Please support the authors by reading Manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the Manhwa: Jinx But be aware that the Manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed Manhwas. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex, and the 2 previous essays about Jinx This has to change and Kim Dan on Thin Ice
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Water and Power
Two years ago, I published the analysis 
At the crossroads: between 🤍, 💙, and ❤️🔥 and it has become the most read essay on my blog. [27.3 K views] It traced Joo Jaekyung and Kim Dan’s first day off together—the fateful swim in chapters 27-28 —when Joo Jaekyung’s apparent selfishness became the catalyst for Kim Dan’s first spiritual awakening. There, the water served as both mirror and baptism: a liquid threshold through which the doctor began to accept sexuality not as sin or submission, but as part of being alive. I had compared the athlete to a dragon holding his yeouiju. The pool stood for motion, rebirth, and the courage to breathe underwater—to trust one’s body rather than deny it.
Though the grandmother was never mentioned, I had sensed her ghostly presence in the grandson’s thoughts and actions. In her youth, the ocean looked beautiful to her 
(chapter 53), yet she kept her distance. Observe that she only talked about one time experience. She sensed its danger and built her life on the solid ground of caution, duty, and control. In other words, she belongs to the world of the shore (chapter 53) —the solid, the measurable, the safe. Her fascination with the sea’s beauty reveals the limits of her perception: she judges by what is visible, by surface calm and reflected light. The ocean entrances her precisely because she refuses to imagine what lies beneath. For her, beauty is something to be looked at, not entered. Depth implies risk; darkness suggests loss of control.
That is why she keeps her distance. She fears what cannot be seen or accounted for — the unseen currents, the hidden life beneath the glittering skin of water. Her faith is built on appearances, not intuition; on the stability of the shore, not the movement of the tide. Thus I deduce that she never learned to swim. To her, entering the water would mean surrendering control, accepting fluidity, and admitting the existence of life below the surface. This means, swimming would expose the falsehood of her philosophy. That’s why I come to the following deduction that to her, swimming was unnecessary; one simply had to stay on land and hope never to fall in. But the pool, unlike the ocean, demanded a choice: enter, move, the pleasure of being below the surface 
(chapter 28) and learn that not everything can be postponed or entrusted to someone else. Water, in this sense, rejects fatalism. It calls for motion, for risk, for personal responsibility.
What the grandmother built on faith in others was quietly undone by breath and muscle. 
(chapter 80) And that intuition resurfaced and was confirmed in episode 80, when another day off brings the couple back to the pool. This time, the doctor steps into the water willingly. 
(chapter 80) He is no longer the man waiting to be rescued; he is the man learning how to swim. The champion’s words 
(chapter 80) distill the new doctrine: don’t wait for salvation 
(chapter 80), create your own buoyancy. Between the first swim 
(chapter 27) and this second lies the true point of no return—where superficial judgment turns into reflection, dependency into self-trust 
(chapter 80) and the rejection of powerlessness, (chapter 80), and fear of closeness
(chapter 28) into the first stirrings of love 
(chapter 80).
Shin Okja’s private religion was one of delegation: wait for the right person, the right moment, the right help to come. That’s why she never got the chance to return to the ocean. 
(chapter 53) Safety lay in patience and dependence. Even when she later spoke with the champion by the sea, she avoided mentioning the ocean —as if to deny that any movement beyond her control could exist.
(chapter 65)
One might argue that I am overinterpreting, since the grandmother’s presence seems unrelated to the swimming pool and tied instead to her graduation gift—the gray hoodie. 
(chapter 80) Yet her absence from the pool scene is precisely what reveals her theology of avoidance. The pool was never her domain because her life revolves around work, not pleasure. She has no notion of rest without guilt, no concept of joy detached from utility. For her, swimming would appear frivolous—something “unnecessary” as long as one stays on solid ground. Jinx-philes should keep in mind that she never gave such a task to Joo Jaekyung. Her instructions to him were always practical, delegating care outward: take him back to Seoul, bring him to a big hospital and make sure he’s safe. 
(chapter 65) When she sees them together, her first reaction is not pride or relief but mild reproach— doc Dan should have left already. 
(chapter 78) The subtext is unmistakable: she expected obedience, efficiency, not attachment. Furthermore, her final instruction—“Make sure you see a doctor regularly”— 
(chapter 78) sounds like ordinary concern, yet it hides her familiar logic of blame. It is as if she were implying that Joo Jaekyung has failed to fulfill her favor because Kim Dan has resisted care. In her eyes, the grandson is still the one responsible for trouble; the athlete’s role remains that of the dependable proxy who must “fix” him. What makes this moment striking is her tone of urgency, so unlike her habitual fatalism. The woman who once repeated “I’m the same as always” 
(chapter 65) suddenly speaks as though time is running out. (chapter 78) Her words, however, do not signal newfound insight—they only reinforce her desire to keep control, to ensure that someone else continues her mission of delegated care.
But what she interprets as negligence is actually independence. The champion is no longer following her religion of work and duty; he is inventing a new one based on choice 
(chapter 77), respect and care. What she calls delay is, in truth, meditation and transformation.
Presents: The Gray Hoodie and the Lady
If the grandmother’s religion was built on work, the gray hoodie was its sacred relic. 
(chapter 80) It was her graduation gift, yet it had nothing to do with his new profession or status. In contrast, the first episode already shows Kim Dan in a blue therapist’s uniform, name tag neatly pinned — a garment he must have purchased himself. 
(chapter 1) Traditionally, a graduation present helps the recipient embark on a career — like for example, a watch, a suit, or even a briefcase — symbols of adult entry into the job market. By offering him a hoodie instead, she unconsciously devalued her grandson’s professional worth. The garment belongs to the domestic sphere, not the workplace; it wraps him in comfort rather than readiness. In a moment meant to celebrate his arrival into public life, she reinscribes him into the private one — the house, the caretaker role, the obedient child. He doesn’t look like someone who went to university.
The gesture, whether she intended it or not, tells him that his identity has no market value beyond her recognition. The gift affirms warmth but denies competence; it soothes rather than equips. In addition, the grandmother’s choice of a hoodie exposes her lack of investment in that future. Her pride ended at the diploma; what came next was his responsibility. 
(chapter 47) There was no curiosity about his career, no acknowledgment of his competence—only the quiet satisfaction that through her endurance, she had produced a “doctor.” In the graduation photo, she even wears the mortarboard herself, smiling with the pride of someone who believes the diploma justifies a lifetime of sacrifice. Her grandson’s success confirms her own virtue; his “adulthood” validates her survival. This question to the athlete exposes her lack of interests in his profession: 
(chapter 65)
But her act of giving, like her act of living, was book-keeping disguised as affection. 
(chapter 41) While dying, she reduces love to an equation of productivity: “Dan, it’s important to give back as much as you take.” The verb do anchors her worldview — love must be measurable, visible, earned through action. To do good by someone means to labor for them, not to rest beside them. What caught my attention is that neither doctor 
(chapter 27) nor the champion employs the expression “vacation” or “break”. 
(chapter 80) Why? It is because they never experienced a break. We have to envision that the “hamster” must have followed his grandmother, when he was not busy studying or working. Both main leads never experienced a real vacation. They say a day off, as if the day itself didn’t really exist, as if it were a temporary pause between “real” time. In their inherited logic, only work gives time its value; everything else evaporates. The grandmother’s way of loving has turned rest into an absence, something unworthy of being named. However, observe that there’s a gradual change in doc Dan’s vocabulary: 
(chapter 80) The problem is that for the hamster, only the athlete is worthy of getting his rest. It still doesn’t belong to his world.
Shin Okja’s universe contains no category for leisure, play, or shared time; such things produce nothing, and what produces nothing has no value. Even when she worries — “You haven’t eaten?” 
(chapter 5) the focus remains mechanical. Eating is fuel; sleep is maintenance. But rest, in the sense of surrender, stillness, or joy, is foreign to her lexicon.
Her self-image as a tireless worker 
(chapter 47) is, in truth, a legend she wrote about herself. When Kim Dan recalls that “she’s never had a day’s rest,” the statement reveals more about his belief than about her reality. The woman who claimed endless labor also knew the comfort of “weekends” 
(chapter 30) — she watched The Fine Line, the very drama that made Choi Heesung famous. The detail seems trivial, yet it exposes everything: she had leisure 
(chapter 30), she simply refused to call it that. Watching television was permitted because it was passive, solitary, and could be rationalized as recuperation, not pleasure. In contrast, genuine rest — time shared, chosen, or joyful — never existed in her vocabulary. What she denied was not the existence of rest but the act of resting with him. She kept her downtime to herself, as if peace were a private possession. For her, love meant providing, not accompanying. Yet true care requires presence — sharing is caring, as the saying goes. [For more read this essay: Sharing is caring ] To share one’s time is to acknowledge another person’s worth beyond utility. Shin Okja never did that; she offered comfort but withheld companionship.This is why Kim Dan later struggles to accept that Joo Jaekyung is willing to spend his own time on him — the champion does what the grandmother never did: he makes room for him in his rest. His attempt is to make the main lead smile, to make him happy.
Her statement in chapter 65 — 
(chapter 65) displays that she perceives her grandson’s exhaustion not as suffering but as malfunction, as if the human were a device that could be recalibrated through work and pills. That’s why her favors revolves about living conditions, but not about his “happiness”. Perhaps she genuinely hoped that the drugs and the stability of a “regular job” with the champion would realign him, as though routine alone could fix what grief and deprivation had unbalanced.
What she never imagines, however, is that balance might emerge not from regulation but from relationship — not from control, but from the unpredictable rhythm of living. Thus the readers can hear or sense the heart racing of the protagonists.
But let’s return our attention to the grandmother. Because she keeps an account, affection becomes another form of work, and gratitude a form of repayment. She cannot imagine love that simply exists — it must be done. Every gesture had to be accounted for and eventually entered into the invisible ledger of “what I’ve done for you.” For her, a gift was never spontaneous; it was a transactional record. It had to suggest effort without truly requiring it—so she could later recall it as proof of trouble taken. But why is she doing this? Ultimately, Shin Okja’s greatest flaw is not cruelty but distrust. She never truly believes her grandson can stand on his own. She fears that he might take the wrong path. 
(chapter 65) Her constant bookkeeping—every favor tallied, every gift framed as trouble—betrays a hidden fear: that if she stops keeping score, she will lose him. Rather than grant him autonomy, she entrusts him to another caretaker. Sending him to the champion is not an act of faith but of resignation, a way to offload responsibility while maintaining the illusion of control.
When she “went out of her way,” she made sure the phrase itself became part of the gift. The author let transpire this philosophy in two events. In an earlier memory, the child Kim Dan watches his grandmother return home from the cold night 
(chapter 11), scarf tied under her chin, carrying a single sweet bun. She doesn’t need to say she “went out of her way”—her action already proclaims it. The effort is the gift. 
(chapter 11) That simple walk to the store becomes a moral event, proof of affection through fatigue. 
(chapter 11) Even the smallest purchase is framed as sacrifice. The sweet bread itself—a cheap red bean bun—is less nourishment than testimony: “Look what I endured for you.” If he had followed her, he would have seen that it didn’t take so much effort and money to buy the “present”. Finally, he had to share the sweet bread with his grandmother.
This moment sets the pattern for her entire philosophy of giving. Love must be earned through trouble; care must leave a trace of effort. The gesture matters more than the joy it brings. In her world, affection is always accompanied by labor, and gratitude becomes indistinguishable from guilt.This pattern repeats across her life. To “go out of one’s way” (chapter 80) becomes both proof of care and a claim for repayment. Hence she went to school or university for the ceremonies. However, such an action stands for social tradition and normality. She gives little, but ensures it feels heavy. Each offering, no matter how modest, is wrapped in the language of fatigue and obligation. The child, in turn, learns that to be loved is to feel guilty, and to receive is to incur debt.
The hoodie later inherits this same emotional script. It’s the adult version of the birthday bun: humble, practical, and accompanied by invisible conditions. Both are gifts that measure sacrifice, not joy. When she says she “went through so much” to raise him, she isn’t lying—she is testifying, recording her hardship in fabric and flour. However, pay attention to the picture from the hamster’s memory: (chapter 47) Where is the gray hoodie? That day, he only received a bouquet of flowers. Its absence in the photo is revealing. A gray hoodie would have looked out of place beside formal suits and robes; it would have exposed her thrift. The omission is both aesthetic and psychological: she hides the evidence of small-minded practicality beneath the spectacle of maternal pride. What was invisible at the ceremony later re-emerges in episode 80 (chapter 80), and with it, the emotional economy she built.
It is not far-fetched to imagine that the hoodie came paired with a favor or transaction 
(chapter 53) —perhaps the signing of the loan. “You’re a doctor now; you’ll pay it off quickly.” 
(chapter 80) In her eyes, generosity always justified expectation. The flowers were for display; the hoodie was the contract.
That’s why her gifts always come from the same palette: dull, neutral, gray. Even the birthday sequence is bathed in that dim, ochre light where warmth looks like exhaustion. The gray hoodie continues this chromatic philosophy—safety without brightness, affection without ease.
This explains why the hoodie feels less like a present and more like a receipt. At the same time, it denies him “adulthood” too. A sweater, not a suit; warmth, not celebration. Its comfort masked her emotional distance and her disinterest in his career. She gave him something to wear at home—a garment of rest that forbids real rest—because her world allowed no leisure without guilt.
Her sense of time mirrored that logic. She lived oriented toward the past 
(chapter 65) and the future (chapter 78), rarely the present. Hence she shows no real joy about their visit before their departure. Life for her was a chain of recollections and predictions: what she had done 
(chapter 65), what he would one day repay 
(chapter 47). The present moment existed only as a bridge between past sacrifice and future obligation. The embrace is conditional — a rehearsal for independence, not tenderness. In that instant, love is already an investment waiting for return. The teddy bear pressed between them, once a symbol of innocence and comfort, becomes collateral in this emotional economy: the pledge that he will someday “grow up,” earn, and pay back the care that raised him. Even at the graduation, she treated the day not as fulfillment but as record keeping. (chapter 47) The bouquet of flowers visible in the picture served as public proof of pride, while the hoodie—cheap, colorless, and private—belonged to the closed economy of obligation.
The scarf later mirrors this same logic, but in reverse. 
(chapter 41) When Dan gifts his grandmother an expensive scarf, he hides its true price — “I got it for a bargain” — repeating her own pattern of disguised generosity. She sees through the lie, teasing him for “spoiling” her, yet she accepts the luxury without feeling guilty. The scarf becomes her version of the hoodie: a fabric trophy of moral worth. But its later disappearance is revealing. In season two, she wears it 
(chapter 56) shortly after her arrival at the hospice, never again. When she greets Joo Jaekyung, the scarf is gone 
(chapter 61). Why? One might reply that the scarf lost its value, especially since she is living next to the director’s room. I doubt that such men would pay attention to such an object. Another possibility is that she fears its brightness might betray her neglect, for the champion has lived with her grandson for a while. How could she display silk while her grandson owns almost nothing? 
(chapter 80) The missing scarf thus exposes both her superficiality and exaggerated generosity. Her affection, like her pride, is short-lived — decorative rather than enduring. Should Heesung ever visit her, (chapter 30) one can easily imagine the scarf’s reappearance: the fabric of self-deception, ready to flatter, to perform, to erase guilt under the sheen of respectability. She already acted like a fan girl in front of the celebrity. (chapter 61)
The pattern of her giving finds its quiet conclusion in episode 80. When Kim Dan rediscovers the hoodie, his first smile fades into silence. 
(chapter 80) The gesture that once symbolized love now feels like pain and loss. The signification of the gift has changed. What once wrapped him in safety now weighs like absence — the fabric retains the shape of someone who is about to vanish. His silence is not understanding but hurt, a wordless awareness that affection can curdle into memory. The audience, not the character, perceives that with the grandmother’s approaching death, her ledger is about to close. The gray fabric, once proof of her sacrifice, will lose its moral weight; her “gesture” will expire with her. Yet Kim Dan may not yet realize that this very ending could one day free him. The book-keeping dies with the bookkeeper.
This moment also reveals why he remains wary of other people’s gifts. 
(chapter 31) When Heesung offers flowers “to get closer,” Kim Dan’s face mirrors the same unease: affection presented as transaction, intimacy disguised as generosity. What the actor calls closeness, the doctor feels as imbalance — the same emotional distance that Shin Okja’s presents once produced. Her gifts, meant to bind, isolated him instead; they built a hierarchy where gratitude replaced equality. Each present widened the gap between giver and receiver. To be cared for was to be indebted.
From this upbringing stems Kim Dan’s reflexive equation:
Presents = trouble, debt, or burden.
Each time someone offers him something, he instinctively feels burdens 
(chapter 31) and tries to refuse it. 
(chapter 31) (chapter 80) “You don’t have to go through all this trouble.” The line is not modesty but defense. To him, receiving kindness creates imbalance. His grandmother’s “help” was always instrumental; every act of support came attached to sacrifice: “I went through so much for you.” The hoodie thus becomes a moral anchor, a fabric reminder that love must always be earned and repaid.
Guilt as Love Language.
Because of this, Kim Dan experiences love only through fatigue and suffering. He feels cared for when someone worries 
(chapter 67), loses sleep, or pays a price. He interprets Joo Jaekyung’s concern as “trouble,” Heesung’s gifts as “too much.” In his mind, affection is inseparable from cost:
If you love me, you must pay for it. And if I accept your love, I’m guilty.
Caretaker Identity and Self-Erasure
To escape that guilt, he lives as a helper. 
(chapter 80) “I’ll stay in the background.” His self-worth depends on not burdening others. His words let transpire that he has never been Shin Okja’s first priority in the end. The hoodie reinforces that psychology—it is not a professional outfit like a suit or briefcase would have been, but a teenager’s garment, meant for the domestic space rather than the adult world. It literally arrests his growth, keeping him in the house and under her logic. Thus it is not surprising that after receiving his diploma, he still took part-time jobs.
Gifts as Triggers of Anxiety
When others try to give him something—Heesung’s flowers, Jaekyung’s wardrobe—his first instinct is panic. “What do I do? It’s all so expensive.” He expects a hidden price: affection, submission, repayment. Every gesture of generosity recalls the old bargain with his grandmother.
Repetition Compulsion
He repeats the same dynamic with new authority figures. With Heesung, he suspects every gift hides control. With Joo Jaekyung, he accepts care only to reduce someone else’s burden. When the champion lies—“These brands sent the wrong size; I was going to throw them out anyway”—Kim Dan hears not kindness but necessity. Refusing would mean waste, and he has long internalized that nothing must ever be wasted. So he accepts—not out of entitlement, but as an act of thrift, a way to help the giver by taking what is “useless.”
And yet, through this misreading, something begins to shift. The logic of guilt quietly bends toward mutual release. Jaekyung sheds excess; Dan sheds shame. The exchange of clothes becomes an exchange of burdens.
Gray: The Color of Suspension.
The hoodie’s color captures the entire tragedy of their old world. Gray is neither black nor white—it refuses decision, blending work and rest, love and obligation. It is the color of compromise, of deferred joy, of life half-lived. Gray also carries another meaning beyond monotony. It fuses black and white — two opposites that, when mixed, erase each other’s clarity. The hoodie’s color therefore reflects the fused identity of grandmother and grandson: their lives blended until he became her shadow. Her pride shone only through his dimness. To live in gray meant to live as her reflection — never as himself. The color embodies both her dominance and his self-erasure. When Kim Dan finds it again in episode 80, his first smile fades into silence. (chapter 80) The object that once expressed care and promised safety now mirrors grief. The gray fabric absorbs the light around him, turning into the shade of everything unspoken between love and duty.
The hoodie, once a symbol of endurance, now becomes a relic of a world where love meant survival. To wear it again would be to stay in that twilight. To put it away is to risk color, to learn to live in the present tense.
The Wardrobe: Undoing the Gray Religion
If the gray hoodie was the relic of Shin Okja’s work-based faith, Joo Jaekyung’s wardrobe 
(chapter 80) is the site of its quiet destruction. His act of giving reverses every law the grandmother ever taught. First, he does not “go out of his way.” The clothes are delivered effortlessly, without fanfare or moral accounting. 
(chapter 80) There is no speech about sacrifice, no self-congratulation. 
(chapter 80) By erasing the gesture of “effort,” he removes the emotional price tag that once accompanied every gift.
Second, he tells a deliberate lie: that he did not spend a dime, that the brands sent the wrong sizes. This white lie has healing power. It dismantles the logic of debt that rules Kim Dan’s psyche. 
(chapter 80) If the grandmother’s motto was “I went through so much for you,” the champion’s is “It’s no big deal.” Generosity becomes invisible, unburdened, and therefore trustworthy.
Third, he offers not one item but an entire range. 
(chapter 80) The row of garments invites choice — a concept absent from Shin Okja’s universe, where love came in single doses and with strings attached. Here, the doctor is asked to select what he likes, to exercise taste, to inhabit preference. The abundance of options grants him agency, dignity, and the right to refuse.
Fourth, note the nature of the clothes: they are not sportswear. (chapter 80) These are professional garments — coats, shirts, and slacks suitable for the workplace, not the gym. They restore the image his grandmother’s hoodie had erased. In offering these, Joo Jaekyung is not only dressing him but reframing his social identity: from dependent to equal, from housebound caretaker to visible professional. This means that they are bringing him into the adult world. Yet this also creates a paradox — wearing such refined clothes will attract attention, making it impossible for Kim Dan to “stay in the background.” (chapter 80) They will incite him to voice more his thoughts, to become stronger as a responsible physical therapist. The wardrobe, like a mirror, forces him into presence. This means that he is losing his identity as “ghost”, which was how the halmoni was perceived by the athlete. 
(chapter 22)
Symbolically, the location intensifies the gesture: the clothes are placed inside the champion’s own wardrobe. (chapter 80) The two now share a domestic and symbolic space. What once separated their worlds — fame, class, gendered roles — begins to dissolve thread by thread. The actor Choi Heesung’s remark, that gifts can “bring people closer,” 
(chapter 30) becomes unexpectedly true here. The wardrobe bridges the distance that the grandmother’s gifts had always created.
When the champion remarks, (chapter 80) he implies that these items would just go to waste. Therefore he completes the reversal. Waste, once the grandmother’s greatest fear, becomes the vehicle of grace. By claiming the clothes are “leftovers,” he removes their monetary and moral value; they are no longer costly. In accepting them, Kim Dan does not incur debt — he prevents waste. 
(chapter 80) This is why his hesitant and embarrassed gratitude, framed against a background of dissolving gray waves, feels so transformative. The air behind him ripples as if washing away the residue of his old faith.
The striped blue-and-white shirt he finally chooses carries its own quiet symbolism. (chapter 80) Yet unlike gray — the color of fusion and loss of identity — these shades remain distinct. They do not blend but alternate, acknowledging the coexistence of two identities: the doctor and the man, the caregiver and the self. In contrast to the grandmother’s world, where love meant absorption and sameness, Joo Jaekyung’s gesture affirms difference. The champion does not swallow him; he gives him space.
At the same time, the stripes hint at the complexity of Kim Dan’s inner life. Beneath his apparent passivity lies rhythm, variation, and resilience — qualities long suppressed by duty and guilt. The pattern becomes a visual metaphor for the layered texture of his heart.
By filling the wardrobe with clothes of different colors, the champion quite literally brings light and time back into Kim Dan’s life. The new hues break the monotony of gray 
(chapter 80); they mark the passing of days, the return of seasons, the rediscovery that not every morning has to look the same. Variety itself becomes a form of freedom. When the wolf once complained that all his shirts looked identical, he was unknowingly naming what both of them lacked: differentiation, spontaneity, change. Through this act, he restores color not only to the doctor’s wardrobe but to his emotional world — a quiet resurrection through fabric.
Finally, the celebrity’s next gesture — teaching him how to swim — extends this transformation. If the grandmother’s graduation gift (the hoodie) kept him grounded and homebound, neglecting his future and career, the champion’s “lesson” propels him toward movement and autonomy. (chapter 80) Swimming means survival without the shore; it is the art of staying afloat without a hand to hold. In this sense, Joo Jaekyung’s care points forward, not backward. He offers not protection but potential, not memory but future.
The wardrobe, then, is not a storage space but a threshold — between debt and desire, between inherited caution and chosen freedom. And now, you comprehend why the doctor chose to seek refuge and support, when he feared to sink. 
(chapter 80) The “hamster” had instinctively turned to the only person who had ever offered him help without cost.
In reaching for the champion, he does not regress into dependence; he reaches toward a new form of trust, one that no longer confuses care with control. To let himself be held is not to return to childhood, but to unlearn fear. The act of seeking support becomes the first stroke of a new swimmer — hesitant, but free.
This scene also recalls the image of the Korean dragon and its yeouiju 
— the luminous, wish-granting jewel said to contain both wisdom and life energy. The dragon’s power is not innate; it is completed and elevated by the jewel. Without the yeouiju, it cannot ascend to the heavens — strength without meaning, force without direction.
When Kim Dan finally pulls Joo Jaekyung into his arms 
(chapter 80), the myth reverses. The dragon—once feared, untouchable, wrapped in rage and solitude—is suddenly embraced by the very being he once believed too fragile for his world. The power dynamic inverts: the human shelters the beast.
In that gesture, the legend of the Korean dragon and its yeouiju gains a new form. The jewel is no longer an external object of desire, but a state of being—mutual recognition. By holding the dragon, Kim Dan becomes the hand that completes the circle, allowing power to flow again. The yeouiju exists between them, not in either of them: it is the bond itself.
For the champion, who has long carried the invisible scar of disgust— 
(chapter 75) —this embrace is nothing short of salvation. The man who once fought to wash off shame through endless training now finds himself accepted in his unguarded state. He doesn’t need to mask his trauma with perfume 
(chapter 75), the imagined smell, or cleanse his skin of battle; he is held and, therefore, purified. Through Dan’s arms, he rediscovers his value and humanity—the dragon touched and not destroyed. He is worth of being embraced, even if he is already so old!
This reversal has immense symbolic power. The yeouiju is no longer something the dragon must seize; it is something that recognizes him back. (chapter 80) When Kim Dan holds him, the light of that jewel shines from within the dragon himself. Power and tenderness, once enemies, coexist in the same body.
For Kim Dan, this act also signals a new allegiance. He is no longer in service of duty or debt—no longer the caretaker bound to an old creed of sacrifice. By choosing to embrace Joo Jaekyung, he chooses his friend, not his “master.” He decides who is worthy of his trust, and in doing so, reclaims his agency.
The dragon, embraced rather than worshiped, rises stronger. The yeouiju—the bond, the shared heartbeat—no longer lies at the peak of a mythic mountain but glows quietly between two exhausted men who have stopped running from touch.
The gray world — the realm of thrift, debt, and book-keeping — dissolves into color and movement. Blue and white ripple through the water, reflecting not fusion but harmony. For the first time, love does not demand payment; it breathes.
Arc 8 – The point of no return
The shape of the 8 itself evokes both the infinity loop and the closed circuit: two halves endlessly reflecting each other, each incomplete without the other’s motion. It is the symbol of reciprocity, but also of a threshold — the moment when balance can no longer be postponed. Once complete, the loop allows no intrusion — it admits no third. The number’s symmetry carries both union and exclusion: whatever falls outside its rhythm disappears.
This is the geometry of Jinx’s emotional world in Arc 8. The loop that once included a third observer — the grandmother’s watchful eye, the manager’s interference, the actor’s rivalry and resent — now folds inward, leaving no aperture for control. The form itself performs the story’s evolution: dependency becomes reciprocity; triangulation dissolves into dual motion. And now, you comprehend why Mingwa included a new outburst of the wolf’s jealousy. 
(chapter 79) This is one part of the new circle. Jealousy is the residue of imbalance — the echo of the 7 within the 8. In the numerology of Jinx, the 7-chapters, like for example episode 7 
(chapter 7), episode 18, where the champion had sex because of this statement 
(chapter 18),episode 34 with Choi Heesung 
(chapter 34) or episode 52, where the former members of Team Black and expressed their disdain and jealousy toward the main lead 
(chapter 52)
But Arc 8 changes the equation. For the first time, both protagonists risk loss because they have something — and someone — to lose. The return of jealousy is therefore not regression but proof of attachment and the occasion to improve their personality 
(chapter 79), the final test before the circle closes for good.
Eight is the reversal digit, where hidden motives come to light and attachments are tested. Between 7 
(chapter 47) and 8 lies that invisible hinge: the death of the old economy of love and the birth of a new one.
Thus, Arc 8 becomes the arena of triangular pressure. The grandmother’s possessive nostalgia (she sees herself as the mother, doc Dan as the boy and the champion as her surrogate husband) (chapter 78) mirrors Park Namwook’s managerial anxiety 
(chapter 61) and Heesung’s residual rivalry and resent. Each acts as a different face of control: the woman binds through guilt, the manager through hierarchy acting as the owner of the athlete’s time, the actor through charm and deceptions. Together they form the triad that tries to reopen the circle closed in the pool. Let’s not forget that the athlete chose to take a day off on his own accord 
(chapter 80), but he had just returned to the gym. It is no longer the same training and routine.
Park Namwook in particular represents the system that resists intimacy. His “interference” is not random but defensive: he fears that Jaekyung’s change and his attachment to the physical therapist (the promise to teach the doctor to swim implies that he will focus on other things than MMA) will unbalance the professional order. In the symbolic arithmetic of the story, he inherits the number 7 — the unstable, the one who can no longer maintain symmetry.
Jealousy, then, becomes not corruption but purification. It exposes what still belongs to duty and what belongs to choice. Through these frictions, Kim Dan is compelled to speak for himself, to claim the very agency his grandmother once withheld. It makes the protagonists to perceive people in a different light and move away from their self-loathing, passivity and silence.
When he does, the circle of the 8 stabilizes at last. The old triangle — grandmother, doctor, and debt — gives way to the new one: champion, doctor, and trust. In the Arc 8, the color gray finally meets its antidote: blue. 💙What was once the hue of exhaustion and suspended time becomes the pulse of renewal. The blue heart 💙, which first appeared in my earlier essay At the Crossroad, returns here as the emotional compass of both men.
In Jinx, the white heart with the gray hoodie belongs to the past — to the grandmother’s logic of duty, guilt, and caution. Blue, by contrast, is the color of water, movement, and breath. It signals the capacity to feel without measuring, to give without debt. When Kim Dan accepts the new clothes, he does not merely change garments; he crosses from the gray zone of survival into the blue realm of relation. His heart, long muted by obligation, begins to circulate again.
The blue heart marks this point of no return: once it beats, neither man can retreat into solitude. Its rhythm unites the wolf and the hamster in a shared tempo — one that excludes the third, but not the world. For the first time, affection no longer obeys the law of bookkeeping. It flows.
The ocean, once feared and distant, now extends inward, beating quietly beneath their joined silhouettes. The gray relic of the past lies folded away, and in its place, something transparent begins: a friendship that breathes like water — uncounted, unowned, and alive.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or Manhwa, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My Reddit-Instagram-Twitter-Tumblr 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.
I established that Kim Dan’s number is 8. It is therefore no coincidence that the arc from chapter 80 to 89 should revolve around him—his body, his suffering, and ultimately his recovery. The number 8, often associated with balance, renewal, and continuity, here signals not only the doctor’s rebirth but also the gradual thawing of his frozen world. It marks the moment when the past can no longer remain buried, when the last remnants of family and unspoken pain begin to surface. The mystery behind this phone call will be soon revealed. 
(chapter 19) 
(chapter 26) the sparring between Joo Jaekyung and Kim Dan unfolds under the sign of fun and apparent joy, yet its origin lies in jealousy. The champion, unconsciously triggered by the doctor’s closeness with Potato 
(chapter 25), turns play into a contest—a way to reclaim attention. 
(chapter 25) The gym, usually a place of hierarchy, momentarily becomes a stage where both can laugh, but beneath that laughter runs an undercurrent of rivalry (with Potato). On the other hand, for the first time, the Manhwa allows both protagonists to exist outside the economy of debt and hierarchy. The gym, normally a place of discipline and work, transforms into a playground of laughter. The champion teases the doctor 
(chapter 26), and the latter, clumsy but determined, strikes back with surprising boldness. The crowd cheers, not for the fighter but for the therapist—the underdog, the one who usually stands in the shadow. The entire scene feels like a short-lived holiday, a suspension of order and pain. When Kim Dan smiles at the end of the match, the gesture radiates genuine lightness: he has momentarily escaped the burden of fear and experienced himself as a free, living body. 
(chapter 26) He believes he has accomplished something meaningful and feels, perhaps for the first time, proud of himself. He was taught that he could fight back and overcome his fear. 
(chapter 26) He realizes that the hamster can beam at others, that such light has never been directed at him. In that instant, he no longer sees an employee but a companion whose gaze and embrace he covets, whose approval he unconsciously seeks.
(chapter 62) The atmosphere is brighter in color but colder in tone. There, Joo Jaekyung got to experience how Kim Dan has lived all this time, helping others, making them happy with his assistance. 
(chapter 62) Here, the protagonist was thinking all the time of his loved one: 
(chapter 62) Indirectly, he hoped to get the doctor’s attention, but he failed. In fact, none of the wolf’s good actions got noticed by his fated partner. Interesting is that though the characters engage in acts of performance and service—helping others, pleasing strangers— their smiles have turned into masks. 
(chapter 62) 
(chapter 62) Where chapter 26 radiated spontaneity, this one reveals calculation and fatigue. 
(chapter 62), where exposure to others leaves both men strangely isolated. The happiness of the crowd no longer unites; it separates. The champion’s outfit, ridiculous and domestic 
(chapter 62) which is actually his true nature. I will elaborate more further below. For the first time, the wolf looks at his companion and senses distance instead of warmth, as though the man he once touched so easily has withdrawn behind glass. His thought—“Has he always been this cold?”—marks the beginning of introspection, the moment when perception replaces instinct.
(chapter 80) To “walk on thin ice” is to approach him gently, without force—a lesson the champion must learn if he wishes to thaw what has been frozen by years of duty and self-denial.
(chapter 80) 
(chapter 80), not red. The atmosphere is fluid, reflective, submerged. Water—not flame—governs this new stage. What we witness is not combustion but fusion—ice meeting water, solid meeting liquid, two states of the same element touching at last. Ice does not just melt under fire; but also in the presence of water. It softens when it recognizes itself in another form. In that sense, Joo Jaekyung’s tenderness doesn’t heat Kim Dan—it mirrors him. The thaw begins not through passion, but through likeness, through quiet recognition. This signifies that Joo Jaekyung is on his way to discover their similarities: they both suffered from bullying and abandonment issues and they love each other.
(chapter 80) at the board game table mirrors that moment: his smile is light, childlike, uncontaminated by dominance. Yet, tellingly, they do not smile together. Each glows in isolation, unaware of the other’s joy. Doc Dan has not realized it yet: he is the wolf’s source of happiness, he is the only one who can make him laugh and smile. 
(chapter 27) Thus I came to the following deduction. This is the emotional geometry of the arc 80–89: two smiles moving toward synchrony, two currents approaching convergence. Both need to experience that they make each other happy. Kim Dan on Thin Ice thus begins where the infinite loop of 8 converges—between warmth and coldness, joy and fatigue, play and labor. It is here, in this fragile equilibrium—where ice and water finally coexist—that both men begin, at last, to thaw. And the latter implies emancipation
(chapter 80), as it exposes the real metamorphosis from the “wolf”. The night Joo Jaekyung watches Kim Dan sleep is not erotic; it is revolutionary. For once, his desire gives way to perception and attentiveness. The fighter who has conquered bodies now studies one that is quietly losing its battle. The body before him is not the sculpted strength he knows, but a map of deprivation: protruding collarbones 
(chapter 80), visible neck tendons, the knobby finger joints and his stiff fingers resting on the blanket as if holding the body together. 
(chapter 80) The pale, bluish hue of the skin—half light, half illness—tells him what no words ever have.
(chapter 80), the faint opacity of the nails 
(chapter 80) In the faint parting of the mouth he sees not seduction, but exhaustion—a man so depleted that even rest demands effort. 
(chapter 80) he begins to treat rest not as weakness, but as reverence.
(chapter 13) The fighter who once mocked stillness as laziness now finds meaning in it.
(chapter 80), it signifies that he will have to dedicate his time to the physical therapist! Hence his routine and training could get affected, just like their weekends. 
(chapter 80) —the doctor 
(chapter 13), the family member 
(chapter 56), the one who stays close enough to touch if needed. 
(chapter 80) Without realizing it,the athlete has inherited that role. His nearness is no longer intrusive but protective. He has crossed the invisible threshold that separates obligation from affection. The fighter who once stood as an outsider in the doctor’s life now finds himself within its most intimate circle.
(chapter 80) Compare his facial expression to the hamster’s before their first day off together. 
(chapter 27) That way, Mingwa can outline the champion’s confidence and that the one who needed the rest is the physical therapist and not the champion.
(chapter 69) Every flicker of light falls through The Emperor’s gaze and lands on Kim Dan’s form, transforming weariness into something sacred. 
(chapter 68) in the bathtub 
(chapter 68) —“I’ll keep him right here in the palm of my hand”—echo now with quiet irony. To hold someone in one’s hand is, paradoxically, to immobilize them; it grants possession but denies agency. The same gesture that promises safety also enacts paralysis. His possessiveness, once mistaken for protection, now appears as helplessness.
(chapter 79), 
(chapter 80) shrinking back when confronted. The body remembers the threat long after the mind tries to forget. 
(chapter 79) He lives suspended between two survival reflexes: freezing or fleeing. Since the contract binds him to stay, he cannot physically run away; therefore, his body freezes instead. It is his way of obeying while still protecting himself. Exhaustion becomes his armor. And now, you comprehend why the celebrity could detect the coldness in the “hamster” in front of the hospice. 
(chapter 79) — now turned outward and wounded the one he wished to protect. 
(chapter 79) That icy look became a mirror: it froze Kim Dan’s small confidence, reinforcing his belief that he would always displease or fail others. Since his return to the gym, the doctor feared the emperor’s next outburst, walking on eggshells and suppressing every impulse to speak or move freely. 
(chapter 79) Thus he clinched onto routine to maintain a normal relationship. But once the champion voiced his dissatisfaction (masking his jealousy), the light in the doctor’s gaze vanished. 
(chapter 79)
(chapter 79) His unconscious was telling him to flee, as he feared the athlete. To conclude, he was always one step away from collapse. In symbolic terms, he had become ice itself — air and water solidified, transparent yet untouchable. Keep in mind that according to me, the clouds embody the physical therapist. 
(chapter 38) Born on December 26th, his very birthday ties him to winter, to the paradox of beauty that burns when touched. 
That’s why I can’t help myself thinking that the physical therapist is actually embodied by the snow. Ice and snow preserve, but they also isolate.
(chapter 72), snow was falling — a silent mirror of his loneliness, the frozen residue of a home that no longer existed. Later, in chapter 77, the motif returned as ice cream 
(chapter 63), desperate to restore closeness, mistook passion and pleasure 
(chapter 63) for repair. Believing that physical heat could melt emotional frost 
(chapter 64), he tried to burn away the distance through souvenirs (evoking the night in the States) and desire. Yet the more he tried to ignite fire, the more he fed the cold. 
(chapter 64) The physical act, rather than fusing them, exposed the truth he had refused to see — that his partner was already freezing from within. On the other hand, during this night, the athlete used “self-control” for the first time, his roughness in bed started vanishing. 
(chapter 64) The wolf’s attempt to “burn the bridge” between them became the very thing that broke it. His flame met ice 
(chapter 64), and the result was not warmth but steam — a brief illusion of intimacy that vanished as soon as Kim Dan pulled away. His rejection wasn’t cruelty but a cry of despair, disillusion and exhaustion
(chapter 64): a body too cold to burn, a heart too tired to love and fight.
(chapter 80), but about melting together, letting warmth and cold coexist without annihilating each other. To melt together does not mean to dissolve into sameness, but to trust that proximity will not destroy one’s shape. True intimacy begins when both accept that they can share warmth without losing form — when fire believes it can touch ice without turning it to steam, and ice trusts it can meet fire without vanishing. 
(chapter 61) Touch it bare-handed, and you feel both heat and pain. The same holds true for Kim Dan’s presence: those who reach for him too quickly end up wounding both him and themselves. The sportsman’s early attempts at care followed that pattern — too forceful, too immediate, leaving frostbite where he intended warmth. 
(chapter 64) 
(chapter 79), of not getting the doctor’s affection. Kim Dan’s coldness was not real rejection 
(chapter 80) They never played it — and that is no accident. The title encapsulates the temptation Jaekyung must resist: to treat intimacy as a contest, to imagine that trust can be won through tactics or timing. But hearts do not yield to strategies. The only way to melt the ice is not by “breaking” it, but by warming it, patiently, sincerely.
(chapter 66) And this is something the physical therapist could notice, if he enters the room again and pays more attention to his surroundings. This is not about ownership but about inclusion: an unspoken invitation to share a part of himself. 
(chapter 30). Even in that comic panel, the imbalance between physical familiarity and emotional distance was evident. Kim Dan’s embarrassment stood for boundaries not yet earned, and Jaekyung’s casual tone for a love not yet understood.
(chapter 80) The scene is small but seismic. The camera places Jaekyung slightly behind, his fists curled and his shoulders tense — an instinctive gesture of self-restraint rather than dominance. He is no longer the one towering above, demanding or explaining; he is waiting, watching, enduring the discomfort of having gone too far. His silence here is not indifference but humility — the silence of someone learning, painfully, what boundaries mean.
(chapter 70) The athlete’s posture 
(chapter 21) Behind the warmth of her words lies a quiet wound: she loves her grandson, but she wishes him to be different — stronger, healthier, easier to care for. In his eyes, it’s an unreliable, burdensome shell — a vessel of weakness and sickness. Every protruding collarbone, every cracked lip or dark circle testifies to a deeper wound: the conviction that he is unworthy of care.
(chapter 62) the weight of that sentence stretches far beyond the bedroom. It carries the residue of every moral, familial, and physical contract that has reduced him to flesh. What the champion hears as accusation is, at its core, a confession of alienation — the echo of a man who has never learned to live inside himself. It’s not only a reproach but a confession. He hates his body because it has become the medium through which he is used, never loved.
(chapter 27)
(chapter 61), the other where no one looks. Yet, the attitude of people is the same: no one pays attention to them. Both inhabit bodies that have forgotten the difference between endurance and pain. Both mistake self-destruction for strength. 
(chapter 18) when Kim Dan, bruised, had seized his hand and expressed his concerns. Back then, the gesture had confused the wolf. His hands were made to strike, to defend, to dominate — not to be pitied or protected. He had pulled away instinctively, unsettled by the tenderness and the huge sense of responsibility behind the question. He felt criticized, as if his power was questioned. 
(chapter 80) What began as misunderstanding in episode 1, 
(chapter 1) and was maintained through the awkward hospital encounter in episode 18, now evolves into dialogue and genuine comprehension. In the beginning, Kim Dan’s touch had been accidental and defensive—a misreading of bodily proximity. When he grabbed the fighter in episode 1, he believed he had crossed a forbidden line, that his action would be seen as insolence or violation. The fear and shame that followed transformed touch into a territory of silence and self-censorship.
(chapter 56), he had interpreted that touch not as mistake or violation, but as a spark of invitation—proof that the “hamster” might want him after all. His own longing twisted the scene into a fantasy of desire, into a private “game” he wanted to continue in the bedroom. One misunderstanding gave birth to another. By episode 18, the same reflex persisted: he reached out again, asking if Jaekyung was hurt, his hand trembling with the same mixture of care and fear. Once more, touch was misread—offered as comfort, received as intrusion. Thus their relationship began under crossed signals: one moved out of survival, the other out of projection or the reverse. It is no coincidence that their relationship in season 1 was doomed to fail. They never communicated properly, as their perception was influenced by their past and surroundings. 
(chapter 80), Kim Dan panics, convinced that release equals abandonment. 
(chapter 80) He freezes once again. Yet the water holds him; he reaches onto the champion again — and this time, the embrace stays. What makes this moment remarkable is that the pool is shallow. 
(chapter 80) Kim Dan could easily stand on his own, but fear has eclipsed reason. His instinct is not to trust his feet, not to fight the water, but to cling to the man before him. 
(chapter 16) —that deceptively simple French word—finds its power. It means “ice,” but also “mirror” and “window.” When the champion looks through Kim Dan’s glace 
(chapter 77), unlike the touch of ice. It softens, sweetens, dissolves slowly on the tongue. Likewise, the heat between them no longer needs to scorch; it can melt. And yet, the kiss — once their most volatile exchange — has fallen silent. 
(chapter 64) Kim Dan had to bite his own lips to make Jaekyung stop, and neither has ever truly spoken of it. Yet, during the night, the athlete could see the remains of that cold war. 
(chapter 16), just as the champion has never confessed that it was his first kiss. Moreover, during their first day off together, Joo Jaekyung had also initiated a kiss and back then, the doctor never wondered why. 
(chapter 27) Both men have been staring into the same mirror without realizing that the reflection was shared. They love each other. Joo Jaekyung needs to ponder on the signification of a kiss 
(chapter 13) and why doc Dan made such a request. 
(chapter 15) The kiss is more than just fun and pleasure. It is the expression of “love”. And now, you comprehend why I am expecting a huge change in the next episode.
(chapter 28) and urge Kim Dan to ask, at last, the question that remained frozen between them. In doing so, he would not only reopen the conversation but also reclaim the meaning of touch itself: not as misunderstanding or survival, but as curiosity and love.
(chapter 80) And it comes with a small but crucial instruction. In that single phrase, the MMA fighter encourages Kim Dan to discover his own power and strength without overexercising. His feet, which were once symbolically trapped in the nightly ice, now press against the water with intent during the day. For the first time, his body obeys him, not fear. His movements are neither frantic nor helpless but self-regulated, gentle and alive. That’s why the main lead becomes happy for a moment. 
(chapter 21) comes from the early loss of his mother. 
(chapter 79), if he knew that the doctor has already loved him for a long time.
Kim Dan on Thin Ice was never just about danger or fragility — it was about transformation. The ice that once confined him to stillness has melted into water, and the fear that once froze his body has become motion. Where there was trembling, there is now flow; where there was isolation, there is connection. 
(chapter 79) However, let me ask you this. What kind of circle ends in episode 79? Moreover, how is this ending different from the past? Interesting is that episode 79 of Jinx doesn’t end with conflict, but with an awakening. For the first time, Joo Jaekyung does not rise to fight, command, or perform — he wakes up to a realization: “This can’t go on.” In the Korean version, his words carry an unusual clarity. It is not fate that changes, but choice. The champion, who once lived as if enslaved by habit and haunted by ghosts, now chooses transformation. The circle that has defined his life — power, silence, guilt, and repression — finally begins to close.
(chapter 79) Until now, Jaekyung has moved through life as if carrying a curse — the belief that he is unworthy of care and love. 
(chapter 78) Every match, every order, every touch was an act of penance. Yet, in this episode, that belief dissolves. What vanishes in chapter 79 is not his strength, but the compulsion to suffer for it. Through the unconscious confession from Doc Dan, the wolf discovers that despite his wrongdoings, he is not hated by the “hamster”. 
(chapter 39) from the magical night in the States. Both moments unfold in half-darkness, both break through inhibition, and both blur the line between consciousness and surrender. The verbal difference hides a deeper sameness: 
(chapter 79) is not remorse alone — it is an act of love, an instinctive reaching-out toward the other’s pain.
(chapter 41) What could have been a moment of truth was repressed through mockery. His body language was betraying him: his closed arms reveal that he was on the defensive. By trivializing love, he protected himself from suffering and as such from facing his own capacity for harm. Behind the joke hid an immense self-loathing: to accept the confession as real would have required believing himself worthy of it. To trust himself…. he is not a loser, a nobody! 
(chapter 9), 29’s confession on the couch 
(chapter 29), 69’s first expression of feelings in the dark 
(chapter 69). In chapter 79, the circle closes once more. The night’s palette tells the story — deep blue softens into violet 
(chapter 64) 
(chapter 79), the color born from the fusion of blue (Dan’s sorrow) and red (Jaekyung’s intensity). For the first time, in the penthouse the color of their relationship is not pain but balance. And now, you comprehend why in the hallway, the purple had almost vanished: 
(chapter 66) 
(chapter 79)
(chapter 79) To restore it, he will have to speak, to act, and ultimately, to smile again.
(chapter 79), it is a confession disguised as complaint. For the first time, he voiced his dependency and vulnerability more clearly, as his body language is no longer expressing hesitation and shyness. Imagine that so far, he had lived following the principle of “self-reliance”. Yet when Dan asks, “What?” the champion retreats: 
(chapter 79) His feelings collapse into the void between words. Above them, the spiral chandelier glows — the perfect symbol of their unfinished circle. His unspoken fear hangs suspended, waiting to be voiced because of someone else’s actions: the doctor’s grin 
(chapter 79) and fall 
(chapter 54) still equates vulnerability with humiliation. 
(chapter 73) In the past, every sign of weakness was punished or laughed at; even longing arrived through ridicule. Hence the “grinning” Dan of his nightmare 
(chapter 79) The vision forces him to confront the origin of his shame. He realizes, instinctively, that the real Kim Dan would never smile at his pain — and through that recognition, he begins to separate present from past. He has already experienced a silent, but warm gaze 
(chapter 77) from his fated partner after admitting his defeat: 
(chapter 76)
(chapter 73) but by a new, fragile dread: the possibility of losing the one person who would never say it. What vanishes in episode 79 is not his strength, but the belief that to need someone is to be weak.
(chapter 78) He has long recognized his wrongdoings — the pressure, the harshness, the selfishness 
(chapter 76) — but guilt without self-forgiveness remains sterile. What is the point of apologizing to someone when you cannot forgive yourself? His silence, then, is not arrogance but self-condemnation. Beneath his strength lies a man who believes that no apology can redeem him, because no one ever offered him one first. His father’s mockery, his coach’s reproaches 
(chapter 74) and expectations, his mother’s betrayal 
(chapter 74), his manager’s slap at the hospital 
(chapter 52) — none of them ever voiced regret and said “I’m sorry.”
(chapter 73) Every punch was an act of self-erasure, every victory a brief anesthesia against the echo of his own self-loathing and regrets. He mistook exhaustion for atonement. But when Kim Dan whispers 
(chapter 79) His vision of Kim Dan’s false grin is not a taunt from the other 
(chapter 51) The dream revives that unspoken answer, revealing that what Jaekyung perceived as danger was, in fact, an offer of trust. In trying to protect himself from mockery, he denied the very connection that could have saved him. The dream reconstructs the very morning he had dismissed his vulnerability 
(chapter 79)— the breakfast scene 
(chapter 79) , the casual 
(chapter 78) That word revealed his blindness — the refusal to acknowledge pain that does not announce itself through wounds. The new incident at the railing shatters that illusion. It was never an accident, but the expression of mental illness
(chapter 77) 
(chapter 80) Each time, the physical therapist shows concerns for the athlete’s well-being. He perceives this change of behavior as the expression of unwell-being.
(chapter 69), and the balcony 
(chapter 37) Behind the champion, the Golden Gate Bridge stands as a silent witness — a place where many have ended their lives by leaping into the void between air and water. The bridge fuses both symbols: it is where drowning and falling meet. Moreover, the bridge embodies the connection of two worlds. This backdrop, unnoticed by the protagonists themselves, prefigures the later arcs. Joo Jaekyung is the one standing between the bridge and the physical therapist. It was, as if the author was already announcing the huge depression doc Dan would face in the future. At the same time, I came to wonder if the unconscious suicidal attempts from Doc Dan were actually revealing the biggest secret in his life: the suicide of his parents and their death could be linked to a bridge. Striking is that while the members of Team Black were partying
(chapter 73) before he discovered Joo Jaewoong’s corpse. The bridge thus becomes a metaphor for invisible grief: joy and pain occurring simultaneously, one masking the other. And keep in mind that according to my theory, the picture of Dan with his grandmother is hiding a tragedy. This would explain why doc Dan is so obsessed with this picture: 
(chapter 47) The smiles here are hiding the past reality. 
(chapter 79) — so unlike his real, exhausted self — is a vision of peace, of love unburdened by fear, while this grin exposes the truth. The dream, the realm of clouds, becomes a stage where the wolf shows and learns tenderness. The dream’s fear and indirect self-reproach 
(chapter 41) In other words, the dream is giving him clues as well how to behave: not only greeting, but also talking. What caught my attention is that during their two last breakfasts together 
(chapter 68), they didn’t talk at all 
(chapter 79) which contrasts to the star’s vision. 
(chapter 79) He does not kneel; he sits, his body settling softly against the floor as he catches Dan in his arms. The man once associated with dominance becomes a cushion, a pillow, a living anchor. His strength, once used to impose weight, now exists to absorb it. The fall is not toward repentance through pain, but toward tenderness through stillness.
(chapter 11) now becomes the one who receives the collapse. 
(chapter 39) escapes him in an embrace; his 
(chapter 66) 
(chapter 66) trembles out against Jaekyung’s chest; his 
(chapter 57), he could only confide while being physically comforted. The grandmother’s embrace in chapter 57 becomes the prototype of this pattern — the last instance of safety tied to voice. Yet, crucially, that embrace was conditional and silencing. She soothed him but redirected his pain: 
(chapter 80) When Jaekyung takes his hands in the swimming pool, the gesture revives this primal language of reassurance. For the first time, the touch is neither coercive nor desperate; it’s sustaining. The handhold reverses the earlier dynamic — instead of silencing him, it gives him permission to speak. Furthermore, the champion is pointing out that he can rely on two things, the champion’s hands and the kickboard belt. This stands in opposition to the fake promise of Shin Okja. 
(chapter 57) In other words, he is inciting the doctor to trust himself more and become independent. 
(chapter 65), the champion seeks to restore the missing confidence.
(chapter 28) 
(chapter 69) The wolf, who once relied on dominance and silence, is now allowing his fated partner to hug him. 
(chapter 59) His hand resting on Boksoon’s fur repeats the same motion — the pat once given to him, now returned to another being in pain. What he offers the animal is precisely what he has always longed for: warmth without judgment, touch without condition. 
(chapter 4), not intention: a reflex of possession, not communication. As time passed on, it changed, yet in the bathtub (chapter 68), Dan fell asleep against him so that he could never experience the athlete’s care 
(chapter 68); in the morning, Jaekyung acted as though nothing had happened. Then on the dock, Joo Jaekyung expressed his relief 
(chapter 65); “bring him to a big hospital so that he can take pills” 
(chapter 65) 
(chapter 65) He trusted her words and advises. I would even add that he believed that compliance equaled real care. Yet the night by the balcony teaches him otherwise. 
(chapter 57). Everything evolved around his lack of sleep and his dependency on her. 
(chapter 65) However, in episode 79, for the first time, the champion notices it.
(chapter 79) It is important because very early on, the doctor Cheolmin had already detected his malnutrition: 
(chapter 13) In other words, the physical therapist’s depression and eating disorder were already existent before meeting the “wolf”. And what did the mysterious friend tell to the “wolf”? He shouldn’t wait out of fear that he might regret it later! 
(chapter 13) As you can see, “sorry” is the link between the two doctors and the celebrity. 
His metamorphosis will be complete with the birth of the kind and sweet Joo Jaekyung! 
(chapter 21) Imagine that I had written this part before the release of episode 80! 
(chapter 21) 
(chapter 29) 
(chapter 61) Hence it is no coincidence that while sleeping in his own bedroom, the physical therapist had a relapse. 
(chapter 79) Because the champion had come to the conclusion that his own bedchamber was linked to sex 
(chapter 78) And though he had another “accident”, the former is never bringing it up to doc Dan. There’s no blame or accusation. The athlete is keeping these accidents as secrets. However, pay attention that he is making sure that doc Dan is resting. 
(chapter 27) Striking is that the champion always chose the left side of the bed 
(chapter 66) Thus I deduce that doc Dan is destined to take over his grandmother’s position in the bed: 
(chapter 21) And this observation seems to be validated by chapter 80. 
(chapter 78) But if they switch places, the wolf should be able to watch his partner’s face. And now, pay attention to the way Mingwa placed the new embrace in the swimming pool: 
(chapter 79) He had the impression that he wouldn’t meet his “expectations”. Observe the parallels between the champion’s dream 
(chapter 57) We have the doctor’s fake smile which is strongly linked to rejection 
(chapter 57) and expectations. And what is the other common denominator? His self-loathing and immense guilt. He has the feeling that he is not lovable. In my opinion, doc Dan is suffering because no one is listening to him at all. So far, they all projected their own thoughts onto him. The reality is that doc Dan already had a hard time before moving to the seaside town, 
(chapter 11) yet she failed to notice it or refused to face his struggles, as they were related to their poverty. 
(chapter 5), he lost his voice and became a ghost. It is no coincidence that in this scene, doc Dan was silent despite the caress. He was avoiding any topic that could trouble his grandmother. He accepted to remain a little boy in her eyes. But thanks to the wolf, doc Dan is learning to become strong and independent so that he can decide about his life. The swimming lesson is pushing him to overcome his abandonment issues. 
(chapter 79). Yet as the doctor grows thinner and more exhausted, the wolf begins to understand what “starvation” truly means. 
(chapter 79) 
(chapter 14) For the physical therapist, this moment would later be confirmed. 
(chapter 55) Still, some readers have theorized the existence of a “special lover” in his past 
(chapter 2), someone who might have earned a different kind of intimacy. One cause for this hypothesis is that in the champion’s first memory, he was facing his partner, which contrasts so much to the way he had sex with his partners (from behind). This possibility casts the locker room kiss in a new light. 
(chapter 14) If it was his first, the gesture carries a far deeper meaning than either man realizes in the moment. And if it wasn’t, then why does this kiss—with Kim Dan—resonate so differently?
(chapter 15) she showed more than the physical therapist’s confusion with the interrogation marks, she added his inner thoughts. This question (“What’s this?”) already hinted that he had never experienced a kiss before. The ambiguity of his reaction suggested that the moment was unfamiliar, and not immediately recognizable as a kiss at all. 
(chapter 16) it frightened him. The kiss broke an invisible boundary—one his upbringing had silently enforced. That’s the reason why he wasn’t sure if he could do it again.
(chapter 30) He blushes and wonders why. 
(chapter 30) It’s a telling moment: Dan isn’t used to feeling attraction and desire, let alone recognizing it. He never bought posters of celebrities, never fantasized. That world—the glamorous world of affection, attention, and beauty—was never his. 
(chapter 30) —despite already having been seen naked by Jaekyung 
(chapter 30), it becomes evident: Dan is not accustomed to physical closeness or shared domestic spaces. These are not reactions of a man with just sexual trauma—they point to someone raised without the warmth of daily intimacy.
(chapter 5) He had to take care of himself, dressed on his own. He had to act like an adult, as his role was to assist his grandmother: 
(chapter 65) This raises the possibility that someone else—most likely his mother—was his primary caregiver in early childhood. She would have changed his diapers, held him close, and kissed him gently. 
(chapter 44) and ear 
(chapter 44) For me, without realizing it, Dan reproduced those gestures. These actions can not come from Shin Okja, as we only see her caressing or patting her grandson. The progression is striking. It moves away from eroticism (kiss from the lips) 
(chapter 44) and toward something far more intimate and protective. These are not the kisses of seduction, but of affection—almost maternal in their tone. Hence the MMA fighter got patted later: 
(chapter 44) They suggest care, comfort, and emotional presence. This is crucial, because it reveals that for Dan, a kiss is not about arousal or conquest. It is a language of love. They carry the flavor of instinct. These are the kinds of kisses a child might have once received, or given, in moments of safety and connection.
(chapter 44) is a behavior shared by felines and wolves alike: a subtle act of comfort, trust, and bonding. Wolves nuzzle to soothe and reassure. Leopards nudge to display affection without threatening dominance. Dan’s pecks 
(chapter 57) (chapter 57)—licking them not out of instinct alone, but to reassure and bond. 
(chapter 57) During that summer night’s dream, Dan’s body mirrored this wordless care. That’s why he could laugh so genuinely like a child after witnessing his “pet’s reaction”. 
(chapter 44) 
(chapter 14) Therefore the physical therapist astonishment, “What’s this?” was not naïve; it was disoriented. Somewhere deep within, Dan had internalized a different model of kissing: one that reflected comfort, not conquest; affection, not arousal. The kiss he received was too strange, too fierce—it violated a definition he didn’t even know he had. His body knew how to kiss, but it remembered a different type of kiss altogether. The latter stands for love and as such emotions. Under this new light, my avid readers can comprehend why the physical therapist made the following request from his fated partner: 
(chapter 14) Jaekyung repeated such a gesture, as seen in chapters 24
(chapter 24), and again in 64 
(chapter 64). These gestures were not expressions of tenderness, but acts of dominance, mirroring how the celebrity was taught to treat intimacy: not as an exchange, but as an imposition. His behavior echoes Cheolmin’s earlier suggestion 
(chapter 63) Fun is not the same as love, and this distinction matters deeply for someone like Kim Dan, who associates kissing with emotional safety and love, not performance or play. This explicates why he refused to be kissed in episode 63: 
(chapter 63) 
(chapter 44), Dan’s were soft, exploratory, almost reverent. His lips touched not just his lover’s mouth, but his cheek and ear—tender sites that bypass eroticism in favor of emotional intimacy. These weren’t prolonged, devouring kisses. They were pecks, small and deliberate. They mirrored affection, not possession. 
(chapter 3) —it forces the wolf to ponder on the meaning of a kiss and his relationship with the physical therapist.
In that iconic artwork, the man does not kiss the woman on the mouth, the traditional locus of erotic desire. Instead, his lips are placed upon her cheek—a gesture that suggests reverence, not possession; vulnerability, not domination.
(chapter 44) 
(chapter 45)
(chapter 54) When he was young, he had to face an abuser. Notice that the man’s face was very close to the champion’s 
(chapter 44) He couldn’t hide his joy by the champion’s funny reaction and laughed. And how did the protagonist react to this? Not only his face expressed his dissatisfaction, but also he silenced his partner with a kiss right away: 
(chapter 44) Joo Jaekyung is leading the kiss, he is regaining control over their relationship. It reinforces the idea that the wolf’s kiss was not merely about passion, but about reclaiming dominance and halting a shift in power. Just moments earlier, Kim Dan’s laughter had opened a space of emotional intimacy and lightness, which the champion was not prepared to face. The kiss, now prolonged and intensified, becomes the sportsman’s way of reasserting control over a situation that was slipping into unfamiliar emotional territory.
(chapter 45) The marks on the doctor’s body were evidence that he was no longer in control. They weren’t just signs of a physical encounter—they were witnesses to something far more threatening: vulnerability, softness, and reciprocity. In the night, swept up by instinct and unspoken longing, the wolf had allowed himself to be touched—not just physically, but emotionally. But by morning, the spell was broken. His gaze didn’t linger on Kim Dan with affection—it darted instead to the bruises and scratches as though they were accusations.
(chapter 45) wasn’t just the pain he might have inflicted—it was the realization that the balance of power had subtly shifted. The man who had always dictated the terms of their relationship had surrendered to something unfamiliar: tenderness, emotional closeness, and shared desire. The fact that Kim Dan initiated affection, even kissed him voluntarily, shattered Jaekyung’s script. For someone who conflated feelings with threat, and dominance with safety, this reversal was unbearable.
(chapter 45) —and that he, in turn, had wanted Dan back. This terrified him more than any bruise ever could.
(chapter 37), and kissing becomes his emotional brake pedal. It’s not simply an act of love, but a means to regulate, or even drown out, what he cannot yet name or accept: that he is being loved. It is not random that I included the scene from episode 37: he heard laughs from the other room. For him, such a noise must have sounded like a disrespect and mockery, triggering his past trauma. And he was not entirely wrong in the sense that they were eating behind his back 
(chapter 37) It was, as if they were mocking him because of his forced “diet”. No wonder why the champion is barely seen laughing and prefers seriousness. At the same time, I can grasp why the athlete feels close to Park Namwook, as the latter stands for these exact notions: work, money and seriousness. Fun is not part of his world and vocabulary, therefore he punished Joo Jaekyung for sparring with doc Dan.
(chapter 2) Though his face was close to the star’s, he didn’t attempt to kiss him. In fact, he proposed him a fellatio, a sign that the champion had never allowed anyone to get close to his “face”. Finally, observe how he reacted, when the uke in episode 55 attempted to kiss him: 
(chapter 55) Not only he rejected him, but also he pushed him violently so that the latter was on the floor. 
(chapter 55) The celebrity even ran away: a sign that the allowing someone approaching his face is perceived as something uncomfortable and threatening. At the same time, that moment exposes the kiss as something sacred—one that cannot be duplicated without emotional violation. This shows that for the champion, the meaning of a smooch has evolved. It is no longer perceived as a source of fun and a mean to gain something.
(chapter 55) He couldn’t forget doc Dan’s face, the latter excited him, a sign that for the champion, the face in general has been a source of pain, yet thanks to doc Dan, the latter has become a source of “comfort and joy”. 
(chapter 39) before requesting a fellatio: 
(chapter 39) The main lead’s head was very close to the champion’s face, thus he must have felt uncomfortable. Secondly by acting this way, the doctor was gradually gaining power over their relationship. For the wolf, dominance is everything, an indication that in his past he felt defenseless and weak. His “opponent”, the mysterious ghost, had the upper hand. Moreover, the fellatio created a distance between them, where the fighter could expose his superiority. And note how doc Dan behaved under the influence of the drug: 
(chapter 39) He caught his fated partner by surprise, when he suddenly kissed him, mirroring the champion’s past behavior. This panel corroborates that for the doctor, a kiss is the symbol of love. The champion was not happy with this kiss too, for the latter meant that he was no longer controlling their relationship. Yet, after hearing the doctor’s confession during that night, the athlete no longer resisted his partner’s kisses. 
(chapter 39) For the first time, he accepted Dan’s initiative—both physically and emotionally. Compare it to his attitude before: 
(chapter 39) here, he still has his eyes wide open, a sign of vigilance. These kisses from doc Dan 
(chapter 39) mark a turning point in Jaekyung’s arc: he begins to lower his defenses, allowing Dan not only into his personal space but also into a position of gentle agency within their relationship. The kiss no longer represents a threat; it becomes an opening and a sign of trust. 
(chapter 55) These memories represent the moment where the athlete felt strong and had the upper hand in their relationship. These images reveal that Joo Jaekyung hasn’t realized the signification of the kiss yet. For him, they don’t seem important. This exposes that the athlete has not associated kiss with love and affection yet. At the same time, we have to envision that a smooch is strongly intertwined with equity and trust. 
(chapter 28) And in episode 14, it was clear that the star still felt superior to his companion, therefore the kiss had no special meaning. As you can see, everything is pointing out that Joo Jaekyung had never been kissed before. And what does a kiss symbolize? Not only attachment, but also purity and innocence. 
(chapter 42) According to him, doc Dan was not different from him. However, he was wrong. It is because the champion had kissed him!! Moreover, the celebrity had allowed doc Dan to kiss him as well. Besides, how did the champion name his past lovers? They were toys… normally people don’t kiss playthings. And now, imagine that doc Dan were to discover that Joo Jaekyung had his first kiss with him. This revelation would not only make him realize that Joo Jaekyung loves him, but also he could be wondering why the athlete had never done such a thing before, though he had past lovers. YES, the “first kiss” could be the trigger for both characters to question their respective past and perceive their fated partner correctly. 
(chapter 15) 
(chapter 52) In that context, a kiss could never be affection, but vulnerability. A risk.
(chapter 3), based on Dan’s vague claim of prior partners. Yet Dan has never kissed anyone before. The kiss becomes his true moment of loss, a quiet confession through action. Conversely, Jaekyung’s own discomfort shows that he, too, is untouched in this particular way. When Dan tries to kiss Jaekyung again, and he instinctively rejects it, it reveals just how unprepared he is for affection. They are both unaware that the other is emotionally “pure” in this regard, and that makes the kiss a shared revelation.
(chapter 67), Jaekyung must reinvent his approach. He cannot rely on dominance, strength, or sexual performance to win Dan’s heart. If he wants true connection, he must learn a new language—one built on gestures of affection, softness, and presence. This process also involves separating his public persona from his private longing. Joo Jaekyung, the champion, cannot seduce with spectacle. But Jaegeng, the man, might learn to express love through a simple touch, or a well-timed kiss. The redefinition of seduction is not just about Dan’s healing; it is about the wolf’s reclaiming his own right to feel and give love. And in my opinion, that process has already started: 
(chapter 29: note that he did not select this scene to rekindle with the doctor, but the other scene) He will learn it from life, from watching how the innocent express care without shame or purpose.
(chapter 62), as his actions increasingly reflect a willingness to embrace his own fragility and build meaningful ties with those around him. Through his growing interactions with others and his immersion in the rhythms of town life, the champion begins to redefine his sense of identity and purpose, moving beyond dominance to discover the power of connection. From a man defined by strength, dominance, and transactional relationships 
(chapter 62) and, more importantly, to himself. 
(chapter 62) Thus in this essay I will explore the symbolic meaning behind his actions in the town, the interplay of nature and community in his transformation, and how these moments reflect his internal growth. The analysis begins with his transformative experience in the ocean during his rescue of Kim Dan 
(chapter 60), followed by his newfound attentiveness to his surroundings—jogging in silence and responding to the natural rhythms of life. 
(chapter 62) This heightened awareness paves the way for his burgeoning integration into the town through labor 
(chapter 62) and community service. His gradual acceptance of simplicity, represented by his clothing and the symbolism of cucumbers and potatoes, signals his reconnection to nature and humanity. 
(chapter 60) In many ways, this moment functions as a symbolic baptism, reflecting a deeper narrative of renewal and change. In Chapter 28, Kim Dan’s immersion in water during a pool scene 
(chapter 20) into something natural and human. 
(chapter 29) Similarly, Joo Jaekyung’s dive into the ocean can be interpreted as his baptism into a new “religion”: love and vulnerability. 
(chapter 60) His gesture is not just about saving his loved one, but also showing care to humans in general. He can no longer be indifferent to someone in pain or in danger.
(chapter 62) He might complain, but in the end he accepts the presents. This change is reinforced by his willingness to accept gratitude in the form of vegetables and food rather than monetary gain, showing a newfound appreciation for simple, heartfelt exchanges over transactional relationships.
(chapter 59) caused by his grandmother’s neglect, indifference and rejection. The rescue, while focused on saving Kim Dan, also represents the birth of a new understanding for Joo Jaekyung—a recognition of the transformative power of vulnerability and connection. 
(chapter 60) At the time, his eyes were fixed solely on Kim Dan 
(chapter 60), not the natural world around him. The rescue planted a subconscious seed, setting the stage for his later behavior. When Kim Dan denies his assistance in Episode 60
(chapter 60), it’s as if the doctor erases that defining moment, refusing to acknowledge the champion’s care. Yet Joo Jaekyung does not react with anger or frustration. Instead, he takes the doctor’s rejection as challenge. 
(chapter 60) However, contrary to the past, money and influence seems to have no impact on the physical therapist’s mind and heart. He is keeping the athlete at arms-length. 
(chapter 61) The moment he moves to that little town
(chapter 61), he begins to demonstrate his growth through quiet, consistent actions—helping others without expecting gratitude in return.
(chapter 62) For the first time, he is not merely running for fitness or competition; he is paying attention to his surroundings. 
(chapter 62), and the natural rhythm of life around him. 
(chapter 62) Running along the ocean, a setting that profoundly influences his state of mind, Joo Jaekyung demonstrates a newfound openness. 
(chapter 62) This moment underscores his growing ability to connect with others sincerely, without suspicion or defensiveness. His willingness to engage reflects a broader transformation—one that prioritizes meaningful connections over dominance or transactional relationships. This newfound awareness signifies a major shift in his character. His senses are becoming attuned to the world beyond himself, and he is learning to differentiate between what truly matters and what does not. 
(chapter 10), seeing only the “overpowering stench of poverty.” 
(chapter 10) At that time, his perception was clouded by indifference and a focus on material circumstances. Now, however, his response to the elderly woman’s request reflects empathy and an awareness of human vulnerability.
(chapter 10), evoking a sense of cold detachment and judgment. In contrast, the moment where Joo Jaekyung is asked to repair the roof is bathed in daylight 
(chapter 62) Thus I deduce that he never accepted any kind of compensation in the end. But none of the inhabitants could accept such a generosity, therefore they brought vegetables or dishes. Unlike his previous life, defined by detachment and impermanence, these acts of community-oriented labor mark a significant shift in how he values his strength—not as a tool for control 
(chapter 62), but as a way to support and uplift others. The admiration from the inhabitants is genuine 
(chapter 62) The champion feels really bad for his rejection after the incident with the spray. And since he believes that Kim Dan comes from that town, he thinks that he can redeem himself by helping his “community”.
(chapter 47), she rarely prioritized Kim Dan’s nourishment. The grandmother’s actions were driven by financial survival. Joo Jaekyung, on the other hand, receives food as a form of gratitude and recognizes the significance of nourishment beyond monetary gain. 
(chapter 58) with the reality of his evolving personality and his behavior toward others. Choi Heesung’s dismissive remark that Joo Jaekyung would “flip his shit” if he knew the living conditions of Kim Dan implies a static, unchanging view of the champion, one that aligns with a superficial understanding of him as merely ruthless and violent. However, this chapter reveals the fallacy in such an interpretation, exposing the actor’s arrogance and lack of true insight into Joo Jaekyung’s character.
(chapter 23), they could have succeeded. Potato, the youngest member of the team, embodies this missed opportunity. 
(chapter 9) His nickname, “Potato,” while intended as lighthearted and affectionate, is something he despises because he perceives it as demeaning. Yet the reality is quite the opposite—nicknames like these often carry affection and camaraderie. Yet he rejects it out of insecurity or an internalized belief in its inferiority.
(chapter 52) reveal a missed opportunity for bonding. The champion, who is evolving into a more open and empathetic individual, might have been an unexpected source of support and connection had Potato not listen to others and chosen to embrace this chance instead of harboring negative assumptions. 
(chapter 62) underscores the gap between perception and reality, showing how preconceived notions can prevent genuine relationships from forming. It also reinforces the theme of growth and transformation, as Joo Jaekyung continues to break away from the static image others have of him, proving that even the most misunderstood individuals can surprise us with their capacity for change. The interplay between the nickname “Potato” and its underlying affection further echoes the theme of finding value and beauty in simplicity—a motif central to the champion’s journey as he embraces humility and authenticity.
(chapter 62) , while he had put on his expensive jeans and CK tee-shirt. 
(chapter 62). This stands in opposition to the previous scene in front of the hospice: 
(chapter 61) The focus on Joo Jaekyung’s feet 
(chapter 62) The hospital or Kim Dan’s presence may provide him with a sense of stability and calmness, allowing him to adopt a more casual and relaxed appearance. Additionally, the contrast between his expensive jeans and branded t-shirt and his unassuming sandals reveals a division between his public image and private self. While his clothing aligns with his status as a wealthy and successful individual, the casual footwear hints at a simpler, more authentic side of him that is emerging in this setting. It reflects his willingness to shed some of the societal expectations tied to his identity.
(chapter 62) Feet often represent movement or progress, and wearing casual footwear like sandals might signify that he is in a state of personal transformation. The lack of socks further emphasizes this shedding of layers—he is slowly allowing himself to be more vulnerable and introspective, stepping away from his usual, controlled persona. Finally, sandals reflect his connection to the environment. His footwear choice underscores that the hospital is a place where he feels secure and unthreatened. The focus on his feet could symbolize his groundedness in the moment, highlighting that this environment allows him to pause and reflect, rather than act or defend.
(chapter 62), he is immediately approached by the town chief. 
(chapter 42), where appearances and dominance once took precedence over community and connection. 
(chapter 02) The penthouse, perched high above the city, served as a symbol of isolation and self-reliance—an ivory tower of sorts, detached from the world below. In contrast, the town’s hostel 
(chapter 62) reflects shared experiences and human connection, embodying a shift toward groundedness and humility.
(chapter 30) This evolution from animalistic aggression 
(chapter 30) to floral gentleness mirrors his inner journey—from a man who thrived on dominance to one who values connection and vulnerability. By choosing practicality over intimidation, he signals a readiness to embrace his humanity and shed the pretensions of his past. Moreover, the hat has here a different function: it serves as a real protection from the sun, hence his neck is covered. 
(chapter 62) “Jaegeng.” While this may initially appear as a simple mistake due to the landlord’s poor hearing, it holds deeper symbolic weight. This renaming can be interpreted as part of Joo Jaekyung’s rebirth in the town—a reflection of his evolving identity.
(chapter 7) Yet here, in the quiet simplicity of the town, he is seen not for his image but for his actions. The landlord’s care and warmth 
(chapter 54) Like mentioned above, his stay in this little town is teaching him to become immune to manipulations in the end. His self-esteem is getting boosted, hence he doesn’t mind being called “Jaegeng”. 
(chapter 19). This creates a fascinating parallel between the two characters: both grapple with the idea of belonging, but from opposing starting points. While Kim Dan longs for acceptance in a community 
(chapter 56) that has continually rejected him (parents, students, hospital; Team Black), Joo Jaekyung is learning how to stop running—physically and emotionally—and to establish a sense of permanence for the first time in his life.
(chapter 62) So far, the champion has not paid attention to Boksoon. He has not even looked at her, because his eyes are always directed at Kim Dan: 
(chapter 61) 
(chapter 59) Hence I have the impression, she could be the one leading him there, if not Kim Dan. Let’s not forget that the doctor’s deepest wish is to go on a walk through the woods: 
(chapter 62) Ultimately, Joo Jaekyung’s journey is not just one of self-improvement but a quiet challenge to societal values. True strength is not about control, but about the ability to grow, connect, and embrace change. Blooming muscles signifies not just physical power, but a strength nourished by care, community, and the courage to evolve. Finally, I would like my readers to pay attention to the sky, when the champion approached his fated lover: 
(special episode 1) The actor chose to use the black-haired sportsman as “Friends with Benefits”. But what would be Potato’s benefits then? Support and connections, like we could see it in special episode 2: 
(special episode 2) So when Heesung is already envisaging to get rid of his new lover 
(chapter 35) Because he is famous and wealthy, he is expecting a similar reaction from the chow-chow. At some point, he will appear too clingy, hence he will perceive his relationship as burdensome. This is no longer fun.
(chapter 33) However, the change of Heesung’s mind-set (Friends with Benefits, no longer the search for a soulmate) is also related to Potato’s reaction after their first night together. 
(special episode 1) With his words, the sportsman implied that he had taken advantage of the actor, while in reality the opposite had happened. Heesung had taken advantage of Potato’s drunkenness 
(special episode 1), ignorance and purity
(special episode 1).The confession of Yoon-Gu’s wrongdoing could only shock the actor. 
(special episode 1) How did Yoon-Gu come to this reasoning, when he admitted in the same breath that he was drunk? It is because the night before, Heesung had confided that he was heartbroken due to Kim Dan’s rejection. 
(chapter 35) With his behavior, the fox gave the impression that his affection for Kim Dan was running deep. Under the tent, he was drowning his sorrow with soju. Hence in the maknae’s mind, Heesung was still in love with the physical therapist. Yes, the irony is that the chow-chow was also projecting his own thoughts onto the comedian. Let’s not forget that when the young fighter discovered the true nature of the relationship between the doctor and the emperor, he didn’t give up on his admiration and affection for Joo Jaekyung. 
(chapter 35) My avid readers should keep in their mind that the chow-chow is famous for his strong loyalty. To sum up, Potato imagined that Heesung was still loving Kim Dan, exactly like him with the fighter… he would remain faithful and keep his one-sided love.That’s why I came to the following conclusion: their relationship started on a misunderstanding, which was also reflected in this situation: 
(special episode 1) It was, as if he had disregarded the gumiho’s feelings, he had incited the latter to commit a sin. Heesung had broken his vow of faithfulness 😂. That’s the reason why he mentioned “zero regrets”. It is important, because with such a mind-set and attitude, he is indirectly pushing the gumiho to face the truth: his dishonesty. His affection for Kim Dan was just a crush, a superficial attachment, as he knew nothing about him. In fact, he was just chasing after an illusion. He even admitted it at the restaurant: 
(chapter 35) His description for a partner and as such love doesn’t correspond to the definition of true love: care, respect, knowledge and responsibility (Definition from Erich Fromm, for more read “
(chapter 32) He didn’t try to protect him from the athlete’s fury. He never clearly stated his true desire, he wished to date the doctor, until he was cornered (threatened).
(chapter 41) In other words, both second leads are on the same wavelength despite the misunderstanding. Both have the same expectations: Friends With Benefits. Yet, they are not equal in their relationship, as Potato feels indebted towards the actor so that the latter has “Zero regrets”. In other words, he is bound by a debt and a contract. He has to please his partner, he can not refuse to his demands. That’s why Heesung said this 
(special episode 1) and why Potato couldn’t refuse the role-play. 
(special episode 2) He is put in a similar situation than his role model Kim Dan. He can not say no to Heesung. 
(special episode 2) However, he is not entirely powerless, like I mentioned in the first part. He is not forced to admit that he had fun after the intercourse. 
(special episode 2) In other words, he is not obliged to say YES either! It is funny because thanks to this examination, I realized that Yes and No have “become” like taboo words. Yoon-Gu is avoiding these idioms by using the expression “I don’t know”. Hence I am suspecting that Heesung will become obsessed with the word “yes”! 😂 Only Heesung can procure him fun and pleasure, and no one else. He is getting disarmed by the sentence “I don’t know”.
(special episode 2), yet in the past he had a different reaction. 
(chapter 23) The reason is simple. This was not patting, but rubbing. Neither Oh Daehyun nor Kim Changmin did it to express gratitude, rather for selfish reasons. They wanted luck on their side. Potato didn’t feel recognized and accepted, rather used as a tool. Hence he was bothered. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible how Heesung can win Yoon-Gu’s heart in the long run. It is not because of his sexual performances, but thanks to his selfless gratitude and generosity!! We have the perfect example in these two scenes: 
(chapter 26) The main lead had taken a risk for him. He could win his heart by turning his dream into reality. He would be able to spar with the emperor. Then observe how Potato was full of admiration, when the champion decided to organize a charity event for his birthday. 
(special episode 2) He was attempting to hide his growing affection for the comedian. He feared that his feelings for him could become a burden for the comedian. In his eyes, Heesung should remain faithful to the physical therapist. He shouldn’t expect any affection from the actor either. 
(chapter 13) And the moment I read this expression, I couldn’t help myself thinking of a leash as a new sex toy. 
(chapter 34) In this scene, the physical therapist looked like attached to his owner. In the first part of “Passions in Purple: Jealousy and Joy”, I made the following prediction. Heesung would order a sex toy 
(special episode 2) out of annoyance and jealousy
(special episode 2), for Potato had run away from him. He needs to put him on a leash to feel in control, to obtain his chow chow’s attention. Naturally, there is no guarantee that this prediction is correct. Yet since according to my examination, Potato is thinking that Heesung is in love, it signifies that Heesung is already attached to Kim Dan. Hence he won’t do anything to ruin this attachment… therefore Heesung can only be put in front of a dilemma. How can he make Potato look at him? He could reveal the truth to Yoon-Gu, but by doing so, he would ruin his image as a good and caring guy. Moreover, since he has lived for a long time deceiving himself and others, it is very unlikely that the actor might change his behavior so suddenly. Old habits are hard to die. Therefore for me, honesty won’t be his initial choice, rather acting. He will express his thoughts and emotions behind a new role-play and sex.
(episode 43) Yoon-Gu must have gone to the set, like promised! 
(chapter 43) He would have perceived this statement differently from the others, as he knew about the true nature of their relationship. On the other hand, his absence was necessary. Why? It is because the young fighter needed to learn to distinguish between himself and his idol. Yes, in my opinion, Yoon-Gu’s motivation to bring back Kim Dan to Team Black won’t be just for the athlete’s sake! It will be Potato’s own desire to bring him back. He is missing the physical therapist. Through the last incident, Potato must have realized how much Kim Dan meant to him. His departure left him so heartbroken. 
(chapter 52). In the past, Heesung saw Joo Jaekyung as a rival, hence he made sure that Potato didn’t participate in the champion’s surprise party. So I believe that he was not upset about Joo Jaekyung’s downfall. In fact, he could have envisioned that this could help him to gain Potato’s attention. However, what he didn’t realize is that since feelings and affection can change, this could also happen towards other persons: the physical therapist. Potato’s attachment towards the doctor deepened, as time passed on, especially since they spent some time together in the States. Therefore I conclude that the departure of the doctor will not only affect the relationship between Potato and the comedian, but also force them to follow the main couple to the West coast. Mingwa left many clues for this prediction. Where?
(chapter 35) 
(chapter 52), the enemies, in particular Baek Junmin wrong. Even if he is injured or ends his career as MMA fighter, his life is not over. He is strong, talented and trustworthy, because Yoon-Gu chose to trust him and his career. He is no thug or spoiled child, as despite his injury, he “assisted” someone to become a new fighter.
There, I included two gemstones, the Bloodstone and the Aquamarine! Choi Heesung, born on 21st March, is represented by these birthstones! In this composition 
(chapter 30) After getting enlightened, he would know what he truly desires. He would have no interest to get on the champion’s nerves. Potato would be the one bringing him happiness and novelty. Athletes and those seeking to enhance physical endurance often turn to bloodstone for its reputed ability to increase stamina and energy. This signifies that thanks to Heesung’s presence, the champion’s training won’t appear as a torture. Yes, expect a new version of this scene: 
(chapter 37) Here each fighter was on his own, they were not really training together. The champion was the leader due to his imminent match, he put the others under pressure, as he was himself stressed. But with his suspension, he is no longer racing against time. In other words, the training routine should be different. They will help each other, encouraging each other to become better. The presence of Heesung should help them to see the training under a different light. But for that, he has to reconnect to his true nature: bloodstone and aquamarine.
(chapter 37) or the switch of medicine. Unfortunately, the gumiho was not present both times, hence Kim Dan and Joo Jaekyung became the targets of revenge. On the other hand, the author stated that in season 2, the focus would be more on emotions, which means that there shouldn’t be many plot. Nevertheless, my avid readers should keep in mind my previous interpretation about the “beautiful” Kim Miseon 
(chapter 21) I had criticized her on many occasions, like disculssing a case in a hallway. Before, she had proposed an expensive treatment, well aware of the grandmother’s age and her weak condition. Moreover, I had suspected her to have leaked information to the director Choi Gilseok. Thus I hope that season 2 will expose her misdeeds and the corruption of the medical world. This was already present in episode 1. But let’s return our attention to the gemstone and its symbolism. In medieval Europe, the stone was deeply linked to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, believed to have formed when drops of His blood fell to the earth. As you can see, the gumiho is strongly connected to selflessness, sacrifice, death and rebirth. This reinforces my expectation that his encounter with the grandmother will have a huge impact in his life, like for example the “neglect and indifference from his parents”. Exactly like the other main characters, he has abandonment issues. Bloodstone is commonly associated with the root chakra, which governs grounding, stability, and physical well-being.
(chapter 34) Here, he forced the champion to claim the doctor as his possession. However, in season 1, the main lead came to regret his actions (34, 43), for he has never been honest to himself. And now, it is time to focus on the second gemstone. 
(chapter 31) They were green. He is attracted to “green”, his origin self. Nevertheless, in episode 31, this was rather a khaki version due to his corruption. No wonder why he played a trick on the champion. And this observation brings me back to the doctor’s clothes. What was he wearing, when he was young? 
(chapter 19) A green t-shirt!! No wonder why Heesung felt a connection towards Kim Dan. They have something in common. Moreover, the doctor is a “duck”, so Heesung’s role is to help the doctor to recognize and accept his true self. Hence, the former helped him, when he confessed this to Kim Dan: 
(chapter 35) At the same time, it explains why Heesung changed for the better thanks to the physical therapist. Thus I assume that Heesung is destined to become an aquamarine, bringing all these characters closer to each other: Potato, Cheolmin, Kim Dan, Joo Jaekyung. However, contrary to the past, he won’t use his money to help people to become happier. His smile and happiness should affect the others: 
(chapter 31) However, this should no longer be superficial. The celebrity is associated with flowers, stars, fun and happiness. Because he symbolizes “Spring”, I deduce that his rebirth and as such his Enlightenment are primordial. He is there to assist the others. And the color for understanding, compassion, self-awareness and wisdom is purple:
(special episode 1) Since the elderly woman confided to Joo Jaekyung, we can assume that she could do the same with the gumiho, as soon as she sees her idol. It is important, because he could grasp the physical therapist’s suffering and low self-esteem. 
(chapter 48), but the actor would be replacing the fake director. We had a sunset here, dark water (the coffee), the symbol for corruption. Then notice that he is wearing a blue t-shirt (but two colors, a symbol of his hypocrisy)!! This reinforces my expectation that we should witness the actor’s awakening, the exact opposite of the other Choi, who chose revenge and manipulations. But there is more to it. Thanks to the comment of @Milliformemes24, I had another revelation. The latter wrote that places of knowledge and self-awareness are related not only to the ocean, but also to the mountains. It is normal, as the hill is closer to the sky and as such closer to the gods. Notice that Heesung’s new home is situated on the top of a hill, surrounded by a forest. 
In other words, Heesung could get enlightened on a mountain too, during a stroll for example. And the moment I read this from my friend, this image came to my mind: 
(chapter 41) The huge tree at the hospital!! The latter is even strongly connected to a stroll. In that scene, the doctor thought of his lover, as he associated him with the sun. 
(chapter 41) That’s the moment when he realized his feelings for the fighter. As you can see, Mingwa used the tree and as such nature as a source to spirituality. And now let me ask you this question. Since the story is written with reflections, the tree should have appeared before and after. Where was it then? First, the first plant to appear was the bouquet. The roses from Heesung 
(chapter 31) could be seen a mirror of the tree. The roses encourage the doctor to ponder and show an interest in his employer. 
(chapter 37) However, the first time, the tree appeared as such was in the States, and this on two occasions: 
(special episode 2) Yes, the barn!! The tree had been transformed into a home. However, don’t forget that this was just a fantasy from Heesung. However, during this intercourse, he came to expose his jealousy and growing attachment towards his soulmate. Yes, the last two mentioned scenes have two common denominators: a mixture of fantasy and Enlightenment. Nature is strongly intertwined with meditation and communication. To conclude, we should expect the presence of woods and trees in season 2 as well. And this hypothesis got reinforced, when Mingwa released this image on X: 
We have a sunset, a palm tree and purple in the sky… Joo Jaekyung is wearing a similar shirt than Heesung: 
(chapter 34) I consider this as an allusion that the actor will be by the fighter’s side. On the other hand, since the shirt is open, I interpret as the star’s emancipation. The latter has been able to escape from his mental prison and suffering. In his cage, he was racing against time. Now, he is able to relax and enjoy time. At the same time, since the champion in the image from X is seen wearing rings with stones, it somehow confirmed my interpretation about the role of birthstones in Jinx. 
as a new version of the image from season 1. The fighter’s hand is a mirror of the tree. He is giving support and protection. Hence I am assuming that the champion will be also reminded of Kim Dan in a particular place. 
(chapter 7) Kim Dan had just punched his boss. How would he react to this wrongdoing? In fact, I realized that all the episodes with the number 7 are strongly connected to an intrigue and riddle. Why? The answer lies in the number. 😉 So what does 7 symbolize in the end?
(chapter 18) He believed to see someone selling his body to a loan shark, while in reality the main lead was about to get raped. Hence we have -7! This represents the absence of reflection and even the refusal of meditation. 
(chapter 18) On the other hand, the quotes above mentioned 14 or 21, because they are also related to 7 (multiplication). This signifies that we should also see chapters 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and 49 as a reflection from number 7. Since the latter can be the result of an addition or substraction, I deduce that we should include the following numbers as a reflection of 7 as well: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Finally, if you read the analysis “”
(chapter 47) He didn’t get included in the conversation. This explicates why when Kwak Junbeom witnessed the encounter between Choi Gilseok and Kim Dan, the sportsman didn’t approach the PT in order to protect him or his champion’s interest. 
(chapter 48) The connection between 7 and anguish in Jinx seems to contradict the notion of “lucky 7”. Yet we shouldn’t forget that through pain, the characters are incited to learn life lessons and become wiser. Torment led them to face their fears and reflect. Consequently, what appears as a jinx will turn into luck and blessing in reality. Like mentioned in the previous analysis, the 90 day suspension represents a liberation for the athlete, for he is no longer under pressure to fight constantly. He is pushed to meditate and view life differently, thus he is looking out of the window. 
(Chapter 52) He will realize that he needs to select his opponent more properly. 
(chapter 5) He remained passive, because he had already an answer to his silence. He was refusing the job. He implied that his lack of reaction had been caused by the champion’s action. In addition, he reproached his boss that he was getting worked up for nothing. His behavior displays that he saw no value in Kim Dan. Moreover, Mingwa left a clue why the man has always been passive all this time. It is not just a question of fear. The other reason is that he used prejudices and superficial thoughts to explain people’s attitude. Hence he never investigated the matter why the doctor didn’t contact them. His attitude in episode 52 hasn’t changed at all.
(chapter 52) He reproaches to Joo Jaekyung his heartlessness, though Kim Dan took care of him for months. But he is forgetting that he spent himself time with the hamster too, and he is healthy contrary to the champion. So he could have reached to the doctor. His reproach is just an excuse to mask his passivity, ignorance and even indifference. His rudeness and neglect towards the doctor and athlete becomes more obvious.
(chapter 52). By mocking him, he was provoking Joo Jaekyung and he knew it. Yet, he never expected that he would be punched so violently that he would be KO. In episode 7, the champion “invited” the doctor to enter the shower room, 
(chapter 7) reminding us of the kidnapping in episode 16. Here, on the other hand, Heo Manwook must have judged his presence at doc Dan’s house as an “invitation” 
. (Chapter 16) and not trespassing. Each challenge or invitation is strongly connected to moving. Heesung had to drive through town in order to discover the secret between the two protagonists. Moreover, I distinguished another similarity: abduction and sequestration. Kim Dan was forced to stay in the shower room or his home or in the penthouse (34,43). Chapter 25 represents the exception, for it was the only case, where Kim Dan was given a real choice. 
(Chapter 25) He could refuse the sparring. Thus I deduce that in episode 52, the opposite is happening to the doctor. Something happened to him, and he could do nothing. On the other hand, this signifies that at the hospital, the members from Team Black were seeking the consent and support from their boss. 
(chapter 44) Kim Dan agreed to have sex with the fighter, because he wanted to know him better. Thus I deduce that the athlete discovered new aspects about Kim Dan’s life. 
(chapter 8) In 25 and 34, we never saw Park Namwook. He was either outside the gym or in his office. Then in episode 43, Potato was missing, but no one mentioned his absence. But I would even go further, all these chapters are strongly linked to the doctor’s vanishing. Notice that in episode 7, he got dragged to the shower room, but no one caught his disappearance, not even Park Namwook. 
(chapter 25) He received only attention, when he got strangled due to the maknae’s mistake and notice that the protagonist was too focused on training the others that he neglected his soulmate. Then in episode 34, Kim Dan was supposed to meet Choi Heesung, but he missed the appointment due to the athlete’s trick. 
(chapter 34) 
(chapter 34) Since the latter had not replied, Choi Heesung assumed that Kim Dan was not free. And now, you know why the actor never contacted the angel and asked about his whereabouts. The main lead never replied and confirmed the meeting. Then in episode 43, no one missed Kim Dan at the table, when they ate their dinner. 
(chapter 52) He had been too harsh and had not investigated the matter properly. However, his words “getting the facts straight” reminded me of this scene: 
(chapter 11) So Park Namwook might have already been aware of this, which would explain why he felt uncomfortable, when he met Choi Gilseok.. 
(chapter 49) Remember that he had avoided him on purpose. And episode 49 is related to number 7. Hence we have this contrast: 
(chapter 49) “We believe in you” 
(chapter 52) As you can see, we should question if Park Namwook had no idea about the meeting between Choi Gilseok and Kim Dan, but like the doctor, he never reported to the celebrity. Moreover, the manager was also responsible for the doctor’s schedule, for his work was strongly connected to the celebrity’s. 
(chapter 30) In this scene, we see that the doctor made a decision on his own, as he knew that he was not needed. Park Namwook should have asked why Kim Dan would join the gym later, if he had not been informed. As you can see, through the comparison, I realized Park Namwook’s huge wrongdoing. He didn’t miss doc Dan during that time, I would even say, he didn’t look for him. But he knows where he lives and he has his cellphone number. Like mentioned in a previous analysis, the vanishing of the coach and manager at the gym was exposing a professional mistake. 
(chapter 52) And funny is that as soon as I contrasted these episodes, I had another revelation. How did Joo Jaekyung know that Kim Dan was supposed to meet the actor? 
(chapter 32) Kim Dan had no saying in it, the justification was that it was for the champion’s sake. Hence my assumption is the comedian must have complained to the manager that Joo Jaekyung had interrupted their time together. 
(chapter 31) That’s the reason why Park Namwook asked the doctor to fetch the celebrity in episode 34. 
(chapter 34) Kim Dan could refuse to go to that meeting. He was not obligated, for there was no contract between the artist and the “hamster”. They had never asked for his consent. Choi Heesung used work to meet the doctor, but the manager had also heard from the actor’s manager about the comedian’s love life 
(chapter 30). So he must have known about the true intentions. The clue for this interpretation is that he had a drop of sweat on his face. To sum up, he feigned ignorance. And you know how I came to this theory? The coach is not visible in 34 and he didn’t assist to the champion’s birthday surprise party: 
(chapter 43) Yet, Park Namwook joined them for the dinner at the restaurant. Only through the comparison, I detected the absence of the manager which I consider as a sign of his neglect. Yosep’s gesture 
(chapter 43) represents the positive gesture from Namwook’s slap.
(chapter 35) He needed Potato to work off some stress. That’s why the reason why NO ONE wondered about the young fighter’s absence during the birthday party. 
(chapter 52) The result was that his face got bruised. 
(chapter 7), 16 
(chapter 16) 
(chapter 16), 25 
(chapter 25) 
(episode 25) and 
(chapter 40), but also paid attention to his actions and work. 
(chapter 25)
(chapter 41) However, notice that her desire to watch the match was related to her grandson, the source of her pride and joy. As soon as I made this connection, I had another revelation. Gradually, the chow-chow’s admiration is shifting towards the doctor. 
(Chapter 25) and showed no fear to fight with stronger men. 
(chapter 52) I sense some future tension between him and coach Park Namwook, for the maknae embodies enlightenment, great intuition and open-mindedness, whereas the other stands for prejudices, ignorance and herd mentality. Naturally, the manager is changing for the better, nonetheless his metamorphosis is progressing much more slowly. Only in episode 52, he questioned why Baek Junmin was placed next to his athlete. 
(Chapter 52) Yet, he didn’t complain to the staff or to director Choi Gilseok. He remained passive contrary to the young member from Team Black. Moreover, because Kim Dan has always felt a certain closeness to Yoon-Gu, I believe that the latter will be the reason why the champion and Kim Dan can rekindle. Thanks to him, he can approach the poor doctor and convince him that Team Black is his home. 
(chapter 29) I doubt that it will be just for the athlete’s sake and recovery, for this would make him a hypocrite. He is truly interested in the doctor’s well-being. Let’s not forget that his worries in episode 43 were genuine. Moreover, since Joo Jaekyung’s name number 3 and Potato 4, we come to 7! They will work together. Joo Jaekyung will share his knowledge how to rule in the ring.
(chapter 26), his tolerance, patience, understanding 
(chapter 37), his humbleness 
(chapter 25), his dedication and meticulousness. 
(chapter 49) Yoon-Gu could only perceive Kim Dan as the symbol of loyalty. Hence I come to the deduction that after meeting doc Dan, he must have realized that only one could change the situation, it was Joo Jaekyung and no one else. 
(chapter 43), but also Park Namwook’s neglect. How so? First, look how Kim Dan came to offer his services to the members from Team Black. Kim Changmin had an old shoulder injury which had been neglected: 
(chapter 7) But the coach should have noticed it and advised him to go to a doctor. He was responsible for them. But no… and we have two other evidences in episode 52. First, the manager didn’t ask about Potato’s injury. Secondly, he slapped a patient, because he felt “provoked” by the outburst from Joo Jaekyung. 
(chapter 52) Why? One might say that he was worried for his star. But for me, the drop of sweat is showing a certain discomfort. How so? A surgery means that the athlete can no longer fight for a while. Without him, the coach is put under pressure, for he needs to ensure that other fighters can enter MFC. 
(chapter 47) Hence I am now wondering if his passivity and silence after the terrible incident were not deliberate. He had ran away from any responsibility out of fear (avoidance). That way, he could put the blame on others: the champion, the fighters, King Of MMA etc. Naturally, the champion is also to blame 
(chapter 43) Moreover, the cute doctor had asked him to bring doc Dan for more tests, but he did not follow his advice. 
(chapter 41) That’s how it dawned on me that the news about Kim Dan could be referring to his health too. But does it mean that doctor Dan is now ill, especially when you look at Potato’s facial expression here? 
(chapter 25) Back then, his dream was to train and spare with the athlete, thus I deduce that his new dream got “crushed”. But what was his new wish? To work with doc Dan! Thus he assisted him and asked for his opinion. He trusted him blindly. Therefore I have the impression that the physical therapist stopped on his own working for Team Black. However, I don’t think, Kim Dan made this choice himself. The news definitely caught the athlete by surprise. 
(chapter 52) Either he is sick, or it could be a reference to the doctor’s mental health as well. This would mirror the champion’s unwell-being. 
(chapter 10) Let’s not forget that after his first night, the doctor numbed his physical pain with soju, while he was not eating properly. 
(chapter 5) He would spend money for soju, but not for healthy food. Not even his grandmother was aware of this habit. But by living with the champion, he could no longer live like in the past. He had stopped drinking any alcohol, but notice that it changed after the drug incident. He was encouraged to drink again: 
(chapter 43) The champion represented the doctor’s motivation and as such “sweet drug”. That’s the reason why he could always overcome the pain afflicted by his soulmate: 
(chapter 47) 
(chapter 51) And this brings me to my next observation. All the episodes are showing the champion’s weak mental condition which got even worse over time. From this 
(chapter 7) to this 
(chapter 34) and to this: 
(chapter 34) Though the celebrity was getting easily irritated, the manager never took the matter seriously. He saw it as the result of bad education, hence he never tried to change it either. 
(chapter 9) Therefore he portrayed him as a maniac. So why is he requesting the return of the physical therapist? One reason is that he can’t deal with the celebrity’s negative emotions. Secondly, he needs Kim Dan so that the latter can be fit within 90 days!! Yes… Joo Jaekyung got suspended, hence he can no longer fight. But as soon as the suspension is over, there’s no doubt that the coach plans to send him back to the scene. Hence his gratitude 
(chapter 43) 
(chapter 43) and care are not selfless, for the PT could improve the celebrity’s performance and even treat his shoulder injury in such a short time. However, what Park Namwook is not realizing is that he is becoming responsible for Kim Dan and his return. 
34 and 52) is not the expression of fun, rather it indicates fear, frustration and anger. In episode 25, the maknae wounded the doctor out of jealousy and frustration unconsciously. He wished to be close to the celebrity. Interesting is that chapter 43 represents the true exception. Here, the readers could discover the champion’s true face: he was behaving like a brute and thug 
(chapter 43) 
(chapter 43) Yet, his words were just empty threats. And what have episode 25 and 43 in common? Fun and learning. 
(chapter 43) To say that the athlete always has a bad temper 
(chapter 52) is simply wrong, for it is not representing the truth. The birthday party is the evidence of their lie. And the fact that the fighters went to the same place than for the birthday party exposes the deception from the ex-members. 
(chapter 25) Why? It is because the doctor protected him by explaining the circumstances: he was learning jujitsu. He diverted the champion’s attention from Yoon-Gu. He had not been “caught”. However, when Kim Dan was offered to become the celebrity’s sparring partner, Potato got angry and voiced his anger and wish: 
(chapter 52) And what had happened to Potato, when he yelled at Joo Jaekyung? Nothing… the champion only paid attention to his soulmate, while Kim Dan saw his disappointment which pushed him to accept the challenge. 
(chapter 26) 
(chapter 34) He employed the exact expression than the manager, an indication that the latter had influenced the actor. I consider his thoughts as another evidence for the coach’s intervention. However, he couldn’t report it to Park Namwook, for he had used work as a reason to meet the protagonist. On the other hand, I am quite certain that he divulged the incident to Potato in episode 43, therefore the latter agreed to the statement of the other fighters: he was a thug. 
(chapter 47) Chapter 52 contrasts to all the previous scenes, for this time, the champion got caught and sentenced. 
(chapter 52) They got scot-free. While it looks like a blessing, it is not because contrary to the past, police got involved. Coach Jeong Yosep reported the incident to the authorities, so Choi Gilseok and the other could get arrested for money laundering. 
(chapter 1) His bad temper is the reason for that incident. Funny is that by admitting this, he is not realizing his own wrongdoing! He neglected the champion’s mental health and his well-being all this time. He never tried to grasp the origins of his irritability and to improve the situation. So it was only a matter of time, until this would come to the surface! To conclude, though number 7 is strongly connected to suffering, it also stands for education and teaching. Thus as time passes on, the characters are getting enlightened and more complete. Little by little, they are getting closer to the divine: the discovery of hope and as such happiness. For me, the protagonists’ main spiritual growth will take place around the episodes 70-79.
(chapter 49) Under this new light, my inquisitive readers can understand the title of this composition. My focus will be the infamous sportsman and his interactions with the main lead, in the past and present. Consequently, the composition will contain theories about the champion’s past. Nevertheless, since I am examining the present, it signifies that I will explain Baek Junmin’s role in the new scheme too. So who is Baek Junmin in the end? In the essay “
(chapter 49) Yet I couldn’t help myself seeing in the following image glimpses of purple (around the eyes). 
(chapter 49) Interesting is that this color is also associated with death.
(chapter 49) It exposes his duplicity. Because of his sobriquet and his color, I assume that the schemers consider the boxer as a weapon. His role is to kill the Emperor, and probably in one blow. He is the executioner of the invincible legend. It should be a quick, merciless “death”. From that fight, Baek Junmin has to ensure that Joo Jaekyung can never come back to the ring. How is it possible? 
(chapter 49) It is because they know about his injured shoulder. That’s the reason why Baek Junmin is patting him on his left shoulder. Remember what the sports doctor told to the physical therapist: 
(chapter 42) He was on the verge of getting surgery. Besides, it is important what the manager suggested to his “boy”: 
(chapter 47) He should make the fight last in order to tire his opponent out. So the plotters thought that during the fight, Joo Jaekyung would ask for a relief spray on his injured shoulder. That would be the end for him. Kim Dan would even deliver him the victory on a silver plate. He would be framed as an anti-fan. The irony is that Kim Dan could heal his VIP client within a short time. Here, the champion looks relaxed and not concerned with his shoulder. 
(chapter 49) Here, he is almost smiling. He was telling the truth, when he said that he was fine contrary to the States. 
(chapter 40) I would like the difference between the two statements. He is now utilizing the personal pronoun “I” and not “it’s”. It indicates that the champion’s condition is good. But now let’s return our attention to The Shotgun”
(chapter 49) He has now taken over the manager’s place. This reflects the doctor’s rising within Team Black. At the same time, this expression lets us perceive the role of Baek Junmin at King Of MMA gym. He is the protector of Choi Gilseok, the “old man”. On the other hand, his position also insinuates his passivity, as he is not the driver, like here. 
(chapter 42) In my eyes, it reflects his laziness. He lets other people do the dirty tricks, like we could observe it with the incident in the locker room. 
(chapter 49) The director had to suffer a great humiliation for this trick, while a helping hand had to switch the spray. For me, the expression “The Shotgun” displays the inaction from Baek Junmin. He was catapulted to the top thanks to the assistance of others: Mr Choi thanks to his money and connections with the media and with the CEO of MFC. Then the members from his gym had to gathered intel about his opponents. This was truly palpable in the description from the moderator. 
(chapter 47) Where did I find the evidence for this? It is because Seok (from Gilseok) can signify “brass”! As you can see, thanks to two different notions “shotgun”, I could give a better portrait of the fake star. But this is far from being finished. Funny is that “Shotgun ” can also refer to a position in American football.
(chapter 49) It was, as if the team of King of MMA had scored a goal by bringing the pepper spray to the other side and switching it with the relief spray. 
(chapter 49) And what is the common denominator between the meaning “firearm” and “American football position”? Attack! But there’s more to it. As adjective, “shotgun” is indicating coercion and duress. And this corresponds to Choi Gilseok and Baek Junmin’s tactics. The director tried to put the physical therapist under pressure, when he met him in the café: 
(chapter 48) For that, he utilized the grandmother. I feel the need to add here that this scene confirmed my previous interpretation about Baek Junmin and Shin Okja. [For more read 
(chapter 49) By meeting Kim Dan there, 
(chapter 49) he tried to sow seeds of doubt and even discord between the couple. It was to give the impression, they were working together. But the champion didn’t fall for it. The reason is that his fated partner was able to heal his injured shoulder. As a hypocrite and arrogant fighter, he utilized his small talk to threaten Joo Jaekyung. 
(chapter 49) Interesting is that “shotgun” can also refer to a flat. 
(chapter 10)
(chapter 10), exposing his abandonment issues, the other looked down first on the physical therapist 
(chapter 10) The problem is that the doctor couldn’t remember this scene due to his drunkenness. This scene leads us to another meaning of Shotgun.
(chapter 31) And this leads me to the following theory that Baek Junmin’s sin towards Joo Jaekyung was linked to drugs. Don’t forget that Mr. Choi is himself symbolizing “drug” due this image: 
(chapter 48) And both are working together. My hypothesis is that Baek Junmin was involved in drugging the athlete. The sportsman admitted that The Shotgun had schemed against him. 
(chapter 49) This would explain why Joo Jaekyung would never join the team’s dinner and why he reacted that way, when he drank a glass of soju: 
(chapter 6), when Kim Dan had accepted the deal from the main lead. The erected phallus looks like a weapon and Kim Dan also made the connection, when he saw his huge anaconda with the sex toy: 
(Chapter 12) The idiom “shotgun sex” suggests a situation where sexual intercourse occurs hastily and impulsively. It has nothing to do with love and warmth. It is something done quickly or without much forethought, which corresponds to the scene in chapter 6. 
(chapter 6) And what do we see here? Submission! 
(chapter 17) Don’t forget that during that night, the soju was present as well. 
(chapter 17) Because of his nickname and the reflections from episode 10 and 17, I deduce that Baek Junmin was present, but he didn’t help the athlete. He turned a blind eye to the situation. 
(chapter 49) In other words, he didn’t behave like a hero contrary to Joo Jaekyung. I can’t help myself thinking of this scene: 
(chapter 49) He usually takes a shower in the morning, however this scene took place in the evening. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible as well why Joo Jaekyung couldn’t remember the criminal 
(chapter 49). It is related to a painful but short experience which scarred the athlete’s heart and soul.
(chapter 49) It is because the latter had repressed his traumatic past. The other reason he didn’t remember him is that the latter had betrayed him. He was not worthy of being remembered and being noticed. Would you remember a poser and coward? No, not really. In my opinion, Baek Junmin stands for immaturity, betrayal, irresponsibility and false manhood.
(chapter 6) He brought him upon himself. He shouldn’t have drunk or taken drugs, he shouldn’t have been weak, he shouldn’t have been there that night… I see his statement there as an evidence for manipulations
(chapter 18) If they are criminals, then the authorities should be informed, because the latter need to stop them, to make things worse for them. It was, as if he was advocating loansharking, though it is illegal. One might argue about this theory, for I deduced it simply from the name The Shotgun and its different reflections. However, Mingwa left us two other clues for this hypothesis.
(chapter 49) He never loses! He sounded so confident and sure. His words contrast to his confession in his bedroom: 
(chapter 20) But contrary to the physical therapist, the champion had never denied the existence of his body. He didn’t need to look at his reflection to see any change. The pondering was triggered by The Shotgun’s words. Baek Junmin saw the protagonist in a different light: weak and pitiful. 
(chapter 49) and not looking at his own reflection. Here we were witnessing the birth of the champion’s third eye. In addition, this scene corresponds to the one in episode 3: 
(chapter 3) As you can see, the moment you connect these two scenes, it becomes clear that there was no sex. In episode 3, the doctor was fetched and had to have sex, while in episode 49, the PT waited for a signal from his boss, but it never came. Furthermore, the bathroom is the only place where the athlete doesn’t bring his cellphone! And the latter represents a huge hindrance to his meditation, like Jin-philes could observe it in chapter 35: 
(chapter 35) But there is more to it. The departure from the restroom corresponds to the doctor’s realization at the hospital.
Gradually, Kim Dan came to accept the truth: his grandmother couldn’t keep her promise, as she would never recover from her illness. He went on his knees, too devastated by the terrible news. However, he didn’t question the doctor’s action and behavior. Nonetheless, he was able to move on. He was forced to mature and become more independent. 
(chapter 49) without getting disturbed. But don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that the athlete was weeping. What I meant is that he was admitting the existence of his pain and suffering. This represents an important step to treat his own body with kindness. 
(chapter 28) Because of this special day and night, Kim Dan came to accept sex and sensuality in his life. 
(chapter 36) As you can see, all the scenes reflecting the bathroom scene in episode 49 contain SEX. Hence I see it as another evidence that the sex during that night had a different meaning: it was more a habit than a real need. And don’t forget that in the States, he had already complained about the timing. 
(chapter 39) He didn’t feel like “fucking” and it must have been the same during that night before the match. And if he had been sexually assaulted, anyone would comprehend why he didn’t feel any desire. Under this new light, Manhwaworms can understand why the title is “Embracing change”. 
The star is gradually dropping his old belief. He is one step closer to realize that he is not jinxed, he is strong enough to win the next fight. My avid readers should keep in their mind that when the couple argued on his birthday
(chapter 45), he never brought up the jinx, a sign that he was already forgetting his old principles. This match represents a turning point in the athlete’s life, for from that moment on, he will perceive fighting differently. He is no longer pushed to take any challenge, for deep down, he felt that he was still weak and vulnerable. He was still trapped in the past.
(chapter 49) which was used for the sex session at the gym. 
(chapter 24) Moreover, he even took an ointment in case his anus would tear, for they didn’t have sex for a long time. 
(chapter 49) But Baek Junmin was not alone in this. Due to his traumatic past, Joo Jaekyung came to resent and mistrust humans, for he never got the chance to get justice from his tormentors. That’s the reason why he rejected social norms. As time passed on, he repressed the incident and buried the identity of the persons responsible for his wounds, whereas his pain couldn’t vanish. Hence he was still boiling inside and his anger was directed at anyone. It would come to the surface at the slightest provocation or rejection. That’s why he was still trapped in the past. He had the impression, he could get assaulted at any time. Therefore he needed to prove his strength. And this brings me back to the whispered confession: 
(chapter 37) When the athlete saw the doctor’s reaction, the latter was looking away, 
(chapter 37) the VIP client got so angry that he sent Kim Dan away. And now, take a closer look to this image. 
(chapter 49) The characters are placed in the same position. The comparison between these two scenes reinforces my hypothesis that Baek Junmin mocked Joo Jaekyung, resented him and refused to help the younger fighter back then, as Kim Dan was looking away. On the other hand, by using the expression “baby” in English, Jinx-philes could sense parallels with the fight with Randy Booker. 
(Chapter 47) The names are in the middle indicating that they won’t be able to switch places. The line represents the boundary which the fighters can not cross. In addition, the color was already implying anger, but also energy and action.. In my previous analysis about the poster 
(chapter 49) On the other side, this match has another signification for The Shotgun. How so? It is because he needs to win. He claimed that he would take away his belt. He believes that since Choi Gilseok paid a lot of money, he bet on his victory. Besides, the director of the gym even got humiliated himself. However, he is deluding himself, for he was just a tool to ruin the Emperor. A shotgun is an firearm and as such it is dispensable. Furthermore, this panel displays Junmin’s jealousy towards the celebrity. 
(chapter 49), whereas The Shotgun was relegated to fight in the shadow! He was fighting in the underground fighting ring, but since it was illegal, he couldn’t become famous and rich. He couldn’t be exposed to the spotlight. This shows that deep down, Baek Junmin was also trapped in the past. He came to resent the protagonist, for the latter had been able to rise the ranks. That’s why he couldn’t forget him contrary to the celebrity. The latter was not only successful professionally, but also admired as a hero. It looked like he had been able to move on from the past, whereas for The Shotgun, it was the exact opposite. He became more and more involved in crimes. Don’t forget that he is helping the director from the King of MMA gym to launder money. Thus I deduce that Baek Junmin is underestimating his opponent. 
(chapter 51) they had never planned to turn the new comer into a champion, people would have questioned the outcome. The real intention was to tarnish the champion’s reputation, to isolate him, to make him lose his stans. And they almost achieved it. Baek Junmin never realized his true position. He was just a middle-man, a hit-man that they would discard right after his “victory”. Hence he is no longer in the media, because his name is now linked with the incident with the switched spray. 
(chapter 22) It shows that ring does not necessarily possess a negative connotation. To conclude, ring is a reference to marriage (Kim Dan will become the champion’s official partner), to the MMA arena, to Team Black, but also to Mafia. We had an allusion to criminality during the sparring 
(chapter 26) and when the champion discovered the loan shark and his minions on the verge of raping Kim Dan. 
Why? It is because the characters are acting like fighters. At bottom left, the doctor’s embrace resembles a lot to the one he used during the sparring (see the image in the middle). Their gestures are sudden and quite abrupt, which contrasts to the image on the right bottom. The kiss from the doctor holding Joo Jaekyung’s face represents the exception from all the selected panels. This shows that this Summer Night’s Dream indicates a huge transition in the sex sessions. But let’s return our attention to the images illustrating roughness. Right from the start I detected a strong connection between fighting and sex. [For more read 
(chapter 14) 
(chapter 36)
(chapter 29)
(chapter 15) This means that if the fighter is on his own. He can not rely on others. If he is not able to return without the assistance of spectators or his seconds, he is declared as defeated. So we could say that any interruption is condemned, as it is ruining the flow of the fight.
(chapter 15) Funny is that conversation is permitted, yet mouth gear hinders the fighters to talk. Should they remove it constantly, the referee can judge it as a violation (“Timidity”), for the fighters can not fight, as long as they don’t wear the mouthpiece. This signifies that the sportsmen are encouraged to express their thoughts through the hands. 
(chapter 15) 
(chapter 41) To conclude, while MMA fighting is a work, it is strongly intertwined with pleasure and entertainment. Their fight is witnessed by spectators in the arena or on TV. 
(chapter 12). The absence of kisses and caresses can be explained with the presence of mouthpiece and hand wraps in the ring. Moreover, in the arena, there is no warning up, therefore we have the explanation why the champion never included foreplay. On the other hand, the fellatio was used as the symbol for submission. The rival was always brought to his knees.
(chapter 39) I would even add that the opponent’s challenge was to overcome the long intercourse. I doubt that he gave his past partners a break while having sex. 
(chapter 39) At the same time, it explains why the champion didn’t take the partner’s pleasure into consideration. It was a battle in bed, which was led by the protagonist. The latter was not only acting as MMA, but also as arbiter and MFC matchmaker. With his money, he could determine the time, the location and the duration.
(chapter 5) Their gestures were seductive, a sign that they were not fearing the champion. The challenge was here the difference of weight. On the other hand, by approaching Joo Jaekyung, they looked confident about their skills. That’s the reason why he would have sex with them, until they passed out. 
(chapter 33) He was testing their stamina and as such he desired to demonstrate his superiority. He had to make them KO in bed. However, the green-haired uke represented an exception, because he managed not to pass out. That’s how he became the athlete’s regular partner. 
(chapter 2) This means that Joo Jaekyung failed to defeat this competitor in bed. This explicates why the “goblin” came to look down on the star. In fact, he realized that he had the upper hand. 
(chapter 42) That’s the reason why he no longer put any effort in this relationship. There was a certain balance, but it was based on money. That’s how it dawned on me why Mingwa included this memory in the champion’s narration: 
(chapter 1) 
(chapter 4) 
(chapter 8) 
(chapter 12) 
(chapter 36) 
(chapter 39). As Jinx-philes could observe, till the night in the States, the champion privileged to have sex from behind. How do we explain the difference and when did this change occur? 
(chapter 2) The champion’s ecstasy served as a measurement to view himself as victorious. This statement implies that he was not only the fighter, but also the arbiter. This corroborates my previous statement. During sex, he was the fighter and the referee. He acted as the MFC matchmaker.
(chapter 43) In my opinion, during that night 
(chapter 2) The goblin might have not voiced his thoughts to the celebrity before, but Joo Jaekyung could perceive his soul through the gaze and facial expressions. Hence the star’s domination was quite superficial. In fact, as time passed on, the athlete could only get bored of the goblin. 
(chapter 42) It is because there was no challenge. The guy was accustomed to the champion’s roughness. Hence he never feared the star. He could only judge him as weak. Because Joo Jaekyung was missing the thrill, he came to look for the “wimp”! On the one hand, the latter would treat him with respect
(chapter 1), on the other hand, he would cry and tremble in his presence. Then right after the session, he left the room in a hurry. 
(chapter 1) That’s how I realized why during that night, the champion felt the need to call Kim Dan. 
(chapter 1) It is because the “hamster” had not only feared him 
(chapter 21) Then after facing Heesung, he stopped the intercourse too, 
(chapter 35) indicating that little by little, the champion’s mind-set was changing. At the same time, it exposes his hypocrisy. But why is he forced to accept the change of flow? It is because life is trying to teach the champion that he is not god, he is not the owner of time. This explicates why the star couldn’t determine the start of their “Wedding Night”, the doctor’s suggestion represented a new challenge. 
(chapter 3) He was defying the champion’s authority. 
(chapter 3) Despite his fear, the hamster wouldn’t become submissive like the others. While the green-haired uke faked submission and the others got defeated by KO, Kim Dan remained true to himself. He embodies honesty and modesty, the opposite values of the “goblin”.
(chapter 4) That’s the reason why the two main leads were sleeping under the cover. This explicates why he selected the doctor as his definitive partner. I also discovered another infringement during the “Wedding Night”: the champion refused to wear any protection during sex.
(chapter 2) Let’s not forget that during a match, they are supposed wear a sex gear. Interesting is that he grabbed the doctor by the hair 
(chapter 4). It is important, as it represents a real transgression of MMA rules indicating how powerful the doctor was. The champion needed to break rules in order to get him. Funny is that he thought that after such a long night, he had been able to submit the cute hamster, but he was totally wrong. The latter chose to ignore him. 
(chapter 5) It was, as if he was hiding from him. What caught my attention is that while he tried to get in touch with the physical therapist, he called MFC Match Manager at some point. Why? I believe that he had planned that after his huge success to organize another match very soon. As you can see, the intervention of Saturn, the god of time, taught the champion through the hard way, he was no real MFC Matchmaker. By refusing to answer his calls, Kim Dan was the one determining the time. 
(chapter 6) Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the athlete offered this deal to the physical therapist: 
(chapter 6) He was trying to regain the upper hand in their relationship. He wished to keep his position as the owner of time. But the problem is that despite this contract, he wasn’t able to control Kim Dan. The latter chose to approach Kim Changmin 
(chapter 7), while he kept his distance from the champion. This scene made him realize that he was still powerless. 
(chapter 29)
(chapter 12) or having sex in front of a mirror 
(chapter 20) or anal masturbation in a car 
(chapter 32) I could mention other defies linked to sexuality, having sex without getting noticed, either in the shower room 
(chapter 8) or during a phone call 
(chapter 24). Then we have this bet concerning the doctor’s sensitivity. 
(chapter 29), thus the champion tried an experiment: 
(chapter 29) Furthermore, notice that each time they had sex, the doctor was pressured to have sex with the champion. Kim Dan felt that he could never refuse. 
(chapter 12) On the other hand, the athlete always met some resistance 
(chapter 27) Kim Dan would never agree to the champion’s requests immediately. They would fight about the time, location and position. Furthermore, note that Kim Dan went so far to punch the protagonist: 
(chapter 12) With his words, he was telling the sportsman that he was a terrible lover. He denied any admiration for him. And since sex is a synonym for wrestling in Joo Jaekyung’s eyes, doc Dan’s declaration signified that his title as champion was questioned. Though the champion came to enjoy their intercourse 
(chapter 12), it was short-lived, as the doctor fainted after one round. 
(chapter 27) He rejected the suggestion from the champion. As Jinx-philes can detect, the sparring affected their relationship. However, the notion of consent represented more an exception than a habit. Thus I consider the scene in chapter 44 as a real turning point in their relationship. 
(chapter 44) Why? It is because this sex session will have an impact in their work, MMA. During that night, they became real fuck buddies. Sex was not related to work and fighting. But why did the notion come to the surface for the sparring? It is because MMA fight consists of challenges, which implies consent. Striking is that so far the champion never rejected a challenge. Yes, Joo Jaekyung was put in the same situation than Kim Dan in the end, but the one putting under pressure was the MFC Matchmaker and naturally the agent from Entertainment agency. Don’t forget that both are earning money thanks to events. And how did the champion got convinced by them? “You think, you can do it?” With their words, they doubted his talents 
(chapter 36) or questioned his title: 
(chapter 36) The protagonist has the impression that his masculinity and strength were questioned. Hence he could not refuse.This explains why he was in such a bad mood and looked unhappy. 
(chapter 41) He is treated like a doll, but he is not realizing the manipulation. How can he, when Park Namwook is not detecting it either? Under this new light, Jinx-philes can grasp the real root of the argument in the car. 
(grabbing the groins is forbidden). To conclude, the doctor is there to teach the champion to distinguish between love and fighting. This explicates why the physical therapist embodies violation of MMA rules. We have the perfect example in this scene: 
(chapter 40) This explicates why he was willing to risk his life for his sick grandmother.
(chapter 44) By taking the initiative, the physical therapist is teaching his “mentor” how to express love. Interesting is that during that scene, the athlete remained passive. It displays his consent and trust towards the doctor. He knows that the latter won’t hurt him. That’s how I realized that the kisses are strongly connected to consent. Let’s not forget that when Joo Jaekyung smooched the hamster for the first time, he took him by surprise. Because the latter felt uncomfortable, he made the following request: 
(chapter 14) Then it was out of desire 
(chapter 24) and out of excitement and attraction. 
(chapter 15) In chapter 24, first it was from behind, but then it changed, as the star desired to see the hamster‘s erected phallus. 
(chapter 24) He wanted to make sure that the doctor would enjoy this break. Yet, what caught my attention is that in chapter 39, Kim Dan initiated the kisses and embraces, because this is what he likes. 
(chapter 31) That’s how I recognized the huge importance of this scene: 
(chapter 32) Joo Jaekyung entrusted his neck to the doctor. The latter stroke it for a long time. And now, you comprehend the initial hesitation from Joo Jaekyung in the hotel room: 
(chapter 44) He felt safe. This explicates why he could fall asleep so easily.
(chapter 44) contrasts so much to this one: 
(chapter 44), though the doctor had not sex in mind at all. He brought him there to rest. However, the presence of fighting has not vanished totally in episode 44: 
(chapter 44). Joo Jaekyung still provoked his lover 
(chapter 44), but the latter was able to reject his defy by asking a question. One might think that he did that out of habit. On the other hand, I believe that Joo Jaekyung doesn’t know his partner that well, hence he is bothered. He can never predict his actions and decisions. He was definitely worried about his recent change of behavior too. Moreover, note that Kim Dan was the one leading the intercourse, for he determined the time flow: 
(Chapter 44) 
(chapter 44) It shows that the power is shifting, Kim Dan is slwoly getting the upper hand in their relationship. He can control time and place. 
(chapter 44) This means that the connection between sex and fighting is vanishing. The sportsman can actually realize that sex is leisure and resting. He had made such a suggestion in the past 
(chapter 27) But he got rejected by Kim Dan back then, because the physical therapist considered sexuality as shameful. As you can see, the doctor’s actions are changing the champion’s perception of sex. It is no longer fighting, but resting. On the other hand, the doctor can seize the occasion to express his love through his caresses and kisses. At the same time, he could use it as a treatment for his insomnia.
(chapter 4) 
(chapter 10)
(chapter 42) 
(chapter 42) Interesting is that the champion was also thinking a lot about the main lead, as the latter was worried by his exhaustion and his lack of appetite. 
(chapter 40) It is important that he brings the members closer together, as there is an enemy in the shadow: the Mafia.
(chapter 44) See the contrast to the night on the couch: 
(chapter 29) Contrary to the past 
(chapter 4) Joo Jaekyung is not hiding his pleasure. He is moaning loudly, as he has his mouth wide open. It exposes once again the increasing trust in Kim Dan. He no longer mistrusts him, in his eyes, he is no longer a prostitute. That’s how the doctor won the champion’ s heart. Now, his heart is truly beating for the doctor. Little by little, the hamster is taming the wolf. The latter needs to recognize that by loving the doctor, he will become powerful.
(chapter 36) Mingwa is here criticizing the attitude of netizens writing hateful and gloating comments behind anonymity. This is no coincidence that since certain BL-readers came to hate this character, they start transferring their resent towards the author or Jinx-philes. If the latter like Joo Jaekyung, they must be deranged or they are advocating rape or violence. They are confusing fiction and reality. However, the purpose of stories or fairy tales is to reflect and internalize life lessons. And now, you are wondering what Mingwa has planned for the champion. For me, chapter 37 was important, because it outlines the champion’s flaws which are linked to his mindset. He can only change through tough life lessons. 
(chapter 37) He embodies the positive reflection of Kim Dan. The latter lacks experiences and proper guidance. Besides, when the physical therapist makes decisions
(chapter 15) 
(chapter 22), 
(chapter 35), he often changes his mind. He doesn’t stick to them. Why? It is because he listens to others. Consequently, he doesn’t appear as a competent physical therapist. This signifies that the champion is the exact opposite. Once he makes his choice, he won’t change his mind. Therefore he can only appear as stubborn and selfish. Consequently, one of his previous lessons was to listen to Cheolmin and accept his advices concerning his sex life. 
(chapter 13) Notice that there was no scandal after this incident. So since Kim Dan drank a drug
(chapter 37), Joo Jaekyung is now incited to listen to Oh Daehyun and Potato, and as such to trust them. He needs to figure out how the physical therapist got poisoned. 
(chapter 37) 
(chapter 37) 
(chapter 37) One might reply that he needs to respect people. In other words, he has no notion of politeness. He behaves like a tyrant outside the ring. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget his nickname: “Emperor”. 
(chapter 14) Thus I deduce that the champion is making no distinction between inside the ring and outside the ring. 
(chapter 1) This signifies that he views life like a fight which never ends. This would explicate why Joo Jaekyung can never relax. 
(chapter 1) Why should he restrain himself, when his life and career are always on the line? If he were to lose during the sparring, he imagined that people would question his talents or position. For him, sparring was a synonym for fighting and not playing! This explicates why he is not resting in the end. 
(chapter 29) Under this new light, the Manhwa lovers can comprehend why the champion refused to invite the members from Team Black to his penthouse. 
(chapter 27) This let him reconnect to his past and how he liked swimming. Moreover, we have the best example for “life is a game” in chapter 26. 
(chapter 26) He had fun here with Kim Dan, he was restraining his strength. Therefore it is not surprising that after his defeat, he had no problem to accept Potato as his sparring partner!! 
(chapter 26) And because life is like a battle for him, it is not surprising that Joo Jaekyung is not capable to say 
(chapter 37) the doctor’s reaction. He is feeling for him. 
(chapter 37) Consequently, it is not surprising that Joo Jaekyung is not complimenting the doctor either. The former is not receiving encouragements and support from his hyungs. In the ring, the fighters are silent too. 
(chapter 9) 
(chapter 18) 
(chapter 21) 
(chapter 22) 
(chapter 37) The champion is never eating with others!! He is not sharing his meals to others. This signifies that he has no notion of a family dinner. This was perceptible in this scene as well. 
(chapter 13) Joo Jaekyung had prepared two plates, but in South Korea the tradition is to put all the dishes in the middle of the table, and people take bits from the plates, like at the restaurant. 
(chapter 9) This is important, because once again, it outlines the coaches’ flaw or bad decision. Neither Yosep nor Namwook tried to convince Joo Jaekyung to assist to the meals. I am quite certain that his abstinence 
(chapter 9) and the argument “he never messes with his weight” 
(chapter 36) were used as excuses not to intervene. I am not saying that these two hyungs had bad intentions or excluded him on purpose. It is just that they simply didn’t bother. They could say that he wouldn’t listen anyway. 
(chapter 27) So why bother to invite him? Moreover, if he were present, he would represent a source of trouble. Under this light, it becomes comprehensible why he had to use the company card for his appearance. 
(chapter 9) But this interpretation exposes the hyungs’ hypocrisy. They are not truly caring for the athlete. The irony is that in the same chapter, the champion “shared” his drink with the doctor. 
(chapter 37) Consequently, Team Black has now an interest to investigate the matter, for this could happen to the other fighters. Thus I conclude that Joo Jaekyung will learn to share Kim Dan. However, he needs to differentiate between private and professional life. And that’s how his obsession for the physical therapist will become visible. Little by little, the physical therapist will change the atmosphere at Team Black’s. We could see this through Heesung’s meddling. 
(chapter 31) Thanks to Kim Dan, the fighters’ life improved. 
(chapter 8) Interesting is that each time, Kim Dan was focused on others, he took the initiative to approach them.
(chapter 7) He would even talk to them. 
(chapter 30) As you can see, I see a strong link between sharing and communication. Why? It is because conversing is sharing thoughts. 
(chapter 2) 
(chapter 34), it symbolizes that he was willing to share his home to someone. This is no coincidence that later, he proposed to Kim Dan to live with him. Thus I deduce that Heesung will also become Joo Jaekyung’s real friend, as he had been invited to enter his penthouse. 
(chapter 37) In reality, he was feeling lonely, and probably hungry. Then he suddenly smelled the ramen , 
(chapter 37) which could only make him feel more excluded. But the final straw was, when he heard that Kim Dan was having fun with the others. Not only he was not sleeping like usually, but also he had decided to chat with Potato and Oh Daehyun. 
(chapter 29) He had not been seeking his company. Thus I deduce that he got envious of the chow chow and the eagle! This was the reflection of the doctor’s thoughts. 
(chapter 37) Moreover, it is important to recall that each time Kim Dan spent time with his partner, he would often fall asleep so easily or sleep for a long time. 
(chapter 12) 
(chapter 37) As you can see, this episode exposes the lack of communication between the couple. Why? It is because both are relying on Park Nawmook. 
(chapter 37) This panel exposes the tyrant Park Namwook who is drawing an invisible line between the athlete and the members. This means that the coach has the same impact on the protagonist’s life than the grandmother on her grandchild! Both ended up without friends due to the surrogate parent. I have long portrayed the athlete as a mirror of truth, and the best evidence is the halmoni. 
(chapter 21) Joo Jaekyung was gentle and well-mannered, because the grandmother was nice and polite to him. But we all know that the athlete is not a hypocrite. 
(chapter 36) Therefore it is not surprising that Kim Dan was no longer seeking his company or was distancing more and more from him. And now, the legend is confronted with reality. Kim Dan is not an object, for he is now sick. 
(chapter 11) He exposed his vulnerability to the protagonist. Then the grandmother gave him one yoghurt. 
(chapter 13) Both scenes are the perfect illustrations for sharing is caring. Thus I deduce that this “family dinner” was fake 
(chapter 37) He remained silent contrary to episode 1. It is not just Park Namwook’s task to compliment him. However, as long as he doesn’t give any feedback to the insecure physical therapist, the latter won’t open up to him. Why does Kim Dan feel close to Potato and Oh Daehyun? It is because they are sharing their thoughts and emotions. But why is it so important for the champion to share the doctor? It is because through him, the doctor can get recognition and advance in his career. If he secludes him, Kim Dan is bound to make no progress. That’s the reason why I consider Joo Jaekyung’s intervention here as inappropriate. 
(chapter 31) It was not his place to decide for the main lead. Kim Dan could have had another client, even though it was just an excuse. 
(chapter 31) Because he treated Kim Dan like an underling, he received the same treatment later. He was not allowed to defend himself 
(chapter 37) and as such his vulnerability. In my eyes, this will move his heart… exactly like in that scene. 
(chapter 21) In other words, the champion has to recognize that all his actions have consequences. As long as he is not treating Kim Dan properly, he is doomed to suffer and as such face adversity. But this perception is also valuable for the doctor. As long as he neglects his job due to his low self-esteem, he is fated to be treated like an errand boy. To sum up, both characters have to recognize their own flaws and misbehavior. Furthermore, I deduce that as long as Joo Jaekyung doesn’t expose his true position within the company in front of Park Namwook, he is bound to be treated like a prize. To conclude, Joo Jaekyung needs to confront his hyungs for their negligence. How come that they let Kim Dan fetch the drink and no one questioned its origins? Why was Yosep Jeong on the phone? 
(chapter 37) In my opinion, the coach is not involved in the conspiracy, for it looks like Mingwa has no intention to turn the members into bad guys. Nevertheless, this man was not talking to his wife, for the latter had blocked him. This raises the question. Who was he talking to? I have the feeling, that the person on the other side of the phone must have involved in the scheme in order to distract Jeong Yosep: MFC manager or the agent from the entertainment company? 
(Chapter 37) Finally, this panel 
(chapter 37) So don’t give up hope! Joo Jaekyung still has his own merits.
(chapter 12) Like I had elaborated in a previous essay, in the last image, Joo Jaekyung’s phallus appeared so big, for this represented the doctor’s perception. Hence he compared it to a weapon. That’s the reason why I believe that 
(chapter 32), a character from BJ Alex who is promoting BDSM. However, the purpose of BDSM is not to be cruel or violent towards the partner. It is an act. The “pain” is supposed to bring pleasure. On the other hand, the first condition for BDSM is consent. And now, if you look at the situation in the car, you will realize that the car is still in the garage. Joo Jaekyung is not driving. This means that Kim Dan still has the power to refuse. He could leave the car. Besides, the gift is related to the champion’s service: he would bring him to Heesung’s house with his car. 
(chapter 32) As you can see, if the athlete is not giving him the ride, Kim Dan is not obliged to follow his request. Besides, contrary to episode 11, the physical therapist is not cornered. The loan was paid off and now, he is able to afford the hospital bills for his halmoni. To conclude, Kim Dan has the right and even the means to say NO! Nevertheless, Joo Jaekyung didn’t just buy a dildo, he even ordered a carton full of sex toys!! 
. (chapter 13) 
(chapter 27) But more importantly is that chapter 32 took place on a Saturday exactly like in episode 27-28-29! 
(chapter 32) Back then, the fighter had taken a day-off! The doctor had been tasked to keep the champion’s company. He was responsible for his day-off. 
(chapter 27) This signifies that back then, the gentle doctor had been “working”, entertaining his boss and client. However, what caught my attention is that during that Saturday, the author never leaked any information about the time. 
(chapter 27) Since the champion was drinking his glass of milk, it was in the morning, for it is his “breakfast”. But when did he drink it exactly? Moreover, how long did they play board games? 
(chapter 27) When did Kim Dan fall asleep? 
(chapter 27) or the night sky 
. (chapter 29). This stands in opposition to episode 32, where Mingwa created 3 panels with a time clock: 
(chapter 32) My first assumption was that the actor and Kim Dan had spent 2 and half hours maximum together. I am counting minimum 30 minutes for the doctor’s return to the penthouse. On the other hand, observe what Choi Heesung said to the main lead. He had no problem to wait for one or two hours. 
(chapter 32) That’s the amount of time they had already spent together: around 2 hours. The final clue for this is the time Kim Dan spent on Joo Jaekyung’s treatment: 
(chapter 32) The athlete was drinking his glass of milk at 11.30 am!! 
(chapter 32) That’s quite late! Besides, don’t forget the athlete’s previous habit. He would often wake up the physical therapist because of his training. 
(chapter 4) 
(chapter 12) He changed his MO, the moment Kim Dan started living with him. Besides, on the first champion’s day-off, he waited for the physical therapist too. 
(chapter 27) It indicates that it is in the morning. The other evidence for this is the position of the sun in episode 32.. 
(chapter 32) It stands on the opposite side. Moreover, since the sun is going around 4.30 pm,
(chapter 27) Real shopping 
(chapter 32) versus online shopping. 
(chapter 32) Certain Manhwalovers were always wondering why the sportsman would often stare at his cellphone. The other evidence is that the champion used the cellphone to “buy” Kim Dan! 
(chapter 32) The latter had remained silent, but his silence didn’t mean consent. But the problem is that he had been “silenced” by his blind “hyung” who judges people on impressions. 
(Chapter 26) Park Namwook only saw Joo Jaekyung’s anger, when he heard about him ruining the punching machines. But he never questioned why he would behave like that. Why should he question this, since he was definitely impressed by the champion’s force?
(chapter 19) That’s the reason why the doctor felt lonely. 
(chapter 27) However, Joo Jaekyung only knows sex as a source of fun, which is a synonym for rest for him! 
(chapter 32), we have to envision that the dragon was imagining his partner with a dildo! The moment I had this revelation, I couldn’t stop laughing. 😂 Consequently, the suggestion in the car appears in a different light: 
(chapter 32) Therefore the doctor would feel obliged to fulfill his wish. But like mentioned above, the doctor has the power to refuse. At the same time, the purpose of the sex toy is to procure pleasure to Kim Dan. In other words, it would help him to relax. It was, as if he would be taking a break… between two treatments. 😂 Finally, we shouldn’t overlook that after each sex session, the doctor was exhausted, hence he fell asleep. There exists a strong connection between sex and sleep, when it comes to Kim Dan. And Joo Jaekyung is probably counting on this. That way, he wouldn’t treat Choi Heesung properly. On the other hand, the fighter made the purchase and the suggestion for selfish reasons, whereas the doctor embodies selflessness.
is displaying discomfort, yet he never complained. Then he got hit by the former wrestler. 
(chapter 31) So we could say that Joo Jaekyung had faked training 😉, but he didn’t get caught, for his body was exposing the truth: he was “strained”. I would like to point out that Kim Dan took care of his lover for almost 2 hours. 
(chapter 32) Finally, if he asks for sex from Kim Dan, he will divulge his manipulation to the doctor. But why didn’t he detect this cheap trick? It is because he trusted Heesung, Park Namwook and the manager. 
(chapter 31) He has been taught to never question people’s words and action. This means that Heesung’s trick will definitely backfire. Thus I come to the conclusion that from now on Joo Jaekyung will take a day-off on Saturdays! 
(chapter 119), they got worried and nervous, as they considered the expression „as long as I live“ as a clue for a sad ending. Why? It is because the lord was referring to his own death. Under this light, it becomes comprehensible why I selected „heavenly“ in the title. I was naturally alluding to the afterlife. However, I perceived his words in a positive light. He expressed his desire to live. He is no longer suicidal, he wishes to live a long life next to the painter and treasure his moments with him. That’s the reason why the author included the refraction in the scene. A dream had come true, the lord was finally able to escape the darkness. 
(Chapter 119) He is now truly alive. This explicates either why he smiled and laughed at the end. But why was he so happy? It is because Baek Na-Kyum had just confessed that he loved him not for his wealth or power, but for himself. 
(Chapter 119) He even described him as a treasure. Yoon Seungho had finally achieved his goal: to win the painter’s heart. His presence and love bring happiness to Baek Na-Kyum which stands in opposition to his reputation as bird of misfortune. Moreover, this description contrasts so much to Jung In-Hun 
(Chapter 119) and Yoon Seungwon’s. 
(Chapter 118) where both portrayed the main lead as a man consumed by lust and revenge. In other words, he was presented as a huge sinner. This implies that he stands so far away from heaven. But all these words were erased the moment the painter confessed his love for Yoon Seungho once again. What Baek Na-Kyum didn’t realize is that his love confession is pushing the protagonist to fight for the painter.
(chapter 102) In episode 102, he was renouncing on everything (life, mansion, wealth and connection), because he imagined that the artist had died. Consequently, I deduce that in episode 119, the painter’s life is attached to the lord’s for good. If the artist got into trouble, Yoon Seungho would side with him and the reverse. Thereby, I come to the conclusion that this moment in the kitchen represents their union, as they are no longer tied to the mansion. They are now a family no matter where they are. Let’s not forget that the painter expressed his wish to run away with his lover. 
(Chapter 119) It is important, because such a departure symbolizes that the bird “Yoon Seungho” is leaving the nest. He is now starting a family on his own. 
(chapter 85) and put a glass and that was it. This exposes the father’s hypocrisy, ignorance and greed. By acting on his own, he was exposing his true mindset. He views himself as the family. The sons are just the extension of himself, for they are his reflections. 
(Chapter 45) On the other hand, Yoon Seungwon is his golden child, for he represents his positive reflection. 
(chapter 86), whereas he put the other on a pedestal
(chapter 86). Thus I created this illustration.
Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the father could only reject the offer from lord Song in the gibang. Doubting Yoon Seungwon’s sexuality meant to question about the father’s sexual orientation. At the same time, it is not surprising why the elder master would blame Yoon Seungho for everything, for he couldn’t admit his responsibility for the purge. Consequently, the Manhwaphiles can grasp why Yoon Chang-Hyeon came alone to the shrine. If he had brought Yoon Seungwon, the father would have been reminded of the elder son, as both can not be separated. This explicates why the younger master asked his elder brother to submit to his father.
(Chapter 119) I couldn’t help myself smirking when the brother attempted to make him believe that.
(Chapter 119) the protagonist could ever gain the father’s favor. Yoon Seungwon was definitely playing with his brother’s feelings, as if he could hope that their father would change. 
(Chapter 118) It is because as a golden child, he is also suffering, but it is naturally nothing compared to Yoon Seungho’s position who could have died. 
(Chapter 77)
(Chapter 119) First, by returning the petition to the father, Yoon Seungho would become the culprit. He was not only a traitor, but also a blackmailer of the Yoons and lord Song.
(Chapter 107), for he had stolen the petition. Yoon Seungwon would hide his wrongdoing, he betrayed their father. 
(Chapter 118) There is no doubt that Kim played a role in this as well. In other words, the brother and the valet would bury the truth by diverting the attention of the patriarch towards the main lead, if Yoon Seungho followed this suggestion. 
(Chapter 116) The elder master would no longer seek the truth, similar to the kidnapping in season 2 which was turned into a desertion and later Lee Jihwa’s abduction occulting the instigator and the helping hands. Simultaneously, Yoon Seungwon needs his brother as scapegoat, because the pressure coming from the patriarch and lord Song must have definitely increased. 
(Chapter 83) This shows that the young master wants to sacrifice his brother once again. Out of selfishness and cowardice, he is trying to convince Yoon Seungho that this is the right thing to do! 
(Chapter 37) He is even implying that he needs to sacrifice himself in order to protect Baek Na-Kyum!! Moreover, he is distorting the reality, because he implies that his father is still powerful. 
(chapter 37) like the memories from episode 37 are exposing it. It becomes clear that if Yoon Seungho returned the petition, he would die. 
(Chapter 116) Thus I come to the conclusion that the meeting between the brothers in the gibang represents an offering. For the Yoons’ sake, Yoon Seungho should admit his wrongdoings 
(Chapter 55) People had played with his hopes and longing for acceptance and recognition. Interesting is that offerings is a synonym for atonement and sacrifice. But why is Yoon Seungwon so sure that he can repeat the same action from the past? It is because Kim and Yoon Seungwon have known for a long time that Yoon Seungho was longing for acceptance and love from his family, just like the scholar knew about the painter’s love for him. 
(Chapter 119) But everything changed, when the painter met the lord. So who is worse here? Jung In-Hun who tried to rape the painter or Yoon Seungwon who is sentencing his elder brother to death? Let’s say that the valet convinced the younger master to suggest this solution, this doesn’t diminish Seungwon’s responsibility at all. He knows that his father abused his elder brother. In my opinion, he is copying his father, like the former tried to diminish the responsibility of the patriarch. 
(Chapter 119) Yoon Seungho got hurt because of lord Song and not because of Yoon Chang-Hyeon. This means that the younger master was denying the existence of the patriarch’s choice and the helping hands. And if the brother listened to his advise and the father hurt or killed the main lead afterwards, the younger master could put the blame on the elder master, for the decision and responsibility belonged to the patriarch. Moreover, he heard from lord Song that killing Yoon Seungho was just a matter of time. 
(Chapter 119) So technically, this situation could have triggered the protagonist’s insecurities like in season 1 
(chapter 28), 2
(chapter 60) and 3 
(chapter 98). However, through these constant exposures, Yoon Seungho came to learn not to jump to conclusions and to have faith in Baek Na-Kyum. He knew that he would return to the mansion. Hence he ran to the bedchamber first. 
(Chapter 119) Another important detail is that we don’t see any staff in the courtyard or in the kitchen. It was, as if the propriety had been deserted. 
(Chapter 119) This implies that at no moment, he relied on the domestics’ testimonies which contrasts to the following scenes: 
(chapter 104) 
(chapter 107) and 
(chapter 116) However, observe that in episode 116, Yoon Seungho had witnessed how his lover had taken care of him, while he was unconscious. Furthermore, the petition had been handed over to the painter and not Kim, a sign that the artist had become the protagonist‘s confident. As you can see, as time passed on, the main protagonist learned the following lessons: he should stop relying on servants, he should only trust his partner. I would even add that he was taught the following principle: “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself”. In my eyes, 
(Chapter 103) Here, they never expected the return of Yoon Seungho and the painter. The staff ‘s absence in episode 119 is the evidence of their desertion! Moreover, I consider Yoon Seungho’s search for his lover as a new version from episode 28/29/30: 
(chapter 28) Back then, they feigned ignorance, but they never anticipated a punishment from Yoon Seungho.
(chapter 115) And now you are wondering how the painter’s gesture can be considered as an offering. It is because the kitchen hearth is considered as sacred due to the fire. First, in shamanism, there exists the god of fire named Jowangshin. 
(Chapter 115)
(Chapter 59)
(Chapter 98)
(Chapter 115) 
(Chapter 47)
(chapter 102) who was a traitor, for he had tattled on Black Heart and his friends to Yoon Seungho. And now, you comprehend why I connected the shrine to the kitchen hearth. Both places are considered as sacred, for they are connected to gods and spirits. 
(Chapter 85) The absence of his sons and of food as offerings reveals that he was not showing true respect to his ancestors. He used religion and social norms to hide his true intentions. He wanted to take over the mansion. Hence the black guards were standing at the entrance of the sacred house. Their presence symbolizes violence. Therefore it is not surprising that the gods chose to punish the elder master through Yoon Seungho. The former was not received properly 
(chapter 86): no bow, no food and no seat. 
(Chapter 86) Let’s not forget that the elder master had entered the lord’s chambers without the permission of his owner. No wonder why he was left speechless. And now, you are wondering if I am not drifting away from the topic, as these chapters from season 3 don’t seem to be connected to episode 119. However, it is important to realize that these chapters have many common denominators
Here, we could detect the suicidal tendencies of the protagonist. He wouldn’t fight back.
The seat looks like a throne.
The courtyard is empty! No one is defending their master.
Baek Na-Kyum freed himself. 
(Chapter 85) The study is even close to the gate. 
(Chapter 51) He could have reached the study before the father entered the shrine. Finally, observe that the patriarch even arrived to the bedchamber before Yoon Seungho, 
(Chapter 117) The painter wants to leave everything behind too. 
(Chapter 119) Thus I am deducing that the authorities will be involved very soon. 
(chapter 119) They are not expecting the lord‘s resistance, for he remained passive all this time (season 2 and 3). The scholar has now the means to do so, and the necessary motivation. Imagine that he got wounded and humiliated by the couple! Besides, we have this broken promise due to Yoon Seungwon 
(Chapter 115) exposing the younger master’s lies and Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s delusions. Without the protagonist’s help, the younger brother would not be „successful“. Furthermore, the absence of food and fire in episode 86 indicates that this house was neglected and even not protected. 
(Chapter 94) The gibang is connected to money, power, pleasure, artificiality, sensuality and lack of privacy. 
(Chapter 96) I am sure that you can detect all the contrasts (night, door close, spies, confession outside and inside, no fire, only light). Thus I am deducing that the painter’s words in the kitchen were not heard by others. As you can see, this scene in the kitchen is full of symbolism. In my previous essay “The true face of family”, I had already pointed out that sharing meals represented a criteria to define a real family. Therefore I had demonstrated that Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum were excluded from the mansion, for they wouldn’t eat their meals in the kitchen like the staff. 
(Chapter 17) Moreover, the hearth doesn’t just provide warmth, but also light! The latter embodies knowledge and as such Enlightenment. 
(Chapter 119) Hence they were clueless about the wrongdoings from the staff. Only in the kitchen, the lord could finally grasp the depth of Baek Na-Kyum’s love for him. It is an unconditional love contrary to Yoon Seungwon’s. The latter would only recognize him, if he listened to him. And he only seeks his assistance, when he needs him. It shows that Yoon Seungho is only approached, when he has power. 
(Chapter 118)
(Chapter 119) I would like to outline that during their conversation, Yoon Seungwon remained calm and indifferent, when he talked about the assassination attempt from Yoon Chang-Hyeon.
(Chapter 116) But the biggest difference is the absence of fire in the kisaeng house. 
(chapter 78) Furthermore, he tried to leave before 
(Chapter 104) 
(chapter 105) Finally, we saw him in the courtyard standing next to a horse and a servant indicating that he had given him a task, and the latter needed to leave. 
(Chapter 108) Hence you comprehend why I am full of optimism in the end. Yoon Seungho has already made some preparations in my opinion. On the other hand, I am quite certain that their love will be tested. Can they face together trouble? Yes, because through their pain, they learned their lessons and changed. 
(Chapter 119) It is because in the past, he was never allowed to join the kitchen hearth. This place was either beneath him or he was not worthy of entering the place. Thus he employed the expression scullery boy to Yoon Seungho. 
(Chapter 47) Here, I would like to outline that when the protagonist was held in the shed, someone brought him food . 
(Chapter 83) That‘s how I realized that the shed is connected to the kitchen! 
The maid had just brought water to the couple.
During that night, Baek Na-Kyum had been held captive in a shed. 
(chapter 38) Yoon Seungho remained outside on the door step. Consequently, I started comparing scenes where the kitchen hearth appeared and that’s how I discovered a pattern:
(Chapter 46) 
(chapter 47) 
(Chapter 110) 
(Chapter 77) 
(chapter 38) 
(chapter 59) 
(chapter 119)
(chapter 38) 
(chapter 47)
(chapter 77) 
( Chapter 110) 
(chapter 119) 
(chapter 47) 
(Chapter 77) For me, Kim must have looked down on the other domestics. I consider this scene as the best example what Kim should have done in the past. 
(Chapter 119) 
(Chapter 98) One door leads to the backyard and the other to the smaller courtyard. And this scene confirms my previous assumption
(Chapter 87) Baek Na-Kyum is there to prove him wrong. He had other opportunities, like giving him a good meal. 
(Chapter 63) He should have sided with his master and even remained by his side. This signifies that this scene 
(chapter 7) the artist is not only cleansing the kitchen, but also cutting off ties with the scholar. The latter is no longer protected. The spirits will intervene through chance. As a conclusion, the hearth has a spiritual and healing power, for it is connected to „Heaven“. Yoon Seungho‘s paradise is to have a family.
(chapter 87) Not only the painter and the 3 noonas were sharing the same bed, but also they were taking their meals together. 
(chapter 87) They would even caress each other and laugh together. This scene oozes happiness. Consequently, it is no coincidence that during that night, they shared their honest thoughts to Baek Na-Kyum giving him good advices. But more importantly, the painter was there, when his noonas were struggling. 
(chapter 94) He cried in front of them. His tears symbolized his compassion and love for his noonas. He regarded them as his family. And it was the same for the artist. He had the noonas by his side, when he was in trouble or agony. 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 107) However, at some point, it changed! 
(chapter 94) Jung In-Hun entered his life and consoled him. Thus I deduce that this image 
(chapter 68) represents a turning point in Baek Na-Kyum’s life. During that night, the scholar took away the young painter from Heena, hence he couldn’t help her. And now, observe the learned sir’s reaction. He didn’t allow the painter to cry. He shouldn’t share his pain. 
(chapter 70) In fact, he diverted Baek Na-Kyum’s attention from the incident to the moon. The learned sir was smiling the whole time. 
(chapter 70) He was acting, as if nothing had happened. The fact that he didn’t bear the tears from the painter exposes that the learned sir never considered him as a family. Therefore it is not surprising that he got abandoned, when the learned sir struggled: 
(chapter 75) But we have other scenes where Jung In-Hun didn’t behave like in the poem. When he discovered the truth, he had not been approached by Yoon Seungho due to his talent 
(chapter 19), he pushed away the painter. 
(chapter 19) He was mad, because Baek Na-Kyum was the cause for his sponsoring. 
(chapter 19) However, the family serves as pillar and protection. When the scholar’s pride got hurt, he rejected Baek Na-Kyum. He only approached the painter, when he needed him 
(chapter 10) 
(chapter 24) 
(chapter 35). 
(chapter 111) For me, in episode 10, he was definitely aware of the existence of a plot, thus he led the painter to the pavilion. Then in episode 24 and 35, he wanted the artist to spy on his benefactor. Finally, in episode 111, he knew that by taking away his former pupil, he would hurt Yoon Seungho, for he was aware of his affection for Baek Na-Kyum. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why Jung In-Hun didn’t bid farewell to the main lead in episode 44. Baek Na-Kyum’s presence was not necessary for the preparation for the civil service examination. And this brings me to the last scene between the learned sir and the painter. 
(chapter 118) He is now crying in front of him, as if he was considering him as a part of his family. He is trying to create the illusion that he shares his suffering, just like he shared his happiness during the parade. 
(chapter 111) But in the gibang, the learned sir changed his attitude towards his former pupil, for he kissed the painter. 
(chapter 117) It was, as if the former was starting his family. Baek Na-Kyum is now his “bride”. But naturally, everything is just an illusion. Why? It is because the Manhwaphiles never saw Jung In-Hun share his bed or room with the artist! 
(chapter 27) 
) But more importantly, he is not sharing his true thoughts and emotions to the young man. 
(chapter 118) He never explained how his face got bruised! This shows that he approached Na-Kyum for one reason. He was in trouble and he needed him. But he acted, as if he was becoming responsible for him. 
(chapter 118) 
(chapter 118) He didn’t expect a rejection. Why? It is because now, he was treating the main lead as family member. Nonetheless, don‘t get me wrong. In Joseon, servants were considered as a part of the household and as such of the „family“. I don‘t believe that the teacher views Baek Na-Kyum as an equal. Yet, the latter is in reality a free man. 
(chapter 118) Thus out of fear, he made a false love confession which resembles a lot to obsession and possessiveness. His words display his worries and despair. Another important aspect is the absence of the personal pronoun “we” in their conversation. We only have “you” and “me”. 
(chapter 118) 
(chapter 40), the latter learned the following lesson: Jung In-Hun had never been his new family. That’s the reason why he was so wounded. Therefore it is no coincidence that his karma is to be abandoned the moment he needs Baek Na-Kyum the most. But why did he not consider the painter as a family member? It is because he came from the gibang. Moreover, he was blinded by his desire to succeed on his own, not realizing the true role of a family. 
(chapter 107) The sexual abuse is something they hid from Baek Na-Kyum! They could never share such a burden with the protagonist. But there is more to it. In fact, Byeonduck illustrated the slow deterioration of Na-Kyum’s s family in season 2, 3 and 4. First, the painter couldn’t talk to his noonas like in the past: 
(chapter 46) He was forbidden to announce his departure which indicates that Heena was hiding something from the other kisaengs. Moreover, notice that he never talked back to Heena. He listened to her, though he was in pain. 
(chapter 46) He could only express his sadness with his tears. Then when Heena reentered his life, she was seen next to his bed while hugging. by his side 
(chapter 66) This means that she would no longer share his cover. This is no coincidence that in the gibang, the noona could no longer enter her brother’s room. 
(chapter 96) Little by little, Heena got excluded from the painter’s life. She could no longer share her meals with him. 
(chapter 93) This explicates why in season 4, Baek Na-Kyum can not penetrate Heena’s room. 
(chapter 105) She is hiding more and more things from her brother: her “illness”, her involvement in the murder of nobles and her lies. On the other hand, the painter still considered her as a part of his family because of her intervention in episode 68/69: 
(chapter 68) Their argument was reflecting their trust, though here the kisaeng was questioning her brother’s maturity. Due to her concerns, Baek Na-Kyum felt that they were still a family. However, I sense a rupture, when they argued in the kisaeng house. The artist was no longer trusting Heena’s words: 
(chapter 97) Interesting is that from that moment on, Baek Na-Kyum and Heena never faced each other! She didn’t join his side during the parade. This means that their argument in the kisaeng house represents their last reunion. And what did Heena do in this scene? She cried 
(chapter 97), while the painter didn’t, though he looked disturbed. 
(chapter 97) He lost all his colors. However, such a scene could be perceived as a sign of indifference, especially for the kisaeng. And this observation made me realize why the kisaeng asked Yoon Seungho not to reveal his suspicions about Jung In-Hun’s involvement to her brother. 
(chapter 105) Here, she implied that Baek Na-Kyum would cry out of pain and shock. But she had seen that he had shared no tears, when he heard about his murder: And it happened again in the shrine.
(chapter 99) Simultaneously, the request from Heena exposes that they are no longer sharing agony and as such struggles. Moreover, this made me realize why the artist left the mansion after the nightmare. It was out of fear and obligation. For me, he had sensed that Heena liked the learned sir and as she was still part of his family, he had to make sure that this was not true. Yet, even after witnessing the faked crime scene, he still trusted Yoon Seungho. Hence I am deducing that the absence of tears is the trigger for their separation which stands in opposition to their embrace in the mansion: 
(chapter 66) 
. (chapter 68) And what was her reaction, when she saw her brother in tears and yelling at his lover?: 
(chapter 105) She remained silent, passive and rather indifferent. This impression gets reinforced, when she is lying next to her colleagues. She is not sharing her thoughts and emotions, rather pensive contrary to these kisaengs: 
(chapter 105) She is even turning her back to them. This displays the dissolution of this family. The kisaeng is no longer sharing her fears, her tears and emotions to others. Therefore she can not sense “happiness or relief” like the others. 
(chapter 93), but the moment the lord joined his side, the honesty started vanishing. Notice that the painter couldn’t talk about his past (how he met Yoon Seungho and how he got abandoned by Jung In-Hun). It was reduced to “I was caught up with something”. He had so many secrets that he couldn’t share to his noonas. And it was the same for the kisaengs. 
(chapter 93) They also had secrets, hence they were seen whispering. Baek Na-Kyum could confide less to Heena. Why? He sensed that the kisaengs might show no understanding. And note how the painter reacted, when he met his noonas in episode 105. 
(chapter 105) He lied to his noona, he didn’t voice his worries. He didn’t enjoy his time spent by the kisaengs’ side. He didn’t eat with them either. This is the sign that he was moving on, he was on the verge of starting his new family. In other words, this scene 
(chapter 105) corresponds to the bird flying from the nest which was witnessed by Heena and the kisaengs. Because the painter was not sincere to his noonas, it is not surprising that they acted the same way. Here,
(chapter 105), the kisaeng’s words are a reference to loss of virginity. Yet the painter didn’t grasp the true meaning. Only in his dream and nightmare, he realized the significance of her words: 
(chapter 109) Hence I come to the conclusion that we are witnessing to the birth of Baek Na-Kyum’s new family: Yoon Seungho. 
(chapter 118) That’s the reason why the painter decided to run away with his lover. 
(chapter 118) However, in order to become a real family, the painter needs to call his husband like this: 
(chapter 72) Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the noonas were no longer entirely honest with Baek Na-Kyum in the gibang. They couldn’t share their thoughts and secrets to the artist, as they had played a role in the separation of the couple 
(chapter 99) and the nobles’ execution. Besides, they also had secrets which they had to hide from their donsaeng. 
(chapter 57) I believe that it is related to the protagonist’s sensibility and intelligence. My assumption is that Yoon Seungho is a 
(chapter 107) 
(chapter 26) The latter was not allowed to cry! Therefore the artist heard the same reproach from the main lead. 
(chapter 26) The valet disliked the tears, because he refused to share the suffering. The reason is simple. If he did, this would have increased his guilt. Furthermore, Kim never shared the cover or his meals with Yoon Seungho in the past 
(chapter 108) So we could assume that he was starting to view the main lead as a family member. But no… for me, it is just an illusion. First, note that he never let the lord see his gaze while weeping. Besides, the noble’s heart was not moved either. They were not crying together, a sign that the two were drifting apart. Moreover, in the shed, the valet never shared the information about the fire at the shrine. 
(chapter 108) Moreover, like exposed above, family in the poem symbolizes trust, love, responsibility, comfort and protection, but the valet failed to fulfil his duties which he admitted in the shed. As a conclusion, the butler didn’t keep such a promise. Moreover, what did the butler do after the painter’s abduction? 
(chapter 64) 
(chapter 64) He ran away. He never saved the painter, just like he didn’t argue with his master in that moment. But he could have, since the latter had no sword by his side. Imagine that he had a heated discussion with Yoon Seungho the very next day, and in the courtyard, the protagonist had the sword in the hand. 
(chapter 68) A sign that he knew that the noble would never slay him! And in the past, the valet had not come to his rescue, shared his suffering or defended his honor. And now, you comprehend why I am more than ever convinced that the valet was never Yoon Seungho’s family: no tear, no joy or no secret shared! His expression “bird of misfortune” embodies the gap between the two characters. 
(chapter 109) The latter would even get the opportunity to eat sweets and sit in the patio
(chapter 109), while the lord was relegated to the courtyard. 
(chapter 109) And the poem mirrors perfectly the birth of Yoon Seungho’s first family. Baek Na-Kyum is his very first family. Thus he could share his pain, his fears, his resent, 
(chapter 62) and his hope to be happy for one moment: 
(chapter 63) I selected the terrible scene in the shed for two reasons. It symbolizes the verse “how to become a family”. This explicates why in season 3, the artist was slowly using the personal pronoun “we”. 
(chapter 78) This means that the two protagonists were learning how to become a true family. And one of this important step was “crying together” which occurred after the sexual abuse in the shrine, 
(chapter 102) However, Yoon Seungho had to learn the importance of “secrecy”! He kept his crime from his loved one hidden, not understanding that a real family is to “endure all hardships” together. Consequently, I judge this night 
(chapter 110), their happiness 
(chapter 110), they sit together while eating
(chapter 110), they embrace each other, they share the same bed. And the lord makes the following promise: there won’t be any secret between them. He will share everything with his lover. 
(chapter 110) So when the brother gave the petition to the artist
(chapter 116), he even reinforced their bond. It was, as if they had no longer any secret between them. Thus they talked about the document in the pavilion making sure that no one would listen to their discussion. 
(chapter 117) Therefore, it is not surprising that during that same night, the couple slept under the same blanket while hugging each other. 
(chapter 117) The symbol for the new family! But a family is not made just of two members! Is Yoon Seungwon a part of Yoon Seungho’s family? Let’s not forget that he considered the artist as his brother’s wife. 
(chapter 116) What caught my attention is that Yoon Seungho was not followed by his lover, when he met his brother in the gibang. 
(chapter 118) And this reminded me of this scene: 
(chapter 37) He wished to send away the artist, but the host refused. Then if you pay attention to his behavior, you will notice that none of them were seen eating together! 
(chapter 118) Compare it to Black Heart’s behavior: 
(chapter 43) In fact, the two guests were drinking on their own! Yoon Seungwon had even started drinking before the protagonist’s arrival. 
(chapter 118) Moreover, exactly like the scholar, Yoon Seungwon is just employing the pronouns “you”, “I” and “father”. There is no WE at all. 
(chapter 118) 
(chapter 118), but it is only a name! In reality, he desires to use the main lead. He needs him more than ever! Let’s not forget that the patriarch could discover Yoon Seungwon’s betrayal at any moment. Finally, I would like to outline that family stands for effort and understanding, nevertheless the younger master never showed compassion or worries for his brother, who had just recovered from a stabbing. His speech was full of blame. 
(chapter 22), the physical therapist still views her as his family. This corresponds to the verse “no matter where you are”. This explains why he listened to her and started treating the champion differently. From my point of view, they became a family, because they slept under the same cover
(chapter 5) and their happiness together, though this needs to be relativized. 
(chapter 05) She is happy, when she hears good news from her grandson. 
(chapter 21) 
(chapter 07) She is not that involved in his current life. 
(chapter 5) This explicates why Kim Dan was willing to sacrifice himself for his halmoni. 
(chapter 30) Because the grandmother didn’t allow her grandson to share his struggles (no tears), Kim Dan has been hiding many things from his grandmother
(chapter 15) and his first sparring with Joo Jaekyung 
(chapter 26). But this is a sign that Kim Dan is maturing. Therefore it is no coincidence that after their first day off spent together, Kim Dan is already under the champion’s spell. 
(chapter 26), they get support from each other 
(chapter 14) 
(chapter 23) or they argue 
(chapter 5) 
(chapter 23) which is another evidence that Team Black functions more like a family than like a company. What caught my attention is that the doctor is not addressed as hyung 
(chapter 30) but as Doc Dan or doc. 
(chapter 23), though the manager Park Namwook had introduced him as hyung. 
(chapter 07) The reason behind this different title is the champion. The latter addressed him like that: 
(chapter 22) It exposes that the physical therapist occupies a particular position at the gym. On the one hand, it could be interpreted that he has not been entirely adopted as a family member. On the other hand, the physical therapist didn’t exclude that he could have other clients. 
(chapter 25) This means that his “adoption” is not definitive and official. Nevertheless, I would like to outline that though Team Black’s structure resembles a lot to a family, we can not say that it is a true family. Why? It is because Joo Jaekyung is hiding many things from his hyungs and members. He is not sharing his problems to his coach (his insomnia, his jinx, his sexual orientation, his insecurities eg). Imagine that he preferred deceiving his admirer 
(chapter 15) than admitting that his shoulder had been plaguing him. And it is the same for Potato. He didn’t talk about the incident with the office room and the sofa. 
(chapter 22) He didn’t want them to come to his house. 
(chapter 9), though he had been avoiding such events in the past. 
(chapter 30) But he is there an employee. Thus I am suspecting that the talent agency is working differently from Team Black. If there is a scandal, I doubt that the company would side with the star in trouble or they would try to find ways to get rid of the issue, like finding a scapegoat in order to bury the truth. As a conclusion, I am expecting to see companies run differently so that the readers can perceive Team Black as a family company, although it is an incorporation.
(chapter 1) He questioned the cause for the tears. He was naturally annoyed (“the hell”), but he didn’t make fun of the doctor. And now, pay attention to the memory Joo Jaekyung had from their first night. He remembered his tears which had moved him deeply: 
(chapter 6) This shows that the celebrity is not judging the physical therapist as weak due to his tears. In episode 28, he even showed concerns, when he heard the doctor crying. 
(chapter 28) 
(chapter 28) He questioned the doctor once again, why he was in tears. However, he didn’t ask the doctor to stop weeping or to wipe his tears. He wanted to understand him. This exposes the fighter’s tolerance and interest in Kim Dan. For me, it reveals that Joo Jaekyung is willing to share the pain or fears with Kim Dan. Therefore it is not surprising that Kim Dan is remembering this moment! 
(chapter 30) He was allowed to express his emotions. Interesting is that this image is now connected to red, not to grey/black. 
(chapter 30) The switch of color indicates the doctor’s increasing feelings and sensuality for Joo Jaekyung. That’s the reason why I am expecting that one day, the two protagonists will cry together, something that the grandma hasn’t done until now. 
(chapter 13), it doesn’t signify that they are a family now. And it is the same for the penthouse. 
(chapter 19) or it is necessary 
(chapter 27) 
(chapter 27), their happiness 
(chapter 28) and their fears 
(chapter 27) 
(chapter 29) Because Joo JAekyung confessed his fears and health issues to Kim Dan, it shows that he was trusting him. For me, this night represents another step how to become a true family. “If you can’t say you’re hurt when you feel hurt you’re not family.” This day and night were so magical that it affected the protagonists’ life forever. From that moment on, Kim Dan is feeling more attracted to the champion, hence he is peeping at him. 
(chapter 30) And it is the same for the champion. Now, he is slowly regretting that they live in two different rooms and they have their own bathroom. Therefore he came to the doctor’s bathroom under the fake excuse that he had run out of toothpaste. 
(chapter 30) For me, this scene is the bathroom represents another step how to become a true family. 
(chapter 30) However, like Mingwa voiced it, they have a long way to go, for Joo Jaekyung and Kim Dan are hiding their true thoughts and emotions from each other. 
(chapter 30) Kim Dan had to hide his blushing, while the champion had to lie for his appearance. Moreover, the fact that he tried to hide his underwear 
(chapter 30) But like I said, they need to open up their hearts and mind in order to become a true family. From my point of view, the halmoni could play a huge role in their union. How so? It is because she entrusted her grandson to Joo Jaekyung. The latter also conversed with her 
(chapter 21) and even paid her hospital bills. She even took his hand 
(chapter 22) and gave him a yoghurt.
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 