Tag: Chapter 43

Painter Of The Night: Hearsay (part 2) – second version

~ Bébébisous33 ~ 9 Comments

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

In this essay, I’ll focus on the new character Nameless who appeared for the first time in the chapter 43. What caught my attention in the latest episode was the way how Byeonduck presented him, it was through hearsay. That’s the reason why I selected this title in the first place. (Chapter 51) (Chapter 51) And now, if we look back at his first appearance, he was indeed recommended by hearsay. Min was the first one mentioning him to Jihwa. So in the following panel, the speech bubble represents Min’s voice. He is the one describing Nameless to Jihwa.

Chapter 43

Nameless or No-Name is portrayed as someone greedy and ruthless. Because of the interruption of the intercourse, Jihwa has even the impression, Nameless is selling himself for money. It looks like he has no conscience, only money matters to him. That’s how the gossip portrays him. However, in the chapter 51, we also discover that he has another reputation. He is supposed to be a good lover or better said, sex partner. (Chapter 51) It looks like he has made a name for himself among people through hearsay, although he doesn’t have a name. How ironic! Since he doesn’t possess a name, it was as if he didn’t exist. A name defines a person as such, it gives an origin (family name, parents etc.) which is really important in Asia. Since this story takes place in Joseon, the importance of family and name is even more relevant. Without a name, the man has no root so that we could say, Nameless is like an orphan. In other words, he shares the same fate than Baek Na-Kyum, an orphan with unknown origins. I could even add he lives like a shadow through hearsay. I believe, there is no coincidence that Nameless was introduced through gossip twice. It is a part of his figure, he lives through grapevine for a purpose in my opinion.

Because of this detail, I couldn’t help myself connecting him to our main lead Yoon Seungho. The latter also uses rumors as a tool in order to deceive people. Remember my theory that Yoon Seungho acted as the biggest sodomite ever in order to hurt his father and manipulate people around him. At the same time, the aristocrat utilizes hearsay as a shield in order to protect himself. The least people know the true Yoon Seungho, the better it is as his weaknesses can’t be exposed. That’s why I called him the master of deception. Therefore I think that Nameless uses the same strategy, he hides behind hearsay. Note that we have two rumors in the chapter 51, the one about Yoon Seungho returning to his bad habits and the other about Nameless. Therefore I come to the conclusion that both gossips mirror each other and are no coincidence. This reinforces my impression that Nameless created this image about himself through gossips for a reason too. And here is the question: Why would he do that? What is his purpose to have such a “reputation” as greedy and ruthless? I doubt that avidity and cruelty are his true motivations. Just like in the noble’s case, we should question this hearsay. Hence I will examine Nameless, not through gossips but through the pictures Byeonduck gave us and make some speculations.

Chapter 43

When he appeared for the first time, he was dancing with another artist following the music played the musicians. This picture reveals that Nameless is working with others. His work as entertainer is just a cover, since he does dirty work behind the scene. We can definitely say that Nameless is the chief of the band because of the following picture: (chapter 51) The minions must be the musicians and the dancer. As you can observe, the man is not just some criminal driven by greed and brutality, he has abilities for he was able to impose himself as the leader of this band. I detect that he is methodical and quite decisive. Remember that he gave instructions to Jihwa in the chapter 50. (chapter 50) Strictly speaking, he is a strategist which is visible when he tells Jihwa that he has other channels.

Chapter 51

As you can observe, he resembles a lot to Yoon Seungho. Some readers started even imagining that they might be related because they look similar. However, this is for me too soon to adhere to this theory. What I can definitely announce for sure is that both characters have a similar thinking and personality. Hence this doesn’t surprise us that both are described as ruthless as well. When the manhwalovers read that Nameless was working on other channels, they immediately connected it to Deok Jae. The resentful servant is spying on his account as he wants to get revenge on his master. (chapter 51) They were not wrong with this association, however I feel that in that cabin, there was another channel that Nameless was working on. (Chapter 51) Why would he have sex with her? Why would she approach him? I have the impression that the hearsay (him being good at sex) was relayed to her intentionally. Remember that in Painter Of The Night, nothing is there by accident. Jihwa might have caught them randomly, yet there is no ambiguity that this intercourse has its importance. Therefore I tried to determine the identity of this woman. (Chapter 51) If you regard her clothes, you’ll note that her appearance resembles the one belonging to maids. (Chapter 47) The colors of the jacket and skirt are quite similar. However, there is a huge difference between the two maids. Although the servant in the picture above is the head-maid at the kitchen, she doesn’t own any expensive hair pin or ring, while it is different with the woman sleeping with Nameless. She possesses two jade rings and a golden hair pin. This is not something a maid would own. We have 2 possibilities. Either the woman disguised herself as maid by wearing such clothes and hid her real identity or she is a maid close to a lord and the latter gave her jewels for her sexual services. The third possibility is that she works as a gisaeng which would explain the contrast between the jewels and the clothes. She belongs to the lowest social class, yet she has to distinguish herself through her hair dress and jewels. This idea was proposed by one of my readers Anyway, in my opinion, Nameless approached her for a reason. He is digging for information. We have two possibilities: either he is spying on nobles (the clients of the gisaeng house) or he wants to know more about the painter. Let’s not forget that the latter was raised in a brothel. While Jihwa believes that Nameless is doing it for money, I think that he is using his body for information. Why do I come to this conclusion? It is quite simple. Since I sensed so many parallels between Yoon Seungho and Nameless, I am using the protagonist as role model. Because the noble used his body in order to defeat nobles and to hide his own self from others, I believe that the commoner is acting the same way. Both have a negative reputation through gossips and hearsay.

Because I explained that the lord hid his traumatic past behind his bad reputation, I have the impression that Nameless is also hiding his tragic past behind the hearsay. We have definitely proof that the “criminal” has a terrible past: his body.

Thanks to one of my followers, I was able to discover the signification of the tattoo on his chest. Notice, he has the same tattoo twice: Thief. So he was condemned because of theft and this twice. This is something he can never erase hence I come to the conclusion that this is the reason why he covered his whole body with tattoos.

(Chapter 51)

Chapter 51

By having so many tattoos on his body, he made sure that the tattoos “thief” wouldn’t catch the attention and be perceived as a weakness, there are tattoos among others. Sure, my problem is that I can’t discern the meaning of the others. On the other hand, I am quite certain that he uses tattoos as a cover to hide his weakness, his wound.

Another observation is that Nameless is quite observant, just like the rich noble. He realized how weak Jihwa was due to his gestures (the shaking hand, the noble biting his finger nails) (chapter 50) that’s why he ordered him to stay home in the chapter 50 and here asks if he has been drinking. He can perceive people’s personality very well. I would even add that Nameless’ heart must have been touched, when he noticed Jihwa’s bad habit: biting his finger nails. He must have sensed that this noble had still an innocent soul. Striking is that although the red-haired noble is just a wreck and even insults the “criminal”,

Chapter 51

the latter never gets upset. He always remains calm and still treats his “client” with respect. He continues calling “sir” or “my lord” all the time. Notice the contrast of Nameless’ attitude towards Jihwa and Deok Jae. He never threatened the aristocrat, while he had a killer gaze in front of the domestic. (Chapter 51) Even the evil domestic got scared, when he experienced this gaze.

Chapter 51

This attitude unveiled Nameless’ disdain but also mercilessness towards the domestic. He pays no attention to the servant, whereas he is treating Jihwa so differently. He shows a certain care, which is unveiled when Byeonduck lets us enter his mind. This image represents the commoner’s perspective. (Chapter 51) That’s the reason why this zoom on his chin covered with tears was preceded with the drawing of Nameless’ face. The latter looked at Jihwa’s mouth and tears, while the commoner allowed the noble to voice his worries and anxiety. His eyes don’t express any disdain or arrogance in the last painting. Here, we could say that Nameless is not cold-hearted, quite the opposite, he is sensitive. Sure, he doesn’t allow the red-haired aristocrat to mistreat him, yet he shows a certain curiosity and concern towards his client. In fact, this reflects the purity of his heart. He senses the noble’s sinlessness which stands so much in opposition to the criminal’s reputation. In this scene, the manhwaphiles can detect another similarity with Yoon Seungho again. The gaze and action reveal more than any word. And here is the next question: why would No-Name be quite nice to Jihwa?

Since I observed so many parallels between Yoon Seungho and Nameless, I couldn’t restrain myself imagining that both could be working together in reality. But I have to admit that as good as this theory sounded, it is now quite certain that they have no ties. On the other hand, I still believe that at some point, they will be working because both could be reunited by a common desire: their resent for the nobility. We know for sure that the powerful protagonist despises social hierarchy and judges people based on their skills and work. He had no problem to take a painter coming from a brothel as his “wife”, so why not having a “commoner” working for him? While composing the essay “White versus Black”, I realized that yin and yang symbolizes perfectly the main characters’ personality. While Yoon Seungho has still a pure mind (White), his heart has been corrupted due to his tragic past (black) that’s why he keeps hurting the painter over and over again. On the other hand, Nameless has a pure heart, yet he has a corrupted mind due to a traumatic experience. His “vicious” mind could be the reason why he is able to perceive a conspiracy and even plot a crime. He doesn’t lose his temper, when he is threatened.

chapter 54

From my point of view, he even envisaged this possibility. Striking is that his head is indeed covered by a black veil which corresponds to my association with the black mind.

Chapter 54

Surprising is that the manhwalovers discover the black cloth at the end of the chapter. Does this belong to Deok-Jae? If so, then this represents his vicious heart and mind. He resented the painter and bullied him in many different ways illustrating the darkness in his personality. This would also explain why the criminal has no remorse to kill the vicious servant. He really hates that kind of people. Let’s not forget that based on my theory, Nameless is sensitive to innocence and kindness due to his pure heart. Simultaneously, this could also belong to the ruthless criminal, a sign of his brutality. He won’t spare anyone standing in his way. So the rumored ruthlessness becomes a reality in the chapter 54. He has no problem to get rid of an annoying witness. He will dirty his hands, if he needs to, he feels no remorse to kill someone.

Chapter 54

What caught my attention in this picture is that Nameless is looking at Deok-Jae through his mask. It was, as if he was now transforming into the butcher he is supposed to be. The eye is looking at the domestic, the latter has already become his target. From my point of view, there are two reasons why Nameless decides to eliminate the servant. First, he has this desire to protect the red-haired noble whom he views as innocent. We shouldn’t forget that the criminal was the one who reminded his client of the gravity of the wrongdoing. Since Nameless has sensed that the aristocrat is plagued with huge pangs of conscience, he has become aware that Jihwa has been incited by someone else. Because the commoner has a corrupted mind, he can perceive the darkness in other people, like Deok-Jae, but also he can think like a vicious person. That’s why he has been working on other channels. I have the feeling that he is trying to uncover the conspiracy which led Jihwa to hire him. That would explain why he told Jihwa, he had to wait for a while. Nameless decided to look into the matter, when he noticed the red-haired aristocrat’s anxiety. He wanted to uncover why Jihwa would want to get rid of a low-born. Since he has a pure heart, it is definitely possible that he abhors the idea of murdering innocent people. Yet, his black mind is the reason why he is able to plot against others.

Since Nameless was convicted as thief, it is definitely possible that he had such a tragic fate due to the purge, since Yoon Seungho became a victim of betrayal due to the purge. In other words, if my theory is correct that the commoner suffered a traumatic past like Yoon Seungho, I doubt that he would let nobles manipulate him, especially if he was framed himself in the past. Therefore the suffered injustice could be the butcher’s real motivation. This explains why he is working on other channels. He needs to find out the identity of the mastermind behind this conspiracy. He wants to keep Jihwa away from this event. Besides, Nameless would be the perfect enemy for Min as he embodies White heart. So far, Yoon Seungho can’t defeat Min with his broken and corrupted heart. With his viciousness, the criminal can uncover the secret, while Yoon Seungho’s mind is too pure to even imagine such a plan. Moreover, his mind and heart are too preoccupied with the artist hence he has become blind and deaf to what is happening around him. Right now, the lord is in a weakened state, the perfect opportunity for Min to strike.

As you can observe, the theory of the protagonist working together with the ruthless commoner has been abandoned, yet I am quite sure that they will join forces at some point. Furthermore, since Byeonduck is using elements from the first season but has changed the chronology, I came to realize that Nameless’ actions (Chapter 54) reminded me of Jung In-Hun’s behavior in the first season. He used commoners in order to dig up some secret so that he could blackmail Yoon Seungho. (Chapter 29) Therefore I have the impression that the commoner is behaving like him, yet this time it is in order to unveil the identity of the mastermind. That way, he could protect Jihwa and at the same time, he would be able to get rid of a heinous person. On the other hand, since Min has become aware that his plot failed because the assassination didn’t take place, Black Heart can only condemn the red-haired aristocrat and Nameless. It is definitely possible that Min chooses to hurt Jihwa as retaliation which can only push the criminal to become very hostile to Min. From my point of view, Nameless will become a great helping hand for Yoon Seungho in the future. With his Black mind, he can even predict what villains will do. The protagonist’s mind is too pure to recognize the viciousness in the scholar. He might have perceived his hypocrisy and stupidity, nonetheless he still doesn’t know what Jung In-Hun afflicted to the painter. From my point of view, this explains why Yoon Seungho couldn’t defeat the scholar so quickly. He was too naive in this aspect. However, the main character needs to have someone with a black mind so that they can anticipate the scholar and father Yoon’s moves.

The final reason for my theory that Nameless will become the protagonist’s ally is the way Nameless is used. Byeonduck seems to have created a second OTP because Nameless keeps touching the noble’s wrist and is quite caring.

Chapter 54

Consequently I can’t imagine, the noble being involved with Nameless and the latter becomes Baek Na-Kyum’s real assassin. Their “love story” would be too tragic because there is no ambiguity that the influential noble would go after these two, if the painter or someone else close to him would get hurt. Besides, based on my theory (White versus Black), Nameless with his corrupted mind is the only one capable to defeat Min with his black heart. The darkness of the mind can fight against Black Heart. Furthermore, Nameless can help Yoon Seungho to defeat Jung In-Hun and Father Yoon later. Observe that so far, the main lead never attempted to get revenge on his father. He just hurt his father with his behavior and the rumors, yet father Yoon was never really attacked or defeated.

As a conclusion, Nameless will play a huge role in the future, not just as a killer but as a double-agent. I consider him as the alpha and the master of deception among the commoners. His mask as entertainer symbolizes his disguise. By meeting Jihwa, he realizes that there are still some pure people in the world which will lead him to change his life. Nameless resembles a lot to our protagonist Yoon Seungho, hence I felt their collaboration would be quite interesting, if my theory was correct. Nonetheless, after the end of season 3, it looks like Byeonduck doesn‘t plan to use No-Name and Jihwa a lot. So if the Joker appears in season 4, it will be brief.

Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My Reddit- Instagram- Tumblr-Twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and the support.

Painter Of The Night: Drawings and emotions (part 3) 🎨

~ Bébébisous33 ~ 3 Comments

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

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.

In the second part, I explained how the weather, the season and the landscape represented the painter’s state of mind and emotions (agony, emptiness). Now, it is time to focus on the time and the moon. Why? First, the title of this manhwa is “Painter Of The Night” indicating that the time has its importance. With night, we associate the moon and as for the day the sun. So I looked for the images with the moon in it. Thanks to the help of my followers, I could gather all the drawings where the moon was displayed. Before showing them in their chronology so that we can figure out if the drawings with the moon have a deeper meaning like the weather and the season, I have to say that if I analysed each picture separately, my interpretation would diverge each time, yet my goal is to find an explication valid for all the pictures illustrating the moon. Let me give you an example.

episode 1 Here, the full moon seems so far away, Yoon Seungho’s mansion is almost illustrated in its entity. My first thought was that the full moon personified Baek Na-Kyum and the latter is so far away from the powerful noble as they have not met yet. The sky is so dark (almost black) due to the light glowing of the moon. It was as if the noble’s world was full of darkness and his future meeting with the painter represents his only joy and hope in life. He is so eager to have the painter by his side and to have the artist painted for him. The mansion is so big, indicating his wealth and power, however it feels so big and empty at the same time. It was as if his domain was not a real home. The light coming through the windows doesn’t exude warmth, the beholder feels a certain coldness as there is nobody outside the building. So this image could be judged as an illustration of the main lead’s world: dark, cold, empty, lonely and lifeless.

But with this interpretation, I have some problem, when it comes to the picture from the episode 13. First, why is this a crescent moon unlike in the first image? Did the painter lose something hence he is no longer complete? Secondly, there is no building and the moon seems to glow stronger as the sky is lighter. If the moon is the painter and the sky Seungho’s world, how come that the moon is glowing stronger because even if the painter had felt excited before, he was still resisting the noble’s advances and attraction? Furthermore, in this chapter he is threatened by the master. Then we see no mansion, while we saw the roof in the image from the chapter 4. Why is there no building portrayed here? That’s why I saw it as a necessity to find an explanation that would fit to all the pictures. Hence I would like to show all the images in their chronology so that we can figure out if the drawings with the moon have a deeper meaning like the weather and the season.

episode 1

episode 4 (the end)

episode 13

episode 25

episode 32

episode 34

episode 43

episode 43

episode 46

The first thing people would pay attention to is the form of the moon: full or crescent moon and try to recognize if there is an evolution. But as you can see, the full moon is only in the first chapter, the episode 34 and the episode 43. So on the surface, we can’t see any progression. Honestly, I had to ponder a very long time before coming up with a solution. Like always, I would like to repeat that this is my own interpretation and anyone is more than welcome to think differently. Now, you are wondering about my theory.

Let me explain how I came up with this. What caught my attention is that Jung In-Hun is never meeting the painter during the night. In the chapters 19 and 24, it was sunset and rather early evening as they were on their way back to the mansion. We could even say that the scholar has always met the low-born during the day (chapter 7, 10, 22, 29, 35, 38, 40). Hence I came to associate the scholar to the sun which led me to the next thought. If the sun represents Jung In-Hun, then the moon must symbolize the main lead Yoon Seungho. Let’s not forget that this manhwa is entitled: Painter Of The Night. In other words, this could be seen as a synonym for “Painter of Yoon Seungho”. Furthermore I had already linked the main lead to an eagle, so the moon with the dark sky are elements embodying him.

I also observed two details before the form of the moon: its distance and the color of the sky. In the first picture, the sky is so black indicating that Seungho is not really living, while the moon shines so far away. Hence we could comment that the lord is so far away from people that he lives detached from everything. That’s why he has no pangs of conscience, when he announces that someone might die if the painter rejects his offer. I often compared him to a zombie due to his passivity. The night is the only time when he appears to be really active in the beginning. Notice that he meets the painter for the first time during the night(chapter 1), then he asked the artist to paint the next night. In my opinion, Yoon Seungho didn’t interact much with people during the day, as he was rather smoking and looking through his window. Therefore his appearance at Lee Jihwa’s mansion was something extraordinary. He couldn’t even wait for the next night which the red-haired noticed. Let’s not forget that this man is suffering from insomnia so he can’t sleep during the night. That’s why I have the impression that the moon and the dark sky are personifying the protagonist.

The other element is the distance of the moon. It seems to get closer (episode 4, 13) but then the distance increases again in the chapter 25. This coincides with his relationship with the painter, the closer he gets to the artist, the closer the moon shines in the drawings. Since the rape occurs in the chapter 25, it is normal that the moon is so distanced. That’s why in the chapter 46, we can observe the peak of their own intimacy. (chapter 46) This fits their actual situation. The lord heard a sort of confession and now the painter is not allowed to eat with the servants. His status has been elevated. However one might object to this conclusion because of the full moon in the chapter 43. Here the satellite seems to be further away, yet they are sleeping together. I can refute this argument because of the presence of the building. Here, the pavilion belongs to another noble hence the moon and the sky looks darker. The color of the sky mirrors the main lead’s feelings. He feels nothing for Jihwa and the other aristocrats, nevertheless, his affection keeps increasing from the chapter 4 and 13. [By the way, I doubt that in this picture above the building belongs to Yoon Seungho. For me, it could be a building in the street, while Jihwa is on his way to his friend, the aristocrat with the mole.] Even in the chapter 25, the sky is not so dark compared to the one from the chapter 1. We know that despite the rape, the lord was already in love with the painter. My thought is that while the lord is personified by the moon and the night sky, the painter is present in these drawings too. He is embodied by something as well: the mansion, especially the roof.

I came up with this idea since Bak Na-Kyum is longing for a home, for a family. In the first chapter, the mansion appears so big because Baek Na-Kyum only perceives the main character as a powerful and infamous lord. However, due to his attraction to the noble, his perception changes a little. The part of the roof becomes bigger each time, as if the artist’s place and influence were increasing. (episode 4); (episode 32);(episode 34);(episode 46)

Little by little, he starts owning more of the roof (even the walls). Observe that the snow is now covering the roof. That’s why we have the pavilion shown in his entity in the chapter 25. This represents the low-born who was raped. The building doesn’t have any wall, this is a fake house, not a real home. Yet one might argue that in the chapter 13, there was no building. So why? Remember that this is connected to the characters appearing in the chapter. In the episode 13, Jihwa enters the lord’s chamber right after this image. Baek Na-Kyum is not even present yet. However, the moon is closer and the color of the sky is lighter, blue. This illustrates the noble’s feelings and attraction to the commoner. We shouldn’t forget that during this night, he already has the intention to ask the low-born to join them in their sex session. He has already decided to taste the artist.

My other evidence that the moon and the building are personifying our main leads is the picture from the chapter 21. We never saw the moon during that night and the sky looked so bright. It was as if the moon was looking down on the building, while the noble is embracing and kissing the painter. This night was particular because it never looked like a real night… a mixture of day and night, giving the illusion of a different time. That represents the “dream”, something special is happening right now. The lord has discovered love and warmth hence the light of the moon seems warmer and closer. This was just an illusion and the reality came back in the chapter 25. However, although the moon is further away, the sky is not so dark compared to the one from the chapter 4. It is related to the growing feelings of the lord. He might have done something wrong, yet he did it because he wanted to obtain the artist’s heart believing that once he uses force, the low-born will surrender. Yet he failed with this stupid move. The forced rape created a riff between the two main leads.

Now, it is about time to explain why we have a full and crescent moon. In my opinion, this has something to do with his wishes. In the first chapter, he hears that the servant discovered the painter’s identity and he is about to get his wish fulfilled. In the chapter 34 , he has just realized that he can’t stay away from the painter, he really loves him and he can’t give him to others. It’s his “wife” hence he needs to return to Bak Na-Kyum’s side hoping that the painter might not resent him for risking his life out of selfishness (sex marathon). He granted the painter’s wish to leave his bedroom as he saw no real rejection coming from the commoner. Yoon Seungho never heard any harsh criticism after entering his bedchamber. Hence there is hope for him. On the other hand, there is this huge distance between the roof and the moon. Yoon Seungho has no idea how to reconnect with the painter after the sex marathon therefore he ponders the whole night about it. He knows what he really needs and wants and has to crack up his brain to come up with a solution. Hence during the night in the chapter 43, there is another full moon. The painter asked him to have sex together, for the lord this was as if his deepest wish had been fulfilled. They are together. But soon after he realizes that his sex sessions don’t bring him what he has been longing: love. Hence there is a crescent moon again. (chapter 46) He is missing warmth, yet the “confession” did affect the lord so much that the glow coming from the moon appears warmer. This represents the lord’s feelings, he is getting closer and closer to the painter… and to the building.

In my opinion, the artist is the “earth”, as the house symbolizes the painter. That’s why we have Jung In-Hun as the sun, since the Earth rotates around the sun. Since the sun abandoned the Earth, the painter’s heart is frozen. For Yoon Seungho is the moon, the painter was never able to notice it as it is not so visible during the day. We all know that the moon is a satellite of the Earth. Now, the painter is able to see that there is another planet circulating around him. Yoon Seungho has caught his attention, therefore he is no longer looking at the sun. In reality, Jung In-Hun is a fake sun, while Baek Na-Kyum thought, he was looking at the real sun… it was a fake source of warmth, an illusion.

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

Painter Of The Night: Short analysis of the new trailer (season 2) – second version

~ Bébébisous33 ~ 6 Comments

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

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.

Today, I’ll examine the trailer announcing the new start of the second season. First, I would like to thank my follower @Dream Island for mentioning my blog on youtube because thanks to her (I assume so), my blog is more visited than before. I don’t know how many times I watched the trailer but it made me so happy since we are able to get a few glimpses of the second season.

Byeonduck tweeted the link for the trailer, the korean version, too where you could get a better view on one image from the trailer. First, I worked on the korean version until the English version was released. Hence the release came much later. I had to change the pictures and give more explanations. Here, I have to thank my follower @seunghohoe for the translation and the update because without this person I wouldn’t be capable to write that much. In other words, I am examining the trailer and the images from Lezhin where you get to see two more drawings from the second season.

We see how a naked Yoon Seungho carrying a person enveloped by the lord’s robe from one chamber to another. There is no ambiguity that Baek Na-Kyum is in the noble’s arms, especially if we read the comment. Since the latter is covered with sweat, you can imagine what happened before. They had sex and now the artist seems to be exhausted, even sleeping because his arms are hanging. So my assumption is that the master is bringing his lover to his own chamber. Let us not forget that there is only one door separating his room from the master’s room.

Now, you are wondering why he is wrapped with the noble’s cloth. One could say that he wants to hide the painter’s face, his identity. However, I doubt that because of his behavior in the first season. Let’s not forget that he generated gossips with his visit to the tailor shop intentionally. He knew that the tailor would spread the rumor, especially with the foreplay at the shop, hence he wasn’t surprised, when Min asked him about the painter in the episode 41. This was actually his answer to the challenge in the chapter 33. He used the hunt in order to warn the challenging noble Min. That’s why Min is now using Jihwa in order to hurt Yoon Seungho as he wants to dethrone the alpha in the sodomite community and become the new king.

Since there is no secret about the partner’s identity, especially when there are so many rumors circulating about the fiancee,

Chapter 45

there exists another reason for enveloping the painter in his robe. In my opinion, the master wants to ensure that the painter doesn’t get sick again due to exhaustion like the last time. Let’s not forget that he got huge pangs of conscience because of the sex marathon. The low-born spent 10 days in the master’s bed before recovering from the illness. (Chapter 33) This image represents a flashback from the chapter 33, where our protagonist recalled the artist’s terrible face, while he has to hear the other aristocrats describing the person he loved. The memory outlines that this incident left a deep impression on Yoon Seungho that he could still remember the painter’s sick face. Therefore the protagonist wants to keep his painter safe, in the warmest room in the mansion where the noble can attend to the commoner’s needs (giving him water, cleaning his body). I even anticipate he will do everything himself. However, we shouldn’t forget that the master’s deepest wish is to share his own bed with the uke. Only with him, he can finally relax and sleep. We all know that the lord is suffering from insomnia since he hasn’t overcome his trauma from the past.

Now, if we pay attention to the other two drawings from Lezhin, we can recognize the bodies of Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum.

Both are in the master’s bedchamber recognizable due to the folding screen in the background. Since the legs from the man lying on the floor are thinner, we can guess that this is the painter, whereas the lord is on his knees. I assume that both are kissing. However, in the second picture, the position are switched.

You might wonder why? The breasts are more muscular, while the man on the top has a smaller chest. The other clue is the short dark hair (in the right corner on the top). First, I thought the person was not wearing a topknot but the lock is indicating otherwise. However, I am still maintaining that the painter is on the top because not once we saw a lock of Seungho’s hair while having sex. His coiffure was always perfect. So for the first time, the readers are witnessing the painter caressing the lord’s chest.

Remember that in my manual, I had declared that we should pay attention to the artist’s hand because it signalized a change in the low-born’s emotions and state of mind. Here, it looks like the commoner is taking the initiative revealing Baek Na-Kyum’s growing feelings for Yoon Seungho. Imagine how the master must be happy in this situation, he always longed to be loved, to sense warmth. Now the manhwalovers can envisage, the commoner is little by little making the noble’s dream come true. No wonder, if Yoon Seungho treats Baek Na-Kyum as his bride. But my impression is that both images could be from two different smut scenes indicating the progression, the painter becomes more and more proactive during their sexual encounters. This scene will happen much later in the second season. This is my prediction. Seungho will ask the painter to wear a topknot so that the social gap will completely disappear. In my opinion, this is connected to the improvement of Baek Na-Kyum’s education. The moment he is really literate, he can be judged as a noble.

Simultaneously the comments are revealing a lot about the attitude of people about this extraordinary couple.

“About that fiendish first son of master Yoon. Yoon Seungho.” “From what I hear, he’s met his match”.

We have to remember that in the past the seme was introduced as a hell-raiser, he always had different sex partners, even went to sex orgies but he could never get taken. No noble was able to get his affection or even attract his attention. In other words, he had a very bad reputation. The irony is that now, a low-born, has been able to conquer the powerful lord’s heart. Imagine the humiliation for all the aristocrats who were his sex partners once. They must feel insulted and I detect that these rumors will cause more resent and hatred among the local nobility. And the reader can sense a certain disdain towards the innocent lover in this remark “he’s met his match”. He is just fiendish like the eldest son Yoon. The people are looking down on Yoon Seungho and the painter, the second comment could be expressed by nobles. Hence I envisage that Jihwa’s plan might receive more support, because so far, only three aristocrats were involved: Min, Jihwa and the man with the mole on the cheek. The other guests left, when it became too dangerous.

Chapter 43

What I mean is that with this kind of negative rumors, Jihwa will feel consolidated with his decision, since he thinks that he is acting for his childhood friend’s benefit. With Baek Na-Kyum by his side, the seme is even more mocked and secluded than before. Once the painter is killed, Yoon Seungho’s reputation won’t worsen any longer and the seme will return to his side to heal his wounds, this is what the red-haired man is thinking. Jihwa is not realizing that he is just a tool and he is not helping his friend at all. He didn’t even question how Min could give him the info about an assassin right on the spot. This indicated that Min must have used the killer himself before. But Jihwa is so stupid and blinded by his arrogance and entitlement. As a conclusion, the rumor in the pictures will accelerate the attempted assassination. There is no ambiguity that the artist will survive but this will be a painful process for our both protagonists.

Chapter 45

But let’s go back to this wonderful picture. Here, Seungho is revealing his gentle side and concern for his lover as he keeps looking at him while walking. So why is he moving the painter? Bringing him to his own bed is full of symbolism. He makes a statement to the servants: this is his lover and partner. Baek Na-Kyum is even called the lord’s fiancée. While the gossipers are making fun of Yoon Seungho, they are right at the same time, the powerful noble truly views Baek Na-Kyum as his bride.

So the more Baek Na-Kyum is seen in the noble’s chamber, the more it sends the message that the painter is his “wife”, like he announced it in the chapter 40 in the first season. (Chapter 40) By placing the red dot on the forehead, Yoon Seungho made the painter look like a bride. This wasn’t just a joke, he really wanted to assume his responsibility and become the painter’s “husband”. The rumor circulating now confirms my explanation about his actions.

Then if we take a closer look to the noble’s robe, we notice two things, the presence of the burgundy color and cranes as pattern.

This is what I wrote about the cranes:

In many cultures cranes symbolize happiness, honor, longevity and good fortune. In some areas they are even said to be mystical, magical, or holy creatures. Strictly speaking, the crane is a sign of good luck.

Jihwa was the one who had such birds as pattern on his robe for that’s how he perceived himself, whereas he was just a pheasant. However, I doubt that Yoon Seungho is viewing himself as a crane since we never saw him looking at his own reflection in the mirror. For me, he associates the painter to a crane, the one who brings him happiness and good fortune. That’s why he is carrying Baek Na-Kyum so carefully because he pays attention to his lover’s health condition. Yoon Seungho has learnt his lesson and he is someone who reflects a lot about his actions and behavior, unlike Jihwa and Jung In-Hun. That’s why I can not understand why some readers keep calling him a psychopath. He is admitting his mistakes and learning from them, he is able to prioritize the painter’s interests.

Burgundy: a dark purplish red, it is more sophisticated and serious and less energetic than true red. It indicates controlled power, determined ambition and dignified action and is often favored by the wealthy. https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/

The reappearance of the burgundy reinforces my impression that the master has come back to life, however he is still less active as he is only focusing on his lover and keeps refusing meddling in politics. So from my point of view, this scene has to happen before the attempted assassination. I hope, my assumption is correct. He thought, warning Min and cutting ties with Jihwa would be enough but he is underestimating the nobles’ stubbornness and the viciousness. Min and Jihwa believe that their titles are a protection and Yoon Seungho won’t retaliate. In the worst case, Jihwa will become the scapegoat and Min can remain untouched as he is not the one who hired the assassin. They all think that Yoon Seungho’s mercilessness could only affect the commoners, yet they never heard him saying that humiliating a noble excited him, (chapter 18) when he felt nothing as the straw mat beating occurred. For him, this was a normality, although I am somehow suspecting that he wasn’t entirely honest. It did affect him because his admired painter had been hurt. Nevertheless, when in the chapter 18, Yoon Seungho felt excited and as such alive due to the breakup with Jihwa, he showed his beastly instincts. And if we recall the whole first season, the manhwaphiles will notice that Seungho showed excitement, when he humiliated the nobles. Let us not forget that he humiliated not only Jihwa, but also his friend (the man with the mole), Jung In-Hun and Min. He revealed his true personality in the woods, where he was the one who killed the deer and the pheasant… therefore I assume that terrible things could/will happen to the nobles in the woods. (Chapter 41) They all underestimated Yoon Seungho because they only judged him as “a man consumed by lust” and a “hell-raiser”. He has been hiding his cards and claws very well all these years in order to protect himself. He is definitely keeping an eye on what is happening at the capital. And this was already visible in the first season with following image:

chapter 5

He has shadow guards and they visit him during the night. The existence of the shadow guards indicate that the powerful noble has a huge network and can get info very quickly but can give secret orders too, like f. ex. eliminate annoying aristocrats. He doesn’t need to hire someone from the market place. And this is how Yoon Seungho will intervene after Baek Na-Kyum gets hurt.

But let’s go back to my favorite picture from the second season.

Chapter 45

Burgundy is associated to red and as such to blood. Here, it occupies the biggest part of the drawing underlining its importance. Hence I consider burgundy as a bad omen as well, there will be a carnage… and the nobles won’t be spared. Baek Na-Kyum, enveloped in the burgundy cloth, will be the cause and trigger for the purge. But since his head is wrapped, it appears that Yoon Seungho will never allow the painter to witness this. He knows how sensitive the artist is, he already fainted, when a mere servant was executed. Imagine his reaction, if he viewed the execution of nobles. Hence this picture should be judged as a foreshadowing of the future events. Yoon Seungho will retaliate in the shadow, not in the open but he will be ruthless, in particular to people who betrayed him, like Jihwa. Remember that my theory is that Yoon Seungho created this image of hell-raiser in order to divert attention and deceive his enemies, even his family. My prediction is that the revenge will occur in the woods and he will use his shadow guards for that.

Finally, I would like to point out the contradiction between the comment by the gossipers and the lord’s behavior. They are describing the master as a man obsessed with sex, making fun of him by calling the painter “his fiancée”, whereas the readers are the only ones knowing the truth. He is just a man in love taking care of his loved one, showering him his care and affection so that the painter will love him deeply in return. These comments reveal how deceived gossipers are, they have no idea that they are laughing at someone that is much more perceptive, intelligent and powerful than they think he is. That’s why I called Yoon Seungho the master of deception many times. He was able to create such a fake image of himself that they don’t perceive his dangerosity. He is like an eagle waiting for the right time to attack, as long as the crows don’t bother him too much, he can let them play… however, if he, as an eagle, becomes the target, he will ensure that the leader of the crow colony will be erased.

Now, we have this image where both protagonists are walking on the street. Striking is that the noble is wearing a very festive robe, a combination of pink and black. This illustrates that the relationship with the painter has improved, the pink indicates that the master is in love, yet he is trying to hide it under the black exterior robe. At the same time, he put this apparel on in order to impress his lover. Before, he never really paid attention to his appearance but once in love, he acts differently. He knows that neither power nor wealth could ever buy the painter’s heart. He has to use different means in order to earn his trust and love: making sure that he is well treated by the servants, listening to the artist’s words, treating him like the master in their relationship.

What caught my attention in this scene is that Baek Na-Kyum is walking by the lord’s side. If you compare to the chapter 40, when they were returning to the mansion from the tailer shop, the low-born was just following the noble. He was walking behind him all the time. (Chapter 40) This symbolized that there was still a gap between these two men. Now, it is different. Baek Na-Kyum stands next to him so that we can say the painter’s status has been elevated. The artist is also dressed with expensive winter clothes that’s why the social disparity is less visible. Only the hairdressing reveals that Baek Na-Kyum is no lord. However, little by little, the crevice between Yoon Seungho and his loved one is disappearing. Now, we have to wonder why the painter at the end of the trailer turned his head.

What caught his attention that he stops paying attention to Yoon Seungho? Maybe he heard the killer doing a show and this made him curious.

Chapter 43

I even had this thought that the man dancing could become a new motive for a painting. Imagine the irony… the assassin is portrayed by the painter while doing a show, whereas the man is waiting for the right opportunity.

Chapter 43

But that’s just an idea and this would create an occasion for the painter to divert his topics and improve his talents.

As a conclusion, although we could only see a few glimpses of the new season, it was already enough to confirm many observations from all my analyses written about the first season. Simultaneously, the manhwaphiles could notice the changes of Baek Na-Kyum’s behavior so that his relationship with Yoon Seungho improves to the point that he becomes the official bride in the rumor, although he is mocked there. He is shown caressing the lord’s chest, taking the initiative in their sexual encounter. Moreover this is definitely a slap for Jihwa who waited for so many years for his friend’s love.

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

Painter Of The Night/Legs That Won’t Walk: Illusion and reality 🥊

~ Bébébisous33 ~ 4 Comments

This is where you can read these manhwas. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter  https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/legsthatwontwalk But be aware that these manhwas are mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link, if you are interested in more analyses about manhwas https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/

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.

During the first season of the manhwa Painter Of The Night, we have many scenes where illusion and reality are mixed or where reality differs from the appearances.

In the first case, I could mention the daydream in the chapter 2 (chapter 2) or the wet dream in the chapter 6 where the painter’s repressed natural desires resurface. The readers are a little confused because initially they have no idea how to judge these drawings. Are they reality or fiction? This is in particular visible in the following picture: On the surface, it looks so real, while in reality this image was a vision in Baek Na-Kyum’s dream which marked the start of his unleashed unconscious. In the wet dream, we had a similar question. The beholder wondered if these images were true memories or fantasies. (Chapter 2) These were a mixture of both, although the more pictures we got, the more it became an illusion, a phantasm. As you can observe, the boundaries between seem and real were sometimes not clearly defined. The beholder had to distinguish this.

In the second case, I could refer to the chapter 42 and 43. While the reader witnesses Seungho embracing wholeheartedly the painter and detects the longing for affection and warmth from the noble as much as he is expressing his love for the low-born, Jihwa imagines to see something else. Baek Na-Kyum is the one who seduces the powerful lord hence he believes to detect a cunning smile on the artist’s face. (Chapter 43) The red-haired man is too biased towards the young low-born because he has so many prejudices against commoners. He believes that each low-born has no principle and virtue and will do anything in exchange for power, money in order to improve his life. However, the reality is different from the illusion Jihwa experienced.

Baek Na-Kyum is so pure and innocent, he has strong principles. When he made the vow to never paint any erotic pictures, he was willing to suffer which underlines his determination and strength. He might have shed some tears but he never regretted any decision. What Jihwa failed to see is that he was projecting his own mentality into the painter’s mind. In fact, the one who is somehow corrupted and influenced by power and money is our red-haired man. Let’s not forget that Jihwa claims in the chapter 18 that he has been using his friend all this time.

chapter 18

Sure, he did it in order to maintain a certain dignity and out of pride, yet I suspect that there was some truth in his words. He might have loved Yoon Seungho but not to the point to have his reputation ruined as sodomite. His intimate interactions with Yoon Seungho occurred behind the curtain under the excuse that they were childhood friends.

Let’s not forget that Jihwa did cover his body so that the servant wouldn’t see the hickeys left by the seme. (chapter 3) Furthermore, it seems that each time Yoon Seungho had a sex session with Jihwa, he had no other sex partners. (chapter 13). Notice that Jihwa wasn’t present at the sex orgy in the chapter 33 hence he trusted Min’s words when the latter told him that the seme was hopping from one bedchamber to the other. From my point of view, Jihwa never participated in that kind of events that’s why he was able to have a clean reputation.

And in that instant you know why, for the other nobles like Min, it was visible that Jihwa was pinning for Yoon Seungho. My suspicion is that he only had our alpha seme as sex partner. Now, you can imagine why Jihwa must have resented the low-born so much after the chapter 18. The nature of his relationship with the protagonist was revealed, when he was dragged by the topknot in front of the servants. Here through their yelling, Jihwa tried to force his childhood friend to give up on the commoner. undefined(Chapter 18) With these words, the red-haired noble implied that his friend had to choose between him or Baek Na-Kyum as Jihwa had no intention to share him with the artist.

This reinforces my impression that Jihwa had always perceived himself as Seungho’s lover who was willing to share him with other nobles. He had been expecting all along that at some point, the protagonist would realize that Jihwa loved him. Striking is that after that topknot incident, Jihwa could no longer keep this honorable image and started acting like a spoiled child and paid no attention to his reputation as a noble. His servants have to clean his mess here. He became himself a drunk. (chapter 36)

chapter 41

Imagine that in the picture above the depressed noble slept on the street and his servant had to wake him up so that we can assume that the servants must have gossiped about his drunkenness and lack of dignity. The aristocrat doesn’t pay attention to his own image as a honorable noble any longer. He is too affected by the riff between him and Yoon Seungho.

But the illusion in the chapter 43 is just the result of his misinterpretation of the scene in the chapter 12 and the sex session in the chapters 14 and 15. We know that he has no info about Baek Na-Kyum hence he is unaware of his past and the vow. Yet I have to object that the friend never tried to get any info about the painter. He just saw him as a commoner hence as someone below his social status. That’s the reason why he became the victim of an illusion so easily, although in reality he might have already perceived some truth behind the appearances.

Now, let’s examine the scene in the chapter 12 where the boundaries between seem and real were mixed, just like in the first case. (Chapter 12) Nevertheless, it contrasts to the first case as in this scene every action is real, it just depends on the interpretation of the participants. Here, the red-haired uke is observing from far away how Yoon Seungho is treating the low-born. We have to remember that his perception of the reality is limited because the lord is turning his back to him and is in front of the painter. Secondly he stands too far away to be able to hear their conversation. In other words, he can’t see Yoon Seungho’s facial expression nor the painter’s face as the master’s shoulder is covering his face. Based on these parameters, I selected all the pictures Jihwa could witness due to the movement of Seungho’s arm and hand:

All the lord’s gestures displays care and gentleness. It was as if the lord was caressing the artist’s face and the hair. We have to remember that while Jihwa observed these gestures, he had already caught that Yoon Seungho would show more respect towards the low-born than himself. (Chapter 12)

While the noble hadn’t left his room to receive his guest, he made the effort to come towards the artist the moment he appeared. Besides, we shouldn’t forget that he had been warned by his aristocratic friend that Seungho was somehow fascinated by the painter’s gaze. (Chapter 14) All this led the jealous man to the conclusion that there was something going on between the commoner and his childhood friend. However, we have to remind to the readers what Jihwa couldn’t see in the pictures above. The uke was avoiding the master’s gaze. Either he closed his eyes or looked down. If he had witnessed it, Jihwa would have realized that the fascination was coming more from his childhood friend than the reverse and as such, Baek Na-Kyum didn’t seduce the lord in this chapter. For him, the reality was that the low-born was using his position and influenced the lord in a bad way. He was already showing some favoritism. This perception of the reality was definitely influenced by his biased view about commoners.

What he couldn’t view or hear is the following:

– a smiling master making a ironical remark

– The content of the whispering (Chapter 12) Here, the master is actually threatening the commoner. So his words stands in opposition to his gentle demeanor.

– What looked like a caress from far away was actually a scratch. (Chapter 12)

For Baek Na-Kyum, there was nothing like a caress and a nice comment. Behind the appearances, he was hurt and threatened. For him, this was the reality. The gentle smile with the ironical remark was just a mockery and a simulacrum. He was hiding his true personality behind his caring manners. Now, you can understand why Baek Na-Kyum can not perceive the affection from the protagonist’s due to his past actions. From his perspective, the master was disguising his true nature. He had already witnessed his ruthlessness and violence therefore he took the menaces very seriously. In other words, Yoon Seungho appeared to be fake, his gentle manners were just an act. The gentleness was just an illusion. That’s why Seungho will suffer so much later, as he has to pay for the consequences of this behavior. Baek Na-Kyum could no longer distinguish reality and illusion. Even if the master asked for a doctor, in the low-born’s mind, it was possible that this care was linked to a new thread.

Now, if we look this scene from Yoon Seungho’s perspective, we have a different reality. His threads are real, just like his tenderness and smile are genuine as well, so this huge contradiction mirrors the noble’s personality. He hurts the boy by using his finger nails but not to injure him for real. In my opinion, the scratching has a different signification. He is already targeting the painter as his next prey. Deep down, he has already fallen for the artist but he is under the illusion that he has everything under control, he just needs to use his position as lord, his sexy body and charisma so that the uke will fall for him as well. The lord makes the mistake not to realize the true meaning behind his own actions what Jihwa could observe from a distance. He has already fallen under the spell from the painter. He behaves under the illusion that this is just a matter of time until he can taste the commoner. While he perceives himself as the one with the upper hand, he is not aware of Baek Na-Kyum’s strong will and strength. As you observe, being and appearances are much more difficult to discern. I believe that here, the lord’s unconscious was visible. Besides, we have to remember that these values are highly affected by the perception and interpretation of the participants or observers. In Seungho’s case, we could say that his unconscious was somehow triggered by the painter’s gaze which brought to light a new side of the lord and the latter was not aware of it… only Jihwa and his loyal valet could detect the true meaning behind his unusual behavior.

That’s the reason why it is important to pay attention to details and not judge too quickly. Like I wrote above, the boundary between seem and real is not clearly distinguished. Now, I will take an example from another manhwa in order to sensibilise the readers to question being and seem to be. The manhwa in question, called “Legs that won’t walk”, is written by Black apricot which has just been released on Lezhin.

Striking is that this manhwa is in black and white, as if there was only darkness in the protagonist’s life. The choice of colors underlines the depressing and violent atmosphere oozing from his manhwa reminding me of a Roman noir, “a subgenre of crime fiction where right and wrong are not clearly defined, while the protagonists are seriously and often tragically flawed” (Definition from wikipedia). In other words, there is no superhero here, only dangerous and flawed characters indicating that this story will be quite heavy.

The main character is Kwon Soo-Young, a former boxer who became handicapped after a match. On the surface, he looks pitiful and weak hence the passerby often excuse themselves, when they shove him by accident or see him walking.

This infuriates him but he doesn’t express his anger and fury in front of them. Yet his personality stands so much in contrast to his physical condition: he is resilient, brave and quite strong-willed. Even at the lowest point of his life, he has been beaten up by the boss from a gang,

chapter 3

the loan shark Park Tae-Seung, he fights back

chapter 3

and is able to punch the gang leader.

This resistance and perseverance catch the boss by surprise. He never expected this reaction from someone like him, with so many bruises and a handicap. He thought that the man would beg for leniency and ask for time to repay the debt. Kwon Soo-Young has to reimburse the debt from his abusive father. The former has already cut ties with him and the reason for his rage and fighting spirit is definitely linked to his tragic and terrible childhood. Therefore we learn through Soo-Young that reality and appearance can be really deceiving. The exterior doesn’t really reflect what we truly are. Impressions can mislead to false conclusions and interpretations. But this is not the only case where appearance and being can differ so much. The other character is the ex-boyfriend Song Si-Jung. Here, the exterior doesn’t contrast to the interior, rather it was as if he had two personalities, as if he was Mr. Hyde

and Doctor Jekyll.

He is very difficult to discern and only after rereading the chapters, I could discern the darkness in this character which Soo-Young has already sensed but not really understood. Behind his smiles and gentle demeanor, he is a very violent and manipulative person. In the following scene, you’ll observe again his double personality. When another boxer enters his father’s club, Ji Sung is smiling and polite.

However, the moment the friend reveals that someone with a crutch was standing in front of the club, his facial expression changes so abruptly.

He looks really scary and you can sense his possessiveness and obsession about Soo-Young. So first impressions can have tragic consequences, for Soo-Young it was the case. He saw a smiling and nice Si-Jung showing some concern and inviting to join his boxing club. However, his relationship with him was the reason why he lost his leg.

Just like in the manhwa Painter Of The Night, there is a scene where the boundary between illusion and reality is unclear, so confusing that the reader has some difficulty to judge the situation.

chapter 2: Here, he is calling Si-Jung hyung

Is it a rape or not? This is quite difficult to judge at first and this mirrors the reality. A verdict in a rape case is not easy to sentence, especially if the involved parties were or are in a relationship.

Despite the endearing name, he asks the man to stop which means he is not willing to have sex. In that moment, the boyfriend looks at Soo-Young with a scary expression. Here, the uke can perceive the violent side of his “boyfriend”, he won’t accept a refusal.

The frightening gaze deeply affects Soo-Young, he gets scared, thus he doesn’t really fight against Si-Jung.

From my perspective, Soo-Young is actually raped, but the latter doesn’t seem to realize the true nature of this sex session. Si-Jung is using his “charisma” and “Mr. Hyde”‘s personality to submit the uke. Fact is that after this sex session, Soo-Young never pressed charges against the boyfriend. Strangely, the uke appears defenseless and vulnerable, which is actually reflecting the real nature of his relationship with Si-Jung. The latter is physically and mentally abusing the uke, yet the man with the crutch has not realized it yet. The climax of this sex session is the following situation:

It looks like the top wants to help Soo-Young. He is willing to pay for the surgery bills so that Soo-Young can walk normally again. At first, the reader has some difficulty to understand the main character. Why would he refuse help? Is he emotionally unstable or does he do it out of pride? Fact is that Si-Jung wants to bind him forever so that Soo-Young can never escape from his claws.

Soo-Young has already sensed the terrible truth behind these words, besides the threatening tone in the voice made it clear that Si-Jung wouldn’t accept a rejection. Notice that Si-Jung used sex to coerce the protagonist. That’s why the latter only fights back soon after and pushes the boyfriend away.

The moment he is able to run away, the gentle side of Si-Jung resurfaces. It was, as if the protagonist would awake the beastly instincts living inside the boyfriend. However, this rape doesn’t change the fact that Soo-Young has some love and affection for Si-Jung. He confesses to himself that he would like the boyfriend to find him and support him.

chapter 3

That’s why he stood in front of the boxing club, but didn’t dare to enter. Unconsciously, he has already detected the double personality of his hyung and still loves him, because he is the only one who showed concern and affection so far in his life. Yet, he doesn’t want to live in another abusive household like in his childhood. Now, you can understand why this manhwa is quite interesting. The relationship between Soo-Young and Si-Jung is quite complex, just like the characters. Impressions are quite deceiving and the bad boy can be the next-door neighbor with a huge smile.

chapter 3

Soo-Young fell for the illusion, but has already detected a part of the reality. Furthermore, the uke is quite strong… at the end of the sex session, he was able to free himself from a manipulative and brutal man despite his handicap.

As a conclusion, appearance and reality are two important aspects, because they serve to question the true nature of actions and gestures. What we saw or felt can in reality totally different. Consequently, it becomes clear why we shouldn’t judge people too quickly. People need to question people’s actions and words.

Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for a topic and a manhwa worth an analysis, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. Thanks for reading.

Painter of The Night: Min, the introduction of a new villain? (Third version)

~ Bébébisous33 ~ 5 Comments

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

What caught my attention in the chapter 43 is the man with the green robe. His name is Min and just like Seungho, he is a noble. (chapter 43) Here he is described by his friend with a black heart. However, in the first season, he was shown in different chapters (8, 9, 19, 33, 36, 41 and 43), but he was among others and as such, he was never properly introduced. His presence increased until the chapter 43 marking a pivotal moment. In the first version of this essay, I desired to prove that Min would play a bigger part in the second season. And this was proven correct. Nevertheless, I still need to introduce him. But who is this man, what do we know about him in the first season?

But first let’s go back to the chapter 41, where he was shown hunting with Seungho.

Chapter 41: Seungho on the left and Min on the right

This means that he is quite close to Seungho, as the latter spends time with him outside the sex orgies. Striking is that in this chapter, the man with the green robe was tasting the water, when he asked Seungho to confirm the rumor about the incident at the tailor shop. Seungho warned him not to cross the line, as he could share the same fate than Jihwa. During that scene, the author draw two pictures focused on the hands. The man with the green robe grabbed the wrist of our main lead (chapter 41) and even put his other hand on his waist.

Chapter 41

And these pictures are not random as usually. Remember how Seungho reacted, when Jung In-Hun touched his shoulder, he was about to kill the teacher. (Chapter 30) He was so upset, hence imagine how he felt, when he sensed Min’s hand on his wrist and then waist. With such a gesture, Yoon Seungho could only get more irritated. And here, our main lead only pushed his hand and insulted him by comparing the man with a mouse . His gestures towards our seme revealed something in my opinion. The waist is a very intimate place. It gave the impression that Min was interested in Yoon Seungho sexually. It was, as if this man wanted to become Yoon Seungho’s lover as well. The gesture is quite deceiving, which explains why Yoon Seungho thought that lord Min was wooing him. However, the protagonist was misinterpreting the gesture and interest. In truth the noble was lusting after the painter. This explains why Yoon Seungho was not sensing the danger coming from the “friend“. But then why doesn’t Jihwa feel threatened by him? Then remember that he grabbed Seunho’s wrist. A man in Asia will usually grab his girlfriend’s wrist. In other words, the man with the green robe was treating him like a woman (the waist, the wrist). Everything was pointing out that he wanted Seungho to be his uke. Yet, the reality is that he wanted to “screw“ the main lead. He wanted to ruin him out of jealousy. He desired to have the painter. “Screwing“ someone can have two different meanings. But there‘s more to it which I will explain more below

However, like I had really sensed right from the start, Min was in truth a seme, just like the protagonist, hence Jihwa never felt threatened by him. If I look back at chapter 33, his sexual role was implied, as he was smoking and still had his topknot on, just like Seungho, while the ukes in this scene had all their hair down. (Chapter 33) As conclusion, anyone observing the scene in chapter 41 would come to the conclusion, that this man wanted to have Seungho as lover, just like Jihwa, but in a different role. He would like to be the top. As conclusion, the lord Min was a seme who seemed to be interested in Seungho. Thus he considered Baek Na-Kyum and the red-haired master as rivals, whom he needed to eliminate. And that‘s how Yoon Seungho perceived his gesture and words in the woods. This explicates why he compared him to Lee Jihwa. In the main lead’s mind, Black Heart was paying attention to his every moves and was always updated about his interactions with the painter out of jealousy. The reality is that Min was terribly envious of the main lead. His real center of interest was in truth Baek Na-Kyum. Thus he kept looking at him during their first meeting. (Chapter 8) (chapter 9)

However, the chapter 43 revealed more information about the master Min and his personality.

Here Min is manipulating Jihwa with his words.

The readers could realize his dangerosity here. Why? First, it was revealed that this seme knew all along about Jihwa’s feelings for Seungho, and he played with them. He enjoyed toying the red-haired aristocrat. Black Heart misled the childhood friend so that the latter would run to Seungho’s mansion, especially if you recall that during the same night, Yoon Seung-Won visited his brother. This explains why he lied in the inn. The noble with the mole knew about the deception, as he had a drop of sweat on his face. (Chapter 36) Naturally, here Kim had played a huge role in this deception too, as he allowed to leak information to the red-haired master’s servant. (Chapter 41) Yet, Min knew that Jihwa wouldn’t be able to resist and run to the lord’s mansion. He had already calculated that the childhood friend would discover the truth. He would be hurt and realize his mistake. He even ridiculed Jihwa by comparing him to a dog. (chapter 43) Here, he reminded me of Seungho with his sarcasm and his ironical comments from chapter 6. (chapter 6) He enjoys making fun of Jihwa and is as cunning as Seungho, though in reality the main lead‘s true personality is totally different. (Chapter 43)

Consequently, I couldn’t help myself associating Min to a snake… he was like the devil, inciting the stupid Jihwa to commit a murder. I would even say that he was employing the red-haired noble as his hunting dog. In my first version, I had suspected the man before to be jealous, as he was the one who had even asked Seungho to bring the painter to one of their sex parties. (Chapter 33) It was, as if he wanted to ensure that the artist meant nothing to the protagonist. As you can see, the vicious man gave the impression that he was jealous of the painter. His reproach towards the main lead sounded similar to the childhood friend’s. (Chapter 18) (chapter 41) It was, as if he wanted to play with Jihwa and get rid of Baek Na-Kyum at the same time. The latter is viewed as a source of danger, for Min keeps thinking about him. The noble considered the artist as a witch who put a spell on him, Here, he was projecting his own thoughts. (Chapter 43) It looked like both ukes represented a threat. He was definitely using Jihwa so that if anything would go wrong, only the red-haired aristocrat would be blamed. The man with the black heart tried to diminish the consequences of the murder. He said that the murder should look like an accident, hence this attempted murder can never happen at the mansion. Back then, I had envisioned that they would wait, until Baek Na-Kyum left the mansion, and this expectation was proven correct.

Now it becomes clear why the man with the black heart is doing such a thing. Although Min claims that he wants to be entertained, when he lied to Jihwa in the past, he had already prepared to set the trap for Jihwa. He knew where to hire the killer. (Chapter 43) He had already anticipated Jihwa’s reaction. While Min declared that it was funny, when Jihwa came crying, he added that he was disappointed that he only saw just tears. He wanted him to “come with his tail between his legs”. (chapter 43) And this outlines his cruelty. It was, as if he was “castrated”, had lost his masculinity and virility. As you can see, the guy was making fun of Jihwa and even insulting him. But the latter didn’t pay attention to these words, too wounded by the scene he had witnessed in the study of his friend. By acting like that, he gave the impression that he didn’t care. In truth, it exposed the antagonist’s naivety. He even didn’t see any danger coming from the man with the black heart.

But striking is that after Jihwa’s arrival, he proposed right away to the noble to have Baek Na-Kyum killed. He was indeed acting like a jealous man. (Chapter 43) Now, Yoon Seungho was neglecting him. But in order to convince the upset red-haired noble, Min added more fuel to the fire with his comments:
– His childhood friend had been bewitched
– At some point Baek Na-Kyum would become Seungho’s mistress
He was implying that the red-haired aristocrat was on the verge of losing his love. All this pointed out that the guy was manipulating Jihwa to ensure that the latter would decide to kill the lowborn. That’s the reason why we saw Jihwa’s imagination of that night. The Joker‘s words distorted the memory from the red-haired master. (Chapter 43) The words the man with the green robe said had a huge influence on him. Not only his mind is black, but also his heart which outshines this man’s evilness and dangerousness. Let us not forget that he is a seme… but since he has been forced to be the bottom because of Yoon Seungho, all his actions can be judged in a different light. People could see him as someone who has been longing to become the main lead‘s lover. Thus he said this in season 2: (chapter 52) and in season 3 (chapter 92) But this was just a deception, his real target was the painter. However, after season 3, I realized that in truth, Black Heart had only been a puppet himself, though Min seemed to be like a personification of the devil… his lies, his words in order to incite Jihwa to commit a crime, his words ridiculising Jihwa and even Seungho.

Some questioned this perception in the beginning, for when Min appeared in chapter 8, he was an uke, he couldn’t be a top.

chapter 8

But the readers were overlooking that the main lead got raped and he even used to be a bottom. So roles can be switched. It becomes obvious, when you read this scene. (Chapter 16) Here, the main lead desired to discover the painter’s sexual preferences. So when Min stroke the main lead’s waist, he never realized the true signification of his action. (Chapter 41) The main lead could only assume that Min was interested in him, he wished to become his only partner. Deep down, he desired to become the top, but since Yoon Seungho was not willing to change his position, Black Heart was willing to remain a uke. Note that Min invited the main lead in chapter 19 to the kisaeng house, and offered him wine, right after the main lead had cut ties with his childhood friend. (Chapter 19) It was, as if he was wooing him, hoping to take over Lee Jihwa’s place. Then in chapter 33, Min is the one asking for Baek Na-Kyum.

chapter 33: look, he is dressed and acting like Seungho, which gives me the impression that he is a top.

Striking are his words: “We would have all welcome him”… In the first version of this essay, I had demonstrated, that these words were the proof that Min was in fact a seme, but he was only a uke because of Yoon Seungho. The second season proved me right. He wanted Seungho to bring over Baek Na-Kyum so that they could taste him… I doubt that they would have allowed the painter to be a top. especially when sex sessions are viewed as battles. However, every action from Min were in fact ambiguous. He gave the impression that he was happy to be favored by Yoon Seungho (chapter 33), he would seek his company (chapter 51) (chapter 52) and he was jealous of the painter, for the protagonist was only paying attention to him.
As you can see, due to his words and actions, Min created the illusion that he wished to taste Yoon Seungho, especially when he acts like a hunter. Imagine how his reputation would change if Min was able to tame Seungho and have him become an uke. Min is a player and hunter because of his behavior and words (hunting scene, his offer, his manipulation with lies etc)… Thus, you comprehend why in my first version, I had the impression that his real target was not the painter, but Seungho. It was caused by the ambiguity of his actions. Striking is that in the shaman’s house, he never tried to taste the painter at all. He even allowed the other nobles to taste the painter first. (Chapter 101) Note that he even pushed Lee Jihwa to become a top. (Chapter 100) It was, as if Min was not interested in the painter at all. His true goal was to get rid of Lee Jihwa and Baek Na-Kyum, his rivals. But we know the truth… Black Heart wished to be noticed by Baek Na-Kyum, thus he said this to him in the shaman’s house: (chapter 99) But if he wanted to become his lover as uke, he would be not different from Jihwa. However, this man is definitely not seeking for Seungho’s love. His actions and words don’t fit the profile of an uke, of a person longing for Seungho’s love, rather he fits the profile of a hunter and player.

After season 3, I came to realize the cause for this contradicting attitude. In my eyes, Black Heart was already acting on the king’s behalf. The mysterious lord Song wished to keep the famous sodomite as his lover/wife, and the painter represented a hindrance. Using Lee Jihwa was the perfect tool to achieve his goal. He would get rid of two rivals at the same time. Yoon Seungho would blame his childhood friend for the painter‘s death, once alone again, the king could approach Yoon Seungho. Thus the latter was treated as a prey by Min in each season. But while he used the artist as an excuse to hunt his prey, the hell-raiser, he couldn‘t admit that he wanted to have the painter for himself. Baek Na-Kyum was a commoner. What appeared as a tool, became slowly a goal. (Chapter 56) But Min was still in denial, hence he justified his requests as an urge, while he was also longing for the painter’s affection.

Due to his words and the color of his robe, master Min reminded me of the snake in the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the one who brought misery to Adam and Eva, here in this case this seme is leading Jihwa to his own demise. Hence I came to develop this theory that Min would become the villain of the second season. My interpretation was just based on my own knowledge and European background. Striking is that this man persuaded Jihwa that nothing would happen to him, Baek Na-Kyum was a commoner and if this looked like an accident, then he wouldn’t get caught. (Chapter 43) And remember that Jihwa is a noble… and in the bible, God got aware of Adam’s original sin, hence the latter was banished from paradise. Thus I had been expecting that Lee Jihwa would lose his title as noble, as his crime would be discovered. And this prediction became true which the author revealed in the creator‘s note.

Finally, I would like to point out that Seungho compared Min to a mouse indicating that Seungho didn’t consider him as a threat, he even saw Min as harmless. (chapter 41) A mouse is small and has no real claws. This shows that Yoon Seungho was underestimating him, but also was misinterpreting Black Heart’s action. He was acting like a jealous concubine, thus he compared him to Lee Jihwa. Here, we had the impression that the protagonist was well prepared. He thought, he knew why Min asked him to bring the painter for their sex party and why the lord Min asked about the veracity of the rumor about the incident at the tailor shop. But no… he didn‘t detect the longing and envy from Black Heart towards the painter. I compared him to a snake due to his cunning behavior and his cynical and seductive words… But the reality was that he was a fool himself, for he had no idea about Yoon Seungho‘s past. The abduction did occur and this twice, but note that Min had to become involved himself in order to achieve his goal. The irony is that when Min said this to Yoon Seungho (chapter 102), he was again giving the impression that he had acted like a jealous man who was longing for Yoon Seungho‘s attention. He had acted like a vicious concubine, but in Joseon, „jealous concubine or queen“ would get sentenced to death, like the Queen Yun and the concubine Jang Ok-Jun. (chapter 101) No one in his right mind would torment a loved one like that. Yoon Seungho was not recognizing what jealousy and envy are and what these emotions could trigger people to do! Black Heart would torment Baek Na-Kyum, for the latter was rejecting him. So imagine the king‘s reaction, when he discovers that Min got killed. (Chapter 102) First, he lost his loyal helping hand, secondly he got misled and even betrayed by Lee Jihwa. In other words, the opposite had happened. Instead of obtaining Yoon Seungho, the king lost his “wife“ who decided to kill himself. To conclude, the villain from season 2 and 3 was in reality a pawn, the shadow of the true villain, lord Song. This explicates why Min‘s behavior was particularly ambiguous in season 1… All his actions and words could be perceived as a jealous man who desired to become Yoon Seungho‘s top!! The king would have never approved such a thing! And this could be the other reason why he will vent his anger on the Lees.

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