Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. I am also using doctor Frost as reference again. This is where you can read the manhwas: Jinx and Doctor Frost. But be aware that the first Manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex, and the previous essay about Jinx “(Un)Wanted Love“.
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
Anyone can imagine that with the name “emperor”, I am referring to the fighter Joo Jaekyung. That’s his nickname in the MMA world. 
(chapter 14) On the other hand, some readers might wonder why I am connecting Kim Dan to princess (Prince S). I have many reasons for this association.
1. Princess Pyeonggang and Kim Dan
Have you ever heard about the Korean folktale of Princess Pyeonggang and her “idiot” husband Ondal? It is the story of a “stubborn” princess who helped her timid and poor husband Ondal to become a famous general during the 3 kingdoms era.
The Odd Couple
When she entered Ondal’s humble home, Princess Pyeonggang immediately explained to his weak mother that she wanted to marry her son, who was out fetching tree bark for food. His mother identified the princess as a person of noble upbringing by her perfume and soft skin. The mother explained that she and her son were very poor and that a woman of high birth had no place there.The princess, however, showed no change in her determination. When Ondal arrived, the princess once again explained her reason for visiting. Ondal was instantly suspicious, however, and angrily sent her away. After the princess spent the night outside his house and offered to buy him a new house, food, land and a horse with the money she earned by selling her gold ring, Ondal was soon won over by her sincerity. The princess not only brought Ondal and his mother out of poverty, but also paid for his education and gave him professional training in the martial arts. https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=122048
Moreover, their marriage transcends social classes, which reminds us a lot of Jinx. On the other hand, if we compare the Manhwa with the legend, the champion resembles more to the princess due to his status, actions and personality. He is the one helping the doctor, and Kim Dan appears more like the fool “husband” with his weak and poor relative. However, I came to make the association between the famous Korean princess and the physical therapist, when I was rereading Doctor Frost. How so? 
(chapter 30) This woman, named Sihyun, is suffering from Dependent Personality Disorder. And the author of the Webtoon Doctor Frost called her story: “The tears of Princess Pyeonggang”. Due to her personality, she was linked to the famous “princess”. She would do everything for her companions, yet she kept getting dumped. What caught my attention is that both women defined themselves through their partner. Their ultimate goal in life is to assist them, to make the other happy or recognized. But how is it a problem?
Let me give you an example with Sihyun and her first boyfriend.
Yes, she asks her first boyfriend to make choices and as such decisions. She is unable to voice her own opinion, to make a statement. She needs the support and advices from her boyfriends. By asking for her partner’s judgment, she imagines that she is respecting him. Nonetheless, the call at such a hour looks more like intrusion and disregard. By acting this way, she burdened all her boyfriends so that at the end, they all felt the need to break up with her. 
(chapter 33) What appeared as caring turned out to be a load, for the partners were all forced to be responsible for her and in every aspect of her life. They definitely felt asphyxiated, hence they could only get sick of her. Interesting is that this person would find shortly after the separation a new boyfriend, a sign that she could not live on her own. 
(chapter 33) And now, you are wondering how Sihyun is similar to Kim Dan, who only had one person in his life before he met the champion. It is related to traumas in their childhood. 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 39) After reading this, Jinx-philes can realize that Kim Dan is also suffering from Dependent Personality Disorder, though it is less obvious. He got abandoned by his parents making him feel insecure. 
(chapter 21) We could detect his low self-esteem 
(chapter 25) 
(chapter 46) and his overprotectiveness 
(chapter 16) 
(chapter 26) 
(chapter 42) on many occasions. He was risking his livelihood and health for the sake of others (his halmoni, Potato and Joo Jaekyung). His selflessness is actually the sign of his DPD. He had no purpose or ambition in his life… That’s why he is not able to project himself in the future. Until chapter 45, his life and future was determined by the celebrity, 
(chapter 42) and before it was by his halmoni’s fate. 
(chapter 19) However, here please don’t get me wrong. For me, the athlete is the physical therapist’s emancipator. This huge argument in the dining room pushed him to differentiate himself from the champion. In my eyes, Kim Dan would have returned to his old bad habits… relying on someone else, sacrificing himself for someone’s else sake. He would have neglected his career in the end.
As you can see, the problem is that his personality is affecting his career. At no moment, he voiced his own opinion concerning the champion’s health. He always used other doctors as references 
(chapter 27) 
(chapter 42) or he delegated the examination to a hospital. 
(chapter 31) Here, we get an explanation why he couldn’t detect the trick from Choi Heesung. He feared to make a diagnosis on his own, as he didn’t desire to question the words from the comedian. The hospital seems to be the sacred place in the doctor’s eyes. 
(chapter 41) There, nothing can go wrong. But by entrusting his patients to hospitals, he didn’t realize that he was appearing as untrustworthy or even “incompetent”. His lack of confidence and hesitation explicate why the athlete replied to his suggestion like this: 
(chapter 41) How could he question the doctor from MFC, when he kept hiding behind a hospital or the words from other physicians? That’s how the physical therapist got silenced. He couldn’t confront the athlete with his diagnosis. Interesting is that he never gave him the file later! 
(chapter 42) Consequently, it is not surprising why the champion complained about the doctor’s negligence. The latter was avoiding any responsibility in the end. On the other hand, the report is the symbol of his hard work, but also of his knowledge. That’s the reason why I am still considering the dispute in chapter 45 as a good omen for the physical therapist. He needs to develop his own identity. They are two different people. He needs to live for himself, to give a meaning to his life and not: (Doctor Frost, chapter 30)
Nevertheless, one detail caught my attention in this panel: (chapter 27) The presence of the personal pronoun “I”. Contrary to the conversation in the car (chapter 42), where there is no personal pronoun “I”, the doctor made a mini-statement. Jinx-philes can now grasp why the champion asked him to become responsible for his day-off. 
(chapter 27) That’s how it dawned on me why the doctor reverted to his old habits (not participating to the meeting, taking odd jobs, not voicing his own judgment, relying on others) after the night, when he was treated as sex toy. However, in my eyes, the trigger for this switch was the release of the tabloid article. 
(chapter 35). Why did the doctor appear so confident in front of his client to the point that he could reject his hand after going to the hospital? 
(chapter 27) It is because his self-esteem had been boosted by Dr. Lee. The latter had complimented him which didn’t fall on deaf ears. However, the relationship between the respectable hospital and the athlete went sour due to his article. 
(chapter 35) Imagine what it meant for Kim Dan. He could only remain passive, as he is called “doctor”. He views himself as a member from the medical field. Furthermore, observe what the sports therapist told him during the treatment session: 
(chapter 42) He mentioned the lawsuit against the most reputable hospital. The dispute could only diminish his self-esteem. As time passed on, there is no ambiguity that this lawsuit must have burdened more and more the physical therapist. Besides, there is no doubt that he felt some loyalty towards doctor Lee who had been complimenting him. Secondly, let’s not forget that despite his “efforts”, he had not been able to convince his patient to stop training for one day. 
(chapter 29) Hence he jumped to the conclusion that his patient would not listen to him anyway. (chapter 42)
After being confronted with harsh reality, he is forced to reflect on his own situation, to worry about himself. That’s the reason why I judge this scene as a positive moment in the doctor’s life. He is no longer seeking love and reliance on others in order to value himself. 
(chapter 46) This is not surprising that Mingwa zoomed on his feet. 
(chapter 46) It is full of symbolism. For the first time, he is standing on his own feet. His walk in direction to the trash bin illustrates his choice. 
(chapter 46) Besides, he is using the personal pronoun “I”. 
(chapter 46) It is his Coming-Of-Age. He is on the verge to become independent. On the other hand, he didn’t fight back verbally against his boss. He accepted his reproach. 
(chapter 46) He was just a physical therapist and nothing more. This shows his lack of criticism. He is still not mentally strong enough to question the champion’s words and argue back. In the past, he could do it, for he was identifying himself with his grandmother and her values. 
(chapter 18) This signifies that he needs to develop his own philosophy and values. What does he treasure in his life?
And here I feel the need to bring up the green-haired guy. 
(chapter 42) The latter was also dependent on the champion, but his “addiction” was money and not love or recognition. Therefore he picked up the money before leaving the flat
(chapter 2), while the other threw away the expensive keychain 
(chapter 46). This scene exposes the return of Kim Dan’s dignity. This comparison reinforces my interpretation that the champion misjudged the doctor’s present and actions. He imagined that Kim Dan had been acting like his “previous sex-partners” or stans. They would offer him some gifts in exchange of favors. Another contrast with the goblin is the absence of a fight and discussion. 
(chapter 2) I would even add that contrary to the green-haired guy, the doctor is not judging his patient’s personality, he is blaming himself. (chapter 46) Hence we should see it in a positive light: Kim Dan is not rejecting the athlete per se, but he is putting a distance between himself and his boss. Moreover, the presence of guilt is important, because in order to overcome DPD, the patient needs to recognize his own issues in order to change. By admitting his own flaws, he is able to move on. Our “Princess “Sihyun always put the whole responsibility on her boyfriends who dumped her. They were the bad guys, only interested in her money or body. 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 32) Interesting is that doctor Frost revealed to her later that her condition made her an easy target, as she kept relying on others. 
(Doctor Frost, chapter 39) And this observation brings me to my next conclusion: he will be approached by really bad guys, the mysterious Mr. Choi! 
(chapter 46) Thus I assume that his next lesson is to judge people correctly, to question their true motivation. So far, he fell into the same trap twice: 
(chapter 1) 
(chapter 1) He even needs to learn the difference between good guy and nice guy, but this remark applies to the grandmother.
When the dating coach Ruby Le came on the show, she explained the fundamental difference between good guys, who are genuinely nice people, and so-called “nice guys,” who are men who carry a lot of toxic traits. Good guys do kind and generous things because they are kind and generous. Nice guys, on the other hand, only say nice things because they think they are entitled to a women’s body, time, and attention, quickly changing their attitudes when they don’t get it. For example, nice guys think that, if they pay for dinner and drive a woman home, they are entitled to sex. But good guys give without any expectation of anything in return. They are able to love without attachment. Quoted from https://www.zachbeach.com/how-to-love-without-attachment/
Here, I was thinking of Heesung and Joo Jaekyung. Both acted as generous and gentle guys
(chapter 21), yet their actions were not truly selfless.
2. Dependence versus attachment
Finally, I don’t think that the doctor’s choice for the present 
(chapter 45) is random, for it stands for “attachment”.
Attachment, or the attachment bond, is the emotional connection you formed as an infant with your primary caregiver—probably your mother. According to attachment theory, pioneered by British psychiatrist John Bowlby and American psychologist Mary Ainsworth, the quality of the bonding you experienced during this first relationship often determines how well you relate to other people and respond to intimacy throughout life.
If your primary caretaker made you feel safe and understood as an infant, if they were able to respond to your cries and accurately interpret your changing physical and emotional needs, then you likely developed a successful, secure attachment. As an adult, that usually translates to being self-confident, trusting, and hopeful, with an ability to healthily manage conflict, respond to intimacy, and navigate the ups and downs of romantic relationships.
Beyond categorizing attachment as secure or insecure, there are three subsets of insecure attachment which give us the four main attachment styles:
Secure attachment
Ambivalent (or anxious-preoccupied) attachment
Avoidant-dismissive attachment
Disorganized attachment
Quoted from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/attachment-and-adult-relationships.htm
Because of his abandonment issues, there is no ambiguity that the doctor belongs more to the second type, whereas the champion is more connected to the third type. Since Joo Jaekyung is suffering from philophobia, the keychain could only be rejected, as it symbolized “restrain” and “attachment”.
In my opinion, the princess must learn how to love without “attachment” and as such without expectations. Yes, Kim Dan has to discover the existence of “love without conditions”.
Conditional love conveys to children the idea that they are only worthy and deserving of affection and attention when they behave as others want. It teaches them that something is wrong with their true self. Therefore, they learn that they cannot be themselves, which ends up affecting their self-esteem and their ability to create and maintain healthy social relationships. It is no coincidence that a study carried out at the University of Bielefeld with more than 500 adolescents revealed that those whose parents conditioned their love had a very vulnerable self-esteem, were not capable of treating each other with kindness, were too self-critical, were very insecure and had a lower satisfaction with life. Quoted from https://psychology-spot.com/conditional-love-parents-consecuences-children/
On my search about attachment and conditional love, I found this blog where the author’s statement opened my eyes to the princess’ destiny.
“For most people, the idea of non-attachment calls to mind images of separation, of not caring, not being involved at all. It brings to mind spiritual bypassing: people who simply preach spiritual clichés like “everything happens for a reason” or “this, too, shall pass,” and are totally uninvolved with the emotional reality of the situation.
However, non-attachment is not the opposite of attachment. Detachment is the opposite of attachment, and non-attachment resides between these opposite polarities, between getting too caught up in our experience and being completely cut off from them. This is an incredibly important distinction. Attachment is too much involvement, detachment is not enough, and non-attachment is that very special middle path that allows you to be fully present in what is happening without complicating it. […]
In Yogic philosophy, the word is vairāgya, and is sometimes translated as “dispassion.” Both ideas focus on the importance of noticing our mental, emotional, and physical experiences without getting so caught up in them.
They also point to the fundamental truth behind non-attachment: it is a state free from desire, not trying to get anything from anybody. It arises naturally when internal peace is cultivated and when we aren’t so dependent on the external world for pleasure or validation. It comes from an incredibly wise understanding that happiness is not to be found through the fulfillment of our sensory pleasures, but rather from being free from craving anything at all and enjoying this moment from a place of peace. Quoted from https://www.zachbeach.com/how-to-love-without-attachment/
Kim Dan is better than other characters in Jinx, as he is not greedy by nature. He is not motivated by money and fame. Nevertheless, what did the physical therapist think during the Summer Night’s Dream? 
(chapter 44) He found fulfilment in sex, which stands in opposition to the recommendation of zackbeach. Moreover, I would like to underline that the doctor reduced knowledge to sex: 
(chapter 44) How could he get to know the champion better, when the latter was supposed to be drunk and they would have sex? Getting closer to someone means communication and not really sensuality. Hence his happiness could only be short-lived and illusory. He didn’t take the reality into consideration. Thus I see the physical therapist’s tears as a therapy session: 
(chapter 46) He allows himself to cry, to grieve and to admit his pain and loneliness.
(chapter 46) It helps him to face reality. He is on his own, he needs to stop relying on others. I would even say, he is encouraged to make decisions and as such to become responsible for his own life. It is important, because this means that he will have to fight back, if he wants to survive. He can not make any desperate and hasty decisions, like this one: 
(chapter 1) However, since he listened to the champion’s reproach and became submissive again, their relationship seems to have returned to normality. They even appear as close. (chapter 46) But this is not real communication. It shows that Kim Dan is now waiting for the right time and opportunity to leave Joo Jaekyung. He doesn’t need to rush anything.
3. The Prince S Sleeping Beauty
But Kim Dan is not just connected to Princess Pyeonggang, but also to Sleeping Beauty. My avid readers will certainly remember my comparison between Kim Dan and Sleeping Beauty. [For more read Painful awakening of Sleeping Beauty] I have to admit that his mind-set 
(chapter 41) reminded me of the ending of a fairy tale: they lived happily ever after. But the doctor was forgetting that life doesn’t end after the match in the States. Life ends with death. In verity, the champion is destined to be challenged, until he retires. What the doctor saw was not the end. This exposes his naivety. How could he have such a view? It is influenced by his grandmother. (chapter 19) His goal in life was determined by his familial and financial situation: 
(chapter 10) At no moment he pondered about himself. Happiness was never his goal, exactly like in fairy tales. Sleeping Beauty is rather passive. She sleeps, until the prince charming appears and kisses her. After that, they have kids. Interesting is that they don’t get married right away, so that the princess initially has the status of a mistress or concubine. Once the prince can secure his position, he marries her. Then the moment her husband leaves her side for war, she is tormented by her mother-in-law, the ogress. She can only escape death thanks to the intervention of her husband. We could say that happiness fell on her lap. Sleeping Beauty stands for passivity, dependence on her parents and husband and lack of critical thinking. Why? It is because the princess in fairy tales, in particular Sleeping Beauty, embodies toxic positivity.
But what is toxic passivity?
Toxic positivity is the belief that no matter how dire or difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. While there are benefits to being optimistic and engaging in positive thinking, toxic positivity rejects all difficult emotions in favor of a cheerful and often falsely-positive façade. Quoted from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-toxic-positivity-5093958#toc-coping-with-toxic-positivity
This means that such a person is denying reality, for they refuse to face negative emotions. Thus they are unable to express their true human emotions and don’t receive unwavering support. And now, you are wondering where in Jinx, the author left traces of Toxic Positivity. The first example which could come to your mind would be this: 
(chapter 21) She rejected her grandson’s fear and tears. She didn’t allow him to express his abandonment issues. She diminished his anxiety by questioning his behavior: “It’s okay, grandma was just in the kitchen getting a glass of water.” Then in the present, we could use his visit at the hospital: 
(chapter 41) While the halmoni didn’t mention her suffering, the doctor gave expensive gifts to the nurse and his grandmother. He acted, as if money was no longer a problem… as if everything was fine, as if she would recover soon. Yet, he never mentioned his problems with the champion during his stay in the States (no drug incident, the humiliation, the harsh words). He is never voicing his problems to his grandmother. Both are putting smiles on their face. And the moment, I connected Kim Dan to Toxic positivity, I had another revelation. The best example for this negative attitude is actually his own birthday. 😱 
(chapter 11) Imagine that the grandmother had left the house without her grandchild. He was left behind in the house. Though she meant it well, for the child, this must have been a real torment, as he constantly feared to be abandoned. However, he knew that he was not allowed to cry or to complain. Hence when he saw her returning, he put a huge smile on his face. Moreover, this is what they had for dinner: a sweet bread and two yoghurts. The grandmother must have been hungry. Both acted, as if nothing was wrong. 
(chapter 45) With this contrast, the fear from the champion becomes more palpable. Joo Jaekyung got angry, for he had been put in the same situation. But the latter was never influenced by Toxic Positivity. Besides, he was fighting against his own inner demons. Nevertheless, this new interpretation of the birthday made me recognize why the author chose this chronology concerning Kim Dan’s past:
| Chapter 5 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | |  |  |
The longer Kim Dan lived on his own, the more he got confronted with reality. 
(chapter 1) However, he could never confide to his grandmother about the physical abuse from the loan shark. However, the moment his hope got up 
(chapter 11), as he imagined that he could pay off the debts, he recalled his birthday. He had a nice “souvenir”… convincing himself that everything was fine. He would be able to do it, like his grandmother had told him. 
(chapter 18) Nevertheless, the moment he was forced to move out, he couldn’t help himself to recall how he got abandoned by his parents. And the moment he saw his halmoni fighting for her life, his abandonment issues resurfaced. Hence this terrible memory came through a nightmare. The betrayal from the parents is what had been deeply buried by the grandmother’s philosophy. The fact that the halmoni never allowed Kim Dan to talk about his parents and the circumstances of his arrival to the humble mansion, is the evidence of Toxic Positivity. In my eyes, the relative was already struggling herself, for she had also been left behind. But here it is important not to mix Toxic Positivity with Gaslighting.
But what are the consequences of Toxic Positivity? A low self-esteem, stagnation, constant anxiety and guilt. But there’s more to it.
It’s shaming: Receiving toxic positivity can lead to feelings of shame.3 It tells people that the emotions they are feeling are unacceptable. When someone is suffering, they need to know that their emotions are valid and that they can find relief and love in their friends and family.
It causes guilt: Being toxically positive can also cause feelings of guilt.3 It sends a message that if you aren’t finding a way to feel positive—even in the face of tragedy—you are doing something wrong.
It avoids authentic human emotion: Toxic positivity functions as an avoidance mechanism. When people engage in this type of behavior, it allows them to sidestep emotional situations that make them feel uncomfortable. Sometimes we turn these same ideas on ourselves, internalizing them. When we feel difficult emotions, we then discount, dismiss, and deny them.
It prevents growth: Toxic positivity allows us to avoid feeling things that might be painful. But this denies us the ability to face challenging feelings that can ultimately lead to growth and deeper insight.” Quoted from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-toxic-positivity-5093958#toc-coping-with-toxic-positivity
This explicates why Kim Dan kept his “innocence”, why he came to deny the existence of his own body and became a ghost. By denying all emotions, he got disconnected to his own body. 
(chapter 12) Therefore I understand why the doctor didn’t fight back against Heo Manwook and his minions. (chapter 1) It was his way to deny reality, hence he was covering his face. Because he trusted his grandmother, he imagined that as long as he was paying the interest on time, nothing would happen to him. 
(chapter 1) 
(chapter 11) But the moneylender and his minions are no honest bankers, but criminals. They enjoy using their strength, that makes them feel powerful. It boosts their ego.
Yet, until now, I didn’t explain how a princess from fairy tales embodies toxic positivity.
- Perfection Expectation:
- The concept of a princess is often associated with an idealized, perfect image. At no moment, Sleeping Beauty voiced her pain or despair. When she got hurt, she felt asleep right away. Similarly, toxic positivity can perpetuate the idea that one should always maintain a perfect, positive façade.
- Dismissal of Struggles:
- Princesses in fairy tales often face challenges but are expected to handle them with grace and a positive attitude. Toxic positivity may similarly dismiss or downplay real struggles and difficulties, urging individuals to maintain a positive front regardless of their experiences.
- External Validation:
- The image of a princess often involves seeking external validation, and toxic positivity can encourage individuals to seek validation through projecting a constantly positive image, even if it’s not authentic. Sleeping Beauty’s fate hinges on an external event—the prince’s kiss. This external validation is necessary for her to be acknowledged, valued, and freed from the curse.
- Dependence on Others: The princess’s well-being and the resolution of her situation are not within her control. She is dependent on the actions of the prince for her happiness and liberation.
- Symbol of Approval: The prince’s kiss becomes a symbol of approval and acceptance. It signifies that the princess is worthy of love and that her life gains meaning and purpose through external validation.
To conclude, Kim Dan embodies two negative traits, Dependent Personality Disorder and Toxic Positivity, due to his raising and traumas in his childhood. The elephant in the room was never brought up, the “rejection from the parents”. Therefore this secret could only poison the air in the little house.
Keeping secrets is bad. Not only does it represent an added mental and emotional weight, but it even becomes a burden on the physical level since it has been shown that secrets exhaust us physically. However, he who has never kept a secret should cast the first stone. Sometimes we may even feel that we are “forced” to keep quiet about certain things. Quoted from https://psychology-spot.com/the-reason-we-keep-a-secret/
The heavy silence had terrible consequences, he turned Kim Dan into a puppet, even a ghost. This explicates his passivity. For the grandmother, it looked like everything was fine, because her grandson did everything for her. There was never an argument between them. That’s the reason why I see this crying as a liberation. He allows himself to accept his wounds and tears. (chapter 46) (chapter 46) He allows himself to voice his thoughts. He admits to have denied reality. Mind and body are now united and synchronous. Consequently, I deduce that he is determined not to get fooled in the future.
And this brings me back to the story of Pyeonggang and Ondal!! Thanks to the selfish and stubborn “Prince S”, the fool Kim Dan received money and got trained. He became a true man, because he is now making decisions on his own. This means that from that moment on, the champion will have to become proactive in order to keep his “partner” by his side. Thanks to Joo Jaekyung’s attention, the doctor is now getting noticed by people. (chapter 46) This is the rising of the prince S. But this harbors a problem: he is also about to become the target of real bad guys. Yes, like in any historical k-dramas, we are about to assist to a battle of power, and this outside the ring.
The essay is already so long that I chose to introduce the Emperor in the second part. Naturally, I will include the scenes from chapter 46.
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-Twitter-Tumblr account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
(chapter 7) In the essay 
(chapter 8) Secondly, in the analysis “
(chapter 43) As a conclusion, the physical therapist embodies “sharing” which is strongly connected to eating. Furthermore, the symbol for giving is the hand which fits Heesung’s description about Kim Dan: “Magic Touch”. 
(chapter 31). It is important to recall that the artist came to discover the angel, for the latter offered his assistance unrequested. 
(chapter 30) As a conclusion, Joo Jaekyung is taught how to share through the doctor. This means that at some point, the champion will realize that he has to share the main lead too, if he wants to become truly happy. How so? 
(chapter 35) This scene represents the first step of the athlete’s meditation. Interesting is that this self-reflection got interrupted by the text from the journalist. Consequently, the athlete’s old habits resurfaced. Thus the athlete began neglecting the doctor again. Additionally, identifying jealousy and its cause means that emotional intelligence is necessary. However, Joo Jaekyung possesses a low EI… yes, he really has the mind-set of a baby. 
(chapter 7), self-centeredness, poor social skills 
(chapter 43), low empathy, how he is blaming others. Thus I come to the conclusion that one of the doctor’s role is to encourage the celebrity to develop empathy, as the latter is necessary for a high EM. The other task is to let him experience mistakes and learn from them. Like mentioned in the previous essay, Joo Jaekyung is Mister Perfect and Kim Dan Mister Mistake. Through the mistakes, the athlete is experiencing the positive side of errors. This brings me naturally back to “sharing” which is also a synonym for compassion and love. 
(chapter 34) He was presented as a hindrance to the artist’s happiness. 
(chapter 34) 
(chapter 7) He didn’t know Kim Dan at all. Thus he utilized the contract as reminder 
(chapter 8), as he felt that he had no other tool to keep his partner by his side. In addition, in order to control his jealousy, he always employed the same method: SEX!! 
(chapter 34) Consequently, as long as Joo Jaekyung could not control his possessiveness and jealousy, he was shooting himself in the foot. Which corresponds to the metaphor with too much salt in the food. Mingwa gave us many examples for this situation. When the champion became jealous in episode 7, he forced the physical therapist to have sex with him. Thus his karma was to be perceived as a man obsessed with sex. Then, in episode 9, he provoked Kim Dan with the drink. 
(chapter 9) It was, as if he wanted to steal the show from the physical therapist. His punishment was to take care of the physical therapist, but the latter never witnessed his caring side due to his high intoxication. When he challenged the comedian
(chapter 34), he deceived the doctor, imposed his will on Kim Dan out of fear that the latter might not choose him. The result was that the doctor came to view himself as a tool for the athlete’s jinx again. Then at the hotel, he poured the coca cola on the physical therapist’s head 
(chapter 37) giving the impression that he was resenting Kim Dan the most. However, in reality, he was jealous of Oh Daehyun and Potato, for the latter were having a good time with his lover, while he was left alone in his bedroom. While they were happily laughing with Kim Dan, he was totally excluded. 
(chapter 37) He was envious that they were the source of Kim Dan’s happiness, whereas he was not. Finally, when the athlete confronted them, the doctor sided with them. 
(chapter 37) In other words, sharing happiness is triggering his jealousy.
(chapter 22) Each time, the star put an end to this happy mood. In the break room, Joo Jaekyung threatened them, because he considered their suggestions as a threat. Their comments imply that he would have to share Kim Dan, if they came to the penthouse. It looks like the celebrity is in reality jealous of happy people. It was, as if he was going after “happiness and rest”. Therefore it is not surprising that he accepted the next fight. 
(chapter 41) He looks grumpy again. It shows that he is not truly enjoying his recent success. After the birthday party at the restaurant, the champion felt jealous again. 
(chapter 43) His gaze was betraying him. Though he was the star of the evening, the fighters didn’t invite him to the second round. Yet, he didn’t mind, until he heard them asking the physical therapist. But contrary to the past, episode 7 and 37, Joo Jaekyung acted more gently. 
(chapter 43) He didn’t vent his anger on the doctor, as he embraced him gently. Why? In my opinion, there exist different causes. One reason is the phone call and the long conversation. Another cause for this change of behavior is that the time spent with Kim Dan at his penthouse. Through the breakfasts and their days-off, the celebrity got to know Kim Dan better. The champion’s jokes 
(chapter 27) and smiles are an evidence that the protagonist is feeling more and more comfortable around Kim Dan. 
(chapter 41) Yet, he was still crossing his arms while talking to the physical therapist. This shows that he has not completely lowered his guard yet. Finally, Manhwaworms shouldn’t overlook the doctor’s drunken confession accompanied with kisses and embraces. 
(chapter 39) Consequently, I could observe that the athlete is gradually capable to manage his jealousy, the longer he is living with the main lead. Simultaneously, I believe that the recent transformation of the physical therapist (exhaustion, skipping dinners) incited Joo Jaekyung to observe his lover and meditate. 
(chapter 43) However, I would like to outline that in this scene, he didn’t feel jealous, as Kim Dan was excluded. Hence he had no reason to claim the doctor as his. As you can see, the star’s jealousy was the trigger to change his behavior in front of the members. Thus I come to the deduction that we were witnessing the positive aspect of “jealousy”. He was not questioning the doctor’s integrity and trust. Therefore it is no coincidence that contrary to episode 7, 9, 22 and 37, he didn’t look grumpy, when he stated that Doc Dan is coming with him. 
(chapter 43) It was seen as a miracle that Joo Jaekyung was showing such a care for someone. Kim Changmin, as a representative of Team Black, was not at all envious, because they are used to sharing (dinner, dormitories, etc). The boxer felt that he just witnessed a wonder. It is important, because through this scene, we have an explanation for their passivity in the States. They thought that the athlete didn’t really care for Kim Dan. 
(chapter 40) The champion has always hidden his care for Kim Dan in front of Park Namwook and the others. Don’t forget that the athlete was even particularly rude towards the main figure before the match. 
(chapter 37) I could also include the scene with the new jacket. 
(chapter 36) When the sportsmen were all fighting against each other to give their new cloth to Kim Dan, the champion intervened by throwing his jacket to Kim Dan. He was not smiling at all. In fact, he gave the impression that Kim Dan was causing trouble. 
(chapter 36) At no moment, Oh Daehyun and the others could detect the main lead’s jealousy. That’s how it dawned on me why Kim Dan was not informed about the surprise birthday party. 
(chapter 43) He was as astonished as Joo Jaekyung. I deduce that they desired to protect him, in case the celebrity would react so negatively. 
(chapter 43) Since the athlete had been so impolite and rude towards the doctor in front of Oh Daehyun and the other members on so many occasions (7, 9, 
11, 36, 37), they imagined that Joo Jaekyung was treating him the same way than them: if he was not rough, then he was indifferent. 
(chapter 22) When he announced to the staff that Kim Dan was cooking for him, his facial expression and words are indicating that this is no big deal! He was not smiling and voicing his admiration for doc Dan. He created the illusion that the physical therapist was just living at the penthouse for the celebrity’s comfort. It was to do his job and nothing more. But this was only partially true. That’s the reason why I come to the assumption that this miracle in episode 43 will change the dynamics at the gym. Kim Changmin, Oh Daehyun and the others know now that the celebrity not only cares for the doctor, but also has become his friend. Thus they could seek Kim Dan’s closeness in order to get his advices and assistance.
(chapter 43) So he never took the doctor’s choice into consideration. Although Joo Jaekyung is no longer dragging the doctor like in the beginning of the story, he is not truly respecting Kim Dan’s decisions. But how did this rivalry between Joo Jaekyung and his team start?
(chapter 7) He occupies a special position, for he is only working for the alpha as doctor. But note that doc Dan crossed the line, the moment he started taking care of Kim Changmin’s problematic shoulder. 
(chapter 7) By treating him, he acted, as if he was the physical therapist of Team Black. Secondly, observe how he got introduced to Team Black. 
(chapter 7) Thus I deduce that Kim Dan still needs to find his own place at the gym. This can only generate tension. Moreover, it dawned on me, neither the champion nor coach Jeon Yosep nor Park Namwook recognized the consequences of his arrival at the gym. 
(chapter 7) First, they made the mistake not to bring Kim Dan to Busan. 
(chapter 36) After that event, they learned their lesson. However, note that the champion refused that the physical therapist would follow Oh Daehyun and the others to their fight. 
(chapter 23) On the one hand, he was reminding his companion that he was only working for him, on the other hand, the uniform and the treatment from the members were giving the impression that he was also part of Team Black. 
(chapter 23) That’s how he discovered the ritual with high five!! This is something he could share with his lover! By using this gesture, they would not only become closer, but the gap between the fighters and Joo Jaekyung would be reduced. On the other hand, by hindering Kim Dan to follow the group, Joo Jaekyung was hindering the main lead to do his job. This shows as well that they are slowly developing a new routine, but it is not fully deployed. The doctor is bringing the real changes due to his special but unclear position.
(chapter 36). Moreover, by mopping the floor, he acted like an errand boy, as if he was the lowest member. I doubt that he got consulted for the next fight too. 
(chapter 31) 
(chapter 32) And now, you comprehend why Kim Dan chose to become a courier 
(chapter 42) and didn’t look for new patients. He needs a role model as entrepreneur and doctor. In my eyes, that’s where Cheolmin comes in. The latter should become Kim Dan’s mentor. Moreover, I would like to outline that by intervening in the doctor’s life and career, the champion was blurring more and more the boundary between private life and profession. 
(chapter 9) and the welcome elixir. 
(chapter 9). But like pointed out above, he is actually just his private physical therapist. For Kim Dan, the famous athlete is just a VIP client. 
(chapter 25) It is relevant, because the doctor is not technically involved with the other members. He is attached to them, because they are very nice to him. 
(chapter 9) There exists no contract between them either. Their relationship is simply based on the goodness from the characters. And now, you comprehend why the champion had to come to this welcome party. It is because he feared that the doctor would feel closer to them than to him. His money was already competing with the heart from the fighters. Is it a coincidence that the champion felt the need to remind them that he was the one paying for the party? 
(chapter 9) Funny is that for his birthday party, money was no longer rivaling with the fighters. Furthermore, he was joining the table for real. 
(chapter 43) To conclude, the causes for the tension between the alpha and his members are the undefine position and duties of Kim Dan. 
(chapter 13), Park Namwook and Oh Daehyun are representing the other extreme: junk food (too salty, greasy, too much sugar) 
(chapter 22) 
(chapter 37) or fasting!! Notice that Park Namwook preferred Kim Dan resting than eating dinner with them! 
(Chapter 43) Joo Jaekyung listened to his hyung, as he had already heard such an advice before. But actually by skipping dinners, the doctor is living like in the past. This could lead to malnutrition again. As you can see, I sense here a new source of problem. 
(chapter 26) He proposed this idea after seeing his lover learning moves from Potato. In other words, due to his jealousy, he offered his sex partner the possibility to learn from him. 
(chapter 25) This was the positive aspect of jealousy. It is not surprising that the champion smiled during this little game. 
(chapter 26) It helped them to become closer. Striking is that none of the boxers noticed the true meaning of this sparring. 
(chapter 26) The members didn’t recognize how gentle the celebrity was towards his partner, therefore Park Namwook imagined that Kim Dan had been coerced to spare and the punch was the expression from anger and frustration against the alpha. Thus he came to misjudge the situation. That’s how Kim Dan got excluded from the ring. And this observation brings me to the following conclusion. Till episode 43, none of the fighters realized that Kim Dan was receiving a special treatment from Joo Jaekyung. They were totally oblivious of the truth, even during this incident! 
(chapter 29) A puppy needs care and protection!!
(chapter 23) In addition, I would like to outline that Potato had been favored by his hyungs
(chapter 22), because the latter was somehow neglected by the champion. They were compensating for the lack of interest from the captain. Interesting is that no one was missing Potato during that day and party except the readers. Why? It is because little by little, his adoration for the champion is vanishing. He is starting to have a life on his own. It is important, because Kim Dan could receive now more attention from the members than before, especially because he is receiving the good grace from his boss. Don’t forget that Park Namwook never protected them from his bad mood. 
(chapter 36) He could become their speaker, their lawyer… a new version from this scene: 
(chapter 36) or he was sitting in the office. It is not surprising that he kept his distance at the hotel, when the champion was taking his meal. 
(chapter 37) But it started changing, after the athlete declared him as a part of his team. 
8chapter 40) The problem is that he met the green-haired uke which reinforced his insecurities and low self-esteem. Observe that while returning home, he was only remembering all the champion’s words 
(chapter 43) before his intervention with the MFC security guys. Hence I believe that this statement and embrace 
(chapter 43) He should bring him home. If you read the essay “
(chapter 11), he chose to close an eye to this. Thus he remained passive. 
(chapter 43) Though the doctor’s hands had been bleeding, Kim Dan chose to treat his patient first before taking care of his own wounds. His selflessness could only catch Joo Jaekyung’s notice. Doc Dan’s benevolence can only make him realize that fame can never be a source of joy and adoration is totally different from true love and warmth.
(chapter 43) In the podcast and in the list, I omitted one recurrent topic on purpose: REJECTION!!, We have this topic in chapter 1, 5, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37 and finally 43. 
(chapter 13) He was acting, as if he hated kisses, foreplay and embraces. At the same time, he is showing his face, yet this is just acting. Thus the hyung replied the same way. He faked his anxieties and submission. 
(chapter 37) from episode 37 could be still two different persons. However, the two of them have something in common: both are involved in creating an event, or better said in plotting!! Moreover, they participated in the last scheme. But the condition for a trick is secrecy and manipulation. And this is exactly what was happening in chapter 42. 
(chapter 42) The roommate acted, as if he was a ghost, as if he had vanished into thin air. He kept a low profile and never asked the green-haired to stop arguing or insulting the young doctor. As for the other, he manipulated Kim Dan to scare him off. That’s the reason why I am more than ever convinced that the next plot is on its way. 
(chapter 13) The expression „the pond’s been bone dry“ implies hiring. Naturally, Cheolmin meant that it was difficult for him to find a partner, but his declaration could be understood, as if he was referring to male escorts. As you can see, there was an indirect reference to prostitution in the end. However, he was not looking for a male prostitute. And now, if you look at the members from the XY VIP club 
(Chapter 33), you will realize that they belong to the higher middle-class. On the other hand, Cheolmin pointed out that only desperate people would accept to be his sex partner 
(chapter 13). Thus I come to the conclusion that the athlete was pushed to hire prostitutes in the end, for the other VIP members would refuse such a rough sexual behavior. That’s why I have always been suspecting that this club has been dealing with whoredom behind the facade. The silent barman could be the link. Yet, notice that Heesung has a different approach at the club.
(Chapter 33) He’s looking for his soulmate. This explicates why he could approach these new members so easily. Interesting is that Choi Heesung knows about his jinx and criticized him for his roughness 
(chapter 33), but he never reproached him to hire escort boys. Our cursed Romeo is not linked to prostitution, hence when he saw Kim Dan during that night, he didn’t see whoredom, but roughness. 
(Chapter 34) Therefore he was not repulsed. This explicates why he gave up on Kim Dan so easily. 
(Chapter 35) So imagine his reaction, when he hears that Joo Jaekyung has been treating his angel as a male prostitute. He will get upset, for Joo Jaekyung is looking down on the protagonist‘s job and his magical hands. But let‘s return our attention to episode 42. 
(chapter 42) Because prostitution was in the center of the argument, I am quite certain that the third person is also connected to it. 
(Chapter 42) Moreover, the third man knows how to contact the physical therapist, through the restaurant. This means, he can sell the information to someone who is looking for fresh blood. 
(Chapter 1) Or that could be Heo Manwook. Remember how the young protagonist got dragged during the day and no one intervened! 
(Chapter 16) People‘s passivity and indifference is finally exposed in episode 42: 
(chapter 20) and tell them how to meet the physical therapist. Heo Manwook or the physician just needs to call the restaurant and order food! Once there, he can get dragged into a room and abused physically and sexually. And the third man would be just fine. No one would suspect his involvement, in the worst case, that would be the green-haired whore. 
(chapter 16). Though he accepted the insult by remaining silent, he still fought back, when the moneylender was on the verge of raping him. His minions had to help him to restrain Kim Dan. 
(Chapter 16) But Joo Jaekyung didn‘t realize the true crime due to his biased perspective which I had elaborated in the first part. 
(chapter 35). Besides the list of similar scenes was 1, 2, 13, 24, 25, 33, 34, 35 and 37. Except the scenes in the penthouse, Jinx-philes can recognize another similarity: Potato and Heesung! That‘s how I came to the following prediction: Yoon-Gu will come to the physical therapist’s rescue. It is also possible that the actor is present as well. Nonetheless, by fighting the pervert , Yoon-Gu would become a hero! It is important, because the physical therapist would recognize that even if he doesn’t mean much to Joo JAekyung, he has found a family, TEAM BLACK! 
(Chapter 41) As for the fighters, they would come to resent Joo Jaekyung too, for Yoon-Gu and Kim Dan are so special to them. Simultaneously, the champion would be forced to meditate on his behavior and past words: 
(chapter 42) Joo Jaekyung will come to regret these words in the end. He might even jump to the conclusion that the main lead was taking odd jobs because he wanted to leave or to pay the cancellation fees. 
(Chapter 6) Yes, the two protagonists have to discuss openly about prostitution. Because he didn’t listen to his doctor, he reduced him into a bump. He is just a tool for his jinx. He was showing no respect to his partner. 
(Chapter 18) Like mentioned before, the plot will affect their relationship forcing Joo Jaekyung to make a new deal. At the same time, if this truly happens, it would validate my interpretation that Kim Dan’s role is to contribute to the maknae‘s emancipation, like the wet dream implied it. The perfect Hero Joo Jaekyung would die in the puppy‘s eyes, especially when he discovers the existence of the champion‘s jinx! 
(Chapter 2) 
(chapter 35) And this pigment corresponds to the mixture of yellow and pink which are the colors embodying Yoon-Gu and Heesung. Interesting is that the artist and the fighter were not alone. There was a third person, when Potato chose to accept the invitation from the celebrity, Kwak Junbeom. 
(chapter 35) Nevertheless, the witness didn’t notice the seduction from the artist, for he was sleeping due to the influence of the soju!! Thus Potato’s first sexual experience remained a secret. Yes, in this scene, Jinx-Philes can detect the similarities between 35 and 42. It is about sex, “attachment”, wrongdoing and secret. Potato employed the expression “There’s nothing wrong to…”. In addition, Yoon-Gu is still treated as a child by the fighters and Kim Dan, so such a suggestion could appear as scandalous. Interesting, is that no one noticed the sudden offer from Heesung, though they were in a public place. The owner of the food truck was not paying attention to them, as she was busy. Oh Daehyun had vanished, as he was not feeling well. 
(chapter 35) That’s why this remained a secret. But more importantly, there was a discussion between the maknae and the actor about love. 
(chapter 35) Funny is that when Potato expressed his admiration and reverence for the protagonists, 
(chapter 35), he yelled. Though he looked angry, he was not. 
(chapter 35) He was acting under the influence of his strong emotions and principles. As you can see, the discussion between Potato and Heesung was totally different from the one in episode 42. The gumiho and the chow chow came to the same agreement: accept not to be special for the protagonists, but to hold no grudge because of the rejection. 
(chapter 35) Consequently, the moment you contrast Yoon-Gu’s declaration of unconditional adoration 
(chapter 42) contrasts to this one: 
(chapter 41) civilization, anger, night versus nature, calmness and day. In order to create money, trees need to be sawn. The grape and insects on the bill are fake. Hence I come to the following deduction that this mysterious person is only interested in money too. For this faceless person, money is the symbol of power and life. And now, you comprehend why this person didn’t offer to pay the dinner on his own 
(chapter 42) contrary to the doctor: 
(chapter 32). The third man embodies avidity, selfishness, but also calculations and frugality. The goblin and his companion didn’t order an expensive dish, as it only cost 40.000 KRW. 😉 50.000 KRW – 10.000 KRW 
(chapter 32) Simultaneously, it exposes Kim Dan’s selflessness and thoughtlessness. He is bad at calculating and saving money. 
(chapter 42) Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why I perceive this third man as the opposite of Kim Dan, notwithstanding sharing the same color. This signifies that the shadow is exactly like the green-haired uke: envious, greedy and stingy. Both appear as cheap. Because the goblin insulted him (“ass”, in Korean “Bastard/Asshole” and in Spanish “son of a bitch”), it becomes clear that these two are close, in the sense that they belong to the same social class. One might say that they are equal, but because the goblin badmouthed the other, their equity is just superficial. The green-haired uke looks down on the other. Since the goblin didn’t hide his bad mood in front of the other, I assume that they are both roommates. On the other hand, it is palpable that they are not affectionate towards each other. The goblin has no problem to voice his irritability in front of his “companion”. That’s how I deduce that both are united by the same desire: earn money on a quick and easy way. They are both using each other. I view them as “parasites” in the end. Since the goblin had no problem to expose his true thoughts at the door step
(chapter 42) The latter are getting closer to each other, taking care of each other. The breakfasts have become an important moment for them, where they share their thoughts and can make jokes. Hence the late snack in the small flat embodies the opposite: frustration and disregard. Thus in my eyes, the goblin and his “partner” are not interested in each other, because both are in a similar situation. They are not rich. Thus my idea is that the green-haired man hadn’t exposed to his roommate that he had been the champion’s lover in the past and the latter had beaten him. In my eyes, this revelation was new to the third man. How so?
(chapter 42) Moreover, the latter has no idea that Kim Dan is a physical therapist and even living with the main lead. And this brings me to the following observation. The goblin and his roommate imagined to see through Kim Dan and they are anticipating the delivery man’s next actions. How so?
(chapter 13) 
(chapter 33)(according to me, the mysterious doctor), when he caught the actor and his manager exposing the truth. 
The item was used for a nightly invitation, more precisely for a confrontation.
(chapter 35) And we could consider this scene as a reflection of episode 42 too. How so? The third person in this scene are the netizens reading the article. Why did the reporter contact him through the cell phone? It is because he can not face him out of fear to get punched! He is hiding his face behind the media and the public. This journalist is totally different from these reporters: 
(chapter 37)
(chapter 40) The former is a hunter looking for blood, a huge scoop to destroy a champion. He is throwing over board social norms and morality. Since the bill of 50.000 KWR is embodying him, it reinforces my theory that the third man is a scholar, but a „fake“ one. And the moment you accept this idea, you will understand why I said that the green-haired man would receive his retribution. I have the feeling that he could get beaten. Imagine that the third man has the champion’s cellphone number. He could call Joo Jaekyung and inform him about the conversation in the hallway. He was insulted by his ex- sex partner. He could also try to blackmail the celebrity. If he doesn’t pay, then he will expose the “truth”. Naturally, he could hide behind the green-haired man. It is also possible that the goblin gets manipulated by the faceless man in the shadow. I am quite certain that the goblin will be caught in a scandal, and he will have to take the fall, betrayed by his roommate.
(chapter 33) 
(chapter 33) Interesting is that the scenery from the first image reminded me of the district where Kim Dan was working as a courier. 
(chapter 35) But why? Here, I can only speculate. It is related to Heesung and the Entertainment agency. Don’t forget that Heesung had asked his manager to keep his trick a secret 
(chapter 34) In other words, I am suspecting the involvement of the champion’s agent. The latter could have let transpire to the tabloid journalist that there was some tension between these two. However, nothing happened between Heesung and Joo Jaekyung after the ride. 
(chapter 33) Is it a coincidence that the author employed green in this scene? I have already demonstrated that the agent from the Entertainment company was involved in the conspiracy. Under this new light, you comprehend why I am suspecting a scandal during the birthday charity event. Many people will be present and all the lights will be directed at the star. By causing a scandal, the journalist would get noticed and even “glorified” as the hero denunciating “corruption and perversion”, whereas in reality it is the opposite. Like mentioned above, I can not totally predict his moves. 
(chapter 42) and the physical therapist as victims. The man could even go so far to recreate the incident from episode 2. Let’s not forget that Park Namwook has the tendency to condemn Joo Jaekyung for any “wrongdoing” and he saw the main lead with bruises. 
(chapter 36) And if Heo Manwook was involved in the conspiracy for the last match, he could see this new discovery as the perfect revenge. The champion is in reality a trash, a criminal! That would be the perfect revenge… He can not present himself as a victim contrary to the others. And that’s how Cheolmin would be forced to resurface. 
(chapter 18) , Joo Jaekyung had an appointment there. So this treatment could be brought up. Moreover, I would like to point out that in chapter 13, Kim Dan never detected the presence and intervention of a doctor. It was the same in chapter 34/35, Kim Dan never caught and identified the presence of the third person. 
(chapter 35) That’s how I recognized that none of the spies were “caught” or identified. Chapter 42 represents no exception, hence the third man feels safe. 
(chapter 41) Hence I conclude that the green-haired guy and his roommate don’t care for each other. So while the readers are about to witness the rising of the physical therapist, I am expecting the opposite for this dangerous couple. They could destroy each other. 
(Chapter 35) resembles a lot to the one between Kim Dan and the unknown man 
(Chapter 42) Since the athlete‘s shoulder was already in bad shape, the former physical therapist might have proposed pain killers, but the star refused. Because the doctor considered himself as superior, he came to look down on Joo Jaekyung and chose to ruin his reputation so that the latter ended up having a novice, someone with no experience! 
(Chapter 40) And his ambiguous reply 
(Chapter 40) could lead the third man to assume that Joo Jaekyung is a hypocrite. He hid the prostitute as a member of Team Black. Once back to South Korea, he had no longer use of him! And that‘s how he got forced to „work“ as courier. Team Black could be suspected of being a cover for prostitution… especially when Heesung‘s relationship with Yoon-Gu is discovered. But appearances can be deceiving, as neither the green-haired uke nor his roommate are aware that the main lead is a physical therapist living with the celebrity. And this brings me to my final thought: since the Webtoonist created such a mystery behind the reporter and the third man, it becomes clear why Kim Dan‘s status is ambiguous as well. His nemesis is a shadow and so is the doctor! Both are working behind the scenes, yet at some point both will be pushed to reveal their face and identity. Whereas one will shine, the other can only fall into the abyss, like his name is indicating it. 
(chapter 18) Then in episode 22 and 41, the physical therapist stood by the side acting like a cook. 
(chapter 22) Consequently, the physical therapist has been working as the champion’s nutritionist. We could say that in episode 42, it is the same, as he is once again wearing the apron. 
(chapter 41) And the champion came to enjoy this little moment during his long day. They became a part of his routine. This signifies that the association between breakfast and work was slowly vanishing. It was gradually turning into a moment of intimacy. 
(chapter 42) Thus he couldn’t talk to Kim Dan. On the other hand, the cook had done his job, for the dishes were cooked perfectly 
(chapter 42) Hence Joo Jaekyung couldn’t complain to the physical therapist. 
(chapter 42) This means, the “intimacy” vanished, while the notion of work got reinforced. Consequently, I deduce that this little change, a tired doctor, unable to converse with him, will definitely affect the fighter in the long run. The latter will be forced to meditate about the cause for his exhaustion, but more importantly about his emotions and his real expectations from Kim Dan. Why was he annoyed, though the breakfast was made? Does he view him as a employee or a friend? This is what he stated in episode 18: 
(chapter 18) His stay was justified with work. Kim Dan had a similar reaction. He considered the breakfast as a part of his “work”. 
(chapter 22) and their desires 
(chapter 22) Why? Was it because he didn’t want to share his penthouse to members from Team Black? For me, his main reason was Kim Dan! If they had come to his place, they could get close to the physical therapist. It would be more difficult for him to “control” doc Dan. He could even experience a similar situation than in episode 7, where he was totally left out. 
(chapter 18) Intimacy without real warmth. 
(chapter 4) His silent departure made the celebrity smile. 
(chapter 4) However, in his mind, Kim Dan had not run away, for he had spent the night in his bed. 
(chapter 4) The smile became the symbol of his miscalculation. He imagined that he was still in control of the situation. 
(chapter 4) He had misinterpreted doc Dan’s action. So we could say, this was his biggest mistake. After their separation, he could no longer get in touch with the physical therapist triggering his biggest fears. No wonder why he got so mad. 
(Chapter 5) 
(chapter 18) , when he changed his mind and asked for sex as “breakfast”. 
(chapter 18) The trigger for his change of attitude was the following announcement from Kim Dan. 
(chapter 18) The physical therapist expressed his wish to leave the penthouse as soon as possible. Why? It is because Joo Jaekyung had drawn a line which the physical therapist shouldn’t cross. 
(chapter 18) The sportsman was denying his benevolence towards the main lead. With such a statement, the famous athlete created the impression that Kim Dan’s presence in the flat was more or less “bothering” him. 
(chapter 18) I would even add, he hates pity… exactly like Kim Dan. 
(chapter 37) That’s why he reacted so strongly in the States. In my eyes, he imagines that someone could deceive him, if he was kind or if he loved someone. That’s the reason why he is acting so tough. What an irony! He is deceived, even if he is so brutal and strong. We have the perfect example with the MFC doctors and the MFC matchmaker. To conclude, in episode 18, Joo Jaekyung made sure to protect his heart from Kim Dan out of fear. And this could only backfire. The doctor chose that it was better to leave the champion’s side. But his declaration triggered the celebrity’s hidden anxieties. 
(chapter 19) He would do it at any moment and at any place. Yet, we know for sure that the champion’s libido was different in the past. It was strongly intertwined with his matches. He considers sex as hard work and as such bothersome. 
(chapter 29) So we could say that by requesting sex as breakfast, he deceived his partner. He might be smiling and happy 
(chapter 18), but deep down, he was masking his abandonment and trust issues. For me, both characters made huge mistakes, for they were not honest to each other. Back then, Kim Dan was still rejecting sex, and as such denying the existence of his own pleasure. They could only misunderstand each other, because both were in denial about their own emotional and mental state. Hence they could only commit wrongdoings.
(chapter 22) For Joo Jaekyung, it was a mistake. Kim Dan had crossed the line. But the moment he tasted the food, he liked it so much 
(chapter 22) that it put him in a good mood. Thus he smiled. 
(chapter 22) However, observe that the champion tried to “deceive” his partner after tasting the food. 
(chapter 22) First, he hid his happiness by looking so deadly serious. He was restraining himself to expose his true emotions. Secondly, in that same picture, he is voicing his doubts. He feared that the doctor tricked him in order to impress him. He couldn’t believe that he was such a cook. As you can see, the athlete considered the first breakfast from Kim Dan as a trick and wrongdoing, before he changed his mind. Here, I would like to point out that at no moment the athlete praised Kim Dan properly. 
(chapter 22) It was reduced to a basic skills so that for him, the breakfast is still viewed as a part of his work. However, by watching the athlete enjoying his dishes each morning, Kim Dan got accustomed to observe a content man. It is quite clear that the champion is enjoying his dishes so much. 
(chapter 41) His chewing is betraying his happiness. Through his happy chewing, the doctor started perceiving the athlete differently. He was acting more like a happy child. 
(chapter 41) His expression made Joo Jaekyung smile.
(chapter 41) For me, it is clear that Joo JAekyung had loved this night so much that he hoped that Kim Dan would also have a good memory from it. Remember how happy he was after taking his shower. He was in such a good mood that he had placed the doctor in the middle of his bed. 
(chapter 40) For me, Joo Jaekyung had enjoyed this night for many reasons. Kim Dan had been proactive. He had even accepted all the requests from the athlete 
(chapter 39). At no moment, he had rejected him. Moreover, he had voiced his pleasure 
(chapter 39) something that Joo JAekyung had been longing to hear from him. 
(chapter 12) He had liked the love confession from Kim Dan, as he had replied to it with a kiss. 
(Chapter 39) Finally, they had many rounds during that night. We could say, he had become the perfect lover during that night. However, the word “mistake” from Kim Dan triggered the champion’s memory. 
(chapter 39) He had thrown all his rules over board.
(chapter 39) Imagine the doctor’s embarrassment, if he got to hear that he had peed twice while having sex. 
(chapter 39) Moreover, he had challenged his sex partner by peeing on his face.
(chapter 41) Joo Jaekyung has no problem to expose his rough side to the physical therapist. Interesting is that he doesn’t get scolded by the doctor, though the latter is bothered by his reaction. 
(chapter 41) That’s how I realized how the champion would affect the physical therapist forever. Through him, he will come to accept the usage of the fists. He will stop accepting the emotional, mental and physical abuse from others. 
(chapter 7) Finally, he was encouraged to punch the fighter during a sparring. 
(chapter 10) 
(chapter 18) each time his pride got hurt. Here, he was restraining himself out of anger 
(chapter 42) Yes, his hand gesture reminded me a lot of the fighter’s: 
(chapter 37) As you can see, the protagonists are influencing each other through their conversations and interactions. And this brings me now to the final breakfast scene, chapter 42.
(chapter 42) I would even add that he is no longer following the athlete’s rule. 
(chapter 18) There is no ambiguity that the champion noticed the doctor’s dark circles. 
(chapter 21) However, since the physical therapist has been working each night behind the champion’s back, I assume that such a scene 
(chapter 1) The latter had also vanished suddenly!! According to Park Namwook, the champion had beaten him. 
(chapter 42), I have the feeling that his partner is about to go through the same experience. With his disappearance, Joo Jaekyung would not only lose his delicious dishes, but also his only companion who was able to make him smile and laugh. 
(chapter 41) However, there exists one difference to the first breakfast the physical therapist put on the table. 
(chapter 22) The soup looks a lot like a seaweed soup, a typical dish offered in South Korea for a birthday. And now, you comprehend why in the illustration
, the first breakfast is facing the birthday cake 
(chapter 41) The latter stands for anonymity, professionalism and admiration, while the seaweed soup embodies closeness, home and real affection. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the presents from the fans and companies are not making the celebrity happy. 
(chapter 41) We can observe that his birthday is creating such a buzz that it looks more like a marketing event. Hence at no moment, the athlete makes a joke or smile. 
(chapter 41) In fact, he is crossing his arms, as if he was putting a distance between himself and the gifts. In other words, his birthday is connected to business and artificiality which contrasts to the doctor‘s past birthday: 
(Chapter 36) Yes, he is not allowing himself to eat „unhealthy“ food or to enjoy a „drink“. Under this new approach, it becomes understandable why the athlete got so furios, when he caught the trio having a party. First, he got upset, because he got excluded. He got jealous, because Kim Dan was laughing with the others. 
(Chapter 22) And this is something the champion has been missing. When he paid off his debts, he wanted to make the doctor happy, hence he was looking at his facial expressions. 
(Chapter 18) In other words, as long as Kim Dan is not laughing and smiling, the other can not find real happiness either, and I would even say, real peace of mind. But in order to make his partner happy, the latter has to cross the line. He needs to stop living like a champion all the time, and as such to become human. This implies that he needs to make mistakes, for error is human. At the same time, humanity is a synonym for benevolence and vulnerability. This corresponds to the charity event. 
(chapter 102) The painter had confessed too late, for the schemers were already pulling the strings in the shadow. To conclude, the main leads’ self-deceptions were connected to love and time. The importance of self-manipulation leads me to the next observation. All the antagonists and villains were liars, because they were also deceiving themselves. They refused to admit their own fears and flaws, therefore they chose to commit a wrongdoing and manipulate others in order to hide their true thoughts. This means that not only the crime was covered up with a deception, but also the manipulation was hidden by another lie. This means that the list of their sins increased. Therefore it is not surprising that the gods chose to confront the liars with the verity, as they kept refusing to admit their sins. Now, it is time to focus on the antagonists and villains’ manipulations and the scenes where they were facing the mirror of truth. However, the readers are probably wondering where the mirror of truth is. The answer is simple. The mirrors of truth are not only the two main figures, but also Kim and Min, though they are their negative reflections. Remember that in Snow White, the item led the evil Queen to her doom, for the latter refused to accept reality. At the same time, the mirror of truth was not entirely honest either, for it never explained the definition of “Beauty”. In other words, it lied by “omission”. I realized that I can not examine all the antagonists and villains in one text, as I am so detail-oriented. Consequently, I selected Lee Jihwa and Yoon Chang-Hyeon first, for both characters’ lies are strongly intertwined. 
(chapter 77) The problem is that he had been caught by the butler. Thus the door was open. The door is full of symbolism. It can represent opportunity, but also imprisonment. Simultaneously, the door embodies the passage from one world to another in religion and literature. In the analysis “The window, the door, the air and their signification”, I had explained that in Painter Of The Night, the door embodies the passage between the conscious and the unconscious. This means that when all the villains are confronted with the mirror of truth, they are standing on the doorstep. That’s why the reflection is linked to the open door. The characters are forced to face their own repressed desires and anxieties. Hence I deduce that the room symbolizes memories too, which means that we are dealing with repressed memories. In our first case, since Lee Jihwa was seen in the study, this means that when he got caught, he tried to deny his responsibility in the seduction. That’s how he started being in denial of his wrongdoing. Thus out of fear, he left his friend behind and as such he buried the incident in his unconscious. He tried to forget it. He convinced himself that he had seen the friend’s smile. This was the evidence of his “statement”, yet this was just an illusion. However, before he ran away, he lied to the butler too. He told him that the one who had kissed him had been the main lead. So not only he lied to the valet, but also to himself. That way, he was avoiding to feel guilty. There were two lies, and both were used to covered up his own wrongdoing. But the one who had been smiling, was in reality Lee Jihwa, as he had the impression that his dream had been fulfilled. Thus the author revealed the young master’s blushing, the expression of happiness. 
(chapter 77) However, since he had been caught by the valet, he was facing the butler’s visage. And what did he see in his facial expressions? Shock and horror!! That’s how Lee Jihwa realized the gravity of his sin and chose to blame his friend. Thus I imagine that he must have blushed again and this time out of shame and embarrassment. It is very possible that in that moment, he must have copied the valet’s facial expressions before leaving Yoon Seungho behind and lying to the butler. Why do I think so? It is because the butler had made such an expression in front of the barn, when he had been caught. 
(chapter 64) And what did the main lead say? 
(chapter 64) Since the painter seems to have forgotten it, I deduce that it was the reverse for Lee Jihwa which explains why he felt so guilty in the end. As for the butler, when he had barged in the study, he had committed a wrongdoing himself. He should have asked for the main lead’s permission, but he did not. Consequently, he decided to believe in Lee Jihwa’s deception. One hand washes the other. He was covering up the guest’s sin, while the latter was doing the same thing for the domestic, though I doubt that Lee Jihwa truly realized it. Simultaneously, Kim had the perfect justification to hide the violation of social norms. He had caught the main lead red-handed, hence no one would question his own action. As you already know, I associate the butler to Pilatus, therefore he is connected to the bucket. 
(chapter 13) However, in my eyes, this doesn’t represent the biggest confrontation with the mirror of truth. For me, it is the altercation in episode 17, for it took place in the same place than the aristocrat’s crime. When the red-haired master looked at the picture, he was suspecting that the painter had seduced his friend due to the insinuations by the staff. And his fear reached the peak, when he saw the painter’s reaction: 
(chapter 17) As you can see, in this episode, the gods were recreating the same situation: a servant had witnessed how the two men “were fooling around”
(chapter 16), though this was definitely not the case!! And this is exactly like in the past, Yoon Seungho was totally pure and innocent. And what was Lee Jihwa’s reaction? A slap! 
(chapter 17) This is what Yoon Seungho had experienced in the past. Yoon Chang-Hyeon had definitely abused him. 
(chapter 57) Thus the main lead’s cheek was bruised. Then exactly like in the past, Lee Jihwa accused someone else of committing a crime. In the past, it was his friend, in the present it was Baek Na-Kyum. Both were portrayed as immoral seducers. 
(chapter 17) These words were exposing the verity about the past. Lee Jihwa was admitting in front of the painter that his friend would never act like that, and as such he had not attempted to woo him in the past. Striking is that in front of the painter, the red-haired master was misinterpreting the incident. Why? It is because he was influenced by his past experiences. Since he had lied twice, he jumped to the wrong conclusion that it was the same in the present. And back then, he had even achieved to fool Kim. Therefore he couldn’t allow himself to be fooled like the butler. That’s the reason why he couldn’t imagine that someone was innocent. 
(chapter 17) He was a liar in the past, so it must be the same for the painter. Yet, this was the negative reflection from the past. Thus his karma was to get caught by his childhood friend. Striking is that this time, he was put in his friend’s place. He was turning his back to the door. Moreover, due to his anger, he didn’t hear Yoon Seungho’s steps and the opening of the door! 
(chapter 17) But the childhood friend refused to face reality in that moment, and as such to admit his guilt and responsibility. Why? It is because he had committed another crime in the past. This is related to the bedchamber incident. 
(chapter 83) However, here he had been caught by his father, hence I believe that this confrontation represents mainly the elders’ punishment. As for Lee Jihwa, despite the humiliation and abandonment in chapter 18, he refused to give up on his friend. 
(chapter 18) One might say that he was motivated by love, yet I think that it is related to his denial about his sexual orientation. And this coincides with his lack of honesty. He had not confessed his own sins and lies yet. Therefore 
(chapter 36) he presented himself as a pitiful creature, as he was sharing the protagonist’s suffering due to his knowledge. However, this was not empathy, just sympathy. The person only feeling sympathy will always put a distance between himself and the counterpart. There‘s a “I“ and “you“, but no „we“. The person might come to pity the other, yet he won‘t intervene and help. He will just understand and that‘s it.
(chapter 36) This panel is the evidence for this interpretation. Lee Jihwa never used the personal pronoun “we”, even during the abduction. 
(chapter 59) [For more information about sympathy read the essay “Sympathy for the devil”] Hence the gods let him meet the mirror of truth a second time: 
(chapter 43) Based on this panel, Lee Jihwa had more or less barged in the study, but his presence was detected too late! One detail caught my attention in this picture, the presence of the light reflected on the door. Hence I assume that the main lead detected the presence of a witness because of the light!! 
(chapter 43) Let’s not forget that the room was dark, when they were having sex. 
(chapter 42) He was still looking at his lover’s face, when he perceived the change of the light. Hence he turned his head in direction of the light reflected on the door. My friend Luzaly brought my attention to this detail. The couple was turning their back to the door before. 
(chapter 42) The form of the light reflected on the door doesn’t come from behind the gate 
(chapter 97) And now, you comprehend why I came to the deduction that Lee Jihwa had witnessed the love session not from this door, 
(chapter 41) However, in the next episode, Byeonduck showed us a slight change. 
(chapter 42) The door was now close. This means that the butler had intervened at some point. This was the negative reflection from episode 20. 
(chapter 20) This time, the main lead had not requested for more privacy, for he had not detected the presence of his right-hand. And this leads me to the following conclusion. Since this is not the door 
(chapter 43) I am even suspecting that he didn’t view this scene at all, because logically, the light should be coming from the other side!! But on the other side, there is no door!! 
(chapter 49) But there is the window…. And now, you comprehend why Yoon Seungho never investigated the matter with the “door”. It had never been opened in the first place. But how could Lee Jihwa imagine such a scene? 
(chapter 57) However, here it is necessary to remind the readers of my previous character’s examination. I had described Lee Jihwa as trapped in a dark room, because he had lost his auditory and visual sense due to his guilt!! This was the price to pay for his sins. He had imagined to see the friend’s smile and he had lied to the butler. And since in episode 17, his visual senses were triggered (the painting, the painter’s facial expressions), I deduce that in chapter 42/43, this time Lee Jihwa was confronted with the mirror of truth through words. Through the window, he could hear the moaning of the couple, hence he couldn’t see the painter’s sadness. Moreover, this is what the painter said: 
(chapter 42). It sounded like he was indeed seducing the main lead. As for the embrace, he couldn’t hear it, but someone had heard the longing from the painter. 
(chapter 43) The gods were punishing Lee Jihwa for his lie: his friend’s smile!! But I have more evidences for this theory. First, it is important to pay attention to Min’s words, when he manipulated Lee Jihwa. First, he portrayed the painter in a pejorative light with the idiom “indecent life”. 
(chapter 43) Moreover, the noble employed the personal pronoun “we”, which is not typical for the selfish and hypocrite villain. This means that he was repeating Kim’s words. Then he added how the couple would have sex in the barn 
(chapter 43) (“vulgar roll in the hay”), but this was not true. However, this is what had happened in the past with Lee Jihwa. The latter would have sex with his childhood friend in the storage room. This explicates why Lee Jihwa came to believe in Black Heart’s words and manipulations. With such a description, he was reminded of his own past!! Therefore it is not surprising that Lee Jihwa had such a vision. 
(chapter 43) Moreover, since this night was a reflection of the first Wedding night, this means that the author left a clue there. And now, look at this… 
(chapter 21) The windows!! As you can see, the door is not the only place to spy or interrupt intimacy. Secondly, we should have reflections of the spying through the window in season 2. 
(
Chapter 49) In this episode, the light in the study had suddenly vanished, and this is what we had before: 
(Chapter 70) I had already suspected back then, that someone was listening to their conversation, and with this new discovery, Lee Jihwa hearing the love session from the window, this interpretation gets reinforced. Furthermore, in chapter 96, the main lead had explained the opening of the door with this: 
(chapter 96). This signifies that in the past, the lord had explained the sudden opening of a window and the vanishing of the candle light with the wind during the night of chapter 49.
(chapter 36) The reality is that he couldn’t cut ties with his friend. He had lied in the past, therefore he got manipulated in the present. And since he was confronted with his auditory and visual senses in season 1, he was put in a similar situation in season 2. However, there was a slight change, now the red-haired master was confronted with a real crime: murder!! 
The darkness of the room and the silence from Yoon Seungho and the painter were referring to the master’s loss of senses and his guilt. Deep down, the young master knew that the assassination was not right. And note that the aristocrat had this nightmare in his own bedroom confirming that the room is the symbol for the subconscious. Finally, in season 3, Lee Jihwa got confronted with another uncomfortable truth: his friend’s sexual abuse. Lee Jihwa had acted, as if this stolen kiss was nothing. However, due to his silence, he let his friend get raped. And he knew about this, but he chose to close an eye to this. First, Lee Jihwa refused to share his friend with the painter 
(chapter 5) Therefore it is no coincidence that in the shaman’s house, he was put in the same position than Yoon Seungho. He couldn’t select his partner
(chapter 100), he had to rape Baek Na-Kyum. This is no coincidence that the Joker was standing in front of the door. He was pushing the young man to face his repressed memories and lies. That’s the reason why exactly like in the pavilion (chapter 43), Black Heart coerced the antagonist. He used words to manipulate the second lead, but there is a huge difference. The shaman’s house was representing the young noble’s unconscious and as such his true personality, while it was not the case in the pavilion. The room in chapter 43 was more embodying the Joker’s unconscious. Why? It is because Lee Jihwa was speaking the truth in that scene. 
(chapter 43) He reproached Black Heart to have deceived him. On the other hand, the scene in the shaman’s house corroborates my interpretation that Lee Jihwa had not seen the embrace from chapter 42, for Black Heart was voicing the butler’s thoughts and emotions. 
(chapter 100) This shows that during the night of chapter 42/43, the valet had intervened. Thus Min was acting, as if he was a victim in the recent past. He had been deceived by Lee Jihwa’s lies by omission or commission. This is what had happened in the past. Besides, I realized that when the man confessed the incident in the bedchamber
(chapter 83), Min couldn’t see the whole story. He had to rely on the second lead’s words. Just because we could observe the whole scene, this doesn’t mean that this was the case for the character. It is very likely that Lee Jihwa left details out, especially as he portrayed himself as a victim. Due to the narration, Min could have been misled. He could have envisioned that the childhood friend was living in the study and had dragged his friend to the bedchamber. Hence you comprehend why I consider it as another evidence that Lee Jihwa didn’t view the love session in the study from chapter 42 with his own eyes. He had to rely on his ears and naturally Kim played a role before Black Heart’s intervention. The servant hoped that Lee Jihwa would decide to do something…. in other words, he had been gradually manipulated by Kim and Min to hire an assassin. That way, he could be blamed for the murder of the scholar. He would become guilty by association. And the one pulling the strings behind the scene can only be the mysterious lord Song, for he can no longer interfere directly, though I am certain that he was not aware of the butler’s own meddling. Why? It is because in the past, Kim had never become proactive like that. Moreover, I think that even in the past, the man was not omniscient and omnipotent either. He over-estimated his own abilities, and didn’t recognize that he had been fooled himself either. 
(chapter 100) This is no coincidence, for the sexual abuse is the reason why Yoon Seungho’s heart and soul got destroyed. This had the same effect than killing someone, especially if the person is so innocent and pure. Because he recognized the truth, he had the courage to abandon and betray Black Heart. That’s how he could redeem himself in the end. 
(chapter 100) At the same time, this is not surprising that Lee Jihwa met his friend and admitted his wrongdoing. For the first time, he didn’t remain silent and chose to intervene!! I also believe that during that night, he apologized to the protagonist before vanishing. In other words, Lee Jihwa had to face 4 different mirrors of truth, until he was able to admit the verity. He was responsible for Yoon Seungho’s suffering. He had lied, therefore he got deceived, until he had no other choice to confess his guilt and sins. 
(chapter 77) He would do anything to cure Yoon Seungho implying that he wouldn’t mind spending money for the main lead’s treatment. However, the truth was that he refused to send for the physician, when the young boy was sick after the straw mat beating. 
(chapter 77) This means that he broke his promise. Striking is that the vow to the butler was introduced in connection to the patio!! When the readers hear this promise, this is what we see shortly after. 
(chapter 77) Secondly, the elder master Yoon was seen shortly after there. 
(chapter 77) That’s how I realized that the elder master was connected to this patio in front of the building. Thus Byeonduck showed us him in this place in the gibang 
(chapter 87) Finally, there exists the flashbulb from Yoon Seungho’s memory: 
(chapter 55) My avid readers will certainly recall how I had claimed that this scene was representing Lee Jihwa and father Lee. I am not changing my mind, but I would like to point out that this story is built like a kaleidoscope and as such, each image is actually a reflection. Thereby I come to the conclusion that in this panel, the young boy and the elder are in verity embodying 4 people: the boy is Lee Jihwa and Yoon Seung-Won, as for the elder, it is father Lee and the elder Yoon. Why? It is because the punishments were related to the Lees’ behavior and words. There is no ambiguity that elder Lee intervened to protect his son’s reputation. In other words, father Yoon was seen in the patio in chapter 55. Then when he visited the physician, he remained outside too contrary to the main leads. 
(chapter 57) It was, as if the elder master had nothing to hide, for the domestic and the butler could hear him. However, the latter got deceived. There is no ambiguity that the valet and the young master trusted him. On the other hand, the valet was the one who introduced him to the physician, like we could see here. 
(chapter 57) But what does it mean? First, it shows that Yoon Chang-Hyeon was never seen in the bedchamber!! In other words, his power was fake. This interpretation gets validated, when I use the confrontation between Heena and Yoon Seungho. 
(chapter 65) In that very same place, the protagonist had been insulted and could do nothing, for neither Kim nor his staff intervened. And this perception reinforces my perception that the patriarch has always been delusional and arrogant, over-estimating his own power. Moreover, the lord was not honest either. 
(chapter 65) This shows that the patio is connected to violence, hypocrisy, deceptions and offenses. 
(chapter 7) Then in the study, Yoon Seungho confessed that his father had been dismissed from his post which contradicts the previous statement. 
(chapter 80) But how did Yoon Chang-Hyeon obtain his office then? Then the expression “follow in his footsteps” caught my attention. That’s how I realized that the elder master never passed the civil service examination!! In truth, he failed terribly. How can I be so sure about this? First, the civil service examination consists of different tests. Secondly the idiom from Yoon Seungho indicates an gradual rise in the grandfather’s career which is not reflected in the lord’s confession to the messenger. Finally, in front of the mirror of truth, the father voiced the following wish: 
(chapter 86) This expectation exposes that this had not happened in the past. But why didn’t he expect this from Yoon Seungho earlier, though the latter had such a good notoriety? It is because he desired to be admired himself. He viewed himself as the Yoons. Thus he said this to his son: 
(chapter 86) This means that he was using his own sons for his own career, though he claims that he is doing for the Yoons’ notoriety. In other words, the patriarch’s position was obtained through sexual favors. But since the king was the sponsor, there is no ambiguity that at some point, the elder master must have started dreaming even bigger, similar to the scholar: 
(chapter 18) Hence I have the impression that he must have acted, as if he was the king’s relative. Hence he asked to be called by a certain title. This could only infuriate the mysterious lord Song, for the latter was hiding his sodomy and debauchery behind closed doors. No one was supposed to make a connection between him and the Yoons. However, I don’t think that the elder master Yoon had planned everything from the start. He had definitely been misguided, for in season 1 and 3, we could see that he was believing blindly what people would say to him. He never doubted his son’s words, when the latter said that Yoon Seungho had given him such a paper. 
(chapter 44) And it is the same with father Lee. That’s the reason why I still think that he had been manipulated. He was pushed to sell his own son, thinking that the Yoons would benefit from it. However, this was just a delusion, as he was dependent on the monarch’s benevolence. 
(chapter 53) But Yoon Chang-Hyeon refused to admit it, it went so far that he was denying his relationship with Yoon Seungho. He was just an animal. 
(chapter 83) The reason why I am connecting it to episode 53 is because of The Joker’s smile which reminded me of lord Song’s evil smirk. 
The man had a view to the patio, hence he could see who could enter the bedchamber or not. And observe that when the brutal father was in the bedchamber, the main lead never replied to him. This could only reinforce the man’s delusion and greed. That’s the reason why Yoon Seungho had to live in the barn and was not dressed properly. The elder master Yoon was avoiding his son for this reason. He was closing an eye to the truth. And that’s how he could convince himself that Yoon Seungho was just a sodomite. In other words, he came to believe his own lies, while in the beginning, he had definitely been deceived himself. To sum up, his evolution stands in opposition to Lee Jihwa. Instead of suffering from guilt and shame, he came to adopt this philosophy, Yoon Seungho is responsible for everything. His hatred towards the protagonist could only increase. But reality caught up with him during the same night! He ended losing his power, as all the noble families supporting him vanished. He had promised to cure his son, he ended up as a wreck. His health deteriorated, hence he is much thinner now. 
(chapter 87) He was paying the price for his lies about the cure. Furthermore, the manhwaphiles will realize that he is no longer seen in the patio. 
(chapter 44) This explicates why he refused to bid farewell to Yoon Seung-Won from the patio. This means that he chose to live in the bedroom, totally cut off from the world. And this leads me to the following observation. Once he met his son after such a long time, he refused to accept the verity. He was responsible for the situation and for Yoon Seungho’s suffering. This shows that his self-manipulations can no longer be removed. He remained once again totally delusional, thinking that the treason was just a subterfuge! 
(chapter 86) Why? It is because the young lord was supported by the “king”. But since he had cut ties with the main lead in the past, treating him like a servant, there is no doubt that the pedophile doesn’t view Yoon Chang-Hyeon in a good light. Hence the son became the true owner of the mansion. In the bedchamber, the father was confronted with the consequences of his decisions and lies. He had lost everything: his position as the head of the family, the propriety, the wealth and the connections. Thus he was left speechless. 
(chapter 86) But when he arrived in the study, this is what he saw. This picture revealed his greed and ambition 
(chapter 86), but he would never admit it. This is no coincidence that the open door is reflected with the shadow. He claimed to contribute to the lineage of the Yoons, but like mentioned above, he was only thinking about himself. This scene shows that he was eyeing for the throne, and this must have happened in the past too. That’s the reason why I believe that he did sell his son to a pedophile for his own greed and ambition, but he never admitted it. He used the family and traditions to hide his ruthlessness and selfishness. When the father was on the verge of leaving the study, he expressed his regret that he shouldn’t have saved his son. 
(chapter 87) This was another self-deception. Without the main lead, the latter would have lost everything. Note that he is living comfortably in the house in Hanyang. So if the young master were to disappear, I doubt that the mysterious lord Song will allow the father to take over the mansion. His regret implied that he shouldn’t have sent for a doctor. This is important, because this signifies that he will be punished the same way, it will be even worse. No one will be by his side to protect him and to save him… no one will request for the physician’s assistance. Similar to the broken promise in the patio: 
(chapter 77) Moreover, the father acted, as if he was decent and righteous 
(chapter 87), while Yoon Seungho was compared to a monster! 
(chapter 86) The outcome of his lie can only be that he will be perceived by people as a monster, as an immoral father who had no conscience at all. How do I come to this conclusion? First, the painter could see right through the father’s gaze. 
(chapter 87) He was a cruel and resentful father. Moreover, the lord’s words always become a reality. Hence the father can only be condemned as the licentious and depraved degenerate. 
(chapter 86), the black sheep! Furthermore the moment Yoon Chang-Hyeon loses the house in Hanyang, he has no place where he can hide himself from public gaze. He can only ended up as a powerless outcast. I am suspecting that since he longed to be admired and fawned, he could end up committing suicide, for he is unable to tolerate people’s rejection and insults. To conclude, the father refused to admit his guilt and wrongdoings till the end. Even cornered, he chose to avoid reality, preferring to trust father Lee and the butler’s lies. Why? It is because he envisioned that by removing the main lead, he could take over the mansion, and act, as if nothing had happened, as if Yoon Seungho had never existed. The gods will fulfil his wish so that he can be confronted with reality. Besides, note that the patriarch never stopped his son from kissing the painter, he even followed him to the seat. 
(chapter 87) This shows that deep down, the man was not truly against sodomy and prostitution. The father resented the son, for he could only achieve “glory” through debauchery and sodomy. I believe that the elder master Yoon was thinking like this: “no matter what” the Yoons’ power and notoriety must increase. In the bedchamber, the man exposed his true personality, while in the patio he was just the fake image of a powerful, decent and righteous man. This explicates why it took the teenager so long to realize the father’s betrayal. 
(chapter 82) He was just an empty shell, his knowledge, experiences and possessions were just an illusion.
(chapter 3) stimulus, his phallus was still erected after Jihwa’s first climax. It looks like Seungho was attracted by Jihwa… so much that his appetite couldn’t be satiated. This gave Jihwa the impression that something had been triggered in Seungho. He was finally appealed to him, this gave him the illusion that his dream had come true. He mistook the excitement as a sign of “love” making him believe that he had now more privileges than the other sex partners. In his mind, the sex at the pavilion was love and even love for him, while in reality for Seungho it was just the discovery of real pleasure in sex. He had finally come to love sex with men. Since he kept seeing the painting in his mind, it was as if he was making love to himself. Hence I interpret that for the powerful noble the sex at the pavilion is a mixture of sex and love. He finally comes to love sex with men and to love himself as a seme. He feels his own attraction.
(chapter 20) 
(chapter 21)
(chapter 25
(Chapter 32) He has realized that his behavior has not been normal. He is confused hence he doesn’t get angry, when he is criticized by the doctor later. He knows that his emotions made him blind so that he somehow endangered the painter’s life. He must definitely feel guilty but he sees it as his duty to make sure that Baek Na-Kyum can recover.
Here, it is quite clear what the protagonist’s real intention was. He was looking for sex in order to understand what led him to act like a crazy person in the presence of the painter. What was he looking for? During the separation, he makes a huge discovery: sex is not his true motivation, he gets aware that he has been longing for the painter’s attention and affection. 
Besides, due to Min’s words, he gets aware that he wants Baek Na-Kyum for himself. He is “his”. He knows that now but he has no idea how the artist will react after his recovery. He could definitely blame him for his illness and the sex marathon. Little by little, the main lead is learning to differentiate sex and love. What I mean is that he has learnt that sex is a way to express love, making the partner feel sexual enjoyment and pleasure is making love. It is about to give and not just to take. That’s why from that moment, the seme is focusing on pleasuring the artist. He feels that he needs to wait so that Baek Na-Kyum will come to fall in love with him and will express the need to have sex with him. So he is definitely waiting for Baek Na-Kyum’s move.
(Chapter 42) Here, there is a mixture of tenderness and passion. He is attempting to evoke other feelings in the uke. He actually shows his love for the commoner. While during their first night, the artist cried out of happiness, here the tears are expressing immense sadness and pain. This is the reality: he had never been truly accepted by the low noble. He always saw his social background, a low-born raised at the brothel. He is admitting his sexual orientation which he is now connecting to prostitution. The painter doesn’t see the love in Seungho’s gestures, too immersed in his own suffering. In other words, the lord wanted love here but only got the opportunity to have sex, while deep down Baek Na-Kyum was longing for love but just asked for sex. However, Seungho attempted to shower him with love at the end but the painter didn’t see it, just like during their first night.
(chapter 73) Here, the relevant word is “enter”, an equivalent for invade. 
(chapter 73) Mess is a synonym for chaos and wreck. 
(chapter 73) In the third panel, Yoon Seungho is implying that the painter just has to call him Seungho-Ya, and he will stop immediately. Strictly speaking, he is referring to the saying: your wish is my command. 
(chapter 73) Strangely, the word “bow” has two significations: a ribbon or a weapon. 
(chapter 73) In the fifth image, Yoon Seungho actually means seduction, yet he utilized the idiom “provocation”. Finally, we have Yoon Seungho’s favorite expression “fret”. During this night, he keeps mentioning it in connection to the painter: 
(chapter 72) 
(chapter 73) I have to confess that in this situation, I can’t help myself associating this idiom to an anxious animal trying to escape. Now, I would like to sum up all the expressions the main lead employed: enter, mess, word as a synonym for command, bow, provoke and fret. As you can observe, they are all connected to war and conquest. However, since the lord dropped his armor for good, I believe that the aristocrat is thinking about something else: hunting, which coincides with his second hobby. 
(chapter 41) Baek Na-Kyum is his prey, and the lord is trying to catch his heart through sex. However, Yoon Seungho’s attitude is not consciously done, he is not aware that he is speaking like a hunter. More astonishing is that the painter’s vocabulary mirrors his lover’s: 
(chapter 73) The word spot is a synonym for target and prey. 
(chapter 73) the target is wounded (“it hurts”) and tied up. Even Yoon Seungho’s words are referring to a wound, as if the animal was bleeding to death 
(chapter 73) , as it keeps leaking 
(chapter 73) But the lord is known as an impatient man, which seems to be confirmed here. However, in reality it took him many months to be gazed and even accepted. Now that Yoon Seungho is seeing how affected the artist is with his words, caresses and kisses, he is so happy that he calls his lover 
(chapter 73) revealing that they have no longer a lord-servant relationship. This exposes how much the main lead wishes to be intimate with the artist. Therefore, he can’t simply wait contradicting himself. 
(chapter 73) His actions prove that he is definitely in a hurry.
where I had already pointed out that the noble was deluding himself by calling the artist an easy conquest. Back then, this comment made me so laugh, because chapter 42 clearly outlined that it wasn’t even easy due to the lord’s grimace during the intercourse. 
(chapter 42) And observe that this chapter confirms my interpretation. First, the noble has a similar facial expression 
exposing that he has to work hard in order to please his lover. He is still clinching his jaw, however the manhwaphiles can detect two huge differences: the mouth is more open and he is now blushing. This shows how much this hunt is touching his heart. And the comparison makes me realize that Yoon Seungho’s final sexual emancipation could be symbolized, when he moans his lover’s name while having an orgasm. That’s why we have the lord calling the painter so affectionately (Na-Kyum-Ah) before the second round. 
(chapter 73) showing that he was serious with his saying: Your wish is my command. In addition, he wanted to demonstrate that he hadn’t forgotten his promise: not to scare him. 
and a breather. 
(chapter 73) The noble and Baek Na-Kyum’s desires stand in opposition to the artist’s weakened physical condition. The latter can’t physically keep up, hence he faints at the end.
(chapter 73) The prey has definitely been wounded by this special hunt. However, Yoon Seungho did achieve something really important. The blushing painter cried out of excitement during his final climax. 
(chapter 73) Yet, I doubt that this will be noticed by the aristocrat. He is definitely too shocked by the incident. His lover fainted. In my eyes, there is no ambiguity that Yoon Seungho will panic again. He has three reasons for that:
(chapter 32) He felt so remorseful and was so worried that he ran away, too scared to face the painter and assume his responsibilities. However, he made sure that a physician was fetched. This terrible experience explicates why the lord panicked in chapter 50. He envisioned for one moment that he had overdone it again. 
The noble had such huge pangs of conscience that he couldn’t forget the painter’s poor condition. Hence he desired to verify if he had recovered in the bathroom.
(chapter 72) He was worried, but the painter reassured him. In truth, the heavy breathing was caused by a climax, which the artist tried to hide from his lover. Therefore, there’s no doubt that after this chapter, the noble will question his behavior again. As a hunter, he overestimated the strength of his “prey”. Moreover he will realize that Baek Na-Kyum’s words contributed to this incident. Let’s not forget that Yoon Seungho was following the artist’s request. 
(chapter 73) This time, the painter’s exhaustion occurred due to both protagonists. That’s why Yoon Seungho will realize that he has to become more responsible and can’t just give the whole responsibility to Baek Na-Kyum. He should have paid more attention to the artist’s health and physical condition. And Kim took advantage of the situation. Thus from that night on, the lord kept his distance from his lover. From my point of view, the valet used these expressions against the main lead. He had been targeting the artist, turning him into a prey, hence the painter could not refused. Kim’s MO has always been to mix cause and consequences. Besides, since he heard such words, he could only have a negative impression. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that the valet is a pessimistic person due to “fortunetelling”. [For more read the essay “Fortunetelling”] As you can see, due to this incident the main lead learned another important lesson: consent. Therefore the lord said this later 
(chapter 75) 
(chapter 79) In the second case, he made sure that both were on the same page. He had felt coerced. Through this fainting, the main lead became more careful and responsible for both of them. The problem is that he was still influenced by his past experience: sex is like a battle… which was now transformed into a hunt. 
. (chapter 15) Secondly, Yoon Seungho repeats similar expressions: 
(chapter 14) And this is how I made the connection with this love session, as I was paying attention to the words. 
(chapter 14) It didn’t happen, because he was selfless… no, this was the consequence of Jihwa’s attitude who did nothing to “seduce” his friend. He refused to kiss him
(chapter 14), but like he explained, his visit was because he was giving in to Yoon Seungho’s ways. But we have to question ourselves: who wanted whom here? The second lead did visit his friend, as he was seeking his company for sex. He could have refused, as his friend never forced him, but he did not. Moreover, the lord made it clear that Jihwa was just coming for sex and nothing more, yet the childhood friend never denied it. 
, he never allowed him to see his weak side. In addition, Jihwa’s words were full of criticisms.
This is not surprising that Yoon Seungho was behaving in a similar way. He was reflecting the second lead’s behavior. In my eyes, Jihwa treated his friend like a real sex toy who was there to pleasure him, hence the fellatio is done to prepare the penetration. That’s why there’s no real exchange, the lord is very passive as well during the blowjob. He feels nothing at all 
. When the sex session started, he seemed to be in a hurry too
(chapter 15) However, Jihwa never truly invested his energy and effort to woo his childhood friend’s heart. This is no longer surprising why the second lead felt so lonely, even during their intimate time. Yet the irony was that the head-kisaeng was treated like a tool for Jihwa’s pleasure, and the latter never realized that. 
, he even recognizes that praising him too much could encourage Yoon Seungho to become more passionate, hence he diminishes his praise afterwards. 
(chapter 72) Baek Na-Kyum’s words and reactions are the reason why the lord is so affected. But unlike in chapter 14, the painter asks for his lover’s help showing that making love implies the involvement of two persons and not just one. Like I had written in a previous analysis, the lord is discovering that giving pleasure to his lover is also receiving. Hence he blushes and becomes more passionate.
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 