Tag: Chapter 44

Jinx: 🐹Hamster’s Soulful Conquest 💪 of the Ring 💍

~ Bébébisous33 ~ 5 Comments

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites.  This is where you can read the manhwa: Jinx But be aware that the Manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex,  and the previous essay about Jinx “A Summer Night’s Dream”

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Though the title is referring to Kim Dan, my focus will be on the interactions between the doctor, Joo Jaekyung and Team Black. I implied the gym and its members with the expression “Ring”. The latter has the following definitions:

1. a piece of jewelry that is worn usually on a finger

2. an area that is used for shows and contests and is usually surrounded by ropes or a fence

3. a group of people who are involved in some illegal or dishonest activity Quoted from https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/ring

Furthermore, in Thesaurus, the ring is described like this: “group participating together”. Thus it has for synonyms “camp”, “clan” and “organization”. (chapter 22) It shows that ring does not necessarily possess a negative connotation. To conclude, ring is a reference to marriage (Kim Dan will become the champion’s official partner), to the MMA arena, to Team Black, but also to Mafia. We had an allusion to criminality during the sparring (chapter 26) and when the champion discovered the loan shark and his minions on the verge of raping Kim Dan. (chapter 18) The doctor is unaware of this, but one of his purposes in the champion’s life is to clean the scene, MFC and its corruption. On the other hand, the illustration contains many pictures of the two main leads having sex.  Why? It is because the characters are acting like fighters. At bottom left, the doctor’s embrace resembles a lot to the one he used during the sparring (see the image in the middle). Their gestures are sudden and quite abrupt, which contrasts to the image on the right bottom. The kiss from the doctor holding Joo Jaekyung’s face represents the exception from all the selected panels. This shows that this Summer Night’s Dream indicates a huge transition in the sex sessions. But let’s return our attention to the images illustrating roughness. Right from the start I detected a strong connection between fighting and sex. [For more read Precious Punk and Wimp] Joo Jaekyung would treat in bed his sex partners as challengers. This signifies that he saw the intercourse as power struggle. But wait… Since the athlete considered sexuality as a surrogate fighting unconsciously, it signifies that the champion came to develop rules in bed, as MMA fighting is strongly regulated.

1. The World in the Ring

Here, I utilized this document as basis for my summary of the regulations :

  1. A match is presented as a challenge (chapter 14) (chapter 36)
  2. The fighters are put in different categories based on their weight. Hence their diet is strongly regulated, just like their medication. (chapter 29)
  3. The match is limited in time (maximum 5 rounds with a duration of 5; between each round one minute break)
  4. The intervention of a third person is forbidden, except the referee. (chapter 15) This means that if the fighter is on his own. He can not rely on others. If he is not able to return without the assistance of spectators or his seconds, he is declared as defeated. So we could say that any interruption is condemned, as it is ruining the flow of the fight.
  5. Each boxer is forced to wear a mouthpiece. (chapter 15) Funny is that conversation is permitted, yet mouth gear hinders the fighters to talk. Should they remove it constantly, the referee can judge it as a violation (“Timidity”), for the fighters can not fight, as long as they don’t wear the mouthpiece. This signifies that the sportsmen are encouraged to express their thoughts through the hands. (chapter 15)
  6. The obligation of wearing hand wraps. This signifies that the fighter’s sense of touch is limited.
  7. Their clothing is also strongly supervised: Mixed martial artists have to be shirtless and barefoot and only wear a trunk. Male mixed martial artists MMA fighters need to wear the appropriate groin protection as well.
  8. Certain gestures are also forbidden, like for example strikes to the spine or the back of the head; Fingers outstretched toward an opponent’s face/eyes; Groin attacks of any kind; timidity (avoiding contact, or consistently dropping the mouthpiece, or faking an injury)
  9. The fighters are getting paid for their show. In case of a victory, their fees increase. (chapter 41) To conclude, while MMA fighting is a work, it is strongly intertwined with pleasure and entertainment. Their fight is witnessed by spectators in the arena or on TV. (chapter 41) That’s the reason why Mixed Martial fighters are called artists, a synonym for actor.

As you can imagine, the moment I listed these elements, I made new discoveries concerning Joo Jaekyung’s sexual behavior.

2. The champion’s sexual habits

First, I deduced that the champion was counting coitus as a round (chapter 12). The absence of kisses and caresses can be explained with the presence of mouthpiece and hand wraps in the ring. Moreover, in the arena, there is no warning up, therefore we have the explanation why the champion never included foreplay. On the other hand, the fellatio was used as the symbol for submission. The rival was always brought to his knees. (Chapter 6) (chapter 39) I would even add that the opponent’s challenge was to overcome the long intercourse. I doubt that he gave his past partners a break while having sex. (chapter 39) At the same time, it explains why the champion didn’t take the partner’s pleasure into consideration. It was a battle in bed, which was led by the protagonist. The latter was not only acting as MMA, but also as arbiter and MFC matchmaker. With his money, he could determine the time, the location and the duration.

And the moment the doctor entered his life, the latter changed, as he represented an interruption of his rituals. I would like to outline that all the previous sex partners had targeted him due to his status: (chapter 5) Their gestures were seductive, a sign that they were not fearing the champion. The challenge was here the difference of weight. On the other hand, by approaching Joo Jaekyung, they looked confident about their skills. That’s the reason why he would have sex with them, until they passed out. (chapter 33) He was testing their stamina and as such he desired to demonstrate his superiority. He had to make them KO in bed. However, the green-haired uke represented an exception, because he managed not to pass out. That’s how he became the athlete’s regular partner. (chapter 2) This means that Joo Jaekyung failed to defeat this competitor in bed. This explicates why the “goblin” came to look down on the star. In fact, he realized that he had the upper hand. (chapter 42) That’s the reason why he no longer put any effort in this relationship. There was a certain balance, but it was based on money. That’s how it dawned on me why Mingwa included this memory in the champion’s narration: (chapter 2) I have to admit that this picture has always bothered me, because we can see that Joo Jaekyung was facing his bed partner. Yet we know that his favorite position was the doggy style.  (chapter 1) (chapter 4) (chapter 8) (chapter 12)  (chapter 34) (chapter 36) (chapter 39). As Jinx-philes could observe, till the night in the States, the champion privileged to have sex from behind. How do we explain the difference and when did this change occur? (chapter 2) Here, it is important to pay attention to details. The corners of his mouth are expressing displeasure and annoyance. I had already stated in the past that the champion had disliked his reflection in the partner’s gaze. The mouth is exposing that the champion was not satisfied with this intercourse. And this brings me to the following remark. When the champion revealed his secret to Kim Dan, he pointed out that he needed to feel pleasure. (chapter 2) The champion’s ecstasy served as a measurement to view himself as victorious. This statement implies that he was not only the fighter, but also the arbiter. This corroborates my previous statement. During sex, he was the fighter and the referee. He acted as the MFC matchmaker.

Consequently, I come to the following conclusion: the green-haired uke was the trigger for the switch of position. (chapter 2) I would like to underline the huge distance between Joo Jaekyung and the faceless partner. It shows not only the huge gap between them, but also the absence of kisses. Under this new light, it becomes understandable why the star called the goblin a prostitute, for the latter never kissed him. By selecting the doggy style, the champion was able to reaffirm his superiority to the goblin. That’s the subterfuge Joo Jaekyung created to run away from reality: he was dependent on the green-haired uke. And now, you comprehend why the Webtoonist created a face-off between Kim Dan and the green-haired man. (chapter 43) In my opinion, during that night (chapter 2), Joo Jaekyung must have perceived the disdain and mockery from the uke’s gaze and switched the position. (chapter 1) That’s how he adopted the doggy style. The latter was questioning his belief and as such his masculinity. (chapter 2) The goblin might have not voiced his thoughts to the celebrity before, but Joo Jaekyung could perceive his soul through the gaze and facial expressions. Hence the star’s domination was quite superficial. In fact, as time passed on, the athlete could only get bored of the goblin. (chapter 42) It is because there was no challenge. The guy was accustomed to the champion’s roughness. Hence he never feared the star. He could only judge him as weak. Because Joo Jaekyung was missing the thrill, he came to look for the “wimp”! On the one hand, the latter would treat him with respect(chapter 1), on the other hand, he would cry and tremble in his presence. Then right after the session, he left the room in a hurry.  (chapter 1) That’s how I realized why during that night, the champion felt the need to call Kim Dan. (chapter 1) It is because the “hamster” had not only feared him (chapter 1), but also challenged him. (chapter 1) He had grabbed his anaconda!! But this represents a breach of rules in MMA! That’s how I realized that the doctor’s action pushed the fighter to violate many of his own rules: interruption of the flow! (chapter 1) The moment he called the physical therapist and the latter accepted his request, it was clear that he would ditch the goblin! Thus I see it as his karma, when he got interrupted in chapter 20: (chapter 21) Then after facing Heesung, he stopped the intercourse too,  (chapter 35) indicating that little by little, the champion’s mind-set was changing. At the same time, it exposes his hypocrisy. But why is he forced to accept the change of flow? It is because life is trying to teach the champion that he is not god, he is not the owner of time. This explicates why the star couldn’t determine the start of their “Wedding Night”, the doctor’s suggestion represented a new challenge. (chapter 3) He was defying the champion’s authority. (chapter 3) Despite his fear, the hamster wouldn’t become submissive like the others. While the green-haired uke faked submission and the others got defeated by KO, Kim Dan remained true to himself. He embodies honesty and modesty, the opposite values of the “goblin”.

And this remark brings me to reveal the second violation of the champion’s rules: he didn’t fuck the doctor, until the latter passed out. They both fell asleep together. (chapter 4) That’s the reason why the two main leads were sleeping under the cover. This explicates why he selected the doctor as his definitive partner. I also discovered another infringement during the “Wedding Night”: the champion refused to wear any protection during sex. (chapter 2) Let’s not forget that during a match, they are supposed wear a sex gear. Interesting is that he grabbed the doctor by the hair (chapter 4). It is important, as it represents a real transgression of MMA rules indicating how powerful the doctor was. The champion needed to break rules in order to get him. Funny is that he thought that after such a long night, he had been able to submit the cute hamster, but he was totally wrong. The latter chose to ignore him. (chapter 5) It was, as if he was hiding from him. What caught my attention is that while he tried to get in touch with the physical therapist, he called MFC Match Manager at some point. Why? I believe that he had planned that after his huge success to organize another match very soon. As you can see, the intervention of Saturn, the god of time, taught the champion through the hard way, he was no real MFC Matchmaker. By refusing to answer his calls, Kim Dan was the one determining the time. (chapter 6) Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the athlete offered this deal to the physical therapist: (chapter 6) He was trying to regain the upper hand in their relationship. He wished to keep his position as the owner of time. But the problem is that despite this contract, he wasn’t able to control Kim Dan. The latter chose to approach Kim Changmin  (chapter 7), while he kept his distance from the champion. This scene made him realize that he was still powerless. (chapter 7) Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why in the States, the goddess Mingwa chose to send the doctor to his room much earlier. Both protagonists were fighting against each other concerning time. (Chapter 39) Hence I come to the conclusion that Kim Dan’s role in the champion’s life is to teach the champion that he doesn’t own time. The reason behind this lesson is simple. It is to show him how pointless it is to race against time. (chapter 29)

And this observation led me to recognize another pattern. Observe that each intercourse with Kim Dan was connected to thrill and test. Kim Dan was always put in front of a challenge. We have for example the sex toy (chapter 12) or having sex in front of a mirror (chapter 20) or anal masturbation in a car (chapter 32) I could mention other defies linked to sexuality, having sex without getting noticed, either in the shower room (chapter 8) or during a phone call (chapter 24). Then we have this bet concerning the doctor’s sensitivity. (chapter 29), thus the champion tried an experiment: (chapter 29) Furthermore, notice that each time they had sex, the doctor was pressured to have sex with the champion. Kim Dan felt that he could never refuse. (chapter 12) On the other hand, the athlete always met some resistance (chapter 27) Kim Dan would never agree to the champion’s requests immediately. They would fight about the time, location and position. Furthermore, note that Kim Dan went so far to punch the protagonist: (chapter 7) This could only increase the athlete’s interest and obsession for the physical therapist. Although he was getting paid, the latter would never admit submission. He thought, he had achieved his goal in that scene (chapter 11), yet the reality taught him a tough lesson. He got to hear something terrible:  (chapter 12) With his words, he was telling the sportsman that he was a terrible lover. He denied any admiration for him. And since sex is a synonym for wrestling in Joo Jaekyung’s eyes, doc Dan’s declaration signified that his title as champion was questioned. Though the champion came to enjoy their intercourse (chapter 12), it was short-lived, as the doctor fainted after one round. (chapter 12) Through this examination, Manhwaphiles can grasp that at no moment the champion could control Kim Dan. Though he was supposed to be treated as a sex doll, the physical therapist never acted as one. Why? It is because he had a mind on his own. In other words, neither his mind nor his heart were focused on the celebrity. He already had a goddess: his halmoni. He literally worshipped her. But there’s more to it.

The doctor had the impression that he could never refuse these defies. First, it was related to money, for the latter implies a consent. But note that as time passed on, money became more and more irrelevant, especially since the champion paid the halmoni’s bills. That’s how I realized why consent only appeared so late in Jinx, though it plays a vital role in their relationship. This notion appeared for the first time, when the champion proposed to spare with Kim Dan. (chapter 26) Observe how the doctor reacted after the sparring took place. . (chapter 27) He rejected the suggestion from the champion. As Jinx-philes can detect, the sparring affected their relationship. However, the notion of consent represented more an exception than a habit. Thus I consider the scene in chapter 44 as a real turning point in their relationship.  (chapter 44) Why? It is because this sex session will have an impact in their work, MMA. During that night, they became real fuck buddies. Sex was not related to work and fighting. But why did the notion come to the surface for the sparring? It is because MMA fight consists of challenges, which implies consent. Striking is that so far the champion never rejected a challenge. Yes, Joo Jaekyung was put in the same situation than Kim Dan in the end, but the one putting under pressure was the MFC Matchmaker and naturally the agent from Entertainment agency. Don’t forget that both are earning money thanks to events. And how did the champion got convinced by them? “You think, you can do it?” With their words, they doubted his talents  (chapter 36) or questioned his title: (chapter 36) The protagonist has the impression that his masculinity and strength were questioned. Hence he could not refuse.This explains why he was in such a bad mood and looked unhappy. (chapter 41) He is treated like a doll, but he is not realizing the manipulation. How can he, when Park Namwook is not detecting it either? Under this new light, Jinx-philes can grasp the real root of the argument in the car. (chapter 42) There, the doctor tried to control the champion’s time, as he suggested him not to go to the training. No wonder why Joo Jaekyung reacted that way. On the other hand, the athlete replied with a defy. Thus I deduce that at some point, the doctor will react to these words. As you can see, the champion needs to learn to say NO to them. That’s the reason why I started suspecting that in episode 5, Joo Jaekyung might have planned a match, as he felt invincible thanks to Kim Dan. (chapter 5) But he had to back out. And now, you comprehend why the MFC Matchmaker and the other accomplices had an interest to manipulate the fights. They were sensing that the athlete was escaping their control. Besides, someone has been targeting him out of resent.

What is the other reason why his relationship with the hamster was so challenging? It is because the champion had to conquer the doctor’s body. The latter was living like a ghost. That’s the reason why he started paying more and more attention to Kim Dan’s physical reactions. He recognized that he needed to procure pleasure to his partner, if he wanted to keep him by his side. (chapter 12) The reason for this change of mentality is that the doctor feared him. (chapter 12) And because the doctor never reacted the way the champion expected it, the latter was forced to infringe more and more MMA rules, like this one (grabbing the groins is forbidden). To conclude, the doctor is there to teach the champion to distinguish between love and fighting. This explicates why the physical therapist embodies violation of MMA rules. We have the perfect example in this scene: (chapter 25) Potato made a mistake which could have made the doctor unconscious. That way, he can expose the corruption within MFC and its implication with the mob. That’s the reason why I am more than ever convinced that Kim Dan is destined to become a MMA fighter in the end. Why? It is because he is the champion’s reflection. The moment Joo Jaekyung is no longer the fighter in the ring, but the spectator or assistant, he is forced to witness how his loved one is risking his life. So far, he never showed any interest in the fights of other members. He needs to understand why Doc Dan would advise him not to fight. And this brings me to the next remark: Kim Dan is a strong believer, like we could observe it in this scene. (chapter 40) This explicates why he was willing to risk his life for his sick grandmother.

“We know from previous research that religious people might be less inclined to take risks that have immoral connotations, such as drug use, and we also know that people might feel more encouraged by God to take on risks that are morally positive, like helping a person in need,” White explains. Quoted from https://neurosciencenews.com/neurotheology-risk-taking-25367/

Hence I am more and more convinced that the doctor will take risks for his loved one again, and this means that he will enter the ring. And now, it becomes comprehensible why the doctor had to experience pain and fear during the sex sessions in the beginning. He was encouraged to overcome his anxieties and to becomes stronger and resilient. He was not realizing that he was receiving a special training from the champion. Yes, he was receiving an initiation to MMA fighting. No wonder that the physical therapist’s condition improved with time: (chapter 36)

3. Kisses and caresses in Jinx

Striking is that the sex session in chapter 44 started with the doctor’s kisses and caresses. (chapter 44) His gestures represent a transgression of MMA rules, as he had stretched his fingers towards the main lead’s face. (chapter 44) By taking the initiative, the physical therapist is teaching his “mentor” how to express love. Interesting is that during that scene, the athlete remained passive. It displays his consent and trust towards the doctor. He knows that the latter won’t hurt him. That’s how I realized that the kisses are strongly connected to consent. Let’s not forget that when Joo Jaekyung smooched the hamster for the first time, he took him by surprise. Because the latter felt uncomfortable, he made the following request: (chapter 15) This request insinuated consent. Then when the doctor smooched the champion’s ear, the latter objected to it. (chapter 44) Hence the physical therapist stopped. Consequently, I come to the deduction that the more they will kiss, the closer and the more respectful the protagonists will become, for the kiss symbolizes consent.

First, the kiss was out of necessity. (chapter 14) Then it was out of desire (chapter 24) and out of excitement and attraction. (chapter 27) However, I noticed that it is linked to their position. They face each other. In chapter 15, Kim Dan was turned around, hence they were no longer having sex from behind. (chapter 15) In chapter 24, first it was from behind, but then it changed, as the star desired to see the hamster‘s erected phallus. (chapter 24) He wanted to make sure that the doctor would enjoy this break. Yet, what caught my attention is that in chapter 39, Kim Dan initiated the kisses and embraces, because this is what he likes. (chapter 39) Here, the athlete was caught by surprise, and protested, but he got silenced very quickly. (chapter 39) Finally, so far, it was not a ritual, hence we only had smooches in chapter 14, 24, 28 and 39. This signifies that Kim Dan is the one who will introduce kisses and embraces as rituals. Moreover, if someone were to kiss one of the protagonists, the other would view this gesture as a crime against his partner.

Another detail caught my attention: the doctor started touching the champion’s neck in the hotel room. However, you already know that in MMA, strikes behind the head or on the spine are forbidden. (chapter 31) That’s how I recognized the huge importance of this scene: (chapter 32) Joo Jaekyung entrusted his neck to the doctor. The latter stroke it for a long time. And now, you comprehend the initial hesitation from Joo Jaekyung in the hotel room: (chapter 39) He was not used to be touched there (face and neck) during sex! During that night, he discovered that he could entrust his most vulnerable points to Kim Dan.  (chapter 39) Therefore it becomes comprehensible why in the penthouse, he allowed his lover to approach his fingers towards his face. (chapter 44) He even accepted his hands on his back.  (chapter 44) He felt safe. This explicates why he could fall asleep so easily.

4. Kim Dan’s conquest of the champion’s heart

Funny is that while the champion was training to tame Kim Dan, he never realized that he was targeting his heart. And the moment the doctor admitted pleasure during the intercourse (chapter 39), Joo Jaekyung had finally achieved his goal: he had become the winner. He was now the owner of the doctor’s heart (chapter 39). On the other hand, since the doctor was under the influence of the drug, the champion couldn’t take the confession seriously. It is important that the champion doesn’t recognize the doctor’s feelings right away, for he needs to feel insecure. That way, he is pushed to change his behavior, to become more proactive and protective of Kim Dan. Hence I consider this Summer Night (chapter 44) as the positive reflection from the sex session in the living room: (chapter 34) Yes, the meeting with the artist was a challenge, he was showing to Heesung that if he tried to take away his “fighter”, he would have to fight for real. And what did the actor do during that night? He ran away, he refused to take the defy. This position (chapter 44) contrasts so much to this one: (chapter 34) closeness, knowledge, sincerity and warmth versus distance, ignorance, artificiality and coldness. The doctor had a mouthpiece, hence we should consider him as a fighter. It shows that the champion was exposing his philosophy about sex to Heesung. He was not allowed to meddle in his “battle” with Kim Dan. During that night, the star was the MFC matchmaker, the referee and the fighter! He was also the owner of the time. This represents the best illustration of his past sexual habits. And now, you comprehend why shortly after he got to lose everything with this article. (chapter 35) The gods were punishing him for not respecting the physical therapist.

Another divergence is that Kim Dan in episode 44 was the one who selected the place of their intercourse: the landlord’s bedroom. (chapter 44), though the doctor had not sex in mind at all. He brought him there to rest. However, the presence of fighting has not vanished totally in episode 44: (chapter 44). Joo Jaekyung still provoked his lover (chapter 44), but the latter was able to reject his defy by asking a question. One might think that he did that out of habit. On the other hand, I believe that Joo Jaekyung doesn’t know his partner that well, hence he is bothered. He can never predict his actions and decisions. He was definitely worried about his recent change of behavior too. Moreover, note that Kim Dan was the one leading the intercourse, for he determined the time flow: (Chapter 44) (chapter 44) It shows that the power is shifting, Kim Dan is slwoly getting the upper hand in their relationship. He can control time and place.

And now, it is time to show you another relevant reflection: (chapter 29) The celebrity refused to have sex every day, for he considered it as work. Why? It is because he is associating it with fighting. This is what he had in his mind: (chapter 36) But their last sex session felt so comfortable and natural that Joo Jaekyung didn’t have to make many rounds. He already fell asleep around one round. (chapter 44) This means that the connection between sex and fighting is vanishing. The sportsman can actually realize that sex is leisure and resting. He had made such a suggestion in the past (chapter 27) But he got rejected by Kim Dan back then, because the physical therapist considered sexuality as shameful. As you can see, the doctor’s actions are changing the champion’s perception of sex. It is no longer fighting, but resting. On the other hand, the doctor can seize the occasion to express his love through his caresses and kisses. At the same time, he could use it as a treatment for his insomnia.

As you can see, I am sensing that the protagonists will come to a new agreement. But by cutting off the connection between fighting and sex, Kim Dan is actually removing the champion’s belief about his jinx. In my eyes, Kim Dan will come to replace fighting in the long run. Only through that way, the champion can stop living as an workaholic. His obsession for MMA is understandable, for he feels terribly lonely. It becomes clear that Joo Jaekyung always wished to have a confident. This is perceptible, as he always talked, while he was having sex with Kim Dan. (chapter 4) (chapter 12) He asked questions, though his interrogations contained the answers. This shows his poor communication skills. On the other hand, as time passed on, he started opening up. He sought his closeness, but in the beginning, he failed terribly due to his prejudices and lack of understanding. (chapter 10)

Moreover, it is important to know that heart has for synonyms courage, mind and soul!! The moment the champion owned the hamster’s heart, the latter was constantly thinking of the champion. (chapter 42) (chapter 42) Interesting is that the champion was also thinking a lot about the main lead, as the latter was worried by his exhaustion and his lack of appetite. (chapter 44) By occupying his mind, Kim Dan is winning his heart. He is reminding him of the fragility of life, but also of true courage due to his humbleness and selflessness. Hence it becomes comprehensible why I stated that the doctor would risk his life or reputation for Joo Jaekyung. He will appear as a true hero receiving the admiration from his loved one and members from Team Black. In my eyes, he will become the heart and soul of Team Black, while the champion is the face of the gym. Though the members are behaving like a family, I detected a lack of cohesion and a certain indifference. No one was missing Potato during the day of the birthday party (chapter 43), just like none of the coaches were wondering about the whereabouts of Kim Dan in the States. (chapter 40) It is important that he brings the members closer together, as there is an enemy in the shadow: the Mafia.

My final observation is the following: during this night, Joo Jaekyung got revived, hence his whole face was blushing  (chapter 44) See the contrast to the night on the couch: (chapter 29) Contrary to the past (chapter 4) Joo Jaekyung is not hiding his pleasure. He is moaning loudly, as he has his mouth wide open. It exposes once again the increasing trust in Kim Dan. He no longer mistrusts him, in his eyes, he is no longer a prostitute. That’s how the doctor won the champion’ s heart. Now, his heart is truly beating for the doctor. Little by little, the hamster is taming the wolf. The latter needs to recognize that by loving the doctor, he will become powerful.

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Painter Of The Night: 🟦⬛Back to square one? ⬜🟥

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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.

Because the manhwaphiles are witnessing the downfall of the protagonist, people get the impression that history is repeating itself. It was, as though nothing has ever changed. Besides, in my previous essay, I had already outlined the similarities between the past and present and explained the reasons behind this resemblance. However, as you can imagine, we are not back to square one. Thus in this composition, I will elaborate the changes. And this can only be possible by contrasting the present with the past.

1. Monsters in Joseon society

1. 1. Yoon Seungho and his peers

The Painter Of The Night-philes can certainly recall how in the beginning of the story Yoon Seungho was perceived. He was introduced as a brutal and bloodthirsty monster, for he killed a servant in the open. (chapter 1) He was even called a psychopath, for he resorted to kidnapping (chapter 1) sequestration, threats (chapter 2) and blackmail and he initially showed no remorse. (chapter 7). On the other hand, he never got into trouble for his wrongdoings. Why? It is because he wasn’t violating social norms. (chapter 10) It was his right to punish servants, for they are not considered as humans but as propriety. As a lord, he could treat commoners, like it pleased him. Though murder is prohibited, even against a lowborn, (chapter 43), the reality is that nobles would never get into trouble!! As you can see, there exists a discrepancy between laws on the paper and the reality which was exposed by the rumors in episode 106. (chapter 107) The fathers would use their position and influence in order to cover up their children’s wrongdoings. And we have the perfect illustration, when the elder master bribes the governor. (chapter 127) That’s the reason why the younger generation could do everything! Though the lord appeared as a monster first, he became a “normality”, the more we got to read this story. Under this explication, it becomes comprehensible why lord Min was so sure not to get bothered by the authorities. (Chapter 101) He had bought the officers (“the guards”). This explains why Black Heart could threaten No-Name. (chapter 76) He didn’t need to dirty his own hands, he could simply frame him. Consequently, I deduce that he had learned this misconduct through the elders’ behavior.

1. 2. The old bearded men and their roles

Interesting is that in season 4, Yoon Seungho gets protected from prosecution by his father’s power, however the latter did not do it for his sake, rather to protect the Yoons’ reputation and influence. (chapter 116) This shows that neither Black Heart’s father nor Yoon Chang-Hyeon truly love their children, as according to Erich Fromm, love is knowledge, respect, care and responsibility. However, the elder master Yoon is totally ignorant about his son’s talents and good nature. Thereby, I see lord Seungho from season 1 as the perfect illustration of the corrupted world of the nobility. The monster “Yoon Seungho” was just a reflection from this ruthless and immoral society. Since he committed wrongdoings, his karma was to pay for his sins. It starts with a murder, and the main lead ended up killing people. He might have not broken “traditions” like the disregard of the yangbans against lowborns, but it is considered immoral. He had sinned and now, he is paying for his sins. Therefore his words in the prison resonate differently. (chapter 126) He expresses regret. He confesses his crimes, he killed people! This means that he is now siding with the lowborns. Their life is as precious as the ones from the nobility. Yet, note that in this image, the author didn’t drew his eyes. Why? It is because in the moment he executed people, (chapter 102) he was either not himself or he did it out of reflex to protect himself. He was influenced by his past experiences and as such traumas. In the shrine, it becomes more obvious, for he has a lost gaze. He is not even looking at his target. Finally, when he met lord Song, he did it to “protect” himself. (chapter 123) For me, in episode 1, the execution was triggered by his desire to protect himself and his traumas. And what is the common denominator between these three scenes? The father Yoon Chang-Hyeon! Don’t forget that the petition was the reason for their meeting. And now look at the actions from the patriarch. (chapter 116) He had given the order to eliminate all the servants, for they could represent a threat to his “treason”. This explains why the butler describes himself as the only survivor and witness. (chapter 86) And we see him giving the order to kill the surviving guard (chapter 125) Besides, he had no problem to order the assassination of his own son which was stopped by the intervention of a helping hand. The father had never asked to spare the main lead’s life. (chapter 124). He was his bad role model. But he is not the only one. There is another one…

And if crimes were to take place, then the nobles would find scapegoats in order to avoid punishment. Hence No-Name got so many tattoos in the end. (chapter 51) Once a criminal, always a criminal… therefore it is not surprising that the joker chose assassination as second work. By working for the nobles, he would be able to escape punishment, because if he got arrested, he could denunciate them. To conclude, justice is inexistent in Joseon. Yes, we are witnessing the downfall of Joseon, or precisely the king’s bad ruling. The latter is not capable of providing justice to anyone. And this coincides with the purge! (chapter 37) What is a purge?

to get rid of people from an organization because you do not agree with them

to take names off an official list, sometimes in a way that is not legal Quoted from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/purge

The purge is the symbol for injustice, because it is connected to violence and intolerance. As you can see, the “fake servant” was exposing his true nature through his words. He should have said “sentenced” or “punished” or “executed” but not purged for treason! I am more than ever convinced that the old bearded man in episode 37 is the king. Those two words (“purged”; “treason”) are contradicting each other. In the first case, the authority is committing a crime by abusing its power, while in the second case, a group is plotting against the authority and as such is breaking laws. Finally, I would like to outline that Yoon Chang-Hyeon and lord Song got evicted from the government which coincides with the second signification of “purge” (chapter 107) “Stepping down” was actually an euphemism for removal. The officials were chased out, (chapter 80) but their evictions were turned into stepping down. (chapter 122) No wonder why lord Song came to resent the protagonist. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the purge was not noticed by commoners. There was no fire and the staff was sparred. (chapter 37) And if they knew, people didn’t feel concerned… for they were violent, filthy nobles. Remember how the woman came to curse the gentry: (chapter 106) Moreover, we could see how an official came to murder lord Shin. (chapter 103) The boots were the indication that this person was working for the government. And it was an elder, for he was wearing this particular headgear. (chapter 103) (chapter 67) The murder of lord Shin is the evidence of the anarchy in Joseon. But actually, the monsters are actually everywhere, and not just among the nobility. The Chungin with the scholar and the physicians who have no problem to lie, participate in a kidnapping and drugging people… the kisaengs, the maids, the servants. They are all accomplices, for they feigned ignorance or chose to remain passive, for they preferred avoiding trouble. What people failed to realize is that no one is safe from this tyranny. Hence people could get killed and thrown into a well so easily (chapter 97) (chapter 101) and their perpetrators got scot-free. Why? It is because the mastermind and the helping hands are protecting each other, like we could see in the Joker’s case. However, the latter in season 3 had no idea that they would face divine retribution and pay with their life. (chapter 102) In front of gods, humans are all equal. There is no distinction between gentry, Chungin and commoners. That’s the reason why I come to the conclusion that Yoon Seungho is the divine hand of justice, he is bringing the “divine retribution”. This explicates this vision: (chapter 83) Under this new approach, it becomes comprehensible why he is called “the bird of misfortune”. People around him got to suffer, for they received their karma. Funny is that lord Song mocked him by calling him a grim reaper. (chapter 123) He underestimated his opponent, not imagining that the latter would use his sword against him. So he became a grim reaper. Lord Song Haseon must have thought that his minions, just like his age and status, would protect him. But no, someone had planned his death and counted on the main lead’s decision.

2. Karma and Baek Na-Kyum

What caught my attention is that Min even expressed the disinterest of the authorities towards peasants. (chapter 99) Thus Min’s karma was to die in the total indifference of others. No one is missing him, for he was turned into a brigand himself. (chapter 113) But wait… Why did Black Heart get killed in the end? One might say that it was his karma, for he had planned the murder of Baek Na-Kyum in the past. In my opinion, the uke serves as a representative of the divine retribution. The artist is the “judge” and his lover is executing the sentence: death. And we can detect this gods’ intervention through the learned sir’s case as well. Jung In-Hun had looked down on the artist for his origins and education. When the generous main lead chose to accept his apology (attempted rape), (chapter 120), the latter reminded him that contrary to Yoon Seungho, he was admired. He had such a good notoriety! Since he betrayed the artist and had almost him killed, the scholar ended up losing everything. (chapter 127) He became the scapegoat for this incident, for he played a huge role in the painter’s suffering (kidnapping, assault, murder and brainwashing). His success at the civil service examination was erased within a few weeks and now he is viewed as a brigand. How could such a person get selected as an official? His fate gives a bad impression of the civil service examination. And what is the common denominator between these two villains? They both belong to different social classes. Their cases is exposing the king’s negligence and arbitrariness. The latter is the perfect personification of this corruption. Not even Confucianism is respected, for fathers are abusing their own children or even killing them. Season 4 is exposing the chaos in Joseon. Therefore it is not surprising that the sacred tree and the shrine got burned. (chapter 106) The gods were using the humans to voice their anger. At the same time, when the woman made this comment, the Manhwa lovers can detect the huge gate in the background, the symbol for royalty. And now, you comprehend why Yoon Seungho was pushed to go to Hanyang. It is his fate to face the king! His task is to clean the palace of these old bearded men. (chapter 44) I had already portrayed him as a black shaman in the essay “Spirits and the lustful shaman“. And since he became a believer in episode 126, this means that he can fulfil his task, giving the king’s divine retribution. (chapter 65) Don’t forget that the monarch is the only one who stands above the laws, though he is controlled by social norms and his officials. In my opinion, this can only take place, when a new scheme takes place. How so? Note that in the scholar’s case, Jung In-Hun received his karma, but not real human justice. For me, he is not dead. Besides, don’t forget that someone took the petition from lord Song, before Yoon Chang-Hyeon came to the bloody place. There is no ambiguity that the accomplices and schemers didn’t get happy with the last outcome. The couple might be separated physically, but they are attached to each other by their strong love. And since the main lead kept wearing hanboks with the phoenix (chapter 34) (chapter 45), it indicates that someone saw him as his bird of fortune. And this can not be Yoon Seungho, for the latter was full of self-hatred. Finally, his own father, Kim and Heena called him as a bird of misfortune. As you can see, the king could no longer see the main lead due to the artist’s presence. He is his bird of fortune, for he could live out all his dreams thanks to him, and at no moment he got into trouble. No one is suspecting his intervention.

3. Though fate parts us once more

As soon as I read this whisper from the main lead (chapter 127) I recognized why the painter and Yoon Seungho had to go separated ways. It is because the schemers wanted him to return to Hanyang. Remember the learned sir’s suggestion before his departure. (chapter 44) Why? It is because now the main lead is an adult. Since my theory is that the pedophile is the ruler, he can no longer approach the protagonist like that. The latter is no longer visiting the gibang. He wants their path to cross again so that they can rekindle. Hence he had to create an opportunity proving that their meeting is not a coincidence. Under this new approach, it becomes comprehensible why Yoon Seungwon encouraged his brother to reconcile with their father. (chapter 37) That way, he would be “following” the tradition and become an official. But since Yoon Seungho developed a fear of “old bearded men”, he had no reason to go there. (chapter 44) This exposes that in his unconscious, the young man was aware that his suffering was related to the officials. But in season 1, their attempts (Jung In-Hun and the brother) failed because of Baek Na-Kyum. The latter had to leave the lord’s side. And this brings me to the following observation. Since the beginning of the story, people were used to make the commoner leave the protagonist’s side:

  • Lee Jihwa with the ruined painting and the murder
  • Min: the party at the kisaeng house, the orgy in episode 33, the kidnapping and murder
  • Heena: (chapter 46) (chapter 68) (chapter 97)
  • Jung In-Hun (chapter 111) (chapter 120)

I could mention Ýoon Seungwon, the staff, butler Kim, Deok-Jae and the kisaengs. And now, it is time to examine the circumstances of their farewell. (chapter 127) As you can see, the painter was feverish. Why? From my perspective, he was drugged. He was not allowed to see his loved one, because they don’t want him to remember their departure. The schemers desire him to feel abandoned like in the gibang (chapter 105). The reason why I am suspecting a drug is that this panel (chapter 127) is similar to the first Wedding Night: (chapter 21) At the same time, this scene is also a reflection from the night after the massacre in the shrine. (chapter 103) Back then, he was also under the influence of an aphrodisiac. They don’t want him to remember his last words. And since he didn’t take care of him during that night, though he was unwell, they hope to create the illusion that Yoon Seungho neglected him. He broke his promise. But their trick can no longer work because of the lord’s visitation in the prison and his words. (chapter 126) (chapter 127) The separation arc is there to prove these plotters wrong. Their affection is not trivial and momentary. He is not a plaything, but his “partner”. In fact, they have absolute trust in each other, and their source of strength will be their short happy moments together. Besides, I am quite certain that the artist will remember the lord’s whisper from that night, since he had problems to recall the First wedding Night and the incident in the shrine. Both are related to his bad conscience. Besides, I have another reason for that, the power of the unconscious knowledge.

The underused power of unconscious knowledge

Fromm considered that the unconscious not only contains irrational passions – which would occupy only a small part – but also all knowledge of reality. He believed that our unconscious mind has infinitely greater power than consciousness – which is fundamentally a social construction – so it can warn us that one person is dangerous and another is trustworthy, tell us which is the best path to follow, help us detect the lies or pointing out when we are being manipulated or making mistakes. Fromm was convinced that through the unconscious we can know everything we need to know to orient ourselves in life. However, we often repress these contents and do not pay attention to our intuition – which is one of the main means of expression of the unconscious – because socially this information is considered too “dangerous”. Quoted from https://psychology-spot.com/unconscious-knowledge-erich-fromm/

Thus I am suspecting that neither the painter nor the lord will be in touch through a correspondence. They have to create the illusion that the main lead is forgetting him. This explicates why Byeonduck created 3 episodes where the silence and miscommunication between the two protagonists played a huge role. (Chapter 108) Though both were close physically, they still allowed others to manipulate them, for their trust was not complete. In other words, the schemers are thinking that time is working for them!! On the other hand, since Kim is by his side, the painter can only consider his presence as the evidence of the lord’s care. (Chapter 127) This coincides with the beginning of the Manhwa, when the lord was seen without his butler. (Chapter 1) The latter only appeared in episode 7, and back then Yoon Seungho had to dress himself. (Chapter 7) Finally, I am expecting schemes again.

4. Yoon Seungho a servant again

I have to admit my surprise, when I saw Yoon Seungho’s bow in front of his father. I really didn’t expect this, yet his decision makes sense. He swears to become his father’s servant. (chapter 127) This means that he is giving up on his status and freedom for Baek Na-Kyum’s sake. (chapter 127) And naturally, this reminded me of this scene with the straw mat beating. (chapter 127) Here Yoon Seungho had been treated like a servant, because he had been submitted to the straw mat beating. Exactly like in the past, there was a promise. Notice how similar the words are: “No matter”. (chapter 77) However, there exists a huge difference. Back then, the vow was made between the butler Kim and Yoon Chang-Hyeon. As you can see, Yoon Seungho is now copying his surrogate father’s behavior. (chapter 127) This shows that the young master is following Kim’s path. On the other hand, the domestic employed the future tense in his pledge (“I will do as he commands”), whereas the “spiritual son” is using the present (“I swear to live as you command”). Moreover, the main lead is talking about his way of life and not “order”. And what does the father desire? (Chapter 86) Making connections so that the Yoons can become influential again!! But how can he do that? By showing his talent? I have my doubts about it. Why? It is because in season 1, the lord was having sex with his peers, and back then they were like battles… for an exchange of favors. I hope, I might be wrong, but I fear that he is about to become a male kisaeng again. Or if not, then this is what the king is expecting from him. And we have the best example in this scene: (chapter 80) Sex against favors. Yoon Seungho has become the symbol of nepotism, though in reality he is the biggest victim of this. According my investigations, Yoon Chang-Hyeon was left in the dark about the pedophile. But now by asking his eldest son to “become his servant”, he is now responsible for his fate. This means that he can no longer “feign ignorance”. What is more important to him, his hatred for sodomy or his dream of power? By using his elder son, Yoon Chang-Hyeon can maintain his reputation and have a clear conscience. However, this makes him a hypocrite. Besides, why would Yoon Seungwon keep pestering his brother to change his life and go to Hanyang, when he “succeeded” with the exam? (chapter 118) Why does he need the protagonist? It is because he needs “connections”. And how can he get these connections? Through his brother. But with the last incident, it looks like Yoon Seungwon jeopardized the remains of his influence, for the noble ignored him. (chapter 127)

But let’s return our attention to the contrast between Kim and his adoptive son. (chapter 127) Another common point between Seungho and Kim is the bow. (Chapter 56) Yet, the domestic is only bowing with his head and not his body. The protagonist is dressed exactly like his father. This comparison exposes that my past interpretation was correct: the butler had awakened his master during the night by lighting the candles. And after receiving this letter, Yoon Seungho dressed himself in order to meet his childhood friend, which reinforces my theory that the valet won’t follow the protagonist.

Interesting is that the butler and his “adoptive son” are acting for someone else’s sake. Yet, the second divergence is that the protagonist’s vow is not affecting the painter’s life (chapter 127), while the butler’s oath was describing Kim as the helping hand to “fix” Yoon Seungho! In other words, at no moment, the valet was risking his life, whereas the main lead is now “sacrificing” his own life (“as a willing servant”) for the painter. And this brings me to the following observation. Why did Yoon Chang-Hyeon order the straw mat beating for his own son in episode 77? It is because the latter had failed the father’s expectations. He had not been able to have sex with a woman. (chapter 86) However, back then, he was considered as the eldest son. One of his duties was to continue the lineage (chapter 82) and because of the stolen kiss, the patriarch became obsessed with sexuality. Observe how lord Song Haseon described the father’s attitude. He knew about the atrocities that the young master was exposed to (chapter 123), but he chose to turn a blind eye, for he believed that the end justifies the means. This explicates why he left the room so quickly and abandoned his son. Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s resent for the eldest son came from his high expectations. This can only reinforce my past interpretation that Yoon Seungho is a new version of Prince Sado. Thus the elder master Yoon’s personality is based on king Yeongjo. Moreover, lord Song alluded to the execution of a prince ordered by the monarch. (chapter 107)

Most of what we know about Prince Sado comes from a memoir that his wife, Lady Hyegyeong, wrote in 1805. It paints a picture of a tragic young man, who thanks to a youth of constant abuse and tragedy, was driven insane. King Yeongjo was a hard man with a fiery temper. His son was a constant disappointment to him. Yeongjo saw Sado as weak from an early age and would often lash out at him. The young prince grew increasingly timid around his father, which in turn caused his father to lash out more. From a young age Sado, who adored his father and only wanted his approval, was left a wreck. In 1745, at the age of 9, Sado had his first brush with ill health during which he often lost consciousness. His disapproving father was disappointed at this seeming weakness and grew even harder on the young prince. Sado was made regent when he came of age at 15. His father hoped that giving him the ability to make decisions on administrative matters would teach him to be a good king. Sadly, in his father’s eyes, every decision Sado made was the wrong one and he constantly second-guessed his son’s decisions. Quoted from https://www.historicmysteries.com/prince-sado/

Yoon Seungho has a similar disposition. He also hoped to be recognized and loved, thus he was constantly looking at his father’s eyes. (chapter 55) But what did he see in his father’s gaze? Anger and disappointment, for he was never able to satisfy Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s expectations. (chapter 55) With the release of episode 127, I had this sudden revelation concerning this memory. In the past, I used to think that he had been submitted to the straw mat beating. But now, I think that in this scene, Yoon Seungho was forced to bow to his father by the servants or guards!! Yes, the former version of this scene. (chapter 126) This idea came to my mind, the moment Yoon Seungho emphasized his bowing! (chapter 127) The protagonist’s words imply that he had never done it before!! And now, you know why Yoon Chang-Hyeon agreed to make a deal with his eldest son. (chapter 127) Yoon Seungho’s bow and oath stand for blind obedience and loyalty. This explicates why the author drew him without eyes. (chapter 127) He believes that he has finally been able to tame Yoon Seungho. He has become the perfect “puppet or tool” in order to make his dream come true: POWER! Actually, he is hoping to restore the Yoons’ reputation and glory. (chapter 87) That way, he can act, as if the purge and the humiliation had never happened. So by submitting himself to his father’s will, it looks like Yoon Seungho is put in the same position than in the past. He is “exposed” to the harsh judgement from the patriarch. However, it is just an illusion. How so? First, what caught my attention is the absence of the protagonist’s eye. (chapter 127) The blue color and the absence of the eye are displaying the coldness from Yoon Seungho. He is not looking for recognition and love from his father. He is now totally indifferent towards him. Moreover, if you read my previous essays, you already know that the absence of “eyes” is indicating a lie, like here for example: (chapter 11) (chapter 35) Does it signify that the protagonist has the intention of betraying his own father? I don’t think so, but the manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget the lord’s wish in the kitchen: “I shall remember this moment for as long as I live”. (chapter 118) This shows that when the lord bowed to his father, he was thinking of Baek Na-Kyum in the kitchen. His body might be by his father, but his mind and heart were elsewhere. Thus I couldn’t help myself thinking that Yoon Chang-Hyeon will get betrayed and abandoned by his own son. During the same night, he made 2 vows. It was, as though he had two “lords”! His goal is to meet his loved one again. (Chapter 127) Finally, don’t forget that the main lead is following Kim’s path. He will have to choose between his father and the painter. Yoon Seungho is actually applying the father’s principle: the end justifies the means. So if necessary, he can break his vow to his father.

And now, you are wondering why. It is related to the deal between the father and son. (Chapter 127) It is because Baek Na-Kyum represents a leverage for the father to control his son. He is now replacing the petition. This coincides with Yoon Seungwon’s words: (chapter 116) I still believe that the painter has the original petition. And who is by Baek Na-Kyum’s side? Kim!! (Chapter 127) He is now in charge of the painter so that his pledge to the lord becomes a reality. (Chapter 108) By living by his side, he can lead a quiet life far away from Hanyang. However, this signifies that the artist has become a “prisoner”. As long as he lives in Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s claws, his loved one can not return to his side. Interesting is that a carriage was used to carry away the protagonist. (Chapter 127) Such a transportation was utilized for noblewomen. This can only reinforce the rumor that the protagonist has a fiancee! (Chapter 78) But where is the painter going? To the mansion? Or to another secluded place? In my eyes, the location is important. His existence is still a source of problems for the schemers. I see a future conflict in the lord’s life, for one oath stands in opposition to the other. Moreover, should the patriarch lose Baek Na-Kyum, he can no longer control his son. He can not suddenly blame the painter for the death of lord Song, for Jung In-Hun has been now convicted for the crime. (Chapter 127) The latter is now stigmatized as an arsonist and murderer.

Another reason why I believe that the actual situation diverges from the past is that the patriarch becomes “responsible” for his decisions. (chapter 127) He can no longer blame Yoon Seungho, for he is now just a “servant”. The expectations are also much lower. He just needs to follow his orders. Yoon Seungho is exempted from continuing the lineage. Moreover, Yoon Chang-Hyeon is now as the lord responsible for his son’s protection. Since he is his servant, he has to ensure his safety as well. That’s why he can no longer abuse like in the past. He is his tool to become powerful. This means that he is now dependent on him. Moreover, note that the father and son have a deal. (chapter 127) In other words, there is a certain equity. The painter serves as a leverage which reminds us of the deal between Baek Na-Kyum and his fated companion. (Chapter 7) In exchange for sponsoring the learned sir, Baek Na-Kyum had to go to his bedchamber and paint there. (Chapter 7) Now, the positions are switched. He is the one getting coerced! And this brings me to the following observation. Why did the elder master agree to this deal in the end? First, he refused to assist his son. (chapter 127) He believes that he has the petition, therefore he can no longer be blackmailed by his eldest son. The latter has no longer any leverage over him! However, he changed his mind. (chapter 127) For me, it is related to the bow. I noticed that the patriarch pays a lot of attention to “manners” and etiquette. Therefore the guards apologized on different occasions, yet the elder master always accepted their excuses (chapter 125) (chapter 126) Yet, in reality they were fake excuses. I have already pointed out that the servants would act on their own. But more importantly, their fake apology hid their failure as guards. How could they let the young master barge into the lord’s bedchamber? With a simple apology, this wrongdoing was overlooked. And now, observe what happened during the same night: (chapter 127) Yoon Seungho was followed by the guards! It looked like they were serving him. This scene reminded me of the officers’ appearance in front of the mansion. (chapter 94) This can only reinforce my theory that the main lead will turn against his father in the end. Keep in mind that there is a deal, so should the situation change (the painter’s desertion or the discovery of the second petition for example), the lord is no longer forced to keep his vow towards his father. Moreover, since Baek Na-Kyum got lied, “brainwashed” (chapter 125), “drugged” and slapped by Yoon Chang-Hyeon, he is destined to receive his karma through his son. And what was his dream? (chapter 86) He imagined that his second son would bring him fame and power. But now, the main lead is on his way to become “influential” turning the father’s words into a lie. Yes, the father and son needed to be together again so that the patriarch’s life lie would get exposed and ruined. Since he took the bloody paper (chapter 125) and paid the governor (chapter 127), he could get into trouble for it was, as if he was admitting his responsibility.

In addition, I would like to point out that the protagonist’s mentality is different from Kim’s! The latter advocates immobility and resignation., (chapter 87), whereas Yoon Seungho stands for change and hope. (Chapter 127) The latter is neither nihilist nor defeatist, for the painter has become his “god”, his religion. The hope to meet Baek Na-Kyum again will be his source of strength. He believes that the gods will help him again to have his wish come true. It is their destiny to meet again! (Chapter 127) Like announced in the last analysis, the lord is a changed man due to his new found religion. But this is not visible to the eyes. And the schemers are thinking that they are pulling the strings, while in reality they are themselves utilized as pawns by the spirits. Finally, the painter called himself a “plaything”, hence the schemers can jump to the false conclusion that they have still a chance to achieve their dream, like to punish the Yoons or to win the main lead’s heart. Finally, for me, this story is encouraging people to distinguish between fake heroes and from real saviors. (chapter 127) Where was Heena noona, when her brother was in prison? This rumor can only create the illusion that the painter is still devoted to the learned sir. Yet, after the last incident, the painter came to regret to have trust the learned sir. Both characters are now healed from their traumas (abandonment issues) and they are in full possession of their mind. This makes them less weak to manipulations.

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Painter Of The Night: 📣Breaking news! 📣The painter vanished again! 😨 (second version)

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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As the illustration of this analysis is indicating it, the title of the essay is referring to the painter’s departure from the mansion in season 3. For you can anticipate it, I would like to expose my new discoveries before the release of chapter 103. Why? It is because that way, the readers can perceive the new chapter under a different perspective.

1. “All the World’s a Stage”

Since I recognized the importance of clothes in Painter Of The Night, I started paying more attention to the appearances. Striking is that in season 3, the schemers utilized hanboks and shirts to forge an identity. By wearing a yellow hanbok, Min attempted to impersonate Lee Jihwa (chapter 101) so that he could put the blame on his “friend”. But the problem is that he was caught red-handed. Hence he ended up executed. On the other side, the corpse in the well was supposed to be Deok-Jae (chapter 98), although he was wearing clothes similar to the learned sir’s. What caught my attention is the expression Yoon Seungho employed: “pretending”. With such an idiom, he was implying that the servant had not only violated social norms, but also he had been acting. As you can sense, these two situations have one common denominator: playing a role and the clothes served as a disguise. It was, as if both victims of a murder had been playing in a theater play. This explicates why in the fanart, the author is portraying Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho as actors who are working in a sageuk. And this made me think of the famous poem from Shakespeare who describes life as a stage, where a person plays different roles all along his life: an infant, a school boy, a lover, a soldier, etc., until he dies, which is symbolized by an eternal sleep. https://youtu.be/_jaSFtcDEiE

I had also detected another parallel between the manhwa and Shakespeare’s other theater piece “Hamlet”, thus I had composed the essay “To be or not to be”. This particular drama was focusing on the question about the meaning of life. Through his character Hamlet, the writer incites the public to question his personality. All along the theater piece, the beholder is never certain if Hamlet’s madness is fake or genuine. Once again, we had the reference to this idea that “life is like a stage” and humans show different sides of themselves. Since the publication of chapter 87, I had already pointed out the presence of theater, with the twist of fate or called “Coup de Théâtre”. To conclude, we should view Painter Of The Night as an application of Shakespeare’s poem and principle. Everything is a stage… and all the characters are playing a role. Nonetheless, this “theater piece” shouldn’t be viewed lightly, for Black Heart, his friends and Deok-Jae paid a huge price for their acting: they made their exit by losing their life. They had played their role, determined by the goddess Byeonduck.

Then I would like to point out that at no moment, the main lead saw the body himself. He was simply confronted with the clothes which resembled a lot to the scholar’s. (chapter 98) Why? From my point of view, they were trying to scare the main lead, to remind him that he could never replace Jung In-Hun in the painter’s heart, to shake his belief. But the problem is that the schemers had missed the right timing, for the artist had already confessed his love for Yoon Seungho and this twice. Therefore the latter couldn’t doubt his lover’s words, and mistake it for an illusion. As a conclusion, the clothes were used tools to trick the couple, they had become costumes!! However, because the author is using karma as poetic justice, this signifies that the hanboks and shirts can serve as a clue to perceive the truth too. The ones who tried to deceive the protagonists with clothes and words, should be fooled by their own manipulations.

2. A new perception of chapter 98

My avid readers will certainly recall the detected principles Byeonduck utilized to develop her story.

  1. The story is going in circle, it works like a kaleidoscope.
  2. There is a reflection within the same chapter: the positive and negative reflection.
  3. Each episode will be reflected in the next chapter.
  4. All seasons are reflected in each other.
  5. The painter and Yoon Seungho share the same fate, hence their actions are similar.
  6. The clothes and shoes are tools to identify a character.

Naturally, you might be wondering how these rules are relevant to the clothes. But note that in episode 98, the lord wondered himself why the hanboks would look so similar to the learned sir’s! (chapter 98) This shows that the lord was able distinguish the real clothes from the imitation. He had not only a good memory, but his eyes were sensitive enough to detect the difference. But how is it about the readers? Did they notice that these maids were different from the head-maid and her colleague? (chapter 94) Their clothes were almost identical, yet their body shapes and the cut of the shirts diverged. That’s the reason why I deduced that in episode 98, the author had the intention to manipulate the manhwaphiles. But in order to escape the trap, the readers needed to look carefully at the characters’ clothes. This was the clue that Byeonduck had left for the readers to discern the truth. And now, look at this: (chapter 98) What was the painter wearing on his way to the bedchamber? White pants with his Mountbatten pink jacket. But how did he show up at the learned sir’s home? (chapter 98) He was dressed differently. 😮 He had changed his pants, put on his scarf and hat. But when he went to the lord’s study, he was not carrying them!! How do we explain the difference? The answer is quite simple. He had returned to his room in order to fetch his clothes. And since Baek Na-Kyum took the lord’s clothes, this signifies that he had the intention to return to the domain. The readers will certainly recall the artist’s behavior, when he had threatened the main lead to leave Yoon Seungho. He had switched his clothes, and put on his old clothes. (chapter 98) Thus if the lord had gone to the study, he would had realized that the painter had not deserted the propriety, for he had not taken his belongings with him. The hat and scarf were signalizing that Baek Na-Kyum considered himself as a member of the Yoons‘ household.

Moreover, because in chapter 98, the artist had tried to hide his presence from the maids at the door of the kitchen (chapter 98), I assume that later he did the opposite (rule 2). He met the maids on purpose. Why? He let them know about his intentions. He was going out in order to visit the learned sir’s home. Finally, remember what he had thought on his way to the mansion. (rule 3) If only Yoon Seungho had left a word… The servants served as his messenger. Hence I am convinced that Baek Na-Kyum must have talked to the maids and told them where he was going!! He copied his lover, yet contrary to him, he must have given a precise information. (Rule 5) This means that he had informed the staff about his departure!! Moreover, in chapter 98, the maids acted, as if they had not detected the painter’s presence while badmouthing Yoon Seungho. (chapter 98) Hence they were portrayed without eyes and with a drop of sweat on their face, a sign for deception. So the negative reflection would be that Baek Na-Kyum had informed the maids, and he had gone to the kitchen for that reason. From my point of view, when he met them, he was already wearing his hat and scarf. To sum up, the artist had never left the maids in the dark. And the clothes are the evidence of the staff’s lie.

Under this new perspective, it becomes comprehensible why the painter lost all his clothes during that night!! If the lord had seen them there, he would have realized that the painter had never deserted the mansion, for he would have taken his own clothes!! It was important that they vanished. First, he lost his hat (chapter 99) Then the scarf was no longer present, when the painter woke up. Then the nobles removed his shirt, socks and pants in the shrine. (chapter 100) And now observe that after Lee Jihwa’s departure, the artist’s clothes except the white shirt vanished too. (chapter 102) Where did they go? The readers saw Black Heart leaving the building, but we should question this: WHY? He never went there to fetch lord Shin, since he abandoned him outside. We all imagined that he left the room empty-handed. But it is true? Now, I don‘t think so. He had to get rid of the clothes in order to mislead the main lead!! A new version of chapter 61 and 97! Furthermore, was Min talking to himself, when he said this? (chapter 101) Because the readers could detect the presence of a shadow in episode 102 , I am now envisioning that Min was not alone outside during that night. In fact, someone had misled Black Heart telling him that lord Jihwa had ran away. However, the unconscious lord Shin should have made him think that Lee Jihwa had fought back… Hence he had not fled, rather betrayed them. Moreover, he was not looking at the direction of the entrance and gate. In fact, he was turning his gaze in the direction to the shrine. (Chapter 101) The tree serves as an orientation for the beholder. But why was someone waiting outside? It was to cover up all the traces of his meddling. Baek Na-Kyum was supposed to vanish during that night, and they had planned to employ his pants and shirt to mislead people… even Black Heart. In my opinion, the invisible hand had already envisioned the nobles’ death. To conclude, the clothes proved my previous theory. The staff had staged the desertion by faking ignorance. (chapter 98) They were waiting for his return to fake their anger and search. And now, you comprehend why the servants mentioned the kisaeng in front of Yoon Seungho. It was to stop him from going to the study… to divert his attention. Under this new approach, the artist’s last words get a new meaning. (chapter 102) Since he had informed Yoon Seungho through the maids about his whereabouts, Baek Na-Kyum was expecting that he would come to his side. I would like the manhwalovers to keep in their mind that the artist was not conscious, when he moved to the shaman’s house. So in his mind, he was not far away from the learned sir’s house. Finally, since he had informed the maids, he could anticipate that the lord wouldn’t get mad at him, and wouldn‘t imagine that he had abandoned him (chapter 101) He trusted his lover’s heart in the end. That’s the reason why Black Heart’s superficial promise had no effect on Baek Na-Kyum. The latter truly believed that Yoon Seungho had been informed. But how could they play such a trick on the couple?

2. The director of the stage

Only one person could expect from the painter that he would switch clothes: Kim! (chapter 86) He had witnessed the argument between the couple by hiding behind the door. Thus in chapter 103, Kim will get the shock of his life… and it is the same for the maids. Yoon Seungho is returning with the painter. And the new trailer reveals that when the lord opened the door, adomestic was standing next to a maid. This is an indication of their involvement, though we need to discern the head-maid from the women in chapter 98. That’s the reason why the moment the maid appears, observe her clothes and try to discern her identity. Is this the head-maid or one maid from season 3? The preview displayed the arrival of the doctor.

The author reveals the butler’s surprise and shock. He never expected his entrance. This shows that the valet is just an actor too, he is not a deity, hence he gets fooled too. But why is Kim reacting this way? IT is because he never asked for the doctor’s request. So who sent the doctor? On the other hand, if the maids are involved and they witness the artist’s return, they have every reason to get worried. Their deception (lying by omission) could come to the light, for Baek Na-Kyum had given his lover an important task. He had to investigate why he had taken so much time before joining the artist’s side. By sending the doctor, they can fake their concern and even divert attention from themselves. Suddenly the connection between the maids and the doctor reminded me of episode 33.

3. The maids, Black Heart and the physician

If you read my previous analyses about the physicians, you are aware about my theory. Byeonduck introduced three different doctors, as their clothes and hat diverge. For me, it is the physician from season 1, for he is dressed similarly. (chapter 103) The form of the beard is also similar. But now, I have another evidence that this doctor from season 4 is not the physician from season 2!!! (chapter 63) The shoes are also different! That’s the reason why in the trailer, the beholders are seeing the physician’s shoes!! He doesn’t possess mituri like the other. Moreover, he is wearing a hanbok under his apron , while the other is dressed more like a commoner, a shirt with pants. And note that in chapter 33, we had the following combination: Min’s party, the visit of the doctor, Baek Na-Kyum’s illness, the maids and Yoon Seungho who “ran away” after his mistake. (rule 1 and 4) (chapter 33) And what had Kim done during his examination? He had not only threatened the physician (chapter 33), afterwards he had even badmouthed him, for he had not given the correct diagnosis. (chapter 33) However, here the butler had simply lied to hide his own wrongdoings: his passivity and silence. And note the doctor’s words addressed to the “beholder”: (chapter 103)

He is lying. The drop of sweat is the evidence. First, he has already seen the painter in a terrible state before. But since he is referring to Yoon Seungho, it signifies that he has already seen Yoon Seungho flustered. Why? Because the doctor from chapter 57 only met the young master, when he was a teenager. (chapter 57) The latter was introduced to Yoon Chang-Hyeon through the butler. The protagonist must have had a doctor in the past. Can you imagine a life without a doctor for 13 years? And this assumption was proven correct after the release. But let’s return our attention to the physician from season 4. What caught my attention is the white bag. Why is he wearing it? It is because he is on the verge of vanishing, he plans to run away. But why? From my point of view, he is the one who provided the aphrodisiac and opium to Lee Jihwa. Besides, in season 1, he had already given the “replenishing medicine” to the valet. (chapter 33) (rule 1-2-3) But why would he do such a thing? Simply, because he had been helping Min. He needed the protection of a powerful lord, since Kim had abused his position by threatening him. After seeing the new pictures from chapter 103, I had this sudden revelation. What did Min do after getting beaten by Yoon Seungho? (chapter 54) He certainly didn’t let his wounds untreated. Thus the next morning his face (chapter 56) looked much better. He had no swelling and the redness was already vanishing. From my point of view, he asked for the doctor’s assistance and that’s how the both came to an understanding. But since Min is now dead, the physician could get into trouble, for he helped the lord and now he is dead. But why am I so sure that the physician is about to run away? Look at all these images: (chapter 44) (chapter 44) (chapter 45) (chapter 100) They are all carrying the white bag on their back… and they are about to depart! Kim wished to leave the propriety with his master under the pretense that he was bringing misfortune to the painter. All this proves that the doctor is far from being innocent. Hence he wishes to run away. However, if he does this, this means that he exits the “play”. So he could die. Moreover, how did he know that the lord would return to the mansion with the wounded painter? I can not answer to this question with certainty. However, I would like to point out that since Min talked to someone in the shadow, it is very likely that this person had long planned Black Heart and his friend’s demise. Nonetheless, the schemers had not foreseen two three elements:

  • the survival of lord Shin (chapter 102)
  • the survival of Baek Na-Kyum, once again…. in season 2, he also almost died (chapter 61) [For more read the essay “No matter what… Baek Na-Kyum must vanish”]
  • the absence of Min’s friend who has always been by his side! (chapter 59) Lord Jang had disguised himself as Black Heart’s friend, the hanboks looked very similar. (chapter 99) (chapter 59) The schemers mistook him for the noble with the mole.

They are trying to repeat the same actions from the past, but the schemers are doomed to fail, for they didn’t listen to The Joker’s advice: (chapter 76) And this observation leads me to present the following theory: father Lee is definitely involved in this new trick! The drama has not ended yet. Why? According to my theory, these domestics didn’t belong to Yoon Seungho’s staff (chapter 61), for the colors grey-white off are only seen at the Lee’s. (chapter 9) (chapter 18, Lee Jihwa’s spy) (chapter 41) (chapter 50) (chapter 100) And now compare these servants to the staff from chapter 97: Their colors are all different reflecting that Yoon Seungho has no control over his staff. But what did the staff do in episode 61, when they manipulated the lord by saying that the painter had run away? One of the domestics offered the scarf and headgear to the lord: (chapter 61) Once again the clothes… All these details are exposing the involvement of elder Lee. He had many reasons to have Min and the painter eliminated. However, there is no ambiguity that he is not working on his own. That’s the reason why I am now wondering if “father Lee” or the shadow sent the doctor to Yoon Seungho in order to witness the painter’s death. Note that the doctor from season 1 came and not season 2. And what had the maids said in episode 33? (chapter 33) Yet, the painter survived, hence the doctor has every reason to run away. His complicity could come to light… on the other hand, the moment he leaves Yoon Seungho’s side, he is no longer protected. The reason is simple. He owns a part of the truth, and what the schemers are attempting to do is the exact opposite: burying the truth so that their act is not discovered. And now who participated in this huge “drama”? The list of the suspects is quite long… Father Lee (chapter 82), lord Yoon Chang-Hyeon (chapter 86), the other physician (chapter 74), “lord Song” (chapter 83), the “fake servant” alias the king (for me) (chapter 37) There is no doubt that a tailor was involved, for he had to create similar clothes, the costumes … (chapter 64) All have one common denominator: the BEARD. They are OLD BEARDED MEN!

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Painter Of The Night: The shadow 👤 behind the shrine ⛩️

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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

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Lezhin Korea released a few panels from season 4, thus we could discover that lord Shin got into trouble. He is on the ground, his face bruised and bloody, while he is asking an anonymous man for help. He is mentioning the shrine. As he is wearing the same hanbok, we can definitely assume that this scene takes place during the same night. The irony is that each time Byeonduck offers a new piece of a puzzle, she also creates a new riddle or mystery. How did the young master get wounded in the first place? And who is the person facing lord Shin?

1. The shoes and the weapon

First of all, I would like to point out that this image confirmed my results from my ongoing investigation. The author is using the shoes and clothes to give clues about a person‘s identity. Thus I was definitely right to say that during the abduction in season 2, there were two perpetrators. (Chapter 59) (chapter 66) The size and length of the protections and the cords around the pants were different. Besides, the masks were also different due to the form of the mouth.. (Chapter 61) (chapter 61) Finally, I had also detected his presence next to the barn because of a time jump. First, the manhwaphiles saw Lee Jihwa sitting on the floor, (Chapter 60), then shortly after he was standing at the entrance of the storage room holding a fireplace poker! (chapter 60) His position indicated that the young master had shortly left the building. However, the readers had not witnessed his move, for the author had diverted their attention by exposing the character‘s inner thoughts. He was recollecting the past, while talking to himself. (chapter 60) However, how did the fire poker end up in his own hand? The last time this tool was seen, it was in the kitchen. (chapter 60) As you can see, each image has its importance! However, I doubt that the upset aristocrat had this sudden idea and returned to the kitchen and take the fire iron. His mind and heart were definitely elsewhere, while such an action exposes the intention of hurting someone. Jihwa was acting, as if he was in trance, the moment he saw the hickey and heard the painter’s scream. His long lasting stupor was visible in this image. (chapter 60) That’s the reason why I had developed the theory that someone was hiding in the shadow, next to the barn and observing the evolution of the event. [For more read the essay “No matter what… Baek Na-Kyum must vanish“] For me, it could only be Kim. The latter had put the fire iron in the young man’s hand with the hope that he would strike Baek Na-Kyum. My conclusion was that he was not just involved in the painter’s abduction. However, all these were minor circumstantial evidences. Now, I found more concrete proofs for this hypothesis. Thanks to the new release, I can corroborate my assumption! 😱 The fireplace is the evidence of his involvement during that night! Why would Byeonduck zoom on the furnaces? (chapter 57) It is because they serve as a clue for unveiling the truth. (chapter 60) And now take a closer look at the stove in the storage room! (chapter 62) It is the same furnace! 😨We all assume that the lord prepared the fireplace, because he put his clothes on his lover. But is it true? We were all jumping to this conclusion, but actually we never saw it. Our brain was led to fill the blanks. (chapter 61) Finally, the readers were all assuming that the butler had never entered the storage room due to this image and his action before. (chapter 61) But is it true? He could have opened the door before, and go to the lord in order to explain his intervention. Faking his concerns for the painter. Why would he place the fireplace there? He wished that the warmth from the fire would wake up the painter. Hence he remained close to the gate of the storage room. That way, he had a reason to visit his master. Moreover, the author exposed that the valet had been keeping an eye on his master for a while too. (chapter 62) Because the valet went to his master, we got the impression that the valet had followed his master’s instructions. (chapter 61) In fact, this request could be perceived differently. The lord had seen the butler’s intervention, hence he expressed this wish. From my point of view, the butler must have brought the fireplace to the barn, and he left the poker there on purpose. I am quite certain that some people will think that I am again exaggerating. But why did the butler put a fireplace with a fire iron in the lord’s room, when the coal was not properly lit? (chapter 86) Compare the fire to this one: (chapter 62) But note that in the furnace, there was a fire iron too. (chapter 88) Consequently, I am suspecting that Kim had expected an outburst from Yoon Seungho. The latter could hurt his father with the fire iron. But none of this happened, for the lord preferred playing a comedy.

But let’s return our attention to the fireplace in the storage room. My theory would explain why Kim encouraged his master to go to the barn. (chapter 61) He hoped that Yoon Seungho would become so enraged due to the betrayal that in his violent outburst, he would grab the tool and wound the artist!! Thus he said this the next morning: (chapter 65) He had expected that the lord would hurt the main lead. But how was he supposed to harm Baek Na-Kyum in the end? With the fire iron… This signifies that he had been present in the barn during the abduction, and even knew the place of the sequestration. Thus he took the furnace and the fire iron to the shed.

And now, you have the explanation how lord Shin was wounded. He got beaten with a fire iron! This explicates the cut on his nose. Compare his face to the painter’s who got wounded by wooden sticks. (chapter 99) The painter’s head was bleeding, but his face and nose remained intact. (chapter 99) Besides, this theory also explains why the shrine is set on fire. (chapter 103) The fire iron is connected to a stove. Finally, I would like to outline the absence of the furnace in the shrine, though it was very cold outside. (chapter 99) So when the lord said this to his lover (chapter 88), we could interpret it the following way. It was once again a vision from the future, he was seeing from lord Shin’s perspective the betrayal. To conclude, I am sensing many parallels between the noble’s death and the night of chapter 86/87/88.

But I have another evidence that the butler had been spying on Jihwa and No-Name. How is it possible that Lee Jihwa had such a vision? (chapter 60) (chapter 60) At no moment, he was told that his childhood friend had been brought to the physician’s. He just heard him leaving. Moreover, the joker never mentioned the place where the couple was fooling around. (chapter 60) He didn’t even admit that he had seen them himself. These were memories from someone else! One might assume that these could represent the criminal’s recollection, but I don’t think so. He arrived much later to the physician’s house. If he had been present right from the start, he could have kidnapped Baek Na-Kyum on his way to the restroom. (chapter 59) To conclude, the person with such memories (chapter 62) had been at the doctor’s office before. This stands in opposition to the false memory the red-haired master had in the study. (chapter 43) Here, he had visited the place, hence he could imagine what had happened, though he never saw their encounter according to me. [For more read the essay “The liars in front of the mirror of truth: Lee Jihwa and Yoon Chang-Hyeon”] This explains why he created a false memory. However, in chapter 60, it is simply impossible for him to have such a vision, for he was not there. And in the propriety, only two people could know about their love session, the doctor and naturally the valet. For the latter is constantly seen with the bucket of water, I conclude that this can only be the butler. (chapter 58) He had left the bucket of water in the patio! But note that when the painter left the room, the item had simply vanished. (chapter 59) The painter was not supposed to detect his presence.

2. Identifying the shadows

Since I recognized the presence of a third person involved in the kidnapping from season 2, I come to the deduction that we have in this scene 3 people. And if the release is not changing, and these panels are still framed in black, this signifies that the readers are dealing with remembrance again. So we could say that we are seeing the event from the perpetrator’s perspective. But we will see. On the other hand, why am I so sure about the presence of 3 people? First, don’t forget that the story is going in circle, thus the author is working with reflections. The manhwaphiles will certainly recall that lord Shin had been made unconscious by No-Name, when he had approached Lee Jihwa. (chapter 100) The manhwaworms can grasp the similarities. Back then, the lord had refused to help Baek Na-Kyum, thus he was even encouraging Lee Jihwa to return to the shrine. Hence he had acted as a willing accomplice and perpetrator. Thus his karma is to be denied any assistance, he is punished the same way than his friends, Min and the other nobles. Finally, observe that the red-haired master (chapter 100) was lowering himself in front of No-Name which reminds me a lot to lord Shin’s situation. However, the naïve yangban is not suspecting the person facing him. He has the impression that the latter will listen to him and assist him. Thus I deduce that he was assaulted by someone else, the third person… I am excluding 2 people with the beating, for the noble was not unconscious in contrast to the scene in front of the scholar’s house. Besides, this person was not strong enough to kill the noble and had not tied him up either. (chapter 66) (chapter 99) Lord Shin was still conscious, and he could still run away, until he met this mysterious person. Why do I think so? It is because lord Shin is not suspecting the one standing in front of him. If they were together, he would have recognized the betrayal. From my point of view, he didn’t see them together. And I have another evidence for this interpretation. This picture is a reflection from this one due to the presence of the shadow. (chapter 88) Abandonment and rejection versus embrace and acceptance. And what had Yoon Seungho said during that fateful night? (chapter 88) (chapter 88) But while the painter was exposed to sexual abuse, lord Shin had indeed left his friend’s side. In my eyes, lord Shin embodies treason. As you can see, I conclude that lord Shin is about to get assassinated and from the person he expected the least. Why? It is because no one has to realize that lord Shin ran away from the shaman’s shrine. (chapter 102) He was a survivor. The opposite from this scene. They faked the painter’s desertion, (chapter 60) hence in episode 102 they had to mask his escape, for this would have exposed the involvement of other people, like Lee Jihwa, the doctor with the drugs and Heena. And now, you have the explanation why the shadow hidden behind the tree had put mattresses on the soil. The desertion and survival from lord Shin should not be detected. But who is this person facing the weak lord? And who is the third person who hit the young man? First, I would like to answer the second question.

3. Identifying the helping hand

We have to suspect a rather frail person who can be reckless and even stupid. As you can envision it, I am now suspecting the kisaeng Heena. Not only her philosophy allows her to be blinded by hatred, but also she witnessed herself her brother’s terrible condition. (chapter 99) Secondly, the moment she hears from someone that she got betrayed, for her brother died, she could definitely resent Min and his friends. But one might argue that she was killed by the two guards, or if she is alive, she was held captive by them. However, it is important to recall the following rules: the clothes and shoes are revealing the character’s identity. Both men are not wearing robes. Besides, they are not wearing black shoes like the other black guards! Yet, note all the black guards from chapter 7, 64/65 and 86 were wearing black shoes (chapter 7), (chapter 65) or boots (chapter 86), a sign for a high position. They even had all a sword. Why would the guards from chapter 99 use a wooden stick? In my eyes, it is because they are no real black guards. Besides, I detected that one man had a scarf similar to the butler’s, from lower quality. Thus I am suspecting that these two men are more servants than trained black guards. In other words, they are commoners. This would explicate why they didn’t know how to tie Heena properly. Her mouth was not covered, her feet were not tied. Thus they covered their face. That way, Baek Na-Kyum wouldn’t recognize them. And if he were to survive, then he could blame it on Yoon Chang-Hyeon, as their uniform was similar. During the assault, he couldn’t pay attention to such details and question their true origins. Besides, don’t forget that so far, the beating was tasked to the staff: (chapter 13) (chapter 77) As you can see, the wooden stocks were present during the first straw mat beating.

Under this new light, the manhwalovers can grasp why their face was masked. If they had to be identified, then by the clothes… that way they could mislead the investigation and frame innocents. We could detect their involvement in this scene, (chapter 101), but here Min thought that he was capable to frame the Lees. The other evidence for this interpretation is the presence of two servants during the main lead’s hunt, while he was wearing the suspicious boots. (chapter 83) As you can detect, I see a strong connection between the new panel and the hunt from chapter 83. And here we have 3 people again.

But let’s return our attention to the kisaeng who I am suspecting to be behind the noble’s wounds. What caught my attention is that the woman has always been involved in kidnapping and immobility (being tied up). She was present, when the lord was dragged and tied up. (chapter 68) She was again a witness, when her brother was tied up in the bedchamber. (chapter 66) Finally, when her brother was on the verge of getting abducted, she saw him lying unconscious with a bloody face. However, she never considered it as an abduction, for his hands and feet were not tied up. (chapter 99) That’s the reason why she blamed him with her questions. She implied that he shouldn’t have fought back. As you can see, I detect a common thread between Heena and her presence in different scenes: sequestration and a bloody face. But this doesn’t end here. When the young painter got beaten in the gibang, there was a furnace on the left side. (chapter 94) For me, this incident was to push the painter to leave the gibang and as such to listen to Heena’s suggestion. Furthermore, the man on the left side was wearing a white headband, though he was dressed like a noble in a hunting outfit! The hair dress and his moustache [for more read the analysis “Painful departures”] led me to the following assumption: He was just a commoner in the end, impersonating a noble.

The other clue for Heena’s involvement in lord Shin’s demise is her presence in chapter 88. (chapter 88) She was supposed to discover a crime scene. But what did she do? She didn’t report it to the authorities. Why? It is because the schemers implied that she would never get justice. As a kisaeng, she was totally powerless.

Thus the moment someone tells her that her brother died by the hands of nobles, the young woman’s hatred for yangbans can only increase. At the end of season 3, Yoon Seungho and even the shadow behind the shrine believed that the painter had died too. Consequently, the painter was just given a purple hanbok, and the main lead went to the mountain. Since the protagonist was under such a shock and pain, he never pondered why there was a person helping him. He was behaving like Lee Jihwa during the night of the abduction, the hanbok was put in his hand. The sword, the scholar’s glasses and even the painter’s clothes vanished from the shrine. (chapter 102) This is the evidence that someone had manipulated the crime scene. The clothes from the painter could serve as evidence of her brother’s curtains. Heena could come to the conclusion that Min had gone back on his words, and her fake death, which had definitely shocked (chapter 99) and bothered her, could only be perceived as real at the end. But this means that while Yoon Seungho had murdered the nobles, there was someone hiding in the shadow , exactly like in season 2. He had not stopped the execution either. He could have faked his late arrival and the shocked lord would have even believed him. This time, the man in the shadow had covered the bloody traces and had thought that the noble outside had died from cold. (chapter 61) And according to me (chapter 61) the second Joker (Kim) had tried to murder the painter, but he had failed, for he had covered the painter’s head. (chapter 66) However, his new attempt to have the painter vanished failed again.

4. The “trustworthy” disguised man

What caught my attention are the pants. The form and color remind me a lot of the painter’s. (chapter 97) It could be the same, though I have my doubts. Secondly, I suddenly got aware that the painter had 3 different grey pants at least. (chapter 4) This one had a cut just below the knees, though the color is much brighter. (chapter 84) This is the third one I detected, as the shape of the pants diverge once again. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum chose to change his clothes before leaving the mansion. (chapter 85) And because his pants are very similar to the painter’s, I deduce that he must be close to Baek Na-Kyum or at least he has a spy informing him about the artist’s clothes. Compare his pants to other servants: (chapter 97) (chapter 61) (chapter 67) (chapter 67) Their pants have either a different pigment (white, black, khaki, or light grey) or the shape is different. That’s the reason why I am assuming that the person was wearing these trousers on purpose. A new version of this scene: (chapter 98) The only difference is that the disguised person is alive contrary to the corpses in the wells. But the problem is that the shoes are betraying him. The boots resemble a lot to Yoon Seungho’s which the latter utilized during the hunt. (chapter 83) What did the lord see back then? Three shadows, two men wearing a gat and one caught in the middle with a topknot. Since I consider Yoon Seungho as a shaman, I believe that this vision was not only referring to the past and the incident in the shrine. It exposes the immutable truth, the involvement of three people, either. This is no coincidence. Thus imagine one moment that this illusion was referring to lord Shin’s murder. He is about to get murdered because of a new conspiracy. From my point of view, the man is disguising himself. However, I doubt that he is wearing the lord’s boots. The latter could be “couple boots”, just like the lord and the painter had couple hats. (chapter 91) And note during that day, Baek Na-Kyum was called sir due to his hat and clothes. (chapter 91) However, if the woman had paid attention to his shoes (mituri), she would have realized that our beloved painter is just a low-born. One might think that I view Kim as the one facing lord Shin. Strangely, I am suspecting the involvement of someone else. One thing is sure. The person in front of lord Shin is disguising himself, and the latter trusted the man in front of him. But his misfortune was not to identify correctly the person, for he didn’t detect the contrast between the clothes and the shoes. And the author left us another clue that disguise plays a huge role in our protagonists’ suffering. Why is Kim wearing a gat with a headband for nobles, when he is dressed like a servant? But there is another detail what caught my attention. He is wearing a bag. It was, as if he had packed his belongings before leaving the mansion. This means, he is taking his brown hanbok, but he is not wearing it. He reminded me of Deok-Jae. (chapter 44) (chapter 54) But the readers should question themselves this: why did Kim dress like this in the first place? From my point of view, the schemers have already planned to frame Baek Na-Kyum for the murder of the nobles and even of Jung In-Hun. Kim is trying to separate the couple so that the artist can be arrested easily and sentenced immediately. By burning the place, the evidence that Baek Na-Kyum was a victim vanished. That’s how they can manage to turn a victim into a perpetrator. They wanted to erase every trace of the crimes, but then the return of the painter will force them to change their plan. The fire can help them to turn Baek Na-Kyum into a scapegoat. That’s the reason why the anonymous shadow is wearing clothes similar to the painter’s. No one should recognize him. Later, Baek Na-Kyum can be “identified” as the culprit. And any blood trace on his clothes could serve to incriminate the painter. They could use the resemblance of the clothes as a proof for his crime. That’s the reason why lord Shin had to die in the end. And if lord Shin never doubted this person, I am suspecting that the latter is working with the authorities. Kim is not the only suspect, for according to me, there always exist a conspiracy of 3 and even 5 people. This observation leads me to create a list of suspects. First of all, Yoon Seungho’s confession to the learned sir should help us to determine the schemers and culprits. (chapter 44). A synonym for old bearded men is “elders”. The latter are supposed to serve as role models. That’s the reason why the young man didn’t suspect the man. With his beard, he must have oozed “responsibility” and even “selflessness”. But who are the suspects?

  • The officer from the bureau investigation is definitely involved. Thus he misled Yoon Seungho. Besides, observe that the officers are connected to fire! (chapter 94) Secondly, his explanation implied the involvement of a physician. (chapter 98) Though he had been found in a well, the lord’s comment insinuates that “Deok-Jae” had been stabbed. Striking is that the lord didn’t show any interest in the violation of clothes and the servant’s death. This reaction surprised the yangban which left him speechless. It is important, because this shows that the schemers were trying to direct the lord’s attention to a certain person: Lee Jihwa. They were trying to instill the thought that Lee Jihwa had planted a professional spy in his household. And after his betrayal, Deok-Jae had run away with the money earned from his work.
  • The physician: What caught my attention is that the author focused on the fire place at his office. (chapter 57) Why? There has to be a reason. I don’t believe in coincidence in Painter Of The Night. Furthermore, observe that both men, Kim and the doctor, were sitting in the kitchen, similar to Jihwa and No-Name. (chapter 57) Finally, the painter met the Joker again on the same day he visited the physician. (chapter 75) Finally, why was the doctor never brought to the mansion again after his last visit in chapter 57? And it looks like he was not there to treat Baek Na-Kyum. The latter is suffering from PTSD. Thus the painter had a nightmare. Hence I have the impression that the butler’s intervention and suggestion to Yoon Seungho will fail. The lord won’t be able to leave his side. Moreover, I would like the readers to recall that when Baek Na-Kyum got sick, a different physician was fetched. (chapter 33) Different clothes displays a different identity. From my point of view, the doctor doesn‘t want to be connected to Yoon Seungho. Finally, don‘t you find it weird that he was not by his side in chapter 57? He literally abandoned the young master in the room with the painter (chapter 57), though the latter was a patient too. He had a wounded wrist. The physician should have controlled Yoon Seungho’s fever, brought him water and even an infusion. His absence and passivity caught my attention. So what was he doing in the kitchen? Finally, the doctor is also connected to the shaman. Not only he mentioned him, but also there is the symbol of shamanism in his kitchen. Why did the gods want our couple to have their first “true” love session at the physician’s office? Somehow, it was to confront him with the truth. Finally, don’t you find it weird how Kim reacted (chapter 82), when the new version of Deok-Jae made the following suggestion to Kim: (chapter 82) Hence the doctor is not off the hook, quite the opposite.
  • Father Lee: he has a huge motivation to eliminate not only the painter, but also Min. The latter had denunciated Lee Jihwa’s crime to Yoon Seungho. Since I judge father Lee as someone suffering from Machiavellianism, he certainly plotted something behind Yoon Seungho, and not only once, but at least twice. Moreover, someone could have divulged to the patriarch that Black Heart had been responsible for the loss of his son’s topknot and his manipulations. Besides, Black Heart had witnessed the altercation between the Lees and Yoon Seungho (chapter 67), and discovered Lee Jihwa’s sodomy which was supposed to be a secret. The father is well aware that the main lead’s suffering is linked to the young master’s sexual orientation, which the father had always denied. His involvement could be detected, when he allowed one of his servants to be dragged to the gibang. (chapter 99) Finally, The Joker also heard father Lee’s humiliation and powerlessness. (chapter 67) He never asked for the authorities’ assistance, for his son’s crime could have come to the surface. And since there was a ruckus in the gibang, where his name was mentioned, he had another reason to kill lord Shin. With his disappearance, his son’s “crimes” would be buried. Moreover, his son never went to the bureau of investigation to clear his name. (chapter 101) Thus the fire could be seen as a desperate measure to cover the Lees’ culpability.
  • Because people are violating code dress, and they are wearing similar clothes to deceive people, I think that we should include the tailor in the list of suspects, but the one I am referring to is the one from chapter 64. (chapter 64) He can play a huge role by making a false testimony, as he can recognize the clothes ordered by the clients.
  • Finally, I would like to include these two men. (chapter 37) The latter had already disguised himself in season 1, and due to his age, no one would suspect his real nature or power. Then we have this faceless man from chapter 83: (chapter 83) I am not including Yoon Chang-Hyeon in this list, for he is not intelligent and cunning enough to develop such a plan. For me, he is just a pawn. Thus he never intervened on his own. He was always pushed by others’ suggestions. Yet, there is no ambiguity that the elder Yoon will be involved in a new plot.

To conclude, I am suspecting many people involved in lord Shin’s struggle and curtains. Thus expect in season 4 new plots again. Finally, I would like to underline the butler’s hypocrisy one more time. While he keeps saying to his master that he is a bird of misfortune, why is he remaining by his side? Dedication or love? I have my doubt, for he keeps badmouthing him. If this “curse” was true, how come that he did not suffer like the painter? And note that he has a drop of sweat on his face, the symbol for manipulations and lies. In my eyes, the words from the publication are reflecting the butler and Heena’s philosophy. Why? Both are trying to hide their own wrongdoings and bad choices. They are still in denial to admit their responsibility.

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: The shadowy plot(s) 👀 from the past 🙊

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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

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There is a reason why I selected the illustration of season 4 for this essay, though my focus is the past, and more precisely Yoon Seungho’s suffering. It is because the darkness surrounding the protagonist not only refers to his tragic youth, but also it reflects the situation of the manhwalovers. The latter are still in the dark concerning his torment. His terrible secrets have not been totally unveiled. So far, the author allowed the readers to see glimpses of his past, like f. ex. the gangrape or the suicide of his mother. But these were just small pieces of the puzzle, thus it is still impossible to have a complete picture of his martyrdom. There are many reasons for this. The main victim never testified about his suffering, he refused to open up to Baek Na-Kyum. (chapter 84) Then many witnesses vanished (chapter 86) or the ones alive preferred telling lies in order to hide their own wrongdoings or are simply in denial about their own culpability. Finally, the victim, the perpetrators and accomplices had no idea about the whole truth. They only know or knew certain facts, because many of them were deceived as well. What exactly happened to Yoon Seungho? How could this take place, though he belonged to one of the most powerful noble families? Now, you are probably expecting that I will give you answers to all these questions, and recreate the past. But I have to admit that it is not possible, for I don’t know the whole chronology. Consequently, I added “shadowy” in the title. To conclude, my real intention is more to offer new pieces from the riddle than create a whole new “story”. The main source for this new insight is the painter’s fate which is a reflection from the noble’s past and torment. This means that Byeonduck left traces in season 1, 2 and 3! That’s how I discovered that he had been abandoned and betrayed by everyone, kidnapped, treated as a male kisaeng, robbed, abused, raped and even gangraped at least twice, tortured and finally drugged! But like mentioned above, it is difficult to give the proper order and the persons truly involved in the crimes. On the other hand, what I can guarantee is that Yoon Seungho’s nightmare is linked to conspiracies. I came to this conclusion, because if you compare all the seasons, you will detect the presence of plots. There exists at least 3 main plots in each season, though there definitely exist more. The conspiracies are all connected to incidents.

1. The conspiracies

To validate my theory, I will use the first season as an example. The incident with the ruined drawing was actually initiated by Min and his friend with the mole. Black Heart had slapped his friend (chapter 9), so that the latter visited Lee Jihwa to arouse his jealousy. It was to push him to commit a crime so that Baek Na-Kyum would be removed from the main lead’s side. As you can see, there were 3 people involved, though the readers only saw the result. (chapter 12) They had the impression that the red-haired master had acted on his own. However, he had been manipulated, incited to commit a crime. But my point is not to diminish his wrongdoing, rather to expose the involvement of the schemers. Hence at the end of season 1, the author unveiled their true role and as such their identities. (chapter 43) However, observe that when Lee Jihwa went to the pavilion, the noble with the mole had other guests. 2 nobles left the place, as they refused to participate in a murder. (chapter 43) Funny is that they are now witnesses of Min’s crime. This can have repercussions in season 4. Black Heart had been the one who had suggested the assassination to Lee Jihwa. And the aristocrats were still there, when he had made this proposition. (chapter 43) But the two empty seats also serve as a metaphor for the existence of other helping hands: Kim and No-Name! The latter was about to get hired by the young master. Hence I deduce that this scene was to display the existence of accomplices who had always been acting in the shadow. Or we could say that the number of conspirators increased! However, I would like to point out the existence of a second conspiracy: the stolen wine. (chapter 19) And this is related to Kim and the gibang. Yet, the butler ruined Black Heart’s plan. To conclude, we have two main plotters in season 1, but the butler’s bad intentions were not detected, for Yoon Seungho’s bad actions were more eye-catching. People had the impression that the valet was defending the artist’s best interest. From my point of view, the number of persons involved in the plot kept increasing, as they needed more and more accomplices. The reason is that their plans didn’t work out like expected. At the end of season 3, Min involved the kisaengs in the gibang, while Kim asked the assistance of the staff, the maids (chapter 91) and the servants (chapter 97). Thus I deduce that in the past, the same must have happened. Many people were involved in the downfall of Yoon Seungho and his family. But who was the real target in the end? It is difficult to say with 100% certainty.

While Min serves as a reflection from the main mastermind in the past, his actions are not entirely clear. Note that he kept changing his mind and heart. On the one hand, he wished to have the painter killed, then later to have the young artist by his side as a source of entertainment. Yet, there is no doubt that he wished to have sex with Baek Na-Kyum right from the start. (chapter 8) Thus in season 2, he came to this resolution: (chapter 56) He had planned to rape him before having him eliminated. This shows his inner conflict. From my point of view, the painter’s death is connected to the incident in the gibang. (chapter 1) Baek Na-Kyum was a witness of Min’s wrongdoing, just like the painter was a witness and victim of his crimes in the shrine. (chapter 99) One thing is sure: Min was full of greed and jealousy. He was determined to harm and ruin Yoon Seungho. Hence I come to the deduction that the real target of the conspiracy in the past was Yoon Chang-Hyeon. And his son was used against him.

Interesting is that in the first season, the plots were not obvious, except one: the painter’s murder! The conspiracies only came to light, when the readers paid attention to details. The best example is the incident with the open door: (chapter 16) This doesn’t look like a crime. However, it is one! It was done on purpose, to separate the couple. Someone had intervened in order to interrupt this session, and as such someone had been spying on them. Deok-Jae only revealed his spying activity from chapter 16 in season 2: (chapter 53) Yet, the one opening the door had been Kim. This gesture can be considered as trespassing and invasion of privacy, the new version of this scene. (chapter 16) But instead of revealing the truth, the butler sided with Lee Jihwa, and allowed him to trespass the propriety again. In my eyes, the butler thought (chapter 17) that Yoon Seungho would come to perceive the painter as a man consumed by lust. He imagined that he would caught them fooling around. As you can see, this ruckus was also a plot, though it doesn’t look like one. Why would the maids gossip in the courtyard? (chapter 18) From my point of view, the valet expected that the lord would fear people’s gaze and a scandal. Thus he would send away the painter to protect his “reputation”, but the opposite happened. Under this perspective, the manhwalovers can grasp why it is difficult to calculate accurately the number of plots and accomplices. Besides, some were naïve pawns, others not. And since I examined the first season more closely, it is necessary to analyze the vanishing of Jung In-Hun. His disappearance is strongly intertwined with Yoon Seungho’s secret. How so? The learned sir was determined to find the lord’s vulnerability and as such secret.

2. The scholar’s disappearance

Many readers have the impression that the learned sir is still alive, for they never saw his corpse or his execution. Since they had somehow witnessed Jung In-Hun’s departure, they knew that the learned sir could not have been killed in his humble home. I had already detected very early on, like other manhwaphiles, that the murder scene had been staged. (chapter 88) Thus many readers jumped to the conclusion that the learned sir had already switched sides and was plotting against the main lead. They had his following words in their mind: (chapter 29) Thus many concluded that he had participated in the prank, faking his death. On the other hand, the manhwalovers believed to have seen Heena’s death! (chapter 99) However, observe that we never saw her corpse. She was still alive in this panel. I had already pointed out that her murder was actually faked. Her mouth was not covered, hence she could have screamed, but she remained silent (blank speech bubble). Secondly, she never moved her legs… contrary to Yoon Seungho’s behavior in the gibang. (chapter 68) That’s the reason why I came to the conclusion that Heena’s curtains didn’t take place. Hence I deduced that in the past, someone’s death must have been “faked” too and this vanishing must have affected the main lead’s fate. The other deduction is that the learned sir must be “dead”, as the author is working with positive and negative reflections. I had already presented this theory in two different compositions (“That day” and “The secret behind the library“) However, for each murder, the culprit must have a strong motive. For me, the mastermind behind his death is the pedophile himself. This man, (chapter 37) who is the king in my eyes. [For more read the essay “The face of lord Song“]

3. The reasons for the assassination

Why would he eliminate the learned sir? In the past, I had said that he had ordered it out of jealousy. He believed that Jung In-Hun had become Yoon Seungho’s lover, for his brother had mistaken his identity. (chapter 37) Since Baek Na-Kyum was wearing a hanbok, Yoon Seung-Won thought that the person hidden under the hanbok was no commoner! Thus he called him a fellow. However, this motive is quite thin! Yet, two new details caught my attention. His visit to the “fake shaman” and his request. Notice what he told the man:(chapter 29) He was announcing to the dark haired man his true intention. He desired to abandon and betray Yoon Seungho the moment he reached the first place in the civil service examination. He saw him as a burden. This is important, because his words represent a confession of his “sin”!! The scholar was admitting to the commoner that once he reached the first place, he would cut off his ties with the protagonist. But actually, the latter is connected to the pedophile. It was, as if he was saying that he would betray the king, for the young main lead is close to the king. On the other hand, he needed to reach the first place for this. And now, you have the explanation why he got killed. He needed to vanish, before he participated in the next round! The mysterious lord Song needed to remove him, before Jung reached the first place and betrayed his “lover”. In a certain way, the man could justify his action that he has been protecting Yoon Seungho from a future betrayal. However, there is no ambiguity that the true motive was jealousy. But he had naturally another motivation. It was important that the lord’s past never came to light either, as his secret was strongly intertwined with the ruler’s past actions. To conclude, the pedophile had every reason to order his assassination. But he was not the only one behind his death. Other people had an interest in this crime as well.

Jung In-Hun’s ”dream” stands in opposition to Yoon Seungwon‘s statement who somehow promised his father that he would reach first place. That’s the reason why the father boasted in the bedchamber. (chapter 86) However, in reality, he was relying on the king’s help and intervention. And this confession to the “fake shaman” represents the learned sir’s karma. He had asked the painter to act like a spy (chapter 24), not realizing that he could be spied himself! He didn’t grasp that he exposed his weakness to the commoner: the civil service examination. Thus the man had constantly drops of sweat on his face and interrogated Jung In-Hun. (chapter 29) The girl was there to create a certain closeness. He was acting like Kim, asking why! But the stupid and arrogant learned sir thought that because the man was a commoner, he was ignorant and could be manipulated like the painter! (chapter 29) He thought that the low-born would buy his lie here… but in my eyes, it was the opposite. He had already perceived the learned sir’s true nature. But he acted, as if he was agreeing. In other words, the scholar fell into his own trap. He envisioned that the man was “powerless”, but he overlooked his connections. The manhwalovers can see the contradiction, for he had approached the man due to his connections! .As you can see, I am more than ever convinced that the scholar has long been murdered. He was betrayed, exactly like he had planned to abandon Yoon Seungho! The pedophile must have heard from the servant about Jung’s plan, as he had confided it to the worker!!

Thus the man decided to meet Jung In-Hun himself, and give him a warning. He described the Yoons as powerless due to the purge. (chapter 37) But this doesn’t end here. (chapter 37) Yoon Chang-Hyeon was portrayed as a traitor! The “fake servant” implied with his statement that there was a conspiracy, and the patriarch was involved. But in exchange to save his own skin, he had tattled on the others! He was trying to insinuate that if Jung In-Hun interacted more with the Yoons, his reputation could get tainted. He could get suspected of “treason” too, or he could get betrayed too. While the man met the learned sir during the day, the brother went to the villa in a hurry during the night. (chapter 37) So it looked like the “scholar” had not grasped the warning. And if Yoon Seungwon had been informed about the content of the conversation between the learned sir and the “fake shaman”, it is not surprising that he rushed to his brother’s side. He could use this opportunity to warn him about a betrayal. However, he couldn’t do it so, because he imagined that the learned sir was present. This would explain this image: (chapter 36) Hence he chose a different approach: filial duty. And the brother’s observation could only corroborate the pedophile’s perception. The scholar was Yoon Seungho’s lover, but he was also a backstabber. But let’s return our attention to the “mysterious lord Song”‘s statement: Yoon Chang-Hyeon is a denunciator, not a man of honor. (chapter 37) Due to his denunciation and crime, he had to leave the mansion so suddenly leaving the protagonist behind. That’s what the old bearded man implied here. However, I believe that this declaration is a mixture of truth and lie! That’s how I could make the sudden connection: (Chapter 67) Lee Jihwa had not only been denunciated, but he had been confronted by his friend! And the traitor was right by his side. As you can see, chapter 67 was a reflection from episode 37!! These two episodes have another common denominator: the betrayer had made the following suggestion. (chapter 67) In exchange for his “survival”, he should help Black Heart and allow him to act on his behalf. This was the new plan. That’s how he started impersonating Lee Jihwa. That’s the reason why I come to the conclusion that in the past, the impersonation must have happened, but it took place in the beginning. Secondly, I am assuming that a traitor must have suggested to Yoon Chang-Hyeon to leave the mansion and abandon his son behind! (chapter 27) And who is it? For me, it is Kim acting on the pedophile’s behalf. Striking is that in episode 27, the learned sir escaped death thanks to the intervention of the old bearded domestic and Baek Na-Kyum. Thus it came to my mind that the pedophile could even claim that he had eliminated the learned sir, because Yoon Seungho had attempted himself to kill him in the past. He had acted on his behalf. And what do have all these chapters have in common? SPYING and tattling! In episode 27, the servant unveiled a part of the past, (chapter 27) Someone had tattled on the Yoons in the past, but the patriarch was turned into the traitor himself which the young main lead came to believe. Thus Yoon Seungho could say this to his father: (chapter 86) However, I am suspecting that this is not true, someone else tattled on the powerful family and made a false accusation! As you can imagine, I am inclined to think that father Lee must have been behind this! Why? It is because he can no longer do it! Thus in season 3, he approached the patriarch Yoon. (chapter 82) If the lord Seungho had truly committed a crime, he should have reported it to the authorities. The stupid Yoon Chang-Hyeon never wondered why the elder Lee visited him during the night and asked for his assistance. Furthermore, the elder Lee had been allowed to enter the bedchamber and see the huge drawing which could have been perceived as a sign of treason. He was eyeing at the throne. (chapter 82) Note that the aristocrat mentioned “punishment” in this context. So maybe, he denunciated the patriarch so that the whole family would get punished. Father Lee was definitely played in this scene, hence I believe that someone had already anticipated his reactions. He would seek revenge. But this doesn’t end here. I had connected “rash departure” to “treason and spying”. And now, observe what Yoon Seungho said to his butler (chapter 50) He had sent Jung In-Hun away in order to get rid of him! However, because of the expression “I thought”, I am quite certain that this idea had been suggested to him by the valet! I would like to underline that in this episode, the valet was acting as a tattler! (chapter 50) But in order to hide his own crime, he portrayed it as a rumor (It may not be accurate”). This truly underlines the butler’s MO. He used information and turned it as gossips to hide his spying activities. The shadow… Simultaneously, he turned gossips into a verity!! This is no coincidence that in season 3, the same method was employed. Yoon Seungho was supposed to have murdered the scholar and Deok-Jae! My avid readers can sense the leitmotiv in all these episodes. RUMORS are turned into a reality, and as such a CRIME! Even here… (chapter 37) (chapter 37) But Kim is not the only spy and traitor! The younger brother Seungwon is also one! Thus he was introduced in the same chapter. And I have an irrefutable evidence that the old bearded man was in contact with the younger master. Only recently, I realized that the man never mentioned the protagonist’s name, he just said “this one”. This idiom implies that there is another one!!! This is the evidence that he was in contact with Yoon Seungwon. Finally, why would the man talk about the elder master Yoon the entire time? It is, because technically Yoon Seungho is just the elder son. This means that the pedophile never officially gave the title to the protagonist. These were empty words. (chapter 86) But since our beloved man started living in the bedchamber, this became a reality. That’s the other reason why Yoon Seungho was encouraged to live in debauchery and not to take the civil service examination. But this only occurred, the moment the lord returned living in the mansion and not before!! Secondly, I realized that this statement about Yoon Chang-Hyeon will become a reality for the “fake servant” himself. (chapter 37) Not only he justified his return to the familial domain with the main lead’s lunacy (“under the pretense of some problem with this one”), but also he accused his own son of a crime. (chapter 94) This means that he acted as a traitor, tattling on his own relative. Finally, observe that once confronted with brutal reality, the father did run away. (chapter 87) The white bearded man’s words became a reality. However, since the fake servant, the mysterious lord Song, judges the elder master Yoon as a troublemaker and hypocrite, there is no ambiguity that the elder master Yoon will get into trouble. Since he did it in the past, he can only get suspected in the present.

Besides, because the scholar is now dead, the pedophile can only put the whole blame on someone else refusing to become responsible for this. He has always acted in the shadow. We have three possibilities: he puts the blame on Yoon Seungwon, and say that he had done it out of jealousy. Or Yoon Chang-Hyeon had intervened, because Jung represented an hindrance to the Yoons’ dream. Besides, he was supposed to stay in the mansion in Hanyang, and that’s where the rest of the family is living. (chapter 86) But the worst would be that the painter is blamed for his assassination. He did it out of resent! But this would expose the true thoughts of the schemers, the pedophile and Kim. That’s how they act, when they feel offended and bothered.

Striking is that the protagonist has no idea, that the banishment was staged, for he was told the same lie. In his mind, the father lives in exile.: (chapter 37) One thing is sure: the father’s dream will turn out to be an illusion. For me, the younger brother’s biggest wrongdoings are spying, tattling and badmouthing. And the best evidence for this interpretation is this situation: (chapter 44) He had given the ruined painting to his father, putting the blame on his brother, well aware that the latter would get angry. He was observing his father’s reaction. (chapter 44) Yet, there is a difference to the past. Here, he had been fooled! He truly believed that this was his brother’s doing, whereas in truth the butler had been the one who had fooled him. (chapter 38) And this is important, because when the letter was given to the brother, Jung In-Hun witnessed the wrongdoing from the butler!! (chapter 38) And now, you know why the learned sir had to die!! He had caught the valet in the act. He had betrayed Yoon Seungho, though he didn’t realize it. The learned sir tried to discover the content of the letter, and as such was prying on his sponsor’s weakness.(chapter 38) Hence I come to the conclusion that KIM played a huge role in the learned sir’s death as well. I would even say that he was the one who pushed the others to have the scholar and the painter killed. Both knew about the butler’s tricks without realizing his significance. (chapter 37) Hence I deduce that as the story progressed, the role of the butler started changing. Now, I see him as a the main plotter, while all the others are now his pawns. We could say that the valet has gradually followed the pedophile’s path. However, there is no ambiguity that it was not the same in the past!

4. A new plot

I am quite certain that many manhwalovers are doubting my theory that the fake servant is the king and the main culprit in Yoon Seungho’s nightmare. Why? It is because in chapter 83, we saw a dark haired man, and according to Lee Jihwa, this was the mysterious lord Song. (chapter 83) How can he be the same than the one from episode 37? The change of his hair color could be explained by a huge shock. But this is rather thin as a justification. Besides, now I am more inclined to think that these are two different persons, and that the main culprit is the one from episode 37. Why? It is because he smoked and utilized the same expression: “strange”. (chapter 37) An idiom that Yoon Seungho constantly utilized: chapter 16, chapter 21, chapter 50, chapter 71 (chapter 71). This means that he couldn’t understand, for he has a different way of thinking. This outlines his narrow-mindedness and his tendency to plan everything. He doesn’t like surprises.

Since the readers saw the hanbok and the beard, they imagine that he is the main culprit. But I would like the readers to keep in mind that Baek Na-Kyum’s fate is the clue about the main lead’s suffering. And how many people desired to have him by their side? TWO! Yoon Seungho and Min…. and we could say that both kidnapped the artist! The main lead did it in episode 1, and the other in episode 99! This means that Yoon Seungho should have two main sexual abusers in the past! However, in difference to the young lord, the painter only had sex with the main lead. Min always failed to taste him! That’s the reason why I am suspecting that the man from chapter 83 could represent the “first sexual abuser”. Besides, observe that he is not smoking! (chapter 83)

Because we saw the purple hanbok, we all imagined that he was representing the king or was connected to the palace. But is it true? Notice that one of the guests only has a moustache beard (chapter 83) which is actually connected to commoners. [For more read the essay “Painful departures“] Remember that Min tried to deceive people by wearing a similar hanbok which Lee Jihwa would often wear. (chapter 69) Hence I started wondering if the mysterious man with the beard was not impersonating someone, for example “lord Song” and in reality he was just a merchant. Why merchant? It is related to the shungas and the hanboks. The king can not be involved in trading directly. However, this is what Yoon Seungho told to the learned sir: (chapter 22) Nevertheless, the main lead could have never been involved in commerce, for he lived as a prisoner for many years. And this is what was said about the ruler: (chapter 76) He is not so wealthy. How come? Yoon Seungho’s fortune must have a different origin.

Besides, I would like to outline that when Min was facing the ghost Yoon Seungho, he denied his responsibility by putting the blame on the childhood friend: (chapter 102) Min had never predicted that the young master would run to his friend and denunciate him to Yoon Seungho. However, since Black Heart had employed the assistance of servants (chapter 101) , the kisaengs (chapter 95) (chapter 96), the officer (chapter 98), No-Name, the doctor with the drugs and butler Kim, this signifies that behind the name Lee Jihwa stand many people! As you can see, the name “lord Song” doesn’t refer to one person, but many… My theory is that No-Name is the true owner of the title, but that’s how he ended up losing his home and his name! That’s the reason why I believe that in this image (chapter 83), we only see one of many persons hiding behind the name “lord Song”. To conclude, I came to the theory that the men from chapter 37 and 83 are both “lord Song”, though the one from episode 37 can only be the king. But if the man in episode 83 was impersonating lord Song, and as such was dressed up as a royal, he was actually violating laws.

I would like to point out that Min had three goals, not only to ruin Yoon Seungho, but also to get rid of Baek Na-Kyum and Lee Jihwa. Why? It is because he had framed them for the incident in the gibang. (chapter 1) Furthermore, Lee Jihwa could testify that Black Heart was the mastermind of the murder. Thus I deduce that in the past, the mastermind must have had three intentions as well:

  • remove Yoon Chang-Hyeon from his son’s side. That way, he could outlive his sexual fantasies. (chapter 50)
  • ruin the Yoons which represented a thorn to his power, hence the young man was incited to hate and blame his father.
  • get rid of all the potential witnesses and accomplices.

We shouldn’t overlook that Min used to be the main lead’s sexual partner too. Hence we could say that he was trying to get rid of a former lover and potential rival! That’s why I can’t help myself thinking that the man in purple could have been fooled himself. (chapter 83) Here, he was smiling… but don’t forget that in this story, karma always retaliates immediately! The best example is the scholar who wished to discover the noble’s secret, but didn’t realize that his vulnerability and intentions were revealed. In episode 83, this smiling man tried to drive an edge between the two childhood friends, and he could definitely witness how the two sons entered the room before the arrival of the elders! Therefore his punishment should have been separation as well. (chapter 83) The main lead was slapped and called animal, hence there is no ambiguity that at some point, the man must have suffered as well, unless he let others take the fall for him. We know for sure that the main lead was tortured, and as such arrested for a crime he didn’t commit! Besides, I would like the manhwaworms to keep in mind the importance of cosplay and “coup de théâtre”. We had the perfect illustration in chapter 37, (chapter 71) chapter 87) and episode 92. The schemers in the past had definitely played with illusions and tricks. Thus I am expecting that it is now the pedophile’s turn to get fooled.

One possibility is that father Lee denunciated the Yoons saying that they were planning a coup d’Etat, and had already selected a new king. And don’t forget that he was wearing clothes that was indicating that he belonged to the royal family!! Thus his identity could have been mistaken. To conclude, for me, the man with the purple hanbok represents the reason why Yoon Seungho suffered. This led to the purge of the noble families close to the Yoons. But since the real “lord Song” had allowed people to use his name, he became the culprit for all the wrongdoings committed by others. Hence he lost everything. (chapter 82)

5. The poisoning

Another possibility is that the man with the purple hanbok got poisoned, and Yoon Seungho was framed for the man’s death or injury. I am suspecting a poisoning incident in the past. If it didn’t take place during that fateful night/day (chapter 83), then it definitely must have taken place before. But how did I come to this conclusion? According to my observations, karma always retaliates right away, though the “wrongdoer” has no idea, as the person doesn’t see the connection between the “punishment” and the sin. But I would like to point out that in each season, we had poisoning. (chapter 36) Here, the painter was forced to take an aphrodisiac under the pretense of his health. This action was repeated in season 2 (chapter 54) and 3. (chapter 100) The nobles made him smoke opium or drink the aphrodisiac. The purpose of such drugs is to obtain the painter’s submission and control his mind and reactions. Striking is that each time, the perpetrators were “punished”. Kim was insulted and his plan didn’t work out. (chapter 37) As for the young lords, they were evicted like commoners and later the others were even killed. As you can see, each time the poison was employed, there was a retaliation.

But note that in season 2, Deok-Jae had put stones in the painter’s rice. (chapter 47) (chapter 47) If the painter had not eaten with the lord, the latter would have never noticed the incident. However, he believed the maids’ words. (chapter 47) Hence he never investigated the matter. But this prank represented a serious issue. This could have been judged as an attempt against the owner of the mansion. (chapter 47) And now look at this panel: (chapter 83) Yoon Seungho had refused to take the drug! The bowl reminded me of the one from chapter 47! Finally, the butler had tried to give his master the drug in season 3 (chapter 77), but the latter had again rejected it and this twice. (chapter 77) Kim calls the drug “medicinal tea”, truly an euphemism. It is also possible that the real target of the poisoning was Yoon Seungho, but since he was protected by the gods, someone ended up taking the “drug”. Because he was wearing a purple hanbok, the investigator mistook his identity, a royal member. Hence the Yoons were suspected of treason. Don’t forget that during this party, there was a kisaeng by their side. (chapter 83) And the latter are trained to cook dishes for the clients. My avid readers are certainly recalling that since season 2, I have been waiting for a poisoning incident which became a reality at the end of season 3. Thus I come to the conclusion, that such an incident should be shown in season 4, one in the past and the other in the present.

To conclusion, since many people were hiding behind the name “lord Song”, it became a taboo. However, as the king had achieved all his goals thanks to this name, (chapter 56), he came to adopt this title in order to hide his identity and actions. Byeonduck explained in her notes that Baek Na-Kyum had no idea about Min’s name. And this is the same for Yoon Seungho. The pedophile could continue hiding behind “lord Song”, as the latter was blamed for everything. The pedophile could divert attention from his own tricks. That’s the reason why he would never write any letter to Yoon Seungho under this name. This means that at the end, the main culprit, the king, will be perceived as the main responsible for Yoon Seungho’s torment, similar to Min’s situation, just before got killed. Though many other people were involved, Yoon Seungho was able to judge the joker’s actions correctly, he was the main mastermind behind the plots. This explicates why the gods made Yoon Seungho forget the old bearded men’s face. (chapter 44) This was a blessing in disguise. The moment the main lead faces the king, Yoon Seungho will be able perceive the truth. The king was behind his torment, and the butler had been his helping hand all along, the professional spy planted in his family. However, I don’t think that the monarch will admit his crimes and apologize for his wrongdoings. He will need a scapegoat, and this can only be the butler, the only one who knows the truth!

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: The riddle of the enigmatic covers🔍🕵️‍♂️ (second version)

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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.

The purpose of this essay is not just to interpret the illustrations for each season, but also to anticipate the future illustration of season 4. However, before revealing my new knowledge, it is important to explain how I came to develop these significations. This means that I will present new pieces of the puzzle “Painter Of The Night”. Everything started with this panel. (chapter 9)

1. The slap and hands

The noble with the mole had a red cheek and a bruised lip indicating that he had been slapped. Yet contrary to the painter, he had wounded on his right side. (chapter 1) This means that no one had witnessed the wrongdoing committed on the anonymous lord. However, it is important, because it exposes how a person committing a wrongdoing could escape scolding and punishment, even from the readers. There was no witness! Only an attentive reader could detect this. Hence you have the explanation why Yoon Seungho suffered for so long. There was either no witness or the persons chose to close an eye and remained silent. Since it was the negative reflection from Baek Na-Kyum’s slap and the main lead had used his right hand (chapter 11), I deduced that the culprit was left-handed. That’s how I could identify the culprit, lord Min. The lord was in reality left-handed. We could observe this in chapter 8 , episode 19 , chapter 33 and episode 43, but also in episode 76 , in chapter 96 , in episode 100 and finally in chapter 102 ! Yet, in other occasions like in episode 33 or 43, or 52 , he used his right hand! Thus one might argue that Min was simply ambidextrous. However, I can prove 100% that Black Heart is left-handed!😮 The evidence is the usage of the bow. (chapter 22) This is how a right-handed man shoots an arrow. On the other hand, we never saw Min using the bow. The bird was already wounded by the arrows, when the scene of the second hunt took place. (chapter 41) However, the manhwaphiles can discover the verity thanks to one detail: the bag of arrows. (chapter 22) As you can see, the bag is carried on the right side, but the arrows are almost touching the left shoulder. They need to be on the other side, since the scholar needs his right hand to grab the item. And now compare the position of Min’s bag. It is inclined in the opposite direction, hence the arrows are visible on his right side! (chapter 41) Thus the noble is carrying the bag (chapter 41) differently from the painter too. (chapter 22) Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why Byeonduck never showed the Joker’s hunting skills. People would have noticed that he is left-handed immediately. She made sure to hide this important fact, thus within the same chapter Min was often portraying as using both hands. In episode 43, he employed his left hand to pour the alcohol in the glass, but then he switched the hand(chapter 43), when he gave the drink to Lee Jihwa.

This raised the following question. Why is he ambidextrous, though he prefers his left hand? It is because he has been conditioned to use his right hand. In Latin, sinister means left. This explicates why left is associated to sinister, dark and bad omen. Thus there exists this superstition that being left-handed is evil or a bad sign!! Till the end of the 20th Century, people in Europe were encouraged to write with their right hand. And now, if you compare all the scenes, where he employed his left-hand, you will detect that he was acting under the influence of his subconscious. In chapter 8, he was lusting after the painter; explicating why he got mad at his friend. Because of his nagging, Min could no longer ask his host to let the painter join the sex party. Therefore it is no coincidence that he slapped his friend with his left hand. Finally, we never saw his departure from the bedchamber! (chapter 9) Here, he was still present, but even before the end of the sex session, he had already vanished. (chapter 9) Finally, when the noble with the mole visited Lee Jihwa, the latter claimed that he had spent a long time at Yoon Seungho’s. (chapter 9), and his friend never denied it. As you can see, the characters made sure to confuse the readers with the change of the chronology. As you can see, it took me a long time before noticing the bruised face (only during season 3), then to bring up the conclusive evidence that Min was the culprit of the slap. Then in the shaman’s house, he took the dildo with his left hand, because he was angry and frustrated. (chapter 100) With the same hand, he pushed Jihwa (chapter 100) too. This shows that he could barely control himself here. And once he faced the main lead’s sword, he got so scared that he showed Jung In-Hun’s glasses with his left hand again. (chapter 102) Due to stress and his strong emotions, he exposed his true self, but since the readers were more focused on the actions and Min’s punishment, they never paid attention to his hand. This contrasts so much to the way the author portrayed Yoon Seungho. She often zoomed on his hands. (chapter 92) The irony is that in this scene, the main lead employed his left hand too, the positive reflection from the night in the pavilion (chapter 43). While here it was to bring him back to reality, in the pavilion, the Joker had the opposite intention: to lure Lee Jihwa to believe in illusions. (chapter 43).

Why did she confuse the readers then? It was to hide an important information, the culprit is left-handed!! And now it is necessary to examine the lord’s nightmare.

2. The hand in the nightmare

If you read my previous analyses about the visions, you are aware of my following observation. The visions represent not only memories, but also predictions. (chapter 74) They announce the future events, though the information is not given properly. On the other hand, since they are memories either, this signifies that they contain insight about the lord’s tragedy. Thus I noticed that the anonymous perpetrator used his left hand to grab his hanbok!! I deduced that the perpetrator in the past is also left-handed!! Secondly, since this vision can also be seen as the announcement of the painter’s second kidnapping, this is no coincidence that Byeonduck created such panels during the painter’s last torment. (chapter 99) However, in the shaman’s temple, Black Heart grabbed Baek Na-Kyum with his right hand. He was trying to manipulate the artist, he was acting. He was not showing his true self. Yet, the vision was revealing the truth: the future mastermind of the last scheme was in reality left-handed!! It didn’t matter, because at the end, the main lead was able to discern the truth. He sentenced Black Heart, for he believed that he had killed his loved one! That’s how I realized why the author would focus so much on the hands and on the distinction between unconscious and conscious! The hand in Painter Of The Night represents the crucial clue to identify the culprits!!

3. The illustrations and the mystery

Because of these new discoveries, I realized the signification of the covers. In season 1, we had the hands in the illustration. The hands were revealing the crime committed against the main lead. The latter was totally passive in this picture. The hands are touching and unclothing the immobile man. It also shows that Yoon Seungho was at the center of the conspiracy, in the past and in the present! The painting in the background indicates the presence of a hidden painter. Thus Baek Na-Kyum was not drawn in the cover. The painter of the night was in truth someone else, the painter from the past! Nevertheless, the main lead was looking at the readers, indirectly at Baek Na-Kyum, the young painter of the night. This describes the arrival of Baek Na-Kyum in his life. Striking is that the painting in the background was destroyed… indicating that the portrayed relationship was no longer existent. This represents another clue that the lord’s suffering is linked to a previous relationship. Then in season 2, the author revealed Baek Na-Kyum as the painter, who had now become the target of the plot. Yet behind him we see Yoon Seungho’s foot. The latter symbolizes the main lead feared to get close to him, but he wouldn’t leave his side. Moreover, this corresponds to the lord’s impulsive decisions, he let his foot guide him. Thus during the first night of the failed gangrape, he walked towards the study and stopped unconsciously, when he was next to the room. (chapter 53) Due to his strong denial, he was strolling not realizing that his feet were under the influence of his subconscious. And it was the same, when he opened the door with his foot at the Lees’ (chapter 67) Nonetheless, I believe that the author had another reason to draw the foot in the cover. The foot prints are the evidence of the crime, and as such the deceptions and the culprits. (chapter 59) (chapter 60) (chapter 61) The shoes were the clues how to recognize the perpetrators and accomplices. That’s why I compared these feet (chapter 59) with those . (chapter 66) My avid readers are already aware of my theory. For me, we have two kidnappers, and one tried to kill the artist! To conclude, Byeonduck left the clues how to unveil the mystery from the past and the present in the illustrations of each season. The paper in the second cover is a reference to the forged letter (chapter 56), but also to the theft of the painting (chapter 56) and the painter’s break! At the end of season 2, he was no longer painting and in the beginning, he had also stopped due to his heartbreak. Simultaneously, we have the presence of water which serves as a connection to season 1 with the ruined painting and to season 3 with the well and drowning. The dark shades were an allusion to the lord’s darkness and suffering. The latter would come to the surface. However, since the cover only showed the lord’s foot, it exposes that the lord would not divulge his traumatic past. (chapter 78) In season 3, this time the main leads were facing each other, they were recognizing each other: their true self! But this stands in opposition to the deceased people without identity! (chapter 94) We never saw the face of the corpses, as they were either covered (chapter 97) or the manhwaphiles could only view the hand, , the back (chapter 97) or the clothes and shoes (chapter 100)! And since Min had disguised himself as Lee Jihwa, it was clear that the deceased shouldn’t be identified by their clothes, but by their faces. As you can see, season 3 was about the face and identity! This indicates that in the past, someone had been not identified correctly!! Why? It is because the main lead has long repressed this memory. He had forgotten his face out of fear and hatred. The only thing the victim remembers is the BEARD, and old bearded men! (chapter 44) And the nightmare exposed the number of persons involved in his suffering: 4 men!! Here, we have 3 men, and don’t forget the left hand from before. (chapter 74) But if I include the painting, then I come to 6 people: the patriach Yoon Chang-Hyeon and the king. This coincides with the cover from season 1: 3 hands indicates 3 people and we have two lovers in the background. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget the peeper, the person Yoon Seungho was looking at. Hence we have 6 people involved in the conspiracy.

But what caught my attention is that the illustration of season 2 and 3 are showing locations: the painter’s study and the bedchamber. Thus I conclude that Byeonduck was revealing the places where a crime was committed in the past and in the present. In the study, the painter lost his virginity, he was bullied or slapped, while in the past, Lee Jihwa stole Yoon Seungho’s first kiss. So in my opinion, the illustration for season 4 should be the gibang, unless we assume that the cover of season 1 is a reference to the kisaeng house! (chapter 1) Anyway, from my point of view, the cover of season 4 should indicate a location which is connected to the town. Why? It is because now I am suspecting commoners to be involved in the lord’s suffering. I have already expressed my theories about Kim, the guard blacks, Heena and the physician. But there are more suspects! Moreover, observe that the kisaeng house is not only visited by aristocrats, but also by commoners. (chapter 99) That’s the reason why I am anticipating a cover with the gibang. It would be the perfect place to find closure for the couple. It is a place where both suffered. Moreover, I think, belongings should serve as an evidence for the identification of the schemers and accomplices. Remember that we had the glasses as the evidence of a murder in season 3, yet I am sensing that the possession should serve to identify the perpetrators from the past and the present. Since the clothes were used to confuse people in season 3, I am assuming that in season 4, they should help to recognize people, but at the same time, it is totally possible that our main leads decide to employ the same method to fool the schemers and accomplices. And now, we have the cover for season 4. Both protagonists are not only facing each other, but also touching each other. They are no longer hiding their emotions and thoughts. This image represents the opposite to the other seasons. At the same time, the author is again referring to the bedchamber indicating that this place is strongly connected to the protagonists’ suffering. On the other side, since the painter is wearing a silk white shirt, it implies that he is not a commoner. This panel indicates that the main lead was able to the true owner of the study and even bed. However, due to the tears, the beholder can sense that this season will be painful as well. Striking is that in the cover, they were either alone, or they were just looking at each other, hence they didn’t pay attention to their surroundings. Consequently, they couldn’t sense the presence of a plot and the schemers. This indicates that the couple is still not prepared to face new schemes. To sum up, the author selected such covers because she had planned to leave clues there about the mystery! But wait… I had outlined that the person who grabbed the young master Seungho was left-handed, and he played a huge role in the main lead’s downfall and suffering! But who is left-handed in this story?

4. The mysterious left-handed

Naturally, I investigated the matter right away. My first suspect was Kim, but he seems to be right-handed! (chapter 12) (chapter 56). But then I noticed that he carried his master on the left side. (chapter 57) Nevertheless, the person threatening the painter was right-handed. (chapter 66) and since it is for me the butler, he was not the person from the nightmare. That’s the reason why I am excluding him from the suspect list. For me, if he was involved in the past, it is because he lit the candles (chapter 74). Furthermore, don’t forget that in his nightmare, the author exposed the presence of plates with 3 candles (chapter 74) which were also used in the shaman’s house. Finally, in this picture, we have a right-handed person. (chapter 74) So Kim could have been the one silencing him with his hand.

Then I realized that Yoon Chang-Hyeon had also switched his hand. In season 3, he slapped his son with his left hand. (chapter 86) Hence his right cheek was red and he had a wounded lip. (chapter 86) On the other hand, at the doctor’s office, he employed his right-hand to keep his son by his side. (chapter 57). Why is there this change? The turning point was the prank in the bedchamber. (chapter 83) During that scene, the father slapped his son with both hands. First with the right (chapter 83), then with the left! Striking is that the author never showed, when the patriarch employed his left hand. The readers could only hear the sound, and see the result of the beating. Both cheeks were wounded. From my point of view, he was conditioned exactly like Min! He was not allowed to use his left hand, but the angrier he got, the less he could hide his true self: he was left-handed and he was a stupid and brutal father!! (chapter 74) However, note that this switch happened after the sexual abuse had started!! That’s the reason why I conclude that he is not the man from the nightmare. For me, the father is symbolized by the painting, just like the pedophile! So where is the left-handed person? So far, the fake servant smoked with his right hand. (chapter 37) On the other hand, I am doubting that Byeonduck will introduce many new characters in season 4. That’s the reason why I believe that the man with the pipe is the real schemer, as the pipe was in the annex. Since Min grabbed Baek Na-Kyum in the shaman’s house, I am more inclined to think that the perpetrator grabbing the young master Seungho by the collar was just an accomplice and not the mastermind. In other words, he was the helping hand.

And there are two persons left that fit the profile of a left-handed old bearded man. The physician!! 😮Notice that he placed his box on the left side and this twice!! (chapter 57) (Chapter 74) I don’t believe in hazard. Besides, the lord had his nightmare during the same chapter. This means that he could have leaked this information about Yoon Seungho to an outsider, like he did with the painter. As the manhwalovers can grasp, the physician is more suspicious than before.

As for the second person, it is none other than the calligrapher!! (chapter 92) Besides, observe that the angry man put the brush on the left side. (chapter 92) The man is left-handed! And what did Yoon Seungho do? (chapter 92) He grabbed him by the collar! Exactly like in the dream!! (chapter 74) Thus I had this sudden idea: the calligrapher could have been Yoon Seungho’s teacher!! The latter became jealous of the young master due to his talent and notoriety. Another possibility is that he was commissioned by the elder master Yoon to write a talisman, a spring poetry, as we have these writings on the door (chapter 44) or patio of his mansion, similar to Heena’s. And since the young main lead suffered so much, it is normal that he doesn’t have such believes. IT is also possible that the young master Seungho played a prank which made the man angry and humiliated. As you can see, I come to the conclusion that jealousy and resent were the reasons why he got involved in the first place. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget that the calligrapher is linked to the kisaengs! He even recognized Baek Na-Kyum, as he called him a peasant. (chapter 92) Yet, he was either perceived as servant, a noblewoman or as a sir so far! He was never recognized as a peasant. Since he could identify the artist, it is also possible that he was also able to identify Yoon Seungho. But he thought that he was not well educated after living as a male kisaeng for so long. From my point of view, the man could have decided to get revenge on Yoon Seungho and participated in his abduction and gangrape!! Thus his karma was to lose his home! (chapter 91) The fact that Yoon Seungho grabbed him the same way than in the nightmare is not random. It was, as if he was getting justice. Honestly, I am more and more suspecting that in the past, Yoon Seungho got raped by commoners! Naturally, I have not changed my mind that the king was behind this plot: to get revenge on the Yoons! Who benefitted the most from the crime? Definitely the king, as he was able to ruin their influence.

Finally, I would like to remind the readers that according to me, the tailor is involved in the lord’s past suffering. However, according to me, there exist two tailors. While the other called the main lead “lord Yoon Seungho” (chapter 39), the other only recognizes him as master Yoon. (chapter 64) This means that the latter knows about the existence of elder master Yoon. Like mentioned above, the calligrapher, the physician, the tailor, the fake servant and the “shaman” from chapter 29 have all one thing in common: the beard!!

5. The other accomplices: the hanbok and the beards

Byeonduck left pieces of the puzzle in the covers in order to unveil the truth about the past and the present. Hence the moment the illustration is released, try to examine it attentively. It definitely gives clues about the evolution of the story, and the evidences concerning the perpetrators and helping hands. My recent discoveries led me to develop the following theory: the involvement of merchants. This man (chapter 83) disguised himself and hide his true identity behind “lord Song”. But is he the king or someone else? He was definitely a pedophile, but since we can’t see his face, it is not certain that it was the king. (chapter 83) Striking is that he is not “smoking here”, yet I had outlined that one abuser was a heavy smoker due to Yoon Seungho’s behavior. (chapter 83) On the other hand, I discovered that the man with the green hanbok was smoking! And why doesn’t the patriarch suspect the king behind the plot? It is because he was never officially banished or sent to exile. Thus he explains his desertion from the mansion as an absence. (chapter 86) Let’s not forget that in season 3, clothes were used to deceive Yoon Seungho, and the authorities played along. Besides, as the painter had become the love interest of Yoon Seungho and Black Heart, it is very likely that in the past, the victim was exposed to two different abusers, but they all hid behind the name: lord Song. Note that during this feast, one man had a moustache beard which is in Painter Of The Night the sign that he is no yanbang, not even chungin, the upper-middle class. He could be a rich merchant. Just because they are all wearing hanboks (chapter 83) (chapter 87), this doesn’t mean that these men belong to the aristocracy. Furthermore, Kim never said “nobles”, he just said “visitors”!! Finally, I would like to point out that since Yoon Seungho lived secluded for 10 years, I doubt that he had the means and the knowledge to be involved in the trade: (chapter 22) This theory of the participation of a merchant got even reinforced, when I made the following discovery. The wooden boxes in season 1 were present at the tailor‘s shop!! (chapter 39) Thus I am deducing that the barn in season 2 (chapter 51) could have belonged to the tailor or the owner of this shop. And note the couple was in the same position than with the kisaeng with No-Name in episode 51! (chapter 51) This was the negative reflection from episode 39: no penetration versus penetration, no interruption versus interruption, no rumor versus rumor etc. And this contrast clearly displays that the tailor shop is involved in Yoon Seungho’s suffering. And the best evidence for this is the nightmare. The main lead’s clothes had a design. (chapter 74) and the readers never saw the protagonist wearing it so far!! So where is this special hanbok? The latter is the evidence of the tailor’s involvement, as he had to create it. To conclude, there is a strong connection between the gibang, the tailor and the trade. And now, you comprehend why I am more than ever suspecting commoners’ complicity in the main lead’s suffering.

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

Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho and his puzzled physician 🩺

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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.

Announcement: Byeonduck tweeted that season 4 will star in February! 🥳 The essay “Sexual education and love” has been updated.

I would like to remind my readers that for me, Byeonduck introduced three different physicians. [For more read the essay The mysterious doctor] On the other hand, the manhwaphiles already know which doctor I am referring to, the physician from chapter 57 and this because of this expression: “I am still puzzled”. (chapter 57) So in this short essay, I would like to present my new observations and interpretation concerning this intriguing man.

1. His beard

What caught my attention is his beard (chapter 57), as it resembles a lot to the ones from the yangbans. (chapter 67) . (chapter 86) His beard is so different from the commoners’. (chapter 45) This is important, because it reveals that the doctor belongs to a different social class: Chungin, the upper-middle class.

“Chungin (중인) Chungin” was the second-highest class in the society. People belonging to this class were considered as upper-middle-class of the society. It consisted of highly educated specialists, artists, astrologers, physicians, accountants, and low-level bureaucrats. To belong to this class, one had to pass the technical efficiency examination, called the Chapkwa, and hence, could become a Chungin. Chungin, similar to Yangban were also exempted from military service and paying taxes.” Quoted from https://hallyuism.com/2021/05/10/the-korean-society-during-the-joseon-dynasty/

It exposes that this man has a higher position than peasants and small merchants, the sangmin. The reason is simple. Since they had to pass an examination, this indicates that they have a certain knowledge. In other words, education serves as a mark of distinction among Joseon’s hierarchical society. It explicates why the calligrapher insulted Baek Na-Kyum. (chapter 92) The lords and chungin can look down on the commoners, sangmin and cheonmin, as the latter are not considered as educated, since they never had to pass an exam. Striking is that the physician voiced his ignorance in front of the painter which stands in opposition to his social status. (chapter 57) He was not able to diagnose Yoon Seungho’s illness. Thus the doctor could be perceived as selfless, honest, dedicated and humble. He is determined to do anything to find the proper solution. Thus many readers came to like the clueless physician. However, in my eyes, it is just an illusion again!!

2. The physician’s testimony

First of all, I detected a contradiction. The doctor claimed that he had not been able to help the father (chapter 57). But this is not correct, for he prescribed and gave the drug to the butler and as such the elder master Yoon. That’s why he said this: (chapter 57) Note that solution has two meanings, thus it has for synonyms answer and elixir/extract!! He did give him a solution, the drug!! This truly shows that the physician was lying to the painter. 😮 But this doesn’t end here.

He also contradicted himself, when he first stipulated this. (chapter 57), With the idiom “strong”, he was implying that Yoon Seungho had always been quite in good health. On the other hand, he said later that he had always been puzzled about the mysterious illness.

Striking is this description of the main lead. (chapter 57) He is the only one who portrayed the protagonist in a positive light. Why? In my eyes, it was to gain the painter’s trust. That way, the doctor would appear as impartial and neutral. Thus he said the truth first in order to divert attention from his own actions. He had been the one supplying the drug to the butler. (chapter 57) I had already criticized the doctor in the past, for he kept giving the medicine to the valet, and never made the connection to his “hot-headed” temper. He appeared as quite stupid. In my eyes, he already appeared as a passive accomplice, but mainly due to his lack of discernment. He would trust the butler too much. Thus in the composition „the purge“, I had predicted his involvement in a plot which would bring to light his complicity.

Yet, note that during his confidence, he portrayed Yoon Chang-Hyeon in a bad light. He was ignorant (“he would say strange things”), he was brutal with his son (chapter 57). This shows that right from the start, he was already putting the whole blame on the elder master Yoon. That way, the physician was avoiding to become responsible. He had been giving the drug to the butler for a long time, while claiming that he had not been able to diagnose the illness. Besides, we shouldn’t overlook that in this chapter, we only have the physician’s version!! We never heard the testimony from the father. Just because we saw the bruises and the hand on the main character’s neck, this is no real guarantee that the father said this to the doctor. (chapter 57) That’s how I realized that the doctor had been deceiving the painter all along. He lied by commission, but also when he talked about the visitation, he was actually delivering the truth in delay, paltering!! He used the same MO than Kim. He feigned ignorance, and mixed a truth with a lie!! This is no coincidence. This leads me to the following question: why did he talk about the past to Baek Na-Kyum? (Chapter 57) Yes, it was to protect himself!! He was diverting the painter‘s attention. From that moment on, I could no longer judge him the same way. He was now an active and smart accomplice, who would utilize innocence, truth and knowledge to his advantage.

Besides, the manhwalovers can note that he employs the same expressions than the valet: “it seems”, „always“… He is referring to appearances, a sign that he is aware of the importance of impression. As you can see, he was acting exactly like Kim. Thus we should see this conversation as a reflection from this scene: (chapter 12) According to my interpretation, here the butler wished the painter to desert the mansion. Thus I conclude that at the physician’s office, the doctor had the opposite task: he should ensure that Baek Na-Kyum doesn’t run away. It was important that the artist was by the lord’s side the moment he gets kidnapped. That way, Yoon Seungho would only blame himself and the painter. Yet, I don’t think that he knew everything about the future abduction. Secondly, why did the doctor bring up Yoon Seungho’s health and his medicine to the painter? He was actually a stranger, even a „servant“. (chapter 57) First, notice that Kim had already implied that he would bring his master to the doctor’s office. (chapter 57) However, the office is actually far away from the mansion. (For more read the essay The hidden shaman) From my point of view, the revelations from the doctor had two purposes. Baek Na-Kyum should not wonder why the butler brought his sick master to the office. Secondly, he had to gain his trust so that he would feel safe there. Moreover, I think that the butler must have realized that the artist had heard the exchange between the second physician and Kim. So he knew that the lord was supposed to take some medicine: (chapter 55) But like I have always pointed out, Yoon Seungho had no idea about the drugs and medicine. He was totally left in the dark, for the valet would call the drug ” medicinal tea”. (chapter 35) He employed an euphemism. This truly shows that the doctor and the valet were partners in crime, both accomplices due to their passivity, knowledge and silence. Nevertheless, I don’t think that the physician was directly involved with the kidnapping and assassination plot. The conversation between the valet and the physician displays the lack of honesty coming from Kim. (chapter 57) The latter portrays himself as a victim.

Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why he never revealed anything after the abduction. (chapter 63) He felt bound by secrecy to the bearded man. On the other hand, this incident must have worried him, as it had taken place at his own mansion. Thus he could get into trouble. Kim realized that he needed to reassure the doctor. If the latter started speaking, he could get into trouble, for he had left the propriety during that night. He had no real alibi. Hence the valet visited the doctor during that night, but he never threatened him. (chapter 65) The doctor believed that the moment someone talked, someone could take the fall. Observe that in the yard, the butler followed the physician’s advice: he should say nothing. (chapter 65) This truly exposes that the doctor is not just a naive man, but an accomplice not only due to his silence and passivity, but also due to his own manipulations. He described himself as a concerned observer who had done nothing wrong. But no, this is not true, as the drug is the evidence of his participation. Who paid for the drug/medicine in the end? Since the elder master Yoon was no longer living in the mansion, the valet was the one responsible for the expenses. I doubt that Yoon Seungho would take a closer look to the accounts. Then when he said that he only saw the protagonist twice (chapter 57), this doesn’t mean that he was not involved in the main lead’s suffering. He could have affected Yoon Seungho’s life differently. We have the perfect example in season 3: he treated the butler (chapter 77), while he neglected the lord’s hand (chapter 84) But like I pointed out, who gave the aphrodisiac to Lee Jihwa? This is a medicine!! To conclude, the physician was involved in the main lead’s suffering, though he only met him twice. (chapter 57) The reason why I started examining the physician again, is because he was the first person to mention the shaman. (chapter 57) But since my theory is that Kim was a shaman, this signifies that he should have recognized Kim as the shaman!! In that case, I deduced that the physician had been lying to the elder master Yoon by omission. Naturally, it is also possible that the father had hired the shaman, but out of fear for his reputation, he acted, as if he had no idea about the butler’s true identity. In other words, all three men acted, as if they knew nothing. This would explain why all the characters had no eye in the last picture. Anyway, because of my latest theory, I reexamined the physician‘s statement and found more incongruences

Moreover, just because the doctor made this statement, this doesn’t signify that we should take his words as face-value. Like pointed out above, the physician was not honest, and he was definitely putting the whole blame on Yoon Chang-Hyeon for malpractice, while he was hiding his own malpractice. He acted as an ignorant and naive man. Striking is only the nobles were described in a rather negative light: Yoon Seungho as a hot-tempered man, Yoon Chang-Hyeon as a violent, untrustworthy and ignorant father. (chapter 57) Here he doubted the elder master Yoon’s words, for he stated as a fact that the young master Lee Jihwa was not mentally sick. Keep in mind that according to the doctor, the protagonist was described as someone suffering from a mental illness. And this detail caught my attention: the physician took the Lees’ side. Furthermore, the patriarch Lee was thinking similarly than the doctor: the shaman and the mental illness. (chapter 82) Finally, I would like to point out that in that chapter, the physician was mentioned too, and this next to the patriarch Lee. (chapter 82) Thus I believe that the physician’s fate is linked to Lee Jihwa and his father.

3. Conclusions

To conclude, since he feigned ignorance and hid his participation, I deduce that he will pay for his wrongdoings. His karma should be to become denunciated as an accomplice of a plot and even sentenced, though this time, he had truly been left in the dark, similar to Lee Jihwa. However, the physician won’t be able to run away. And remember the lord’s statement: (chapter 44) We should never trust the old bearded men, not even the doctor. And ignorance can not serve as an excuse for covering up wrongdoings. As a conclusion, the physician was more acting in chapter 57, he rather expressed a fake concern towards the main lead. (Chapter 57) Finally, the manhwaphiles should detect that the doctor never mentioned the presence of the servants in the bedchamber. Both were restraining the wounded lord. (Chapter 57) This is also no coincidence that he didn‘t point out the absence of the elder master Yoon during the second visit. He couldn‘t, because his tactic to put the whole blame on the patriarch would have totally failed. And this leads me to the following observation: (chapter 74) The doctor was not honest here either. Exactly like in episode 57, he was faking his worries towards Baek NA-Kyum. First, we have the presence of the drop of sweat on his cheek, a sign of dishonesty, but more importantly, his question was just theoretical, he was influencing the painter. The latter just needed to agree. He hoped that the artist would never bring up the incident in his mansion, and as such would wonder about his whereabouts and his responsibility concerning the kidnapping. At the same time, he could have asked this with the hope that the painter would blame the protagonist for his misery. He would use the painter‘s suffering (the unfair judgement leading to his imprisonment) in order to divert attention from his own wrongdoing: his silence, his passivity and his lack of commitment. He never tried to look for Baek Na-Kyum‘s vanishing. He never felt responsible. But he had to give up, because the artist was truly ignorant. (chapter 74) He never made any reproach towards the main lead.

As a conclusion, it is important to contrast the characters’ testimonies, to compare the images with the texts. That way, the readers can detect the deceptions through the contrast. Moreover, this shows that the physician was more than just an ignorant doctor, he was an accomplice. First, ignorance can not be an excuse for crimes. Secondly, we should question if he was truly ignorant. Yoon Seungho has not talked to him so far, hence this should happen in season 4. Therefore I come to the deduction that the physician will play a huge part in season 4, for he remained hidden in season 3. But he was definitely present because of the split, the aphrodisiac and the opium. The latter was often used as a medicine in China. Finally, it made me realize that season 4 will expose the participation of the commoners in the lord‘s suffering. Not only the aristocrats like Yoon Chang-Hyeon and father Lee were to blame for his misery, but also the servants, the tailor and the doctor. The latter played a role, as they never divulged their knowledge. The tailor could have noticed that he was no longer creating new clothes for the young master Seungho. The physician and the staff could have exposed the abuse to the authorities. Children were not supposed to be exposed to the straw mat beating.

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: Heena’s secrets 🔐

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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.

Recently, Lezhin released a message on Instagram announcing the return of manhwas in hiatus for November. And unfortunately, Painter Of Night was not part of them. 😭 Later, the author announced that due to a surgery, the release of season 4 has been delayed. She apologized, for she couldn’t keep her promise. This means, either it will start at the end of December or in January. Nevertheless, this doesn’t change my resolution to keep analyzing this story, for Yoon Seungho’s suffering and the painter’s past have not been entirely unveiled. Like a detective, I am trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. In this essay, I would like to elaborate my new discoveries concerning Heena which led me to develop new theories.

1. Heena: a mother or a sister?

During season 2, I had trouble to figure out her true identity. Was she the head-kisaeng who had adopted Baek Na-Kyum? (chapter1) Or was she simply the noona? (chapter 70) At some point, I came to realize that Heena had acted as the surrogate mother, but she had never clearly stated that she was the painter’s mother. In other words, his adoption was never official, which explicates why the main lead only considered her as his older sister. This is important, because her ambiguous status can not only generate problems, but also expose her betrayal towards Baek Na-Kyum. Note that in chapter 97, the noona treated Baek Na-Kyum as her “child” who wouldn’t listen to her (Chapter 97), while later she implied that they were both equal, for she employed the personal pronoun “us”. (chapter 97) On the other hand, she used her seniority as status, when she called him a fool (Chapter 97). He lacked experiences, hence he was too naïve, and as such he would trust the protagonist too easily. As you can see, Heena herself had an ambiguous relationship with her brother. Nonetheless, thanks to chapter 93, I got finally a definitive answer about Heena’s true identity. She is indeed the head-kisaeng in the gibang. I realized that the protagonists were invited to stay in Heena’s personal room. (Chapter 93) That’s the reason why the seat of the host was empty and why Yoon Seungho didn’t go there. He would have violated social norms, if he had taken her seat.. Moreover, by doing so, he would have revealed that he knew where the woman was. This could have raised questions.

2. Heena’s study

But how did I come up to this revelation? What caught my attention is the type of the door from that room (rectangles). Its pattern diverges from the ones in the hallway. (Chapter 93) This means that the figures were not sitting in the room shown in the last panel. On the other hand, their voices in the hallway exposed their location. The noonas and Heena were not far away from that door hidden by the veil. That’s how I got aware where Heena’s room was situated. In the last picture, the readers are turning their back from Heena’s study, which is right after the corner. Thus I could recognize the design of the building: ][ In the center, there is this huge hallway with the purple veils, but at its end, on each both sides, there exists a corridor perpendicular to the one with the purple curtains. What the beholder imagined as a door at the end of the hallway, (Chapter 68) was in truth a huge window. How do I know this? First, in this scene, the scholar was hiding a huge white vase with red flowers. Hence I deduced that Jung In-Hun couldn’t have walked through that “gate”, it was just a window. Therefore I assumed that he had to walk past the flowers, either turn to the right or the left. Secondly, observe that next to the lantern on the left, there is a small white panel. This means that the view from chapter 93 was more or less taken from the right corner. Moreover, in the next chapter, Heena is not facing this “window”, when she is in the same building. (Chapter 69) This time, the white vase with the flowers is standing in front of a wall. That’s how I deduced that Heena had to turn to the left in order to go to the hallway. (chapter 69) On the other hand, another element caught my notice. In this picture, (chapter 69) the purple curtain is covering the wall and is very close to the lantern, which is not the case in this picture from chapter 93. (chapter 93) And now, if you pay attention to the curtains in the hallway, you can detect a huge difference. (chapter 69) On the right side, there is no white wall between the purple veils, while it is not the case on the left side. And all these observations (the window in the background, the length and position of the purple veils, the white wall) made me realize that Jung In-Hun and Heena were actually walking in the same direction. At first glance, the beholder has the impression that the learned sir was leaving the building, whereas Heena was supposed to return to her private room. However, as you can see, this is just a deception. Furthermore, what caught my attention is the presence of a tiny window . (chapter 93) which is not present in episode 69. (chapter 93) Since I came to the conclusion that Heena’s private room was on the right side after the corner, I deduce that the kisaeng was not on her way to her room. Moreover, since the kisaeng was walking in the same direction than the scholar, I can only conclude that Heena was actually approaching the entrance of the building. I believe that she had turned around, but the author didn’t reveal this. One might argue that it is possible that in chapter 68, the learned sir could have gone with the painter to Heena’s bedroom. However, back then the latter was not the head-kisaeng. We know this due to the presence of a kisaeng standing right behind Yoon Chang-Hyeon during the sexual lesson. (chapter 86) She was the superior. Moreover, we saw the teacher walking through the countryside during the night. (chapter 70) That’s how I realized that Byeonduck had deceived the readers once again. She was playing with reflections. That’s the reason why I deduced that Heena was not talking loudly by accident in front of Black Heart. (chapter 69) It was done on purpose!! She wished that Min would take care of her brother. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why the noona has a drop of sweat on her cheek. She is faking ignorance, she is acting, as if she was very protective of her brother. She uses illusion to manipulate people. In reality, she was acting here. One might argue that I am overthinking again. This is not possible, for Heena didn’t know Min at all. Hence she couldn’t manipulate him. The latter had heard of her for the first time in Yoon Seungho’s mansion. (chapter 66) But let me ask you this. How could Heena have never met Min, when she was the head-kisaeng? Secondly, just because the servant had never heard of the noona, this doesn’t mean that it was the case for Black Heart. The domestic assumed Black Heart’s ignorance, just like the readers. Moreover, recently I had detected that Heena had been standing in front of a mansion belonging to a noble. (chapter 46) This was not Yoon Seungho and Lee Jihwa’s mansion, for the gate and walls (chapter 67) diverge. Moreover, Min has been seen in the kisaeng house in so many chapters , (chapter 19) (chapter 59). Here, I would like to point out that in episode 59, Lee Jihwa had visited the kisaeng house on different occasions, for his hair was slowly growing. (chapter 59) Moreover, note that his visits took place during the day and not during the night. Why? It was for privacy and so far, during the day, the manhwaphiles never saw any kisaeng in the gibang. (chapter 1) (chapter 94) Lee Jihwa was not supposed to meet kisaengs. As you can see, Min had strong connections with the gibang, just like Lee Jihwa. Hence Black Heart should have known Heena, for she was the head-kisaeng. But I would like to bring up a more conclusive proof for this interpretation. (chapter 19) This image was showing us that Yoon Seungho was visiting the gibang. However, pay attention to the pattern of the doors in the last picture and the next: (chapter 19) The motive diverges, it looks like the one from the hallway with the purple veils. This means that the party was not taking place in the room shown in the former picture. What caught my notice is the presence of the white vase with the red flowers in front of the building. It was present in each scene taking place in the gibang. (chapter 68) (chapter 69) (chapter 93) For me, the red flowers symbolize Heena noona. This explicates why during the painter’s dream, the flowers were not present. (chapter 87), as Heena was not included in his vision. And this image (chapter 19) made me think of Yoon Chang-Hyeon due to the writing on the wooden planks. (chapter 44) Due to the similarities, I believe that in chapter 19, Byeonduck was actually exposing the ghost head-kisaeng. Exactly like the father, she was hiding. Why? It is because she is involved in Yoon Seungho’s suffering. And now, imagine her reaction, when she hears that Black Heart has organized a feast for the main lead’s honor. The woman could only avoid the main character. And now, you have the explication why Heena as the head-kisaeng was not present during that festivity. It was deliberate. (chapter 19) Striking is that the kisaeng had a similar hair dress than Heena, This is no coincidence. She was acting as the head-kisaeng. The manhwalovers will certainly remember that only two kisaengs had no braided bun or braids: this one and Heena. Look at all the others: (chapter 51) (chapter 93) (chapter 93) (chapter 95) The extravagant hair dress was exposing the kisaeng’s status. And now, you comprehend why the other noona explained the disappearance of Heena during that night. (chapter 93) She was the head-kisaeng’s right-hand. She had to give an explanation why the noona wouldn’t appear in her bedroom.

But let’s return our attention to chapter 19. What did the kisaeng do during that party? She questioned the main character. (chapter 19) But how could she sense that the noble was in a good mood? The latter was silent and not even smiling. (chapter 19) How could she claim this? In reality she was actually spying on him. Heena had no idea why the lord would come to the gibang, especially after suffering there so much. The kisaeng’s task was to dig up information. This visitation must have bothered the head-kisaeng.

3. Heena and Min

According to my theory, Heena was walking in front of the room where Black Heart was on purpose. She wished to push him to remove the painter from Yoon Seungho’s side. Yet one might reject this thought, because it was impossible for her to know about the man’s presence. The entire time she was looking straight (chapter 69), and Min was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. (chapter 69) She was even turning her back to him. But actually, she could have detected his presence, exactly like I had recognized him: through his laugh!! (chapter 69) And this would actually reinforce my interpretation that the noona was familiar with Min, and her encounter with him was not recent. Moreover, I would like to point out another discrepancy. This is what the kisaeng claimed to Yoon Seungho: (chapter 99) He was wearing a veiled hat, yet in chapter 69, this was not the case. (chapter 69) They could have seen his face, and as such recognize him as lord Min!! The kisaengs claimed that they had no idea, for they couldn’t see his face. But like pointed out, Black Heart was not wearing a veil in chapter 69! So they could identify him properly. People could have noticed that he was impersonating Lee Jihwa. That’s the reason why the villain had to change the hat!! Moreover, in this scene, he was not alone, he had been followed by his best friend, the noble with the mole. (chapter 69) That’s the reason why the trick with the first impersonation failed. Under this new approach, it becomes understandable why in season 3, Min was no longer followed by his friend and why he was wearing the hat with the black veil. They needed to ensure that no one would recognize his face. That way, the impersonation would be perfect, and Lee Jihwa could be framed easily. But this means that Black Heart must have got aware that the head-kisaeng had tried to trick him with her words in the hallway. This explains why in season 3, the woman got deceived herself with illusions. (chapter 88) (chapter 97) This was her karma. She had spoken with ill intentions (to achieve her goal by using a pawn), therefore she couldn’t speak in front of blood. This is no coincidence that her hands were covering her mouth, the opposite of her behavior in the hallway. Moreover, she had acted, as if she was caring for her brother, but the reality is that she cared more for the scholar than Baek Na-Kyum. In other words, the noona and Min were both fooling each other, they were constantly acting in front of each other. Hence when the noona saw the Joker in front of the scholar’s house, she feigned ignorance, while it was the opposite. (chapter 99) Under this new light, Min’s words get a new signification: (chapter 99) He was implying that they knew each other for a long time! The irony is that the manhwaphiles had the impression that their relationship was recent, and his cynical tone contributed to it. Secondly, he called her Heena, a sign that they were close to each other. Note that Lee Jihwa never mentioned her name. (chapter 99) His words even insinuate that Black Heart had just given the following order. The red-haired master should just fetch a kisaeng and in my opinion, Heena was waiting for Lee Jihwa’s arrival to leave the gibang. According to his words, he had no idea about the kisaeng’s identity. But is it true? I have my doubts now, and this for two reasons. Why would he ask about her identity, when he already knows that she is a kisaeng? The drop of sweat on his face is an indication that he is lying. But the problem is to determine if the deception is only referring to “I heard not a word” and to all the questions. Let’s not forget that he knew about Min’s initial intention. The moment Lee Jihwa arrived in the gibang, she just followed him. That way, they would avoid to attract attention, and with her new hair dress (chapter 99), she could no longer be recognized as the head-kisaeng. And this leads me to the following observation. When Heena was sent to the storage room, she actually lost her position as head-kisaeng. (chapter 93) In other words, when Yoon Seungho jailed her (chapter 93), the gibang had lost its “leader”. This explains why this noona as her right-hand had to explain the absence of the owner. (chapter 93). This scene (chapter 93) was actually announcing the downfall of Heena. She was about to desert the kisaeng house. She was giving up on her possessions and her position for “freedom”.

4. Heena and Yoon Chang-Hyeon

Because of the empty seat, I couldn’t help myself thinking of the elder master Yoon. (chapter 86) The latter had been eyeing the throne in the family mansion, but he failed to take over the mansion. This was the negative reflection of Heena. Whereas the kisaeng had a powerful position in the gibang, it was the opposite for the patriarch. He was no longer recognized as the head of the Yoons. Yet, both have something in common. Both lost their position for good, for Heena and Yoon Chang-Hyeon couldn’t take or keep the seat. We could say that both got defeated by Yoon Seungho. In chapter 93, the main lead acted as a respectful and calm master, whereas in the bedchamber he showed no respect to his own father. He talked back and even made fun of him. (chapter 87) This picture stands in opposition to this one: (chapter 93) To conclude, the surrogate mother and the patriarch made a similar experience in season 3. Both got deceived by manipulations and in both cases, letters played a huge role.

On the other hand, the noona chose to give up on her seat and position in order to avoid trouble with justice. The elder master Yoon decided to act the opposite. He made accusations against his son (chapter 94), definitely thinking that he was doing the right thing. He thought that he could never get into trouble. But this is just a deception in my opinion. As for the former head-kisaeng, she has to run away, for she did something wrong! In the past and in the present! She definitely plotted, and she is aware that her actions will have terrible repercussions.

5. Heena’s departure

This means that Heena chose to renounce on her position and wealth in order to save her own skin! That’s the reason why she faked her death. (chapter 99) No one would be looking for her. The problem is that the witnesses of her curtains all vanished. Lee Jihwa ran away, Black Heart got killed with his friends, and the only survivor, lord Jang, was confronted with real corpses in the shaman’s house. (chapter 102) That’s why I come to the deduction that her murder will be questioned. Why? There is no blood contrary to the bloodbath in the shaman’s house and there is no corpse!! Since Black Heart used different corpses in order to deceive Heena and the couple, there is no ambiguity that the head-kisaeng’s curtains will be doubted. Striking is that Heena staged her death out of cowardice and selfishness, while Yoon Seungho made the opposite decision. He was resolute to commit suicide in order to follow his lover in his death. During that night, Heena and Yoon Seungho lost their “home”, but at the end, he found his true home: the painters embrace. (chapter 102) He gave up on everything (fortune, house and life), hence he will be rewarded for all his sacrifices. Under this new light, I am more than ever convinced that Heena has not reached the bottom. Her karma is to be punished for her deceptions and acting!

As you can imagine, the moment I questioned the relationship between Heena and Min, everything appeared in a different light. It becomes comprehensible why Min would whisper to the head-kisaeng, why she didn’t push away his hand (chapter 96) (chapter 96), though he is a noble. Besides, I am suspecting her of suffering from genophobia (fear of sex and intimacy) Their behavior exposes closeness and a certain trust. But how is this possible? It is because she knows that Min is a sodomite, and he is not looking for sexual favors. That’s the reason why she trusted Black Heart in my opinion. Moreover, he is smiling like Jung In-Hun. Therefore it is not surprising that she was speaking like the Joker in chapter 97. Here, the man had actually projected his own thoughts onto Yoon Seungho, and due to her own belief, Heena was more than willing to believe Black Heart. . (chapter 97) That’s how I came to realize why in season 2, Jung In-Hun was mentioned in front of Min. (chapter 52) It is because Black Heart knew Heena! I even believe that he had already met the scholar. Note that the man with the black hanbok was repeating the rumors about the learned sir. And the other questioned the main lead’s action exposing that he had never heard about this grapevine before. Hence I am deducing that the one spreading this rumor could only be MIN!! That’s the reason why he just said this (chapter 52) That means that the noble knew the teacher in the end. Therefore it is no coincidence that Min was aware where the learned sir lived!! (chapter 83) And now, if you connect the two scenes from chapter 97 and chapter 52 , you can only come to the conclusion that Min was the learned sir’s previous sponsor, but at the end he changed his mind (chapter 52). Why? It is because there was an incident in the gibang!! (chapter 01) And who had covered up the incident? Heena, for she was the head-kisaeng! She had lied to her brother by blaming the biggest victim, Yoon Seungho, who was the man with the braid! This image is a real memory of Baek Na-Kyum from that night, yet from far away, the painter couldn’t see the face of the sodomite! This is another secret Heena has been hiding from her brother!

That’s how I realized that season 3 focused on the “face”, the symbol for identity. The readers could never see the face of all the corpses (chapter 94) (chapter 97) (chapter 97) (chapter 101), and even Kim hid his face under a hanbok. (chapter 92) That’s the reason why I believe that in season 4, the visage will play a major role! The couple will recognize people due to the face!! In my eyes, the former head-kisaeng knows the identities of all the persons involved in Yoon Seungho’s suffering.

Hence I am encouraging you to read Painter Of The Night once again under the following theory: Heena and Min knew each other, and Jung In-Hun had already been in contact with Min…. This is no coincidence that Black Heart had to die at the end. Jung In-Hun was killed, after Min had betrayed and abandoned the scholar. If he had kept his words… the murder of Jung In-Hun wouldn’t have taken place. But let’s not forget that according to me, this scene in the gibang (chapter 1) corresponds to Yoon Seungho’s first liberation. This means that the sponsorship was doomed to fail, because the gods would no longer tolerate the abuse. Min’s promise was short-lived, because his dream couldn’t come true. He had no longer any use of the scholar. This truly exposes that Heena told many stories to her brother in the past and in the present, yet only now, (chapter 97) her brother is detecting her deception.

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Painter Of The Night: The liars 🤥 in front of the mirror of truth 👺 : Lee Jihwa and Yoon Chang-Hyeon (second version)

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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.

Announcement: The essays “Sex and passion” and “The puzzle with the paper” have been updated.

I selected these pictures as illustration for this essay for two reasons. On the one hand, the couple was still in denial about their true desires. Both wished to be embraced and loved by the other, yet in this panel they still feared to voice their own wishes. Why? It is because they dreaded disappointment and betrayal due to their painful past experiences. In other words, they were lying to themselves. Therefore it is no coincidence that at the end of season 3, the two protagonists were confronted with separation and real lies! They had waited for a sign from their partner, hence their karma was to wait and lose the right time. (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.

1. The red-haired master’s sins

The manhwaphiles could witness his first wrongdoing in the study. He had kissed Yoon Seungho without his consent. (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.

And since the childhood friend had been able to avoid punishment by lying and putting the whole blame on his friend, he learned that he could get away by deceiving others and by putting the whole blame on his friend. I would even add that with this incident, he was taught another lesson: Silence and burying the truth. Note that he never came clean, he never exposed the truth to his friend or to the elders. That’s the reason why from that moment on, Lee Jihwa became a hypocrite, but deep down, he felt guilty and ashamed, for he couldn’t outlive his sexual orientation due to the horrified expression. He had to hide his homosexuality in front of others, hence later he had sex in the barn with Yoon Seungho. This explains why the spirits chose to confront Lee Jihwa with the truth on different occasions in season 1.

I could mention the argument between the main lead and the red-haired master. (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 43), for this is what we would see: (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 43) from a different point. This explicates why once again, the lord couldn’t see the identity of the so-called “peeper”. Besides, don’t forget that the author is working with reflections, as such this means that the second lead must have been placed differently. But this doesn’t end here. I would like to point out that during that evening, the main lead had left the door wide open, when he confronted the artist. (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) which had been opened by Lee Jihwa, it is impossible for the second main lead to have witnessed this embrace from this perspective. (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 43) It is impossible, for he confessed later that he knew about the friend’s longing for an embrace! (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 41) In other words, the butler had helped Lee Jihwa to spy on the couple and had even divulged what he had heard from before. Naturally, he had deceived the red-haired master by omission. He never mentioned the existence of the scholar and the painter’s broken heart!! One might argue that this is not possible. I am again overthinking. But I would like to outline the existence of the following rule on which the story was created: the reflection within the same episode. How did Black Heart manipulate the red-haired master in the pavilion? Through words and that’s how the childhood friend came to envision this scene: (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) This is what he had wished in the past, and what he had done too: he had seduced his friend and smiled… and he had been caught! In other words, Kim was actually viewing the red-haired master as an immoral witch: (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 49) This darkness exposed the presence of someone outside. Then in episode 70, the author drew a panel focusing on the window and the bougies. (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.

But why was Lee Jihwa confronted with the mirror of truth? It is because he was still dishonest. He kept deceiving himself and refusing to admit his wrongdoings. In the inn, this is what he had said in front of the nobles: (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 18) implying that in the past, he had to share Yoon Seungho with other men. But since he had declared that the main lead had never taken an initiative, this signifies that the protagonist had no choice in the selection of his partners. He had not the right to refuse anyone, not even the red-haired master. Hence the latter got furious and angry, when he was rejected for the first time. (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.

But let’s return to the scheme in the shaman’s house. The young master Lee was now cornered, for he had kept denying his own wrongdoings: the sexual assault with the stolen kiss and the lies by omission and by commission! What caught my attention is that the antagonist associated the sexual abuse with murder! (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.

2. Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s lies

In episode 77, we discover from the butler the patriarch’s following promise to Kim: (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.

Moreover, the patio in front of the bedchamber where anyone can see and hear the elder Yoon reminded me of the learned sir who selected the pavilion to incite the painter to disobey his host and sponsor. That’s why I started suspecting Yoon Chang-Hyeon again, if he had not manipulated the butler in the past and this on purpose. Moreover, since in Painter Of The Night, the room embodies memories and the unconscious, I deduce that the patio is exposing Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s true personality. He lacks not only integrity, but also knowledge. Let’s not forget that knowledge is acquired through reading and experiences. But in the patio, there is no book… and the person can only witness what is happening in the courtyard. This means that the view is limited and the person is not interacting with people. This explains why the man is stupid and superficial. Because of this new discovery, I had another revelation!!

According to the main lead, only his grand-father had a government post. (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.

Therefore I came to realize that the confrontation in the bedchamber in chapter 83 was actually organized to mock the elder master, but not only by Kim. (chapter 83) Here, he was confronted with reality. His power came from prostitution and nothing more! From my point of view, this scene was a reflection of the night in the study with Min: (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 55) In the patio, the son still trusted the patriarch. In reality, Yoon Chang-Hyeon needed admiration in order to feel alive. In other words, his credulity, arrogance, superficiality and narrow-mindedness were the causes for the downfall of the Yoons and the main lead’s suffering. We could say that the folding shield in his bedchamber truly reflected his personality. (chapter 82) He was just an empty shell, his knowledge, experiences and possessions were just 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: The rise of the dragon 🐲

~ Bébébisous33 ~ Leave a comment

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.

1. Yoon Seungho the king

After the end of season 1, I had been contacted by many followers asking me about the possible ending of Painter Of The Night. Many feared for a depressing ending, as Byeonduck had declared that the protagonists would be happy on their own. In their mind, this meant that the protagonists wouldn’t end up together. My reply was that the couple would become happy without getting too dependent on each other. I meant Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum would come to give a new sense to their own life, and their love would help them to have a goal and purpose in their life. And that’s how real couples live. Thus while examining season 1 closely, I came to imagine that Yoon Seungho would become the king and Baek Na-Kyum his painter. As you can see, very early on, I connected the noble to royalty. Why? First, we had the lord outlining his powerful position in front of the painter. (chapter 11) Secondly, I had associated the main lead to the eagle which is the symbol for the kings and emperors in Europe. He was seen here flying (chapter 30), and his fingers reminded me of the eagle’s claws. (chapter 18) And this perception got even reinforced, when I saw this panel: (chapter 52) In this scene, he was sitting like a king surrounded by his “court”. The hanbok had such a design that I couldn’t help myself associating it to Joseon’s monarchy.

However, I have to admit my mistake, for this interpretation was strongly influenced by my own culture and as such European history. Yet, here we are dealing with Korean and as such with Joseon culture. Hence the symbol for Joseon’s dynasty is not the eagle, but the dragon. That’s why when I saw this new image on Twitter , I had another revelation. On the one hand, it actually confirmed that Yoon Seungho was somehow destined to become a king, yet he is not represented by the eagle or the phoenix, but by the dragon. Hence the moment I saw this image, one idiom came to my mind: Dragon king!

2. Yongwang

Because of this sudden association, I decided to look more into it. Thus imagine my surprise, when I discovered this:

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/10/113_324712.html

Yongwang, or Dragon King, is a deity of the river or the sea, overseeing peace in the house, good health and longevity in the family, the harvest, catch and safe sailing. Yongwang is also called Yongsin (Dragon God).

Communities worshipped Yongwang as a water god, holding divine powers to control rainfall. Dragon King worship is closely related to the contemporary practice of staging rituals at village springs or wells that are believed to be dwelling places for Yongwang. Around the country there are also legends regarding dragon springs and dragon wells, created by a dragon that brought rain to repay humans by turning wasteland fertile, which shows that Yongwang is closely related to farming. […] In shamanism, Yongwang oversees not only fishing, but the souls of those who have drowned and died. In the worship of household gods, it is a deity that oversees peace in the household, good health and longevity in the family, the harvest, catch and safe sailing.

Among rituals held for Yongwang in the home by women, the most widely spread is yongwangmeogigi (feeding the dragon king), also referred to as yongsinje (dragon god ritual) and gaetje (fishing ritual). This ritual can take place in three different venues: First is a private well in the backyard; second is the communal well, where, in some cases, a spring ritual (saemje) is held, then water from the well is brought to the home and placed in the kitchen or on the sauce jar terrace for the Dragon King; […] https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/2618

The moment I read this article, I couldn’t restrain myself making the parallels between Yoon Seungho and Yongwang. First, the deity in the background reminded me of Yongwang. (chapter 100), though this deity is always accompanied with a dragon and in this picture, the readers couldn’t see one. However, it is possible that the author didn’t desire to reveal too much.

“his most distinctive traits are that his beard, moustache and eyebrows are (usually) “spiky,” protruding in sharp points, sometimes resembling coral, and his eyes are often bulging out like those of a fish. He most often holds the banya-jinju (般若眞珠, flaming pearl of wisdom, a type of ma-niju 摩尼珠), but sometimes a branch of coral or a sword.” quoted from http://www.san-shin.org/EKB-Yongwang-DragonKing.html  

Secondly, we have a strong connection between rain and the main lead’s situation and emotional state. It rained, when the lord had sex with Baek Na-Kyum. (chapter 21) Why? It is because the lord was happy. These were the tears of happiness, which Yoon Seungho couldn’t express contrary to the painter. And this is no coincidence that in chapter 58, it started snowing, when the couple was making love: (chapter 58) And we had the same weather, when Yoon Seungho saved his lover. (chapter 102) The weather was expressing the main lead’s emotions: tears of happiness or sadness. We could say that the lord has the “power” to move the sky.

Furthermore, the well plays a huge role in this story. Many people are found dead in a well (chapter 97), and according to me, the messenger was drown there. (chapter 94) In addition, my theory is that Deok-Jae and/or Jung In-Hun’s body were placed in a jar in order to hide the murders. For me, the jar plays a huge role in Painter Of The Night… thus Byeonduck created such a scene in season 2 (chapter 46) and we have so many jars next to the pond: (chapter 94) [For more read the essay “The secret behind the library”]

Furthermore, this story takes place in Jemulpo, a town situated next to the sea, and Yongwang’s realm is supposed to be in the sea. (chapter 91) This is no coincidence. To conclude, all these elements (rain, jar, well, soul of a deceased), connected to the dragon king, are present in Painter Of The Night. Thus I came to the conclusion that Yoon Seungho is like Dragon king. This reinforces my conviction that the main lead is not only connected to shamanism, but also embodies royalty. So he might not be the king of Joseon, but he is powerful in his own way, though he is not aware of this. And note that the moment he wished to commit suicide by drowning in the pond, he was brought back to life. (chapter 102) Water is his true element.

In different temples, you can discover Yongwang accompanied with a woman. She is also dressed in royal clothes with a small crown. What’s unclear is if she’s another Yongwang or if she’s his wife. And this could be a reference to the painter, who will become Yoon Seungho’s bride, but his true identity will remain hidden.

What caught my attention is that the rituals concerning Yongwang are held by women, which stands in opposition to the shrine and Confucianism. (chapter 85) This means that in the Yoons’ mansion, people didn’t venerate this god. And since the aristocrat made such a statement to the elder Yoon Chang-Hyeon, (chapter 86), I have the impression that in season 4, we will assist to a real ritual to ward off evil and back luck, leading the tormenting souls to the afterlife peacefully.

And this leads me to the following observation, the dragon in Korea and Joseon is perceived as a good omen! He would bring good fortune.

Since the release, I realized that the decorated tree (chapter 100) and this altar (chapter 100) were exposing the presence of a ritual. However, my problem was that I couldn’t determine exactly the nature of the ritual. But by making the connection between the dragon and good fortune, I had now more clues. I have to admit that I can not be 100% sure for this, but this is what I found:

“Yonggyeong (Kor. 용경, Chin. 龍耕, lit. dragon’s plowing) is a custom observed on Dongji (Kor. 동지, Chin. 冬至, Winter Solstice) in which people tried to predict the outcome of farming for the upcoming year based on the direction and angle of cracks on the surface of a frozen pond. The custom is also known as yonggari (Kor. 용갈이) or yong-ui batgari (Kor. 용의 밭갈이), both meaning ‘plowing by the dragon.’ When ice covers a pond, there is often a crack that divides the ice sheet into two halves, as though a field were divided along a furrow left after plowing. This phenomenon was considered a trail left by a dragon and, therefore, interpreted as having divinatory power concerning farming success in the year ahead. […]

According to another custom referred to as dongbok (Kor. 동복, Chin. 凍卜, lit. ice fortune-telling), on the eve of the year’s first full moon (the fourteenth of the first lunar month), people left two bowls of fresh water out overnight and positioned them north and south of each other. The next morning, they examined the ice sheet that appeared in the bowls and tried to predict the success of farming in the northern and southern regions.  quoted from https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/4622

The timing fits to our story, and we have the presence of bowls in front of the deity in the yard. In my eyes, the shaman had prepared a ritual for the dragon king, and was praying for the success of the farming. Don’t forget that it takes place just before Spring. Consequently, this is not surprising that the lord got connected to peasants and this very early on. (chapter 4) (chapter 6) (chapter 82)

This observation leads me to the following conclusion: Yoon Seungho, as a new version of Dragon King, will bring luck to the commoners and peasants. He will help them to improve their living conditions (education and good farming). As you already know, I consider Yoon Seungho as a representative of Sirhak. [For more information read the essay “The scholars’ fight”] And now, you comprehend why very early on, I expected that Yoon Seungho would become a king. He doesn’t need to become a real “king”, yet there is no ambiguity that his fate is to become famous as a spiritual and fair leader.

3. Dragon and imoogi

That’s the reason why I started looking for more information about the dragon. As the readers could see through the deity, this mythical animal is strongly connected to water!

What caught my attention is that the Korean dragon has no wing, yet it can still fly and he has a small beard (hair around the mouth)!! But more importantly, this creature is a combination of different animals: the body of the snake, the antlers of the deer, the forehead of the camel, the nose of a pig, the ears of the cow, the claws of the hawk, the scales of the carp, the fist of a tiger and the eyes of the rabbit! He contains all the strongest features of these animals:

  1. luck for the pig
  2. strength for the tiger
  3. elegance of a deer
  4. stubbornness and resistance of a camel
  5. compassionate and giving nature of a cow
  6. the constant change, the metamorphosis of a snake (cycle of death and rebirth)
  7. the rapidity of a hawk
  8. fertility of a carp
  9. the abundance of the rabbit by sharing its eyes

In other sources, I read that the Korean dragon had also features of the dog, the frog and the sheep. But why does this mythical animal possess so many features from different creatures? It is because this powerful, God-like creature embodies the love and respect Korean people have for the natural world. I would even say that he represents nature, and as such he stands for harmony and justice. By being sharing features of different animals, he can understand their life. This is not surprising that the Joseon kings utilized this animal as their emblem. It symbolizes their power (omnipotence and “immortality”) while substantiating their ability to be fair and just rulers. 

Striking is that we have an allusion to these animals in Painter Of The Night. First, the lord was able to kill the boar (chapter 83) and the deer (chapter 22). Then the lord compared Baek Na-Kyum’s eyes to a rabbit. (chapter 78) Since both resemble each other, I deduce that the main lead has the same eyes, the rabbit’s. Like mentioned above, he utilized his fingers similar to claws: (chapter 18) He would fly like a bird, though he has no wing (chapter 30). His fists in this scene reminded me of a tiger’s: (chapter 54) One might argue that this signification is totally impossible, for the lord doesn’t have the body of a snake. This point can be refuted very easily. What is the major characteristic of a snake is molting. A regularly recurrent event during the activity period of all snakes is the shedding of the skin. This coincides with the lord’s change of clothes. The latter reflected his downfall and rising. Furthermore, this animal is linked to death and rebirth. My avid readers are already aware that I had detected different scenes, where we could witness the lord’s spiritual death and rebirth, like for example in the shed: (chapter 62) When he discovered his misjudgment the next morning, he felt like dead. He no longer saw himself as a lord, but came to view the painter as his new lord : (chapter 66) As a conclusion, Yoon Seungho shares so many similarities with the dragon that I came to view him as one. This explicates why even after getting married, he will never wear a beard! The change of dresses and hair dresses of Yoon Seungho represents the different social status in Joseon society: young master, painter, male kisaeng, slave, peasant, executioner, servant, lord, concubine, “wife”/husband” etc. Moreover, since I had detected parallels between the protagonist and the legend of Dangun, this could only reinforce my conviction that Byeonduck is referring to old tales and religions (and as such Dragon King) in her story. The author has already stated that she won’t create a story with the couple set in our time, and this becomes understandable, if she is constantly referring to old traditions and myths.

According to different sources, the Korean dragon is not born as such.

“Korean mythology states dragons were born from a mating ritual between a phoenix and a crane. This led the dragon to become a creature that harnessed mythical power and intelligence.” Quoted from https://daebak.co/en-de/blogs/magazine/animal-symbolism-in-south-korea

My avid readers will certainly recall my associations for the characters, Yoon Seungho was the phoenix and Baek Na-Kyum a crane. Thus we could say that their union makes them the dragon bringing justice and peace to victims. In another source, I found that the dragons were once said to be Imoogi in the beginning, a giant lizard that resembles sea serpents. They exist several different versions on how Imoogi become Dragons. One said it would take a thousand years for them to become a dragon, while another says they must catch Yeouiju (star) falling from the sky. Thus in temples and in pictures, the Korean dragon is also always represented with a ball.

“Another theory that exists and sounds the most logical to me, says that Imoogi was born in a place where living and dead intermingled. It was created in cave where thousands of people were stuck due to war in 420AD. As more and more people started to die in the cave, their intense agony and suffering led the foundation for Imoogi’s birth and therefore it symbolizes destruction and sadness. Imoogi controls the power of birth, death and rebirth. Ouroboros, a symbol of wholeness/infinity is also represented by a snake(serpent) eating its tail.” quoted from https://rtaori60.medium.com/imoogi-the-great-lizard-aca02c6c9b1e

Since it takes 1000 years for an imoogi to transform into a dragon, we have 10 years of suffering in Painter Of The Night. For me, this is not random at all. This means that after chapter 102, Yoon Seungho turned into a real dragon! This corresponds to his Coming-Of-Age. That’s the reason why I don’t think that he will be manipulated again like in season 2 and 3! My avid readers are already aware of the presence of ouroboros in this manhwa. For me, Kim symbolizes the imoogi and Ouroboros! He could never turn into a real dragon. But why does the imoogi need to wait for so long ? Some say that this is a curse, other traditions hold the idea that Imoogi are “pupae” or “larvae” of dragons. And they will become full-fledged and full-fledged dragons after being in the ocean for 1000 years. This signifies that time, experience and patience are essential for this transformation. Thus not every imoogi can become a dragon in the end, and that’s Kim’s fate. He was not able to recognize Yoon Seungho as his “yeouiji”. The shaman’s house reminds me of the cavern (chapter 102), and thanks to the painter, Yoon Seungho’s soul was able to escape this “mental prison”.

And this leads me to the following aspect: Baek Na-Kyum is the lord’s Yeouiji, his fallen star fulfilling all his wishes. That’s the reason why the dragon is never seen without his star. One might say that this is exaggerated. However, my avid readers should remember that I had associated the painter to a star, the sun, in previous essays, even before making the relation between the dragon and Yoon Seungho! This explicates why the lord is carrying his lover like his bride (chapter 45) (chapter 102), similar to the dragon in the picture above. His “star” serves as his guide, support and his source of life. Thus when the main lead confessed to the painter for the first time, the sun entered the bedchamber (chapter 55) and as such his heart and mind.

Therefore I come to the conclusion that in season 4, the readers will witness a clash between two dragons, the king and Yoon Seungho! The fight between the fake and the real dragon! Thus when the author released this panel recently, (Twitter), she was actually announcing the arrival of the monarch in Joseon. Hence you comprehend why I selected such a title, the rise of the dragon. “Lord Song” can no longer hide his true identity.

4. Dragon king and expulsion

My readers will certainly recall that the starting point of this essay was this expression “dragon king” which came to my mind, when I saw the recent publication. Why? First, the main figure was wearing the gonryongpo (곤룡포), where dragons are sewn on it. This hanbok is the everyday robe for the king which explains why the latter is always wearing the red robe all the time he appears in front of people. Hence I made this association in my mind: dragon king. When Byeonduck published this image, , she was naturally creating a new story, another Alternative Universe. The student Baek Na-Kyum who got bullied by the classmate Deok-Jae was suddenly sent back to Joseon, and appeared in front of the king’s bedchamber, Yoon Seungho.

Striking is that this panel resembles a lot to this picture which the author hasn’t used yet: The painter is sitting inside a room, while Jung In-Hun is standing outside. Nonetheless, the position of the characters are very similar. This indicates that the author’s new alternative story is actually inspired by the main story!! This can only reinforce my perception that Yoon Seungho in the main story is associated to royalty. However, since it is a reflection, I deduce that this image is the positive reflection of this scene: How did the learned sir react here? He criticized the painter by stating that this was “filthy”. In this scene, the characters are caught by surprise, but it becomes obvious that there is no disgust or expulsion. In fact, the fall of man took place before, for Baek Na-Kyum was sent to Joseon. In this encounter, I detect attraction and curiosity. Hence I come to the conclusion that in the original story, when this scene took place, , Yoon Seungho was far from being living like a king. As you already know, according to my interpretation, the protagonist was treated like a male kisaeng. That’s the reason why I believe that this scene played a huge role in Yoon Seungho’s liberation, the physical expulsion from hell in the end. Since in the parallel story, the student experienced time-travel and as such rejection and expulsion, I conclude that in the main story, Yoon Seungho must have made a similar experience! But this doesn’t end here, as the readers should keep in the mind the following rule: The painter’s destiny reflects the lord’s.

On the other hand, the manhwaphiles will complain that so far, Yoon Seungho has never appeared as a dragon. Yet, we shouldn’t overlook that the phoenix is the symbol for the Queen in Joseon. (chapter 50) (chapter 52) This means that the mysterious lord Song was actually claiming the main lead as his wife in the last scene. Min and his friends were sent there in order to entertain the protagonist, but they failed. This explicates why the next day, Black Heart was seen with a hanbok of lower quality. (chapter 56) It was, as if Min had been compensated for his bruised face by the mysterious lord Song. However, for the pedophile, Black Heart was just a concubine, and not his main wife! Hence the hanbok had not such a detailed and expensive design. This would explain the villain’s jealousy. And now, if you look back at the hanboks from the main lead, you will recognize his ascent. First, he is wearing green, which is similar to Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s color. At the same time, his hat resembled a lot to Kim’s. (chapter 1) Then later, he is mostly wearing blue which is actually the color of the Crown prince. (chapter 11) Yet, his robes initially have no design. Slowly, the lord is wearing colors and designs that are actually reserved for a king: blue, red, black and purple. This constant change of hanboks symbolizes the “snake molting” and as such his transformation and rising. This is not astonishing that on the night of the bloodbath, he had such a hanbok: (chapter 102) Here, he was no longer acting like a noble, but as a ruler. Don’t forget that according to me, the mysterious lord Song had proclaimed the main lead as his unofficial Queen by giving him hanboks with phoenixes. However, naturally, this was never mentioned to Yoon Seungho directly. Why? It is because Kim usually selects his clothes. However, this rise was not natural, as the lord had no real saying in this matter. The real metamorphosis took place in the shaman’s house, when the lord was sent back to the past and as such the darkness. (chapter 102) The moment he left the “cave”, he went to the mountain and surrounded by the wind and water, he changed into a dragon. This expulsion corresponds to the final release, the lord’s mind is finally freed from the darkness, while I believe that this scene is linked to the lord’s physical liberation. .

5. Nightmare and dream

Above, I had mentioned that the painter was the dragon’s fallen star and the love sessions were strongly connected to the weather. If so, why did it snow, when the learned sir left the mansion? (chapter 44) It is because the main lead was thinking that the painter would actually run away. Thus the door was left opened, and he was wearing warm clothes. Yoon Seungho never imagined that Baek Na-Kyum would remain by his side. Yet, during the previous night, the lord had consoled his lover by embracing him.

Furtheremore, the manhwalovers could also wonder why the lord had a nightmare in the bedchamber after their second love session? The painter’s presence should have brought relief. Moreover, during that night, there was no rain. (chapter 71) But this can be refuted easily. First, don’t forget that during this love session, the lord was acting like a servant pleasing his new lord. So this had nothing to do with Yoon Seungho’s feelings like sadness or happiness. He was determined to keep the painter by his side, and ignoring his own feelings. He never expected the artist to reciprocate his feelings. Secondly, Yoon Seungho’s nocturne vision is not just a nightmare, but also a DREAM! Yes, you are reading this correctly. Only recently, I discovered that all the artist’s visions are a combination of 3 elements: memory, nightmare and dream! I will give you three examples as illustration, for I am slowly running out of time.

Chapter 28: This vision is a combination of these three elements: memory, nightmare and dream. This had happened during the First Wedding Night (memory) (chapter 21), then we have a similar situation in chapter 49: , , but the painter was rejecting this future. Hence he considered it as a nightmare.

  • Chapter 34 : Memory ; nightmare the lord becomes a ghost and confronts the painter with his biggest fears (admitting his attraction, passion for erotic paintings and homosexuality) and dream (The painter’s true desire was that the lord would kiss him, he was deeply longing for his lips, yet he was still in denial in this vision.
  • Chapter 98: Memory, for the painter was remembering the corpse in the courtyard, a dream, as he wished the return of his loved one . He hoped that the lord would take care of him personally. Naturally, the “spirit” is the nightmare .

Since the lord’s fate and personality are similar to the painter’s, I could only come to the conclusion that the lord’s vision in the bedchamber is not just showing the past and the future horror. It also exposes the lord’s dream and hope! 😮

So where were his desires visible? First it was about breaking free from his jail… (chapter 74) This had already happened, but the lord had not grasped the significance. (chapter 53) Besides, he had not opened the door himself. Even when he went to the scholar Lee and opened the door with the his foot, the lord still felt trapped. (chapter 67) Then in season 3, he could break a door, but it was thanks to the painter. (chapter 96) This shows that the lord’s wish to get released had not been fulfilled so far. In my eyes, it is connected to the torture Yoon Seungho suffered and as such to the purge organized by the authorities. That’s the reason why I deduce that the lord will break a door in season 4, and this won’t be by accident and it will be witnessed by many people contrary to chapter 53, 67 and 96! The broken door will reflect the lord’s rise and power, and no one will be able to stop this. In my eyes, this wish is connected to the door in the servants’ quarter. That’s how his imprisonment started.

Moreover, the protagonist was voicing his thoughts, the reproach to Kim and his father! They had abandoned him. (chapter 74) The “dragon” wished to see Kim and his father, and confront them! And this did take place in season 3. Yoon Seungho confronted the butler with his attitude and betrayal (chapter 77), but this argument was just short-lived. He still viewed the valet as a hard-working and trustworthy person. He had just made bad decisions. Then in the bedchamber, the lord could blame the father for his suffering: (chapter 86) As you can see, the lord’s wishes were granted, but the nocturne vision was so difficult to grasp that neither the readers nor the main lead could interpret the message correctly immediately. Besides, the nightmare was mostly silent. But this doesn’t end here.

(chapter 74) In this image, he is floating in the air… a sign that his status is changing. At the same time, this shows that he is escaping from the hands. They are trying to drag the main lead down. Thus I come to the conclusion that the vision was announcing the lord’s transformation (into a dragon) and as such his “rise”. Note that in this image, he is still a teenager, but in the following panel the protagonist has already become an adult. (chapter 74) Simultaneously, the vision also displays the lord’s expulsion from “hell”, the sex orgies (chapter 74). the hands are trying to bring him back. This image displayed that Yoon Seungho would become powerful, and the hands wouldn’t be able to contain him any longer. The pink is a reference to the painter, and not just to the gibang! Thanks to the painter, Yoon Seungho is changing so that he will be able to face the KING, but not only him!! This is what the dream was telling him too. Thus we have this image: (chapter 74) Simultaneously, the dream showed that the lord wished to see this painting again, though deep down, he blames this image for his suffering. As you can see, the vision was revealing the tormented disposition of the lord. He was switching from nightmare to dream and the reverse… a mixture of anxieties and desires.

However, pay attention that the painting was standing behind Yoon Seungho, when the hand grabbed him (chapter 74) This signifies that he was approached by someone from behind, he had not noticed that the “door” had been opened. Thus he never expected his apparition. For me, this perception demonstrates that the painting is not the real cause for Yoon Seungho’s suffering. Since he had turned around, I came to recognize that this scene stands in opposition to the situation in the painter’s nightmare: (chapter 34) The painter had been able to witness the entrance of the ghost contrary to Yoon Seungho. The latter was caught by surprise. This image illustrates the lord’s biggest fear. That’s how I realized that his biggest nightmare is not the pedophile in my opinion, for the main lead in Baek Na-Kyum’s “nightmare” (chapter 34) stands for attraction, honesty and love… thus it should be the opposite in Yoon Seungho’s nightmare: repulsion, betrayal and resent! He fears to admit the truth, the biggest traitor is Kim, but he is still in denial. He has repressed the terrible betrayal from Kim, just like the painter’s, though I think that the biggest traitor in Baek Na-Kyum’s case is not really Jung In-Hun, but Heena. This would explain why Heena noona was not present in the terrible vision in chapter 34. This is not random that we don’t see the face of the owner’s hand. Naturally, the king was involved in this betrayal, for Yoon Seungho is caught between the hand and the painting. He was trapped between two forces.

This means that Baek Na-Kyum will help Yoon Seungho to face the truth: Kim is a traitor and the king is the pedophile. The vision is indicating that the butler will betray him again in the future, backstab him one more time… However, this time he will recognize his action. Why? Because this time, there is light in the room… as Baek Na-Kyum symbolizes the Yeouiju, the fallen star helping the dragon. If the author presents another dream from the main lead, we will definitely get new clues. And this brings me to the following conclusion:

Yoon Seungho had been portrayed as a bird of misfortune on purpose. (chapter 86) In reality, he was a dragon, who could bring luck and fortune to the person who would cherish him. This is no coincidence that the pedophile sent hanboks with the crane (chapter 34), (chapter 45) In his eyes, the main lead brought him luck, as all his wishes got fulfilled, and he was never caught committing a sacrilege or crimes. However, since the presence of Baek Na-Kyum by Yoon Seungho’s side, it looks like nothing is going like planned. The main lead is not only drifting more and more away from him, he even left everything behind. That’s the reason why I believe that the dragon, the king, will vent his anger on many people in season 4, a new version of this scene. (chapter 30), but much more brutal and violent!  While this “dragon”, the king, stands for court, and as such civilization and immobility, the Korean dragon embodies nature and hope for commoners who dreamt of ascending the ranks! This is not surprising that Baek Na-Kyum is slowly ascending the ranks, while in the past Kim was acting as the unofficial lord of the Yoons’ mansion.

As a conclusion, in season 4, expect a battle between an “imoogi” and dragons. In addition, it becomes obvious that the winners will be our beloved couple. Since Yoon Seungho was turned into a “dragon”, I am more than ever convinced that he will act like in season 1: confident, perceptive, smart and cheerful! He can not longer be used like a pawn, for the “dragon” can not be tamed! And removing the falling star would signify the dragon’s death!

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.