin and regret, the moment the past is revealed. Only in the chapter 33, Baek Na-Kyum’s repressed memories of the physical abuse resurfaced and we only saw a glimpse of it… just a picture indicating that he must have repressed much more. So how will Yoon Seungho react, when the truth is unveiled? I doubt that he will remain inactive. We saw that his love for the painter was the trigger for the lord to become proactive. It will be interesting to see if the master seeks revenge on the former teacher. This could be the other reason why the noble ensures that Baek Na-Kyum surpasses his former admired sir in his career. I am quite sure that he won’t spare Jung In-Hun and make sure that he gets hurt physically too.

Feel free to comment or to give any suggestion for an analysis (topic, manhwas). If you enjoyed reading it, either retweet it or push the button “like” so that this writing doesn’t become pointless. My reddit/twitter/tumblr/instagram account: @bebebisous33 Thanks for the support.

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Baek Na-Kyum, a crybaby? (second version)

July 3, 2020June 21, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Sex or love? ❤️

June 23, 2020June 12, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: The window 🪟, the door 🚪, the air and their signification (third version)

June 20, 2020August 3, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 2 Comments

This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/

If you have already read my former analyses, you know that our protagonist Yoon Seungho is associated to the window, because he spends so much time in a room looking at his courtyard through the window. (chapter 35). But what does the window symbolize?

1. The meaning of the window

In order to answer this question, let us take a look at the definition of the window:

It’s an opening in the wall or roof of a building or vehicle, fitted with glass in a frame to admit light or air and allow people to see out.

Since our story takes place in Joseon, there is no glass, only thin paper or an open frame, yet it doesn’t change the definition. It’s an opening… that admits air and light and allows people to see out. Striking is that the window is connected to fresh air and sun therefore we can say that through the view, people can definitely broaden their horizon as they are able to witness what it happening outside.

However, let us not forget that their view is limited. Yoon Seungho can only see what is happening in the courtyard, but not in the servants’ room or in the painter’s room. Therefore we come to the next conclusion, the window can represent a barrier, a hindrance. That’s the reason why f. ex. writer Emily Bronte used the window in that aspect in her novel Wuthering Heights.

The window can even symbolize the boundary between the inner world of a character (room) and the outside. Therefore the room could be seen as the personification of the protagonist embodying his inner thoughts and feelings trapped in his darkness. Hence he is seeking light and air through the window. Consequently, I interpret that Yoon Seungho sitting or standing in front of the window like the following. The room seems to be a prison, it is suffocating for Yoon Seungho, hence he looks out of the window in order to be able to breathe and survive. He is caught in his darkness, yet the window allows him to escape from his dungeon, from his past. His passivity reflects his resignation, he is already thinking that nothing exciting in his life will ever happen, until he met the painter. That’s why he said in the chapter 18:

From the moment he met the low-born, he started acting differently. First he kept touching the painter and then he even started leaving the room behind and came to the door. It is interesting that in chapter 7, Yoon Seungho even followed the younger painter, after the latter had heard about the arrival of his admired teacher. Notice how the lord stands in the courtyard and looks at the welcome of the low noble.

This picture reflects the social hierarchy. Yoon Seungho stands at the top, and the teacher is closer to him. However, if you pay attention to Jung In-Hun’s gesture, he is turning his body in order to face the powerful noble. It was as if he was pushing away the young artist. Now, you realize that such a single picture can contain so much symbolism. But now let’s return to our main topic, the meaning of the room and the window.

So the room with the window represented the situation of the powerful lord at the beginning (chapter 5) and it is still there at the end of season 1. (chapter 44). It looks like there wasn’t much progression, yet this time, the painter walks towards his mansion and remains by his side. This is important, because I realized that with the vanishing of the learned sir, Yoon Seungho chose to remain in the lord‘s bedchamber. What caught my attention is that the lord always went to the courtyard because of the admired sir. We have two chapters for this interpretation: chapter 7 and chapter 35 . What caught my attention is that when the lord visited the scholar for the first time, both were sitting in front of a door which looked like a window at the same time. (Chapter 7) This is not random at all, as from my perspective, it introduces the role played by Jung In-Hun in the main lead‘s life. He will be the one forcing the lord to move away from the window so that he can leave the bedchamber. Thus we had this scene: Yoon Seungho is observing the learned sir and his student from far away. (Chapter 19) This explicates too why the noble remained so passive in season 2 in the end. Baek Na-Kyum was the lord‘s love interest, hence his „place“ is the bedchamber. So how can the lord move away from the window and as such from the bedroom? Jung In-Hun is the trigger. And note that only in season 2, we discovered how the learned sir used walks through the countryside to console the painter. (Chapter 70) Finally, the main lead organized a hunt for the first time because of his honored guest. (Chapter 22) And if you recall the lord‘s behavior, you will notice that he left the city for the first time, when he wanted to meet the scholar. (Chapter 6) He encountered him in the woods. Under this new light, it reinforces my conviction that the learned sir‘s death will be the lord‘s motivation to become proactive and leave his past behind. Why? It is because of the painter‘s words. (Chapter 94) The painter still respects the scholar, but he already loves Yoon Seungho. He is not disloyal towards his former teacher despite falling in love with the protagonist. With the last incident, Yoon Seungho got aware how much the painter means to him, but at the same time, he realized the importance of the learned sir in Baek Na-Kyum‘s life. He needs to answer his question: (Chapter 102) And this question is strongly connected to the scholar, for the main lead was first sent to Jung In-Hun‘s home. ( 100) Don‘t forget that the main lead saw the room covered in blood, though the latter had already dried. To conclude, the main lead was encouraged to walk thanks to the scholar, and as such to leave his window! (Chapter 100)

Therefore it is not surprising why Yoon Seungho remained in front of the window at the end of season 1. He no longer needed to seek him out and bid him farewell. (Chapter 44) It was the painter’s role. This signified that he was still trapped by his past and trauma, something that he hadn’t revealed to anyone. Since Yoon Seungho is still inside the room smoking in front of the window, it reveals that the lord had not really let go of his past at all, he had not expressed himself in front of Baek Na-Kyum yet. If he reveals his inner feelings and thoughts, this means he will disclose his secret and unveil his vulnerability. This explains why there was no confession from the noble’s side for instance [there were other reasons why he hadn’t confessed anything too], why he was still not sharing his inner thoughts and emotions to his partner.

First, he has never opened up to anyone before. Trust is needed and the artist needs to win that trust, because so far, Baek Na-Kyum had always pushed the noble away. There was still a gap between Baek Na-Kyum and the lord, hence the former didn‘t go to his room, but to his own study. My prediction was that Baek Na-Kyum had to open up first so that the lord could learn from him. And it became a reality. The reason was that the seme was very inexperienced, for no one had ever confided to him. Moreover, he had long internalized that weaknesses must be hidden. Unconsciously, he had already claimed Baek Na-Kyum as his bride, nonetheless this indicated that there was still this distance, this invisible wall between them. We have to understand that Yoon Seungho had never learnt how to share pain and express emotions verbally to others. He had to hide his secret, his past and trauma. (Chapter 37)

The shaking hand with the fist embodies his repressed inner feelings and thoughts. He had learned to keep everything to himself. Now, you are probably thinking that all this is not entirely new because I already mentioned his passivity. And now, you can grasp the origins of Yoon Seungho‘s silence and inactivity. This stroll through the mountain corresponds to his true revival. (Chapter 102) This signifies that Yoon Seungho will act differently in season 4: he will be proactive. Like I mentioned in the essay „Scandal(s) in Jemulpo“, he will become the scholar’s disciple and follow his footsteps: ruthless, but also caring and gentle. The only difference is that his affection for the painter is genuine.

2. Baek Na-Kyum‘s symbol: the door

However, I needed to describe this again in order to contrast Yoon Seungho’s position with the painter’s situation. What caught my attention is that Baek Na-Kyum is connected to the door, unlike the main lead. We have so many scenes where the low-born is seen close to a door or stands on the doorstep. This is what I could gather so far (I still might have missed some):

(chapter 10),

(chapter 12)

Here, in the chapter 19 Jung In-Hun discovers the truth about the painting and the deal

(chapter 20)

(chapter 29)

Now, you realize the importance of the door. But what does it mean? Why is Baek Na-Kyum related to the door? First, the window and the door have two common denominators: the room and the limited view to the outside world. However, since a door connects the outside with the inside, it allows to move. The person can leave the room behind, the painter has more possibilities, while with the window the person inside must feel more trapped.

Since I already pointed out that the room embodies the lord’s inner world, we have to imagine that for Baek Na-Kyum it is the same. However, the room represents something else: his unconscious, his hidden true personality and desires and not his past and trauma, like Yoon Seungho. That’s the reason why the room is not a prison like in Yoon Seungho’s case but rather a secret. The painter is hiding his secret behind the door. And now, you can understand the true signification of the door for the artist. The door embodies the doorstep where Baek Na-Kyum has to admit his homosexuality. Now, if we look back at the different situations where the door was seen. Byeondock even drew many pictures of the door in the same chapter underlining the significance and the true meaning of the door.

Now, I’ll interpret different scenes with the door which caught my eye. Little by little I am adding more and more images with the door. And this is what I found so far. I examined the following scenes: 8, 9, 10, 16, 20, 29, 35, 41 and 44.

When we look at the chapter 8, we have this situation. The young man is about to enter the lord’s chamber standing in front of the door. He has been asked by the lord to go there so that he can paint another erotic picture.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-281.png — Chapter 8

Here, the artist is opening the door. It was as if he was entering a forbidden world, where sex and homosexuality are indulged, where people enjoy their sexuality to the fullest. By entering this room, Baek Na-Kyum is reminded of his own repressed and natural desires. Then in chapter 9,

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-294.png — chapter 9: He has just ejaculated

he leaves the lord’s chamber in a hurry after witnessing a sex session. Right behind the door, he can’t help himself and starts masturbating. Hidden behind the door, he feels his sexual urge growing and starts right away with his masturbation. Since he is touching himself so close to the door separating his room from Yoon Seungho’s room, it outlines that he has trouble to control his repressed sexual desires. His unconscious is urging him to become sexually active again. On the other hand, he ensures that the lord doesn’t see his erection demonstrating that he is still denying his own sexual orientation and attraction. On the other hand, the lord heard him which led him to the following conclusions: Baek Na-Kyum is somehow attracted to him and he has some experience with men as he shows no hesitation to masturbate very quickly. So the door served as a protection, he wanted to keep his sexual desires hidden from the noble. Notice how horrible he feels after his ejaculation. He is burying his face as if he was avoiding reality and his own sexual desires. He still wants to deny these urges.

Then chapter 10, the pavilion could be perceived as the unconscious hidden behind the painter’s body. (Chapter 10) Since the pavilion is open aired, it looks like there is nothing there… it was as if the true sexual orientation of the low-born didn’t exist but since there is a roof with beams, we can conclude that Jung In-Hun’s attempt to eradicate his true sexuality has in reality failed. There are rest of it. In other words, the pavilion mirrors Baek Na-Kyum’s denial and brainwashing through Jung In-Hun. This also explicates why Jung In-Hun used here emotional and cognitive techniques as a warning here. He was coercing him to drop the painting.

Then in chapter 16,

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-283.png

Yoon Seungho catches the low-born, because he wants him to experience sex. He has noticed the reluctance hence he just masturbates the young man. Striking is that the door is opened at some point by a servant. This opening of the door by someone else embodies the fear of being discovered. Baek Na-Kyum is determined to never reveal his repressed sexual desires. Consequently he wants the door to stay closed. So if he is seen then, he fears that his sexual orientation will be discovered, yet he wants it to remain a secret. Now, you can understand the meaning of the door in chapter 37. It is still the same. Despite getting a blowjob, he still wants to hide his homosexuality to the outside. Hence he still gets scared and would like the noble to stop from exciting him. So for the first time, he is experiencing sex with someone.

Here, the door is wide open and this coincides with the commoner’s confession. The young man was drunk, yet he was hiding behind the door until it got opened by the lord. So Baek Na-Kyum’s unconscious wanted to reveal his repressed sexual desires (homosexuality) and his love to the outside world.

In chapter 29, the low noble is bringing him back to the mansion. Striking is that the door is completely open too. This picture illustrates the role played by Jung In-Hun in the painter’s homosexuality. He is the one who “forces” to become an official sodomite, therefore he can no longer hide his sexual preference behind a closed door. I believe that this is related to this incident. Note the opened door. The learned sir caught him by surprise. That’s how the learned sir was forced to repress and hide his homosexuality. This is no coincidence that in season 1, the scholar had the opposite attitude. By feigning ignorance, he actually encouraged the artist to become a sodomite. After their return to the mansion, the teacher showed leniency. He accepted that his student would paint erotic paintings, but he was well aware of their sexual encounter. (Chapter 30) The moment he arrives back and the lord brings him back to his chamber, the nature of their relationship is no mystery any longer, though painting is used as a justification. (Chapter 29) Striking is the thickness of the wall. This symbolizes a long way for Baek Na-Kyum to admit his sexual orientation. Just because people know, this doesn’t mean that he is acknowledging his homosexuality immediately.

In chapter 34/35, there are three different scenes where the door plays a huge part. I have to say that the last scene was the one that caught my attention in the first place and that’s how I was able to connect the door to Baek Na-Kyum.

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The first drawing shows the lord opening the door for Baek Na-Kyum. This signifies that the noble has somehow given up on forcing the painter to admit his homosexuality and his attraction to the lord. That’s the reason why Yoon Seungho spent the entire night thinking over how to convince the low-born to come to his side and become his partner.

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However, the sex marathon has not left the young man unaffected. He hides behind the closed door, while his body is shaking and his heart is beating loudly. He eve feels butterflies. For the first time, we see Baek Na-Kyum confronting himself with his repressed feelings… for the first time there is a connection between his thinking and his unconscious. He is somehow admitting that the lord’s presence has left an impact on him. However, with his body he is making sure that no one will ever find out this secret. He is still denying his homosexuality to the outside world. He wants to keep it a secret, yet he is no longer denying the existence of these feelings.

Then in the same chapter, we see Jung In-Hun abandoning the low-born and he even closes the door in front of him.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-288.png — This is the picture that made me connect the painter to the door

This single action has so many significations. First, it visualizes the rejection of the teacher. He cuts ties with him. It also shows that Jung In-Hun is well aware of what happened 10 days before. It reveals his selfishness as he shows no concern. In fact, it was as if the low noble was pushing him back. It was as if Baek Na-Kyum was pressured to become a homosexual even without admitting it. The teacher is forcing him to accept his situation but at the same time, he is denying the responsibility. Imagine the hypocrisy of the lord’s action. In reality, he is the one who pushes the painter to sleep with the lord, since he needs a spy. But by closing the door, he ensures that Baek Na-Kyum doesn’t need to admit his own homosexuality. This scene symbolizes the prostitution Jung In-Hun referred later. The teacher wants to use the artist’s sexual orientation for his own needs and simultaneously he doesn’t need to require this from the painter. As a conclusion, Jung In-Hun is now pushing the low-born to become a homosexual without revealing it to the outside world. At the same time, he acts as if he has no idea what is happening to the commoner. That way, Baek Na-Kyum can never reproach him to have used him as a prostitute or to be a hypocrite.

Then in chapter 41, we see a certain progression. The door has been opened by Yoon Seungho but Baek Na-Kyum doesn’t care any longer. Since he is begging the lord to be held, he is finally admitting his true desires. He likes being embraced by a man. This marks a pivotal moment in Baek Na-Kyum’s life. And this explains why the door is wide opened at the end.

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Baek Na-Kyum is no longer hiding his true sexual orientation. He is facing the world without being embarrassed. He waited for Jung In-Hun, hoping that the young man would still accept him, but he experienced rejection. He was literally left behind. However, his acceptance of his own sexual orientation doesn’t necessarily mean that he loves Yoon Seungho. In the beginning of season 2, he viewed himself as a prostitute. (Chapter 45) He just accepted him as his sexual partner, hence he went to his room and not to the lord’s side in chapter 44. If we compare their respective situation. Yoon Seungho hadn’t progressed much compared to the painter at the end of season 1, because he needed to express his emotions and reveal his secrets and vulnerabilities to Baek Na-Kyum. It took him a long time to open up, as he had been coerced to view himself as a bird of misfortune. He didn’t dare to voice any wish out of fear that these wishes would get ruined. (Chapter 96) In his mind, he had no right to voice any desire, as they would be perceived as GREED! (Chapter 96)

But like I had written above, the low-born was in a better position right from the start. He had more freedom, while for Yoon Seungho the room is indeed a prison. Under this new approach, it becomes comprehensible how the main lead could leave the window and as such the darkness of his nightmare. Because of the painter, Yoon Seungho met Jung In-Hun, and the latter made him feel superior, but also jealous. That’s how his attention got diverted from the window making him discover the existence of the door! We could say that the painter as the butterfly led the poor protagonist to the door, and thanks to his mind, Yoon Seungho could release Baek Na-Kyum from his cage, as his mind was also trapped by social norms. And this sexual emancipation could only take place in the bedchamber. This explicates why the artist’s liberation was the first step for the lord’s liberation. But by opening the door for the painter, Yoon Seungho could free himself. Therefore it is not surprising that the painter‘s final confession took place in front of a closed door, (chapter 96) and Heena could hear his words. Hence at the end, the door got broken: (chapter 96) This represented the final emancipation of the artist. He no longer cared, if he was seen. He was so moved that he didn‘t pay to his surroundings. (Chapter 96), while it was not the case for the noble. The latter knew about the artist‘s shyness. This truly shows that Heena was responsible for the sexual oppression of her brother. The painter was no longer hiding his affection for the main lead, when he decided to wait for his master‘s return in the bedchamber. (Chapter 98) Observe that the artist was going there on his own will, and he was sharing his bed with his husband.

3. Heena and the opened door

How did the scholar discover that Baek Na-Kyum was painting erotic paintings of sodomy? (Chapter 1) This memory was from the learned sir. Why was he approaching the painter during the day? Secondly, note that he only scolded the artist in his house! (Chapter 34) So he had discovered a secret, he imagined that the painter had assisted to an immoral love session. (chapter 6) In my opinion, the kisaeng was responsible for this incident. We have a clue for this interpretation: (Chapter 94) The noona is the one standing in front of the opened door with her donsaeng. Here, the artist was getting embarrassed and humiliated. That‘s how little by little, the artist associated the closed door to shame and safety. This is not surprising that the kisaeng is also standing behind the closed door, when she hears her brother making love to the main lead. (Chapter 96) In addition, she is constantly seen in connection with an opened door, but this opened door is linked to anxieties, pain, shame and guilt: (chapter 68) (chapter 66) (chapter 88) I have the impression that she was acting out of jealousy, and she had intended to tarnish her brother‘s reputation.

And this leads to my final words. In my first version, I had expressed the following thoughts:

„Does it mean that the lord needs to leave the mansion behind in order to liberate himself from his suffering? If so, then we have two possibilities. Either he gives up his title and everything for the painter or he decides to move to the capital and helps the artist to develop his career and even starts meddling in politics.“

And look at the progression of the story. Yoon Seungho did leave the mansion behind and went to the mountain with the painter in his arms. (Chapter 102) This symbolized the final emancipation of Yoon Seungho. He could finally move on from his past, and as such leave the darkness of his mental prison. He no longer needs a window to view life. This scene announced that he was starting living again. Thus I am expecting to see Yoon Seungho becoming more proactive and funny in season 4. He will show his intelligence and strength in order to defeat his enemies because so far, he never revealed his qualities to others, only to the scholar. His past had left him somehow paralyzed, hence he has laid a low profile. In his past, he believed that his prison was his protection, for he could observe and remain quite wealthy and powerful. For me, Baek Na-Kyum is in reality his strength, the reason why he will be able to leave his cage and shows his true colors and skills.

4. The true form of Jung In-Hun

But if the window symbolizes Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum the door, what is representing the teacher? In my opinion the open air. He is mostly seen outside.

(chapter 7) (chapter 10)(chapter 19) (chapter 29) (Chapter 22) (chapter 35) He often strolls through the courtyard. Therefore I would say that the air embodies him so perfectly. He is seen with his nose in the air

which shows his arrogance. Simultaneously, he gives himself airs. How can he be touched by this low-born? The picture shows both aspects. Then in the chapter 6, he is just hot air (this expression means empty talk in order to impress) , when he says that he was the one who taught how to read to the painter. Here, he tries to present himself as a good teacher to Yoon Seungho. Furthermore, he is overestimating his own skills and he is definitely daydreaming which is connected to the expression “castles in the air”. His aspirations are boundless, he is aiming at the highest position without being competent or even trying to improve himself. He also attempts to air dirty laundry, when he is hunting with Yoon Seungho. He wants to force the lord to admit his lie so that he can criticize him. But here he fails. As you can observe, many expressions with air reflect his personality. However, there is one scene that contrasts to this observation, that’s when he is in his library in the chapter 40. We actually see him at the library in two occasions:

chapter 7 and 40. However only the scene in the chapter 40 is memorable. Therefore I would say that he is linked to two spaces: open air and closed room like the library. It seems strange that Jung In-Hun is linked to a world with no boundary and the opposite, a closed room. Actually, it is quite simple. The outside signifies that he is actually empty and superficial behind his smile. He is so fake hence he has no real personality. Besides, since there is no limit, then it can also signify that he has no conscience as he knows no boundary. Furthermore, it also illustrates that he has no past and no trauma too. Finally, it also indicates that he will never change, there will be no transformation and as such no progression. Air remains air. Yet he only shows his true thoughts in a closed door in the chapter 40. His words there are suffocating the poor boy, that’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum is left speechless. (Chapter 40) He can’t breathe properly. Since there is no view and no door to the outside visible in the drawing, we have to imagine this reflects his narrow-mindedness. He is surrounded by books (see the pictures from the chapter 7) therefore he lacks real experience and knowledge. He is literally buried behind his books, therefore his knowledge is superficial. (Chapter 27) Even in his bedroom there are books so his own bedchamber gives the readers a suffocating feeling. Since there is no window visible in his room and the library, there is no fresh air in the closed room which explains why it is asphyxiating. Usually, we say in a closed room that it smells musty. He only knows the world through his books and the moral standards. He is not even opened to the outside, only his words and thoughts count. Everything else has no value hence there is no life next to him. People living by his side will end up suffocated as he doesn’t allow them to breathe. He is stubborn and he will never change, a fake, empty and narrow-minded man with no conscience. Because of this connection, I realized that Jung In-Hun had no future in Hanyang. He would end up buried, and this became a reality. Because the moment he left for the capital, he ended up dead. And now, if you think carefully, you will recognize that the learned sir is associated to nature! Thus he was seen in the woods (chapter 6, 22) or in the countryside admiring the moon. (Chapter 70) Air means also breathing! Hence he represents the fresh air entering Yoon Seungho‘s bedroom, hence we had such a scene: (chapter 35) The lord witnessed the intimate interaction between the learned sir and the artist, thus he was incited to leave the bedroom. Strangely, we could say that he was the initiator for the lord‘s liberation. No wonder, why Kim wished to get rid of the learned sir in the end, and just viewed the artist as less annoying and evil!

So the moment he left the domain, the admired sir was confronted by reality. His stay in the mansion had made him dream (Chapter 18) so that he ended up letting his guard down. He was not so competent and intelligent like Yoon Seungho, he relied more on the stupidity on others. He could deceive commoners, but not spies. In my first version, I had envisioned that the learned sir had many tricks up his sleeves so he would survive, but I had not realized that he had met a fake servant (chapter 37) definitely a noble who could see through him. For me, it was the pedophile himself. I had predicted that he would disappear into thin air, and it became a reality, especially if my theory about his assassination is correct. We could see the transformation of the scholar into a ghost, (chapter 50) who would come to haunt the couple because of his resent. (Chapter 98) As the air, he became a spirit! And note that the lord was encouraged to stroll too!

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Seungho’s kisses 💋 (second version)

June 11, 2020June 12, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Protected: Painter Of The Night: Jung In-Hun, a snake , a peacock 🦚 or a chameleon?

May 30, 2020June 11, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Protected: Painter Of The Night: An analysis about Baek Na-Kyum’s paintings 🎨 (second version)

May 7, 2020November 30, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33

Painter Of The Night: The chamber where everything changed

April 24, 2020June 12, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

In this analysis, I will compare two major scenes (chapters 20-21 versus chapters 41-42), which happened both in Baek Na-Kyum’s study and chamber. In this chamber, our main lead, Yoon Seungho, has sex with the painter BNK.

The moment the lord Yoon Seungho forced the painter to live in his mansion, the latter was sent to the room next to Yoon Seungho’s bedchamber. One of the reasons for this was that it was much easier for BNK to enter the lord’s chamber in order to paint the erotic scenes. However this also outlined the special status the noble gave him. The noble would have never let someone live close to him whom he didn’t trust. He knew that the painter represented no thread to him.

Now, you are wondering why these scenes should be compared to each other. First, both scenes mark a turning point in the relationship between the lord and the painter. Secondly, through the comparison, you get a better understanding of the chapter 42 and why it also illustrates a crucial moment for the painter, whereas the chapters 20-21 marked a pivotal moment for Yoon Seungho.

What caught my attention was the way both scenes showed so many parallels. Let us a take closer look:

both scenes were predated with an argument between the painter and the teacher Jung In-Hun. In the picture below, you can observe Seungho witnessed from far away how BNK got upset. chapter 19

The lord can not hear the content of the conversation but he observes that Baek Na-Kyum is hurt and upset due to the teacher. The latter has just discovered that the invitation and the support from Yoon Seungho has nothing to do with Jung In Hun’s abilities. Then he resents the low-born. In the chapter 41, Yoon visits the painter’s study because he heard from the servants that the painter wouldn’t leave his room and would keep painting without eating much. As you can see, the lord pays a lot of attention to the mental health of the painter. He knows from the way BNK is acting that something is wrong. The reason for BNK’s strange behavior is that BNK had just heard before from Jung In Hun that he was born to be a prostitute. His love for In Hun was so pure and for the teacher, BNK was just a prostitute.

The quarrel started because the painter asked the teacher what would happen to him, once the learned sir would succeed the civil service examination. The scholar refused to take any responsibility for the commoner, as he claimed that he was already experiencing a huge change and getting a lot of benefit from Yoon Seungho. The artist had to hear from the one whom he admired the most that he was just a prostitute in his eyes. (chapter 40) The main lead was definitely hurt. Nonetheless, Seungho never witnessed their conversation, unlike in the chapter 19. And in this chapter (19), the rich lord thought that the expensive bottle of wine that had disappeared had been snatched by the painter due to his emotional state. Since the aristocrat had already figured it out that the painter was upset, he decided to visit the artist’s chamber. In other words, in both cases, the lord showed some concern about the painter, and wanted to keep an eye on him. At the same time, he desired to discover the truth about the missing bottle of wine

2. In both scenes, the painter made the first move on Seungho, which contrasts so much to the artist’s normal behavior. The latter has always kept pushing away the rich lord. He always tried to avoid his touch and even his gaze.

chapter 19: here notice his gaze. He never expected a kiss from the artist.

In the chapter 42, BNK didn’t kiss the lord right away, he asked Seungho first to hold him. However, there was no reaction from the lord, since BNK had yelled at the noble before which led Seungho to slap the painter for his disrespect. Unlike in the chapter 20-21, there was no quarrel between the lord and the painter… but there was a huge misunderstanding. BNK mistook YSH for the teacher and thought, Jung In Hun was visiting, hence he kissed him. Back then, he was under the influence of alcohol, yet this revealed his deepest wish. He wanted to confess his love for the teacher. Striking is that in both kisses, Seungho keeps his eyes opened.

In the chapter 20, he was surprised and shocked, in the other chapter he is uncertain about the kiss. He has no idea why the crying, visibly upset BNK is asking for his embrace. Nonetheless, BNK’s kisses did affect Seungho whom I have been described in another post as someone detached and emotionless. While he criticizes the painter’s kiss in the chapter 42, this would not arouse him, in the earlier chapter he made no complaint. He saw it as an opportunity to finally taste the painter. He was not annoyed by the lack of inexperience unlike in the chapter 41. However, both kisses have something in common. Both outline BNK’s innocence and purity. These kisses are not here to excite the partner but to express a deep and pure love (chapter 19) or to ask for warmth and comfort (chapter 41).

3. The other similarity is the presence of Jung In Hun in that chamber, although the teacher is not physically there. In the chapter 19, the love confession BNK made was actually addressed to Jung In Hun and not Seungho. Furthermore, BNK kept calling Seungho “my learned sir” and that’s how the painter used to call his beloved teacher. Since BNK was drunk, he mistook the wealthy lord for his loved one. I would even say that BNK is actually imagining JIH’s presence. He is not really seeing the teacher as the author gave us a few pictures from BNK’s perspective. It was as if he wished, the teacher would be there. He drank so much in order to drown his sorrows but to be more precise, he drank in order to escape from reality, like he was in ecstasy. He preferred living in an illusion than facing the reality that the teacher has never loved him and will never loved him. For BNK, this night is like a dream. In other words, this night where BNK lost his virginity was an illusion and a dream. That’s why at the end, he cried out of happiness and even told Seungho that he was happy. But for Seungho, this night had another signification. First, he thought that it wasn’t too bad if BNK mistook him for JIH as he could finally taste the painter. However, as time passed on, he could no longer bear hearing from BNK “learned sir” hence he proposed BNK to call him “lord”. As you can see, the shadow of JIH in the room did bother Seungho. And for Seungho, this night in the chapter marked a pivotal moment as well. He heard a pure and innocent love confession and at the end, when BNK told him that he was so happy and his heart was full, Seungho’s heart was moved and touched. I doubt that Seungho had ever heard before that he could make someone happy. Since BNK had kept his virginity intact for his loved one and confessed to Seungho indirectly, this night gives the readers the impression of a wedding night. Back then, the husband usually joined the bride much later. But the problem here is that all this was also an illusion and a dream for Seungho as everything said and done was addressed to the learnt sir and not to our main lead. This explains why our seme is looking for a renewal of this night later.

As I had mentioned before, in both scenes the readers felt the presence of In Hun in this chamber. In chapter 41, his shadow is indicated by the drawing,

Notice Seungho’s reaction: his gaze shows his displeasure and shock.

Although the painter is kissing him and even asking him to embrace him, the lord refuses and becomes even angry at the low-born. He doesn’t want to become intimate with the painter because this is related to Jung In Hun. Our seme is even quite brutal and even grabs BNK’s hair. He even criticizes BNK’s kiss saying that with such a move he can not be excited. But this rejection from the lord doesn’t even upset the painter, hence he becomes more proactive. He grabs Seungho’s loin, undresses himself (chapter 41), he would have sex with the seme without any preparation. The lord is actually surprised by BNK’s actions because this doesn’t resemble him at all. He acts as a prostitute that’s why Seungho asks if the teacher has talked the painter into it.

But by comparing these two scenes, I noticed some differences as well. We can observe a huge contrast between these two scenes. While earlier, Seungho was just looking for sex, he found love or better said, he tasted the illusion of love and enjoyed it very much. Baek Na-Kyum was a virgin, totally inexperienced and innocent who asked the noble to be careful with him. And in chapter 41-42, the opposite is happening. The artist is actually acting like a prostitute… it was, as if he was looking for sex but this is not what Seungho wants. I say prostitute because BNK is acting as if he was doing a job and not seeking love and affection. He considers himself as a prostitute as he has received support from the lord all this time and he thinks that Seungho has always perceived him as such. There is no seduction in this scene as BNK has been “forced to prostitution”. Actually, the painter’s words contradict his words and his actions. He doesn’t say that he wants sex because he keeps begging for the lord’s embrace. Being hold is connected to warmth and affection. And here, the reader can feel the pain and despair from the painter. Jung In Hun’s words (“you are born as a prostitute”) are still in his mind. Here, BNK is doing the exact opposite of the night in the chapter 20. He is no longer running away from the reality and living in an illusion, BNK wants to face the reality. The slap from Seungho should be considered as a wake up call. Baek Na-Kyum can not ignore the lord’s status, he can not mistake him for someone equal to him. In both scenes, BNK overlooked the lord and this is not what Seungho wants. He wants to be perceived as the person he is: a lord who worries about the painter.

Then in order to underline the contrast between both scenes, while their first night took place during the night, the kiss in chapter 41-42 happens during the day. As you can see, the time reinforces the idea of illusion (chapter 20-21) and of reality (chapter 41-42). So since the artist is facing reality, he has decided to follow his lord’s orders (painting erotic pictures) and he acts as a prostitute, because he really believes what Jung In Hun said before. He is taking the teacher’s words as face value, while in verity Jung In-Hun has no idea that Yoon Seungho is treating BNK more like a lover and even “wife”. Back then, it was a custom that the lord visits the chamber of the wife and concubine. But the artist is not really aware of all this. And just like in the chapter 20, the aristocrat is annoyed and even jealous of the place the learned sir has in Baek Na-Kyum’s mind and heart.

Another difference is that in the chapter 20 Seungho wanted to sleep with BNK right away and BNK had to stop him. The painter had to confess his virginity and his fear and this confession surprised the lord as he never expected this from the low-born. Since the painter came from a gisaeng house and would paint sodomy, he naturally thought, he had experienced. In the chapter 42, Seungho does the opposite. While BNK wants to start right away, the noble questions BNK’s behavior and points out the need of preparation. And this difference out lines the special care the lord has for the painter. He really determines not to hurt BNK physically, while the latter doesn’t care at all. Like I had mentioned before, the physical pain is to replace the emotional pain.

Striking is that even in the chapter 42, their first night is even mentioned. The painter confesses that he did enjoy the night, he even concedes that he likes painting such erotic pictures. Since he is facing reality, BNK admits for the first time his homosexuality which had been suppressed by the teacher all this time. But at the same time, he is admitting that he is a prostitute which is shown through his actions. However, he can’t even say this to the lord. What caught my attention was the contrast between these scenes when it comes to eloquence. Although BNK was drunk in the chapter 20-21, his confession was well spoken (“I admire you”, “I pine for you”), in the chapter 42 he is neither sick nor drunk, yet he is unable to talk properly. He stutters and can’t even finish his sentences “I’m… a …”). The pain is so strong that he is left speechless.

He is so hurt that he wants to have rough sex (“harder”, “so it’s all the way in”). He wants to be physically hurt so that he can no longer feel any pain in his heart. It was as if he wanted to erase the words In Hun spoke from his mind. Hence he says “So I can’t think of anything else”. Strangely, BNK’s gesture and position show the change in their relationship. He is now facing the lord, he even grabs the noble’s hand and puts it on his stomach. It is such an intimate gesture outlining that this is much more than senseless sex. BNK has not realized the contradiction between his words (“harder”/ “to hold me”) and his actions (grabbing his loin/putting the hand on his stomach). We can see that BNK is actually lost and confused.

However, just like the night from the chapter 20 changed everything for Seungho, this night changes everything, as BNK is no longer running away from reality. (chapter 42) He is no longer suppressing his homosexuality and he is accepting to have Seungho by his side. Just thinking about In Hun causes pain to the painter here, while he was in ecstasy in the chapter 20. He even wrinkled the painting of the ceremony with In Hun which shows the huge pain in his heart. (chapter 41) For him, paintings are treasures. This gesture reveals some changes in BNK. The painter is well aware that the teacher has abandoned him as the former doesn’t want to assume any responsibility. Therefore, his disrespect for the picture is a sign of disrespect for the teacher. Although he has internalized In Hun’s words and views, he is so affected that he no longer admires In Hun like before. In the chapter 42, he no longer calls Jung In Hun “learned sir” but “my teacher” which illustrates that BNK no longer views IH as a noble (“sir”) but as a simple teacher. He only sees Jung In Hun in his actual position and not as his social status. We all know that despite being a noble, JIH is not rich and influential. He belongs to the lower nobility. IH is no longer put on a pedestal. But BNK has still some respect for IH as he calls him “my teacher”. So there is still a string between the teacher and the painter but it is about to disappear.

There is another common denominator in both scenes: the tears. While the artist cries out joy and happiness in chapter 21, here his tears are linked pain and sorrow, as the artist is heartbroken. (chapter 42) This time, it is the lord who initiates the embrace, something the painter had been longing. (chapter 41) Yet, this request only got fulfilled at the end of the love-sex session, the main lead put the painter on his lap while kissing him and even embraced him in an desperate attempt to console the artist. Simultaneously, this shows that Seungho is longing for warmth, love and tenderness. But despite this night, Seungho is well aware that Baek Na-Kyum is not loving him. He has sex with him because BNK has confessed before that he has never hated the things he did with Seungho which represents a huge step for the lord.

However, the huge contrast is that Seungho is unaware of the reason for the artist’s distress and pain in chapter 41-42. He thought that it was related to the scholar’s departure. Hence he made no move on the painter, and was even a little rough, when he thought that the scholar had asked him to do such a thing. This reasoning illustrates that Yoon Seungho didn’t realize that the scholar had backstabbed the painter. He couldn’t recognize the true cause for the artist’s pain. At the same time, he failed to grasp that the artist had already moved on from the teacher. Besides, he never noticed that the artist had lied for him twice. He had feigned ignorance about the content of the conversation between the main lead and his brother. He had not betrayed his sponsor and host. (chapter 38) Striking is that the painter blamed himself. From my point of view, the painter’s confession could only wound the noble’s heart. (chapter 41) He had the impression that he was somehow responsible for the artist’s tears. Yet after this night, Yoon Seungho had sensed that something had changed in their relationship, just like Baek Na-Kyum’s relationship with the teacher had changed. Notice that this room is connected to betrayal, love, sex and pain.

In conclusion, this chamber is full of symbolism. Here, a noble could feel warmth and love for the first time, although it was just an illusion. Yet he became addicted. As for the artist, this room represents the place where he decided to confront reality. In this room, the lord joins the painter which seems to indicate the future position in the couple: Seungho is willing to meet the painter. The reason for the connection between the study and the change is that in that precise room, the lord had experienced the same: betrayal, sex, love and pain. In my opinion, this is where he got sexually abused.

Painter of The Night: Yoon Seungho: A tragic figure or a hell-raiser ? (second version)

April 18, 2020June 12, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 8 Comments

The seme, Yoon Seungho, in this story is introduced with this expression “a hell-raiser” by the uke Baek Na-Kyum. The latter has heard about Seungho’s bad reputation. Strangely, the more chapters we read, the more we realize that our main lead is different from what he appears to be.
What caught my attention while reading this manhwa was the way Seungho stands, when he interacts with people. First of all, as a wealthy and influential noble, he sits far away from the others, not just from the servants. There is always some distance or a table between him and the others. Let me show you a few examples.

In the chapter 12, Jihwa visits the main lead without any appointment. In this scene, notice that Jihwa doesn’t sit next to the seme but in front of him. This underlines the gap between Seungho’s status and Jihwa. Furthermore, there is no physical contact between them at all. Even Seungho is looking outside the window, while talking to Jihwa, that’s how he sees Baek Na-Kyum and decides to go to him. In other words, although Jihwa is physically closer to Seungho, the reader can sense the existence of an invisible wall between him and Jihwa.

Chapter 12, Seungho drinking tea with Jihwa on the right

But this doesn’t happen just once. Even after the long night spent with BNK who got so sick, we see Seungho sitting in the center of the room after a sex orgy and it was as if his sex partners would be below him, as if they were all standing at his feet. In this chapter (33), they are all asking for BNK’s presence… their request underlines the special status Seungho has over them. At the end, Seungho decides to leave the room which shows that Seungho is no pushover and makes sure to maintain the distance between him and his sex partners.

This contrasts so much to the interaction between Seungho and BNK. Right from the start, there is no gap and distance. Remember the first chapter where Seungho took BNK’s hands and even let him touch his own loin. Later, you see him always touching the painter’s face. However, there is one scene that caught my eye, it is in the chapter 16. Jihwa and Seungho had just a sex session and Seungho decides to go to BNK’s side.

Notice the contrast between Seungho’s behavior in the chapter 12 and here. Seungho is not even closing his robe, he even lays down next to the painter. And he keeps asking questions. He is very relaxed in opposition to the scene where he is drinking some tea. The way he is dressed contrasts so much: his robe is loose and open, while he is well-dressed with Jihwa. While he maintains an air of nobility and oozes mind control in the chapter 12, here he gives the impression of cheerfulness. It was as if he was playing as he has BNK’s hairband in his hand and keeps looking at it. Notice the huge opposition: Seungho is lying on the ground next to the painter, while with Jihwa he was sitting in front of him. This gives an explanation why Jihwa is furious and jealous. Seungho has never really rushed to go to his side, he even ignores Jihwa who is about to leave.
This behavior outlines Seungho’s curiosity for the painter and his wish to be close to his idol. He definitely shows an interest towards BNk, while he remains quite indifferent to Jihwa and the others. In this scene, there is intimacy and closeness and this is no coincidence that the noble calls the painter Na-Kyum while whispering. He is quite intimate and reveals his need to close the gap between him and the painter. In other words, Seungho has a different attitude towards the painter. While he maintains a gap between him and his sex partners, he is doing the opposite with BNK. He is not indifferent but curios and quite cheerful. He even smiles.

This closeness and intimacy is even underlined one more time, when Seungwon, Seungho’s younger brother, pays him a visit. The latter announced him that their father was ill and our seme should pay him a visit. Although the painter is a low-born, he is actually sitting next to Seungho’s side, while the brother is facing him. This shows that Baek Na-Kyum is even closer to him than his own family. He let the painter hide his face, yet he didn’t even ask him to be dressed. (chapter 37:

The painter is even turning his back to the brother which shows a certain disrespect, nonetheless this was certainly ordered by our lord.

Then after this scene, Seungho shared his bed with Baek Na-Kyum for the first time. The lord was even hugging the painter and let us not forget that he always sent his sex partners right away after their love session. Striking is that both chapters 16 and 37 have something in common: the lord is the one pleasuring the low-born and not the other way around. So, here the lord shows rather an “inferior” position, although from his social status he is above Baek Na-Kyum. This indicates that the social norms have disappeared.

Then I observed another phenomenon. I noticed that Seungho was often shown in front of a window (chapter 12, chapter 44) or under a roof (chapter 19 :

chapter 30 :

while he keeps watching BNK who is standing outside. It appears to me that the author has an intention with Seungho’s position. I get the feeling that Seungho had stopped living after the incident with the topknot and the purgery. In the chapters mentioned above, the noble witnesses:
-the disappointment of BNK, when In Hun hears that he was invited due to the deal with the paintings.
– the departure of In Hun from his room, just like he looks at BNK returning from the gate.
– how BNK leaves his bedroom after the punishment.

Striking is that Seungho shows two different kind of behaviors:
– he remains passive and indifferent on the surface but can’t help thinking about the painter

– he rushes to BNK’s side (chapter 12, 30)

and touches him right away. He grabs his wrist, or touches his head… there is always this physical contact which Yoon Seungho never has even outside their sex sessions. Usually, he acts like that, when he is upset and very emotional. In other words, BNK is able to change Seungho, as the former ignites reactions from Seungho. My interpretation is the following: The noble only watches life from his window, meddles more and more in people’s life due to BNK. Remember that after meeting Seungwon, it looks like Seungho sent a painting of himself with his sex partners to his father. So far, he had ignored his father and his brother.
The lord is less and less indifferent. I have the feeling that for the first time, he is no longer feeling empty. Even after the rape, he can’t help looking for BNK in the bathroom. He is angry, feels guilty and jealous. The violence of his emotions can only be explained by the fact that Seungho felt nothing for so long. He is not able to control his emotions, and this illustrates that Seungho is no longer an indifferent, passive and emotionless person, quite the opposite. Seungho needs to learn to control his emotions, something he forgot. And you can observe that as time passes on, Seungho is able to show more and more affection. The so-called loyal servant Kim told BNK that Seungho had mood swings, which I explain so. Seungho could be either violent and ruthless or indifferent/broody. When he killed the servant, he showed no fear, no remorse… he just did it without feeling anything, though his face lets transpire sadness. While killing the domestic, the lord tried not to take it to heart. But his violence has nothing to do with emotions first, only when Seungho started interacting with the painter. In the first chapter, the noble had even announced that he would kill someone, which outlines his lack of emotions and empathy. And this shows that his brutality is not inherent to Yoon Seungho. His violent outbursts are also linked to his suppressed anger and rage due to his past trauma, as he was forced to accept his fate. Hence he started cutting himself from emotions… but in reality, he was like a dormant volcano, and his eruptions were caused by BNK’s reactions.

From my point of view, Seungho is starting to live for real, and the sex he had before was a way for him to pass time. This would also explain why Seungho had problems with erections before (he needed to be prepared, to have replenishing medicine and even the erotic books in order to get a reaction). This also explains why Seungho refuses to join In Hun in reality. He has been detached from the world for so long, he has no interest in politics and whatsoever. However, I sense that Seungho will be forced to act outside his courtyard in the long run. Being indifferent and detached from the outside world, is not right, as we can see that Jihwa is about to have BNK killed and In Hun might try to hurt BNK in order to weaken Seungho. In Hun has not forgotten the humiliation and I am quite sure, he wants a payback for that. Seungho will be forced to handle.
At the end of this season, Seungho remains passive and indifferent on the surface, yet his gaze never leaves BNK and even with In Hun, he thinks about him. He is no longer a robot, but a human being seeking for love and recognition. He knows that BNK has given up on his crush hence he feels much more confident than before that’s why he mentions BNK to In Hun before the latter leaves for the capital.

But now, you are wondering why Yoon Seungho became such an distant, passive and rather indifferent man, who was feeling rather empty. I mentioned before that Yoon Seungho was suffering from a past trauma. His loyal servant once told our uke that the lord had a tragic and painful past. However, we don’t know anything specific. The reader is just aware that the son is estranged from the father. While reading the manhwa for a third time, I came to the following theory. Naturally, there is no guarantee that this theory is the story imagined by Byeonduck.

From the start, Seungho was not a sodomite but due to the discovered conspiracy, the father decided to have his son to take the blame in order to escape the purge and divert attention. He created the rumor that Seungho was a sodomite and put on a show. This would explain why the father dishonored his son in such a ostentative way: cutting off the topknot which is not just a humiliation but also symbolizes a castration. Another possibility is that the father somehow “sold” his eldest son in order to escape the purge so that Yoon Seungho got raped by a higher-up official. Both theories have in common that the father betrayed his eldest son for his own survival and in order to ensure that his son would never reveal their connection to the conspiracy, he ruined his son’s reputation by declaring him a sodomite and cutting him the topknot. Why not a sodomite from the start? (sorry for the repetition)

We shouldn’t forget that we heard the lord drinks a lot replenishing medicine, which is an aphrodisiac. Now, Baek Na-Kyum is drinking the same thing and notice his reaction: he was hard… The servant was helping his master this way. Notice how happy Seungho was, when he noticed Na-Kyum’s reaction. Seungho was just writing and Na-Kyum was already reacting. Secondly, we read from Jihwa that the latter always had to prepare Seungho (blowjob) in order to get aroused. (chapter 3)

Finally, right in the first chapter, Seungho confessed that only with Baek Na-Kyum’s book, he could get aroused right away. (chapter 1)
This would explain why Seungho resents his father and said to Seungwon that he was living by the father’s principle… which is living as a sodomite because his father ruined his reputation and life. The father betrayed the son, when he declared him a sodomite. With this move, the father made it impossible for the son to become an official with a high position.

But now, I would like to add new aspects. Actually, Seungho was not sent away because he was a sodomite. It was actually the opposite. The family left the domain and went to the countryside, leaving Seungho behind. And this new detail is quite important… it was as if the father wanted Seungho to become the head of the family Yoon and if the authorities decided to punish Yoon’s family, then Seungho would have become the target. Since the father had left the property to his son, if the police had come to arrest Yoon, then the family could have said that Seungho was the one responsible as he was living in the courtyard, but the family had cut ties with him as he was a sodomite. In other words, not only the father humiliated his son but he also tried to turn him into a real scapegoat. The father thought that Seungho would be the one to take the fall. Furthermore, while the family left, it is said that all the servants were replaced which is a clue that all of them were killed. And I have the impression that Seungho was forced to get rid of them if he wanted to survive. With no witness, Seungho could survive the purge, however he couldn’t kill the loyal servant who had been by his side all this time.

As conclusion, since the family left the family domain, it means, the father not only pushed all responsibilities on his eldest son Seungho but wanted to sacrifice him. The latter was the one who had to dirty his hand in a way to survive. That’s why he is suffering from insomnia and has often nightmares. This is much more terrible than what I wrote a few days ago. This explains why Seungho really hates his father and had his hand shaking, when the younger brother mentioned the father’s illness. With Seungwon’s visit, it becomes clear that the father has decided that it is time to return to the family domain hence if Seungho visits his father, this represents a reconciliation and marks the return of the Yoon. Since the brother smiled, while receiving the letter, it looks like it was a good sign for the father. At least, Seungho wrote a letter to the father… I can imagine that during all this time, Seungho ignored his family that’s why he never replied to the brother’s letter. I can imagine that the father is asking for a visit and will ask that Seungho helps his brother to become an official. I even suspect that since the father has been so cruel and selfish, that he wants from Seungho another sacrifice. Since Seungho has a bad reputation as a sodomite, he can not become an official, the father ruined his life. However, I have the impression that Seungho might have been close to the deceased grandfather who had a high position in the government. Jihwa mentioned like some others that the Yoon family was declining. The reason is that no one after the grandfather took up a government post, like Seungho mentioned it to In Hun in the chapter 6.

And here is another speculation from my side. Since according to Yoon Seungho, the father never had a position, it looks like the young man has either repressed that his prostitution helped his father to get a high position, or he has no idea that his father sold him as courtesan for his own career. We know for sure that father Yoon had a high position and was forced to resign. (chapter 37)

I was wondering if the grandfather considered his own son as not suited for a high government post, and wanted his grandson to follow his footsteps. Besides, I had the impression that there’s some secret behind Yoon Seungho’s birth, which would explain why his official father truly loathed him. When Yoon Seungho lost his position as courtesan, because he was framed for an incident, the father used this opportunity to save his skin and get rid of his own son: create the rumor, he was a sodomite, cut off his topknot and leave the domain to Seungho so that he would take the fall. Though the protagonist is smart and cunning, he has never perceived father Yoon’s actions and motivations, for he was always longing for recognition and love. Besides, the long exposure to physical and sexual abuse could only ruin the main lead’s sanity.

But now time has passed on, and the father wants his younger son Seungwon to become an official which would underline one more time the disdain and even hatred between the father and Seungho. (chapter 37) However, I doubt that Seungho will accept all of this, especially after having been put through all of this. Besides, he will want to protect Baek Na-Kyum. Remember that Seungho decided to take his responsibilities towards the painter. He took Na-Kyum’s virginity which the painter had reserved for the loved one and latter he put the red point on his forehead symbolizing that he was his bride. (chapter 40)

And this would explain why at the end of the season 1, it is revealed that the father received an erotic painting of Seungho having sex with 2 men. (Chapter 44) The eldest son is showing the father the consequences of his past actions. He is a notorious sodomite with no boundary and the father is responsible for this. This gesture illustrates that the young master doesn’t want to reconcile with his own father. Yoon Seungho definitely wants to hurt and infuriate his father. It was as if Seungho was saying: “See… this is what I have become due to you!!” On the other hand, the delivery of the ruined painting was orchestrated by the butler without the main lead‘s knowledge. (Chapter 37)

As conclusion, Yoon Seungho seems to be more a tragic figure, especially if my theory is true. The way he had been living was a way to cope his own traumas and suffering.

And this interpretation was confirmed in the second season: he got raped, then drugged and gangraped to finally become the king’s courtesan.

Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoy reading it, retweet it or push the button like (tumblr- reddit- Instagram- Twitter account: @bebebisous33). Thanks for reading and the support.

Painter Of The Night: “The first meeting between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum: the prelude of a special relationship”

April 14, 2020June 12, 2022 ~ Bébébisous33 ~ 14 Comments

For the first time, I’ll analyse a manhwa and this under different aspects. Just like in my other essays, this is not a summary of the story written and drawn by Byeonduck. A manhwa is the korean version of a manga. The huge difference between the manga and the manhwa is that the latter are usually in colors. “The painter of the night” caught my interest not just because of the beautiful drawings but because of the depth of the story. The characters are well-written. Actually, I just hope that after reading this post, your interest will be picked so that you want to start to read the manhwa.

If we pay attention to the first chapter, when Yoon Seungho, a wealthy and influential lord, and Baek Na-Kyum, a painter of erotic books about sodomy, met for the first time, we will realize that right from the start the painter already occupies a huge place in the lord’s mind and heart.
The moment Baek Na-Kyum confirms his identity, you can observe a huge change in the lord’s behavior.

Seungho turns into an innocent and enthusiastic noble which contrasts so much to the introduction of the young lord in an earlier scene. In the beginning of the first chapter, the young lord was taking care of his sword while talking to his domestic. In this scene, he already announced that someone would get killed. As conclusion, the lord was introduced as a distant, indifferent, serious and cold-hearted master. When he meets the young painter, we see not only a smiling Seungho, but also a warm and touchy lord. He grabs the painter’s hands and treats them as treasure, although he was quite rough. It’s because he can’t restrain his admiration.

He sees Baek Na-Kyum as a talented painter, he even doesn’t care if the painter was caught drunk and if he is a low-born. The contrast between Seungho’s two different behaviors reinforces the impression that he has a very high esteem for the author of the paintings. His respect for the young man goes further. He even lets the painter touch his loins, which represents a very intimate part.

Imagine, a noble lets a low-born touch his penis right after their first meeting. If Jihwa, a sex partner in love with Yoon Seungho, had been there, he would have been shocked. As you can see, their first meeting outlines that the painter has a special place in his mind and heart. But so far, he is only moved by his works. Yet, this emotional meeting ends very abruptly as BNK denies to the creator of these paintings. And in one moment, the noble’s mood switched to the opposite… as much as he was enthusiastic, as much as he becomes ruthless and heartless. He kills a servant in front of the painter. He can’t risk to kill Baek Na-Kyum because if it is revealed later that he had lied, then he wouldn’t never get any new pictures. And this illustrates the huge value the paintings have in Seungho’s heart.

Pay attention to the gaze of the protagonist. His eyes are showing his true feelings: anger, frustration, determination but also harshness. Imagine that his friendly attitude towards the painter was genuine but Baek Na-Kyum refused to tell him the truth. The dishonesty of the artist truly upsets the young master. Let us not forget that Seungho went so far to pay a visit to the painter, even he even sat down next to him. As you can see, the lord already lowered himself so much and the result for all this was a lie and insincerity. Let us not forget that Yoon Seungho is not someone who will usually visit other nobles. As conclusion, right from the start Seungho’s actions and behavior revealed how much the creator of the paintings meant to him. I mean, he could have sent someone to fetch the artist but he didn’t. He will do anything to get the creator by his side… it was, as if he couldn’t live without the painter any longer. For one year, BNK didn’t paint anything and it shows that Seungho needed new paintings from the author and searched for him desperately. I have the impression that he realized that the paintings were not enough any longer. He needed the painter by his side. I even suspect that BNK’s paintings had somehow become an addiction for the lord. This addiction is somehow insinuated in the following picture:

Then let us not forget that Seungho has an erection, when he meets his idol and we shouldn’t forget that Jihwa said later that he usually needed to prepare Seungho. So the mere presence of his idol has an effect on his body, Seungho is touchy and smiling… and keeps looking into BNK’s eyes the whole time.

Now let us focus on Baek Na-Kyum’s behavior. The first thoughts coming to the author are the rumors about Seungho’s bad reputation. He is unable to perceive the honesty coming from the young lord, just like the genuineness in the compliments. It was as if he was deaf and blind. In fact, there is an explication for this behavior. He has gotten used to the falsehood coming from the teacher Jung In-Hun. The painter has not learnt to perceive deception from honesty and frankness. The teacher’s manipulations and brainwashing are the cause for his mistake.

Due to these observations, I can’t help myself comparing BNK’s adoration for his teacher In Hun with Seungho’s admiration for BNK. Seungho acts the same way in this scene than BNK who adores his teacher. However, there is a huge difference… Seungho reveals that he is also physically attracted by the painter… his works and his presence affect his body, while the painter’s adoration for In-Hun remains very pure. It was, as if BNK would worship an idol and the mere touch would tarnish his idol.

And this explains why Seungho gets more and more upset and so jealous of In Hun. Imagine, your own idol ignores your compliment (“These are the talented hands”) and even shows no respect for you (he lies, he tries to touch the lord in order to get back the poem, he wants to run away twice). BNK even blushes by the mere thought of In Hun, whereas BNK shows no such reaction for Seungho in the beginning. Our seme was definitely happy to see BNK getting an erection or blushing more and more often, as Seungho had all these reactions (more or less: Seungho never blushes) right from the start. Finally, his hope that his idol will acknowledge him seems to come true.

And this also gives us a clue why Seungho was so determined to be painted by BNK. Imagine, you are the source of the inspiration of your idol. As a fan, you would be so happy. But this also explains why he even wanted to have BNK portrayed with him,

as time passed on. Then it is like a selfie nowadays, where a fan wants to be in the same picture than his idol. And to have a sexual relationship with an idol represents the highlight for a fan…

Sure, Seungho is not just a fan… he has fallen in love with Baek Na-Kyum for real, as he got to know the painter. More importantly, Seungho’s heart was deeply moved by their first night together. I believe that BNK’s love confession touched his heart:

– “I pine for you Sir”

The fact that he preserved his virginity for his loved one was a huge surprise for Seungho. Imagine, your idol tells you such words… it was always what Seungho had wanted. However, this scene is bittersweet, as the lord knew that he was not the real recipient of this love confession. That’s why Seungho had been longing to renew this night but this time, Seungho would receive love, respect and admiration from his idol. This is the reason why Seungho waited so patiently. He showed care and respect towards the painter hoping that BNK would realize this and show the same respect and admiration. But it never happened. Only in front of Baek Na-Kyum, the lord showed his real true self: his sincerity was there, when they met. He showed so many different emotions in front of the painter.

As conclusion, Yoon Seungho showed right from the beginning that he could be sincere and warm. At the same time, the first episode reveals that the painter is already able to awaken so many emotions in Yoon Seungho: happiness, admiration, anger, frustration and even sexual desires. The lord could no longer hide behind his harshness and indifference. On the other hand, we see that Baek Na-KYum can’t see this nice and genuine side of the young master, too blinded by Jung In-Hun faked smile and by his manipulations. So even at the end of the first season, Baek Na-Kyum has not really realized how deeply Seungho has fallen in love with him. So I am expecting in the second season that Baek Na-Kyum will little by little discover Seungho’s true personality and simultaneously perceive his love.

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.

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