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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1. The significance of communication
In the essay “Respect and love” I demonstrate that both protagonists aren’t honest to themselves, exposing their lack of self-respect. This is one of the reasons why they keep disregarding each other. While they are hurting each other, they force each other to question their own action and words simultaneously. Hence the readers are witnessing their transformation. Little by little, the protagonists mature and turn into adults. They become more responsible. Their growth coincides with the development of attachment and the realization of their affection. At the same time, this evolution is strongly intertwined with the painter’s sexuality. The latter is making his first sexual experiences, which leads him to slowly accept his homosexuality. Yet he still fears his own strong libido and as such his love for the noble. Therefore till chapter 68, the artist is still dishonest with himself. As the manhwaphiles can see, the painter’s honesty is linked to respect and love. Striking is that both values are dependent on communication.
- “Love without communication is impossible”. from Mortimer Adler
- “Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” from Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. Communication and relationship
With these quotes, it becomes obvious that communication represents the foundation of a good relationship, where there exist respect, love and trust. Silence or lies stand in opposition to communication, because they create a false perception or an illusion. Since manipulators employ lies by commission or omission, the latter can be judged as weapons. Moreover, unsaid things and deceptions display a lack of trust. That’s why the relationship between the noble and the low-born can only stabilize, the moment they talk to each other properly. Once Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum reveal their true thoughts and emotions to each other, they not only show trust, but also can discover the true personality of their lover. However, if you pay attention to the evolution of the story, you’ll observe two details:
- Yoon Seungho is the one who keeps talking, revealing his desire to exchange thoughts with the painter. This explicates why the lord was so hurt in chapter 49.
He wanted to communicate (“share what’s on our mind”) with the low-born, but the latter refused, because he just considered the noble as a sex toy to procure him pleasure out of fear to get hurt and deceived again. - The painter is only opening up once confronted with sex and his own sexual desires.
3. Words, sex and its impact on relationship
Now, I would like to elaborate more these observations, hence I will start with the first chapter as illustration. The manhwaphiles should remember that at the tavern, Yoon Seungho was very talkative. 
(Chapter 1) He expressed his genuine admiration for Baek Na-Kyum’s talent and creations. Yet, at no moment the painter noticed the compliments. He had been forced to touch the loins, which shocked him, and then he remembered the lord’s bad notoriety. Therefore all the lord’s good words fell on deaf ears. The painter was more concerned with appearances and rumors than anything else. That’s why the conversation failed. Since Baek Na-Kyum was not interested in the main lead’s feelings, he feigned ignorance first, and lied at the end. 
Striking is that their first conversation was connected to books and sex, therefore this already limited their exchange. Moreover, this first chapter clearly reveals the lord’s interest in the low-born. He not only sent a domestic for the investigation about the mysterious creator, but also asked about his recent whereabouts. And curiosity usually initiates a conversation. But there’s more to it. From my perspective, the main lead felt no longer satisfied with the erotic pictures. He wanted to share his emotions and thoughts, when he looked at them. However, he had no one to talk to, so in his mind, if he met the artist, he could come into a conversation with the creator. That’s why he wanted to invite him in the end. The painting of sex sessions would give him the perfect occasion to discuss with someone.
And observe, when the first session starts, he can’t help himself talking to the artist, while Jihwa remains silent, as he doesn’t pay attention to him. If you read the story again, you’ll sense the master’s strong desire to communicate. When the painter arrives in the bedchamber in chapter 8, the lord welcomes him warmly with a huge smile and speech. 
(Chapter 8) Observe the contrast. The main lead doesn’t reveal his anger towards the noble with the mole, it is not worthy for Yoon Seungho of giving him an explanation for the humiliation. He just smiles 
(Chapter 8) before grabbing him by the topknot. His words and behavior truly display a huge respect and a desire to exchange thoughts and observation.
Moreover, when the master is not talking during the sex sessions, then he is in a locked gaze with the artist.
(Chapter 8) This mirrors the noble’s need to talk and now, you understand why the main lead had to evict the aristocrat with the mole in the end. By requesting to send away the commoner, 
(Chapter 8) he was more or less asking from the host to remain silent. 
(Chapter 8) The latter just had to focus on the guest’s sexual desires which confirms my interpretation that the main lead is treated like a head-kisaeng. Since the noble showed him no respect, then the main character didn’t need to respect him either. But more importantly, the protagonist made sure that he would be treated the same way. He also wouldn’t listen to his words, because the noble with the mole didn’t want to hear him speaking either. Therefore the door is closed, before the man can protest. As a conclusion, the aristocrats only visited him for sex or other pleasures and nothing more, while the noble had to remain quiet. Hence we have a silent main lead in his relapse: 
(chapter 52) However, even here the manhwaphiles can notice the transformation. The guests are no longer here for sex, just for smoking opium and drink wine. That way, the noble doesn’t feel lonely.
And Jihwa was not different from the others. Like Yoon Seungho described it to father Lee, 
(chapter 67) the childhood friend would only visit him during the night (“used to”). However, it changed the moment the main lead paid a visit to the red-haired noble early in the morning (chapter 3). After that, Jihwa realized that he could also go to his friend during the day (chapter 5 
and 12 
). And now, you comprehend why the lord questioned his presence in the morning and why he assumed that his visit was related to sex in the end. It looks like Jihwa never showed an interest in the lord’s thoughts and emotions too. And there exist two reasons for that. First, he had the impression he knew everything about his lover. 
(Chapter 57) Secondly, there was a risk that the main character could talk about the past and as such mention Jihwa’s betrayal. The lord’s emotions (sadness, anger, pain) represented a huge burden to the red-haired master. 
(Chapter 59)
This illustrates that the lord was never allowed to express his thoughts and emotions, until the artist arrived at the property. And now the readers can comprehend why Yoon Seungho said this in chapter 18: 
(chapter 18) Thanks to the artist’s presence, Yoon Seungho had been able to talk and people would actually pay attention to his presence and words. They started listening to his words. Imagine, one word and the straw mat beating was stopped: 
(Chapter 13) No wonder, why he thanked the painter in chapter 18. He could only be happy, when he confronted his childhood friend, as there was a real exchange for the first time. 
(Chapter 13) Argument is also a form of communication, and it happens between people in a relationship. Not only his words were finally noticed, but also he was able to draw lines to Jihwa. 
By influencing the host with the hope, Yoon Seungho would send away the painter, the childhood friend didn’t recognize that he was attempting to turn the protagonist into a puppet, therefore he could only fail. Moreover, Jihwa had no idea that Yoon Seungho’s true desire was to get close to someone, to engage a honest conversation. Therefore the main lead could only reject the friend’s words and proposition. As a conclusion, with the painter’s arrival, the lord’s words were little by little listened, he was able to communicate more with others: Jihwa, the nobles and the staff. After scolding the maids in the kitchen 
(chapter 38), the head-maid started showing her respect to her lord. But more importantly, he gave her the order personally to bring the painter’s lunch to his study.
(Chapter 46) He could finally voice his thoughts, everything happened thanks to the painter. This explicates why Yoon Seungho kept seeking the artist’s proximity, although the latter kept rejecting him (his escape, his lies, his refusal to paint for him etc…). He had realized that his living conditions had improved despite the struggling with the low-born.
His strong desire to communicate exposes that he had no companion by his side. In my opinion, Yoon Seungho justified his existence as a free spirit in order to hide his loneliness and emptiness. It was his explication why the nobles and Jihwa wouldn’t listen to him and disrespect him. Yet, the real cause for this situation was his traumatic past, where he had been forced to silence. Moreover this explains why he never paid attention to intruders in the end. He didn’t have the impression, he would truly live in that mansion. Besides, because people were supposed to visit him during the night for sex, then he was never expecting visitors during the day. Hence he spent his days smoking in front of the window. 
(Chapter 5) This outlines the main lead’s isolation and loneliness. Simultaneously, with this new approach, the readers grasp why Yoon Seungho couldn’t anticipate to become Min’s target in the end. He noticed Black Heart’s envious gaze 
, (chapter 8) but he didn’t envision what jealousy and greed would provoke. In my eyes, he couldn‘t identify these emotions properly.
The problem is that Baek Na-Kyum refused to converse with the lord. In chapter 4, the artist didn’t allow the main lead to express his opinion about the plagiarized poem. 
(Chapter 4) He was not worthy to comment this poetry, as he was just a man consumed by lust. However, the commoner never asked why the noble would judge the poem so poorly. He already assumed that he was just making fun in order to humiliate the scholar, while in reality the noble wanted to reveal the author’s true personality: Jung In-Hun was just a deceiver. And since he had been hurt by the painter’s comment, he retaliated too: since he was just a commoner, he had no right to criticize the lord.
And now, it is time to focus on the second aspect: Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum only started communicating properly through sex. The reason is simple: the painter was only honest, when his unconscious revealed his true desires. Right from the start, the artist was sexually attracted by the lord, but he kept denying it. However, the aristocrat did notice the painter’s genuineness in the sex sessions, which could only reinforce his strong attraction towards the low-born. He loved his art, and now he saw that someone was truly perceiving him. 
(Chapter 2) Baek Na-Kyum was the first who made the main lead realize the existence of his body. For the first time, he felt attraction through the gaze and saw something beautiful in himself. And what was the lord‘s immediate reaction? He started talking about his thoughts, though this was more a monologue than a discussion. 
(Chapter 3)
(chapter 3) Exactly like the painter, Yoon Seungho began talking while having sex. He even formulated his first desire in front of his childhood friend: 
(chapter 3) And now, you comprehend why his relationship with Lee Jihwa was doomed to fail. The red-haired master was more focused on sex and his own sexual emancipation than his lover‘s well-being. 
(Chapter 3) He never asked him why he was behaving so differently. He didn‘t notice that the lord was more communicative.
4. The first real conversation
But let’s return our attention to the main couple. The real conversation between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum only starts in chapter 16. Nonetheless, the only one talking is Yoon Seungho. He keeps asking questions about Baek Na-Kyum’s sexuality, waiting an answer from the artist:
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
Here I only selected a few inquiries from the main lead, however what caught my attention is that with his behavior, the noble was putting the artist under pressure. The latter remained silent, but the beholder detect how these questions affect the artist. They actually excite him in reality. Why? It is because the lord’s words incite the painter’s imagination. Note that in the second panel above, he is describing the sex session. And the painter gets really excited, when the noble says this: 
(chapter 16) On the surface, it looks like he is sulking, the reality is that he is already fighting against his urges. The hand is trembling due the arousal. 
While you have the impression, he is bothered by Yoon Seungho, the truth is that the artist is getting more and more excited due the lord’s picturesque questions. Funny is that in this scene, the aristocrat is the more innocent one. He plays with the head-band 
and his “innocence” is truly visible through his facial expressions too: 
. What is the painter’s real sexual desire? We have the answer in this panel: Getting violated by a stranger! In the wet dream in chapter 6, 
(chapter 6) a stranger in form of a shadow enters the artist’s room. The lord’s identity is only discovered at the end. But in his fantasy, the main lead was even grabbing him by the hair. It was definitely not a tender gesture.
He was even caressing him against his will. And note that when Yoon Seungho questions when he got the most excited to the point that he had difficulties to breath, the commoner remembers this image and not the strokes. (Chapter 16) As a conclusion, the artist is actually a person who likes BDSM. This explicates why the painter’s trembling hand was grabbing the shirt in chapter 12 while facing the lord. He was hiding his erection 
(chapter 12) triggered by fear. This new interpretation explains why the artist painted the sex at the pavilion in the end. 
(Chapter 41) If the forced sex had truly traumatized him, he wouldn’t have been able to do so. Furthermore, he questioned the authenticity of the lord’s affection, when he recalled the moment, he was offered to the other nobles. He was upset and offended. 
(Chapter 55) Yet he didn’t even think about the scene at the pavilion for one minute. This means that Baek Na-Kyum only accepts the main lead as his lover. Fear and pain are not perceived as something negative, they can evoke pleasure.
In chapter 16, Yoon Seungho got the painter so excited that he felt the need to run away in order to hide his erection. Striking is that when the lord starts masturbating him, the commoner starts blushing and crying. But these tears and reddening are not the expression of pain, they express the opposite: pleasure. 
(Chapter 16) Moreover, he didn’t get angry at Yoon Seungho for touching his phallus. He got more scared that someone had seen him enjoying the masturbation and I would even say, getting grabbed by force. Therefore the lord got an erection and was so happy at the kisaeng house. Finally, he had been able to talk to the painter. He even got to receive a honest answer for the first time, where he was even called “my lord”: 
(chapter 16) To sum up, Baek Na-Kyum showed a certain respect to the main lead in this chapter. But more importantly, the master was in a good mood, because he kept thinking how he could procure pleasure to the commoner.
5. The secret meaning of „no“
However, he felt a little insecure at the same time, because the commoner had kept saying “no”. That’s why during their first Wedding night, the lord asked him about his first sexual experience: 
(Chapter 21) The painter reveals the truth by replying that he enjoyed it very much, it felt like a dream. As you can see, chapter 21 was a reflection of the episode 16: we had a discussion, where the lord tried to initiate a conversation, tears of joy connected with pleasure, the lord asking to be called “my lord” and the realization of a dream. But we have another evidence that despite his words, he wanted the main lead to continue:
(chapter 16) The commoner’s hand is placed on the shoulder indicating that he is pushing Yoon Seungho to his side. He could have tried to remove the lord’s hand on his phallus, but he didn’t. The hand was even trembling from pleasure. That’s why the second sex marathon shouldn’t be judged as a rape in my opinion, although the painter kept saying no too. First, the painter makes the exact same expression than in chapter 16: 
(Chapter 63) And even the lord notices that the painter is getting more and more excited by the roughness. He keeps describing how the painter is reacting below
(chapter 63) which can only increase Baek Na-Kyum’s arousal, as his words are again very graphic. Note that the lord’s pictorial “filthy” expressions affect the painter deeply, exactly like in his second wet dream: 
(Chapter 63) Therefore I come to the conclusion that in chapter 63, the painter is not crying, because he is really hurt and angry at the main lead. These are tears of pleasure mixed with pain, which is linked to BDSM. That’s why he keeps blushing the whole time. 
(Chapter 63) This explicates why he kept ejaculating, despite saying “no” or recognizing that there was a witness. He felt no longer scared or embarrassed, like in chapter 16, where he ran away to hide. With this new version of the sex marathon, the painter truly discovered his sexual preferences. Therefore, when we see this
(chapter 63), we shouldn’t project our own emotions into the artist: pain and disgust. Remember this: the painter felt his blood running hot, when the lord grabbed his hair violently in his wet dream. (Chapter 6)
And now, you understand why the artist is scared to admit his affection to the main lead. 
(Chapter 68) He is still scared and embarrassed of his own sexuality. It must have felt strange in that historical period. What caught my attention is that we have two chapters where tears are mixed with pleasure and happiness (chapter 16-21), while we have two chapters where the tears are associated to pain and sadness (25-26; 41-42). Besides, in the last sex session from the first season, the painter was the one asking the lord to be quite rough! 
(Chapter 42) Yet, the noble couldn’t help himself showing tenderness and affection at the end with the passionate kiss. As a conclusion, the second sex marathon contains all these elements: sadness, pain, pleasure, anger and happiness.
6. Yoon Seungho‘s desires
And it is the same for Yoon Seungho. He likes BDSM and cosplay. That’s why he plays with the head-band 
(chapter 16), and in chapter 35 he accepts to be a servant or in chapter 49 a sex toy. Due their different sex sessions, he discovered that he likes being rough too. Therefore he couldn’t enjoy, when the painter was so passive. He recognized that he took pleasure, when the painter was showing resistance too.
(Chapter 63) This explicates why he couldn’t stand the expression “I like it”. This was too insipid. So when he became rough in chapter 48, he truly hoped to provoke tears of happiness caused by the sensation of pleasure.
(Chapter 48) However, since the painter ended up crying and criticizing the lord, he had the impression, he had failed. As you can see, the lord might have had a lot of sexual experiences, yet with the painter, he entered a totally new world: full of warmth and love, yet there was pain connected to pleasure as well. This explicates why he could open up and reveal that his real dream was to make the painter smile
(chapter 63), which contrasts so much to Baek Na-Kyum’s dream: cry of happiness.
I deduce that Yoon Seungho discovered BDSM through the painter, and we should see this as a treatment for the sexual abuse. First, he is put in the same position than lord Song. Thus he learned that sex could only be enjoyable, if there was consent. 
(Chapter 79) Hence people saw the sex session in the shed as rape. Nonetheless, the manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that Baek Na-Kyum was living in the mansion as a servant. Hence according to Joseon’s social norms, he was in no position to reject the main lead. However, for Yoon Seungho, it was different, for he was a young master. He had a title that was supposed to protect him. Consequently, the main lead can reproach the mysterious lord Song that he never asked for his consent and he would even treat him like a male kisaeng!
However, we shouldn’t forget that right from the start, the lord was seeking for a companion to share his thoughts and emotions. Due to the sex sessions, their honest conversations were limited to sex. First, they started arguing, because their couple had started on the wrong premise. Both were not honest to themselves in reality. Through their discussion, they were forced to listen to each other: chapter 25-26. Yet without any confrontation, they were not able to converse properly. Both of them were hiding something out of fear and pain, that’s why the conversation in chapter 47 failed too. As you can sense, their physical connection was never satisfying for the lord, he always hoped for more and tried to initiate conversations (chapter 35, 39-40, 41, 42). Both needed to learn to trust each other, but it was not possible because of their lack of self-respect.
7. Kim as a fake mediator
Remember that the aristocrat desires to talk to the painter right from the start, and later he wants to share his meals with him. And each time, Kim intervenes. First, he manipulates the lord to visit the artist in his study, well aware what Jihwa has already done. Then in chapter 50, he finally reveals the content of the conversation between Baek Na-Kyum and his scholar. And this conversation happens right after the lord asked to take his meal with the artist. He made sure that their interactions would only be limited to sex. In my opinion, Kim started meddling between the two protagonists, because that way he could refrain them to communicate directly to each other.
“There is only one rule for being a good talker – learn to listen” from Christopher Morley
That way, the butler hindered the painter to discover Yoon Seungho’s true personality. If they didn’t have an opportunity to talk, then the artist couldn’t learn through listening. That’s why the use of aphrodisiac in chapter 36 was actually an act of sabotage. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that in chapter 35 the lord tried to discover the painter’s likes and offered the latter to join him to his room. But in order to ensure that there would be no conversation, Kim warned the artist about the lord’s bad mood. 
(Chapter 36) While, it looked like he was protecting the painter, he was undermining their relationship. He was actually using triangulation.
Triangulation is an approach used by many different people who share one thing in common: insecurity. As a result, they’re willing to manipulate others in harmful ways to get what they want or feel a sense of security in a relationship. Quoted from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-triangulation-in-psychology-5120617
I had described the protagonists as insecure, and Kim could sense these anxieties and took advantage of it. And this is no coincidence that the painter’s love confession took place in the gibang. Kim was not present, and he could only join them much later. As a conclusion, Kim made sure that there would only be sex between them and nothing more. But when he realized that sex would bring them closer, as they started communicating, he separated the couple. They should no longer have sex together. First the valet used the conversation in the library as a justification, 
(chapter 50) Then he utilized the lord’s misconduct in the storage room. He should wait for the painter’s visit in his bedchamber. 
(Chapter 75) However, the valet could never stop the progression. The irony is that their first deep conversation took place outside the mansion. 
(Chapter 39) Once again, the lord had a teasing attitude, yet he was gentle and considerate. This is not surprising that due to their interaction, Baek Na-Kyum started listening to the lord. He took his questions and advices very seriously (chapter 40). Thus he confronted the learned sir about his future. As the painterofthenightphiles can detect, by communicating they began trusting each other more, and as such showing more curiosity and understanding to their counterpart.
After the kidnapping, the butler imagined that the lord would kill the artist for his abandonment, yet it didn’t happen. In reality, the lord prepared himself the painter’s bed. Then when he went to the barn in order to see what was happening, he heard and saw a painter saying “no”, while the lord was quite rough. So in his mind, after this sex session, the painter would be scared of the lord and would run away. What he saw was violence because of the past. Note when he tried to manipulate the master, he mentioned the main lead’s rape at the barn. 
(Chapter 68) With these words, he was implying that the low-born suffered the same fate than Yoon Seungho, because it looks like that on the surface. He imagined that he would achieve his goal (sending away Baek Na-Kyum) by using his knowledge, but in my opinion the opposite happened, like I had expected. What caught my attention is that the butler only mentioned Yoon Chang-Hyeon 
(chapter 68), as he had sent the painter to the storage room like his father. Yet, at no moment he made an allusion about lord Song, though he saw the sex in the barn as sexual abuse. He was thinking of the pedophile’s crime. He couldn‘t bring up the pedophile for two reasons: As a domestic, he can‘t badmouth the king. Secondly, he has to blame the father, as his own responsibility in Yoon Seungho‘s suffering would come to the surface. Remember my theory: Kim was the one brought the young master to the king thinking that the latter would protect Yoon Seungho.
Yet the problem with BDSM is that the couple needs to set the rules first, and these are strongly intertwined with “respect and love”. They have to communicate. That’s why the moment the painter accepts his affection, he is forced to recognize his own sexual preferences. This is no coincidence that in the bedchamber, Baek Na-Kyum voiced his desires after vowing loyalty to his lover. 
(Chapter 88) Furthermore, the chronology is important. The painter communicated first his thoughts and wishes, before they initiated the love session. 
(Chapter 88) This contrasts to the sex session in chapter 48/49. The lord had used sex in order to force the painter to share what was on his mind. Finally, in the gibang, the painter had talked a lot about his childhood to his lover before kissing his lover. 
(Chapter 94) They had a long conversation, where the lord could ask questions. This conversation ended with a love confession. 
(Chapter 94) This is important, because sex had now a different function. Sex was now a real form of communication, they would share what was on their heart. With their bodies, they would convey emotions. They would use the hand
(chapter 88) or the kiss 
(Chapter 95) so that no misunderstanding would be created. Therefore it is not surprising that even during their love session, they would keep talking, and even express their desires: 
(Chapter 96) And observe that even after the love session, they continued sharing what was on their mind and heart: 
(chapter 97) And now, you comprehend why the schemers had to separate the couple! From this moment on, they would communicate constantly, and this outside sex. Thus when they are in the mountain, they can speak freely. 
(Chapter 102) They are no longer a noble and a commoner walking together, but a real couple. They are equals sharing their happiness and pain.
However, this doesn’t mean that their love story ends here. This marks only the beginning, because the lord has so much more to show to the painter. Their love will keep growing and affecting other aspects in their life. Moreover, they are now paying attention to what is happening around them 
(chapter 102) Here, the painter wished to understand why they were separated for so long. This means that Yoon Seungho has to discover the circumstances which led to this tragedy. That‘s how they will realize that the enemies are close to them. The lord has to recognize that he needs to share everything, like for example the discovery of Deok-Jae’s corpse. 
(Chapter 97) As you can see, the topics of their conversation will diverge more and more. I do think that he was incited to let the painter sleep in order to „protect“ him. Yoon Seungho needs to recognize that warning and drawing lines are not enough to protect the loved one. He will have to take real measures to turn his statement (taking responsibility for the painter) into a reality: he will have to fight for his right to happiness. 
Taking the civil service examination only represents one step. Furthermore, appearances can be deceiving. The pure artist is not so “innocent” in the end. He has definitely met his match in Yoon Seungho, though I believe that his role is to heal Yoon Seungho from his PTSD and give him closure. And this can only happen, when the victim of sexual abuse confronts his perpetrators, the old bearded men!
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(chapter 68) to the situation in chapter 53, where the vicious domestic Deok-Jae got beaten for hurting Baek Na-Kyum.
(chapter 53) This made me realize that chapter 68 was a new version of chapter 53 and 54. Therefore I would like to compare these two scenes for two reasons. First, the contrast will help us to judge better the protagonists’ actions. 
(chapter 53)
(chapter 68) versus Yoon Seungho)
(chapter 54) 
(chapter 53) versus 
(chapter 53) This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum couldn’t recognize the lord’s love in the end. The violence had blinded him, exactly like Heena noona had been blinded by her own prejudices. She was lumping the teenager Yoon Seungho under the same comb than the nobles. However, I would like to point out that her testimony represented a distorted memory. Why? It is because that way, she was justifying her inaction. Here, the person threatened and abused was not the noona, but the child Seungho recognizable with his hanbok. Under this approach, the manhwaphiles can grasp why she is not mentioning the helping hand in that scene, the black guard. 
(chapter 99) We don’t just see nobles frequenting the kisaeng house, but also commoners! Heena’s statement gives the impression that only nobles are going there. This exposes Heena’s biased perception. To sum up, the kisaeng and the painter were blinded, though the latter had been influenced by the noona’s doctrines. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum was in denial in the end and saw the lord’s love as a lie. Furthermore, this signifies that the artist experienced the opposite from what Heena noona is describing to Baek Na-Kyum: 
(chapter 68). In truth, the artist mistook love for fear. Note that in each confession, the low-born expresses a certain fear, while in truth his heart is already racing for Yoon Seungho out of desire and affection. In chapter 41, he explains that his heart is pounding due to fear
and in chapter 49, he chose to reject the lord’s hug as a genuine embrace and decided to just admit his physical attraction. 
Since the lord had always been brutal, Baek Na-Kyum could never truly distinguish the cause for his heart pounding. And with this observation, it becomes obvious that the low-born was never in love with his teacher romantically, as he had never felt any heart racing for him. From my point of view, Heena noona was the one who mistook affection for fear. That’s the reason why she never saw the noble’s hypocrisy and cowardice. According to my latest theory, she is suffering from sex phobia [For more read the essay “Arrogant, filthy and lying nobles 🏯”]. But I am also suspecting that pride could have played a role as well. 
(chapter 53) He protected Deok-Jae from the noble’s violence (condition 1: Acting voluntarily for the service of others who are in need)), risked his own life (condition 3) and never receive any reward or gratefulness, in fact he never expected anything from the vicious man and the main lead. (condition 2: Performing actions without any expectation of reward or external gain). He even embraced the noble and his hug was totally genuine which the main lead sensed. 
(chapter 53) And with this new approach, I believe that when Min mocked the lord by calling Baek Na-Kyum a low-born 
(chapter 54), the main lead punched Black Heart, because he was actually protecting the painter’s name and honor. He no longer felt embarrassed to love such a person, Baek Na-Kyum was a true hero in his eyes. And now you understand why Yoon Seungho felt truly rejected, when Baek Na-Kyum called the lord’s love a lie. Sure, he asked for an explanation before
(chapter 54), yet since the lord was acting under the influence of his heart, he couldn’t voice his thoughts and feelings properly. Besides, before reaching the study, he had been denying his feelings too. 
(chapter 53) The painter’s question was pushing the lord to admit his affection. However, because he had been in denial, the painter mirrored his attitude. 
(chapter 68) When did the noble say that he adores Baek Na-Kyum? And remember that we have a flashback of that night from Yoon Seungho’s perspective: 
And this panel 
(chapter 62) made me realize that this could be the moment the lord chose to declare that he adores the painter. In this picture, the manhwaphiles have the impression that Baek Na-Kyum is whispering something to the lord, yet there’s no speech bulb and not even a moan. And since the painter is a reflection of the aristocrat, then this signifies that Yoon Seungho could have been whispering these words “I adore you”, especially after getting fully embraced by the low-born. Moreover, he experienced the heart pounding of Baek Na-Kyum 
(chapter 62) so that he felt compelled to reveal his adoration. However, despite the confession, Baek Na-Kyum was still in denial. And now, you can better grasp why Yoon Seungho was enraged afterwards and felt betrayed. He had confessed properly this time, and the commoner abandoned him for real, or better said, that’s what he envisioned. We have another evidence that Yoon Seungho declared not only his defeat, but his deep affection: 
(chapter 62) As you can observe, Yoon Seungho is also connecting love to fear, but in a different way. He was always afraid of admitting his love out of fear to be abandoned. And when he did it, the artist left him behind in his eyes. His nightmare came true, until he discovered that he had misjudged the whole situation. This repetition of misunderstanding proves me that chapter 68 is a reflection of the scene in the study from episode 53-54.
(chapter 68) First, he uses the scholar as his legitimation for his stay at the mansion. 
(chapter 68) Then when Heena noona pressures more the painter, the latter gives other justifications, like f. ex. the lord treats him well 
(chapter 68). Surprising is that he is actually mentioning others to legitimate his stay: the scholar, the master of the mansion 
(chapter 68) and “everyone” 
(chapter 68). But Heena noona can’t accept these excuses and forces him to confess his affection. However, even when he admits his feelings, he gives the impression that he is doing it against his will. 
(chapter 68) and observe that he is using the truth for his allegations. Yet, in my opinion, he is doing the same thing than Kim in the end. He is trying to put the whole responsibility on the lonely aristocrat. But what is the truth? Yoon Seungho might have dragged and mistreated the painter, but he also protected him and treated him with care, exactly like Baek Na-Kyum mentioned it first (“the lord is very good to me”). However, if the manhwaphiles look carefully at the artist’s second justification
(chapter 62) 
(chapter 61)
(chapter 63) 
(chapter 57), therefore Kim desired to push him to make the opposite decision. Since his father kept him captive, then Yoon Seungho should renounce on Baek Na-Kyum, because he doesn’t want to be like his own father. Kim knows Yoon Seungho’s good heart and wishes to utilize it to his own benefit. 
(chapter 68), but also to push Yoon Seungho to accept the painter’s departure. This explicates why Yoon Seungho didn’t enter the study and waited for the kisaeng’s departure. 
(chapter 69) Don’t forget that in episode 68, we have Yoon Seungho getting dragged against his will. 
(chapter 102) So was he acting like a hero here? 
(chapter 102) Black Heart had already stated this before: 
(chapter 102) Yoon Seungho had already stabbed lord Jang, therefore he could be punished for this action, even if he spared the aristocrats. In reality, there was only one solution for Yoon Seungho now: to kill them all. Why? Like mentioned above, Min would have backstabbed him. Moreover once arrested, the main lead wouldn’t have been able to protect Baek Na-Kyum. The latter would have ended in Min’s hands. Nonetheless, the lord was not acting rationally during this night. He was guided by his emotions exactly like in chapter 53/54. The only difference is that he was acting like a cold-blooded killer. The rage and pain were only palpable in his gaze. 
(chapter 102) The irony is that the Joker had reproached this to the main figure in chapter 53: 
(chapter 53) He had been a killjoy, for he had showed mercy! As you can see, Black Heart’s words came back to bite him. 
(chapter 102) He didn’t stop, because Min asked him to. The gods were showing to Min the cruel reality: violence is not a game! And the painter’s soul and heart got spared during that night. Since he was unconscious, he never saw the bloodbath. The goddess showed mercy to the pure artist. He was rewarded for his bravery and good heart. He had remained loyal to his lover. He never believed in the manipulations of the schemers or gave in to the perpetrators. He resisted till the end to the point that he risked his own life too. Just like his lover, he was a hero. 
(chapter 102) And this brings me to the following observation: Heena described the nobles as violent and arrogant liars, but she occulted the reasons why a lord would employ violence and deceptions. Yoon Seungho didn’t become ruthless, because he likes brutality. He was forced to, and it is the same with the lie! There is no ambiguity that Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum will have to lie concerning the bloodbath. It will be a new version of this scene: 
(chapter 11) He lied in order to protect the learned sir! He took even responsibility for the crime. Both have to lie in order to protect each other. 
(chapter 53) 
(chapter 60) He was hoping for his arrival. He was already considering him as his lord and knight in shining armor. And at the end of season 3, the painter hoped the same! 
(chapter 99) Yoon Seungho was his hero and protector. It is because the painter had perceived the noble’s true personality. He was humble, generous, but more importantly, he was a man of honor. He would keep his promises! 
(chapter 68) In their eyes, valet Kim had turned into a hero not fearing his death. But we had another hero in this chapter, the scholar Jung In-Hun. The latter took the crying Baek Na-Kyum in his arm and brought him away from the scene, where Heena noona was getting beaten by a rich noble.
(chapter 68) In her eyes, he was a hero, because he showed concern and care towards her tenderhearted brother. 
(chapter 18) Hence I come to the conclusion, the teacher used the school in order to manipulate the commoners and the gisaengs. While he portrayed himself as righteous and kind, he described the powerful nobles as violent and arrogant, so that he would get the admiration from the commoners. In truth, he was deceiving them, since he looked down on them. Yet he needed them in order to get some connections to the powerful and rich nobles visiting the gisaeng house. On the other hand, since he didn’t want to get too close to the gisaengs, he employed the innocent boy as a shield, misleading Heena noona to think that Jung In-Hun had feelings for her brother. That’s why he hugs the protagonist so tightly. 
(chapter 67) However, the second component (“Performing actions without any expectation of reward or external gain“) doesn’t apply, because he is not doing it for free. Let’s not forget Kim’s philosophy, which was exposed in chapter 65:
(chapter 65) He hates scandal and trouble. The gisaeng created such a uproar that Kim almost lost his credibility in front of his master. 
(chapter 65) He had two reasons for allowing her to meet the painter. First, Kim feared that she would cause more chaos in the future. Secondly, Kim realized that Baek Na-Kyum had become a huge source of trouble. He knew that the artist had been abducted, hence he got aware that Baek Na-Kyum had become a target of nobles. Furthermore, as soon as he had been returned, his sister made such a ruckus that she had turned the mansion upside down. Besides, like I had mentioned before, due to her behavior, she had put Kim in a difficult spot. Finally, he had another ground for giving his help: 
(chapter 67) He had never received the authorization from his master. However, the manhwalovers should recognize that he painted his master in a rather negative light, while leaving a good impression on her. 
(chapter 67) In his mind, the butler thought that Baek Na-Kyum would leave the place right away after the harsh treatment he had received. For him, there was no doubt that no one in his right mind would stay at such a place. He knew that Yoon Seungho would come back soon. In other words, he was not helping Heena or Baek Na-Kyum here. He was doing himself a favor: his desire was to lead a peaceful life. Therefore, this explanation contradicts the first point. 
(chapter 67) In my opinion, we have here a new version of the painter’s escape from the first season: Kim acting as a shadow helped the artist to run away (chapter 29-30). However, the problem is that he got caught by Yoon Seungho. 
(chapter 68) What should he do now? I would like to remind the manhwaphiles that Kim had not only disobeyed his master’s order, but he had acted, as if he was a lord. He had given the permission without Yoon Seungho’s consent. 
(chapter 68 It is important to recall that this story takes place in Joseon, therefore Kim’s action can definitely be judged as a betrayal and usurpation of power. One might argue that he desired to help Heena, yet like I exposed above, he did out of selfishness and not because he felt concerned for the painter and for her. As such, Yoon Seungho has the right to be upset. He is the master and someone is acting behind his back, overlooking his orders. Under this perspective, the head-maid appears more loyal to her lord than Kim himself. In this scene, he was only serving his own interest. 
(chapter 68). Note that the protagonist doesn’t menace to kill the gisaeng. He just desires to send her away, but he is now determined to punish his butler for his disobedience. He usurped his position, and as a lord he is allowed to do so. And that’s the moment, when Kim starts speaking the truth, which many readers associate to something positive.
(chapter 65) Yet, he never expected such a change of behavior in the main lead, that’s why he blamed the painter afterwards. 
(chapter 52)
(chapter 68) Initially, it looks like he is appealing to the lord’s heart, but in reality the main point is the noble’s judgement. The valet is reprimanding his master for his lack of discernment. He misjudged the painter’s behavior. This is relevant because in this panel, I view a first emotional manipulation. His real intent is to make the lord doubt his own judgement, like “look, back then you made the wrong decision… therefore you could be wrong here”. But the readers know that Yoon Seungho is right. Heena is determined to take away his lover, so his initial judgement about Heena is indeed correct. In his eyes, she represents a source of thread, he might lose the artist. One might argue that Yoon Seungho is sequestring the painter which is also correct, yet like my reader Luzy pointed out, this is the painter’s decision. Neither Kim nor Heena nor Yoon Seungho have to make the decision for him. And here, Kim and Heena are trying to do so. The problem is that Kim got caught. But let’s go back to my initial thought. Kim used his knowledge (the lord’s misjudgment) in order to make his lord doubt himself. and he appealed to his emotions for that. This type of manipulation is called gaslighting:
(chapter 65) Kim is destroying the lord’s confidence, so that Yoon Seungho will rely on Kim’s judgement. 
(chapter 64) He literally looked away, because truth wasn’t helpful in this case. Feigning innocence and ignorance was more appropriate. 
(chapter 23)
(chapter 68) Here, Kim is mentioning the past, where he played an active role between the father and son. In other words, he is reminding the master that he is acting like a mediator. However, this revelation exposes the servant’s manipulation. He was one of the causes for the falling apart between father Yoon and the eldest son. We have to imagine that he never revealed the real reason for Yoon Seungho’s rebellious nature to father Yoon. And here, he is behaving like in the past. He tries to intervene between Baek Na-Kyum, Heena noona and Yoon Seungho, as if he had the right to. 
(chapter 68)
(chapter 68) He had heard, how Heena noona was comparing him to misfortune, reinforcing his negative opinion about himself. 
He had been already prepared mentally by his butler. He was as wounded as Baek Na-Kyum, when the scholar had voiced his true thoughts about the painter. 
(chapter 40) While the artist’s fate is to become a prostitute, the other is destined to bring misery. He already externalized this perception about himself in chapter 49: 
(chapter 68) For me, chapter 68 is the new version of chapter 40. That’s why I wasn’t rejoicing at all about Kim’s behavior. He was far from being honest with his truth. In reality, he used truth mixed with emotions as his ultimate tool in order to save his own skin. In other words, he functioned as the noble’s mirror. 
(chapter 57) His gaze is only focused on his valet, not realizing that the latter is not honest with him. From my point of view, there’s a reason why Byeonduck put Jung In-Hun’s so-called heroism
(chapter 68) He slowly takes the artist in his arms. He doesn’t rush to her side, remains silent and immobile. His passivity reflects his true personality, but Heena is too focused on her young brother to grasp the situation. 
(chapter 58). Let’s not forget that the artist realized his dedication in chapter 58. Note the huge difference. The artist never uses others in order to judge the lord. Kim will realize soon enough the consequences of opening Pandora’s box. He might have achieved his goal (the lord won’t punish him for his disobedience), yet he lost his lord’s trust. Notice that right after this quarrel, Yoon Seungho started treating Baek Na-Kyum like a noble. 
(chapter 69) 
(chapter 72) From that moment on, Yoon Seungho was no longer viewing the valet as the unofficial lord. We could say that he had lost his status as “hero” in the main lead’s eyes. 
(chapter 1) in case his wish didn’t get fulfilled, and why he became so “bloodthirsty” after the rejection. Just like a drug addict who becomes violent, if he is unable to get his drug, he felt the urge to release his anger. 
(chapter 1) It was, as if he was in withdrawal and couldn’t bear the thought, he hadn’t obtained what he desired. So when I compare the painter and his work to a drug, it puts the low-born in a bad light. Nonetheless this is not my intention at all. For me, the painter represents his cure in reality. Let’s not forget that the powerful aristocrat’s heart has been poisoned, corrupted by his father, therefore in order to get cured, he needs to find another “poison”, it’s like fighting a poison with another poison. 
And now, the manhwaphiles comprehend the true nature of the new drug: the painter’s gaze is liberating the lord’s senses, very similar to Jihwa. This is not surprising that the first two paintings
(chapter 2) 
(chapter 10) he makes show our lord looking at the painter. Imagine, in the second image, he even has two sex partners by his side, yet his attention is directed at the creator and not his partners. This painting exposes their locked gaze and their growing intimacy. Baek Na-Kyum’s gaze has become the lord’s obsession, his new drug. The paintings Baek Na-Kyum creates exude warmth, beauty and naturality which stands in opposition to the world, where the lord is living: fakeness, superficiality, distance and coldness. But the lord’s attraction towards the painter increases so much that he would like to taste the artist. In other words, if he devours Baek Na-Kyum, he might get high again because the pictures are no longer enough to satiate his urges. Now, you can understand what this means. Having sex with the low-born signifies, he is “increasing” the dose. Note that this coincides with the third painting, where he is looking at Jihwa and not at the painter.
During that night, he asked the commoner to join them. He was clearly expressing his interest in the artist. The locked gaze was no longer satisfying. This is also not surprising that the next day, he has no problem to cut ties with his long-time lover Jihwa. The artist has slowly replaced the sex partners. Without realizing it, the lord is becoming monogamous. Observe that from chapter 16, he has no nightly activity at all, contrary to the past. He makes a relapse in chapter 33, due to his guilty conscience. However, the moment he realizes that some nobles, especially Min, are looking at his “drug”, he recognizes what it really means, if he came to lose his new “drug”. His life and situation would be worse than before. Baek Na-Kyum’s gaze only belongs to him, hence he is willing to face a negative reflection. 
(chapter 19) Notice that the moment the painter confesses to Seungho, he puts his hands on his shoulder and then he kisses him. But this doesn’t end here, later he puts his hands around his shoulders. 
(chapter 20) For the first time, the noble is embraced. And now, if you look at all the sex sessions he had with Jihwa or the others, the main lead was never truly hugged.
(chapter 8) 
(chapter 9) 
(chapter 15) [I am not quoting the paintings again which could be added to this list] One might argue that in the first panel, the sex partner is hugging the main lead from behind. 
(chapter 20) Yet, the more time passes on, the more the low-born holds the noble more tightly.
(chapter 21) The painter voices the wish to be embraced. That’s why the former puts him on his lap.
(chapter 21) You can sense that Yoon Seungho is willing to fill the gap and feel as close as possible to Baek Na-Kyum. He hugged him on his own first, yet the artist was the one embracing him fully at the end. 
(chapter 21) That’s why we could say that it all started with an embrace, the real cure. The painter’s gaze accompanied with the hands on Seungho’s shoulder created a new euphoria. This explicates why he was so obsessed with that night, why he attempted to renew this wonderful experience. In chapter 25, he tried to hug the painter from behind but failed terribly.
(chapter 26) This was a gesture of defeat and submission and never an embrace full of love. One might argue that the noble had already hugged the painter before, 
(chapter 16) hence the artist’s hug during their Wedding night can’t mark the start. Yet, if the manhwaworms look at the way the master held the commoner in chapter 16, they’ll notice that the lord is hugging Baek Na-Kyum from behind. He was definitely restraining him from leaving his bedchamber, like a predator catching his prey. Sure, there’s no doubt that there exist emotions behind his gesture. Nonetheless, the hug was more under the influence of the unconscious. Consequently it is different from the night in chapter 19. Here, the lord was more looking for sex, whereas in chapters 20 and 21, it was a mixture of sex and love. However, at the end love became triumphant and the lord was no longer interested in sex. 
Once he became sober, he realized his mistake. His mind had become clearer again. In my perspective, the “cure” helped him to release his emotions, which he had been repressing for so long. This explicates why he was reminded of his tragic past and relived his traumatic experience. He had decided to become numb in order not to feel any pain. The problem is that the moment he discovered love, he was not recognizing that he was allowing his heart to feel pain as well. Love and pain can’t be separated.
(chapter 59) He became addicted to the hug. The problem was that the painter seemed to have forgotten their lovemaking. On the other hand, the lord couldn’t forget the painter’s arms therefore he often grabbed the artist’s arm 
(chapter 22) 
(chapter 30), as if they were a treasure to him. The roughness vanishes gradually, for the lord changes for the better as well. But more importantly, in the following gestures, the readers can sense his desire to hug the artist. And as time passes on, the gesture becomes more obvious and pronounced. It started with an arm,
(chapter 22) then it was the chest
(chapter 40) , 
(chapter 42) until it became a real hug.
(chapter 49) However, the real climax is reached in chapter 58. This time, the aristocrat in love is holding him so tightly with his both arms. 
(chapter 58) There is no gap between them, the artist is no longer putting some distance with his head, unlike in chapter 49 (third panel above) or the lord is grabbing the neck to make sure that the artist keeps kissing him (second panel above). Yet, while they make love 
(chapter 58) , the lord is no longer holding him and gazing at him, he is just grabbing his hand and whispering his love confession. This signifies that the lord has truly given up on his dream and has accepted reality. The painter’s gaze and hug were just an addiction and he is admitting that he will never be loved. He will see this night as a wonderful illusion but he won’t feel any anger, despair and pain after that night. We could say that the lord has finally defeated his inner demons and addiction. He is free from his past and can now use his mind clearly.
(chapter 61) Baek Na-Kyum purified the lord so that the latter has truly become selflessness and no longer needs sex. He won’t organize any sex session or any party with wine and opium. In my opinion, the last debauchery symbolized his final relapse. Observe that during that week, he had no sex and wasn’t even aroused, when a noble gave him a blowjob
. Sex has become irrelevant thereby we can conclude that his transformation is complete. He has become a truly reformed man. 
Imagine his emotions, when the low-born did this. In that scene, the master was acting like a monster, nevertheless it didn’t stop the artist to embrace him despite the slap and his ugly behavior. But for Baek Na-Kyum, it was the same as well. He also longed to be embraced hence for him, their Wedding night represented a dream, where he could express his desire and experience what he wanted to have. He wanted to express his love, shower his learned sir with his affection. Strangely, it started with a hand 
(chapter 30) forcing the low-born to accept him as his new master. However, notice that the painter’s hands become more decisive and grab more firmly Yoon Seungho’s wrist in chapter 42. 
(chapter 42) This reflects the evolution of their relationship. The painter is here accepting the aristocrat as lover. Simultaneously, he is touching the place where the lord’s unconscious is voicing his desires. And this gesture triggers the lord later to put him on his lap, attempting to embrace him. And the more the lord hugs the painter, the more the latter is affected by it. The reason is simple. Just like the main lead, the commoner was deprived from warmth and love for so long and receiving it for the first time, this could only move the main lead. The manhwaphiles should remember that the artist asked the master to hold him in chapter 41
(chapter 41), exposing his need for comfort and embrace. Yet back then, the lord was confusing love with sex hence he couldn’t give correctly what the painter desired. He was not able to distinguish the difference. In truth, both were lost persons mixing up sex with love due to their terrible fathers. 
He keeps blushing displaying his emotions. He is really loved, displayed by the lord’s words and gestures. That’s why the hug is reciprocated but it is too beautiful to be true. Consequently the noble doubts its existence.
(chapter 50) His mind was no longer controlling his body, he acted on his impulses. He let his heart do what it wanted. He no longer ponders like in the past. This explicates why he confuses the mind with the heart. We could say that he was deceived because of all the time he spent thinking. Imagine his reaction when he realized after making that decision that the painter was no longer reacting. He got scared that the painter had fallen sick again, he imagined for one moment that this was a repetition of the incident after the sex marathon. Now, you might be wondering why I bring up this scene again. I would like to point out that in chapter 32, when he said
(chapter 32) he was already living under the illusion that he was just following his mind. He made the decision consciously that he would have more rounds with the painter, whereas in reality, he already was under the influence of his heart. He felt unsatisfied with the first round as he had just forced the painter to acknowledge his sexuality. Deep down, he wanted Baek Na-Kyum to accept him as his “husband” but despite the painter’s facial expressions and his climax, the noble sensed that there was something missing. So he kept having sex with him until the painter felt sick. In chapter 49, it was different, as he had already learnt to pay attention to his lover. Nevertheless, this indicates that the lord’s learning process was not complete. During that night he finally accepted the existence of his body. On the other hand, this also illustrates that he was slowly giving up on the idea that the painter could ever open up to him. Striking is that both made a similar decision during that night. While the painter chose to accept the lord only physically, the lord made the same decision. That’s the reason why in the end, I believe that when I confused the noble’s thoughts with Baek Na-Kyum’s, it doesn’t change much, as the thoughts are quite similar. Both acknowledge the existence and influence of the body. We could say that their expectations were aligned. This outlines how similar the two characters are. Both were living under the influence of their minds. One was brainwashed, while the other chose to live as a spirit in order to avoid any pain. Nonetheless, I believe that he was also brainwashed.
(Chapter 50) His mind might have chosen to resign, yet his body was telling the opposite. His heart wanted more, but his wish was denied by Kim. The author revealed that Kim was selecting the lord’s hanbok. Consequently, I am deducing that the butler had predicted how his master would feel. His heart would be bleeding. Notice that the valet Kim only tells him the truth, after the lord is dressed up and not before. They meet at the scholar’s chamber, when he discovers that Baek Na-Kyum only views himself as a prostitute, hence everything changes. Now he can’t even let his body lead. If he did, then he would make the painter feel dirty. In other words, he would hurt him. 
(Chapter 50) How strange that the moment he comes back to life, he has to die a second time, he can’t let his body take the lead. That’s why he remembers the painter’s sleeping face. His mind is telling to distance himself from Baek Na-Kyum, yet his heart is showing him something else: the painter.
(Chapter 50) The man gets torn due to the conflict. Therefore I have a different interpretation of the last panel. One might say that he becomes a ghost again. It was as if he was vanishing again… disappearing in the books. 
(Chapter 52) Simultaneously his body was indeed taking the lead in his chamber too. The moment he discovered the painter’s presence at his door and even heard his guest’s words, he couldn’t help himself to react. 
(Chapter 52) That was his heart pressuring him to kiss Black Heart. He wanted to protect the artist. He simply let his body take the lead. To conclude, the lord‘s resolution in the study became a reality. 
(Chapter 51) Baek Na-Kyum from far away had the impression that this was his lover’s laugh. The lord was masking his wounded heart with these fake parties. Either he laughed so loudly in chapter 51 or ignored his guest’s remarks in chapter 52. 
(Chapter 52) Nonetheless, there was a certain rage and brutality in his gaze. Thereby he might have been defeated in that moment, yet.he had not lost the war. Why? It is because he was boiling internally. He was furious. His mind chose to give in to prove Min’s words wrong. But why? It is related to his brainwashing and past trauma. He shouldn‘t take it to heart. 
(Chapter 50) If he does, it will bring him only misery. And in the bedchamber, it looked like Kim‘s words were correct. Black Heart had bothered him so much that the only solution he had was to give in. That way, he would no longer be bothered. He would be left alone and find his „peace“. However, deep down, he was so annoyed and angry. Notice that his rage changed him. He became proactive allowing his body to take the lead. 
That’s how the readers discovered the contradiction. That’s also the reason why this manhwa is not easy to understand after first reading. 
(Chapter 53)
(Chapter 102) Therefore he transformed into a shadow with a bleeding heart. 
(Chapter 102) This is no coincidence that Min couldn‘t stop the main lead. How can a human influence a shadow? It is impossible. As you can see, Min‘s joke in front of his friends came to bite him in the end. 
(Chapter 101) In the shaman‘s house, he was not beaten to death, but stabbed to death. This was the usual punishment for a noble. The irony is that because the painter was unconscious, he couldn’t stop Yoon Seungho. The latter let his body take the lead and committed murder. He couldn’t act differently, as he had lost his reason to live. The main lead had once again confused the mind and the heart. This explicates why he couldn’t detect that the painter was just unconscious. And that‘s how Min became a spirit. 
(chapter 19) in episode 19/20 and the second in chapter 49. .
(chapter 48) Then I had started contrasting both scenes, nonetheless I was not able to examine all points. That’s what I wanted to do in the 4th part. However, at some point, I had a revelation. The confession in chapter 49 represents the painter’s evolution, and it could also be compared to the confession in chapters 41/42. Because there was a confession back then as well. Yet, in that scene the painter could barely speak, he could only admit this: 
(chapter 48) All this led me to the following observation. We had the artist’s many confessions. Hence I am listing the common denominators that are always present during the three different scenes.
The opposition of the two gestures illustrates the diminution of the social and emotional gap between the two main characters. Note that despite standing on tiptoe, the artist’s head was still below the aristocrat’s head.
(chapter 49) the painter. The former is literally admiring his lover, pining on him but he doesn’t express it. 
In the chapter 49, Seungho acts the opposite. He doesn’t mention the word “apology”, yet he feels regret. He is sorry for making his lover cry. He admits that he is responsible for this, as each time they had such an encounter, he cried. 
(chapter 25) The painter admitted for the first time that he loved a man and his confession was addressed to the teacher, his “learned sir”. We have a long kiss
(chapter 25), the attempt of a hug
(chapter 25), the lord’s comments
(chapter 25) and the commoner’s agony either. And this confirms that the lord did attempt to recreate the wonderful night he had with him, but could only fail, because the painter couldn’t recognize him as his partner. His “love” was for someone else. Therefore, I stipulate that this manhwa contains not just three but actually four confessions of the painter. In other words, my title “Baek Na-Kyum’s confessions” was indeed so point on. Yet, each confession diverges from the others, as the artist’s emotional state differs each time. However, all of them mirror the painter’s heartache. No wonder, if the lord blamed himself for the low-born’s tears. Indirectly, he was apologizing to him, as he recognized that he was wounding him. He was the reason why the artist would cry.
(chapter 49) The man had just humbled himself, yet this was totally ignored. I would even add that the artist’s words even devalued the noble’s words and actions even more. Like I mentioned it before, the low-born somehow treats the aristocrat as a tool for his own pleasure. We have an indirect rejection as the artist refuses to give him his heart. 
(chapter 20) The low-born’s head is much lower, and there is a certain distance between both bodies due to the way the low-born’s hands and head are placed. Here, the lord is even complaining about the painter’s lack of experience and reaction. Now, if you look at the hug in chapter 42
, you’ll note here that the low-born’s head is higher and they are physically much closer but there still exists some distance. Even the lord’s behavior is different. His gestures oozes warmth, love and despair. His affection has truly gone deeper and with this huge hug, the manhwalovers can detect that the painter is indeed his first priority, while it was not the case before. His own selfish desires mattered more (20-21/25) back then. And now, we should look at the hug in the chapter 49. 
The first one was full of innocence and inexperience. Yet, there was warmth and affection. The lord responded to it with passion and lust. Then during the scene in chapter 41, Baek Na-Kyum initiates the kiss again. Here, the kiss is lacking of emotions. 
(chapter 41)
(chapter 49) There is lust and love mixed together. Therefore the lord can’t restrain himself from accepting the kisses. This is exactly what he was longing for. So Yoon Seungho made a huge progress, little by little he was getting closer to his goal. The painter was slowly opening his heart to the rich noble. 
(chapter 44) He saw it as a confirmation that the teacher had truly abandoned him, for he never bid goodbye to him. However, now I believe that Kim never informed the artist of the scholar’s departure.
(chapter 44) He just delivered it in delay so that the artist would feel even worse than before. Without the farewell, he could only come to the conclusion that he had been truly abandoned by Jung In-Hun. Yes, the artist didn’t react like the butler had expected. He remained in the mansion despite the gate had been left wide opened. By getting rid of the painting, he was cutting ties with the learned sir. Yet this was a baby step compared to the scene in the chapter 49. Here, he has finally become the master of his own life and fate therefore he’ll live his life the way he wants. He is accepting his homosexuality and as such his sensuality. He views sex as a part of his life. He rejects abstinence and doesn’t view sex as an addiction. 
(chapter 49)
In fact, in this image, he was acknowledging his other part: he was a painter.
(chapter 1) I perceive this image as an indication that the artist had dreamed about this love session. Note that all dreams about the painter were linked to sex and love. For me, this picture is a proof that the brothel had nothing to do with it. He was drawing outside and he had no model for such a scene right in front of him. In other words, the child allowed his body (his arm, hand, eye and brain) to take the lead, hence he was able to create such a sensual picture. Even Yoon Seungho wondered how a virgin could produce such beautiful drawings.
(chapter 20) I have always pointed out that Baek Na-Kyum was a homosexual right from the start, which he accepted as something natural. He was also encouraged by his noonas. 
(chapter 87) He saw no crime in it, rather as something lovely and beautiful, hence he never felt the need to hide it. Notice that in this picture, he was creating such a lewd painting 
(chapter 1) where people can behold it, he feels neither shame nor embarrassment. He had no idea that he was violating social norms. That’s why I came to the following interpretation, when the painter said 
(chapter 49) Now, you understand why I was really happy with this chapter. Baek Na-Kyum was slowly returning to the person he was in the past before the teacher and his noona Heena transformed him into a shadow of himself. He was accepting every part of himself: his sexual desires, his sexual orientation and more importantly his work as painter.
By forcing him to drop painting, Jung In-Hun had already ruined the low-born’s life, as painting was a part of his soul. We could say that the low-born was already withering. However, back then Yoon Seungho was not interested in why the painter suddenly dropped his true vocation and why he lied to him too. The lord was more obsessed with the erotic drawings. The cause for this long explication is necessary as with this interpretation, I am predicting what is going to happen in the future. 
Here again, he allowed his body to take the lead, but it was once again behind closed doors and nobody was present. He was hiding again, indicating that he still wouldn’t admit his own sexual desires and his homosexuality. Until now, he had only asked for comfort and love from his counterpart (chapter 20/21 and 41/42). Remember that in the chapter 41, he just asked to be hold and as such, he only wanted to be embraced initially. However, due to his inexperience and pain, he confused love with sex. As you can see, the belief “the body taking the lead” had resurfaced indicating that little by little, the painter was changing. More importantly is that he hadn’t been triggered by an immediate sex session, unlike in the past (chapter 8/9). For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum’s sexual desires had come back to life. Unlike in the past, he didn’t judge the cum as something dirty and filthy. Moreover, Baek Na-Kyum could only ejaculate due to Yoon Seungho’s warmth and love. He had these flashbacks where the lord made love to him. 
Thanks to these two elements (the body taking the lead and Yoon Seungho), he could paint again, however he could just create an unfinished and unrefined drawing because of the image he had of himself: a prostitute. His talents were diminished, even the lord’s influence couldn’t remove the false reflection about his identity caused by the scholar’s punishment. In this scene, we had another confession: Baek Na-Kyum was no longer hating the noble indicating that in the end, he had forgiven him for his wrongdoings:
That’s why his paintings lacked passion and warmth. He was working like a robot. As a conclusion, until the chapter 46, Baek Na-Kyum never considered his “husband” (I am well aware this is not how Baek Na-Kyum perceives Seungho) as his muse. He just used him as his model as he had been forced to or he wanted to smooth his agony. 
(chapter 1) He had no choice. He had to paint erotic paintings. Thus I conclude that the artist couldn’t fully show his true talent and express his passion for painting totally. Yet, his publications were still beautiful, since the lord’s heart and gaze were moved. On the other hand, the noona Heena sent her adopted son to Jung In-Hun, because she feared for her brother. 
(chapter 46) However, I believe that she was acting on the learned sir’s request. She justified her decision to send him away to the teacher, because she knew that by the learned sir’s side, the artist would never outlive his homosexuality. She imagined that the low noble was her son’s source of inspiration
(chapter 46), whereas the artist had other motivation. Therefore she thought that it was for the best, if he was by the teacher’s side. I assume that the teacher wished the low-born by his side for two reasons: money and the prospect to benefit from Baek Na-Kyum’s talent. It is very likely that out of greed, the learned sir desired to sell the painter’s works for his own benefit. But for the artist had been requested to paint these erotic paintings for survival, I come to the conclusion that he had been asked twice to paint erotic pictures. The first time, it was for a precise client, and the second time it got sold among the commoners, which explains why the tailor knew about the identity of the painter. 
(chapter 64) There’s no ambiguity that the scholar’s prospect got ruined, hence he unleashed his jealousy and resent onto the painter, until the man vowed to follow the scholar’s doctrine. The poor man could never tell Heena about the physical and mental abuse, as he had already been abandoned.
(chapter 34) He had to keep his promise to never return to the kisaeng house. I believe that the kisaeng must have used this incident 
(chapter 94) to send her brother away and exactly like in chapter 44, she made sure that the noonas wouldn’t be informed. That way, she could deceive her colleagues. It had been the painter’s choice. 
(chapter 93) For the man was his guardian, the low-born had to accept his situation. But since he was just a low-born, I doubt that he could sleep in the same room than the scholar. From my point of view, he had to sleep outside on the wooden planks, the older version of this scene. 
(chapter 1) Therefore it is not surprising why he didn’t leave the mansion in the end and why he said this to the head-maid. 
(chapter 75) Painting was his passion, and the childhood drawings kept by the noonas clearly indicate that he didn’t paint erotic paintings, since he was a child. 
(chapter 94) He painted animals and as such nature. 
(chapter 1) Sure, the painter’s mind was reminding him that this is filthy and vulgar, yet I sense that this affected the artist’s unconscious a lot. All the wet dreams Baek Na-Kyum had, the seme’s phallus played a huge part. Thus we have such drawings in the fantasies, where the protagonist’s sex is in the center of the painter’s imagination:
(chapter 2) 
(chapter 6) 
(chapter 8)
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 94) So the lord is now associated to the moon and as such to nature. Thus I conclude that the noble will discover the painter’s true talent. From my point of view, his new paintings won’t be just erotic pictures about himself with the uke, but also about nature (animals, plants). The diversity of the topics will increase, yet I am sensing that the pictures will definitely reflect the painter’s love and admiration for the seme. 
(chapter 92) Yes, it is very likely that Baek Na-Kyum decides to recreate this scene, because we could see that Baek Na-Kyum’s heart and soul was moved. A new version of this scene: 
(chapter 36) Besides, the painter’s works will reveal what the protagonists feel and think about each other: love. 
. He is even protecting his head. He has never been so close to him before. Despite the hurt, the noble accepts his new situation, unaware that he has come one step closer to his goal. The tragedy was Yoon Seungho had no idea about his real wish. Unconsciously, he desired to be loved by Baek Na-Kyum. This explicates why it took so long for the protagonists to become a real couple. The lord had not recognized the existence of his affection. He thought, he was motivated by his mind, which is here reflected in the study. The reality was that he was motivated by his wounded heart. However, deep down he was lowering his expectations, for he had been hurt. 
(chapter 48) The noble had noticed that the artist was blind and deaf hence he needed to use the low-born’s body to awake his senses and arouse the painter’s instincts. That’s why he licked the painter’s ears while whispering, 
(chapter 49) or pinched his nipples. At no moment, the protagonist let his emotions (anger, frustration) take control over the situation. That’s why we definitely can’t say that we have another rape in the chamber. First, since “Baek Na-Kyum is a whore” (in the painter’s mind), then the lord can do anything he wants. The noble’s reasoning is quite simple: “Because the commoner is acting, then I should act too”. Secondly, the noble is trying to discover the root of the problem
(chapter 49), while at the pavilion, he thought that if he forced himself on the painter, he would achieve what he wanted: being recognized as the painter’s partner and husband. From my point of view, we can observe the master of deception in action in this scene. He is using his body as a tool, just like in the past, when he had a sex session with the nobles. However, his goal concerning Baek Na-Kyum is different. This is not to defeat his counterpart. Inflicting pain is just his way to get through the painter’s mind and body. In fact, his goal hasn’t changed at all since the chapter 23. He is still hoping to be loved by the painter but right now, his immediate purpose is to discover the truth. Pay attention to the seme’s face in the illustration above. He knows that he is inflicting pain on the painter hence he is hurt as well. The manhwalovers can perceive the noble’s true face. That’s why I called Seungho as the master of deception. In the image above, the artist can’t see the noble’s true emotions and personality. Our seme feels, he has no other option left as the painter is living like a robot, or better said, a robot prostitute. This contrasts so much to the scene at the pavilion where his selfish desires and negative emotions led him to wound the man. From my perspective, Yoon Seungho is actually selfless here, he is doing it for the artist’s sake. He prefers being hated than getting unnoticed or objectized as an image: Seungho is a man consumed by lust. As a conclusion, Seungho is taking the bull by the horns, willing to get hurt and even hated in the process. The painter needs to answer his question: 
(chapter 49) He triggers him with his comments and actions, yet he is determined to make sure that once the artist reaches the breaking point, he will stop. That’s why the noble doesn’t listen to the painter’s complaints
(chapter 49), until Baek Na-Kyum yells to his lover and starts crying for real. Notice that in the drawing above, the artist expresses his own thoughts and desires for the first time. What caught my attention is that in this drawing, Baek Na-Kyum is speaking without a pause, unlike in the past where he is not even using the pronoun “I” or “me”: 
(chapter 45). My interpretation is that in that situation, the painter was only perceiving himself as an object. Sure, right after he admitted that he was feeling something. 
(chapter 45) But the emotions were quite superficial, he had great difficulties to externalize these. While the pronoun “I” was only used for the first time for a short moment, there was still the presence of an object in his confession. In other words, he was still denying the existence of two naked bodies till the chapter 49. Either he was an object (“it feels nice”) or the lord was one (“I like it”). Hence the lord’s remark was so point on: 
(chapter 48) First, he had misunderstood the confession, yet at some point he perceived his “confessions” for its real value: the presence of an object in his expressions. 
(chapter 49)
(chapter 49)
(chapter 49)
(chapter 42)
(chapter 41) In other words, I see a lot of common points between Jung In-Hun and modern dictators like Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini. We have the following common denominators:
(chapter 29) While some people judged it as something negative, I viewed it in a positive way. First, this flashback shows that the painter is thinking on his own. Secondly, he gets aware that the teacher’s hug was fake. He realizes the contradiction between the hug and the words said in the chapter 40: “He was born to be a prostitute”. “If so, why did he hug me back then?” From that thought, Baek Na-Kyum comes to the right conclusion. Jung In-Hun was not sincere and he is finally able to perceive the true nature of his learned sir: a hypocrite, though he doesn’t voice it. This is definitely relevant, this illustrates that Baek Na-Kyum is abandoning the scholar’s doctrine for real. He questions the teacher’s power and control and criticizes him for his dishonesty and duplicity. Since I stated that the rule 6 was central, this means that all the rules become obsolete as well. Baek Na-Kyum decides to live like he wants. And unaware of this, the lord makes the same decision. 
(chapter 49) He has suffered a lot and he fears to mistake the warmth from the protagonist as something real, whereas it could be fake too. That’s why Yoon Seungho can’t be pleased with this confession. He has to hear that he won’t be loved, that their relationship is only physical, he can’t expect more. Therefore Seungho gets upset and is about to complain, when he hears “I feel good”. Remember that I had explained that their position had been switched from the chapter 36 on. The noble had lowered himself and become a servant in order to get accepted. Now, with this confession, the painter is accepting the noble as his servant and he will be the master. No wonder that the seme is bothered first because this was not his true goal in reality. But when the commoner kisses the lord, Yoon Seungho’s negative feelings disappear. 
(chapter 39) So he won’t react like in the past, hide his special relationship with the lord. He won’t show any fear, when it comes to gossip or judgement from others. Why should he feel ashamed? This is something natural, which means that the next time Deok Jae calls him 
(chapter 47), he will be able to reply. 
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 