Please support the authors by reading 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 2 previous essays about Jinx Why Sleeping Beauty Had to Bleed part 1 and part 2
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When does a curse truly disappear?
Episode 99 of Jinx initially appears to destroy the central superstition of the series. Kim Dan lies unconscious in a hospital bed. 
(chapter 99) He is absent from the ring. There was no sex before the match, no ritual, no “luck,” no physical reassurance. And yet Joo Jaekyung wins faster 
(chapter 99) and more decisively than ever before. 
(chapter 99) At first glance, the conclusion seems obvious: the jinx is broken.
But then another problem emerges immediately. Why does this victory feel so horrifying? To the audience in front of the octagon, the champion no longer appears heroic. Baek Junmin’s face is totally ruined. 
(chapter 99) 
(chapter 99) The moderator repeatedly describes him as ruthless. 
(chapter 99) The crowd boos when he leaves the cage. 
(chapter 99) He refuses the interview, 
(chapter 99), ignores the CEO
, (chapter 99), abandons the championship belt behind him, and walks away as though the victory itself had become meaningless.
Without the hidden context surrounding Kim Dan’s assault, the public sees only one thing: a frighteningly violent champion who no longer behaves like a human being.
And yet the readers know something entirely different. We know that Joo Jaekyung entered the octagon after discovering that Baek Junmin was connected to Kim Dan’s assault. 
(chapter 99) We know that the fight was never truly about the belt. We know that the man appearing emotionally empty 
(chapter 99) inside the ring is, in reality, entirely consumed by one person lying unconscious in a hospital room.
This creates the real tension of episode 99. While outsiders witness monstrosity and rudelessness 
(chapter 99), the readers witness emotional clarity.
The chapter therefore reveals something far more unsettling. The jinx was never truly about sex at all. The real curse was hesitation and fear — the inability to escape the ghosts of the past. Kim Dan’s assault changes this completely. For the first time in the series, Joo Jaekyung stops fighting memory and focuses entirely on the present moment. 
(chapter 99) That is why episode 99 feels simultaneously triumphant and tragic.
The “loverboy” insult 
(chapter 99) intended to weaken Joo Jaekyung ultimately destroys the very hesitation that had governed him for years. But the result is terrifying to watch. The emperor wins, yet leaves the octagon looking less like a champion than like a ghost whose heart has already abandoned the arena long before his body does. (chapter 99)
The Champion Who Always Waited
One detail becomes impossible to ignore once we revisit Joo Jaekyung’s earlier fights. Again and again, his opponents attack first. Randy Booker rushes him aggressively, 
(chapter 15) Dominique lands the opening assault 
(chapter 40) while the athlete tried to avoid his attacks before
(chapter 40), Gabriel initiates the violence 
(chapter 87), and even Baek Junmin, in their first earlier encounter, attempts to establish control first. 
(chapter 50) Joo Jaekyung’s usual fighting style therefore follows a recognizable structure. He absorbs the opponent’s aggression 
(chapter 40), studies it carefully, adapts to it, and only afterward retaliates with devastating precision.
But Episode 5 quietly introduces a striking exception to this pattern. For the first time in the series, Joo Jaekyung attacks first. 
(chapter 5) The moment is brief, yet Park Namwook immediately notices that something feels fundamentally different. 
Despite training normally, Jaekyung suddenly appears unusually sharp, aggressive, and emotionally accelerated. Namwook asks whether he “did something special,” instinctively recognizing the deviation without understanding its source.
Retrospectively, the scene becomes deeply revealing. Episode 5 already foreshadows the connection between Kim Dan and the temporary collapse of Jaekyung’s hesitation. Long before Episode 99, Kim Dan had already begun interfering with the psychological structure governing the champion’s violence. Yet the difference between Episode 5 and Episode 99 remains crucial. In Episode 5, (chapter 5) the hesitation merely weakens. In Episode 99, it disappears entirely. And this is precisely why the fight against Baek Junmin feels so terrifying. The emotional fragmentation that once forced Jaekyung to wait, analyze, and psychologically endure before retaliating suddenly vanishes. For the first time in the series, he no longer enters the cage divided between past and present. He enters it whole. (chapter 99)
For years, however, this hesitation was misunderstood by everyone around him. Earlier in the story, an older coach 
(chapter 75) remarked that Jaekyung performed perfectly during practice but somehow “fell short in important matches.” Park Namwook immediately interpreted this through the logic of sports psychology and asked whether the champion simply got “cold feet.” Episode 99, however, reveals how profoundly the manager and coach misunderstood him. Namwook consistently interprets Joo Jaekyung externally. 
(chapter 99) Before the fight against Baek Junmin, he asks whether Jaekyung wants to warm up, whether he wants to hit the mitts, and whether he has slept enough. He notices that Jaekyung’s body feels “cold to the touch,” yet even then he still assumes that the problem must be physical, routine-based, or performance-related. This misunderstanding reveals something important about Namwook himself. First, it is clear that he is projecting his own indeciveness onto his “pupil”. Besides, he represents the institutional mentality of the gym, a worldview in which performance functions almost like a mechanical equation. Training, preparation, discipline, and focus are supposed to produce victory. To Namwook, hesitation can therefore only mean athletic anxiety or fear of failure. In his mind, the match itself is the most important reality in the room. That is why he keeps trying to solve Jaekyung’s silence through professionalism, routine, and ritual. But what the hyung never truly graps is that Joo Jaekyung is not merely an athlete struggling with nerves. He is a man haunted by memory. The “coldness” in his body was never simple fear of losing. It was emotional numbness. 
(chapter 75) Joo Jaekyung entered fights carrying invisible ghosts with him: the father, violence, hierarchy, humiliation, fear of disrespect, and the expectation of punishment and rejection. The story repeatedly shows how his father enforced authority physically. 
(chapter 72) The elder struck first. 
(chapter 72) Resistance or even “presence” was punished. Submission and later avoidance became a survival mechanism. Even later, fragments of this mentality continued reproducing themselves through figures like Hwang Byungchul. 
(chapter 74) 
(chapter 74) As readers, we gradually realize something deeply unsettling. Joo Jaekyung unconsciously grants older men (Randy Booker, Dominic Hill, Park Namwook and Baek Junmin) the symbolic privilege of initiating violence. This explains why insults such as “baby,” 
(chapter 14) “child,” and “lost puppy” 
(chapter 96) carry so much narrative importance throughout the series. These words do not merely mock him. On the one hand they psychologically reflect his past fighting style (chapter 99), on the other hand they reduce him to the subordinate boy once again. But beneath this hesitation lies something even darker. Joo Jaekyung is not merely afraid of losing fights. He is afraid that his father might have been right about him all along. When his father insulted him, beat him, and treated him as worthless, the violence was never only physical. It implanted a deeper psychological curse inside the child. 
(chapter 54) Weakness became tied to identity itself. Hesitation became associated with inferiority. Emotional attachment became linked to failure and humiliation. This is why the champion’s mistrust persisted even after becoming the strongest fighter in the ring. Outwardly, Joo Jaekyung became “the Emperor.” 
(chapter 75) Inwardly, however, part of him remained trapped before the father’s judgment, still unconsciously waiting for the older man to strike first. The hesitation therefore was not simple caution. It was fear itself. It was the fear that he might truly be weak. It was the fear that he might truly be inferior. And, above all, it was the fear that he might ultimately become exactly what his father believed him to be: A loser! 
(chapter 73) And this is precisely why episode 99 changes everything. For the first time in the series, Joo Jaekyung stops fighting while carrying the father’s voice inside his mind. He is no longer hearing his voice, but only seeing his lover’s cold body. 
(chapter 99) The assault against Kim Dan forces him into a situation where doubt itself becomes impossible. Suddenly, something matters more than hierarchy, humiliation, fear, or inherited shame. Love overrides the old curse. And once that happens, the subordinate child disappears instantly.
The Shotgun That Backfired
Baek Junmin believes he understands the former champion perfectly. When he leans toward him before the fight and whispers, (chapter 99) he believes he has found the champion’s greatest weakness.
The insult is carefully calculated. “Loverboy” infantilizes emotional attachment and strips Kim Dan of dignity. Ironically, Kim Dan is actually older than Jaekyung — a hyung — yet Baek Junmin symbolically erases this hierarchy entirely. In his worldview, emotional attachment belongs to weakness, dependency, and humiliation. But there is another layer that makes the scene even darker. The antagonist uses the word “loverboy” through the logic of prostitution, possession, and mockery. For him, the insult reduces Kim Dan to an object of attachment, almost something transactional or degrading. Yet the wolf and Jinx-lovers know something Junmin himself does not fully understand. Kim Dan was not simply emotionally endangered. In the past, he was physically assaulted. 
(chapter 91) The “hamster” clearly showed clear signs of PTSD during the restaurant encounter in Chapter 90. 
(chapter 90) The trembling, the nausea, and the paralyzing fear were not just reactions to a “fight,” but to a perpetrator who had physically violated his agency. When the former hospital director attempted to “erase” the assault through further violence (the stabbing) 
(chapter 98), it proved that to the antagonists, Dan’s body was merely a canvas for their malice.
Consequently, when Baek Junmin whispers “loverboy” in Chapter 99, (chapter 99) he is unknowingly stepping onto a psychological landmine. He believes he is poking at a romantic weakness; in reality, he is mocking a victim of a coordinated assault. This is why the insult becomes so psychologically explosive. 
(chapter 99) For Joo Jaekyung, hearing Junmin use a “diminishing” term to describe a man who is currently lying in a hospital bed because of Junmin’s own schemes is the ultimate provocation. It transforms a standard pre-fight taunt into a disgusting trivialization of Dan’s suffering.
The “Shotgun” fires a bullet of mockery, but because of the hidden reality of the assault, it returns to him as a cannonball of absolute, righteous fury. The word therefore unintentionally collides with the reality of sexual violence and trauma. (chapter 99) This is why the insult becomes so psychologically explosive.
At the same time, Baek Junmin weaponizes morality itself. The implication is cruelly simple. While Kim Dan lies unconscious, Joo Jaekyung is here fighting for spectacle, money, and fame. The thug expects guilt, hesitation, emotional fragmentation, and inner collapse. Instead, he accidentally gives Joo Jaekyung the most powerful weapon in the entire series. Throughout the story, the “jinx” functioned as a psychological crutch disguised as superstition. The MMA fighter believed he needed the ritual beforehand in order to stabilize himself physically and mentally. 
(chapter 02) This is why the superstition held so much power over him. Kim Dan unconsciously became transformed into something functional, almost mechanical: a stabilizer, a ritual, a lucky charm. 
(chapter 87) But episode 99 destroys this illusion completely. The moment Baek Junmin says “loverboy,” Joo Jaekyung is forced to confront something openly for the first time. Kim Dan is not luck. Kim Dan is not a ritual. Kim Dan is not a tool. Kim Dan is the person he loves. (chapter 99) And this realization changes the entire structure of the fight. The irony surrounding Baek Junmin’s title, “The Shotgun,” 
(chapter 49) suddenly becomes extraordinary. A shotgun is a weapon of spread, chaos, and indiscriminate destruction. The antagonist’s psychological attack functions exactly the same way. 
(chapter 96) He fires insults everywhere at once: infantilization, guilt, mockery, emotional humiliation, and social shame. But Joo Jaekyung’s response becomes the complete opposite: a trigger for retaliation. 
(chapter 99)
Instead of psychologically fragmenting him, the attack compresses his entire emotional world into a single point of terrifying focus. Baek Junmin tries to blow Jaekyung’s mind apart; instead, he accidentally pressurizes it. This is why the fight immediately becomes so frightening to watch.
The moderator truly emphasizes that this is “not his usual style.” (chapter 99) Joo Jaekyung gives Baek Junmin no opportunity to speak 
(chapter 99), recover (chapter 99), breathe 
(chapter 99), or retaliate. (chapter 99) Yet despite the overwhelming brutality, his precision never disappears. The knee strikes, liver shots, uninterrupted combinations, and perfectly targeted blows reveal not emotional chaos, but emotional concentration.
And then Mingwa introduces one of the most disturbing visual details of the entire chapter: Baek Junmin’s face. (chapter 99) The shattered nose. The missing tooth. The blood covering his mouth. The trembling. Suddenly, “The Shotgun” no longer resembles a manipulative predator or rising star. He becomes reduced to raw, terrified biology. The smugness disappears entirely. And this is where the violence becomes deeply symbolic. Baek Junmin’s greatest weapon was never simply physical strength. His real power existed in his mouth:
- the whispers,
- the manipulation,
- the destabilizing insults,
- the weaponization of social morality,
- and the psychological games.
He attempted to use language itself as ammunition. Joo Jaekyung’s response is therefore horrifyingly surgical. By destroying Baek Junmin’s mouth, nose, and face, he symbolically dismantles the mechanism of the “Shotgun” itself. (chapter 99) He silences the man who attempted to psychologically break him through words.
But there’s more to it. Baek Junmin’s identity as “The Shotgun” was never about his fists; it was about his mouth. (chapter 96) His smirk was his armor 
(chapter 96), a performative tool used to signal emotional superiority and untouchability. Throughout the series, he weaponized his smile to infantilize Jaekyung and degrade Kim Dan 
(chapter 99), positioning himself as the puppet master of the “last laugh.” 
(chapter 87) In Episode 99, Joo Jaekyung deconstructs this theatricality with surgical intent. He doesn’t target the body for a standard knockout; he targets the features of expression: (chapter 99)
- The Mouth: The source of the “Loverboy” insult and the manipulative whispers.
- The Teeth: The physical foundation of the smug, predatory grin.
- The Nose: The center of the “arrogant” face that looked down on Dan’s trauma.
By shattering these specific points, Jaekyung pressurizes the “Shotgun’s” spread of insults into a single point of silence. The violence is not random; it is the literal destruction of mockery. The irony is absolute: the man who defined himself by his ability to laugh at others’ suffering is left with a face that can no longer form a smile. (chapter 99) Jaekyung didn’t just silence the “Shotgun”—he dismantled the very mechanism Junmin used to enjoy his own cruelty. To the audience, it was monstrosity; to the reader, it was the only way to truly kill the insult. This is why the violence feels so different from ordinary sports brutality. Joo Jaekyung is not simply aiming for victory. He is erasing the source of the violation.
And the irony becomes almost unbearable. Baek Junmin believes the word “loverboy” will emasculate the champion psychologically. Instead, the insult destroys the final separation inside Joo Jaekyung himself. The “Emperor” might once have fought for titles, legacy, spectators, or survival. But the “Loverboy” fights differently. 
(chapter 99) He fights personally. And that is precisely why he becomes so terrifying. The crowd boos because they expected a spectacle governed by sportsmanship, hierarchy, and ritualized violence. Instead, they witness sincerity stripped completely naked. The arena ceases to resemble entertainment and begins resembling execution. (chapter 99) The public therefore interprets Joo Jaekyung as monstrous. (chapter 99) But the readers understand the deeper irony. For perhaps the first time in the entire series, Joo Jaekyung is utterly sincere inside the cage.
The Crowd of One
To understand the true weight of the “loverboy” provocation in Episode 99, we must return to the subtle transformation that began much earlier in the story, long before Baek Junmin ever whispered the word.
The shift begins in Paris. 
(chapter 87) Chapter 15 quietly introduces one of the most important structural changes in Jinx: 
(chapter 15) Kim Dan’s transition from a private “function” of the jinx into a visible presence within the audience itself. At first glance, the scene appears insignificant. The arena is immense, saturated with blinding lights, cameras, and noise. Joo Jaekyung stands at the center of a gigantic machinery of spectacle that elevates him into the untouchable figure of “the Emperor.” At this stage, readers are still encouraged to view him primarily as a public myth sustained by victory, fame, and domination.
And yet something changes the moment Kim Dan enters the stands. For Joo Jaekyung, Kim Dan slowly becomes what we might call:
a crowd of one.
Before Paris, approval came from conquest itself. The cheers of the audience 
(chapter 15), the fear of opponents, the attention of cameras, the authority of the CEO, and the symbolism of the championship belt all participated in validating Jaekyung’s existence. The Octagon was not simply a workplace. It was the symbolic center of his identity.
But once Kim Dan begins watching him fight from the side, the emotional hierarchy quietly shifts. The roar of the stadium slowly fades into white noise. 
(chapter 40)
This transformation becomes unmistakable in Chapter 87. (chapter 87) Mingwa deliberately changes the visual framing. Instead of emphasizing the scale of the arena, she places Joo Jaekyung behind the chain-link fence while a camera lens continues filming the “Champion” in the background. Yet Jaekyung himself looks beyond the camera entirely. His attention bypasses the world in order to search for a single face.
Then comes the deceptively simple question: 
(chapter 87)
Psychologically, this moment marks a point of no return. Joo Jaekyung is no longer performing for twenty thousand spectators. He is seeking Kim Dan’s approval specifically. Public admiration has already begun losing emotional value because it is automatic, repetitive, and unconditional as long as he keeps winning. Kim Dan’s reactions, however, remain uncertain, emotionally complex, and therefore meaningful. 
(chapter 87)
Paris therefore functions as the silent diagnosis of Episode 99. Long before Baek Junmin calls him “loverboy”, (chapter 99) Joo Jaekyung has already begun emotionally abandoning the arena. The “Emperor” slowly hollows out from within because another identity quietly begins taking shape beneath it:
the lover.
And this is precisely why Episode 99 feels so unsettling. (chapter 99) Once the fight against Baek Junmin ends, Joo Jaekyung behaves almost as though the Octagon itself no longer exists psychologically. He does not celebrate. He does not acknowledge the audience. He does not look at the championship belt. He ignores the interviewer. Even the CEO becomes irrelevant. Instead of remaining beneath the lights as the symbolic center of the spectacle, he walks away immediately.
This refusal profoundly unsettles the public because spectators expect ritual closure. A champion is supposed to stand proudly beneath the lights, receive the belt, address the crowd 
(chapter 40), and transform violence back into entertainment. The spectacle depends on emotional resolution in order to preserve itself. But Joo Jaekyung refuses this transition entirely. He leaves the violence unresolved and emotionally raw. (chapter 99)
This rupture becomes visible even in Park Namwook’s reaction afterward. Earlier in the story, Namwook constantly spoke about Joo Jaekyung with possessive familiarity 
(chapter 40), treating him almost as “his” champion to manage, interpret, and direct. 
(chapter 88) But in Episode 99, his praise suddenly feels hesitant and emotionally uncertain. 
(chapter 99) The stutter in “G-good job, Jaekyung!” alongside the visible sweat drop transforms what should have been a triumphant moment into an awkward and deeply uncomfortable interaction.
Namwook instinctively rushes toward the champion as though trying to restore the old ritual structure of victory: praise the fighter, normalize the violence, and emotionally transition the spectacle back into professionalism. Yet Joo Jaekyung no longer participates in this structure at all. He does not emotionally return to the arena, the manager, or the system surrounding him.
For perhaps the first time, the manager appears confronted with something he cannot interpret, regulate, or emotionally reclaim. The discomfort visible on his face suggests an unconscious realization that the champion standing before him no longer truly belongs to him and the world of the Octagon anymore.
And this is where the “Crowd of One” dynamic becomes crucial. (chapter 99) Baek Junmin intended the “loverboy” insult to make Joo Jaekyung appear emotionally small, weak, dependent, and pathetic. Ironically, however, the insult produces the exact opposite effect. Instead of diminishing him psychologically, it radically compresses his emotional universe until everything outside Kim Dan disappears completely.
The crowd loses meaning.
The CEO loses authority.
The championship belt loses symbolic value.
Even the identity of “the Emperor” begins collapsing.
Only Kim Dan remains. And paradoxically, this narrowing of the world is exactly what makes Joo Jaekyung so terrifyingly effective inside the cage. (chapter 99)
Earlier in the series, he always fought amid psychological noise. 
(chapter 75) The expectations of others, the father’s ghost, the burden of hierarchy, fear of emotional weakness, public image, and the pressure to sustain the Emperor identity all occupied space inside his mind simultaneously. Part of him always remained divided between the immediacy of the present and the weight of the past.
But in Episode 99, that noise disappears completely. (chapter 99) By trying to weaponize Jaekyung’s attachment, The Shotgun inadvertently strips away the ghosts that had governed him for years. The father’s lingering shadow, the burden of legacy, and the fear of vulnerability all collapse beneath a single emotional imperative:
protect Kim Dan and his dignity.
And once this happens, Mistrust or doubt becomes impossible. (chapter 99)
This is why the fight appears almost inhuman to spectators. The audience and the moderator witness a fighter who no longer seems connected to the ordinary emotional economy of sports entertainment. 
(chapter 99) There is no vanity left inside him, no desire for applause, and no hunger for symbolic recognition. The crowd cannot understand what it is witnessing because Joo Jaekyung is no longer fighting for public validation at all.
He is fighting for someone specific. That is also why the booing carries such narrative importance. Earlier in the story, crowd approval still mattered 
(chapter 15) because the audience helped sustain the identity of “the Emperor.” But by Episode 99, the crowd has already lost its emotional authority over him. The boos therefore sound strangely hollow. They belong to a world Joo Jaekyung has already abandoned internally.
This is also why Mingwa’s depiction of the crowd earlier in Episode 99 becomes so significant retrospectively. 
(chapter 99) Before the match begins, both groups of supporters remain visibly divided. Some cheer passionately for Joo Jaekyung 
(chapter 99), while others support Baek Junmin with equal enthusiasm. Yet despite this rivalry, the audience still shares the same emotional framework. They participate in the same ritual structure of sports entertainment: choosing sides, anticipating victory, and emotionally investing themselves in the spectacle. But once Joo Jaekyung abandons the belt and walks away from the Octagon, this division suddenly disappears. (chapter 99)
The rival chants collapse into a single unified sound: (chapter 99) In other words, the crowd briefly becomes emotionally unanimous precisely at the moment Joo Jaekyung rejects it entirely.
Symbolically, this reversal is extraordinary. Earlier in the story, the collective audience helped sustain the identity of “the Emperor.” 
(chapter 75) But by Episode 99, Joo Jaekyung has already emotionally abandoned that entire system. The boos therefore no longer possess true emotional authority over him. They belong to a world he has already left behind psychologically. 
(chapter 99)
Ironically, while the crowd finally speaks with one voice, Joo Jaekyung himself no longer hears it at all. This is why he can leave the championship belt behind without even turning around. For years, the belt represented worth, hierarchy, legitimacy, and survival. In Episode 99, however, Joo Jaekyung silently chooses a fragile human body over the indestructible gold object waiting for him inside the cage. 
(chapter 99)
In other words, the insult intended to diminish him emotionally ultimately liberates him from the need to remain “the Emperor” at all.
The Ghost in the Ring
This emotional transformation explains why Joo Jaekyung appears so deeply unsettling throughout Episode 99. Mingwa repeatedly depicts him with shadowed or completely obscured eyes (chapter 99), while the backgrounds dissolve into blackness, fragmented speed lines, and empty space. The visual language of the chapter gradually strips away the surrounding world until only the violence remains visible. At first glance, this eyeless imagery makes him appear monstrous, detached, and almost inhuman. Yet the deeper irony is that the opposite is actually happening.
Joo Jaekyung is not emotionally absent because he enjoys the brutality of the fight. He appears ghost-like because emotionally he no longer wants to be there at all. This becomes especially important once we remember the scene before the match where he insists: 
(chapter 98) That sentence completely recontextualizes everything that follows afterward. Emotionally, Joo Jaekyung had already chosen the hospital over the Octagon. 
(chapter 98) The cage, once his kingdom, suddenly becomes a place of forced exile. He does not want the lights, the crowd, or the spectacle. He wants to remain beside Kim Dan. He wants proximity, silence, and reassurance. But the system surrounding him — the match, the organization, the expectations, and the machinery of professional fighting itself — forces him back into the arena before Kim Dan regains consciousness.
And this is precisely why he begins resembling Kim Dan himself. 
(chapter 97) Throughout the series, Kim Dan lived like a ghost. He erased himself emotionally and physically in order to survive. 
(chapter 57) He exhausted his body for others, suppressed his own emotions, accepted humiliation silently 
(chapter 90), and reduced himself to a functional object rather than a full human being. He moved through life almost invisibly, enduring suffering while abandoning parts of himself in the process.
In Episode 99, Joo Jaekyung briefly enters the same existential state. Hence he is not allowed to talk to the journalists before the event. Inside the Octagon, his body continues fighting, striking, calculating, and destroying with terrifying precision, but emotionally he has already left the arena behind. (chapter 99) Hence he is determined to finish this match as quickly as possible. His heart remains in the hospital room beside the unconscious man lying in bed. In this sense, the fight becomes profoundly uncanny because Jaekyung’s body operates almost independently from his emotional presence. Years of training allow him to perform absolute violence almost automatically. Baek Junmin is therefore not facing ordinary rage or uncontrolled fury. He is facing a perfectly functioning machine whose operator is psychologically somewhere else entirely.
And yet Episode 99 also contains brief ruptures where the “ghost” inside the cage suddenly reveals the human being still trapped within it. One of the most striking moments occurs when Joo Jaekyung screams: (chapter 99) At first glance, the panel appears to depict pure rage. His face is distorted, his eyes are wide open, and the violence reaches an almost frightening intensity. But even here, Mingwa carefully avoids portraying him as a man lost in uncontrolled fury. The strikes remain terrifyingly accurate. His body does not flail blindly. Every movement continues targeting Baek Junmin with surgical precision. (chapter 99) This distinction matters enormously.
Joo Jaekyung is not fighting like someone consumed by chaos. He is fighting like someone whose emotional world has collapsed into a single unbearable question. Why?
The scream therefore functions on multiple levels simultaneously. (chapter 99) On the surface, he is condemning Baek Junmin directly for his choices, for the assault, for the cruelty, and for reducing Kim Dan to collateral damage within a world governed by greed, hierarchy, and spectacle. But the question also reveals something deeper psychologically. For perhaps the first time in the series, Joo Jaekyung openly confronts the absurdity of the system surrounding him.
Why is he inside a cage fighting for a championship belt while the person he loves lies unconscious in a hospital bed? Why does this world demand violence, performance, and spectacle at the precise moment when he wants to be somewhere else entirely? Why must human intimacy constantly be sacrificed to sustain the machinery of “the Emperor”? This is why the panel feels so emotionally explosive. The “WHY?!” is not merely directed at Baek Junmin. It is directed at the entire reality trapping him inside the arena.
And this is precisely where the Emperor mask finally shatters completely.
Earlier in the series, Jaekyung’s violence usually remained emotionally controlled beneath layers of arrogance 
(chapter 15), intimidation, or performative dominance. Here, however, the emotional repression ruptures openly. Yet paradoxically, the loss of the mask does not weaken his precision. Instead, his years of training allow his body to continue functioning with horrifying efficiency even while his emotional state reaches a breaking point.
The result is deeply uncanny. His body performs violence automatically, almost mechanically, while his emotions remain entirely concentrated outside the cage. Mingwa reinforces this visually by stripping away the arena itself. The backgrounds dissolve into white speed lines and empty space until only Jaekyung and his target remain visible. The audience disappears. The spectacle disappears. Even the Octagon itself begins losing visual substance.
The fight stops resembling sports entertainment and starts resembling a private war. (chapter 99)
And this is why the public perceives him as monstrous. Joo Jaekyung no longer participates in the emotional economy of professional fighting. He is not trying to entertain the audience, preserve his image, or embody the symbolic role of “Champion.” To spectators, he appears frightening precisely because the normal rituals of the sport have collapsed entirely.
But the readers understand the deeper irony. The “ghost in the ring” is not a man incapable of feeling. It is a man whose feelings have become so painfully concentrated on one person outside the cage that everything inside the cage loses emotional reality in comparison.
And this is what makes the violence so terrifying. The body continues moving flawlessly, but the person inhabiting it has already departed emotionally. The Emperor’s shell remains inside the cage, mechanically “cleaning up” the threat standing before him, while the human being himself waits elsewhere.
This also gives new meaning to the “loverboy” insult. Baek Junmin intended the word to drag Joo Jaekyung back into the room emotionally through shame, humiliation, and guilt. He wanted to force the champion to confront emotional weakness publicly. Instead, the insult produces the exact opposite effect. By naming him a “lover,” Baek Junmin inadvertently gives Joo Jaekyung permission to stop caring about the Empire altogether.
The emotional hierarchy collapses instantly. The title stops mattering. The crowd stops mattering. The spectacle stops mattering. Only Kim Dan remains psychologically real.
This is why the fragmented speed lines and visual distortions (chapter 99) throughout the chapter become so significant. To spectators, they symbolize the overwhelming speed and brutality of the champion. But psychologically they also resemble static, interference, and white noise. Everything surrounding the fight begins blurring together because, from Jaekyung’s perspective, the world outside Kim Dan has already lost emotional clarity.
Even his eyes disappear.
Earlier in the series, Jaekyung’s gaze defined his identity. His eyes projected intimidation, dominance, confidence, and hierarchy before he even threw a punch. In Paris, however, that gaze had already begun changing direction. (chapter 99) Instead of seeking the crowd’s approval, he searched for Kim Dan’s reactions specifically. By Episode 99, Mingwa removes his eyes altogether because if Kim Dan is not there to watch him, then psychologically there is nothing left worth seeing inside the cage. 
(chapter 99)
And this is why the public completely misreads him.
To outsiders, the eyeless champion appears dangerous, emotionally detached, and frighteningly cruel. They cannot see the unconscious body waiting in the hospital room, the assault that triggered the fight, or the emotional clarity behind the violence. The audience believes it is witnessing a champion who has lost his humanity. But the readers understand something far more tragic. The “ghost” inside the ring exists precisely because Joo Jaekyung has finally discovered something more important than the ring itself.
For perhaps the first time in the entire series, the Emperor no longer wants the arena. He no longer wants the gold, the cheers, the cameras, or the “last laugh.” The ghost in the cage is merely the shell of an Emperor who has already abdicated his throne. What remains is simply a man waiting for another person to wake up. 
(chapter 99)
The Real Octagon
The true emotional climax of episode 99 does not occur inside the cage. It occurs afterward, inside the hospital room.
The contrast between these two spaces is extraordinary. The octagon is filled with noise, cameras, violence, lights
(chapter 99), money, and spectacle, yet everything inside it suddenly feels false. The championship belt becomes meaningless. The real “octagon” is the hospital room. This is where Joo Jaekyung finally stops performing.
Inside the Octagon, his body continued functioning almost automatically. Years of training allowed him to strike, calculate, and destroy with terrifying precision even while emotionally he had already left the arena behind. But the hospital room strips away that final layer of mechanical control. For the first time in the chapter, there is no audience left to confront, no opponent left to destroy, and no role left to perform. Only Kim Dan remains.
And it is precisely this silence that transforms Joo Jaekyung completely. (chapter 99)
Throughout the series, Joo Jaekyung’s relationships were governed by an unconscious fear: the fear that attachment inevitably leads to rejection. His father did not merely punish him physically. He reacted to the child’s very presence with hostility and disgust. (chapter 99) As a result, Jaekyung internalized a devastating emotional logic. Being emotionally needy made him feel unwanted. Closeness became dangerous. Vulnerability became synonymous with humiliation.
This is why his relationship with Kim Dan remained so distorted for so long. Joo Jaekyung constantly sought proximity, yet he hid emotional dependence behind sex, money, possessiveness, irritation, or authority. Genuine emotional need terrified him because emotional dependence implied the possibility of rejection afterward.
And this is precisely why Baek Junmin’s words before the fight were so psychologically destructive: (chapter 99)
“You might never see him again.”
At first glance, the sentence appears to function like simple emotional manipulation designed to induce guilt. But its true impact runs much deeper. For a brief moment, Joo Jaekyung is forced back into the emotional position of the abandoned child once again: the boy not chosen, the boy left behind 
(chapter 73), the boy whose existence ultimately failed to make people stay.
Except this time, something changes fundamentally. Kim Dan cannot reject him. Kim Dan lies unconscious. 
(chapter 99) The feared separation is no longer tied to humiliation, disgust, disappointment, or emotional abandonment. It is tied to death itself. (chapter 99) And this distinction completely destroys the old psychological structure governing Joo Jaekyung’s relationships.
Earlier in the story, emotional distance could still be controlled through anger, domination, emotional withdrawal, or physical possession. 
(chapter 34) Pride could function as protection because rejection still belonged to the realm of human choice. But death cannot be negotiated with. Death cannot be emotionally controlled. Death strips away performance, ego, hierarchy, and pride.
This is why the hospital scene becomes emotionally revolutionary for Joo Jaekyung’s character. For perhaps the first time in his life, he experiences attachment without interpreting vulnerability as humiliation. And Mingwa visually announces this transformation even before Joo Jaekyung begins crying. 
(chapter 99)
One particularly striking panel depicts him in near-complete shadow after the fight. His eyes disappear entirely, but so does his mouth. The visual effect is deeply unsettling because the image no longer resembles the “Emperor” readers have known throughout the series. Earlier in Jinx, Jaekyung’s identity was strongly tied to his gaze, his smile and speech. 
(chapter 41) His eyes projected dominance, intimidation, hierarchy, and emotional control, while his words often functioned as weapons protecting him from vulnerability. But in this moment, both are symbolically erased.
The champion who once controlled others through violence, commands, mockery, and physical presence suddenly becomes silent and unreadable. (chapter 99) This panel therefore functions almost like a metamorphosis.
Joo Jaekyung appears suspended between two emotional states: the ghost-like fighter who mechanically completed the violence inside the cage and the human being about to collapse emotionally beside Kim Dan’s hospital bed. The “Emperor” identity has not merely weakened; it is actively dissolving.
And this is precisely why the following hospital scene carries such devastating emotional weight.
Ironically, Joo Jaekyung can finally speak honestly 
(chapter 99) only because Kim Dan cannot answer him. Kim Dan’s unconsciousness temporarily removes the immediate fear of judgment and rejection that had governed Jaekyung’s emotional life for years. His tears no longer emerge from wounded pride or fear of rejection. They emerge from something much more terrifying and much more human: the fear of irreversible loss.
That’s why his words gain enormous emotional weight. 
These lines matter because they are entirely stripped of control. (chapter 99) There is no aggression hidden inside them. No transaction. No domination. No pride. The “Emperor” disappears completely in this moment. (chapter 99) What remains is simply a man terrified of losing someone he loves forever. We could say, the tears wash away the “Emperor.”
Why does the wolf become so ruthless inside the ring? Because Baek Junmin accidentally destroys the old fear governing him. The child who feared rejection disappears the moment the possibility becomes death rather than humiliation. Suddenly, protecting Kim Dan matters more than hierarchy, pride, the audience, the title, or even Jaekyung’s own identity as champion. This is why the fight appears so frightening to outsiders. The public sees only violence because they cannot perceive the emotional truth behind it. They witness a ruthless champion abandoning his humanity. But the readers understand the exact opposite. For the first time in the entire series, Joo Jaekyung is not fighting to protect his ego, his title, or the image of the “Emperor.” He is fighting because someone precious might disappear forever.
The Alchemy of Tears
This visual erasure of his features leads to the chapter’s true catharsis. 
(chapter 99) When the tears finally fall, they carry a symbolic weight that transcends simple grief. Throughout the series, Jaekyung’s body has functioned as a suit of armor—a fortress of hardness, discipline, and emotional immovability. In his world, pain was always displaced; it was never felt, only inflicted upon others through violence or control. He was the man who struck, never the man who collapsed.
But beside Kim Dan’s bed, that armor finally shatters. (chapter 99) For the first time, his agony is not converted into aggression; it is allowed to remain as grief. These tears accomplish what the brutality of the Octagon never could: they return the “Ghost” to his own skin.
This scene represents an emotional rebirth rather than a collapse. The “Emperor”—an identity built entirely on suppression and invulnerability—cannot survive this level of sincerity. 
(chapter 99) The tears act as a solvent, dissolving the emotional paralysis that has governed him since his childhood. At the same time, they also allow Joo Jaekyung to confront something he had carried unconsciously for years: the guilt, fear, and emotional burden surrounding his father’s death. 
(chapter 74)
Throughout the series, Jaekyung fought as though strength itself could protect him from becoming his father. 
(chapter 75) Victory became proof that he was not weak, not broken, not destined to fail the same way. But this also trapped him psychologically inside the father’s shadow. Every fight became tied to survival, worth, and the terror of becoming a “loser.”
In the hospital room, however, Kim Dan’s possible death suddenly reorganizes his entire emotional world. For the first time, Joo Jaekyung is no longer fighting to justify his own existence through violence or victory. He is simply afraid of losing someone he loves. (chapter 99)
And paradoxically, this finally allows him to stop reliving his father’s death through himself. (chapter 99) The tears therefore symbolize more than grief alone. They mark the moment when the son stops trying to survive through the Emperor identity and begins existing as a human being capable of mourning, loving, and fearing loss openly.
This is why the final irony of Episode 99 becomes so powerful.
The public interprets the champion’s violence as proof that he has lost his humanity. In reality, the tears reveal the exact opposite. Joo Jaekyung cries because, for the first time in his life, he allows himself to love someone more than he fears losing himself.
And that is why Episode 99 does not merely depict the breaking of the jinx.While the public looks at the carnage in the ring and sees a man who has lost his humanity, the readers see the exact opposite. The extraordinary irony of Episode 99 is that Joo Jaekyung has never been more human than in the moment he allows himself to cry. He finally accepts a reality where loving someone else is more important than the fear of losing his own ego. The “Jinx” wasn’t just a ritual; it was a barrier. By breaking it, Jaekyung doesn’t just win a fight—he finally allows the man hidden beneath the Emperor to breathe.
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(chapter 98), then awakening cannot mean simply opening one’s eyes. It requires something more difficult: the ability to perceive the web itself. 
(chapter 98)
(chapter 98)
(chapter 74) 
(chapter 98) It marks the moment when threads—long invisible—can no longer absorb the force placed upon them. What could once be deferred, explained, or reinterpreted now demands recognition.
(chapter 94) She operates through a series of metonymic substitutions, formulas designed to translate the chaos of precarity into the language of stability. In her system, “Doctor” is synonymous with “Safety”, 
(chapter 65) and “Seoul” is equated with “Opportunity.” 
(chapter 65) This is the pragmatic logic of a survivor who has learned that in a world of scarcity, respectability is the only available armor. She seeks to build a fortress for Kim Dan out of credentials and institutional legitimacy, 
(chapter 47) believing that if the external conditions are sufficiently aligned, the internal suffering can be permanently contained.
(chapter 65), she extends her system of protection beyond herself. Unable to guarantee Kim Dan’s safety directly, she delegates it to another figure she perceives as stable, capable, and situated within a controlled environment. Protection, here, becomes transferable—something that can be secured through the right association. 
(chapter 78)
(chapter 21), his status, and his apparent control over his environment. 
(chapter 98) Having spent the night at the hospital, deprived of rest and confronted with a situation he cannot resolve, he no longer appears as an agent of control, but as someone equally constrained by circumstance.
(chapter 41) The loan—the invisible force structuring their lives—is not addressed directly; it is translated into filial piety.
(chapter 18) 
(chapter 94) This silence is not only strategic; it is protective. To name the debt would be to acknowledge its persistence and the origins of Kim Dan’s stress, and therefore the possibility that it cannot be escaped.
(chapter 90) Here, the logic of debt is not interrupted; it is reframed as asymmetrical power, dependency, and coercion.
(chapter 57) acquires a different meaning in light of the events that follow. What was imagined as a movement toward safety reveals itself as a movement toward exposure. 
(chapter 57) —his identity reduced to a single word: “bum.” The violence here is not physical, but symbolic. It is immediate, collective, and humiliating. Faced with this, Shin Okja intervenes, not by confronting the accusation, but by reframing it. 
(chapter 57) This response establishes a decisive pattern. The external threat is not analyzed or challenged; it is neutralized through emotional substitution. The problem is not located in a social structure—poverty, stigma, exclusion—but dissolved within the private space of care. What cannot be changed is not named. Instead, it is softened.
(chapter 65) Harm is not eliminated; it is reinterpreted. The world remains hostile, but its hostility is rendered bearable through the assurance of relational security. Under this light, it becomes comprehensible why Kim Dan started having eating disorder. 
(chapter 30), through representation 
(chapter 65), through narratives that render events coherent and contained. Within these frames, suffering appears structured, bounded, and ultimately resolvable.
(chapter 94), the statement appears benign, even affectionate. Yet it introduces a subtle displacement. What is presented as admiration becomes a form of reliance. 
(chapter 94) His performance is no longer his alone; it acquires a function beyond itself.
(chapter 98), the transfer becomes explicit. Care transforms into obligation. Affection becomes pressure. That’s why his gesture resembles to her at the hospice: 
(chapter 94)
(chapter 98) Suffering becomes something structured and resolved within a frame. This mediated perception sustains her belief that reality is ultimately manageable, that danger can be contained within visible boundaries.
(chapter 99) —but the statement appears mechanical, detached from meaning. What follows marks a rupture: 
(chapter 98) The violence does not introduce a new reality; it forces the recognition of a structural condition that had been deferred for years. 
(chapter 91), appears as an isolated figure. In this configuration, the crime can still be contained. It risks being interpreted as the action of a single individual rather than the manifestation of a broader system.
(chapter 90) The structure remains identical; only its direction is reversed. What appears as care in one case becomes blame in the other. Both displace the origin of harm, ensuring that it is never confronted at its source.
(chapter 95) The match is discussed on television, framed by expert panels, transformed into spectacle. Within this mediated space, events are reorganized into narratives that preserve coherence. The system remains visible—but only in a form that neutralizes its contradictions.
(chapter 65) Her philosophy is therefore not only a strategy for survival, but a defense against loss. By constructing a system that promises stability, she attempts to secure his future in her absence.
(chapter 94), she is not offering a casual compliment, but reaffirming a belief that character itself can function as protection. Just as institutions are expected to secure safety externally, moral integrity is imagined to guarantee it internally.
(chapter 11) It does not interrupt the structure that produces it. What the stabbing reveals is not the absence of goodness, but its insufficiency. Moral character does not shield against a system that exceeds it.
(chapter 11) When he sees Kim Dan’s injuries, he does not accept the explanation of an accidental fall. 
(chapter 11) The signs are too clear: the blood, the instability, the surrounding context. The truth is not hidden from him—it is fully accessible. And yet, this recognition produces no transformation.
(chapter 98) The match must continue. The title must be defended. The schedule must be maintained. What should function as a rupture—an event that interrupts the spectacle—is translated into a professional condition. Injury becomes endurance, trauma or pain 
(chapter 52) becomes discipline 
(chapter 52), and even external aggression is reintegrated as part of the fighter’s burden. 
(chapter 96) Violence loses its capacity to expose the system; it becomes one of its operating principles.
(chapter 95) His insistence that the match must proceed is therefore not simply a matter of scheduling or revenue. It is a defense of the very framework through which he understands worth. If the event were to stop because of blood, then the distinction between strength and failure would collapse. 
(chapter 96) Simultaneously, Dan operates under a prior logic of care inherited from Shin Okja, which characterizes love as a practice of self-effacement and the vigilant avoidance of becoming a “burden.”
(chapter 96) This selection is far from neutral; it activates a reflexive inversion in which Dan begins to view his own emotional presence as interference—an element that disrupts the conditions of performance. He ceases to position himself as a partner and instead redefines himself as an obstacle that must be removed. 
(chapter 96)
(chapter 98) Dan aligns himself with the very system that isolates him. By explicitly stating that he does not want Jaekyung’s performance to be affected, he performs an act of self-erasure, translating his devotion into a demand that reinforces the system’s logic. In doing so, he does not transfer the inherited burden, but reproduces its structure: love becomes obligation, attachment becomes pressure, and care becomes indistinguishable from the demand to endure. Suffering is thus rendered manageable only by being structured into obligation—even at the moment where it should interrupt the system entirely.
(chapter 99) His compliment carries no weight. 
(chapter 99), and reproduce the framework—but he can no longer guarantee its internal acceptance. Joo Jaekyung continues to act within the system, but no longer according to its logic. He becomes capable of fulfilling its demands without believing in them. The result is a hollow compliance: performance without adherence, victory without value.
(chapter 69) Where there is rupture, he restores continuity. In doing so, he prevents the emergence of the question that could destabilize the entire structure: why? 
(chapter 98)
(chapter 98)
(chapter 98) Yosep’s statement intensifies this discomfort. When he tells Jaekyung that Doc Dan would want him to go to the match, he speaks with a certainty that feels almost intrusive. It is as though Kim Dan’s private words have already been absorbed into the group’s logic, detached from their intimate context and repurposed as pressure. Whether Yosep is merely guessing, repeating what he believes Kim Dan would say, or somehow knows more than he should, the effect is the same: Kim Dan’s voice is no longer used to protect his life, but to discipline Jaekyung back into the arena.
(chapter 98) Yosep does not merely reproduce Park Namwook’s logic; he embodies its long-term internalization. Having lived under the same principle—that emotion and relationships must be subordinated to performance—he has come to perceive this translation as self-evident. His statement does not register as an imposition to him, but as a natural extension of care. Yet the consequences of this logic are already visible in his own trajectory. The prioritization of endurance over relational presence has not only shaped his professional conduct, but also his personal life, culminating in the dissolution of his marriage. What appears, in the moment, as pragmatic guidance thus reveals itself as a learned incapacity to recognize when performance has displaced care. 
(chapter 5) It shows that the “endurance over care” logic doesn’t just affect the fighters; it is a virus that destroys every personal relationship it touches. 
(chapter 99) 
(chapter 131) Hence the police officers found the governor’s seat deserted. 
(chapter 131) By contrasting the statement from the governor and the panel, the readers could easily catch his lie. He was a lazy governor, preferring to keep his lover company rather than attend to his official duties. On the one hand, it exposes the main lead’s true mind-set. He is not longing for power or glory. To conclude, he has no ambition. This implies that he is not determined to gain attention either. One might add that he selected this region on purpose. No one would willingly go to that place. The norm was that officials would go there, because they were demoted. 
(episode 129) Thus I deduce that Yoon Seungho made the opposite choice to his father. The latter longed for a high position at the government so that the family’s reputation would become famous and powerful again. 
(chapter 86) It is because Yoon Chang-Hyeon was thinking of getting the attention or support from noble families. What he truly wanted was to get recognition from people among his own social class. But with such a decision (join the painter’s side), Yoon Seungho seems to have turned the former patriarch’s nightmare into a reality. Yoon Seungho is about to ruin the family. The name “Yoon” is destined to become forgotten, right? However, I believe that this interpretation is not correct. How so? Let me ask you this.
(chapter 127) No one has such a wealth! That’s the reason why no official would select such a place. Yes, Jung In-Hun’s words from chapter 6 
(chapter 6) 
(chapter 37). It is about a crime, treason. In season 4, we know that the plot was true and there was an evidence, the paper with the signatures from lord Yoon and lord Song. Since in season 1 the wrongdoing was true and heavy, I deduce that it is not the case in the final chapter. Because there is an evidence of the crime in the past, I can’t help myself thinking that in the final chapter, there was no evidence. Additionally, I feel the need to expose my other interpretation about this man: 
(chapter 37) I have always stated that this man couldn’t be a servant, for he was smoking a pipe and we saw a glimpse of his memory. No commoner would be allowed to enter the courtyard, when three noblemen are tortured and interrogated. Moreover, notice that in both scenes (37 and 131), the magistrate is absent. That’s how it dawned on me that this nameless man could have been a former “governor” who lost his position.
(chapter 94) Here, the officers went to the mansion before visiting him at the gibang. 
(chapter 97) Back then, it was about the death of a commoner, a servant. If there’s an urgency, they would look for him. The comparison exposes that the “wrongdoing” from the peasants in the final chapter was no huge deal. Yet, many readers already condemned them due to the guards and the protagonist’s behavior. Funny is that the lord was portrayed as a huge liar, but not “the officers”. 
(chapter 101) His statement displays another aspect: the governor and the guards are not working together. Jihwa would have been sent to jail without being able to talk to the superior, similar to this scene: 
(chapter 126) The guards’ own interests are not necessarily aligned with the governor’s. And now, take a closer look at this scene: 
(chapter 127) The official received the patriarch in his office alone. The reason is simple. That way, he wouldn’t have to share the money with others.
(chapter 129). He was not sitting on a horse with a few musicians contrary to Jung In-Hun. He was carried by four men, and other people were announcing his arrival with flags and music. 
(chapter 111) Moreover, Yoon Seungho had a inauguration banquet organized, where the local inhabitants could join. 
(chapter 129) There was no social exclusion at all. This stands in such opposition to the lord’s statement in season 1, where he distinguished between nobles and commoners.
(chapter 129) This signifies that the arrest could lead to trouble to the guards too. So was the lord lazy in the end? 
(chapter 131) Yes and no… By acting that way, he put an end to the abuse of authority in that place!! Thus I deduce that the governor is destined to gain recognition and admiration from the local inhabitants. He is generous (inauguration banquet where anyone could join), humble, loyal (he is not forgetting his lover) 
(chapter 131), but also well organized! He had planned to join this place a long time ago. The peach trees were planted about 3 years ago. He is no longer making any distinction between nobles and commoners, and that’s how he will get the respect from the peasants. As a conclusion, we should envision that the lord will become famous. Therefore the son didn’t turn the father’s nightmare into a reality. He didn’t contribute to the family’s ruin at all. Yet, there exists a huge divergence. Yoon Seungho is about to make a name on his own. It is not about the Yoons. On the one hand, the father’s dream was illusory and superficial, especially due to the treason
(chapter 86). Since Lord Song had been forced to resign, there’s no doubt that the man would resent the Yoons to become successful again. This explicates why lord Song saw Yoon Seungwon as a problem 
(chapter 107) and tried to tarnish the younger son’s reputation. But let’s return our attention to the patriarch. His vision was based on Confucianism. However, he had a very narrow-minded perception of it. 
(chapter 7) This shows that the tradition was to “vanish behind the family name, the Yoons”. Under this new light, my avid readers can grasp why the main lead was destined to suffer immensely 
(chapter 57). His reputation was already outshining his father’s. Secondly, by being stigmatized as a homosexual, he was endangering this principle. His role was to continue the lineage and as such produce a heir. 
(chapter 116) or even Min could commit crimes in the open. They felt safe, for they knew that the authorities belonged to the same social class than them. However, this could only work, as long as the nobles would cover for each other. Should a yanbang denunciate a noble family, it was a different story. Therefore I assume that lord Lee was the one who reported the treason to the authorities (the painting in the bedroom was the evidence). But such a painting couldn’t represent a proof. However, since human justice was corrupted, the gods decided to give justice to the protagonists. That’s how Yoon Seungho became the hand of justice. Everyone involved in the protagonists’ suffering had to pay for their crimes. 
(chapter 102) That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum’s martyrdom was strongly intertwined with the young master’s. Yoon Seungho only received this power through Baek Na-Kyum, the character embodying fairness, sincerity, hard work, home and equity. This was particularly perceptible in this scene: 
(chapter 27) The lord couldn’t kill anyone randomly. 
(chapter 102) However, I consider it as a first step to the lord’s emancipation and life lesson. The latter is indirectly learning not to pay attention to status and power. That’s why the author portrayed him as blind and deaf to their plea and special status. While his behavior in the shrine was rather impulsive and influenced by deeply rooted fears, we should consider lord Song’s execution as a true act of justice. 
(chapter 123) 
(chapter 123) The latter had confessed all his crimes: the ones from the past (the lies in order to fool the father) 
(chapter 123) and the painter’s murder. Funny is that lord Song didn’t feel threatened by the young master at all despite the sword. 
(chapter 123) Why? It is because he feels, he is the one with the upper hand. First, he has the petition, hence he is already projecting himself in the future (he can get a high position again). Secondly, he thinks, Yoon Seungho is outnumbered. He is surrounded by 4 guards. But more importantly, he views himself superior to the main character due to his age. He is an elder. That’s the reason why he calls “my dear boy”. This implies that he is underestimating the main figure. The latter would never dare to raise his hand against a senior!! However, true justice is also blind to age. 
(chapter 123) His smile at the end of the episode should be perceived as a reflection from Min’s vanishing. 
(chapter 103) One might even add that the lord’s action could have been seen as self-defense. However, don’t forget that we are here in Joseon, where a commoner’s life means nothing. Because of this new association, I came to the following deduction: lord Song was the one behind lord Shin’s death. 
(chapter 103) The latter couldn’t imagine that an elderly yanbang, an official, would raise the sword against another noble. After this new realization, it dawned on me why Yoon Seungho had to get separated from his loved one. 
(chapter 126) This humiliation made Yoon Seungho realize that he needed to have his power on his own. He learned through the hard way that he was not just a Yoon, but Seungho. Yes, this helped him to differentiate himself from his father and to become stronger mentally. His religion was now his lover, Baek Na-Kyum, whom he needed to protect. But he could only do it, if he had himself a powerful position. But he needed to witness the corruption of the authorities to realize that in Joseon, there exists no justice. 
(chapter 6): neglect and indifference towards the commoners. And this new observation brings me to my other topic, Jung In-Hun.
(chapter 129), therefore he couldn’t select one position contrary to the main lead. This means that when he celebrated his “victory” in episode 111, it was not official. He had no post. I would even add, his name had not been announced on the official board, like we could witness it in this scene. 
(chapter 121) Here, he is informed that he didn’t pass the exam, for his name was not written there. We can detect this, because people are congratulating each other. His name was left out due to the intervention from lord Song. This means that when Yoon Seungho made him this offer 
(chapter 7), these were not empty words. He did help the learned sir to pass the civil service exam. But the scholar didn’t succeed like anticipated. The absence of his success explicates why Jung In-Hun received such an offer from lord Song later. 
(chapter 117) He had no post, he couldn’t choose it, for he was not the best. Thus I deduce that the scholar had just proven his mediocrity. He was just an average man. That’s how it dawned on me that the ceremony in the street was more a simulacre! 
(chapter 44) Only one thing was real: Jung In-Hun was wearing an official uniform, that way no one would doubt his “victory”. Moreover, observe that lord Song only approached the learned sir after the parade. So he was not behind the parade. Besides, keep in mind that the main couple was informed about the parade through the tailor 
(chapter 111) and not from the official board. His reaction shows not only his displeasure, but also his ignorance. If he had known about the cortege, he would have avoided the place in the first place. Thus I suspect that the tailor had been encouraged to leak this information in front of the couple. Let’s not forget, as a tailor, he was definitely involved in the cortege. It is no coincidence that he informed Yoon Seungho about this “sudden parade”. At the same time, I come to the following deduction: someone must have paid for this spectacle, and it was not Yoon Seungho, for he had been kept in the dark until the last moment. I doubt that the learned sir had the connections and money for this. This new perception corroborates my previous interpretation: the show was sponsored by someone, and it was definitely inspired by the drawing (the hat and the green uniform). 
(chapter 111). Yet this was just a cheap trick, for the person didn’t send a sedan chair with carriers. Under this new light, I realized why Jung In-Hun ended up stigmatized as a criminal. 
(chapter 127) It was his karma, for he had deceived the painter with his lies. His success was not his own. 
(chapter 111) He realized that even after passing the exam, he needed the assistance of people, a sponsor for the spectacle, a noble with connections. Besides, when in season 1, the painter was accused of a crime (ruining the picture), the learned sir did nothing at all. He didn’t protect his student, for he desired to keep his sponsor. When the latter was sick, he neglected him as well. He wouldn’t have sent a doctor for him. Hence in season 4, the sponsor Na-Kyum decides to end his “sponsorship” for the learned sir. We could say that the former teacher is confronted with a similar situation. He ends up being abandoned and framed for a crime, which he didn’t commit. Yet, contrary to his pupil, he is not entirely blameless, for he played a huge role in the death of the nobles lord Song, lord Shin, lord Min and others. Because Baek Na-Kyum embodies hard work, justice, equity, love and honesty, I deduce that his surrogate father embodies the negative notions: laziness, corruption, partiality, hierarchy, ambition and hypocrisy. That’s why his face ended up on the official board, while the painter’s accusation just remained rumors. 
: (chapter 125) versus
(chapter 105) IMO, she had to use another mean in order to achieve her goal: the scholar. Let’s not forget that the artist had confided to her this: 
(chapter 68) He was simply waiting for the learned sir’s return. And she was present during the cortege. 
(chapter 121), he put the painter in a position which led him to take for the fall for his loved one. It was like framing an innocent. Exactly like in season 3
(chapter 99), Yoon Seungho had been forced to take the sword because of the scholar. And the trigger for the massacre 
(chapter 124) was always Jung In-Hun. And now, you comprehend why Jung In-Hun became the scapegoat for the last incident. But there’s more to it.
(chapter 121) His final lesson was to learn that he was exactly like the others: he is just a human despite his education. All humans are equal in front of death. In fact, during his confrontation with lord Song, he came to give up on his integrity. His true face came to the surface: he was just an opportunist, a lazy scholar who relied on fate and his arrogance. 
(chapter 6) This brings me to my next interpretation. Jung In-Hun learned through the hard way that there is nothing like fate (“right time”), but life is the result of decisions. However, because the scholar always regretted all his past choices, he decided to blame others for his wrong choices. That’s the reason why he ends up to take the whole crime. We should see this paper 
The author from this sijo was the poet and official Wang Bang-Yeon who is said to have lived in the time of Joseon’s sixth king Danjong (1441-1457) and his successor king Sejo (1417-1468). As the official of the state tribunal, he followed the young king Danjong into his exile and gave him poison to drink by royal command. Yes, both are symbols of power, corruption, partiality and injustice. Yet, there exists one divergence. While Wang Bang-Yeon left a poem revealing his yearning for the king, the learned sir had no deep attachment towards the artist. Hence it is no wonder why the paper “Wanted” is not connected to affection. It really reflects the emotions and thoughts of Baek Na-Kyum. Due to the last incident, the latter no longer cares for this man.
(chapter 6) He couldn’t enjoy it at all. It is no coincidence that the synonyms for ambitious person are “busy person” and “workhorse”. Yes, this mirrors the expression “laziness”. A true ambitious person is actually proactive and not really relying on sponsors and bribes. So when we see the learned sir on the horse 
(chapter 107) Though he passed the civil service exam too, he is not able to fulfil his father’s wish either. 
(chapter 118) His intention was to protect not only his brother, but also their family. It was to ensure that lord Song would get blackmailed. That’s how this investigation 
(chapter 118) It is because he knows that with the petition in his brother’s hands, lord Song represents a hindrance to his own career. The latter can only see the Yoons as a threat. Besides, he can only resent the family, if they are able to gain reputation and power, while he can not return to Hanyang and occupy a high position. As you can see, the young master’s success can only irritate lord Song. You can sense a rivalry between Seungwon and lord Song Haseon 
(chapter 116) in this scene: 
(chapter 116) The latter has already sensed that the traitor is sitting next to them, thus he raised this question. That’s why I come to the following conclusion that the young master must have realized that he also needed his brother’s assistance. First, if Yoon Seungho returns the petition to the father, the investigation about the traitor in the mansion would be no longer necessary. Secondly, Yoon Seungwon needs to create new connections in Hanyang, but he can only achieve it with his elder brother. Under this new light, you comprehend why Seungwon asked his relative to move on from the past and as such “forgive their father”
. (chapter 118) In other words, the young man embodies the notion of “fake forgiveness, fake promise, fake understanding”. He is an opportunist, exactly like the scholar. Yet, there exists a huge divergence between them. His affection for Yoon Seungho was not fake. He is feeling sympathy for his brother. But that’s it. This explains why he didn’t help his brother before. In my eyes, Seungwon represents a different notion of family: bloodline. In my eyes, he embodies traditions and Confucianism. His goal is to turn his father’s dream and life motto into a reality: glory and power for the Yoons. Besides, he must have experienced himself the downfall for the family. And this observation leads to my next interpretation. This means that Yoon Seungwon must have lied to his father by omission as well. 
(chapter 128) What about Yoon Seungwon then? Though he succeeded too, there is no mention about engagement or marriage proposals. However, it is clear that this achievement is connected with adulthood and marriage, therefore the elder Song Haseon brought up the topic sex!
What was the reason for Yoon Seungwon’s embarrassment? First, it is because his brother selected the backward place, though he had passed the exam with flying colors. Yoon Seungwon imagined that once his brother had passed the exam, he would get married and establish new connections. That way, Seungwon would be able to get married with a properous and famous family. In other words, Yoon Seungho would turn the father’s dream into a reality: the return of the Yoons’ glory and power. And Seungwon would benefit a lot from this. So in the gibang, his advices might have sounded well meant,
(chapter 126), his karma is not only to end up alone, but also not to receive any support from his brother.
(chapter 117), because his career was still insecure due to lord Song’s influence. He needed his brother’s help in the end. At the same time, Seungwon had already long internalized the values from his father: Yoons’ honor and reputation were top priorities. In other words, the younger brother stands for social norms and fake righteousness. He desires to maintain his perfect image (loyalty, filial piety),
(chapter 118), hence he left the document at the mansion. He wanted his brother to return the papers on his own so that his past action would remain undetected. Returning the paper was like an admission that he had stolen it in the first place. Yet he still barged in his brother’s house twice. 
(chapter 117) Here, he exposed the existence of the “petition” to Baek Na-Kyum for one reason. The latter should be used as a way to pressure the main lead to give up on the paper. Notice that this topic was brought up in the gibang: 
(chapter 119) However, the reality is that Seungwon is not just trying to fulfil his father’s dream, but also he has his own ambition. He wants to make a name on his own. That’s why he confessed this to his brother: 
(chapter 119) He doesn’t associate himself with the father and his sins. In his eyes, he is blameless. The reality is that he is guilty like his father, for he failed to care for Yoon Seungho. He failed to listen to him and his suffering. He didn’t try to understand him. Like mentioned above, he only sympathized with him and that’s it. Thus he condemned him for his debauchery in the gibang, but this was no longer the case.
(chapter 127) 
(chapter 127) the former only made a promise to his father and not to the brother. With his death, Yoon Seungho is no longer bound by a promise. Since the main lead had been living properly for 3 years and even passed the civil service exam, it is clear that for the brother, Yoon Seungho must have forgotten his past lover. He must have judged his brother based on appearances, just like he was behaving himself. However, this was just a subterfuge. He was waiting for the right time too. He had no change of heart, he had just been copying his brother’s behavior. 
(chapter 78) Let’s not forget that at the gibang, Yoon Seungwon never revealed his true intentions towards his brother. The latter always said that his advices were for his best interests. He should become involved in the government. But everything was for the Yoons, or better said, for Yoon Seungwon’s sake. And there exists another reason why the sibling must have been embarrassed: This marriage! 
To conclude, Yoon Seungwon embodies the opposite values of Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho: ambition, corruption, forgetfulness, hierarchy/social norms, traditions and reality versus understanding, forgiveness, simplicity, closeness, modern family and happiness. Selfishness versus Selflessness. This explicates why the main lead gave up his success for the artist. However, though it looks like an exile, the reality is that he will gain popularity and admiration among the inhabitants. Why? It is because he is no longer making distinctions between nobles and commoners, he doesn’t see this place as a punishment, but as a heaven and as such he has a better perception of humans in general. In my eyes, he is bringing progress and change in the region. Baek Na-Kyum is already teaching the kids how to draw… so it is only a matter of time, until his lover takes care of the education for these children. This means that these words will become a reality: 
(chapter 6) He will think of the futures of those children because of his lover.
(chapter 117) I am quite certain that many were outraged and disgusted by the scholar’s smooching. First of all, why did the learned sir do it? One might say that it is related to the petition which is in Yoon Seungho’s possession. 
(chapter 117) The learned sir was tasked by the mysterious noble wearing a purple hanbok to retrieve the document. I would like to call my avid readers’ attention that we never saw the man introducing himself to the former teacher. He could have definitely impersonated someone, for this trick has often been used in this story. Anyway, in exchange for this favor, Jung In-Hun got promised a high position in the government. 
(chapter 115) Thus Jung In-Hun has only one option left. He needs to utilize a spy and traitor in order to get the document. Because Jung In-Hun has known the painter since his childhood, it is not surprising that he chose to approach Baek Na-Kyum. As you can imagine, episode 117 is a new version of episode 24 
(chapter 24), where the angry learned sir asked the naive artist to spy on their benefactor and episode 35 
(chapter 35). In the latter, the scholar gave the same task to the main lead, but his attitude was totally different. He was acting like a gentle and concerned man, hence he stroke Baek Na-Kyum’s head and cheek. 
(chapter 35) He had two reasons for that. First, the painter was still recovering from his long illness. So he couldn’t act so coldy, for his selfishness and heartlessness would have become obvious. The learned sir had to justify his egoism and indifference. During his illness, he had at no moment visited him, but he had his reasons. 
(chapter 35) He hoped for the painter’s understanding. All this because he needed the low-born more than ever. He had not renounced on discovering Yoon Seungho’s weakness yet. However, in season 1, he failed to achieve his goal, because after the night spent with the main lead, Baek Na-Kyum refused to divulge any information about the meeting between the host and his brother Yoon Seungwon. 
(chapter 38) 
(chapter 117) Hence we should consider the scholar’s kiss as the kiss of Judas. The latter, known as the Betrayal of Christ, is the act with which Judas identified Jesus to the multitude with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests and elders of the people to arrest him. Thus I am expecting an arrest of the painter in the future. Since he is the love interest of Yoon Seungho, he has once again become the target of the next plot.
(Chapter 118) While he had faked his pity and empathy for the painter, when the latter was exposed to gangrape 
(chapter 118), the ending of the episode is showing him as a monster, acting like Min and his friends. 
(chapter 115) However, this is impossible. Time is the proof for the lord’s innocence. 7 days have already passed since Yoon Seungho’s violent outburst in front of the learned sir’s home. Don’t forget that it took Yoon Seungho 6 days to regain consciousness. 
(chapter 116) And the manhwaphiles saw that the painter spent the night with his lover after their conversation at the pavilion. 
(chapter 117) This means that Na-Kyum’s visit to the gibang could only take place after that night. That’s how I came to the conclusion that the meeting took place after 1 week (6 days+ 1 night). However, the swollen cheek will easily vanish within one week contrary to the stabbing. 
(chapter 117) Therefore after the release of episode 117, I had imagined that the wound from the learned sir was faked with the rouge from the noonas. Yet in episode 118, I detected the busted lip which can not be faked. The scratch is the evidence that the wound is real. Jung In-Hun knew too well that he couldn’t frame his previous sponsor for this. Hence he avoided to reply to the painter’s interrogation. 
(chapter 118) Furthermore, his cheek was perfectly fine, when he left his home. 
(Chapter 117) This must have happened on his way to the gibang or in the gibang itself! So who would do this? Yoon Chang-Hyeon? The noble with the purple hanbok? I will answer to this question further below.
(chapter 57) It is less pronounced, for Jung In-hun only met this mysterious man once contrary to the main lead. Even Baek Na-Kyum noticed the transformation, hence he got scared. 
(Chapter 118) He couldn’t recognize his former teacher. The learned sir had become like a violent beast. But why would he be so frantic and hopeless that he became violent in his gestures and words? It is because he had been threatened again. The wounded lip and cheek are the evidences that he has been coerced to convince the painter that the latter should return to his side. 
(Chapter 118) His grabbing and yelling ooze urgency. One might think that the mysterious aristocrat with the purple hanbok is behind this, for he once voiced a menace towards the villain. 
(chapter 117) However, observe that in their meeting, Jung In-Hun spoke about affection 
(Chapter 118) and this doesn’t belong to this man’s world (power, lineage, yin/yang, education). And it is the same for Yoon Chang-Hyeon. The latter embodies hatred and rejection for sodomy! 
(chapter 86) He was even willing to kill his own son, moreover he threatened Yoon Seungho to have the painter killed. 
(chapter 116) That’s how I deduced that the person behind this intervention is actually longing and hoping for love from Yoon Seungho. Thus he requested from the learned sir to take back the painter.
(chapter 94), then the kiss 
(chapter 95) The artist had kissed the main lead for two reasons. He desired to convey the sincerity of his attachment and to prove that this was real. Yoon Seungho shouldn’t imagine that this was just an illusion, as he often questioned his own senses and sanity. In the gibang, the learned sir changed the chronology: first the smooching, then the confession. Why? It is because he thought that the painter still loved him, when Baek Na-Kyum showed concern for him. 
(Chapter 118) Due to his arrogance and vanity (the negative aspects of self-love), he jumped to the conclusion that nothing had changed. The painter seemed to be still naive. 
(chapter 118) Hence his surrogate father smirked. The irony is that there exist different kind of love: friendship, family… At the beginning, the artist was still viewing Jung In-Hun as a friend. Thus he got worried about his wounds. Yet observe that he had no intention to bid farewell to the former teacher. 
(Chapter 118) He is no longer considering him as a father figure, let alone a close one. Imagine the irony! In reality, the low-born was announcing to his former role model that he was abandoning him. Yes, it is the positive reflection of the scene in the library: 
(chapter 40) Jung In-Hun’s words came back to bite him. He is the one acting like a prostitute, like a man consumed by lust! 
(chapter 118) Baek Na-Kyum, as the mirror of truth, is not only confronting the scholar with his bigotry and dishonesty, but also the mastermind behind this encounter. This explicates why the learned sir spoke about love: 
(chapter 118) This was the same for Yoon Seungho. The sexual abuser had only been obsessed with his own reflection and desires to the point that he never paid attention to his sex partner’s gaze… the loss of light in the gaze, the absence of tears … Besides, there was no agreement, everything was based on coercion and Kim knows that. That’s the reason why Jung In-Hun had tears in his eyes! It is because the main lead used to cry as well… asking for his pity and mercy. Since the scholar never cried before, I believe that the latter had asked to shed some tears in order to move the heart of the counterpart. 
(chapter 118) Baek Na-Kyum was never his young protégé, only his student. Why? It is he never protected him, he just consoled him! 
(chapter 94) However, like I had already outlined, Yoon Seungho was offered “protection” in exchange for his favors. That’s how the main lead got rewarded with the mansion and the proprieties. But now, Yoon Seungho is willing to give up on everything for Baek Na-Kyum. 
(Chapter 11) Back then, the painter had the burst lip and the glowing cheek too. 
(Chapter 11) He had protected Jung In-Hun, when the latter was suspected of ruining the painting. And how had Yoon Seungho acted in that scene? He had spoken like a powerful person, like a ruler! 
(Chapter 11) As you all know, my theory is that behind the name “lord Song” is hiding the king. But since I made a connection between episode 11 and 118, I deduce that Jung In-Hun has been put in the same position than the painter. His karma… for feigning ignorance and letting Baek Na-Kyum take the fall. He is paying for his wrongdoings all at once (11, 29, 35, 40). And what had Yoon Seungho said to his future lover? 
(Chapter 11) 
(Chapter 11) Yes, so far no one has been talking or thinking about the king as someone involved in the main lead’s suffering. Yet, I would like to outline that the gibang belongs to the state and as such to the king. Only a rich and influential person could hire the kisaengs for the day 
(chapter 118) Not even “lord Song” or lord Haseon from episode 107 couldn’t pull such a trick. 
(Chapter 107) He had announced his visit and the kisaengs had to gather next to the gate. There, the mysterious man selected only one woman. 
(Chapter 107) However, in episode 118, the kisaeng talking to Baek Na-Kyum expressed that there were different parties. Each kisaeng was participating in a different festivity (“It’s not usually this busy”). She would have mentioned it, if there was a huge party in the gibang. But there is another clue for the king’s intervention: the pipe is no longer visible in the noonas’ room 
(chapter 96: it’s on the table), just like there are now two mirrors and the number of rouge has also increased. 
(Chapter 118) Finally, this painting, Hokjado, is actually mocking the monarch. 
(chapter 105) The tiger in the painting usually represents the ruling elite, and its ridiculous expression is a satirical commentary on their behavior. He is here portrayed as a lazy man focused on smoking and pondering. 
(chapter 116) It signifies that this panel is a new version of this scene: 
(chapter 103) And what is the common denominator between these two scenes? Both protagonists rejected the help from the staff, especially from butler Kim. 
(chapter 102) He was already giving up on everything, even his own life, if he had not the artist by his side. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why killing the painter is not the first option for the pedophile. 
(chapter 118) except his promise: 
(chapter 118) It was, as if they had two different fathers. Note that despite the father’s cruel action, the young noble still calls Yoon Chang-Hyeon as “father”. To conclude, Yoon Seungwon doesn’t consider the protagonist as his brother despite his words. The younger master is the reflection of the learned sir, the one faking “love, honesty and concern” for a close one, whereas in reality these persons are more worried about their own future and comfort. 
(chapter 107), whereas the main lead had decided to protect his family despite their betrayal and abandonment. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why Yoon Seungwon has no interest to expose the petition contrary to the past. 
(chapter 76) 
(chapter 118) For this winning hand, Yoon Seungho had to suffer a martyrdom. Hence it becomes comprehensible why he is envisaging to renounce on everything. 
(chapter 117) He was only happy by the painter’s side. 
(chapter 25) On the other hand, I had made this connection, even before the release of episode 118. Why? It is because through deductions, I had already come to the conclusion that this was a stolen kiss. 
(chapter 24), then he hugged him 
(chapter 29). While the first embrace took place in a deserted area (close to the port), the second hug was witnessed by many people. It was in the open, moreover the so-called “hero” had jumped off the horse during the parade which could only catch the attention from the crowd. 
(chapter 111) Between the two embraces, we shouldn’t overlook the caresses on the head and cheeks which I mentioned above. As you can imagine, the kiss of Jung In-Hun represents the climax of their intimacy. Striking is that the affectionate gestures always took place in public (street twice and the courtyard). 
(chapter 34) His kiss is displaying his hypocrisy, which the artist could only feel. Hence he didn’t reciprocate the smooching. His lips remained immobile. 
(chapter 19) Therefore I come to the conclusion that this kiss is like the embrace from episode 29: fake! It is because the learned sir needs him! This statement stands in opposition to the protagonist’s love confession. 
(chapter 117) His presence and affection represent the biggest treasure for Yoon Seungho. Baek Na-Kyum is his only source of joy and happiness. However, for the learned sir, the “need” has a different foundation. He can lose everything, if the painter doesn’t choose him. And if he were successful, he would even get power! As you can sense, for the learned sir, Baek Na-Kyum is just a tool, while for the Black Knight, he is a necessity! Without him, he has no reason to continue living. Jung In-Hun is desperate to survive, while Yoon Seungho is pushed to give up on his suicidal thoughts THANKS TO His father: 
(chapter 111) His gaze oozed not only arrogance, but also blindness. Imagine that he was smirking in front of the painter while looking at the wealthy aristocrat. It was, as though he thought that the artist wouldn’t notice his disdain and vanity. He imagined that the artist was still naive and ignorant like in season 1. This explains why the painter expressed his disapproval about the learned sir with a smile later: 
(chapter 111) 
(chapter 111), for Baek Na-Kyum is always accompanied by his soul mate (chapter 40, 45, 74-75, 91-97, 104-105) In addition, people would have recognized him due to the previous parade and noticed his interaction with the artist. Nevertheless, the villain needed privacy, as he was inciting the main lead to commit a wrongdoing: betrayal towards Yoon Seungho. So their meeting could never be mere coincidence and happen in the open. Their reunion had to be planned properly and in secrecy. Thus it signifies that it had to happen behind the dark knight’s back. I would even add that the beloved couple needed to be separated! And now, you comprehend why their meeting had to take place in the gibang! In season 3 and 4, the kisaeng house is the place where the main leads got separated from each other, though the intervention from the noonas didn’t always work like expected. 
– first separation, for Yoon Seungho had to take care of the noona Heena 
Here we witnessed his return. However, the kisaengs badmouthed Yoon Seungho 
(chapter 93) Their attempt was to create a riff between the couple.
(chapter 94), when the painter thought that they would go to the pond. 
(chapter 94) Why didn’t the artist follow his partner right away? 
(chapter 96) She intervened too late, and her brother didn’t notice her presence.
(chapter 99) Yet, we never saw the face carrying the light 
(chapter 97) But it can not be the officers, for they were carrying torches. 
(chapter 19) We have two possibilities left: the kisaeng Heena or the butler. 
(chapter 98) This confrontation didn’t occur in episode 93, for the kisaeng’s back was illuminated by the candle light, whereas the room was darker in episode 93. 
(chapter 93) The light was standing further away from her in this picture. Hence I deduce that the lord must have revisited the kisaeng during that night. Because she was not holding the candle light, I can only deduce that the person witnessing this second conversation was butler Kim! Besides, we have another allusion to him through the reflection of episode 19 and the first Wedding night. Then later, Heena tried to convince her brother to leave Yoon Seungho’s side 
(chapter 97) by blaming him for Jung In-Hun’s murder, but her intervention failed. In reality, the separation could only take place thanks to the intervention of Yoon Seungho’s staff. In episode 97, the servants were definitely manipulating the painter with this corpse 
(chapter 97), whereas in episode 98, the maids had to play their role as well: badmouthing their master 
(chapter 98). He was a cruel and violent lord!
(chapter 105: Heena was strong enough to follow her brother to the door, and this quite quickly, for she witnessed their argument), the other cast doubts in Baek Na-Kyum 
(chapter 109) and finally the third one lied to her donsaeng. 
(chapter 105) Yoon Seungho had mentioned that he would return to the kisaeng house in order to fetch his lover. 
(chapter 105) Yoon Seungho was just thinking of a momentary separation, whereas the kisaeng implied that his departure was definitive. This shows that they had hidden the main lead’s true intention from the painter. This was no coincidence in my eyes. 
(chapter 118) However, I believe that Jung In-Hun was lying, for his visit could be leaked to the owner of the mansion. He has no idea that no one is siding with the main lead. But by saying this, he was covering up for the gibang, and as such Heena. She was definitely her source of information. 
(chapter 68) Why? It is because she has always loved the learned sir and projected her own thoughts and emotions onto the artist. In my eyes, this encounter is to prove the kisaeng wrong, to confront her with reality and her prejudices. What caught my attention is that each time, the painter couldn’t meet Heena, her absence was justified that she was serving a nobleman outside. 
(chapter 93) 
(chapter 118) Notice that the painter is already thinking that she was not expecting him. Yet, it is clear that he would come to the kisaeng house, for Yoon Seungho had been invited by his brother. The invitation had already been proceeded the day before: 
(chapter 117) So if something were to happen, Heena could feign ignorance and as such innocence. After their last argument, the noble has learnt that he shouldn’t keep his distance from the artist and he should confide to him, hence he talked about elopment at the pavilion. 
(chapter 25) 
(chapter 77) in a previous analysis. However, I will only focus on the comparison between episode 19 and 118, for both represent a first kiss!
(chapter 118) And remember that in episode 19, the painter had caught the main lead by surprise, when he entered the room. 
(chapter 25) Thus I am deducing that this scene 
(chapter 96), this means that he has finally accepted his homosexuality. Consequently, the sexual abuser could have the impression that he just needs to remove the painter from the main lead’s side and that’s it. He can replace the artist… impersonation once again! 
(chapter 96) These notions are all reflected in the confrontation between Baek Na-Kyum and Jung In-Hun: 
(chapter 105) Hence I came to the conclusion that the stolen kiss from Jung In-Hun represents a farewell, though the learned sir has no idea of this signification. Thus I thought of Judas’ kiss. The learned sir failed to achieve his goal exactly like in season 1. Even back then, he was distressed and under pressure, for he had recognized that he needed to pass the civil service examination first. 
(chapter 115) In my opinion, he will be framed for the incident in the shaman’s house. 
(chapter 115) Hence I have the impression that this stolen kiss will have huge repercussions not only for the learned sir, but also for Heena. 
(chapter 118) Observe that the painter wanted to ignore the words from the fake teacher. So he could have a change of heart and report the incident to the authorities. He doesn’t know that his lover killed Black Heart and his friends. The learned sir was admitting that his nightmare had truly happened. 
(chapter 83) 
(chapter 88) From my point of view, the schemers are projecting their own thoughts and emotions on Yoon Seungho. Moreover I am quite certain that they have already calculated the possibility of a rejection. The painter’s so-called wrongdoings from season 1 (chapter 11: the ruined painting, chapter 29: desertion) and season 2 (chapter 61: the desertion) were all perceived as rejections. If he is caught with Jung In-Hun alone, they anticipate that Yoon Seungho will react like his father. He won’t be able to discern the truth. Baek Na-Kyum is not faithful and is now tainted. Or even worse… Yoon Seungho might commit a crime. This thought seems to contradict my previous statement: Jung In-Hun is acting on the pedophile’s order. Nonetheless, my theory is that there exist two conspiracies:
(chapter 115) 
(chapter 115: flower pattern and no sleeve, the beard covers the jaw ) 
(chapter 117: no pattern, the lips are covered by the moustasch, straight) 
(chapter 117) There are simply too many divergences to say that it is a mistake from the author. This would actually mean that she is quite sloppy. Furthermore, I decided to rely on my eyes and not a belief: there is only one lord Song. Thus you comprehend why I never called the man talking to Jung In-Hun lord Song. So if my theory is true, this would signify that these men represent the previous gang “dogs of Joseon”, the older version of this: 
(chapter 101) And No-Name was treated exactly like Lee Jihwa, but he got framed and sentenced. Finally, I would like to point out that there were 3 black men involved in the first fake sexual education: 
(chapter 86) A coincidence? I don’t believe this. Besides, I discovered a relevant detail about petition and government. 
(chapter 107) Far away from the protagonist, he had to rely on his helping hands and his advisors. He trusted their words. Finally, we have the vision from Lee Jihwa: 
(chapter 101) That’s the moment when the truth will come to light. Someone will get angry, because he got confronted with the painful reality: he was a man consumed by lust, he was selfish, cruel, abusive, ignorant, coward, and even naive. He was never destined to be the protagonist’s life companion. 
, I detected a strong connection between chapter 10 and 117. The common denominator was the pavilion. The learned sir brought the artist under the pretense for a walk in order to seek seclusion and privacy. While he faked his worries 
(chapter 10), he wanted the painter to stop working for Yoon Seungho. He desired him to leave the propriety, for he saw Baek Na-Kyum as a rival. Unlike the painter, the scholar had not been invited to join the party the night before. Hence he had to portray Yoon Seungho in such a bad light! 
(chapter 10) Back then, the vain and stupid man thought that the main lead had truly liked his poem. Thus he imagined that he could get the attention from the protagonist, once he got rid of his competitor.
(chapter 10) This is not surprising that the author employed a panel from that chapter. 
(chapter 118) Back then, the artist had not detected the manipulation. Hence he had protected his former teacher, when the latter got accused of ruining the painting. This confession from the scholar 
(chapter 10) stands in opposition to Yoon Seungho’s. The latter has no expectation from the artist. 
(chapter 117) The latter is the one deciding about the lord’s fate. But why did he go to the pavilion with the painter? For privacy and intimacy! They needed to discuss the matter about the brother and the petition, a dangerous matter. 
(chapter 117) Here, the painter was acting as the main lead’s right-hand and advisor. He is taking over the butler’s function. He was full of concern for his loved one asking him to postpone the reunion (chapter 117) And the moment the artist voiced his fears 
(chapter 117), the noble suggested to leave everything behind. 
(chapter 117) And what would people see from far away? 2 people showing closeness and attachment, they wouldn’t expect a desertion, an abandonment!! And now you comprehend why Yoon Chang-Hyeon was sitting in the pavilion in town 
(chapter 116) It was, as if he was trying to get an alibi for his crime: he had planned to have his son killed, but it didn’t happen as expected. Thus he was forced to join his son. 
(chapter 116) This means that he was exposing his crime to people in town. Furthermore, he even confessed his hatred for his own son. He yelled this: 
(chapter 116) Yet, by stating this, he was admitting that he was violating social norms (Confucianism). That’s how I realized that the pavilion is not only the place where Yoon Seungho’s emancipation takes place, it is also the symbol for betrayal and abandonment. 
(chapter 101) Finally, a long time ago, I had developed the theory that the pavilion was the place where Yoon Seungho got abused. 
It is the same pavilion than Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s. This means that the couple will purify this place. At some point, the lord and his knight will come to admire the pond with the lotus flowers: 
(chapter 117) Byeonduck let us see a glimpse of their future.
(chapter 109) He discovers that Baek Na-Kyum has already prepared himself, as he is longing for him. 
(chapter 109) He never expected such a reaction. The reason why the evolution of Painter Of The Night is flowing at a snail’s pace is that season 4 is now focusing more on the past. First, Byeonduck needs to divulge the lord’s suffering and its causes. And this can only happen, if memories are brought up. Hence in episode 109, the painter’s memories stood in the center. Why? It is because he is trying to understand why his loved one is now avoiding him. Thus he is remembering what happened just before. The readers are actually put in the same situation than the artist. On the one hand, the focus on recollection is a method to unveil how the young master was turned into a “sodomite and pariah”, for the painter is going through the same experience than his partner. In episode 109, he is isolated from his “lover” and as such from his family, for he has now maids by his side. The latter are supposed to be his new “family”. On the other hand it helps the manhwaphiles to anticipate the future main events,. as the progression is in slow motion. This means, the Webtoonist left all the elements in the previous seasons in order to decode the past, the present and the future. That way, the manhwalovers are capable to unveil the mystery. Besides, the author has to answer all the questions the beholders had while reading the previous seasons, like this one: 
(chapter 27) What book was the scholar looking for? Up to now, we have no clue, though I had developed the following theory: Jung In-Hun was a Christian and had a bible. 
(chapter 109) How did this happen? One might reply that the book fell from the shelf, when the painter kissed his lover. 
(chapter 109) This interpretation can be easily refuted, for the noble stood next to the shelf and not in front of it. Besides, the counter stands on the noble’s left, while the ledger was on his right. However, one detail caught my notice, the beholder can not see Yoon Seungho’s hands!! That’s how I realized that the book came from the protagonist! He had carried it hidden in his right sleeve. This explicates why the book stands on the right side. 
(chapter 109) Besides, contrary to the previous panel, now the lord’s hand is visible! This is no coincidence. But if he was hiding the copy from Baek Na-Kyum, I deduce that it is related to the painter. But there is another person associated to manuscripts in this story, Jung In-Hun!! But what have the low-born and the scholar in common then? The erotic publications! 
(chapter 94) However, Yoon Seungho is suspecting that the learned sir was behind the trick in the shaman’s house due to the glasses Min had in his hand before dying. 
(chapter 102) Hence he doesn’t want to break the main lead’s heart and mind. In other words, the main lead is determined to hide the past from Baek Na-Kyum so that the latter’s memory and agony won’t be triggered. The book could definitely remind the low-born of all the events which led to the massacre in the shaman’s shrine. Besides, I feel that the noble must feel guilty as well. If only he hadn’t admired the erotic publications which led to Baek Na-Kyum’s stay in his mansion. Consequently, I think that the noble is also in agony because of the work.
However, there exist two reasons why I came to this deduction. I detected similarities with the first encounter between Yoon Seungho and his nemesis in the scholar’s home and the painter’s kisses. 
(chapter 6) Both were standing in front of the cupboard, while the learned sir suddenly took away the copy and closed it to put it back on the cupboard. This made the protagonist smirk. Due to the characters’ reaction, 
(chapter 6), I had assumed that the protagonist was making fun of Jung In-Hun. He had played a prank on the host, especially after asking about his occupation. I have always wondered about the content of the volume. Therefore I had developed the idea that this could be the bible. However, it was clear that the book was not for children which is visible due to the writing. 
(chapter 6) In fact, the learned sir should have the manual Thousand Character Classic (Chinese: 千字文; pinyin: Qiānzì Wén), also known as the Thousand Character Text.
(chapter 6) This means that the book represents the evidence of learned sir’s betrayal and abandonment. He is responsible for his illiteracy. To conclude, this scene contains the following elements: a prank, a lie, a confession which was triggered by a book that Yoon Seungho had picked up by chance. But wait… it could be the book from the scholar’s home! 
(chapter 06) But this image can be used to refute this theory. How so? It is because this book has a title, hence there is a white rectangle!! However, take a closer look at the copy on the floor. 
(chapter 50) Finally, I would like the readers to keep in mind that they could only see the content of the books 
(chapter 1), but they never got the chance to see the cover. 
(chapter 6) He proposed him to sit and have a cup of tea to divert his attention from the books on the cupboard. Besides, I would like to outline the huge contrast between these two scenes. The scholar needed the assistance of the prestigious family Yoon, while the protagonist replied this to his loved one: 
(chapter 109) Needed versus not necessary! 
(chapter 6) He was here very vague (“bizarre and vulgar”), he spoke of a scolding, but never of rejection and abandonment!! This is important, because Yoon Seungho also experienced something similar in the shed: 
(chapter 77) Back then, the butler’s words must have wounded him terribly, he must have felt dirty either. Under this new perspective, it becomes comprehensible why I came to this conclusion that the book is related to the learned sir and to the erotic publication. But this doesn’t end here. In my eyes, episode 109 clearly outlined the importance of the library in the protagonists’ life. This is the place where both main leads got betrayed and abandoned. 
(chapter 40) When the scholar wounded the artist with his words, he implied that the artist was responsible for his lack of education. With the idiom “I thought, you could be educated”, he gave the impression that he had put some effort, but due to the artist’s disposition, he had failed. We had another scene where the learned sir was blaming Baek Na-Kyum. 
(chapter 70) He would fall asleep instead of studying. And who knows about the learned sir’s hypocrisy? Yoon Seungho!! That’s the reason why the goddess Byeonduck let them meet in the library. It is to heal their wounds. In this room, Yoon Seungho’s suffering started and later, the painter got betrayed by his former teacher, someone whom he viewed as his “family and mentor”. 
When Yoon Seungho got kissed by the painter 
(chapter 109), he got surprised, and he had the same gaze and facial expression than the one during the First wedding night 
(chapter 42), though here the artist kissed his companion twice! 
(chapter 49) And what had these scenes in common? Paintings and the artist’s confession. And now, you comprehend how I made the connection between the book and painting. 
(chapter 19) This scene could only break the artist’s heart, because he was reminded of the learned sir’s reaction: his rejection. The latter got angry and jealous that the low-born would be treated as someone special. Furthermore, Jung In-Hun had only got the noble’s sponsorship thanks to Baek Na-Kyum and not thanks to his own talent! In verity, the learned sir had been the tool to submit Baek Na-Kyum. Shortly after the exposition, the protagonist went to the study. There he got confused for Jung In-Hun, hence he received a wonderful confession 
(chapter 19) before getting kissed and embraced! 
(chapter 42) Yet, the artist was unable to explain the situation, for he had internalized Jung In-Hun’s criticism. 
(chapter 42) So we could say that the yangban tried to get a confession from the painter, but he failed. Hence they had just sex. The artist’s heartbreak was the reason why he never got to confess the truth! And what had happened in the study after the painter kissed the main lead? The lord saw the inauguration illustration and got jealous of Jung In-Hun 
(chapter 48), and the painting had exposed the main lead’s uneasiness and pain. The drawing was not refined, barely finished. 
(chapter 47) The behavior from the painter and the new painting had not only wounded the main lead, but also pushed the lord to discover why the artist was behaving this way. After the rough sex session, the artist had made a confession: he was dropping the rules he had been raised. 
(chapter 49) He was admitting his sexual orientation and his own pleasure, but he still kept his distance from Yoon Seungho. Why? It is because he was reminded of the learned sir’s fake embrace and betrayal. 
(chapter 49) 
(chapter 94) which incited the artist to recall his childhood. That’s how he came to unveil his past and confess his love to the noble! 
(chapter 19), the parties after the separation 
(chapter 51), his visit in the gibang and his tricks 
(chapter 96). In episode 109, the painter confused Yoon Seungho’s shadow with Black Heart’s. In his nightmare, he was brought back to the shaman’s house and the lord’s smile was similar to Min’s.
(chapter 109) 
(chapter 99) Besides, let’s not forget that during that terrible night, Black Heart never touched the artist himself, as if he didn’t want to touch a trinket sullied by another man”. On Twitter, the author revealed that Min would help Yoon Seungho. Through this comparison, the beholder can confirm this. Thanks to Black Heart, the couple got closer in the end. 
(chapter 19), the spying on the painter – though here it appears like a good thing – 
(chapter 41), the stones in the rice 
(chapter 47) and the words from the maid who repeated the noona’s principle 
(chapter 109). She was acting, as if Baek Na-Kyum was not present, but in reality she knew that he could listen to her. How do I know this? The evidence are the sweets on the windowsill. 
(chapter 109) They never encouraged the tormented boy to eat the sweets!! Besides, this episode confirmed my interpretation about the complicity of the maids. As their role is to comfort Baek Na-Kyum, the readers should question themselves about their absence. 
(chapter 108) Why is the room dark? Where are the maids during that night, as they are supposed to sleep next to the painter? 
(chapter 109) The absence of the light is truly noticeable, an indicator that they are not in the bedchamber. Moreover, I had detected that the brown bed cover symbolizes the meddling of Kim. [For more read the essay 
(chapter 87) Sincerity versus fake concern; own choice versus manipulation, happiness versus sadness. Under this perspective, you comprehend why I view the maids as traitors. But since season 1, the women were never punished. Hence they felt free to badmouth Yoon Seungho or Baek Na-Kyum. So while he was preparing himself, where were the ladies-in-waiting? I doubt, the painter would give them orders. The painter was left alone on purpose. Finally, the manhwalovers should question why there is a bottle of oil in the bedchamber. So far, Yoon Seungho utilized it once 
(chapter 20) and it was during the first Wedding Night. And oil comes from the kitchen, the lord had fetched it from that room!! Naturally, there is an exception, and it is the kiss in the gibang. Yet, here the kisaengs had just replaced the maids. In other words, they had played a role in the confession. And this explains why the noona’s words are superposed with the maids. 
(chapter 109) That’s the reason why I am convinced that the book is strongly connected to the learned sir. In my eyes, it can only be the erotic publication of sodomy!! Why? It is because it represents the painter’s biggest wound. It explains his low self-esteem. Consequently, I am expecting the appearance of this panel: 
(tweet) The teacher told him “It’s dirty”, and wounded him the most with his gaze full of hatred, the symbol of rejection! Note that in episode 109, the painter always focused on the mouth and not the gaze, 
(chapter 109) 
(chapter 109) 
(chapter 25) Moreover, during that night, we have the same elements: a painting, a confession, sex, a book that the scholar was looking for. From my point of view, in chapter 34, Baek Na-Kyum only recalled the beating from Jung In-Hun. 
(chapter 34) But like I wrote above, this place is also where Yoon Seungho got betrayed and in my opinion, the schemers are planning to use this place to ruin the protagonist!!
(chapter 106) 
(chapter 106) And if Yoon Seungho gets caught having sex with the painter and he has an erotic publication of sodomy, he can be framed for the murder of lord Shin and the other nobles. He will be guilty by association. Thus I deduce that the schemers needed the father to report him to the authorities. 
(chapter 107) That way, he can prove that his son is a depraved lunatic and regain the control of the mansion. 
(chapter 86) And if they are not caught having sex, the schemers are hoping for an argument between the two main leads because of the separation. This was planned to incite Baek Na-Kyum to resent his lover, to accuse him of „abandonment and betrayal“, a new version of this scene. 
(Chapter 105) As you can see, the staff had encouraged the lord to keep his distance from his companion on purpose, to create a misunderstanding… they used the painter’s anxieties. Why? That way, the artist would be more inclined to betray his lover, if the latter was in difficulty. He could put the blame on him. In my opinion, the book was planted there on purpose. Remember how the artist denied that he was the author of the erotic publications. 
(Chapter 1) Besides, there is no doubt that the father refuses to take any responsibility in his son’s suffering. And now, you comprehend why this copy was put on the lord’s desk. He was supposed to be the owner of the erotic book and even the author! I am suspecting that he was accused of the „same crime“ in the past. Then this observation raises the following question. Which erotic publication is it? The original 
(chapter 1) or the copy
(chapter 1) This would stand in opposition to the scholar’s rejection (dirty), as the artist was just the helping hand. Besides, there is no ambiguity that Yoon Seungho blames himself due to the erotic book. If he had not brought the painter to his mansion, none of this would have happened. But the painter’s confession would make him realize that his misery started long before he met Yoon Seungho. And how did the puppetmaster come up with such an idea? From my point of view, this plan was inspired by the learned sir. 
(chapter 27) Notice that he has a drop of sweat on his face, a sign that the book is really important and could be even dangerous. He was diminishing the value. In the past, I had already pointed out that the learned sir had planned to backstab the main lead and denunciate him to the authorities (my first theory was the bible or the the absence of jesa in the mansion). But the erotic publications of sodomy would fit the profile.
(chapter 37) Back then, he imagined that the man hidden under the green hanbok was the learned sir, but he was mistaken. Both father and son believes to have seen the relative’s sodomy. Besides, the brother mentioned letters and these usually are written on a desk and as such in the library. Yes, this night should trigger the lord’s memory… his brother’s betrayal and abandonment. 
I am still waiting for this picture. Yoon Seungwon had definitely tattled on his brother out of jealousy in the past. Don’t forget this flashbulb. 
(chapter 55) Finally, Heena could serve as a witness, for she did hear their conversation in the annex and saw their intercourse: 
(chapter 84) Finally, the childhood paintings could be used as an evidence. But what about the book in the library? Both could decide to burn it…
the burned letter
the shrine
(chapter 109) Note that there is no rejection from the lord, just surprise and shock. Besides, in the kisaeng house, the artist’s confession had led the main lead to confess as well. 
(tweet), the latter can only come to the conclusion that the scholar would have no problem to hurt Baek Na-Kyum and even get revenge on the artist, for he received the favors from the protagonist. Yoon Seungho would no longer feel obliged to respect Heena’s wish, for her words wouldn’t reflect reality. 
(chapter 105) And it was Yoon Seungho’s luck, when the book fell from his sleeve! 
(chapter 27) The goddess Byeonduck is on their side. But the problem is that the readers have the impression that both are followed by misfortune due to their misery. The reality is that they are both victims of manipulations and tricks. That’s their tragedy. But by repeating that the two figures are “birds of misfortune”, the accomplices are trying to deny their own involvement and as such responsibility. The maids are the perfect example. They blame Baek Na-Kyum for his own illness. He eats like a bird and he would hide his illness. 
(chapter 108) To sum up, he was responsible for his own suffering, for he was in denial and the maids could do nothing to help. But the lord can see the truth, when he touches his lover’s butt. 
(chapter 109) He lost weight in such a short time. And their presence by Baek Na-Kyum’s side was supposed to help him. They were responsible for his well-being, but the women never realized it.
(chapter 106) How could he abandon his lover like that? For some readers, he acted like a fool. Nevertheless, his reaction was normal, because the man with the purple hanbok represents the cause for Yoon Seungho’s martyrdom. This means that the ghost with the purple hanbok symbolizes danger for the protagonist. And if he gets targeted, his lover will suffer too. Striking is that during the same day and night, there is another person wearing a purple hanbok: Yoon Seungho! 
(chapter 107) Therefore it is no coincidence that in chapter 107, he was portrayed as a source of danger for the elder master Yoon and the mysterious “lord Song”. 
(chapter 107) In other words, in episode 107, the manhwalovers are witnessing a fight between 2 men wearing a purple hanbok!! In this story, purple is the symbol for violence and peril. This explicates why Byeonduck employed this color, when Yoon Seungho was portrayed as a ruthless lord: 
(chapter 10) Under this new approach, it becomes comprehensible why the artist was wearing a purple hanbok after the bloodbath. 
(chapter 107) They had the impression that he was abandoning the artist one more time. And that’s how the painter felt the situation either! That’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum was upset. 
(chapter 107) It was, as if the main lead was acting like the patriarch Yoon. This perception got reinforced, because the lord had a poker face and didn’t talk to his lover. 
(chapter 107) Yoon Seungho didn’t side with the old bearded man in front of the painter. He thanked the man and sent away him with respect. 
(chapter 107) So he gave the impression that he was listening to the painter. However, the reality was that at the end, he still listened to the doctor thinking that it was for the painter’s best interest. Since Baek Na-Kyum was traumatized from the sexual assault, the main lead thought that he was hiding his illness or he was in denial. What caught my attention is that Yoon Seungho followed the doctor leaving the artist in the bedchamber alone. On the one hand, this could be perceived as a prison, yet I judge his gesture as the opposite. It is to protect Baek Na-Kyum! In Yoon Seungho’s mind, behind the closed door, his lover won’t see or hear what is happening in the courtyard. He will be protected from cruel reality. 
(chapter 107) He showed no real empathy for Baek Na-Kyum. It was, as if he was showing Schadenfreude. But this doesn’t end here. Kim brought a different doctor. It is not the same physician who assisted Baek Na-Kyum a month ago!! 
(chapter 107) First, the clothes diverge. The belt is blue, his sleeves are covered with some white protections. 
(chapter 107) 
(chapter 103) Finally, the white hanbok is much longer, and his pants are blue, while the other had white trousers. In my essay 
(chapter 107) How could he say that his health had deteriorated since a month ago? This is how the artist looked like a month ago: 
(chapter 103) 
(chapter 103) He was under the influence of the aphrodisiac, and he could have died of an overdose. 
(chapter 103) His face and his body were covered with bruises. How could the doctor say that his condition had worsened? This means that he had not seen the patient a month ago. To sum up, the doctor was impersonating his fellow. Note that he claimed to have prescribed the drug himself. 
(chapter 106) However, this image displays the betrayal from the physician, for I believe that this represents his view The latter had seen the artist in the restroom, but he had not intervened!! Besides, just because the artist had disgorged once, this doesn’t signify that he had done it all the time for one month. This is how the artist looked like, while he was walking through the street: 
(chapter 104) He looked healthy and happy. The reason for his nervousness was the lord’s actions during that day. Moreover, the painter’s hand had been scratched… yet you see no bandage around his hand.
(Chapter 107) As you can see, the doctor was exaggerating, as he was generalizing the regurgitation! 
(chapter 107) Yoon Seungho was slowly realizing that his butler has not been telling the truth. He was gritting his teeth exposing his discomfort! This gesture indicates that someone has to endure something unpleasant, has to control himself and persevere. However, he was telling the opposite to his master: he had nothing to worry!! He should do nothing and simply lie low. The authorities had no suspicion about him. That’s the reason why the main lead desired to talk to the valet
(chapter 107), and he got angry, for his servant was talking back and not answering him properly. 
(chapter 107) We could say that the latter was not obeying his lord. Striking is that the domestic was also lying, for he feigned ignorance first, before giving a more precise answer. 
(chapter 107) It looks like valet Kim and the physician got away with their tricks, for neither the doctor nor the the butler got admonished in the bedchamber. But what caught my attention is that after hearing the words from his lover, he replied that way: 
(chapter 107) This expression (“I see”) is important, because it could be the indication that the noble could discern the truth with his mind’s eye, like this 
(chapter 107) or the opposite, though I am still optimistic. We will see in the next chapter. 
(chapter 106), but we shouldn’t overlook that later the painter had yelled in order to voice his opinion which had caught his companion by surprise. 
(chapter 57) The father was convinced that his son had been ill for a long time. And from the mysterious “lord Song”, the manhwalovers discovered that the main lead was fed with an aphrodisiac: 
(chapter 107) 
(chapter 57) Therefore the doctor’s statement in episode 57 appears in a different light: he knew what he was prescribing! He knew what Yoon Chang-Hyeon desired thanks to the idiom “the wayward yang energies”. It was to provoke an erection. I would like to expose that the physician deceived the painter, 
(chapter 57) for at the end, the physician admitted that he had given the “solution” to the father. The father had received the medicine!! [For more read the essay “
(chapter 106) He was supposed to get a drink from the physician. So the lord could remember the artist’s words and perceive the doctor as a traitor and liar. He could jump to the conclusion that the man had given his lover a drug. Under this new light, it dawned on me that the artist could have been telling the truth to his lover there: 
(chapter 106) That way, the “doctor” would not be suspected of a crime. Besides, according to me, the couple was actually sitting in the courtyard where the medicine store was!! 
(chapter 33) 
(chapter 65) Furthermore, in season 1, the artist had been forced to drink an aphrodisiac. So far, the main lead has never threatened or suspected a doctor. As you can see, there is a strong connection between the doctor and death! To sum up, we are witnessing the start of the storm… and when the painter was recovering, this represented the calm before the storm!! 
(chapter 107) It is related to the rumors he heard in the street. 
(chapter 106) The woman announced that the sacred tree had burned to the ground!! That’s the reason why it was gone… However, her words were just lies, for the tree is still standing there. 
(chapter 107) But note that she connected the incident to misfortune! In other words, she was denying the intervention of humans!! However, the lord had visited the place of his crime before. 
(chapter 104) This is what he had been told: the intervention of ghosts or spirits!! On the other hand, the unknown speaker had never mentioned the tree! Only the house had burned down. Nonetheless, even this statement was a lie, for the house was still standing too. 
(chapter 106) Since the schemers are mixing a lie with the truth, the lord heard that lord Shin had been killed during that night! However, when the lord had assassinated Black Heart and his friends, the young noble had never met lord Shin! Hence the gossips in town made the lord recognize that something huge is about to happen: a manhunt, and he could get into trouble. Besides, the grapevines are revealing the existence of witnesses and the main lead is aware that the noona is an important « witness ». But the problem is that by mixing each time a lie with a fact, the schemers are not realizing that the truth is coming to the surface, as minus and minus make plus. 
(chapter 50) Here, the butler had tattled on the painter so that the noble would distance himself from his sex partner. And in episode 104, we have a similar situation: through suggestions, the main lead was encouraged to send back the painter to the kisaeng house. Secondly, why would the lord think of the butler, when he saw the sacred tree? 
(chapter 88) During that night, he discovered warmth, loyalty and tenderness! In the darkness, the lord could detect the presence of the light: the painter! During that night, they vowed fidelity to each other. And in the garden next to the shrine, Yoon Seungho made the opposite experience: it was dawning on him that people from his own family, Kim and Yoon Chang-Hyeon, 
(chapter 88) are lying to him and even betraying him, especially if his life is threatened. Let’s not forget that this time, the lord did commit a crime and he is aware of this. In the bedchamber, the lord had criticized his own father, nonetheless he still thought that his father had just made a bad decision.
(Chapter 86) His words implied that the elder master Yoon had never intended to wound him. It was just because of his stupid believes: 
(Chapter 82) Preserving the continuity of the lineage and ensuring that the Yoons remain powerful and wealthy. However, in front of the tree, the lord is slowly recognizing that his father is about to ruin him for his own sake. 
(chapter 107), and abandon his own son. This 
(chapter 62) the main lead chose not to punish his lover
(chapter 63), he even swore that he would never let him go. 
(chapter 63) As the manhwalovers can detect, the main lead was always able not to get swallowed by the darkness, thanks to the artist, he could still see the light. However, his father is making the opposite decision, unaware that he is “doomed” to fail! Karma is already waiting for him. And because the patriarch is now living in the darkness, he can not recognize the manipulations, as he is forced to use others to guide him. 
(chapter 107) the branch on the ground is the evidence that someone set fire to the shaman’s shrine and the tree! Secondly, the black guard deceived the patriarch: 
(chapter 107) Lord Shin was murdered afterwards and not before Black Heart and his friend!! The word “later” is relevant, for it implies that the young yangban was killed close to the place where the nobles Min and his friends were sentenced. But his body is lying elsewhere! 
(chapter 103) This signifies that Yoon Chang-Hyeon is innocent! He never murdered Lord Shin in the woods, for he relied on the assistance of the helping hands. He never visited himself the scene of the crime. 
These two men are different, for their mask is white and not black. Besides, their clothes are black and not brown. Finally, the belt diverges as well: a huge purple strip with a different color in the middle, while the other guard is only wearing a simple ribbon. Thus I am inclined to think that the black guard is not only manipulating Yoon Chang-Hyeon, but he is also in truth working for someone else. Moreover, why would the man cover his face in the room, if he is truly working for the patriarch? 
(chapter 86) And this observation leads me to the following question: when was lord Yoon informed about the protagonist’s crime and lord Shin’s death? 
(chapter 102) From my point of view, it is related to Lee Jihwa. My theory is that the elder Lee can frame the main lead for assassinating his son, because during that night, Black Heart was dressed like Lee Jihwa. They needed the corpses to be decomposed so that father Lee could claim that Yoon Seungho had killed his son!! And the hanbok would serve to identify the corpse. In addition, he would use the incident with the sword as an evidence for his lunacy. 
(Chapter 67) It is important that the red-haired master is not perceived as traitor, rather as a victim. Moreover, since some time passed on, people have already forgotten the friend’s confession in the inn. However, the elder master Lee will never report Yoon Seungho to the authorities, it has to come from the father himself. That way, his involvement will never be detected. From my point of view, the schemers are trying to turn father and son against each other so that the Yoons get destructed. One might reject my theory about the implication of father Lee, but let me ask you this… What are “Lord Song” 
(chapter 107) and Lee Jihwa’s colors?
(chapter 12) Purple and yellow, right? Observe that the lord is wearing the same colors during that night: a purple hanbok with a yellow scarf! 
(chapter 67) Under this new perspective, it becomes comprehensible why I am suspecting that this guard 
(chapter 107) Furthermore, he could be recognized with the purple hanbok. 
(chapter 83) Besides, another divergence is that the faceless lord Song has a rebellious strand in the neck which is not the same with “lord Song” from episode 107. As you can see, I deduce that we are dealing with two different “lord Song”. But this doesn’t end here. Secondly, according to father Lee, the man lost his home! 
(chapter 82) So how can he be wearing a purple hanbok, if he lost his position and home? This color is reserved for important people. In addition, when he entered the kisaeng house, the artist’s noona called him differently: 
(chapter 107) She called him “lord Haseon” and not “lord Song”! Interesting is that neither the Korean nor the Spanish version utilizes such a name! I don’t think that the translator took the liberty to create a fictional name. Hence I am deducing that the author is trying to leave different clues in each version!! Naturally, Haseon could be his first name, yet there is no ambiguity that this man has a bad reputation among the kisaeng house. He was called “lecher” and in the Spanish version, he was described as sexual maniac. 
(chapter 107) Hence I doubt that the noona would feel so close to such a man and address him with his “first name”. On the other hand, the kisaeng has a drop of sweat on her face, which is a sign for a lie and deception.
(Chapter 107) This signifies that « lord Haseon » is true, while « out of the blue » is the lie.
(chapter 107) Besides, Yoon Chang-Hyeon’s vision of the world is based on the words from lord Song and others. Who informed him about the whereabouts of « lord Song » in the gibang? The man had not come to the kisaeng house for a long time. Because of this information, the patriarch is led to think that he is meeting « lord Song ». His perception of the world and his eldest son is embossed by lord Song. Thus he repeats the same expression from his counterpart: “lowly beast”. 
(Chapter 107) 
(chapter 107) Finally, like outlined above, the main lead imagined that he was meeting the same doctor, while in truth it was not the case. So « old friend » could be deceiving:. 
(Chapter 107) He could be one of the three men! The real « lord Song » who brought pain to Yoon Seungho is someone else. Let’s not forget that Kim fears the man, 
(chapter 56) and his statement implies that Yoon Seungho is usually not allowed to ignore the man’s request: 
(Chapter 56). « At this time » stands in opposition to « always » which means that he can reject the invitation only because he is sick. To conclude, for me, this is not the lord Song Yoon Seungho hates and fears! 
(Chapter 107) Hence they judge him as a pervert. And since the head-kisaeng received him at the gate, this signifies that this man has been in contact with the kisaeng house and in particular with the kisaeng leading him to the room.
(chapter 37) The fake servant NEVER mentioned the retirement of lord Song. As you already know, for me, No-Name is the real lord Song who took the blame for everything, for he let people use his “name”. The most terrible thing is that “lord Song” puts the blame on Yoon Chang-Hyeon, when he explains his failure about the sexual education. 
(Chapter 33) Secondly, how does the lord know about the master’s illness, when his fever was only discovered after the straw mat beating?
(Chapter 77) Besides, no physician had been fetched back then. Finally, how can lord Song remember the lord’s condition so well after 10 years? It is because he is using the diagnosis on the painter from the previous doctor: 
(chapter 103) Here, the man with the purple hanbok was utilizing the painter’s illness to hide his own crime. Under the pretense to help « Yoon Seungho » to become a man, the man abused him not only physically, but also sexually. There is no doubt that this reconversion was fake! 
(chapter 107) However, the trick doesn’t work, exactly like No-Name’s prediction: 
(chapter 76) But there is another reason why Yoon Chang-Hyeon doesn’t get fooled a second time. 
(Chapter 77) Thus I come to the following deduction: Yoon Seungho was sentenced to the straw mat beating, because after 2 nights, he had not been able to « have an erection ». They mixed a truth with a lie: 
(chapter 52) And what had Black Heart thought during that night? He had wished to taste the artist, while before he had desired his death. This is not random at all. There is a strong connection between death and sex which is also present in the conversation between lord Song and his « old friend ». The former reproached the elder master Yoon to have protected his son for too long. 
(chapter 107) Hence I am now assuming that this night is a reflection from chapter 67 and 69!! Min’s plan! 
(chapter 69) He had gone to the kisaeng house with the hope that the artist would return with his noona, and back then he had impersonated Lee Jihwa for the first time. 
(chapter 69) As the manhwalovers can detect, the sudden return of lord Haseon is intentional. So who is he targeting here? 
(chapter 86) He was the keeper of his secret!! This explicates why the fake lord Song mentions « lad » and not the main lead. He gaslighted his counterpart, and created a false reality, while for me, it is clear that the real source of threat is Baek Na-Kyum. And who wanted him to be removed from the main lead’s side? Father Lee! 
(Chapter 82) In fact, both schemers have one goal in common: the couple is the victim and witness of their « crimes ». 
(chapter 105) He desired to spare his heart. To conclude, “that awful matter” is referring to the whole prank and its consequences.
(Chapter 97) At the same time, the idiom includes the staff‘s tricks as well: the corpse in front of the gate and the maids‘ badmouthing 
(Chapter 104) However, he had been silenced by his lover, when the latter suggested to him to view everything as a nightmare. The lord made the mistake not to listen to the victim and witness. 
(chapter 105) With such a contrast, the manhwalovers can detect the link between ignorance and absence of memories. To conclude, in both versions, the main lead is “lying” out of ignorance. This is the positive version of “ignorance is a blessing”. Hence the noona thinks herself safe.
(Chapter 99) It was clear that her brother would meet the noble, as their meeting didn’t surprise her. She was more upset that Baek Na-Kyum was unconscious. 
(chapter 99) However, her question „What’s wrong with Na-Kyum?“ divulges her hypocrisy and acting. How could she not realize that her sibling had been beaten? 
(chapter 105) Thus I deduce that Heena thinks, the painter could not witness her acting in front of the scholar’s house, for his head was turned around and he was not moving. She feels secure concerning that night, while I am expecting the opposite. Nonetheless, her past behavior in the kisaeng house represents a source of danger for her. That’s the reason why she has to hide the “attempted murder” from her brother. The moment Heena mentions that she has been hurt, the painter won’t believe her. Why? It is because in the kisaeng house, he has not forgotten her words: 
(chapter 97) Even if she was “fooled”, the artist can only reproach her stupidity. Remember her harsh words, she had called him stupid: 
(chapter 97) She had helped Min, and she can not claim ignorance. As you can see, Yoon Seungho was encouraged to hide the “attempted murder” from Baek Na-Kyum for selfish reasons. Therefore it is no coincidence that when the lord visited Heena, he made sure that his lover wouldn‘t see Heena in bed. 
(Chapter 104) This explicates why later the lord was hugging his lover under the cover. 
(Chapter 104) Hence I conclude that Heena must have thought the same way about Yoon Seungho. „Thank god, he didn’t see or hear a thing about that awful matter“. He has no idea about her altercations with her brother in the kisaeng house. It is important, because our beloved seme has the impression that the noona has her brother’s best interests at heart, but actually he is wrong. In my opinion, the relationship between Heena and his lover serves as a mirror to his relationship with Yoon Seungwon. So far, the young noble doesn’t suspect his brother to have betrayed him. Note that he blames his father more than his younger sibling. 
(chapter 105) Yet, this incident was presented as Yoon Seungho’s memory. This panel could be used as an evidence that my theory, Heena was present next to the shaman’s shrine during the bloodbath, was wrong. Nonetheless, this image didn’t make me change my mind. Why? I paid attention to details and judged this rescue as “fake” again. The servants had a drop of sweat on their face, the symbol for deception. Secondly, the kisaeng was wet, while the staff’s clothes weren’t damp. How did they save her then? Besides, where are the foot prints? Moreover, where was the head cover? 
(chapter 99) Finally, her hands and feet were not tied. So where did the items go? Since we saw her “execution”, we are the witnesses, and as such we know the truth about that “awful matter”, but it is not the case for the lord. This image contains so many errors, hence it can not reflect reality. 
(chapter 103) Hence he could have never been outside the mansion. That’s how I realized that the author was presenting us a false memory. This means that the manhwalovers are facing an implanted memory. But how could this happen? First, false memory is quite normal and is often of no consequence. But a false memory relayed during criminal testimony might lead to the conviction of an innocent person. As the manhwalovers can detect, it represents a serious problem. 
(chapter 58), it makes him particularly vulnerable to false memories. 
(chapter 104), the lord and even the readers imagined to see medicine in the white bowl! 
(chapter 105) Besides, the author had always connected the drug with the tray. 
(chapter 23) As you can see, the readers interpreted this scene due to associations. Nonetheless, like mentioned in the previous analysis, the different color and the traces on the edge were the evidences that it was ink. 
(chapter 36) Besides, Heena was in bed indicating that she was still weak. The circumstances led people to have a different perception of “verity”!! Only through the mind’s eye, the manhwalovers can detect that this scene was staged. 
(chapter 103) The protagonist projected his own thoughts and emotions onto one servant: shock! 
(chapter 61) This was interference by excellence. Besides, emotions can affect your memories. Since the lord was so under shock after witnessing the painter’s unconsciousness, it is not surprising that he imagined to have witnessed this scene. At the same time, when he left the shrine in trance, he could have overlooked the presence of a third person… similar to Lee Jihwa next to the shed. That’s how he doesn’t recall anything from that night except his crime. He didn’t see and hear the person by his side. Where is the sword? Where did he get the hanbok from?
(chapter 102) Therefore it is not astonishing that he imagined a similar scenery. 
(chapter 1) Baek Na-Kyum thought to have seen “Yoon Seungho” as huge sodomite, yet he only connected the name to the face after meeting the lord for the first time. 
(chapter 1) This shows that the artist had only heard his name without seeing his face before. This explicates why the main lead’s gaze and facial expressions were similar 
(chapter 1) 
(chapter 1) 
(chapter 103) 
(chapter 104) My avid readers can certainly recall the rule I had detected: each chapter will be reflected in the next! 
(chapter 105) How is it possible? Especially, when the painter said this: 
(chapter 94) Furthermore, the painter is associating the learned sir to the moon and as such the night. 
(chapter 94) Thus I am now suspecting that this image 
is a false memory. But I have another reason to think that the painter’s idolization was more the result of “brainwashing” and as such “false memories”. 
(chapter 105) How can she date this incident so precisely? The moment I read her testimony, I discovered that in episode 94 the author had never shown us the painter crying! 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 94) 
(chapter 94) It was, as if the noonas had never been informed about the painter’s suffering and tears. This shows that Heena has been hiding many things from her colleagues. But there is more to it! The manhwaphiles saw the artist’s tears in his childhood. 
(chapter 68) But here he was much older!! Under this new perspective, I realized that the following image could have been a false memory: 
(chapter 68) Heena was misremembering that night, and she was misattributing the painter’s tears. In other words, she was confusing two incidents.
(chapter 105) It is the same facial expression, though the redness around the eyes is more pronounced. This observation confirms that the noona’s memories in the kisaeng 
(chapter 105) He had run after his lover in socks. While in “Baek Na-Kyum’s foot”, I thought that this memory was true, I come now to a different signification. It was a false memory in order to hide a crime related to Heena. I would like to outline that in the kisaeng’s comment, we have the notion of “shame” and as such “guilt”. First, I thought of rape, but then it could be much simpler. The painter could have witnessed his noona having sex with the learned sir. But because he was too young, he misjudged the situation… as a virgin, she had to bleed. Because he saw blood, he imagined that the learned sir had hurt Heena. This would explain why the artist was afterwards anxious around the teacher. One might think that this is not terrible. But let’s not forget that as a kisaeng, she can not have sex like that. 
(chapter 105) 
(chapter 46) A change of heart versus “eternity”. This shows that the painter’s decision to go to the learned sir’s house was never his choice. He had simply followed Heena’s suggestion. She was definitely distorting his past. Furthermore I detected a strong connection between love and memory. 
(chapter 94) If it is a loved one, then it can only be a good memory. Therefore it is not surprising that by saying constantly saying that the painter likes the scholar, he is repressing the bad memories with the scholar (the beating in episode 34, the betrayal in chapter 29, his words in the library and his reproach about his job). So far, he only mentioned one negative incident. 
(chapter 76) So while the painter was following his lover, the latter turned around and hugged him. Afterwards, he asked him to go to his noonas, for he needed to talk to Heena. Moreover, contrary to Yoon Seungho, Baek Na-Kyum paid attention to time. He was not lost in thoughts or had lost the sense of time
(chapter 105) But the latter acted, as if his hand was not wounded. 
(chapter 105) He ignored his physical pain and heartache.
(chapter 105) This is important, because the stumbling symbolizes the intervention of the gods… We have the perfect example at the end of season 3. The lord fell on his knees in front of the scholar’s house, hence there is a hand print on the snow. 
(chapter 100) That’s how he refused to view Lee Jihwa as the murderer of his lover, Baek Na-Kyum”. YES, the falling is the real manifestation of CHANCE! How so? I would like the manhwaphiles to keep in mind that chance is the antonym of trick and scheme! The latter are connected to plan and organization. Thus I come to the conclusion that the noble will decide to go to the doctor’s office in order to treat his lover’s hand. 
(chapter 57) he was feverish so that he couldn’t pay attention to the physician. Besides, the man never remained by his side. Finally, in episode 74, the man never left the office!! 
(chapter 74) I conclude that Yoon Seungho never saw the physician for commoners! Besides, I doubt that he remembers him from his childhood. But this is not the same, when Baek Na-Kyum was ill. He met the other doctor twice. 
(chapter 33) 
(chapter 103) On the other hand, the artist assumes that the man in the office is Yoon Seungho’s doctor!! He heard his confession: 
(chapter 103) The staff… I would like to outline that in this panel, Kim was no longer seen next to the couple. 
(chapter 105) So where did he vanish? Probably to the mansion, for he had to warn the domestics that the artist would be returning! But if he left the couple behind, this means that he can’t witness what Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum will do next. And if they don’t go to the doctor, there is no ambiguity that the main lead will send for the doctor again. But according to me, the man disappeared. 
(chapter 105) Imagine that despite his rush, he was clear-minded enough to take the yellow scarf, a present that the noble had just bought him before. 😢 The item had more value than the mituri (shoes). Thus he was running in socks. His gesture displayed how much the lord means to the painter. He cherishes everything the lord does for him. At the same time, it indicates his heartache. He was so desperate and scared, for he felt that he was about to get abandoned one more time. 
(chapter 105) According to my follower @katamins, in the Korean version, this is what Baek Na-Kyum yells: 
(chapter 105) it works like a spell or a prayer. The artist is clinching onto this phrase hoping that the noble is remembering his promise. The irony is that the low-born was smiling like a fool, 
(chapter 83)
(chapter 85) This means that Baek Na-Kyum was put in the same situation than his lover who wished to keep the artist by his side, but feared to open up to him out of self-hatred and guilt. The painter could get burdened or horrified by his revelations. Hence the painter’s reaction at the end mirrors the yangban’s in the study. Both were or are pleading the partner to stay by their side,. 
(chapter 85) 
(chapter 105) Nevertheless, their behavior diverges so much. The aristocrat couldn’t raise his voice or become violent by using his hand, because he could scare the artist and as such break his previous promise. Finally, by destroying the music box, he had already witnessed that he had pushed his lover further away. 
(chapter 85) At the same time, since he had been taught that no noble should lower himself in front of commoners, it is normal that he couldn’t beg Baek Na-Kyum on his knees. To sum up, the noble had to restrain himself extremely, his face and words were the only way to show his emotions and despair. And the artist sensed it, though the lord was not weeping. The proof is that when the father appeared, the artist changed his mind. He was no longer willing to leave, in fact he chose to look for his lover. 
(chapter 87) This shows that through communication, the lord had been able to affect the painter‘s mind and heart. On the other hand, we shouldn’t underestimate the lord’s flashback and Na-Kyum’s conversation with the butler which played a huge part in the artist‘s decision to vow loyalty to Yoon Seungho despite the secret.
(chapter 105) Why did he change his mind? Is he responsible for this? As you can see, the painter came to voice his guilt and the remains of his deeply rooted self-hatred. 
(chapter 105) He must have committed a wrongdoing, he is responsible for the situation. He feels like a burden, for the lord had to take care of him each night. 
(chapter 104) They are no longer sharing the same bed, the lord is sitting by his side comforting him, when the young man has a nightmare. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible that the artist was working in the backyard. 
(chapter 104) He wished to help, that way he wouldn’t be seen as a spoiled child. He has to justify his presence in the mansion. Who is he exactly that he is sleeping in the lord’s bed? I am suspecting that there is a rumor circulating within the propriety, a new version of this scene: 
(chapter 38) which I will explain more in details below. Thus the artist is making sure to cause no trouble to Yoon Seungho and the staff, especially the maids. Hence he folds the cover and clean the bedroom. 
(chapter 104) Then he washes clothes. He makes sure that he is no burden to anyone. Yet, my impression is that the staff is taking advantage of the artist’s goodness. That’s how they fuel his guilt and shame. 
(chapter 104) This intention was again verbalized in the gibang. 
(chapter 104) He was told not to question what he had heard… he should simply consider everything like a nightmare. However, this method is actually wrong. 
(chapter 07) 
(chapter 104) Not only he knows about the lord’s traumatic past, but it is the same for the painter. In addition, we have another explanation for Yoon Seungho’s insomnia and dissociative state. 
(chapter 104) Naturally, Kim, because he is now the only one in the mansion who knows his past. Besides, why do you think that the lord’s past is coming to the surface as a nightmare? It is because he was incited to repress everything. But since the painter is going through the same experiences, this is not surprising that the noble’s memory is triggered and the past emerges again.
(chapter 27) Put yourself in the young man’s shoes. You suddenly witness how the whole family is moving houses and leaving you behind! This must have been terrible for Yoon Seungho. One might argue that Kim stayed by his side, so he was not alone. But it is false for 2 reasons. The white bearded servant had been working in the mansion
(chapter 27), when the other domestics left the propriety. This was his memory. Besides, like the servant confessed to Jung In-Hun, a huge part of the staff got replaced. This means that the lord was suddenly surrounded by people he didn’t know. Because my theory is that the young man was treated as a male kisaeng, this signifies that the new staff could never view the main lead as a noble. Besides, despite the betrayal, the elder master and Yoon Seungwon were his real family. Finally, Yoon Seungho had no saying in this, and I can imagine that the reason for this decision was not explained immediately. This must have been a huge blow for him as well. He must have felt lost and homeless. The result was that from that moment on, he became more dependent on the butler. And we have to question ourselves what the butler did with this huge responsibility, when the elder master moved to the second house.
Since this phrase appears in connection with the staff (maids and servants) in the courtyard, I come to the conclusion that the authors of this gossip are in the domain. “Fellows” indicate that they are speaking among themselves. But I have two more clues proving that the traitors are the domestics. First, observe how they call the protagonist: Young Master Yoon. 
So far, people in town only calls the protagonist lord Yoon 
(chapter 45) 
(chapter 45) or lord Yoon Seungho 
(chapter 39) or my lord. 
(chapter 76) Only the staff addresses him as “young master”. 
(chapter 103), and this since season 3. This coincides with the meddling of the Yoons. The servants treat him, as if he was not an adult, no real lord. But they are wrong, because he is wearing the topknot with the gat. Hence he is a lord. Finally, only people close to the couple could know about the painter’s tragedy. 
, because in the village and town, there exists another gossip: 
He is responsible for the lord’s lunacy. Under this new perspective, it explains why the painter is leaving the bed and working. He wishes to prove the words wrong. On the other hand, I think that Yoon Seungho also heard a grapevine in the domain, but a different one: 
(trailer). “He has many enemies”. How did I come to this idea? It is because he is addressed as Yoon Seungho! By underlining the painter as his weakness, the author of this rumor wishes to separate the couple. If he were to place the painter elsewhere, not only the latter would no longer be targeted, but also the lord would have no longer any weakness. Since there is always a reflection within the same chapter, I conclude that a second grapevine was spread in episode 104. This happened, while the lord was away. Thus the painter smiled like a “fool”, when he saw the lord: 
(chapter 104) As you can imagine, for me the maids were the perpetrators, a new version of episode 79
(here, the woman implied that the artist was responsible for Yoon Seungho’s insomnia, thus the painter has a drop of sweat on his face, a sign for shame) and chapter 98 
(chapter 103) Finally, the staff has every reason to get rid of the artist, for he is the witness of their wrongdoings. They definitely played a major role in the “prank”. They didn’t learn their lesson.
(chapter 29) This time, the one smiling like a fool 
(chapter 29) was Jung In-Hun who acted, as if he knew nothing and had seen nothing. 
(chapter 29) However, I have already pointed out that he was present, when the rape took place, for he knew where Yoon Seungho would meet the artist: the pavilion. And what have all these episodes in common? The first thought would be to say: abandonment and betrayal. The painter in front of the gibang felt “betrayed” and abandoned, but what shocked the lord so much was when the artist started blaming himself: 
(chapter 105) “I had known, I would have never confessed” Nonetheless, he never finished his phrase, for in reality, he had no regret!! He was sure that he had made the right decision. It is because he had pondered a long time about this. He had observed his lover. That’s the reason why he mentioned their mutual love confession and as such their promise to stay together. And this brings me to the next observation. All these scenes have another common denominator: BAD DECISIONS!! The lord had made the wrong decision to entrust the painter to the kisaengs. Thus he came to regret this. He had made his lover cry, and even wounded him, though he desired to do the opposite. Therefore it is not surprising that he apologized to his lover. 
(chapter 105) This shows that the painter is showing him what true love and loyalty are. Moreover, he is teaching to make good decisions.
(chapter 246), I realized why Yoon Seungho suffered so much. Self-made decision implies a conscious choice. It is made deliberately and thoughtfully, considers and includes all relevant factors, is consistent with the individual’s philosophy and values. As you can see, it implies knowledge. This definition exposes that making a choice for the sake of another person without his consent or knowledge can never be a good decision. One might argue about this, because children are too young to make decisions. In Doctor Frost, this man 
(Doctor Frost 246) decided to support a terror attack, and justified this by saying that this was for his daughter’s sake. But like the counterpart pointed out, he questioned his decision. Was it truly his choice, or was he simply following the leader’s suggestion? As you can see, the daughter was used as an excuse, it was never for her sake. This shows that children are the exception, besides they are often raised by two parents. Thus they are making deliberations together. But like the author revealed in Twitter, Yoon Seungho’s mother hated her husband so much that she neglected her eldest son. The patriarch made decisions on his own, but observe that it was always for the Yoons’ sake. This means that the father never took his son’s well-being into consideration, he never asked him about his opinion. He imposed his will, but he listened to others, like we could see in different occasions. 
(chapter 82) Here, the red-haired bearded man was encouraging the elder master Yoon to return to the mansion and claim his rights. Finally, the young master admitted this to the messenger: 
(chapter 80) If someone stroke his ego, he would follow their advice and never doubt their words. 
(chapter 77) Since it backfired, then the protagonist was responsible for everything. And this is what Kim has always been preaching in season 1, 2 and 3: it was the best for Yoon Seungho, or Baek Na-Kyum etc. Nonetheless, since he let others make the decision, he was able to escape “responsibility”, thus the elder master Yoon was blamed for everything. 
(chapter 104) But he simply employed reverse psychology. 
(Chapter 85) Yoon Seungho was coerced to open up. If he did not, he wouldn’t be forgiven. Naturally, the painter meant it well, yet the main lead was pressured to reveal his „bad action“. The main lead feared his negative judgement and rejection. We could say that the artist had made this request for the lord’s sake, however this was not a conscious and long deliberated decision. And now, you comprehend why the main leads suffered both so much!! Yoon Seungho’s mother neglected her eldest son, but she kept her distance from her husband. They never talked to each other, and as such never made decisions together. And it was the same for the painter. The kisaeng Heena was the one who made the decision without the noonas’ consent and her brother‘s opinion. 
(chapter46) Even in season 4, she has not changed her mind-set entirely. 
(chapter 105) She is still viewing the painter’s decision as a bad choice. But she is simply wrong, for the painter listened to her advice and after deliberations, he chose to open his heart. His confession was not made in the heat of the moment. 
(chapter 62) The lord’s vision 
(chapter 62) became a reality
(chapter 105) This signifies that the noble will decide not to follow the noona’s advice: 
(chapter 105) with the noona’s statement, the painter looks happy with Yoon Seungho despite the tears, it looks like the noona is slowly coming to terms with her brother’s relationship. But I have to admit that I believe that her “decision” is just short-lived. First, in season 2, the noona had accepted to let her brother stay at the Yoons’ 
(chapter 69) But then she had changed her mind after hearing the menace from the servant. However, I have three other reasons to expect a change of heart from the head-kisaeng. First, Heena is the younger reflection of the butler. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that the valet had almost come to terms with the painter’s presence
(chapter 65), but the ruckus caused by the kisaeng had provoked a change of heart in the valet. Then, the lord had made the following condition to the kisaeng: 
(chapter 105) The lord is keeping his lover by his side, as long as nothing happens to him. So if he gets into trouble… she could achieve her goal, the painter is returned to her. But the most important clue is for me the bowl! 
(chapter 36)
(chapter 77) Besides, it never leaves traces on the edge. 
(chapter 36) The painter used white bowls while painting. On the other hand, the lord wrote a letter during that time. As you can see, in episode 36, we have the combination of painting, seduction (touching) and medicine… exactly like in episode 105. The artist tried to paint a lucky charm, a tiger, but he didn’t finish it. He got interrupted… which is very similar than in chapter 36. So the letter should represent another common denominator. 
(chapter 105) onto Yoon Seungho. Will she come to regret her action or not? One thing is sure, the painter accepted the sincere apology from his lover. How could he not forgive him after calling „Nakyumah“ and embracing him! 
(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. 
(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. 
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.
(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. 
(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 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?
(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. 
(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) 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 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. 
(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: 
(chapter 61) [For more read the essay “No matter what… Baek Na-Kyum must vanish”]
(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.
(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: 
(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 64) All have one common denominator: the BEARD. They are OLD BEARDED MEN! 
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? 
(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 “
(chapter 57) It is because they serve as a clue for unveiling the truth. 
(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 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. 
(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. 
Compare his face to the painter’s who got wounded by wooden sticks. 
(chapter 99) Besides, this theory also explains why the shrine is set on fire. 
(chapter 99) So when the lord said this to his lover
(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 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 “
(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.
(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 66)
(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? 
(chapter 7), 
(chapter 65) or boots 
(chapter 13) 
(chapter 77) As you can see, the wooden stocks were present during the first straw mat beating. 
(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. 
(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) 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 
(chapter 66) However, his new attempt to have the painter vanished failed again.
(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 97) 
(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. 
(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?
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 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.
(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 101) Thus the fire could be seen as a desperate measure to cover the Lees’ culpability. 
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. 
(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 91) and the servants 
(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 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 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. 
(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 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 
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!! 
(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 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 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) 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 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 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. 
(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! 
(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. 
(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. 
(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 95) 
(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.
(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. 
(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) 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. 
, episode 19 
, chapter 33
and episode 43
, but also in episode 76 
, in chapter 96 
, in episode 100
and finally in chapter 102 
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
(chapter 43), when he gave the drink to Lee Jihwa. 
(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) 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 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 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!! 
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 61) The shoes were the clues how to recognize the perpetrators and accomplices. That’s why I compared these feet 
(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! 
, the back 
Here, we have 3 men, and don’t forget the left hand from before. 
(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? 
(chapter 12) 
(chapter 56). But then I noticed that he carried his master on the left side. 
(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.
(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 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) 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. 
(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 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 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 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 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 57) So in this short essay, I would like to present my new observations and interpretation concerning this intriguing man.
(chapter 57), as it resembles a lot to the ones from the yangbans. 
(chapter 67) 
(chapter 45) This is important, because it reveals that the doctor belongs to a different social class: Chungin, the upper-middle class. 
(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. 
(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. 
(chapter 57) However, the office is actually far away from the mansion. (For more read the essay 
(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 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 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) 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 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) He never made any reproach towards the main lead. 
(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 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.
(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 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 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 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 1) 
(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 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) 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 
(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 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. 
(chapter 99) He was wearing a veiled hat, yet in chapter 69, this was not the case. 
(chapter 88) 
(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 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 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. 
(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 
(chapter 52). Why? It is because there was an incident in the gibang!! 
(chapter 97) 
(chapter 97) her brother is detecting her deception. 
(chapter 94) Yoon Seungho had two reasons to expect such an outcome. First, it was related to Yoon Seungho’s offer to Baek Na-Kyum. 
(chapter 44) Secondly, Baek Na-Kyum had already showed to the main lead that he could leave him at any moment. 
(chapter 85) He believed in his affection while thinking that Yoon Seungho would keep his promises. But if there was a slight doubt about him, in Yoon Seungho’s mind, the painter would choose his noona over him, like he had experienced it in the study. To sum up, in the gibang, the lord was fearing the artist’s departure. Moreover, when the painter confessed his love to the noble, he was also leaving the scholar’s side. His path was no longer following the teacher’s. Thus when he said this 
(chapter 68). She let her brother hear the laughs from the younger masters. It looks like she is consoling her brother, yet she is not, for she is not embracing him. She is grabbing him by the shirt which reminded me of this gesture: 
(chapter 97) Hence I deduce that this scene in the gibang (chapter 97) is a reflection of the incident in the painter’s youth. 
(chapter 65). Thus she gave more the impression of being righteous and truly concerned. 
But there exists another style of moustache beard. 
Striking is that Kim is also wearing such a moustache beard. 
(chapter 87) However, so far in the story, this type of moustache beard was only present among commoners and not nobles!! 
(chapter 45) 
(chapter 45) 
(chapter 78) Hence I started suspecting if these two persons were truly nobles in the end. 
(chapter 52) However, the more time passed on, the more the butler kept pointing out that he was just a servant, so that this moustache beard is losing its meaning, the symbol for power and nobility. At the same time, the painter met more and more people with beards, like for example the tailor
(chapter 74), the physician 
(chapter 78) and finally Yoon Chang-Hyeon 
(chapter 87). However, note that when the patriarch left, the main character only paid attention to his gaze and not his beard. 
(chapter 87) This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum is not mentioning the beard concerning nobility, while Yoon Seungho never made the connection between the old bearded men and Kim, though the latter has now a moustache beard! To conclude, I don’t think that this physical assault 
, Nameless,
(chapter 60), Kim 
(chapter 78), the calligrapher with his insults 
(chapter 98) and the black guards from Min. 
(chapter 97), two commoners who neglected him totally. By the way, the one with the green shirt and white jacket vanished later. He was not seen in the mansion. Anyway, the two domestics wouldn’t even follow the lord’s orders properly, for they never stayed by the painter’s side. And since it is a reflection from chapter 94, I deduce that the two “nobles” acted the opposite. They played their role perfectly to the point that the painter was terribly wounded and he never doubted their identities. They were just nobles! And that’s the point. That way, no person was truly blamed for the incident.
(chapter 46) This was the “positive” reflection of this scene: 
(chapter 46) Moreover, I am now doubting that Baek Na-Kyum and Heena were seen in front of the gibang. 
(chapter 69) 
(chapter 64) This would explain why she never looked for her brother afterwards. This shows that unconsciously, the painter had judged her betrayal and abandonment correctly, but he had been deceived by her argumentation and attitude. In other words, he was in denial.
(chapter 68) The blue skirt is revealing her presence. She is next to the door and observe that there is a table to her right!! Exactly like in chapter 94! 
(chapter 95) But there exist two other evidences why Heena is associated to the kitchen. Remember the painter’s thoughts in the inn: 
(chapter 75) They let see that he was thinking of Heena, though he spoke of his noonas. However, the presence of religion was introduced with food. 
(chapter 75) This truly exposes that Heena preferred working in the kitchen. That way, she could avoid sex with the clients. Another interesting aspect is that when she was sitting at the table with nobles, she was not talking to her neighbors. 
. (chapter 93) She was not even serving the noble next to her. 
(chapter 93) Once again, she was passive and immobile. Since she was doing nothing, she could hear her brother’s name and turn her head. 
(chapter 46) This was reflecting his past relationship with Heena. And now, you comprehend why Heena never paid attention to the painter’s education. She had not the time and the motivation to do so. She was busy in the kitchen during the evening and night, yet keep in mind that the painter was her excuse to keep her distance from the nobles in the beginning. This explicates why Yoon Seungho crashed the table in the gibang: 
(chapter 99) This was Heena’s karma. She could no longer use the table as an excuse to betray and abandon a young boy. Moreover, we could see this gesture as a compensation for the past incident. 
(chapter 60) And now, we know for sure that the chicken blood was used to stage the crime scene in the scholar’s house. 
(chapter 101) For me, Nameless was behind this prank. It sounded so harmless, but the reality is totally different. Consequently, Heena can become the prime suspect in the scholar’s disappearance. Remember that according to me, Yoon Seung-Won went to the gibang after leaving his brother’s mansion and discovered that he had been deceived. For me, there is no ambiguity that Yoon Seung-Won and lord Song are behind the learned sir’s murder, for both had a huge interest for his vanishing. But in my eyes, Heena is the link between the nobles, lord Song and No-Name, because the kisaeng house is frequented by all kind of people. I have already mentioned that the learned sir must have gone to the kisaeng house after meeting the fake servant. 
(chapter 65) So she could have worked in the kitchen… helping the other maids. To conclude, the kisaeng had committed the following wrongdoings. She had manipulated her brother with a mixture of belief and prejudices to cover up her own fears and wrongdoings. While in chapter 94, she stopped the painter from leaving the room unconsciously, it was no longer the case with Yoon Seungho, as she was standing in front of the door. 
(chapter 68) For her, sex had become a synonym for torture and death. Her wrong choices reinforced her fears about sex in my eyes. Every time, she decided not to face the truth, she preferred being blind. Thus the goddess chose to punish her by letting her deceived by impressions. 
. (chapter 96) She even got sequestered herself. 
(chapter 69) As you can see, I am detecting a progression in her wrongdoings. She is getting more and more involved, though there is no ambiguity that she was deceived herself in season 3. But this doesn’t excuse her crimes, for she refused to listen to her brother and called him an idiot. At no moment, she pondered on the situation. Her decisions were strongly influenced by her emotions (fear, anger and hatred). That’s the reason why I am convinced that if she is not dead (my theory), her attitude towards her brother will worsen to the point that she will call her brother a bird of misfortune! 
(chapter 68) Remember her metaphor concerning the gibang, it was viewed as a nest. She was already comparing her brother to a bird. 
(chapter 01)
(chapter 97) Fake concern versus anger and resent 
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 