Painter Of The Night: Silent light 🕯 and noisy darkness (second version)

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

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As you can see, this new analysis is quite similar to the last two, as I am paying attention to sound and silence again. Nevertheless, there exists one huge difference to the previous essays. I am combining these elements to the darkness and the light. I had already pointed out the contrast between the noble and the painter‘s nightmare. While Yoon Seungho‘s bad vision starts with the appearance of the light (chapter 74), it is the opposite with the painter. (chapter 98) Furthermore, the silence in the noble’s nightmare took over the moment the candle was switched on. That’s how I recognize a new pattern. The combination between silence and light plays a huge role in the story, for it helps to unmask the traitors. Under this new observation, I decided to revisit certain chapters.

1. Lord Song‘s letter

As you can see, I am reexamining chapter 56, and more precisely the scene in the bedchamber. What caught my attention is that contrary to the other chapters, Byeonduck didn’t choose to repeat the ending of episode 55. (chapter 55) The chapter begins in medias res (chapter 56), which means that there’s no introduction, the story starts in the middle of the action. And now, it is important to question ourselves about the intention of the author. Why did she change her MO? I found the answer the instant I realized the importance of the two following aspects. The light… and the sound, in this case: HAA… (chapter 56) In the past I used to think that this scene had occurred early in the morning. But now, I am thinking otherwise. In truth, right after receiving the letter, the butler went to the bedchamber directly and woke up his master!! This signifies that this scene took place during the night. But how did he do it? He just needed to remove the light from the bed and lit other candles. That’s the reason why the candles are positioned like during the night of the brother’s visit. (chapter 56) Besides, the manhwaphiles should remember the way the room was enlightened, when Baek Na-Kyum was keeping company to his lover. (chapter 55) It was quite dark. (chapter 55) And strangely, the main lead could sleep comfortably. He was not plagued by a nightmare. (chapter 55) He could even sense the artist’s presence unconsciously, therefore he confirmed his affection for the painter. And now, you can imagine what happened. Once the valet received the letter, he went to the bedchamber directly and sent Baek Na-Kyum back to his bedroom under the pretense that he would take care of his master himself. However, the moment Baek Na-Kyum had left his side, the valet lit more candles (chapter 74) and positioned them far away, which triggered the lord’s nightmare. But why? It is because the light creates shadows like this one. (chapter special episode 3) Note that there’s no candle placed next to the entrance of the lord’s bedchamber for that reason. The noble only feels comfortable, if the light is situated close to his face, because that way he won’t see any shadow. Thus we have such a scene in the first season. (chapter 35) The candles are always placed next to his bed. And now you comprehend why the lord moved to the patio during their first night together. (chapter 38) He didn’t want to disturb the painter in his sleep, for he needs light during the night, but only next to him. This explicates why Yoon Seungho woke up from his nightmare right away, when the bougie had been blown out. (chapter 74) But how did it happen? Was it the work from the wind or the candle was extinguished by the protagonist’s heavy breath or was Kim behind this? Because I had no answer before, I had not mentioned this observation. Fortunately, my friend Luzyla came to my rescue and gave me the answer which I totally support. Kim must have intervened during that night, because for the first time, the nightmare was becoming more precise. But how did she confirm my suspicion? It is because the butler had this image, when he tried to convince the painter that nothing would change. This panel (chapter 87) represented the butler’s memory. This means that the butler must have seen him from the outside. He didn’t want the painter to discover the lord’s suffering. And it worked, for the lord never let this transpire to the painter after that night. And now, you comprehend why the butler had to make sure that the couple would no longer sleep together at the end of the second season. But let’s return our attention to episode 56.

So when the butler placed the candlestick on the commode, he caused a flashback to the main lead. But the valet knew about this. However, he chose to feign ignorance and must have said something similar: (chapter 34) The entire time he acted, as if Yoon Seungho was fine, for he was conscious. Then he gave the letter to his master and knelt far away from him while looking down. (chapter 56) On the surface, it looked like Kim was showing great respect to his lord. Yet the reality was totally different. He was avoiding his gaze and didn’t want to be near him. The butler’s attitude explicates why in chapter 86, the lord pushed the artist away. (chapter 86) The former has long internalized that he is scary and dirty. Yet the truth is that the butler’s gaze reflects his hatred, for he considers him as responsible for his own misery. Don’t forget that he is tormented in the presence of Yoon Seungho. The latter is a reminder of his own sins. To sum up, for Kim, the reason for his distance and avoidance is simple. He doesn’t want to be confronted with Yoon Seungho’s suffering, for he is refusing to admit his own guilt. The protagonist already knows about this unconsciously. Thus he hid his gaze the entire time. (chapter 56) The first “HAA” weren’t laughs, but the sign of a panic attack. Yes, for the first time the manhwaphiles discovered the lord’s health issue (flashback), but no one truly grasped, not even me. I had imagined that his heavy breathing was related more to pain and his illness. I only recognized the existence of the panic disorder in episode 66, though I was already aware of his PTSD.

In the scene from chapter 56, the valet was following his own philosophy: (chapter 86) He pretended he saw and heard nothing. But how can I be so sure that it was the night? Simply because all the windows were all closed. Thus Byeonduck drew such an image: (chapter 56) Besides, observe that there is more light in the bedchamber, when the butler entered the room later: (chapter 56)

Another important detail is this. Kim was supposed to fetch the medicine for his master, yet when he was kneeling in front of the lord, the manhwalovers can detect the absence of water or teas. (chapter 56) So where is the medicine? But this question only came to my mind, as soon as I realized that this conversation took place during the night.

And now, it is important to determine the purpose of his intervention. Why would he lit the bougies and awaken Yoon Seungho, fully aware that this would trigger a panic attack? Simply because of the letter from lord Song. (chapter 56) He wanted to wash off his hands on this. The moment he conveyed the message to the master, it was no longer his responsibility. If lord Song had truly sent the missive, then Kim could say that this had been his master’s decision to refuse to follow the request, if they were confronted for their disobedience. This means that Kim was lying, when he said, “I am sure lord Song will understand”. He was just expressing an expectation, but there was no guarantee that the mysterious man would be very understanding. In addition, one idiom caught my attention: “If” This was a condition and not a real statement. Kim never said that since Yoon Seungho was ill, he could refuse the invitation. This signifies that the valet refused to confirm the noble’s illness. It was Yoon Seungho’s choice to say if he was feeling ill or not. To conclude, he refused to assume any responsibility. And now, you comprehend why Byeonduck added a drop of sweat on the butler’s face. This was showing his discomfort and deceptions. The man didn’t want to be associated to the noble and become responsible for him.

That’s how I realized another aspect: Kim has always been acting, as if he was helpless. “He couldn’t do anything!” However, this scene exposed his huge hypocrisy. He could have comforted his master with words here and offer real support. He was totally silent in that matter. He chose to occult the flashback. On the other hand, he was definitely good at lip service, for many readers saw his words as genuine concern. People had even the impression that Kim was oozing responsibility, calmness and rationality. But this was not the case, deep down he was so scared, thus the moment the name was spoken, he had some difficulties to swallow his saliva. (chapter 56)

This explicates why at no moment, Kim was willing to protect Yoon Seungho. (chapter 56) The former would give him suggestions, but Kim never made a promise that he would help him as a witness. Note the absence of the personal pronoun “I”, whereas “you” is constantly used. The only time he employs “I” is concerning belief and expectation. But his cowardice doesn’t end here. Once he was asked about the artist’s whereabouts, (chapter 56) he proposed to fetch the boy. Why? It is because the butler didn’t want to be confronted any longer with the lord’s panic attack, though he had been the one to trigger it! But he didn’t care, for his true goal was to save his own skin. Should lord Song get angry, Kim could definitely use the truth to his advantage. He had delivered the letter right away, and the noble had been well enough, since he woke up and read him the content. (chapter 56) 🙄 Under this new light, I couldn’t help myself shaking my head, when I read this from the butler. (chapter 56) His words implied that the lord had woken up on his own, whereas in reality the butler was the cause for this. Kim knew that his master would never go back to sleep after their conversation. This explicates why the candlestick was placed again at the head of the bed. (chapter 56) I can envision that the valet had left his lord behind under the pretense that he should go back to sleep, for he was still sick.

Then I wondered myself why Yoon Seungho would read the missive loud. It is because he believes that the butler can not read. However, what he doesn’t know is that the man can read calligraphes. This explicates why he handed over the letter immediately. He couldn’t keep it, for if the invitation was true, he could have been blamed. And this is important, because in the third season, we have the reverse situation. Kim let the maids deal with the kisaeng’s letters so that if anyone had to become responsible for them, it would be the maids and the lord, but not him. However, as you can envision, Kim must have talked to the maid similarly: “I am sure lord Seungho will understand.” And since the butler got away with it in the second season, it was the same for the maids. Why? It is because it creates the illusion that the maids were taking the lord’s best interests into consideration. However, they had become the painter‘s companions. This means that they had betrayed him. It was not their position to act on their own. As you can see, the maids had a similar behavior than the butler‘s. What caught my attention is that the aristocrat was viewing Kim as accountable for the actions of the staff. Yes, this was the result of Baek Na-Kyum’s desertion and abduction. The moment he used the painter as shield for his own safety and to cover up his disobedience (chapter 68), his fate was strongly intertwined with the artist’s. But it changed, when the lord heard that Baek Na-Kyum was blamed for his insomnia and he hadn’t been able to meet the artist during broad light (chapter 79), he punished Kim. It was, as if the butler had failed to protect the artist. And because the painter‘s visit to his bedchamber had taken place during the day, it revealed his loneliness. That‘s the reason why I believe that this conversation pushed the lord to give the maids to the artist. They should become his ladies-in-waiting so that he had someone he could talk to. However, Yoon Seungho never let the butler know about the true reason for his punishment. He used the father as subterfuge. Finally, we shouldn’t overlook the valet’s pledge: he swore that he would serve the lord. (chapter 77) This means that he was now judged as accountable for his actions in front of Yoon Seungho. However, Yoon Seungho made a huge mistake, because the moment he brought up the father, he was acting as if Yoon Chang-Hyeon was the owner of the mansion. He was now Young master and not Lord Yoon. Yet, his duty was to be a loyal domestic to the protagonist. And now, you comprehend why Kim was reminded of the past, it is because he was put in the same situation than in the past. And what did he do? He made the exact same decision. He sided with Yoon Chang-HYeon, but there existed two divergences from the past. The first difference is that the elder master would listen to his words, and the second is that he lied to his master. (Chapter 77) Here, he was pledging loyalty to Yoon Seungho. Moreover, he is viewed as the eldest servant in the mansion, this means that he is accountable for the staff’s words and actions. However, Kim is making a terrible mistake, for in his mind, past, present and future are the same. (chapter 87) But this is totally incorrect, for the lord is now an adult. Thanks to the painter, Yoon Seungho is on the verge of entering adulthood. Observe that the butler vowed his loyalty to young master Seungho. By calling him “young master”, he treated the protagonist as an infant, but this is no longer possible. This was perceptible, when the main lead met his father. (Chapter 86) He refused to acknowledge him as the owner of the mansion. He took the seat in front of his father. He was now acting as the lord Yoon.

2. Quarrel and darkness

SLAM! What is this sound? I am quite sure that you can recognize it immediately. A door has been opened quite violently. (chapter 85) Strangely is that in that scene, we never heard any STEP, STEP, STEP like here: (chapter 97) There was no sound, therefore I deduced that Kim didn’t run to the study. However, observe that the butler is breathing heavily. It was, as if he was out of breath: HUFF HUFF. (chapter 85) So why would he fake his breathlessness? I am quite certain that you already have the answer. He was hiding the fact that he had been spying on their conversation, which I had mentioned in one of my previous analyses. However, there’s more to it. The other and major intention is to give the impression that he did everything he could for his master. In other words, he is creating the illusion that he could do nothing against the father!! (chapter 87) Yes, that’s his other principle to justify his cowardice, his fear of responsibility. He implied that he had rushed to his master’s side right away to alert him. If asked, he could legitimate his passivity by saying that the father had barged accompanied with 2 guards. But why didn’t he get caught by the protagonists? Simply because he is no longer caring a light contrary to the first season. (chapter 20) (chapter 25) (chapter 36) The night had already fallen, when Yoon Chang Hyeon was present in the mansion. If the butler had carried a chandelier, the painter or the noble would have sensed his presence. Thus I deduce that the butler’s function in the protagonist’s suffering was to lit the room, the moment the pedophile and other sexual abusers approached his prey. That’s the reason why his nightmares are triggered by the sound of a lit bougie and the light accompanied with shadows.

However, this is just an illusion to think that Kim is always carrying a torch. I believe that the butler has more often moved around without light than with. Why? That way his spying activities could not be detected. In truth, he used the light to fake his loyalty and obedience. Even in the first season, he walked in the propriety properly without any candle: (chapter 26) This scene took place in the courtyard. This is the bathroom for the staff which you can see in the background (chapter 30), the grey building with grey bricks. And it happened again in episode 32, in episode 55 and chapter 64: And now look what we have in the third season: (chapter 77) (chapter 82), (chapter 94) and (chapter 98) He is no longer carrying any light, not even for his master. Why? It is because he can spy without being detected. Thus he approached the messenger only after the main lead had left the study. Don’t you find it weird that he acts as if he knew nothing (chapter 82), while he presents himself as the senior domestic in the mansion? (chapter 82) This represents a contradiction. If so, he should have been informed immediately. Thus I come to the conclusion that this scene reveals his incompetence and betrayal. Did he aid the messenger, when the latter got beaten? No, he only made his appearance, after the incident had occurred. And this is not surprising that the other domestic looked down on the butler. (chapter 82) He already knew that he had betrayed his own master through the letters. So I doubt that he viewed Kim as trustworthy. Another important element is that when the butler is seen in connection with the light, he speaks much more, while in the darkness, he remains silent. This is naturally connected to his spying activities. Simultaneously, the words coming from the butler often appear as empty. They remain quite superficial, for the butler is always putting conditions. “If there is anything I can do…”. That’s the reason why the butler doesn’t feel any real concern for the main leads in the end. This is not his business. And now, you are probably wondering why I used “quarrel” in the heading. It is because in episode 85, the butler had heard the argument between the couple. This is relevant, because the butler chose to recreate the same situation in episode 98!! 😲

(chapter 98) In this image, Byeonduck portrayed the servants arguing. They are stressed and screaming at each other: “I told you”. They give the impression that they are trying to do anything for their master. Nevertheless pay attention to the previous image: (chapter 98) The light is coming from the butler’s back. How is it possible, since there is no torch next to the gate? (chapter 98) Besides, you can see their shadows in the ground. And there is no street light either. (chapter 98) In reality, the light comes from the mansion. The domestics are carrying torches behind the door. Thus you can perceive some light coming from the top of the gate. But wait…. (chapter 98) Where is the sound in this panel? There’s only silence except the butler’s voice: “Young master”. If the domestics were so worked up looking for the whereabouts of the painter, then their voices would have been visible in this image. But no… there’s nothing. And this observation leads me to the following conclusion. The butler is trying to fool his master by repeating the prank in front of the study. The servants are supposed to fake their dutifulness. Yes, they are all acting, when the door opened abruptly. (chapter 98) But what are they staging? A fake research, but more they are acting, as if they would do anything for their master and as such as if the painter’s desertion was something they couldn’t stop. YES, the staff is following the butler’s principles. They act, as if they were powerless, there’s nothing they could do. (chapter 87) The painter deserted on his own. And now, you comprehend why the revelation occurs at the door. The gate symbolizes the butler’s deception and hypocrisy.

And observe that the gate could have been opened much sooner. The servants were all waiting for the lord’s return so that they staged this fake search. It was, as if the butler had given the signal by saying “Young master”. (chapter 98)

However, Kim never expected that his students would listen to him too well. 😉They even copied his words. (chapter 98) By using the idiom “damn brat”, the servant reveals that he looks down on the painter. This can give the impression that the latter has been bullied, which is not wrong either. All the servants, including the maids, pushed the artist to leave the mansion. They also abandoned him in the bedchamber, which is something similar to episode 56!! (chapter 98) The women knew that the artist wasn’t feeling well. But they never sent for the doctor and gave him any true comfort. They kept criticizing him. Yes, all the servants bullied the artist. The butler never realized that through his badmouthing, the staff would imitate him. They would chatter idly and fake concern, yet Kim is actually silent in front of his master. He just says the minimum, for the most part, he has to feign ignorance. He acts, as if he was blind and deaf, but in front of the staff he behaves the exact opposite. And this huge gap makes it possible to perceive his conniving personality. However, the main lead didn’t pay attention to the insult („damn brat“), as they had faked their concern. The lord had the impression that they had indeed done their best, hence the main lead felt the need that he had to do the research on his own. (Chapter 99) He believed them.

But why did Kim play such a prank? It is because he had succeeded once. (chapter 85) First, his tricks had not been perceived. Secondly, he had not been punished, though he had disobeyed the lord’s order. (chapter 86) So the valet had the feeling that nothing had changed. However, like I mentioned it above, he never realized that his fate was now linked to the painter’s and as such he was responsible for his well-being. Thus he got surprised with this new kind of order. For the first time, the valet was tasked to investigate outside the propriety. (chapter 98) In town, he can not really fake his obedience and honesty, for his lies can be perceived more easily. He has no control over the town folks. If the lord were to ask the tailor, the latter would definitely reveal that the body was not found in a well in town.

The domestics had to blame someone… and it can only be the kisaeng Heena. The latter is an outsider, she is not part of their “community”. Exactly like the butler had blamed Yoon Chang-Hyeon for his powerlessness.

How did I come to this interpretation? It is because of this scene. (chapter 98) Many readers, including myself, were quite confused first. However, note that there’s light coming from the building. From my point of view, this is the gate. However, this scene took place before the arrival to the mansion. I believe that this scene represents the moment, when the lord left the office of the investigator. But I can not be 100% sure. However, one thing is sure. Byeonduck wanted us to notice the importance of the light and the silence. The lord was pondering deeply, thus he didn’t pay attention to Kim. But now, the noisy domestics brought the main lead back to reality. (chapter 98) The death of the servant does concern him, for it affected the artist. I view this scene as a reflection from the previous chapter, where the gates were left wide opened. (chapter 97) The painter didn’t run away immediately. He remained quite some time in the domain, therefore after the last tragedy, the lord will have the time to ponder about the painter’s question. (Chapter 102) Yoon Seungho was separated from his lover for so long, because he had been deceived. It is only a matter of time, until he realizes that he had been deceived by his own staff. At some point, he will view the staff accountable for their misdeeds.

3. The painter and the darkness

Since I had detected a connection between the darkness and the painter’s nightmare, I realized that the artist must fear the darkness. This is perceptible, when you realize that the painter had problems to fall asleep (chapter 38) and he woke up in the middle of the night. (chapter 84) However, the lord got the opposite impression, for when he entered the study, the painter was sleeping on the floor in the dark. (chapter 02) This explicates why he would always extinguish the candles. (chapter 97) However, he never realized that the painter could only fall asleep in the dark, because he always sensed his lover’s presence. This means that when he reached the aristocrat’s hand, it also gave him some comfort. (chapter 97) Because the artist’s fate is similar to the noble’s, I deduced that this fear is connected to the artist’s past. Why does he fear darkness? It is linked to the vanishing of the candle light!

What caught my attention is that the painter’s dreams are all connected to light. (chapter 6) (chapter 34) (chapter 87) Thus in episode 56, Baek Na-Kyum had this vision too. (chapter 56) In the past, the painter used to sleep with the candle night on. For him, the light gave a sense of safety. There’s no ambiguity that he wouldn’t sleep alone, though we have to imagine that the noonas would leave him behind at some point, if they had to work. Thus I came to the deduction that the candlelight was to create the illusion that he was not alone.

However, observe that in the latest nightmare, the darkness appeared with the entrance of the scholar. (chapter 98) And it was the same in the nightmare of the first season, though it was a little changed. The darkness appeared, for the ghost Yoon Seungho was confronting the painter with the truth. He liked painting erotic pictures of sodomy, which contradicted the scholar’s preaching. (chapter 34) Finally, since the butler is a reflection from the learned sir, this signifies that he is also connected to light.

That’s how I came to develop this theory which is connected to the painter’s past. Why did Baek Na-Kyum appear in this scene? (chapter 68) What made him looking for his noona? What if the bougie was blown out during his sleep and Jung In-Hun was behind this? Byeonduck said that the scholar’s attachment to the boy was genuine, nevertheless there is no doubt that the learned sir was a greedy person. Maybe he woke up, because he detected the absence of warmth, as the noonas had left his side. Hence the painter sensed the abandonment in his sleep, which made him wake up. Consequently, he started searching for his noonas and he opened the door. No one would suspect a young child opening the doors in the kisaeng house. But by opening the door, the artist caused a ruckus, people could hear a protesting child in a room. And during that scene, the artist met Yoon Seungho who was captured by the guard!! This memory represents the night of the sexual lesson. Observe that the color of the hanbok corresponds to the one lying on the floor. (chapter 86) This means that the one trapping Yoon Seungho was not Yoon Chang-Hyeon, for the latter had a green hanbok. Besides, I started wondering why Jung In-Hun carried away Baek Na-Kyum and left the gibang with him. (Chapter 70) Why would he do that? He could have bring him back to his chamber!! Why walk through the countryside and for a long time? It is because he was not allowed to be in the gibang. Remember that he used to sleep in the annex. (chapter 87) From my point of view, Baek Na-Kyum would have heard Yoon Seungho‘s struggling. Besides, we need to question ourselves this: Why is the annex empty?

To sum up my theory again. Jung blew out the candle during the night, the artist woke up and went looking for his noona. He opened the door, when the young master Seungho was protesting. Thus, as soon as they left the gibang, the young noble got tied up, and the „sexual lesson“ was supposed to take place. They used the incident to use violence on the main lead. There’s no doubt that Yoon Chang-Hyeon must have feared for a scandal. Then the father left the building and returned home. (chapter 87) He entrusted Yoon Seungho to Kim. But in my opinion, during the same night, the young noble was dragged to the annex, where the pedophile was waiting for him with probably other guests. That‘s the reason why Jung had to spend a long time outside the gibang. Maybe that‘s how he received his position as teacher. Remember the commoner’s remark: (chapter 29) People believed that he had already passed the exam, while it was not the case. Then I started wondering this. Why does the painter associate the learned sir to the moon? It is because the learned sir would visit him during the night. (chapter 94) The light from the moon comforted the artist, it became his companion, for the artist still feared the darkness. However, since the painter described that he would always cry because of his noonas, I am sensing that the scholar must have dragged the artist quite often outside the gibang. And this could coincide to the sexual abuse Yoon Seungho was exposed to. Kim said that the sexual abuse took place in the bedchamber. (chapter 87) But is it true? I have my doubts about it. By making such a statement, he is putting the blame on Yoon Chang-Hyeon. Note that the start of the sexual abuse began in the kisaeng house. The more I am analyzing, the more I am sensing that the elder master was just a stupid, selfish and violent father. However, if this had happened in the gibang, then he was as guilty as the kisaeng and the other helping hands.

As a conclusion, the painter came to fall asleep in the dark thanks to the lord’s presence. Thus we had this scene: (chapter 50) Both give each other comfort and warmth so that they feel safe. Maybe the FWOP; FWOP sounded like a lullaby to the artist’s ears. (chapter 49) 😂

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Painter Of The Night: “Love💘 , embrace and caress👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨” (second version)

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

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In my last analysis entitled “The Light in the Heart”, I had portrayed Baek Na-Kyum as someone whose recovery and transformation were completed due to the number of white candles next to the painter’s head. (chapter 70) 3 symbolizes perfection and completion. But I have not entirely explained how the artist could overcome his traumatic past and even find closure. So far, I elaborated that the missing farewells played a huge role in the painter’s trauma, as they triggered his abandonment issues. Thanks to Yoon Seungho’s decision, the artist was allowed for the first time to bid farewell to his noona properly. (chapter 69) But there’s more to it. In my opinion, the physical touch, in the form of caress and embrace, played a huge role in the painter’s traumatic past too. However, before starting to explain this element, I need to elaborate how it came to this.

First, I have to admit that I had problem to discern the true nature of the relationship between the painter and Heena. She is acting like a mother, although the protagonist describes her as his older sister. (chapter 70) Then thanks to my readers @_Winnie_L_ and @AkaiHikariChan who pointed out, the kisaeng is definitely too young to be the mother, I got a new revelation. Since Baek Na-Kyum is a reflection of Lee Jihwa, it means that the commoner was raised by an absent parent too. That’s why we don’t see the head-kisaeng at all. She is also like a ghost, the female version of father Lee. (chapter 67) Thus we have two possibilities. Either the head-kisaeng is someone else and Heena noona took over her role, or Heena noona became the head-kisaeng, but she never claimed Baek Na-Kyum as her son. Thus the painter ended up with a ghost mother. On the one hand, Heena noona acted like a sister in front of him and she requested from him to be called “noona”, on the other hand, she behaved like a mother towards Baek Na-Kyum. Observe that Heena is the only one with a name. The only difference is that the head-kisaeng relied on the kisaengs to raise the low-born, whereas the noble Lee employed his domestics. This explicates why Heena noona started acting like a mother. But this caused her to struggle due to her young age. She was so overwhelmed with this task, that she had to rely on the scholar. And there is a reason why the kisaeng trusted the low noble so much. She was not just blinded by her own feelings (chapter 68). Her decision was influenced by her past experiences and fears. The head-kisaeng judged the learned sir as a good and responsible man. And how could he win her trust? Since the story is constructed like a kaleidoscope, this means, we must have a new version of this during the first season. In my opinion, the scene with the worker is the repetition from the past. (chapter 29) First, observe that the young girl is sitting on the teacher’s lap and the learned sir is holding a book. So if someone saw this from far away, the beholder would think that the scholar is reading the book to the child. It even gives the impression that he is actually teaching the young girl to read. But note that in this scene, the low noble is in reality talking to the commoner. For the young girl, it means that she is forced to sit and do nothing. That’s why she turns her her head to the learned sir wondering what he is expecting from her. (chapter 29) What is she supposed to do? Observe that he replies to her interrogating expression with a smile, yet he doesn’t give her any instruction. I would say, he treats her like a doll. And now, replace the young girl with Baek Na-Kyum, and the latter has to sit there for a while. You can easily grasp why the painter could only fall asleep. (chapter 70) In front of the kisaengs, the scholar created the illusion that he was teaching, while in truth he just saw it as a diversion. This explicates why he utilized this idiom to Yoon Seungho. (chapter 6) Diversion has two meanings:

  1. something that takes your attention away from something else: Shoplifters often work in pairs, with one creating a diversion to distract the staff while the other steals the goods.
  2. an activity you do for entertainment: Reading is a pleasant diversion. quoted from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/diversion

This outlines that this expression is far from anodyne. While we all associated “diversion” to the second significance, the low noble meant the first meaning. In the past, I used to think that the scholar was hoping for the artist to doze off so that he would spy on the guests at the kisaeng house. He was talking to the noonas with the boy on his lap in the hope to discover “secrets”. However, since I realized that Jung In-Hun was the one who brought the baby to the gibang, he had many reasons to go to the kisaeng house. He could hope to get connection to powerful nobles and even get information. However, from my point of view, since he had entrusted the artist to the noonas, he knew that the gibang was the perfect place to hide secrets as well. Remember that the conversation in this precise chapter was about “secret and protection”. (chapter 29) And now the scene at the kisaeng house can only be perceived in a new light. (chapter 68) Jung In-Hun must have come to an agreement with a rich noble and made a deal with him. The presence of the painter was no coincidence, and it diverted attention from the real target of abuse: Yoon Seungho, who got dragged away. The painter and the other noona thought that Heena had been the victim of violence from a noble, but she was not. She served as diversion. Too blinded by her prejudices and own fears, the young woman wasn’t able to perceive the true nature of the learned sir. While she saw the scholar as a hero, because he hugged the painter and took him away from this terrible place, she never questioned the scholar’s attitude. If he had been a true hero, he would have rescued her and not abandoned her. She never got aware of his betrayal. In other words, the scholar helped to create a secret. This explicates why the learned sir is well aware of the nobles’ fear. In his eyes, they all have something to hide.

But let’s return to our first observation: the head-kisaeng neglected her adopted son, for she was too overwhelmed with the huge responsibility. The manhwaphiles should remember that neglect is a form of abuse and it can lead to the loss of senses. That’s why I described Lee Jihwa as blind and deaf. With this new interpretation, I come to the conclusion that Baek Na-Kyum had the same fate. Moreover, his mind’s eye couldn’t get developed. Due to his abandonment issues, he desired to grant Heena’s wishes. That way, he wouldn’t be rejected. However, this couldn’t fill the void. That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum drew a lot of paintings as a child. (chapter 1) Here, the witness was lying, as he was distorting the past, the painter wouldn’t draw erotic pictures constantly. The head-kisaeng didn’t take care of her son and during the day, the noonas were all resting so that the painter was on his own. This panel illustrates the painter’s isolation and loneliness. At the same time, I envision that the scholar visited the kisaeng house during the night so that he could approach the noonas, explicating why the boy would doze off too. Moreover, painting was a way for the painter to cope his loneliness and his loss of senses. As a conclusion, the painter was not only suffering from abandonment issues, but also from neglect which made him more and more dependable on Heena noona and the learned sir.

Yet, this doesn’t end here. Each time, Heena noona was confronted to violence, she sent away the painter. He was not just forced to leave his noona’s side, he had to leave the house as well. He ended up in the countryside (chapter 70) , in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by water and rice fields. While some might view these panels as quite idyllic, I interpret these as the opposite: Baek Na-Kyum had no roots and no roof over his head. He couldn’t even find a refuge, which reminds us of the scene in the first chapter: (chapter 1) This picture exposes the painter’s lack of attachment. He has no home, no wall to protect him… there’s only emptiness surrounding him, which contrasts so much to Yoon Seungho’s situation, who lived in a prison. Hence I understand now why Baek Na-Kyum is determined to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side. (chapter 68) For the first time, he has a room for himself, and even if he is pushed away, he can express his sadness and seek comfort in his room: (chapter 41) and (chapter 52). Note that each time, he was unhappy, he was requested not to cry (chapter 26) (chapter 68: he is sent away due to his tears) (chapter 70) If you pay attention, you’ll notice the only one allowing the painter to voice his wound and to shed his tears is indeed Yoon Seungho. Each time, he desires to know the cause for Baek Na-Kyum’s tears. (chapter 1) The difference is even palpable in chapter 26: He left him some space and time to cry, hence when he returned, he didn’t say: don’t cry. He just makes this comment (chapter 26). And like I underlined it before, the lord is always focused on the reason for the artist’s tears. This led to the confrontation: who is responsible for his heartache? (chapter 26) Sure, in the bathroom, Yoon Seungho is still very rude, however he never employs the negation. Nonetheless, the low-born could never perceive this divergence, as the nuance is not so obvious. This explicates why in chapter 41, the artist misjudged the noble’s intervention. When the latter wanted to see his face and as such his tears, (chapter 41) the former refused to do so, because he anticipated that the lord would ask the same thing: stop crying. However, the master wanted to know the cause for his agony, which is totally different. This scene is really important, because it shows another issue. Baek Na-Kyum was never allowed to cry. His tears were associated to annoyance and burden. That’s why he desired to be left alone in the end. He feared that if the lord saw his tears, he would be requested to stop crying. And this fear of letting his tears coming up explains why the painter hid his eyes with his arm during the physical abuse. (chapter 34) Under this new approach, we understand better (chapter 68) why the lord chose to retreat. Here, the master saw the commoner’s tears with his mind’s eye and realized that he needed to give him some space and time again. But more importantly, he never entered the room, giving him some privacy. He learnt an important lesson here: solitude doesn’t stand in opposition to distance and abandonment. In this scene, Heena noona never requests from the painter to stop crying, she just wipes his tears with her hand and caresses her brother’s cheeks. (chapter 68) In my opinion, she hoped that if he voiced his emotions, he would follow her. She had an interest in this, that way she could express her disapproval and use her authority to force the painter to obey her. (chapter 68) What the noona didn’t realize is that the main lead’s decision to respect the low-born’s needs (crying and not entering his room) was the reason why Baek Na-Kyum selected him in the end. There’s no doubt that the lord was associated to home for good, because he is the first one who allowed him to cry and to have a room, where he could seek refuge after getting hurt. Under this new light, the readers can better grasp why Baek Na-Kyum is healed now.

However, my examination is still not finished. I had portrayed the commoner as suffering from the loss of sight and hearing due to his neglecting mother/noona. But this doesn’t mean that he had lost his body too. Since he was deprived of these two senses, he had to rely on the physical touch in order to compensate his isolation. And now, you understand why the learned sir and Heena noona had such power over him and why the young boy was so submissive. They used the caress and the embrace as a way to impose their will. That’s how they got so close to Baek Na-Kyum, explaining why the commoner would lose his voice after all (speech ability). He became submissive in his desire to please his loved ones. He saw in their caresses and embraces a sign of affection. He was not wrong, but their attachment was linked to their own interests. Thus their love was rather superficial.

What caught my attention is that the kisaeng stroke the painter’s cheeks, (chapter 46) when the latter was sent away, But she didn’t hug her brother. Why? It was to stop him from protesting. (chapter 46) But I would even go further. I don’t think that Heena noona used to embrace her brother. This perception was somehow confirmed in season 3. (chapter 94) Here, the infant hugged his noona, but she didn’t return his gesture. Moreover, she hadn’t stopped the laughing nobles as well. Furthermore, (chapter 66) note the huge distance between the two characters in the last panel. This is no coincidence, therefore I perceive the embrace in chapter 66 in a new light. (chapter 66) It was the first time that Baek Na-Kyum got embraced by his noona. And all this, thanks to Yoon Seungho. In my opinion, the kisaeng got really scared and concerned for her brother. And there’s a reason for this lack of worry. She relied too much on Jung In-Hun. Her false perception is particularly visible, when she claims . (chapter 68) Why does she expect this? From my point of view, her words imply, she must have helped the learned sir in the past: one thing is sure. She was not entirely honest with her donsaeng here, as the manhwaphiles can detect the drop of sweat. But more importantly, we have to question ourselves if the gibang was not used in the past to spread rumors about the Yoons again, and Jung In-Hun could heard something. I am even envisioning that she must have reported conversations to him, a new version of chapter 24: Remember that in that scene the painter doesn’t comprehend the meaning behind this order. If this theory is true, then she never saw the consequences of her action, similar to her brother in chapter 24. If she truly did it, she must have justified this, because the learned sir needed it, she was responsible for him. This would explicate why she is surprised that the artist is responsible for the learned sir. Anyway, due to her assistance, she expected from Jung In-Hun that he would take care of the painter. There’s no doubt that she loved the scholar, and since the boy had entered the kisaeng house due to the learned sir, there is a high possibility that Heena noona got close to Baek Na-Kyum for that reason too. That way, she hoped to earn the scholar’s acceptance and admiration. Since the painter was left alone and longed for love, the latter could only rely more and more on Heena noona, especially due to the incidents where Baek Na-Kyum was wounded. (chapter 94) She created a dependency, while simultaneously, she would delegate her responsibilities on the other noonas. Heena noona became the painter’s mother, yet she was never one officially. Consequently, I believe that her bond was not entirely selfless, which became truly visible in season 3. Let’s not forget that the kisaeng was portrayed as quite rude and selfish in certain scenes. The way she hugged her brother was not tender in my eyes. (chapter 68) For me, her real “admiration” was for the learned sir, therefore it becomes understandable why she wasn’t bothered, if Jung In-Hun asked for her help in exchange for taking care of Baek Na-Kyum. According to my theory, the learned sir had brought himself the baby to the gibang, this means that in chapter 46, he could only accept the kisaeng’s request. He had no other choice, for in Heena’s eyes, they were somehow related. From my point of view, Heena noona hoped that Jung In-Hun would even assist her and help her to leave the gibang. But this never happened. In my opinion, there exists another reason why the painter was sent to the learned sir. And it is related to Yoon Seungho, the erotic paintings and the pedophile.

The kisaeng helped the scholar, while the latter assisted her with her burden: raising a boy. From that moment, a toxic relationship started, which could only affect the young boy. This would explicate why she accepted that Jung In-Hun would leave her behind while getting beaten. For this kind of incident recurred, we have to imagine that the low noble and the kisaeng contributed to add another artist’s trauma: the abandonment issues and the loss of home.

From that moment, he was forced to roam around with the scholar during the night. (chapter 70) And now, we have to question ourselves why the kisaeng chose to send away the painter in the end. From my point of view, it wasn’t really to protect him… since Baek Na-Kyum was now an adult, the role of the scholar was no longer necessary. First, the artist was supposed to be literate. At the same time, the low noble couldn’t take him any longer, when the kisaeng got hurt again. This kind of diversion was no longer possible. The man was old enough to intervene, hence not only he could have defended his sister, but also he could have investigated what was happening in the gibang. That’s why Heena sent him away to the scholar and observe that the noonas were not even informed. (chapter 46) Why? Because she knew that they would have questioned her. Moreover, the noonas might have convinced the donsaeng to stay in the gibang. In my eyes, the noona thought that she was doing it for her son’s best interest, while in reality she had other motives to ask the painter to leave the gibang. Unconsciously, she desired to leave that place too. From my point of view, she dreamed that the learned sir would take her away at some point. This interpretation was proven correct in season 3. (chapter 97) In exchange for her services, she had to bring Baek Na-Kyum to Min, the noona would be able to escape the gibang.

Therefore it is time to focus on the learned sir again. Exactly like I had anticipated, the low noble blamed the painter for his inability to read: he would doze off , while in reality the low noble made sure that the artist would fall asleep. Besides, if the painter was awake during the night, this signifies that he had to sleep during the day. And in order to obtain the painter’s assistance, he noticed that the low-born was sensitive to physical touch: the scholar chose the hug. That’s why we see him embracing the young boy in chapter 68 or piggybacking in chapter 70. We have to envision that first he embraced him in front of the kisaeng, then once they had left the town, the noble would change the position. Yet, I believe that Heena had here romanticized this embrace. It represents a distorted memory mixed with fantasy. What caught my attention is that in both hugs, the noble could hide his face and in particular his eyes. At the same time, the learned sir wasn’t faced with the commoner’s tears and sadness. He could feign ignorance. (chapter 70) But this could only work, until the painter entered adulthood. After that, he could no longer use the boy as tool and diversion. Even if the learned sir’s affection was genuine in the beginning, the nature of their relationship could only change, for the learned sir had kept using him in the past. It had become a habit.

Envision this: his ties with the kisaeng house were cut off. And since he had never taught the painter to write and read properly, Jung In-Hun was cornered. Moreover, there is no ambiguity that the learned sir started viewing Baek Na-Kyum as a burden, this means that at some point Jung In-Hun must have felt the exact opposite of this: (chapter 44)

And since the scholar has always disdained the commoners, he could only abhor the idea to keep hugging the artist. The latter was now a grown-up. Hence he used the erotic painting as an excuse to abuse Baek Na-Kyum physically. That way, the noble was no longer obliged to caress or embrace the painter. However, because of this method, he destroyed the painter’s body symbolically. (chapter 34) And this leads me to the following conclusion: the painter ended up in the same state than Yoon Seungho’s. Both lost their senses and their own body. And now, you can comprehend why the main lead can’t cry yet. The return of his tears will mark the end of the transformation and his recovery.

Nonetheless, let’s return our attention to the scholar and his relationship with the painter. If the manhwaphiles pay attention to the progression of the first season, they will notice the increasing intimacy between Baek Na-Kyum and Jung In-Hun. First, it started with a stroke (chapter 10), then in chapter 24 he touches his shoulder and kisses his hands. (chapter 24) With my new interpretation, you can comprehend why he did this. He tried to use the same method from the past: he knew that physical touch would make the artist submissive. And the climax was reached in chapter 29 with the fake embrace and the betrayal: (chapter 29) From that moment, it went down again. We returned to patting (chapter 35) and strokes (chapter 35) and finish with this final touch of the painter’s cheek: (chapter 38) And the physical interaction reflects the learned sir’s loss of power. Despite his attempts, he was not able to obtain the artist’s submission like in the past. That’s the reason why he could only resent the artist. We have to remember that the low noble really detested this physical intimacy, hence he would tighten his jaw or grind his teeth. (chapter 24) Note that in many panels, we never see the scholar’s facial expressions, but there is no ambiguity that he could never truly hide his disdain. But the painter was still blinded by his “admiration” for Jung In-Hun. However, after the argument at the library, the painter lost his sight and hearing again. He was too wounded by the final blow.

And now, you understand why Yoon Seungho’s actions (seeking intimacy) could only help the painter to recover. First, he had been able to remove the poison from the artist’s mind before the backstab in the library. The lord had encouraged Baek Na-Kyum’s critical thinking. This explicates why after the scholar’s betrayal, the painter’s independent mind resurfaced first. (chapter 46) Then the readers witness the return of the artist’s 5th sense (touching) in chapter 49. That’s the reason why the noble could finally get the painter’s attention afterwards. For me, the touching has always been the most important sense in his life, which explains why Heena and Jung In-Hun had such control over the low-born. Then in chapter 52, we assist to the revival of the artist’s sight: (chapter 52) And now you comprehend why Heena and Jung In-Hun were defeated. The hug in chapter 66 helped him to satisfy an important need: he was truly embraced while getting comforted. Simultaneously, the hug is not entirely related to the kisaeng, but to the study. Remember that we never saw her hugging him before. At the kisaeng house, he didn’t feel like he truly belonged there, and Heena would always send him away due to his cry. While Heena anticipated with this embrace, the painter would follow her like in the past, she experienced a shock. Now, the painter was no longer blindly listening to her suggestion. And now, you understand why she kept touching the artist. She was trying to influence the painter through the physical touch. Under this new light, I understand why she said this after all: (chapter 68) Yoon Seungho is famous for intimacy, then this would signify that she would lose control over the painter forever. This explicates why Heena noona is not respecting her brother’s wish in the end. And if you compare the two farewells between the kisaeng and the main lead, you will detect a huge progression: (chapter 69) They hug each other here, the painter can get closure, because this is just a goodbye. The noona asks him to send letters, this means that she is telling him that he is not abandoned. This night was important, because the painter’s abandonment issues got treated. Hence it is no wonder why the painter could move on from the past during the same night.

And now, it is time to come to the final part, the significance of the painter’s memory in chapter 70. From my point of view, we should perceive as a new version of chapter 34: Back then, he recalled the repressed physical abuse. However, his conscious dismissed it again. However, this time it is different. The painter in possession of his whole body is reminded of the scholar due to Heena noona’s farewell. The closure he got by bidding her farewell triggered a long repressed memory too. The learned sir was the one who consoled him in the past. And while he recalls that night, the adult Baek Na-Kyum realizes that the scholar’s care was not fake in the past. He would keep him company and talk to him, he was his companion of the night. However, for me, this scene outlines his superficiality and indifference. He diverts his attention so that he wouldn’t feel sad any longer. But it was, as if he was ignoring his sadness, for he wouldn’t talk about the incident. (chapter 70), He would even smile making him look indifferent. (chapter 70 Then he makes the following reproach: he was lazy. (chapter 70). For me, during that night the artist realizes that despite the huge blow in the library, Jung In-Hun had not been bad to him all this time. He had good memories. This means that he was able to take his distance and look back at his childhood under a new perspective. The learned sir had been there for him in the past. In this moment, when he saw the moon, he was reminded of the learned sir. It might not follow him specially, but it is always there. (chapter 70) The learned sir will always be a part of his life, as he belongs to the past. As you can see, in this scene, Baek Na-Kyum was moving on. Therefore I interpret this scene as a real breakthrough. The painter is no longer under the influence of the scholar. The latter can not longer manipulate him like in the past [though now I believe that he is dead], and this revelation was triggered by Heena noona and her embraces. But at the same time, he is not rejecting or resenting the man. And this interpretation becomes even more visible in season 3: (chapter 94) His heart and mind are now in peace. He is no longer suffering from a guilty conscience. And this truly exposes that the artist’s abandonment issues were created by Heena.

Under this new interpretation, the scene at the bathroom becomes another significance. The lord decided to let the painter feel and see his affection. He chose a different approach: caressing the finger and the hand tenderly, then the chin before kissing him. (chapter 70) However, what caught my attention is that his touch is never to shut the artist’s mouth. Observe that he lets the mouth open, while he caresses the hands, the chin and even after kissing the painter. (chapter 70) He has the right to speak, while Heena noona and Jung In-Hun used the embrace and caress as a way to render Baek Na-Kyum mute. And since the affection through physical touch was a way to win the painter’s heart, there is no doubt that Yoon Seungho is on his way to win his heart. Now, the painter is finally looking at him and the scholar’s influence has been finally erased. Baek Na-Kyum is now totally over Jung In-Hun, as he has now only view him as a companion and friend, and nothing more. He is no longer his idol. In other words, the low-born has finally found closure. In episode 70, his heart is free.

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Painter Of The Night: Jealousy and trust (second version)

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

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While I was reading the manhwa again, the scene when the lord caressed the painter’s cheek in chapter 18/19 caught my attention. Striking is that neither the noble nor the painter cared too much about that gesture. The artist was too shocked due to the huge scandal, and the main lead had the impression, he just wanted to taste the artist out of curiosity and interest. So there was no deep meaning in the caress, yet this gesture was witnessed by the scholar Jung In-Hun. (Chapter 18) And this not only shocked him, but more importantly, it really made him jealous.

1. The scholar’s jealousy

Imagine, he was upset, because the painter had been the recipient of a caress from the powerful noble. Yet, he didn’t feel repulsed, just displeased and resentful But if he was jealous, then it signifies that he desired to have received this mark of attention. That’s the reason why I come to the conclusion, Jung In-Hun would have even accepted the noble’s advances, if it meant that he would get some benefit from it. And this interpretation is even confirmed, when you compare it with its reflection in chapter 35.

2. The comparison of the caress on the cheek

Here, we have a reversed situation. Exactly like the main character, he strokes the artist’s cheek, while he seems not to be aware that he is observed by Yoon Seungho. However, unlike in chapter 19, the caress has a huge signification. Jung In-Hun is faking affection in order to achieve his goal: the painter should spy on the benefactor on his behalf. Consequently, before he leaves the mansion, he reminds him of his request. (Chapter 35) In other words, although the caress from Yoon Seungho was anodyne, his gentleness was genuine, whereas it is the opposite with the teacher’s stroke. Moreover, if you compare the vocabulary field, you’ll notice the contrast: duty/work versus entertainment. And although the low noble is aware that Baek Na-Kyum has been very ill, he just sends him back to his “work”. He makes sure that the artist doesn’t fall for the lord’s generosity. He should remember that this is just work, and not entertainment. Moreover, the teacher reminds the painter of his promise: he is his servant. As the manhwaphiles can detect, in chapter 19, Jung In-Hun was already jealous of the painter, because he was receiving the lord’s attention and affection. But this was just a caress, therefore envision how he must have felt, when he heard this from the painter: (chapter 35) He must have realized that he was on the verge of losing the artist’s favors. That’s why he reminded the painter of his “loyalty” and “promise”. In chapter 35, Yoon Seungho was the one jealous, hence imagine the resent and jealousy Jung In-Hun must have felt in chapter 19. Yoon Seungho had even cut ties with another aristocrat due to the low-born. But unlike the scholar, Yoon Seungho’s jealousy was much more intensive to the point he would have killed the artist, if he had set a foot outside the mansion, though I doubt that he would have done it for real. But why are these characters jealous?

3. Jealousy: its origins and consequences

I made some research about the origin of jealousy and this is was I discovered: This feeling appears, when someone feels insecure in his relationship with another person due to the appearance of a third person. And if we take this definition into consideration, then the scholar’s jealousy is triggered by two aspects. First, he resents the artist, because he caught the lord’s attention. Yet there is more to it. He resents the low-born, as the latter seems to have escaped his control. Let’s not forget that Baek Na-Kyum allowed another man to touch his cheek. For the first time, Jung In-Hun saw another man getting closer to Baek Na-Kyum, indicating that his influence over the artist was diminishing. The readers shouldn’t forget that the scholar enjoyed it very much to use the low-born as his puppet. In the past, Baek Na-Kyum would always follow his orders, yet with this anodyne gesture, Jung In-Hun realized that something had changed. That’s the reason why he had to blame the painter for this, and accused him of seducing the main lead. (Chapter 19) In truth, he projected his own thoughts onto the painter. He wanted to be the one getting closer to the powerful aristocrat, and would do anything in exchange for his own interests. Simultaneously, he needed the artist to remain obedient and loyal, so that he wouldn’t become a rival. And now, if we examine the protagonist’s jealousy in chapter 35 with this definition, we recognize that it is related to the sex marathon. Yoon Seungho had envisaged that after that event, the painter had finally accepted him as his partner, and their relationship had changed. Besides, after his return, Baek Na-Kyum had been in his bed and had never reproached the sexual encounter leading to his illness. Therefore, he had envisaged that the commoner was slowly accepting him.

While many think, jealousy is terrible, evolutionary psychologists regard it as a necessary emotion, because it helps people to preserve their social bonds and motivate them to improve their relationship, since it serves as a wake-up call for the affected person. And if you pay attention to Yoon Seungho’s behavior, you’ll indeed sense that right after feeling jealous, he tries his best to improve his relationship with the painter. In chapter 35, he compliments the painter , approaches him and smiles to him. (Chapter 35) Moreover, he caresses his head (chapter 35) after finally asking him about his interest. This scene made him realize that he needed to get to know Baek Na-Kyum better, and their relationship shouldn’t only be limited to sex. Hence he invited the painter to his bedchamber that night. In my opinion, he really hoped to initiate a conversation. That’s the reason why he was writing something, he hoped that Baek Na-Kyum would ask, but due to the aphrodisiac and the “warning” from Kim, the artist didn’t dare to speak. As a conclusion, we could say, Kim would have totally succeeded to ruin Yoon Seungho’s plan, if the brother hadn’t appeared that night. At the end, Baek Na-Kyum did earn the lord’s trust, he was able to sleep by the lord’s side.

4. Heena and Yoon Seungho’s jealousy

And now, with the release of chapter 69, we have a reflection from these two chapters. We see two jealous persons, Heena noona and Yoon Seungho, the kisaeng is replacing the teacher. Yet, there’s a huge change. Why? While Baek Na-Kyum in the past would trust his adoptive parents and follow them blindly(chapter 35) (chapter 46), we see the painter deciding his own fate. He prefers remaining in the mansion. Not only he is no longer listening to his parents, but also he becomes proactive. He gives his noona his own scarf, a sign that he is now old enough to take care of her. (Chapter 69) He is no longer a child. In reality, this gesture has so much meaning. With this tender gesture, he desires to end the discussion. Notice that she keeps pressuring him (chapter 69), illustrating that she is still not giving up on her adoptive son. Since the chapter 19 is a reflection of episode 69, I believe that Heena noona’s behavior is indeed motivated by jealousy. Imagine, for the first time, her son doesn’t obey her, while in the past, even if he admired the teacher, the latter never represented a threat to her relationship with her son. For the first time, he has refused her help (chapter 68) and pushed her hand away, a huge shock for the kisaeng. (Chapter 68) For her, the only explanation can be the negative influence of Yoon Seungho. And because she attempts to change the painter’s mind just before leaving, Baek Na-Kyum stops her by smiling. He is trying to reassure her that he is fine. (Chapter 69) But she doesn’t trust her son’s judgement. She believes, she knows what is right for her son. Therefore, her last words exposes her true intentions. She won’t respect the artist’s choice. (Chapter 69) She thinks of herself as her son’s savior, whereas in reality, she will jeopardize Baek Na-Kyum’s safety. There’s no doubt that she will be manipulated by Min and Kim. Due to his kind words, she has already judged him as a good man (chapter 67), unaware that she is trusting a terrible servant who is determined to hurt her son. This reminds us of the chapter 35, where Jung In-Hun risked the painter’s life. I have to admit that after comparing the scene from episode 19 with 35, I had the impression that Jung In-Hun could have been demonstrating his affection in order to show off to the lord that the painter would only listen to him. Let’s not forget that in chapter 30, the teacher tried to sell off Baek Na-Kyum by telling Yoon Seungho that the artist would only obey to him. And in both cases, Jung In-Hun never recognized the real situation: he was putting his life in danger. And observe that we have many parallels in chapter 69 with chapter 30 as well. We have the painter’s intervention (chapter 69), when he senses that Heena noona keeps challenging Yoon Seungho by refusing to recognize his benevolence and her wrongdoing. Here again, he speaks to the main lead in order to deescalate the situation. While in chapter 30, he feared the main lead, (chapter 30) yet he desired to protect his learned sir, in episode 69 we have a reversed situation. The one menacing is the kisaeng, and not the lord. The latter steps back, as he knows that he did something wrong to his lover. Baek Na-Kyum could have exposed his brutality. However, due to Yoon Seungho’s past action, Baek Na-Kyum has learned to fear the noble’s power and strength. Hence he intervenes, because he wishes to protect his noona. (Chapter 69) Nevertheless the readers can sense that the artist is feeling more uncomfortable than scared. Moreover, his sincerity and his thoughtfulness is palpable. He is indeed recognizing the lord’s leniency. (Chapter 69) Another similarity is the constant blushing of the painter, the lord’s action and words surprise him. Therefore there is this awkward moment, for both protagonists are trying to figure out the situation. The lord never expected a thank you from the low-born, especially after receiving such a mistreatment. (chapter 69)

In chapter 35, he detected his exhaustion and honesty, but he felt indeed affected by his presence. Nonetheless, the cause of his reddening diverges here. (chapter 69) He is not just affected by the main lead’s appearance, but also by his gestures. Baek Na-Kyum is finally able to see the kindness in Yoon Seungho. First, he did keep his promise to the artist. He restrained himself to punish the kisaeng. Secondly, he put himself the scarf around the low-born’s neck, which is quite extraordinary. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that Yoon Seungho is actually lowering himself by acting so, he prioritizes the commoner. This is not surprising that at the end, Baek Na-Kyum can’t help himself blushing. (Chapter 69) Unlike in the past, Yoon Seungho is willing to trust the painter by his actions and words. Therefore he emphasizes this: (chapter 69) “I do believe”. He has learnt his lesson. He recognized that his judgement had been clouded by his insecurities and jealousy. That’s why he stares at the painter, when the latter is looking at his mother walking away. (Chapter 69) He notices the artist’s concern and attention towards his mother. This explicates why he allows the painter to follow the kisaeng to the front gate. However, as you can observe it, the painter is not realizing that the lord is paying attention to his facial expressions. In my opinion, Yoon Seungho is trying to make the painter smile, when he gives his consent.

Let’s not forget that in chapter 44, he did ask Jung In-hun to bid farewell to Baek Na-Kyum, but the latter never cared for the boy. Yet, Yoon Seungho is only at the beginning to trust the painter entirely, hence he asks him to remain in his sight. (chapter 69) This explains why he asks him to follow his mother only to the front gate. That’s the limit of his trust. I would even add, he can’t bear Baek Na-Kyum out of sight. That’s how much he loves him. He needs to feel his presence close to him. And exactly like in chapter 35, the readers sense the importance of the door. While in episode 35, the gate was associated to life or death, now the door symbolizes trust. Within the building, he will put his faith in the artist’s words. Finally, we have another allusion to chapter 35: the reference to coldness. (chapter 35) And this parallel reinforces my perception about the valet. He is a hypocrite, because he incited the lord to go to the window, while claiming that it was cold. That’s why I perceive the chapter 69 as a good sign. Yoon Seungho is definitely willing to trust the painter. He let him make his own choice, and the moment Baek Na-Kyum expressed that he was not leaving the mansion (chapter 69), the lord could only feel relieved. That’s why he had a softer gaze right after. (Chapter 69) He was definitely happy that the commoner had chosen him. However, there’s still awkwardness between them, hence the noble can’t entirely trust him. And this lack of trust becomes a reality, when in chapter 80, the manhwaphiles witness that Yoon Seungho had threatened the kisaeng behind the painter’s back. (Chapter 80) He had once again listened to the butler’s advice… How can I be so sure? It is because the real author of the threat was the butler and not the lord. (chapter 69) Yoon Seungho will never order someone to eliminate a person. He will always use his own hands. We have many evidences for this: the hunt and the scenes with the sword. (chapter 69) The tragedy is that in the courtyard, the artist made the lord this promise: (chapter 69) He would remain by the lord’s side, but the lord still didn’t trust the artist’s words. And now, it is time to examine the origin of Yoon Seungho’s jealousy and lack of trust.

5. The real cause for the lord’s jealousy

As you can imagine, the answer is quite simple. It’s Kim. The latter has always been mistrusting people, he always felt insecure. In other words, he was jealous. This signifies that deep down, he always wanted to keep the noble’s attention and affection. That’s the reason why he revealed the incident with the door to father Yoon. (chapter 77) The young boy was looking at someone else. He would stop looking at him like that. (chapter 57) The butler would lose his influence over the boy. Under this new light, you comprehend why he decided to betray father Yoon after the straw mat beating. The young boy was rejecting him and despising him. (chapter 77) Yoon Seungho’s gaze was telling all his emotions and thoughts. That’s the reason why the butler isolated his master for so many years. And note that in chapter 69, he projected his own thoughts onto the painter again. Since the butler has always backstabbed, betrayed and abandoned Yoon Seungho, he imagined that the artist would have a change of heart too… like Kim always did in the past. Naturally, this is the negative version of a change of heart: not compassion and remorse, but resent and jealousy!!

And now, you comprehend why the bride’s abduction has to take place right now. Kim is not only on the verge of losing his home… but also he has lost his master’s love and affection. He is no longer looking at him. For the first time, he was punished which had never happened before. (chapter 77) If the painter leaves the mansion, the butler will make sure to portray the painter in a negative light. But there’s one thing that Kim overlooked: Yoon Seungho’s ability to learn!! Remember that jealousy is there to make the partner realize that he needs to improve his behavior. Since he mistrusted the painter’s choice, he realized later that he needed to earn the artist’s trust first. Therefore he made the following promises: (chapter 70) and he would always ask for the artist’s consent. (chapter 71). Furthermore, the artist’s reproach in the tavern (chapter 75) must have been an eye-opener for the wealthy aristocrat as well. How can he expect “loyalty and trust” from Baek Na-Kyum, if he is himself a fickle man by nature? With such words, the artist encouraged the lord to stop wavering and doubting his lover. He needed to show his love and trust first, before expecting it right away from the low-born. And now, you comprehend why Yoon Seungho started courting Baek Na-Kyum. He needed to show his trust and love in order to obtain it. And in chapter 80, he finally succeeded it. Therefore the bride’s abduction is doomed to failure. Kim won’t be able to achieve his goal. However, there’s one thing that this incident will make the lord recognize that he trusted the wrong person. He should never have listened to the butler’s advice and threatened the kisaeng, because this meant that he was mistrusting his lover!

Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My reddit-Instagram-Tumblr-Twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.   

Painter Of The Night: How strange…🤔🧐 (second version)

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

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I have to admit that when I read the chapter 50 for the first time, I was quite confused. Why would Yoon Seungho rush to the teacher’s bedchamber with a sword? Why would he comment „How strange…” at the end? (chapter 50) I tried to find answers by speculating. However, my assumptions were totally wrong due to the lack of information. Only time and new chapters helped me to understand the story much better. Thereby I could better anticipate its progression, and comprehend the reasons for the characters’ actions. Due to the constant examination, I made the following observations:

  • The story keeps repeating itself, as it is constructed like a kaleidoscope, hence we always have reflections in the characters’ words and behavior.
  • Each incident happens twice: two door incidents (16; 43); two sex sessions at the pavilion, two slaps; the incident with the sword/knife (1, 18: two servants are stabbed/26, 35) etc.
  • Each action from Yoon Seungho will be copied by the painter, or it is the reverse: Yoon Seungho caresses Baek Na-Kyum‘s cheek (18, 50), the artist reciprocates the same gesture (55, 59). What caught my attention is that each stroke on the cheek was never truly perceived by the recipient. The protagonist was either sleeping or too shocked by an incident, so that they couldn’t detect the gesture. They missed the genuineness and warmth coming from the other protagonist.
  • All the characters have reflections with others: Jihwa versus Baek Na-Kyum, Heena noona versus father Yoon; Nameless versus Kim; Jung In-Hun versus Kim but also Min and father Yoon, Baek Na-Kyum versus Kim etc. The latter is also a water element, exactly like the artist. Therefore he is often seen with a bucket of water (chapter 33) (chapter 56), and there’s always a drop of sweat on his face. However, if you pay attention, you’ll notice that the valet is never seen washing. He carries the bucket around, and that’s it, which stands in opposition to Baek Na-Kyum. The latter cleans his own underwear, but also the protagonist’s face (chapter 55).  

Yet I still had no idea what truly triggered Yoon Seungho’s anger and frustration in chapter 50. And then, while analyzing the chapter 16 in connection with the essay entitled “Desires and communication”, I made this discovery: Yoon Seungho used the same expression there: (chapter 16) Here, he was wondering how the painter was able to create the painting, while he didn’t seem to look at them the whole time. What caught my attention are two elements:

  1. The painter was actually watching, without giving the impression, he did. Yoon Seungho’s words imply a certain deception.
  2. Simultaneously, they outline a contradiction. He was not looking, yet he could recreate the position perfectly.

The noble didn’t realize that during the sex session, Jihwa described the scene to attract his friend’s attention. That’s the reasony why the artist could create the painting, as he listened to the aristocrat’s words. In other words, he was spying on them by listening to their conversation. Since there is the same expression in chapter 50, this means that the latter is a reflection of chapter 16. The manhwaphiles should remember that we have a sex session during that night. (chapter 49) The painter expressed his thoughts: he only saw the noble as a sex toy, the main lead was the one who should give pleasure to Baek Na-Kyum. Yet despite the hurt, Yoon Seungho was willing to accept this situation. They would no longer exchange their thoughts and emotions. He was already lowering his expectations. At the same time, he couldn’t help caring for the low-born. He caressed his cheek and kissed him gently at the end. (chapter 50)

Since I explained that the expression “how strange…” was connected to deception, contradiction and spying, I recognized that something similar must have happened during that night (chapter 50). Besides, we also have a time jump. Suddenly, there’s morning, and the lord has rushed to the scholar’s room with a sword. (chapter 50) And this scene reminded me of the main lead running to the scholar’s room in chapter 28/29, after witnessing the artist’s desertion. There was a time jump as well. Therefore I came to the conclusion that the night in chapter 48-49-50 has the same importance than the night with the forced sex and fellatio. This explicates why the lord has a sword again. Back then, he took the weapon due to his jealousy, hence we can definitely conclude that he is angered again due to the return of his jealousy. So chapter 50 was not only a reflection of the episode 16, but also of the episode 28-29.

Because of the connection with the painter’s escape and the incident with the opened door (chapter 16), I couldn’t help myself linking the chapter 50 to Kim and his actions in the shadow. Like I have already pointed out, Kim was observing the event of the night (25-26-27-28) in order to ensure that the protagonist wouldn’t cause too much trouble. Moreover, the manhwalovers should recall that he played a huge role in the low-born’s escape. While Deok-Jae informed Baek Na-Kyum about the scholar’s whereabouts, we have to imagine that the teacher must have talked to the butler about the destination of his trip. Jung In-Hun will always choose to talk a domestic closer to the master than to a simple guardian. Besides, Kim was the one who brought him to his room and the library (chapter 7). Therefore I am quite certain that Jung In-Hun must have mentioned to the valet where he was going. Consequently, I came to the following observation: the butler must have monitored Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum during that night (chapter 48-49).

From my point of view, Kim was standing behind the door, and he must have heard the low-born’s words.(chapter 49) , reminding us of the “spying” in chapter 16 (listening to their conversation). Because the confession gave the commoner the upper hand in the relationship, and the main lead had not protested, this meant that Baek Na-Kyum was getting closer to Yoon Seungho. He was almost on the verge of becoming the official partner, while the protagonist was resigning to his fate: he would never be able to converse with the artist. Since I demonstrated that the butler was spying on them in chapter 58 (chapter 58), as the presence of the butler is perceptible through the bucket of hot water and the readers can hear the low-born’s moaning, we have another clue that the valet was listening to their conversation in chapter 50.

In my perspective, the butler had every reason to spy on them. First, the invitation to share his meal with the artist was already announcing that the latter was getting more and more favored to the point that he was almost treated as the noble’s official partner. And now, you understand why Kim revealed the incident between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum the next morning. He needed to separate the couple, and he used lie by omission and truth in order to achieve his goal. But this doesn’t explain why Yoon Seungho who was tender and humble during the night became a wounded fury the next morning. The hanbok clearly indicates that the protagonist’s heart is bleeding. (chapter 50) What had triggered his fury and jealousy?

For we have another incident with the sword in the first season (chapter 35), where Kim manipulated the master to witness a conversation between the teacher and his former pupil, in order to provoke his jealousy. We have to imagine that in chapter 50, the butler made a similar move. He let the main lead discover something reminding him of the painter’s love for Jung In-Hun. We have three possibilities: he let Yoon Seungho see

  • the scholar’s poem
  • or the picture of the teacher’s inauguration
  • Deok-Jae’s insult: Baek Na-Kyum was a whore so that Kim could bring up the conversation in the library

What caught my attention is this panel: (chapter 21). The paper in the book is very similar to the poem in chapter 4. Remember the theory I exposed in the essay “hypotheses about the second season”: Yoon Seungho had not returned the original poem, but given the artist his own poetry. So if he didn’t give back the scholar’s poem, then what did he do with it? I doubt that he would have kept it, hence I deduce that he must have asked his assistant to throw it away, exactly like the painter in chapter 44. However, Kim must have read it and kept it, well aware that this could be of use later. From my point of view, the butler must have entrusted it to the teacher with the hope that he would leave the mansion. And I can imagine that when Jung In-Hun left his room, he didn’t take it with him. That’s why it ended up again in the butler’s hand. However, if the lord discovered that the poem had not be thrown away, he would have realized that Kim had disobeyed him. That’s why I came to rule out the first possibility.

So what about the second possibility? Since the painting with the scholar appeared in two chapters during the first season (41-44), the readers should expect that this picture will be used twice during the second season. Because I already exposed that Heena noona recognized the painter’s presence due to the inauguration painting (chapter 65), it is definitely possible that Kim planted the picture in such a way that Yoon Seungho’s jealousy would get triggered, a new version of the panel from episode 41. Let’s not forget that the aristocrat was not present, when Baek Na-Kyum decided to discard the drawing. Kim was quite clever with this move. As he knew that the noble had now just a purely physical relationship, he could only get infuriated, when he saw the picture. He had already sensed the painter’s admiration in the drawing: the image oozes pure adoration and spiritual admiration, something Yoon Seungho has always been longing. Hence the noble could only get wounded with this terrible experience. I can imagine that Kim could have praised the picture in front of his master (a new version of chapter 44), then added that Baek Na-Kyum had trusted him with the picture to give to Jung In-Hun. Kim hoped with this intervention not only to separate the couple, but even to have the painter killed by the main lead, a new version of chapter 35. But what he didn’t expect is that the noble would rush to the teacher’s room, and not to the study. However, his delay could be explained differently. He had been busy giving the sentence to Deok-Jae, the straw mat beating. And this leads me to the following observation: denunciation. In chapter 28, Deok-Jae covered up for Kim’s betrayal, for he hoped that Kim would come to protect him. (chapter 28) Observe that Deok-Jae’s treacherous action in chapter 47 (the spoiled rice) had not been exposed to the lord! Thus I am deducing that Kim must have tattled on Deok-Jae about the insult, and told to the vicious servant that Baek Na-Kyum had complained to his lover! He had denunciated him! This would also explain why Deok-Jae resented so much the painter later. (chapter 51) The man believed the butler, because he had not covered up for him about the prank with the spoiled rice. Finally, I discovered that this expression “how strange” was used by someone else: (chapter 37) It was the fake servant who had mentioned the purge! This means that someone had betrayed the Yoons, tattled on them! At the same time, the words from the old bearded man implied that the patriarch Yoon had been the denunciator. Thus he could expect the purge. (Chapter 37) As a conclusion, the expression “how strange” is connected to denunciation and deception! I have two other evidences for this interpretation. Jihwa had also spoken like that, when he had heard from the amateur spy that his master had a change of heart! Here again, we have spying activities and denunciation. (chapter 13) Finally, observe that in season 3, Baek Na-Kyum is portrayed and stigmatized as a traitor. (chapter 91) The maid’s statement (“I’m surprised…”) truly exposes that the painter had such a reputation among the staff. The so-called treacherous nature of the painter served as a justification for Kim’s punishment. The butler’s kindness had been used against him. He had been sentenced to the straw mat beating, because he had allowed the noona to enter the mansion for the painter’s sake! In that scene, the maids had been tasked to leak a certain information to the couple: the existence of the kisaeng’s letters. That way, the painter could accuse his lover of his deception. He had kept away the letters from his noonas. However, the separation didn’t take place, because the painter didn’t hear the comment from the maid. He was no spy! (chapter 91) But Yoon Seungho is one, for he is the surrogate son of the butler… who listens to conversations in the shadow! (chapter 77) His presence was undetected in the courtyard, until Bongyong wounded the painter. Here, he came out of the shadow! (chapter 78)

Under this new light, it becomes now understandable why Kim decided to reveal the incident at the library to his master. (chapter 50) That way, he could separate the couple. Due to their last sex session, he had discovered that the protagonists were getting closer to each other. He made sure to utilize Yoon Seungho’s hatred for prostitution. And keep in mind observations with the comment “How strange…”: we had spying, deception, contradiction and denunciation. The spiritual love stands in opposition to prostitution.

And now it becomes more understandable why Yoon Seungho had a relapse. How strange is it that the moment he gets closer to the painter, he experiences a setback? No, it is, because there is someone interfering in his life. Kim was determined to sabotage their relationship, he didn’t want the painter to become the lord’s official partner. But what was his motivation? First, it was to preserve his own position, for he is the unofficial lord of the mansion. Secondly, he could justify his action by saying that he was helping the mysterious “lord Song”. The latter is supposed to be Yoon Seungho’s unofficial partner. That’s the reason why Kim kept calling Baek Na-Kyum a favored servant. The butler was hoping that this would fuel Deok-Jae’s jealousy and greed. At the same time, he hoped that Yoon Seungho would get tired of him. However, since time was not helping him, then he needed to take things into his own hands. Yet, for that he could only act in the shadow, exactly like in the terrible night during the first season. And now, the manhwalovers comprehend why there’s the return of the headband in chapter 52. The butler’s scolding in chapter 52 triggered the artist to act like a servant, whereas the butler didn’t consider him as a servant in chapter 23, another evidence for the valet’s hypocrisy.

And now if I examine the last panel again with this new approach, I come to a new interpretation: The lord’s real spirit has not been perceived by the painter yet, just his body, hence he is embodied by a shadow. This doesn’t really represent his true self. Besides, the lord is associated to a shadow, because he is the puppet of his own butler, who keeps working in the dark. At the same time, he is a shadow, for his fate is to learn from his surrogate father, Kim’s spying activities. He hears conversations behind the door (chapter 68) or the window. This is important, because that way, he is getting prepared to fight against his biggest opponent, lord Song who stands behind Kim. However, there exists one huge difference between Kim, Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum. The protagonists are no secret agents, they are both detectives. They want to understand their partner and their past, but since both were victims of crimes, this means that their role is unveil the truth so that both can get justice.

Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.   

Painter Of The Night: Valet Kim: a dog 🐶 , a matchmaker or a father? (third version)

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

As painful as the chapter 64 was, it revealed a lot about Kim’s personality and his relationship with Yoon Seungho. Therefore I decided to focus on the butler. On the other hand, this is not the first analysis I wrote about him. So far, I had described him as the helping hand and the best man. Then in other essays, I had compared him to a dog, to a matchmaker or even to a surrogate father. But who is he really, and more precisely, what is the true nature of his relationship with the lord?

In order to answer this question, it is important to gather all the info we have about him. Valet Kim is the servant who served the main lead since the latter was a young teenager. This means, he saw the sensitive and intelligent boy growing up into adulthood. (chapter 57) And if we look at the picture, the manhwaphiles can detect that Kim seemed to have the teenager’s trust. This is visible thanks to the domestic and Yoon Seungho’s gestures. They are talking to each other in a very natural way. We can conclude that they were close, especially if I include this panel in my examination. (chapter 57) The way the boy is looking up at Kim indicates that the main character is quite attached to him. And because of this scene, the manhwaworms could sense the domestic’s qualities: care, trust, affection and loyalty. But what many readers failed to realize is that servant Kim is actually following father Yoon in reality. This means that the elder master trusts this domestic. The latter is even the one who introduced the physician to the lord of the mansion. (chapter 57) That’s why I come to the conclusion that the butler Kim was in fact loyal to the elder master and not to Yoon Seungho. He might have had an affection for the teenager, yet in truth he serves the head of the family. And notice that valet Kim is still giving the expensive medicine to the protagonist, although this was ordered by father Yoon. (chapter 57) But more importantly, the manhwaphiles should question themselves about the nature of this medicine. It is a drug to mess up with the main lead’s health? And this clue reveals that Kim is not working for Yoon Seungho. One might argue that Kim is just following father Yoon’s orders, but the latter lives so far away, hence the eldest master has no control to threaten the butler. Hence Kim could have stopped feeding the medicine, especially after knowing how father Yoon treated the son. In other words, it looks like his loyalty to father Yoon is still intact. This is palpable in two occasions. (chapter 35) In this scene, the valet gives an order to his master and not an advice, since he employs the verb “must”. Why? Because he thinks, the letter was sent by the elder master. And Yoon Seung-Won knew that Kim was loyal to their father. Hence when he sent the letter, he used his father’s name and authority, but in order to maintain the illusion that father Yoon was the author, the brother also requested that valet Kim would bring back himself the reply. The deceitful brother used not only the butler’s fidelity to his advantage, but also gave the impression that father Yoon cared somehow for the black sheep. It was, as if the elder master was trying to rekindle with his older son. The readers can sense more his loyalty to the elder master, if they compare his reaction, when Yoon Seungho received the fake letter from lord Song.(chapter 56) Here, the domestic got scared, by just hearing the name. Nevertheless, he gave his master the advice to postpone the meeting due to his health. Yet, observe how he hides his discomfort and fear to his master by suggesting to postpone the meeting which exposes that he is hiding his true emotions. He justifies his advice by faking concern for his lord. Hence the lord can only have the impression, he is protecting his interest. Striking is that since we saw him scared, we have the impression that he is brave enough to propose not to the follow the invitation. My initial impression was to think that he got afraid of the name lord Song due to the lord’s traumatic past and he feared for his master’s mental health condition. However, the moment the valet realizes that the noble is on his way to meet this aristocrat, he gets so scared that he leaves the mansion immediately. So he doesn’t want them to meet. (chapter 56) Then in chapter 57, the butler expresses his worries concerning father Yoon. He doesn’t want the elder master to hear the news about Jihwa’s public confession, as the servant is well aware of father Yoon’s mentality. (chapter 57) He seems concerned for Yoon Seungho again. He knows that the head of the family hates homosexuality. He witnessed how the father separated Jihwa from Yoon Seungho with the excuse of an illness. He was present, when the teenager was imprisoned in the mansion. (chapter 57) One might question his loyalty to father Yoon, since the butler chose to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side after the topknot incident. However, I could respond that the valet saw it as his duty to keep an eye on the elder son on behalf of the head of the family. From my point of view, valet Kim decided to follow Yoon Seungho for other reasons than true loyalty to the protagonist. In the past, I used to think that he felt guilty for the main lead’s suffering. But I had to review my judgement. If he truly felt remorse, then he should have treated the eldest son differently in the mansion. Yet, he let him become a head-kisaeng. Moreover, the guilty conscience only resurfaces the moment he is confronted with a situation reminding him of his wrongdoing. (chapter 65) This shows that he has been successfully repressing it. In truth, he did it out of selfishness, while faking affection and loyalty to the Yoons. The readers shouldn’t forget that the head of the family decided to leave the main domain and live in the countryside. Therefore he abandoned the mansion to his eldest son. By remaining by Yoon Seungho’s side, butler Kim was ensured to have a quiet life. The man was a wreck, hence he couldn’t manage the mansion. (chapter 57) Furthermore, as an infamous hell-raiser, no powerful noble would be interested in him. When the purge occurred, the son had become the sacrifice and scapegoat, hence he was forced to remain at the property. And now, you can grasp where the butler’s loyalty lies. He is faithful to the mansion and property, and not to Yoon Seungho or father Yoon in reality. This explicates why he lies to Seung-Won and tries to stop him from entering the lord’s chamber. As Seung-Won is only the second son, he is not considered as the lord of mansion, while father Yoon is the senior and is supposed to be the head of the family. Because he is bound to the domain Yoon, he is definitely acting more like a dog than like a matchmaker or a father. He is able to find his owner very quickly, as if he was following his scent. (chapter 57) He barks like one, when he yells at Deok-Jae. (chapter 47) He is also sent to fetch the painter, when the latter is somehow “abducted” by the scholar. (chapter 24) But the most conclusive evidence for this association is his rapport to the door. He is always shown next to an opened door or even often stands on the door threshold. (chapter 64) (chapter 45) Since dog owners often put the sign “beware of the dog” on their door, you understand why I see it as an evidence that the valet is more as a dog than anything else. The butler is the guardian of the mansion, watching out for the owner’s safety. However, here we should comprehend it in a figurative sense. On the surface, the butler is looking out for the reputation of the Yoons, while in truth he is just focused on living a peaceful life far from trouble. (chapter 65) That’s why in chapter 45, he let the false rumors circulate in town, because his relationship to a commoner is not revealed. This would cause a real scandal. On the surface, it looks like Kim cared for his lord and as such for the Yoons. (chapter 64) The dog is not only a symbol for loyalty, but also it represents obedience and secrecy. He knows what is happening in the mansion, but he won’t let it transpire to the outside world. Therefore I deduce that valet Kim is quite similar to Jihwa. He knows the main lead’s whole past and tragedy, but he doesn’t truly feel sorry for the main character, for if he revealed the truth, because it would expose his culpability. (chapter 12) Simultaneously, he uses his knowledge to his own advantage, similar to Jihwa, although the latter was manipulated by Kim’s lies. And if you take into consideration the role played by the dog in different mythologies, you’ll note that they all have something in common: they are guardians of the realm of death, like for example Anubis (Egyptian) or Cerberus (Greek). And since I interpreted the mansion as Yoon Seungho’s prison and compared the master to a zombie, until he met the painter, the manhwalovers can now understand the butler’s real function. He is actually the guardian of the realm of death for the lord. To sum up, he is contributing to the lord’s misery and loneliness, as he keeps him bound to the domain and family. Moreover, the gentle valet is aware of his true role, as he has internalized the social norms. As a domestic, he is supposed to serve his master with respect and obedience, which he does on the surface. However, the reality is different, as he lies to him on multiple occasions. Hence he needs to act in the shadow. Why? The real goal of the butler is to live a peaceful life without any big responsibility. As a guardian of the kingdom of death, Kim is the one who allows people to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side or not, but since the painter is affecting the noble’s life, Kim can only perceive the painter as his enemy and source of danger. Yoon Seungho might decide one day that he would like to leave the property and join the capital.

And now, you are wondering why I believe that the butler feels guilty, but don’t forget that his bad conscience is not the real reason for staying by Yoon Seungho’s side. In my opinion, he is the one who abandoned the main lead, as he didn’t protect him from father Yoon and from the rape. Like I mentioned it above, the teenager trusted his butler and showed him his affection, therefore he must have considered him as his surrogate father. Yet the moment the former needed his help, the latter chose to do nothing and remained loyal to father Yoon. The young man must have felt abandoned and betrayed. How do I come to this conclusion? First, his attitude in chapter 64 shows him in a negative light. Out of fear and shock, he runs away and leaves the painter to a terrible fate. (chapter 64) This is not the first time that the butler had a similar reaction. In chapter 26, he tries to calm down the painter asking him to stop crying, and when the latter criticizes him, the domestic decides to leave the bathroom with the excuse that he needs to fetch him new clothes. (chapter 26) (chapter 26) He is leaving the artist behind, as he doesn’t want to be confronted with his wrongdoing: his passivity and cowardice. Then when he meets the protagonist in the main way, he sees his cold and distant gaze. So he knows that his master is in a bad mental condition, yet out of fear, he still leaves the artist behind, well aware that something bad could happen. That’s why he chose to intervene in the shadow (like for example, sending a servant to the scholar) so that I am now convinced that he even witnessed what happened to Yoon Seungho, but chose to close the door. There’s a reason for this assumption. First, he is connected to an opened door. Secondly, there’s this incident with the door in chapter 16. (chapter 16) The butler chose to open it in secret, because he desired to remain anonymous, so that his loyalty wouldn’t be questioned. As soon as it was opened, he ran away without looking back, fearing to see what was happening. That’s the butler’s trauma in the end. Back then, he chose to remain passive and close the door leaving his young master behind. But Yoon Seungho caught his terrified expression, which he can never forget, that’s why he pointed it out to the painter. (chapter 64) (chapter 64) He resented valet Kim for his betrayal and abandonment. That’s why I believe, in that scene, Yoon Seungho is using the same words than his rapist from back then. (chapter 64) In this scene he is reliving his own traumatic past, the first rape. And after it had occurred the first time, the valet must have told him this: (chapter 23) This idiom exposes his attitude, he will act, as if he knew nothing. And since I revealed that father Yoon trusted Kim and the latter was loyal to him, I am now quite persuaded that father Yoon is responsible for the sexual abuse of his son first. Striking is that my theory was confirmed in chapter 65 and 74. However, the valet acted, as if nothing happened, while the teenager was blamed for letting the servant see the rape. (chapter 65) It is even worse than I had anticipated, because he was even asked for assistance, but the valet turned a blind eye. The advice (“ignorance is a blessing”) expressed by the butler exposes his complicity. The valet became the willing helper of a rapist. In his eyes, he couldn’t stop it, as he was just a domestic. (chapter 65) Since Kim never revealed the secret of the “so-called conversion therapy” leading to the sexual abuse, father Yoon trusted his loyal servant. That’s the reason why he accepted to leave Kim behind. He knew that he would do anything to maintain the reputation of the Yoons. Furthermore, this trauma explains why the master keeps having sex outside the storage room. He is well aware that the servant will never remain there, hence he asks him in a cynical way if he wants to become a peeper. (chapter 64) Now, I can understand why Yoon Seungho has such abandonment issues. For him, valet Kim was his father, as the latter was nice and caring for him. Yet during the rape, he did nothing, as he was just a servant. And now, you understand why he feels that he has been backstabbed by his two fathers, why the main lead is using his position to keep a boundary between himself and Kim and why he is using his right as lord to keep the painter by his side. He has internalized that being a lord can protect him from pain and vulnerability. In his delirious fit, he believes that he can get what he wants. Back then, he was just a young master and not the lord of the mansion, and Kim was just a domestic. After coming to this perception, I see the chapter 64 in a different way. The chapter 64 exposes the valet’s cowardice, culpability and selfishness, hence I judge the lord’s behavior in a different light. The monster is the result of the betrayal and abandonment from two fathers, and both decided to avoid reality and see the consequences of their choices. Notice that father Yoon ran away just like the valet. But the chapter 64 could mark a turning point in Kim’s life in my opinion, as he sees the consequences of his silence. That’s why the valet decides to accept the new situation: (chapter 65) Baek Na-Kyum is now the lord’s companion, while in the past he used to plot against him. In that moment, the valet recognized that ignorance is not a blessing, because this doesn’t erase the event. Observe that Kim has a similar approach than Jihwa again. Since the painter returned to Yoon Seungho’s side, the noble has now the feeling that nothing happened. For the first time, Kim sees the true face of his master (chapter 64), and the former contributed to this due to his passivity. Now, he is facing reality, seeing the consequences of his inaction. However, the butler’s resignation doesn’t is short-lived. It even looks like the butler didn’t learn his lesson, he chose to turn an blind eye to that terrible night finding fake excuses, (chapter 65) even blaming the physician for remaining silent. And since Byeonduck has this approach that only pain can lead to changes, we have to imagine that Kim will have to suffer this time.

The chapter 16 exposes that Kim was well aware of his master’s action and decided to intervene. One might question the valet’s motives. If he intervened, why did he help the painter in the end? This would contradict my earlier interpretation: the butler is a dog and as such, he is obedient to his master. However, let’s not forget that he is a guardian of the Yoons and their reputation. By separating the commoner from his master, he ensures that Yoon Seungho’s reputation doesn’t deteriorate much more. Kim hates uproars, as they represent a source of danger for his life. As you can detect, the butler is determined to protect the Yoons’ notoriety, but out of selfish reasons. The manhwaphiles should remember that in chapter 17, he asks the maids not to approach the study like that. He is determined to keep everything under cover. He disapproves the master’s actions, as they are going against social norms. As a noble, he shouldn’t have a sexual intercourse with a low-born. That’s why he let the boy desert the mansion after the rape. He didn’t do it for the artist, but for his master’s respectability, because if this was known, then the valet’s good life would be in danger. Kim has deeply internalized social norms, any deviation represent a threat to his peaceful live. Moreover, he would attract attention again. But when he witnessed the master’s despair and fury after the escape, where all the servants had to suffer the result of his decision, he chose a different strategy. Back then, I described him as his matchmaker. He tried to present his master in a better light so that the artist would have a change of heart and accept Yoon Seungho’s advances. However, now I have to admit that I have a different judgement. He was not a real matchmaker, he was trying to turn the painter into a favored servant so that the appearances would be maintained. He decided to use a similar strategy, the aphrodisiac as a first step. And with all these new discoveries, I come to the deduction that the butler was a real accomplice of father Yoon’s schemes. If they became close sexually, the painter would become a servant and take over his role as close assistant. That way, his presence in the lord’s bedchamber could be explained. That’s why he lets the painter attend the noble during his illness and even allows his presence, when the doctor is here. In other words, he would like to hide the scandalous relationship with the low-born under the pretense that he is just a favored servant.

Now, you can comprehend why the butler let Deok-Jae sell the expensive dresser . (chapter 45) First, it symbolized that the painter was more than just a favored favor. But more importantly, he never cared about the item, since (chapter 65) He knew that the noble wouldn’t pay attention to it, since it was broken. His passivity and silence explain why the servants could talk behind their master’s back and spread gossips, sell his things and even not follow his orders. (chapter 32) Kim has no real control over the staff, although he is the right-hand of the master. His indifference and his fear for responsibility explains his lack of authority. That’s why in chapter 63, he doesn’t even attempt to correct the maids talking badly about Baek Na-Kyum, although he already knows that there’s more to it. His silence should be considered as a sign of admission, reinforcing the servants to think badly of the painter. The painter is a liar and betrayer. I have to admit that Kim’s passivity really annoyed me in that scene. (chapter 63) He is indeed a hypocrite, a selfish person, (chapter 64) although he doesn’t look like one. No wonder why the lord felt so betrayed and abandoned, and hates hypocrisy the most. He stands in opposition to Jihwa in the end. While the one did nothing, the other acted too much out of selfishness.

Furthermore, with this perception, the manhwaphiles comprehend why the domestic never tried to convince the painter directly that he was not a prostitute. Since the latter was no longer refusing his lord, then in his eyes he had achieved his goal. There’s no huge difference between a favored servant and a prostitute. Both are not allowed to refuse the sexual advances from the partner. They have no rights, their pleasure doesn’t matter. That’s why he saw no need to reveal the conversation between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum. He only disclosed it, the moment he saw his master was able to get closer to the painter and the latter had overcome his heartbreak. Besides, this explains why he criticized the painter in chapter 52. He was not fulfilling his role as favored servant. (chapter 52) He was not the “wife”, the mistress of the house, just a servant. As you can observe, the butler is someone who abides to rules very strongly, he can’t accept a relationship between a low-born and a noble. That’s why I come to the conclusion that Valet Kim never understood the real needs of his master in the end. He never grasped that the noble was missing love and couldn’t cope with his betrayal in the end, because for him love is not important, only a peaceful life. And with this new approach, it becomes understandable why Yoon Seungho was never repulsed by the low-born. Since his childhood, he felt closeness to a commoner, and considered Kim as his father.

But after the abandonment, Yoon Seungho had learnt a terrible lesson. Kim was just a domestic. This explains why there’s no intimacy and closeness in the present situation. Their actual conversations are very limited, the master gives orders or asks questions, but he never expresses his feelings or thoughts in front of the butler. He even hides his sadness and pain in front of him. (chapter 56) He trusts him to a certain extent, because the valet took care of him, while he was delirious. The domestic even stopped him from committing suicide. (chapter 57) Yet their relationship was never the same like in the past. For the lord, Kim decided to remain by his side out of loyalty and duty, nothing more. That’s why he is so adamant to remind the domestic of his actual position. (chapter 50) This explicates why Yoon Seungho can’t trust Kim’s words in the end. (chapter 62) In his eyes, he betrayed and abandoned him once, therefore it is definitely possible that he is lying. The longer the lord lives with the artist, the more he senses that Kim shouldn’t be trusted. This explicates why the lord’s relationship with the valet is deteriorating. In season 1, he never doubted Kim’s words, but now it has changed. The painter’s genuineness makes Yoon Seungho detect the butler’s fakeness and hypocrisy. And since the lord threatened him with the sword, I am envisaging that he will do it, the moment he feels that his loyal butler betrayed him.

That’s why I come to the conclusion that valet Kim didn’t consider Baek Na-Kyum as his new adoptive son and when he “defended” him, it was always because of social norms, because of the master’s rights and position . Notice that after Deok-Jae had played the “prank”, Kim criticized him and mentioned Yoon Seungho. His gesture could have affected the master. (chapter 47) This explicates why the vicious servant never got punished in the end. Baek Na-Kyum was not considered as Yoon Seungho’s official partner, he was just a favored servant. This explains why he has no protection either and he could get kidnapped so easily. There was a motive behind his nice gestures. He desired Baek Na-Kyum to feel comfortable, so that he wouldn’t become greedy and not ask for more rights. He noticed his talent, when he saw his painting in chapter 44, hence he realized that painting meant a lot to him. Therefore he bought materials for him. (chapter 45) The purpose of this action is simple. On the one hand, he gave the impression that he was protecting Yoon Seungho’s interest, on the other hand he was pushing the jealous servant to plot something so that Baek Na-Kyum would disappear. Kim was well aware of Jihwa’s visit in chapter 43. He knew that the second lead would do something out of jealousy. Kim needed the painter’s submissive attitude, as this could only affect his lord positively, turning the mansion into a golden cage. And while I envisaged that the shock Kim experienced during that night would make change his mind, (chapter 64) chapter 65 even destroyed this expectation. He remains the same, because his philosophy is: (chapter 65) Sure, he feels guilty again, as he tries to justify his silence and passivity with fake excuses. (chapter 65) Yet, his guilt is towards Baek Na-Kyum, that’s why he is reminded of the past and his own cowardice. However, since he has always run away from responsibility, his remorse was never strong to make him reflect on his own behavior. Back then, he didn’t help his young master and remained silent and now the story is repeating itself. By connecting both events, it becomes obvious that Kim hasn’t changed at all. There’s a reason for that. He never suffered himself, like both main leads did. And like I wrote, for the author, pain is the driving force that pushes people to change.

As you could observe, valet Kim has internalized the values of his time and his social status. He liked Yoon Seungho, but not to the extent of considering him as his adoptive son. For him, he was just a commoner and a servant of the Yoons. Therefore he saw it as an act of disobedience, if he had protected Yoon Seungho back then and defied the master of the mansion. One might argue that he couldn’t have stopped it due to his vulnerable status. Yet people shouldn’t forget that Kim chose to remain, not only passive but also silent. Moreover, father Yoon trusted him so this means that the valet was his eyes and ears. He could have act behind his back. The result was that he became an accomplice of the perpetrator. By covering up the scandal, he contributed to Yoon Seungho’s misery. He chose reputation over a young boy, who truly loved him. That’s why the noble feels so insecure, even a commoner was not willing to show his love for him. The latter preferred covering up the crime, as reputation and norms seemed to be more important than a person’s life. He wanted to stay out trouble. And now, it is too late, as there’s a scandal which Kim couldn’t prevent. As you can see, no one in this manhwa is free from mistakes and huge flaws. Many admire the valet Kim for his loyalty and his secrecy (acting behind the lord’s back), yet under this new perspective these actions leave a bitter taste, because they all contributed to the misery of the two protagonists. In fact, I realize that this was done on purpose. Kim deliberately chose to ruin their relationship. But even if you can’t perceive Kim’s evilness, let’s not forget this saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, which would also fit the butler’s character. He means it well, yet his choices are terrible, as he prioritized the wrong values. Furthermore, willing helpers play a huge role in a dictatorship. Their excuses can be fear and cowardice, but also their adherence to the wrong values. Moreover, this truly exposes that internalizing social norms blindly can not be right, because people need to question them in order to bring positive.

That’s how I judge this character now. For me, Kim is not a father, but a black dog, the guardian of the realm of death. Hence the lord couldn’t come back to life. With this new interpretation, his death seems more imminent. By dying, the butler contribute to the lord’s emancipation. The latter can finally leave the mansion, his prison. It was the place where he lived a hell.

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