This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes.
I bet, you must be surprised that I am writing a second part about Jihwa’s confession, when the first part was so long and it really looked like I had exhausted the topic. However, while rereading the manhwa again in order to discover new details, I found another scene that was very similar to Jihwa’s confession.
It’s actually the scene in the chapter 5, 
where Baek Na-Kyum approaches the lord asking for his forgiveness with the hope that the latter will be willing to return the poem from Jung In-Hun. Observe the parallels between the two scenes:
- We have a piece of paper which forces one of the main leads to meet the other character.
- The color of Yoon Seungho’s robes is very similar: he is wearing dark blue in both scenes.
And you know that there’s no coincidence in this manhwa. Blue is associated to care, trust, loyalty, and peace of mind. - Besides, we have two persons speaking about forgiveness
- The two conversations deal with Yoon Seungho’s image as man consumed by lust
- Their positions are very similar. While in the chapter 5, the main lead sits smoking and looking out of the window, the painter is begging on his knees.
Then in the chapter 57, Jihwa is also on his knees, while the lord is sitting too as he can no longer stand due to his illness. Both beg the lord in the end. 
Striking is that everything is indeed related to love. The manhwaphiles should remember that the plagiarized poem deals with love. The scholar faked his affection for the painter with his poetry. - Both scenes are involving Yoon Seungho’s childhood friend. In the first season, Jihwa had to suffer from the painter’s lip service
, in the episode 57 the second lead plays now an active role because he is at the forefront. This time, he confesses. However, the real similarity is the following. Jihwa used the letter in order to get his friend’s attention. As a conclusion, in both scenes, the lord’s attention on his sex partner plays a huge role. - Another parallel is the rejection. Because of the low-born’s indirect reproach, the lord can’t stop thinking about Baek Na-Kyum’s words
hence he is unable to focus on Jihwa who is sent away at the end. 
In other words, the ex-lover’s advances are jilted which really upsets the red-haired aristocrat. In the chapter 57, the manhwaphiles don’t witness the rejection personally, we hear about this through the butler’s testimony. 
And this occurs again, when the aristocrat confesses to his friend. The latter’s mind is focused on the painter again. 
- This leads to the next analogy. In both cases, Jihwa is left behind after the rejection. In the chapter 5, the lord leaves his bedchamber and in the newest episode, he leaves with his loyal assistant to go to the doctor’s office.
After listing many parallels between these two episodes, the readers can detect that the author could only have done it on purpose. For me, this analogy gives another explication why Jihwa ends up rejected. And now, I’ll elaborate this reasoning.
Notice in the chapter 5 that although Yoon Seungho forgives the painter, he doesn’t return the poem. Why? Let’s not forget the painter’s real intention behind his concession. The low-born desired the noble to change his mind. He imagined that if he expressed his apology, then this would move Seungho’s heart so that the latter would give back the poem. We could say, we have another allusion of “change of heart”. However, his apology 
was just a lip service which the noble could sense. The irony in this scene is that while the low-born denies that he views the master as a man consumed by lust, he is actually saying the opposite which triggers something in the aristocrat. He’s hurt and annoyed due to the artist’s words. Now, you might wonder about the reason for his annoyance as the day before, the painter had reproached him to be a man obsessed with sex. In my opinion, there are two reasons for the change of attitude. The painter had disqualified him for judging the quality of the poem as he was not educated
, due to his busy sex life. And notice that in the chapter 5, he only repeats the part “consumed by lust” but the allusion to his education is reduced to “what not”. Therefore this leads me to the observation that Baek Na-Kyum’s lip service did cause a change of heart but not a change of mind!! For the first time, Yoon Seungho is confronted with his negative image by someone so honest and direct. This reveals that no one has an idea how literate he is. The day before, he was upset when he heard these words but he just dismissed it, thinking that the painter had no idea about his true personality. But the moment the painter refers to the incident, he is omitting the part about his intelligence and education. And this is important because the artist is the only one who gives a true reflection to the protagonist, while Jihwa is not complaining at all.
Let’s not forget that till the chapter 49, he only views himself as a spirit. So in his mind, he was only a mind full of knowledge hence he didn’t need to show himself entirely. However, it is a different story, when someone so genuine reminds him that he has been fooling around with men and has never revealed his brilliance. And this is very important because despite his lip service, Baek Na-Kyum forces the lord to change, to confront himself with his own image. So despite the painter’s selfishness in his apology and lie (he wants to receive his treasure), there’s genuineness which is also visible later. He argues, when the lord refuses to return the poem with the justification that he won’t change his mind. He needs to paint for him in exchange for the poem. While the red-haired noble complained about Seungho’s change of heart, in the past he actually desired a change of heart as well. He couldn’t bear the thought, his lover was having sex with other men. As you can detect, the change of heart occurred back then which affected Jihwa so much. At the same time, it also outlines Jihwa’s lack of sincerity. He might long for the lord yet he was never satisfied with the lord. First, he was fooling around and now he is focusing his attention and care on the artist. 
Both were confronting the protagonist with his bad reflection, yet their intentions and approach were different. First, the painter never intended to hurt the noble with his lip service. Secondly, he somehow admitted his wrongdoing 
hence he expressed his apology. Striking is that he’s not blaming the counterpart. There are no reproach expressed here. His apology might be insincere, yet he admits to be in the wrong, whereas the red-haired noble is reprimanding his friend and never questioning his actions. That’s why he is the one forgiving and not apologizing. Now, you understand why he’s blaming his childhood friend. He had to hurt him because he had changed, because he had neglected him, because he was a man consumed by sex etc. Despite a certain selfishness and insincerity visible in the painter (chapter 5), the later is still showing a certain respect towards Yoon Seungho and is even willing to take responsibility for his behavior. But at no moment, we can observe this with Jihwa. In my opinion, that’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum could provoke a change of heart in the lord so that the latter could no longer focus on sex.
What caught my attention is that although Jihwa is always physically close to his childhood friend (see above and here ), he is so far away from him mentally. And this stands in opposition to Baek Na-Kyum who was physically far away from the lord, yet there’s a certain closeness due to their exchange of words. As you can perceive, Jihwa didn’t pay attention to the lord’s words in the chapter 5. When the latter revealed that he had been described as a man consumed by lust, the sex partner got upset because the noble was not focusing on him and he was left behind. During that night, Jihwa could have talked to Yoon Seungho but he didn’t deny anything, he just complained that Yoon Seungho wasn’t paying attention to him. And this distance between Jihwa and Seungho becomes more visible in the chapter 57, when you compare the drawings between Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho in the chapter 5. 
Notice that Byeonduck always zoomed on both faces, underlining that there was a real conversation, while it’s not the case with Jihwa. It’s a very long monologue. 
All the panels represent the red-haired aristocrat’s perspective and thoughts and the zoom on his face symbolizes the climax of his speech. Everything revolves around him that’s why we don’t see Yoon Seungho all this time. In my opinion, the mind’s eye of Jihwa is not looking at the friend at all. He might star at him at the end, yet for me he is more speaking about himself and his feelings than exchanging thoughts with his ex-lover. And that’s the reason why Yoon Seungho could only reject his friend. He has never really tried to open up to his childhood friend. There is no real conversation. Observe that when the lord refused to return the poem, Baek Na-Kyum started to argue with him but accepted the lord’s words at the end. In the chapter 57, Jihwa is not giving a chance to Yoon Seungho to give an explanation to his bad behavior, since he states that he knows everything.
Since in the chapter 5, Jihwa was sent away, we could say that the outcome in the chapter 57 is not a surprise. The weirdest thing is that the chapter 58 actually confirms my observation. 
The same question, yet there is no longer a physical gap between them. 
Now, the lord is even holding the painter’s hand, instead of holding the pipe. And observe that they talk to each other in this scene again. There’s another real conversation. 
And this is the other reason why the protagonist could only fall in love with the artist. The latter was the only one talking to him, even when he hated him
and he expressed his feelings
. He argued with him showing that he was noting his presence as a spirit, a mind and he wasn’t just a man obsessed with sex. Consequently, Jihwa could only fail as he never exchange his true thoughts and feelings. Even when they had sex
, they would talk to each other with a certain honesty. And this was not the case with Jihwa. Besides, by only having sex with him and not sharing his mind, he contributed to Seungho’s mental isolation and loneliness. Seungho was first attracted by the painter’s works, hence there was a mental connection between them before their first meeting. And from the moment they were together, they kept talking to each other, while it was never the case with Jihwa. He was not listening to his friend’s words, even when the latter warned him or reminded him that he didn’t know him that well.
It was, as if his words meant nothing. This is not surprising that Yoon Seungho could only consider himself as a spirit using his body to get revenge on the double-faced nobles. This explains why the main lead can’t distinguish Jihwa from Min in the end. Both are treating him the same way. Both assume, they know him so well 
and can do anything to him, justifying their actions with this excuse. As a conclusion, this manhwa reveals that love can only work if there’s a real communication and attraction is not the main component.
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, while confessing as he recognized his bad actions. He had no hope and was actually expecting to get rejected. However, Jihwa looked at the friend’s face on his knees, searching his closeness in order to convey his feelings properly. 
But the low-born kept rejecting him which made the aristocrat suffer. Consequently the loved one had to suffer due to their “rejections”. And we have the same case here. Yoon Seungho became the real victim of Jihwa’s pranks.
That’s why I can’t help myself connecting this love confession to the artist’s first’s in the chapter 20. 
Notice that the painter is hoping that the low noble would see his affection and respect. Remember what I wrote about Jihwa’s doomed love with Yoon Seungho. He was deep down hoping the same, seeing admiration in his friend’s gaze but he could never get it as the former was too wounded. Therefore I come to the conclusion that Yoon Seungho is playing the same role than Jung In-Hun had with the painter. Let’s not forget that the scholar was also Baek Na-Kyum’s first love. Jihwa has been also longing that his feelings would been perceived by his childhood friend. Another analogy is that the red-haired master has a false perception of Yoon Seungho. He’s a man consumed by lust, but his love started in his childhood, hence the source of his affection comes from a certain idealization. Jihwa has the impression, he knows the friend the best because he knows his past. 
Notice that he puts Jihwa in the same category than Min, revealing that he is no different from all the nobles the main character meets. This could only upset Jihwa because he considered himself different from all the others as he was his childhood friend. I guess, the words forced Jihwa to show his friend that he was in no way similar to Min. This explains why he portrays himself in such a positive light. He excuses his action by saying that Yoon Seungho forced him that way. As a conclusion, Jihwa felt that he had to confess. Besides, he sensed that his friend was getting even further away from him. 
Here, the painter was using a lot the personal pronoun “I, me” and was telling his lover that he was finally willing to accept Yoon Seungho as lover but he would never give him his heart. Since Seungho was the one who had to lick and to kiss him in order to make the artist feel good, the painter was not hiding that he was using Yoon Seungho as a tool for his own enjoyment. The artist had put himself on a pedestal, 
which was also reflected in his position. Notice that the noble had to look up. The powerful master should treasure him and their physical relationship. Since in that confession, he was admitting that he was using the lord, this signifies the artist didn’t pay attention to Yoon Seungho’s feelings and desires. Baek Na-Kyum was indeed inconsiderate, yet here he wasn’t even hiding his thoughts. He was once again brutally honest. There’s reason why I continue associating brutality with honesty. It’s because each time the painter was sincere, his words wounded the lord very much. For Yoon Seungho, each word must have felt like a stab in his heart, hence he was not happy at all, after hearing this confession. Remember that he wanted to get angry but was stopped by a tender kiss. Besides, I am not the only one who criticizes the painter for his selfishness. Even valet Kim reminded him in the chapter 52 that he was acting like a spoiled child. 
Back then, the low-born had put the scholar on a pedestal indeed. He had confessed that he pined on him and would respect him so much and as you can detect, Jihwa is actually saying the opposite. Yoon Seungho is far from being admirable that’s why the protagonist’s heart can never be moved. 
Hence this is the other cause for the failure of his confession. Jihwa could never obtain what he wanted, the admiration in Yoon Seungho’s eyes as the red-haired master never reflected real admiration in his eyes. As a conclusion, he couldn’t get past the image of a man obsessed with sex. How can Yoon Seungho love him back, if the noble judges him like all the others? In order to love someone, the main lead needed to perceive himself differently, as he already hated himself so much. 
He showed him an attractive man, worthy to be desired. Besides, he was indeed physically attracted to him. Sure, now he is not admiring the lord spiritually but once he accepts the noble, the latter will reveal his qualities which he could never reveal as he never felt loved. Baek Na-Kyum will discover a new side of Yoon Seungho: educated, intelligent and even patient. Jihwa says that he knows the reason for this reckless behavior, however I believe that Jihwa doesn’t grasp the whole dimension of the main lead’s suffering.
The lord came personally later and stood there, like he was on a podium, while the painter was lying on the ground. Just before, he had been rolled up in a mat. And observe, the scene at the tavern is really similar, although the perspective diverges. The lord kicked the friend so that the latter fell down. 
The main lead is standing, while the other is lying on the floor, hurt, exactly like the painter. Let’s not forget my theory that Jihwa is the noble version of the painter. But there are actually more parallels between these two incidents hence it is necessary that I outline all the similarities by listing all the elements contained in both incidents:
, whereas we have a letter reminding the lord of his terrible past.
Both are just pieces of paper, yet they have such an impact on the main lead. Both causes immense pain in the main character’s heart. In the first case, it was as if his identity had been erased. Let’s not forget that the protagonist perceived himself as a ghost but thanks to the erotic pictures, he could feel alive. And the moment the painter portrayed him, he saw a different reflection about himself, like I mentioned above. It could liberate him from his self-hatred, he saw that he was desirable. Simultaneously, the drawings were a proof that he was actually a man defeating his enemies, the double-faced and treacherous nobles, as a part of his “revenge”. As for the letter, it was a reminder of his terrible past. It’s clear that Lord Song is someone terrible based on Kim’s reaction. I have to admit that after giving some thoughts, I have come to the conclusion, the mysterious lord must be an older version of lord Min. But let’s get back to the comparison. Both pieces of paper caused a scene: a punishment. While Jihwa received a kick, 
the painter was condemned to the straw mat beating. One might say that the last punishment is worst as Baek Na-Kyum could have become handicapped or even worse, he could have lost his life. However, the kick in a public place for a noble is already a big humiliation. Not only he appears as a weak person but a kick is a treatment rather reserved to commoners. His reputation can only be affected (rumors). Let’s not forget the importance of honor for an aristocrat. Having a title is a synonym for respect and privileges, yet the boot on his arm gives the impression to the folks that Jihwa’s lacking of honor. It was as if he was a low-born despite his nice appearance.
whereas in the chapter 57, he is there to drown his sorrow. This is no coincidence that it’s the same place.
(chapter 12)
Notice how the painter cries begging the lord for his leniency, whereas the red-haired noble weeps telling the lord that he will forgive him for his rude behavior.
after his release.
in the chapter 13 by pushing him very hard onto the floor hence we could say the kick Jihwa receives in the chapter 56 is the punishment for his gesture towards the servant and the foot on his throat is the sanction for the prank with the letter. Jihwa is indeed treated like a commoner. People might say that Jihwa is acting according to his status, as a noble is entitled to mistreat commoners. Nonetheless, my impression is that one of the main messages from this manhwa is that “prejudices” will only lead to suffering: karma. Baek Na-Kyum got sanctioned for rejecting and denying his own homosexuality, whereas one of Jihwa’s prejudice is about the commoners. This is not surprising that his suffering keeps increasing as he is never questioning this doctrine that low-borns are no real humans, not worthy of any respect. My readers are well aware that Baek Na-Kyum was living according to the scholar’s doctrines, therefore we have to imagine that Jihwa has also been living following the social norms of the nobility: commoners are low lives.
therefore he constantly gets disgraced in front of them (chapter 18, 36, 43, 57). This is his karma for defending such unjust norms. That might be the common norm for back then, but since Baek Na-Kyum has suffered because he defended doctrines condemning sodomy, it becomes clear that Jihwa’s role as a character has another purpose: the lack of respect for low-borns. 
But this one is less obvious because he loved his teacher, a low noble. Since I sense that Jihwa is very similar to the painter, then we have to conclude that Jihwa has two prejudices. The artist denied his homosexuality and he saw the nobles as nobles only good in appearance. That’s why I believe that Jihwa is more prejudiced towards commoners, yet he isn’t truly admitting his homosexuality. I am well aware that some might doubt this interpretation. First, the manhwalovers should remember that Baek Na-Kyum came to deny his sexual orientation due to the intervention of the low noble. So his natural homosexuality was repressed. Since Jihwa has been in love with Yoon Seungho, he’s also a natural homosexual. And it looks like Jihwa’s sexual orientation has also been repressed somehow. Remember that we have this: 
and it becomes obvious that Jihwa was separated from the protagonist. So he did suffer from getting separated from his first love. This would explain why he hid his true emotions behind his smiles and cheerful comments too and wasn’t honest any longer. 
The other evidences for this interpretation are the following:
For me, here he is not admiring the hickeys as his words don’t express any admiration, sound more like a complaint. Besides his mouth is not smiling as the upper lip goes up. This is Jihwa smiling 10 minutes later, once he hears about his friend’s early visit.
Observe, this time the lower lip is going down. Therefore I come to the conclusion that he is actually reproaching his friend for living marks on his body, a proof of his hidden homosexuality. Besides, if he was rejoicing, we should see the exclamation mark and not the suspension point. Another evidence of his not truly outlived homosexuality is the following: he hides the hickeys the moment the servant barges in his room. 
Yet, the moment he hears about the visit, he doesn’t pay attention that the hickeys are still visible. Then at the pavilion, he tries to suggest to move to his bedchamber. 
He is definitely trying to influence Yoon Seungho with this rhetorical question. He doesn’t want to be seen by his staff. But for me, the biggest clue that he is not truly admitting his sexual orientation is in the chapter 18: 
Notice that sodomy has a certain pejorative connotation. According to the nobility, homosexual intercourse is tolerated, yet the red-haired master insinuates with so deep that there’s a limit. Hence homosexuality with commoners is not allowed. For me, this limitation is actually an allusion that feelings between two men are not allowed, that’s why it’s not allowed to do it with commoners. Why? Because among nobles, they can hide their love behind business and exchange of favors and this is exactly what Jihwa did. This explains why Jihwa defended his honor that he had been using Yoon Seungho while being with him.
He could legitimate his sodomy by saying that he had some favor to ask. Yet, this was just a cover and everyone was well aware that Jihwa was in love with the noble. So there’s a certain hypocrisy, which is quite similar to Baek Na-Kyum’s who accepted to work for the main lead for his scholar’s sake. 
The only difference is that Jihwa is in love with his childhood friend. Because he tried to hide his love for his childhood friend, we could say that he hasn’t truly admitted his own homosexuality. 
We shouldn’t forget that at the pavilion, he admitted to have loved the scholar. And this is another reason why Jihwa could only fail with his attempt. 
in order to save his face. Here, we can definitely perceive how much he values his reputation and honor. That’s why he couldn’t go to his friend and beg to take him back, after witnessing the love session between Seungho and the painter. Jihwa was well aware that he could no longer approach the friend, because this would mean, he would go back on his word. Hence he knew that he had to initiate something so that Yoon Seungho would come to see him. So the painful reminder was the only way to force the noble to encounter him. That’s why the noble laughed, when he saw his former friend. His trick had worked. Yet the moment, his friend put him together with Min, he could only get hurt. He was treated like all the others, while he saw himself as different, since he had feelings for him. Hence he tries to legitimate his action with the letter, he was trying to explain that he was only one who knew his dark past. 
Notice that he is blaming the main lead for ruining him, while his downfall is more related to his naivety and selfishness. So far, he has never questioned his own wrongdoings.
where the wolf symbolizing Yoon Seungho is tamed by Baek Na-Kyum, the innocent rabbit. When I saw this very cute story, it made me smile because it illustrates the taming of the main protagonist. 
quickly, like in the chapter 57. Let’s not forget how he yelled at Deok-Jae for his so-called prank.
It was as if he was barking at the vicious domestic. 
The next morning, he is no longer wearing it. He gave his robe to the painter as cover.
It definitely marks the moment of his “death” and announces his rebirth. It has not occurred yet, since he is still feverish but we should consider it as a part of his rebirth: he rises from the ashes. It becomes clear that the rebirth of a phoenix is related to fire and you all know the expressions “to burn a fever” or “to burn out a fever”. As you can observe, fever is indeed linked to fire. That’s why I came to the realization that Yoon Seungho is in reality a phoenix which would explain why father Yoon was so jealous of his son. How can a dragon exist next to a phoenix? Both are mystical animals, yet let me remind my readers that father Yoon has only the eyes of a dragon, he’s not a real dragon. Nonetheless, my association to a bird for Yoon Seungho was actually correct , it’s just the choice of the bird was wrong. 
However, my perception was that he was misjudging himself, he was just a gold pheasant.
That’s why I feared for his life after reading the first season. Since the start of the new season, I had to review my prediction and now I believe that he will get terribly hurt. My thoughts were that he would either lose his title or get a scar… due to a big injury. I came to this belief after recognizing that this character is very similar to Baek Na-Kyum. Since the latter got raped in the first season, I am anticipating that the noble will suffer a lot as well. It will take him a while before he becomes a true crane and that’s only because of his fateful encounter with Nameless. But as Jihwa is the mirror of Baek Na-Kyum, this means that the painter is actually a crane too. And this is definitely no coincidence that in the chapter 45, Baek Na-Kyum is covered with a cloth where the pattern contains cranes. 
That’s why I came to the conclusion, Baek Na-Kyum is actually a crane but due to his social status, he was a lamb. I have to admit that in the manhwa “Serene Bird” which is very similar to “Painter Of The night”, the pure and innocent Yoo Chung is called a crane by the seme
which can only reinforce my interpretation. Baek Na-Kyum is the one who will bring good fortune, freedom, honor, royalty, happiness, balance, grace, prestige and love to our protagonist Yoon Seungho. 
Yoon Seungho might have power but since this is a norm among nobles not to go after the nobles responsible for a commoner’s death, the protagonist can’t use officials in order to get justice. They might suffer some inconveniences but they won’t be punished harshly, like losing their title. However, this incident makes the main character realize that in order to protect his lover, he needs to elevate his social status.
Imagine the humiliation for Jung In-Hun. He is indeed used by the powerful seme and has to confirm that Baek Na-Kyum is a noble in exchange for the sponsorship. We shouldn’t forget that the painter’s origins are unknown and the head gisaeng handed over the artist to the low noble, implying that the latter had become his official guardian.
In other words, Jung In-Hun is forced to admit that the artist is a noble, even worse, he might be even related to him. The manhwalovers are well aware that no one knows about the painter’s origins, except the scholar. The servant who investigated the identity of the unknown creator has been killed. 
As for the women from the brothel, they would never reveal his true origins since they are well aware of the negative repercussions. 
Secondly, the scholar arrived at the mansion shortly after the painter’s occurrence. Third, when his study was always next to the lord’s chamber and he was sleeping in a bed reserved for a master. Even the doctor got confused because the painter was dressed like a low-born but he was sleeping in a nice bed, when he examined him for the first time.
The wolf has a very fearsome reputation, can be ruthless and brutal, just like Nameless. Simultaneously, a wolf can leave the pack for a while and act on his own.
At the same time, a wolf is very loyal and protective which the criminal does, when it comes to Jihwa. A wolf can definitely be tamed too, yet it still keeps his dangerous aura.
That’s the moment where there is a switch. From that moment, the yellow candle will represent the low-born. He has neither affection nor hope nor desire for Yoon Seungho right now. However, I believe that the doctor’s words must have surprised and affected him. For the first time, he discovers that the noble has been ill for quite some time and needs to take medicine regularly. Until now, he had always thought, the protagonist was just a strong and healthy man, especially after witnessing and experiencing so many sex sessions.
In our opinion, this image announces the return of intimacy between the characters, the return of warmth and care contrasting to the coldness and brightness of the room in the morning, when the lord confessed to the painter.
In that picture, there were two people facing each other, yet there was such a distance and loneliness exuding from this scene. With the nightfall, the atmosphere in the room changes. Let’s not forget that the rich protagonist is associated to the moon, hence he is more himself during that time.
The burning bougie represents the painter. Remember that the switch occurred during the day. Sure, one might say that the burning candle is related to the night. Yet, let’s not forget that neither in the chapter 52, 53 and 54, the manhwalovers could see any candle. We shouldn’t forget that the position of the candle plays a huge role. Hence it is always important to consider the camera angle. Here, the candle stands between the painter and the aristocrat exposing a certain distance. Yet, the gap between them has considerably diminished compared to the morning’s. This displays the artist’s wish to get closer to the noble. But first there is a certain shyness and hesitation as his hands are on his knees. 
As you can see, in the second drawing the candle stands in front of Baek Na-Kyum’s legs proving our theory one more time, a candle embodies a person and reflect their emotions and thoughts. Therefore we believe that the burning candle displays the painter’s affection and care for the lord. Observe the divergence of the intensity of the light. The light is brighter compared to the one from the first panel. This displays the increasing care and warmth of the commoner for Yoon Seungho. Furthermore, it also reflects the artist’s desire to get closer to the noble that’s why the low-born’s feet are touching Yoon Seungho’s bed. 
Why, especially when the painter is not present? One might now argue that our theory is wrong, since the painter is not next to the lord and the candlestick is actually associated to him. However, the manhwalovers shouldn’t remember that in this chapter, the painter is actually dreaming about Yoon Seungho.
So he is present through his thoughts. Furthermore, while talking about the letter and Song, Yoon Seungho can’t help himself asking about the whereabouts of Baek Na-Kyum.
So the painter is also present in the noble’s mind. This mirrors their closeness, the night spent together brought them closer. The lord nodded to his question if he had feelings for him and his answer moved the painter’s heart hence he blushed. 
(chapter 35) where Yoon Seungho had blown out the candles and we had explained that this represented his despair and his resignation. So why are the white candles burning, especially if he had decided the day before to give up on the painter? For this explanation, we have two possible interpretations: 
The fact that the painter had reacted to his presence had such a positive effect on the main lead that he started smiling a little 
and couldn’t restrain himself from stroking the artist’s hair. 
With the low-born’s little reaction, it was enough for the lord to regain hope and attempt to get closer to him through the paintings. 
And we have a blushing Baek Na-Kyum in the chapter 55. The latter is so surprised and moved by the lord’s nodding that he can’t help himself reddening. 
That’s why we have to wonder if during that night, the lord heard the painter’s question and witnessed his lover’s reaction giving him hope that he had been accepted and forgiven. The lord might have closed eyes but this doesn’t mean that he wasn’t truly unconscious. Remember that he couldn’t face the painter’s gaze in the morning, hence he looked down but since he is lying in bed, it is impossible for him to avoid the artist’s gaze. So with closed eyes, he could face the painter without looking at him. He could detect the commoner’s reaction, as the latter cleaned his body, even stroked his face. The moment the lord’s head nods a little, observe that the painter’s gaze gets more intense and then removes his hand from the main lead’s face. So during that night, Yoon Seungho could have sensed the painter’s attitude (his care and his question) making him realize that his desire could still come true. This is just a theory based on the observation made that the second season is inspired by the events of the first season. So it is definitely possible that we might get a flashback of that night. Furthermore, this would also outline the effect of Baek Na-Kyum’s actions. During his recovery, Yoon Seungho sensed the artist’s warmth and care hence this gave him hope. 
or chapter 16 
As you can observe, the yellow bougie on the candlestick symbolizes the lord, while the white ones embody the painter. 
But later, it has changed. The one on the candlestick symbolizes the painter, and the white ones the lord. The switch occurred in the chapter 32. 
Since Yoon Seungho is right next to the candle it represents his conscious. It indicates that all his thoughts are focused on Baek Na-Kyum. In this case, the fire of the candle symbolizes his desire and hope to meet the painter soon, since the young master has been really curious about his hidden identity. Furthermore, it also announces the role played by the artist in the future. The commoner is the “light in the lord’s dark life”. In other words, the moment the lord encounters Baek Na-Kyum, a honest and pure person, his life changes forever. However, observe that there is only one candle illustrating that the affection hasn’t grown that much yet. Moreover, the candlestick stands quite far away from the lord, which seems to indicate that the lord is controlling his emotions and thoughts. Finally, the candle is on a chandelier mirroring the frozen state of our main lead. He hasn’t been living like a man, rather like a ghost as he was most active during the night. 
Why do the bougies have different colors? In my opinion, they mirror the protagonists’ purity. Yellow is linked to selfishness and white to innocence and selflessness. The lord is definitely attracted to the painter but his affection is more linked to sensuality and sexuality than real and deep love. He’s definitely selfish as he doesn’t pay attention to the artist’s emotions and state of mind. On the other hand, the two candles for the painter symbolize the innocence of his soul but simultaneously, his increasing and strong libido. On the one hand, he paints for the main lead as he has been forced to for his teacher’s sake. So his exposure to sex is not voluntary. Let’s not forget that during this sex session, he gets so aroused that he can barely control his libido. While he’s painting, he imagines himself replacing the two ukes. At the end, his urges are so strong that he leaves the chamber in a hurry in order to masturbate. Striking is that in the second picture, the candle burns differently compared to the one in the chapter 5. The light has not only increased but also the warmth as well reflecting Yoon Seungho’s growing attraction for the commoner. As you can observe, the candles illustrate the noble’s increasing desires. Not only he thinks more and more about Baek Na-Kyum but also he wants to touch him. Since there is warmth, this means that his feelings are much deeper as well. 
there is no fire. Does it signify that there’s no love or no desire? No, but the lack of light reinforces the idea that this event is like an illusion, a dream. However, what caught my attention is that during that night, the moon is shining very brightly so that we could say that the lord’s wishes are reflected by the moonlight.
It was as if his wishes had been answered. He has found someone who would admire him. As for the painter, he expresses his admiration for his teacher and not for the main character hence there can be no candle with a light. Moreover, deep down he is also longing for sensuality so he is not entirely honest here either. He knows that this should remain a dream because his doctrine makes it impossible to have sex with another man. The lack of light is a signal that this event is an illusion. 
With this kiss, he is gentle and tender, he wants to take care of the artist but it is already too late as the commoner is seriously ill. From that moment, we no longer see the candlestick associated to the rich protagonist. He has learnt his lesson, he needs to be more caring and pay attention to the painter’s feelings. That’s why we have the following picture in the chapter 35.
when they have sex, the room is totally dark and there’s no candle. This symbolizes the painter’s loss of hope and love. That’s the moment his heart gets frozen hence there can be no fire. Their sex session is full of sadness and the lord’s attempt to warm up the painter with his embrace and passionate kiss can not stop the transformation. 
On the first panel, there’s one candle separated from the other 3. From our perspective, these candles represent the noble as they are seen parallel to his head in the next picture. He’s not entirely himself. Let’s not forget that until that night, he still saw himself as a spirit. Therefore the lord’s transformation is not completed. He’s not been reunited with his heart. His mind is so focused on the painter that he has not realized that his heart was the real trigger. Since the candles are burning, it illustrates the love and affection the main lead is oozing. Striking is that the noble is conscious of his own actions, as his words reflect his intention and care. The increasing number of candles reflect the depth and power of his love. Yet, since they are closer to his head, it is now more understandable why the master has not realized his feelings for the painter. His mind was under the influence of his unconscious as his thoughts kept evolving around his lover. And since he was just a spirit, he couldn’t sense his heart beating for the low-born. As the fire symbolizes “warmth”, the bigger the fire is, the stronger the desires and the affections are. Therefore, it leads to the conclusion that those candles represent not only Seungho but the strong love coming from him. Therefore it is not astonishing that the aristocrat is the one hugging the painter and even caressing his back. Simultaneously, the former is longing for affection as well, he is hoping to have his desires fulfilled. He wants to be seen and admired, to be embraced and loved for his spirituality. We shouldn’t forget that he has been waiting for that moment for a long time. 
Even the painter can sense the warmth exuded from his lover, yet since the former had a bad experience with his first “love”, the scholar Jung In-Hun, he is rejecting the noble’s affection thinking that this is not real warmth. 
observe how the room gets darker. As the light vanishes slowly, Yoon Seungho’s hope for love and admiration disappears as well. And this is no coincidence that when he has this realization, to accept his body to take the lead, the room is quite dark. He has lowered his expectations and he has the impression, he is slowly losing the fight. 
We shouldn’t forget that transparency is related to reflection. Glass and water are transparent but also possess reflective features. This is no coincidence that eyes are quite similar to glass and water (tears). Strictly speaking, the painter’s eyes and face were so transparent that the lord could see the artist’s pure soul. At the same time, they were able to mirror admiration. In other words, the painter’s gaze reflected innocence and adoration, something the lord had been longing. That’s why the aristocrat could only become more and more attracted to the painter. In two occasions before their wedding night, he saw in the painter’s face love and admiration, in the chapter 4, where the painter cries
for the scholar’s poem and accuses Seungho of being a man consumed by lust and in the chapter 7, when Jung In-Hun arrives at the mansion. From my perspective, the low-born’s words, facial expressions and eyes made Yoon Seungho realize that the admiration and love he was seeking truly existed and was even possible. And he wished to be the recipient of that admiration.
[I would like to thanks @masteryoonsimp and @shin_chan332 for their help to gather these] you’ll notice one common denominator. Yoon Seungho gazes at Baek Na-Kyum every time. For me, it truly shows the noble’s thinking. He has to see the painter’s gaze in order to seek approval and love, through the reflection of his eyes, he feels alive and loved. Without the painter’s eyes, he would remain a spirit with a terrible image of himself. It helps him to accept himself and since his eyes are always directed at the low-born, he will make sure that the painter feels secure and happy. As a conclusion, the lord’s leitmotiv is: “I see love and acceptance in the painter’s eyes, hence I am a man worthy of affection and adoration. I am neither a man consumed by lust nor a spirit”.
It was as if he had soiled the man. No wonder why the lord got shocked and pained after seeing this gaze. He felt so guilty and since he has such a self-hatred, he could only blame himself for this terrible situation. Therefore he had already imagined the artist’s reaction. He would hear the same words than in the bathroom. 
). He visits his friend without making an appointment and buys a spy in order to observe the lord’s moves. Finally he plays tricks in order to get rid of a possible rival. So he is very different from Baek Na-Kyum embodying spirituality, honesty and abnegation. And since he keeps looking at his own reflection, I come to the conclusion that he was actually waiting to see admiration in the lord’s gaze. The moment Jihwa would have sensed that adoration was reflected in Seungho’s eyes, the red-haired aristocrat would have become more honest and expressed his love for his friend. As you can observe, it was impossible right from the start as the lord’s low self-esteem and even self-hatred could never give such a reflection. The protagonist was looking exactly for the same admiration. Since Jihwa was scared to unveil his feelings, his gaze and facial expressions were never genuine. That’s why for example, in the chapter 12, behind his smiles,
he was actually upset to see how the incident with the ruined painting hadn’t ruined the relationship between his friend and the low-born. He tried to influence his friend by disgracing the painter but the main lead was no fool. He could perceive the intentions behind his words. Therefore the lord could never fall in love with his friend. The latter was never honest, hence his face was in reality a mask of deception. 
and not to turn into a stone. To summarize, our main lead is a person with huge psychological issues and the gaze plays a huge role in his life. It helped him to survive but at the same time, it was a curse as well because he never saw any positive reflection in people’s eyes. And deep down, Jihwa’s conscious has always known that his friend’s eyes were the mirror of his soul therefore in his nightmare, he sees his friend’s gaze empty of any expression.
He knows that if the painter is killed, the lord will lose his will to live. He will turn into a spirit for real. Deep down, Jihwa has always sensed it but ignored it because his desire to be admired was stronger than to give admiration and affection to his friend. 
even if the words and gaze were not what he wanted. At least, he was perceived as a person, while the others only interacted with the master of deception, who was a spirit in reality. Besides, Baek Na-Kyum who has already experienced abandonment and rejection can understand the noble’s fear better. Besides, the painter possesses another quality. Let’s not forget that Jung In-Hun has pushed the painter 3 times and the latter never gave up on his affection. It chnaged, the moment the low noble showed his true thoughts. The painter saw a very negative image about himself. So he has been put through something similar.
As you can sense, I desire to understand the powerful protagonist as he represents the biggest puzzle and attraction in this manhwa. That’s why I keep making so many theories. Some of them came true, others didn’t and others are still not confirmed (drug-facilitated gangrape and Yoon Seungho wasn’t a homosexual right from the start). 
in the chapter 54 as a new version of the sex marathon 
because if it had really happened, the artist would have been forced to satisfy 4 aristocrats: Seungho, Min and the two others and it would have become a sex marathon in the end. I could even add the kiss in the chapter 50 
is a new repetition of the kiss in the chapter 33 
as the painter is not awake. Back then, he did it in order to have the painter drunk some water, in the second season, he just feels the desire to be tender, show his affection. He is no longer pressured, he is just following his heart. I could keep comparing like that but since the main goal of this essay is to elaborate my conjectures, I would like to stop here. However, this explication is important as it was the reason why I came up with the ideas.
, in the chapter 53 the artist embraces the lord entirely. 
The painter is not hesitating unlike in the past. He is strong-willed with his hug, however the hands are trembling too.
as a new version of the scholar’s kiss.
But since Min has no problem to have sex with men, he doesn’t feel any shame to kiss the painter’s lips. Since Min is called Black Heart, it confirms my conclusion that love is in the center of the second season, since the heart is the symbol for love. 
Observe that she didn’t show the mouth or the cheek, which would have been a clue that the painter had been hurt and now we would be able to place the picture in the evolution of the story.
And my idea is that after these incidents, the painter decides to take his responsibility for the lord (a new version of the chapter 40).
was in reality sharing their hearts and opening up. But in order to realize this, Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum will have to face danger. Yoon Seungho has to get aware that due to their relationship, the painter has become a target. So far, the lord has been more concerned with the artist’s health hence he has not anticipated that someone might decide to harm his loved one. That’s why I believe that the painter could get really injured. And in my opinion, the same could occur to the powerful aristocrat as well. So far, he was physically strong, yet he is not a god. In other words, he is not invincible and the chapter 54 proved it. The main character was hurt emotionally
and mentally 
during that night. I consider this chapter as very important because it shows the lord’s vulnerability at its best. I know, some of my readers have already anticipated that Yoon Seungho would get hurt by protecting his lover and based on my observations, it could indeed become true. Or he becomes literally devastated, when he loses his valet Kim hence the painter will witness his vulnerability. Besides, Byeonduck has the tendency to use pain as a way for the characters to grow mentally and emotionally. Let’s not forget that the rejection of the scholar’s doctrine was a very painful process, therefore I am already envisioning more heartache in the future. The fear of losing the loved one will hit them hard, only then they will realize their true feelings for each other. Both will feel the same pain, when the other is physically or mentally hurt. That’s how they will realize that there is more between them than just sex.
I couldn’t help myself associating the painter’s departure with the scholar. Let’s not forget that in the chapter 29, the low noble convinces the commoner to return to the mansion as the former needs him so that he can still be sponsored by the lord. Besides the vicious man hopes that the low-born can discover secrets about Yoon Seungho. With “second desertion” and “Jung In-Hun”, I had this idea. What if the painter decides to leave the mansion due to the return of the scholar? We shouldn’t forget that now the teacher is aware of the lord’s feelings for the painter and he has already decided to use this info for his benefit. 
He plans to use the painter again and this time, he won’t hide his true thoughts. Since in his eyes, Baek Na-Kyum is a prostitute, he will ask the painter, that the latter should behave like one and serve him. While in the chapter 40, the low noble rejected the painter and refused to take his responsibility for him, I imagine that the scholar will do the exact opposite in the second season. He will ask the painter to take responsibility for him and spy on the lord. Because the painter refuses to betray Yoon Seungho, he has become attached to him, he prefers leaving the mansion so that he is no longer forced to act against him. Let’s not forget that in the first season, Baek Na-Kyum decided to lie to the scholar and protected Yoon Seungho. With this idea, we would have a new version of the chapter 38, 40 and 44. This time, the artist is escaping because he thinks that’s the best way to help Yoon Seungho. And just after his desertion, the second assassination or kidnap takes place. On the other hand, once the flee is discovered, unlike in the past, Yoon Seungho doesn’t beat his servants but instead run after his loved one which would contrast to his passivity in the chapter 44. Once he catches the painter, he has to fight against Min. This is where I imagine that the lord gets hurt or the valet. So what do you think about this theory of Jung In-hun being the cause for the second escape? First, this would mean that with this action, the scholar ruins all his chances with Yoon Seungho so that the teacher can only seek support elsewhere and ends up meeting father Yoon. Because of these terrible experiences, both main leads would be able to see beyond their intimacy and sense their spiritual attachment. On the other hand, I have to admit that for me, the lord was already spiritually attracted by the painter through the paintings and once he met him for the first time, his heart started racing. He became physically attracted by him hence he grabbed his hands and let him touch his loins.
This gesture indicates that his body was already reacting to the painter’s presence, yet the lord never realized it.
, yet I believe that the painter will only discover it at the end. We should remember that the poem started the whole drama. Without this miserable copy, the main lead would have never invited the low born to his mansion and decided to sponsor him. Then the artist would realize what the separation truly meant at the beginning of the second season. 
The smoke of opium in the first drawing reminds us of the poisonous words Min voices in that chamber. Observe that during the scene in Yoon Seungho’s chamber, he keeps talking all the time. He is not even waiting for Yoon Seungho’s answer. There is a reason to this. His words resemble the arrows he used during the hunt.
Because of the connection with the chapter 41, I have the feeling that Min considers the main lead as an easy target, for he views him as a pheasant. In an earlier analysis, I had imagined, the pheasant was Jihwa. And this interpretation was confirmed with the chapter 43 
and 67 
In both episodes, he used his words to poison the second lead’s heart and mind, so that the latter would suffer so much. Remember after each suggestion, the noble felt so tormented: chapter 51 
and chapter 76 
. He is so plagued by his existential fear and remorse that he feels like dying. But as you can imagine, due to my previous analyses and the evolution of the story, I would like to add another signification. From my perspective, we should consider Baek Na-Kyum as the pheasant too, for both ukes are mirroring each other. By living next to Yoon Seungho, the painter was slowly metamorphosing. Therefore I come to the conclusion that Baek Na-Kyum was indeed the deer in the first hunt. The scholar’s words were represented by the arrowheads and the lord’s sword symbolized his phallus. 
In other words, the first hunt announced the rape and the painter’s loss of innocence in episode 25 and the lord’s abandonment in chapter 40. 
As you can observe, the chronology of the hunt was not respected. But this interpretation allows us to be able to predict the future season and Black Heart’s personality. Since the two main leads are going through a metamorphosis, it signifies that this phenomenon will occur to Jihwa and Min as well. Since Min believes that the main lead is an easy prey, this signifies that he considers the host as a pheasant too. Moreover, I think that the vicious noble has the impression that he is similar to Yoon Seungho, that’s why he can understand him so well. Therefore he views himself as a pheasant, but in this battle for the painter, he attacks his rival with his beak, similar to the arrow points, unaware of the main lead’s true nature. The latter is a phoenix, based on different essays. This mystical bird embodies fire and passion – the flames of true inspiration. Moreover, it brings good luck, harmony, peace, balance, and prosperity. This signifies that by defying the phoenix, Min’s fate is doomed. His fight against him will bring only misfortune and destruction. Hence Heena’s words 
(chapter 68) seem to be true: Yoon Seungho will ruin misery to his adversaries. But in chapter 52, the noble had not gone through his spiritual death. That’s why the Joker had the upper hand in episode 52 and could hurt the main lead’s heart. As you can observe, I felt this chapter was announcing Min’s chronicle of a death foretold. And this perception was confirmed with chapter 76. His addiction to opium is already destroying The Joker, therefore he vomits and he loses his temper in front of Nameless. 
Observe the contrast with chapter 52, where the vicious noble controlled the situation and cornered Yoon Seungho. Black Heart was calm and vicious, he had the upper hand, whereas the opposite happened in chapter 76. But let’s return our attention to chapter 52. Yoon Seungho was put under pressure, thus the latter avoided Min’s gaze and remained silent, until the main lead gave in: 
(chapter 56), he wasn’t able to copy him entirely. This was a poor imitation. In other words, the Joker is short-sighted. He was able to defeat the protagonist in chapter 52, yet the one who definitely put the final blow to Yoon Seungho was not Black Heart, but the painter. His words in chapter 54 definitely wounded Yoon Seungho’s heart: 
(chapter 54). That’s why we could say that chapter 54 was a new version of the rape scene. Yet Min was not able to achieve his goal, for the main lead was confronted with his own reflection and his traumatic past: 
with his words in order to undermine his judgement and as such destroy him. 
(chapter 60), therefore I deduce that Nameless will become Yoon Seungho’s hands. The final episode already exposed the animosity between Black Heart and Nameless. Besides, the latter had to threaten the commoner: 
(chapter 60). But in order to get rid of Min, Nameless will have to get the support from Yoon Seungho. In other words, the latter could be the one giving the execution order. I would like the readers to keep in mind the protagonist’s words from chapter 11: 
. And the criminal behaved exactly like in chapter 54. He killed Deok-Jae and no one dared to suspect him.
(chapter 54) That’s why I am expecting a new version of this scene in the third season, and in my opinion The Joker will be the victim… let’s not forget that in Yoon Seungho’s words (chapter 11), the scholar’s life was threatened. This means, a noble will be targeted in the future. As a conclusion, I am predicting Black Heart’s slow destruction and final death. But he doesn’t turn into a beautiful bird like Yoon Seungho (phoenix) or Baek Na-Kyum (from a deer, he metamorphosed into a pheasant before becoming a crane!). Min has already transformed into a crow, consequently he wears a black hanbok in the final chapter 76! 
This is important, as it contrasts to Min’s gesture. The lord decided to look up, because he was wounded. He acted, as if he chose to ignore Min’s attacks. This stare at the ceiling was not connected to fun, rather to faked indifference and pain. His heart was wounded and he was trying to hide his vulnerability. At the same time, I also believe that he was also pondering, wondering why the artist came to visit him, although he had never asked for him. From my point of view, Black Heart’s poisonous words created a certain insecurity in him. Let’s not forget that in that scene, Min was describing the artist as a man consumed by lust. Besides, his butler had revealed to him that Baek Na-Kyum had become so easy, as he was now viewing himself as a prostitute. In other words, Yoon Seungho felt insecure and doubted the artist’s innocence. The position of his head symbolized the opposite, deep thinking, while it represented Black Heart’s carelessness and confidence, contrasting to Yoon Seungho’s doubts and mistrust. Min was not noticing his surrounding, as he was too focused on his own pleasure, while Yoon Seungho was looking up on purpose. The host was actually attempting to avoid Min’s arrows hurting him. Min was criticizing the main lead, insinuating that he was a killjoy. If he hadn’t sent away the boy, they could have fun. 
(chapter 66). the nobles would always fight against each other. This explicates why Black Heart had the upper hand in chapter 52 and why the main lead remained passive and silent for a while. He was applying what he had been taught: hide any weakness…. yet in this scene, the lord was definitely in pain. Then the author zoomed on the lord’s mouth, like she often does. 
The reality is that Baek Na-Kyum was already his precious treasure, but he was in denial. He was behaving like the painter in the end. While the latter was raised to deny his sexuality, the aristocrat was taught to deny any affection, a symbol for exposure. He could lose a war. Hence he couldn’t treat the painter like that, since he was a low-born, according to Min. That’s why Black Heart used the idiom “as if”. The arrogant aristocrat was actually reminding his host that he was a noble, he had to maintain dignity. The low-born could only be a toy for fun and nothing more. By having sex with the low-born, he reminded Yoon Seungho of his position and the social norms. Notice how The Joker used social norms to achieve his goal. His true purpose was to taste the painter and Yoon Seungho was able to see through him.
In other words, the protagonist had the impression that he got the upper hand in the end. Black Heart had revealed his own “desire” and as such “exposure”. By giving in, Yoon Seungho was deceiving himself. His mind was telling him that he had found the perfect tool to control Min, while in reality he was playing into Black Heart’s hands. And now, you can understand why Yoon Seungho was infuriated, although he was smiling. 
His fury was already palpable, the moment he stood up so suddenly and opened the door violently, although we didn’t see his body. 
He was definitely telling himself that he was just a ghost and had no heart. 
and at some point, they stopped for a moment, only to do it again for a while 
. The hug in the chapter 32 contrasts so much to the hug in the chapter 49. In the former, they weren’t facing each other indicating the gap between them. In the latest episode, the noble is truly comforting the painter, he wants him to rely on him, to trust him, whereas in the past, the noble was determined to have the painter recognized his own sexual orientation.
In the latest chapter, he sensed it right away. 
He felt the noble’s presence due to the tight hug. He wasn’t able to repose at all. He could only doze after witnessing, how vulnerable the noble was. He realized that the aristocrat needed him for real and there was no danger coming from him. (chapter 37/38) Notice in the chapter 50 that he fell asleep while fully embraced, 
(“let my body take the lead”) has come true. His body is already telling him that he can trust the noble, while his mind still fears to depend on him. His heart and mind have been scarred due to Jung In-Hun’s hypocrisy therefore the commoner is consciously convincing himself that he should keep a certain distance from his sex partner. Yet his soul is doing the opposite. In his doze, he lets his head rest on the noble’s hand. He doesn’t wake up from the kiss either. As a first conclusion, the choice, the artist made consciously, comes true. He allows his body to follow his instinct. His body already relies on Yoon Seungho and this is only a matter of time, until his mind comes to the same realization: he loves the noble and he can rely on his warmth and love because his emotions are profound and genuine. So the first scene is important for two aspects: the readers can perceive the real transformation of the rich protagonist’s personality (from a selfish and rude to a gentle and selfless man) and the painter’s realization helps him to connect to Yoon Seungho, although it is just his unconscious. 
In the previous chapter, he is angry and due to his fury, he destroyed his room. However, he could stand on his own feet, was able to sway the sword and he had his hair tied with a topknot. So his appearance was still intact. In the chapter 50, he is on his knees, unable to grab anything, even hiding his face from the world. It was, as if he couldn’t even face people due to the bad decision he made, accompanied with huge pangs of conscience. 
Later he didn’t even pay attention to his clothes and image (chapter 41) 
and after hiring the assassin, he looks even worse than in the chapter 41. Neither alcohol nor sleep can help him to relieve his anxiety. 
Jung In-Hun had become his guardian because he had been bribed by the head-gisaeng. Only yesterday I came to realize why the painter could repress the bad memories about his physical abuse: The Stockholm Syndrome. And this is relevant as it explains why the artist adopted such a fear of homosexuality and even talked like the scholar. Furthermore I can even envision that this Stockholm Syndrome must have affected his hands and talent. This even reinforces my opinion about the huge impact of Yoon Seungho on our low-born. Due to his attraction to the lord and the sex session, the repressed sexual desires were unleashed so that his talent was triggered. That’s why he impressed the lord so much in the chapter 2.
Nevertheless it started to rain the moment the teacher discovered the existence of the deal between the powerful noble and his former pupil.
Imagine the rain followed with thunder represented Baek Na-Kyum’s tears and heartache because of the teacher’s rejection symbolized by the hand.
This simple gesture, where the low noble used no strength, was so powerful because of the Stockholm Syndrome. Since the rain embodies the tears and the agony the thunder, I couldn’t restrain myself connecting it to the Surrealism once again as nature is often used as a representative of the unconscious and the state of mind.
It was as if the snow embodied the artist’s tears once again, yet this time the real pain is no longer existing because his heart has turned cold. He feels nothing at all hence he has no problem to ask the butler Kim to throw away the painting. The more fall and winter are approaching, the more the painter’s relationship with Jung In-Hun deteriorates. In the chapter 35, the painter is definitely hurt by the low noble’s gesture, when the latter closes the mansion door right in front of him. This coincides with the fire where the fallen leaves are burnt. 
The caress on the cheek equivocates to the fire, the last real warm gesture the painter received from his teacher.
In the chapter 38, the artist no longer falls for the teacher’s fake stroke thereby he is able to lie to Jung In-Hun. Because of this, I came to the following interpretation. The landscape with the snow embodies Baek Na-Kyum’s actual state of mind and emotions. 
It was as if his heart was frozen consequently he feels nothing. However, the presence of the snowmen illustrates his innocence and his longing for companionship. He wished deep down that he wasn’t alone and had someone by his side. Yet, the painter has no idea about it. Now, you can understand why I connected Byeonduck’s drawings to the Surrealism. Sure, this is my own interpretation and nothing more. The weather and the seasons are following the same evolution than the painter’s transformation. Little by little, he starts losing his admiration for the scholar which ends with the real separation. He has been so hurt that he is like an empty shell. But there is one difference from the past. This time, Baek Na-Kyum was the one who cut definitely ties with the scholar hence the double-faced man has no idea that he can no longer use the painter as his tool.In the past, the jealous aristocrat could push him away but the painter never resented his admired sir and accepted that the teacher would return to his side without questioning his motivation behind his smiles and strokes. He had been abandoned once, hence he became a drunk. However, the painter had no grudge hence he fell for Yoon Seungho’s lie in the chapter 7.
It was the same in the chapter 24, when the scholar took him and pushed him against the wall.So far he had avoided the painter, yet he needed him again. At no moment, the artist rejected the man’s advances (kiss on the hand, his head on his shoulder). The low-born always forgave the low noble. 
It was as if the painter was coming back to life, the noble’s warmth has finally reached his heart through his body. Consequently, the spring will announce the beginning of their real relationship, the growing love between our two protagonists.
Furthermore the huge distance between Jihwa and Yoon Seungho could be explained that the artist wished, he had joined the lord and put himself between the main lead and the red-haired man. Remember that he wanted to take the sex partner’s place. As you can see, the first painting displayed a lot the painter’s unconscious, his sexual desires that’s why he had to destroy it. The image represented a proof of his homosexuality. In other words, the first drawing let the noble perceive the painter’s emotions and feelings hence he felt his own attraction. Therefore he could liberate himself from his negative image he had of himself.
![ANALYSE] Le Cri, Edvard Munch](https://alheuredelart.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/3-3_le_cri2.jpg)
The word “vivid” is definitely characteristic for Expressionism. That’s why I connected the artist’s work with the Expressionism. Sure, the low-born lives in a different period, the industrialization had not reached Joseon yet. However, it is pretty obvious that the painter’s creations are strongly influenced by his emotions and state of mind. 
Since all the books were motivated by his love for the learned sir, the nobles could already sense the painter’s emotions and desires in these erotic pictures. Sodomy was portrayed as something natural and lovely. This explains the painter’s popularity and why the main lead became addicted. Because of this observation, I couldn’t help myself connecting this to another Art movement from the 20th Century called Surrealism. 
I believe that the painter needs to realize the lord’s affection for him, just like he needs to realize his feelings for the main lead. The ending of the last chapter insinuated that the painter was on his way to grasp his own feelings. Notice that he is questioning himself, wondering why he keeps thinking about the lord and why he reacted like that
The readers can detect that he is starting to think on his own, showing that he is no longer under the teacher’s influence: this is the evidence of critical thinking, something the seme tried to initiate in the artist.
For the first time, we see him reflecting on himself. As a conclusion, we see the importance and growing influence of Yoon Seungho in the painter’s life. He was the source of his inspiration and creativity right from the start, he freed him from the scholar’s brainwashing so that Baek Na-Kyum could exercise his talent right away. That’s the reason why I was not so sad and pessimistic after reading this chapter. The main lead didn’t appear directly but through the conversation and the thoughts, he was always present. Baek Na-Kyum is a strong-willed person so that the moment he recognizes their mutual love for each other, he won’t waver due to the pressure caused by his scandalous relationship with the powerful noble. The publications showed his determination to show homosexuality as something natural and beautiful. Finally, I could reveal the importance of the painter’s emotions and unconscious in the artist’s creations.
in another essay. However both were influenced by the perception he had about Yoon Seungho and his attraction for that noble. In the analysis, I had pointed out that they reveal his repressed sexual desires. Nonetheless, the manhwaworms are well aware that Baek Na-Kyum felt that the lord was attracted to him, and he sensed the lord’s desires. Interesting is that these “illusions” became a reality, since the master became the painter’s sex partner and “husband”. Striking is that our artist is far from happy because his dream was to become the teacher’s bride. 
(chapter 19) In other words, being the scholar’s lover could only be a chimera. So the wet dreams came true, because real facts played a role: the mutual attraction between Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum, their sexual orientation as the lord never condemned sodomy per se, while his dreams with Jung In-Hun was just a chimera, because they had nothing in common. The scholar looked down on the painter initially, but his homosexuality and his success as anonyme author of erotic paintings reinforced his jealousy and resent. The low-born embodied everything the teacher hated hence he could never fall in love with the artist.
He would like to become rich and powerful like Yoon Seungho, the latter serves as example. Since he considers himself as morally upright and more educated, he has the impression that his dream will come true soon. He received such a good offer from the famous hell-raiser after all, even without working hard and using his knowledge. 
Let’s face it: the teacher could have achieved greatness by becoming a good and exemplary teacher so that the commoners would have come to admire him. This kind of fame could have reached the ears of an influential official. But the scholar never considered it as an option, because he disdains the commoners. As he feels superior to them due to his title, he didn’t want to rely on them for his career. For the low noble, it’s important that on the surface he achieves greatness on his own. What I mean with it is that he doesn’t want to share his fame and admiration. So on the one hand he imagined that he needed the help of an influential noble, on the other side he envisaged that once he got a high position in the government, he would be able to cut ties with Yoon Seungho so that only his name would get connected to that powerful government post. Once in position, Jung In-Hun could threaten his sponsor in case the latter refused to follow his request. He thinks so highly of himself that he doesn’t realize his own shortcomings. He’s not intelligent and cunning enough to perceive the protagonist’s raillery and empty promises
(chapter 7). He never anticipated that the lord would do something like that, while he had already imagined that his promise to support the lord would be just an empty promise. As a conclusion, fate and entitlement explicate why the teacher didn’t get famous in the past and why he is destined to fail.
, he had the impression that he understood him. He imagined, his childhood friend would only hate and resent his own family due the father’s abandonment and betrayal. He wasn’t sharp enough to perceive that Yoon Seungho saw beyond his family’s wrongdoings. Besides, he never got to know what truly happened to his childhood friend, as he was informed through Kim. For him, nobility was the real cause of his own suffering. First he got betrayed by his own family, sold as a concubine to the king, and when one of the aristocrats betrayed his family for his own benefit, the main lead’s father chose to backstab his own son and blame him for everything. Consequently, in Seungho’s eyes, nobility is a synonym for treachery, cowardice and selfishness. What Jihwa judged as common denominator represented in reality the barrier between him and his childhood friend. Yoon Seungho could never love someone from the aristocracy, though the main character has no idea about it. 
(“I’m so happy, my heart is so full”) Although the latter said nothing, he felt the same hence he kissed the painter’s eyes so tenderly. Consequently this night symbolizes the moment where the main lead realized that love did exist and he could obtain happiness too. Since he was well aware that the love confession was addressed to the intellectual, he decided to work hard for his own dream and happiness. 
“I like-My lord”. He must have felt that he got closer to his goal. He was definitely surprised but it moved him that’s why he ejaculates soon after. 
A duck is not considered as beautiful per se but we have the fairy tale of the ugly Duckling. Here, in this story, the ducks are conceited and perceived themselves as pretty compared to the baby swan (vanity). Furthermore, in this fairy tale the ducks are excluding a family member because of his different appearance, just like in the manhwa. Yoon Seungho got abandoned by his father and his brother. In the ugly Duckling, the duck represents the family and their intolerant behavior outlines the strong bond between the ducks and their babies resembling them. Seung-Won is indeed supported by his father, the former even speaks for the family. 
The duck symbolizes the family and this isn’t surprising, when in Korea, couple of ducks are offered for a wedding. One of the purpose of marriage is to continue the family heritage. 
He is sweating and avoiding his older brother’s gaze. Then his hands are on his knees showing his discomfort. Yet he has no problem to lie about the father’s illness and to suggest Yoon Seungho to visit his parent, well aware of the significance of this visit. He is quite arrogant to think that his brother wouldn’t catch the meaning behind this visitation. He is underestimating the protagonist because he believes in the rumors that Yoon Seungho lives in debauchery. He has the impression that his older brother is not so smart, however the way his suggestion is rejected reveals that Yoon Seung-Won knows very well how his brother became a famous sodomite. 
This shows that the brother is neither cunning nor smart. The duck is not considered as a smart bird, compared to the magpie or the eagle. 
We have to envision that he even avoided to meet Yoon Seungho personally, until it became absolutely necessary due to the urgency of the matter. We should remember that the latter didn’t support his brother the moment he was abandoned by the father, he preferred following the father. 
Look at the figure’s smile, he thinks that his move did succeed, whereas there is only raillery coming from Yoon Seungho. The latter remembered the words expressed by his loyal assistant the same morning. 
The scar or wound is visible from the chapter 25 to the chapter 32. 
In fact, they have the opposite effect. Instead of retreating, he retaliates immediately with composure. Striking is that the person involved in the dispute is never hurt personally illustrating that the protagonist is always in control of the situation. He shows no emotion at all, he is quite levelheaded. This outlines that during all these altercations, he was not harmed once. 
Baek Na-Kyum is not attacking the man with a bad reputation but the person in front of him: “you, sir!” The seme is literally left speechless as the reproach is correct. The aristocrat can’t deny the truth, he knew that the love confession was addressed to Jung In-Hun. Since he can’t refute this point, he needs to hurt the man physically. 
He pushes his head to the floor in order to shut his mouth. These are definitely the words he didn’t want to hear, since he wanted to become the loved one. He doesn’t want to admit defeat and keeps fighting. He is determined to win this fight that’s why he chooses to force himself on the painter. He is definitely not thinking clearly revealing that in this moment he is not two steps ahead like in the past. Observe the difference in his reactions. The low-born is the only one who is able to batter Yoon Seungho. That’s why the scar on the face is so significant. It embodies the master’s injuries. 
As a conclusion, even when he forced himself on the low-born, he didn’t win the fight. The painter kept thinking about another man in his presence. Yoon Seungho acted more on his instincts, he had the habit to perceive sex as a fight, hence he chose to treat this like in the past. Yet, it ended in a disaster. Therefore we can clearly understand why later the protagonist reflected on his behavior at the pavilion. He had never behaved like that during an altercation: losing his temper, letting his emotions taking control of his mind. 
The lord is showing more concern towards the painter’s face and eyes than to his own face. He even prefers wiping the tears on Baek Na-Kyum’s face. 
I interpret this scene the following. The master’s own injury and pain signify so little compared to the artist’s pain mirroring the deepness of his feelings for Baek Na-Kyum. Furthermore, I sense that he could have viewed the scratch as a sign of a small loss, as a reminder that he had been battered for the first time. 
The protagonist sent his own valet to treat the painter’s injury. 
On the other hand, when the valet Kim mentions the graze on his master’s face, he looks like lost and later the servant even receives a deadly gaze. So this shows that the noble is well aware of the existence of this wound but prefers not treating it. 
While he is taking his bath, he even remembers the events at the pavilion revealing his pangs of conscience. This underlines that he doesn’t care about his appearance and his own pain. Hence I conclude that he never treated his wound. Why? Like I mentioned above, he could have perceived this as a reminder of his first loss. Another possible interpretation could be that the lord was not admitting defeat. Treating the graze could be judged as a sign of retreat. Just like in a real fight, the aristocrat considered it as a small injury so that the battle was not lost in his eyes. Despite the terrible agony, Yoon Seungho was still fighting for the painter’s acceptance and love. He wanted to become his lover. Notice that the last time the readers can observe the scratch is in this picture. (chapter 32)
Therefore the lord’s gaze reveals his shock and negative inner emotions. He finally grasps that he might have been able to defeat the painter physically but this struggle could cost the artist’s life. All this coincides with the disappearance of the scar. The self-reproaches symbolize that the nature of the wound has changed, the scar was just the beginning of the lord’s transformation. Now, he is forced to pond and reflect on his bad actions. He tried to bury his remorse by having sex with others (chapter 33/34) but simultaneously he did think deeply about the reasons why he had acted so differently from all the previous quarrels and why he was so obsessed with the painter. The challenge with Min was the trigger for the lord to return to Baek Na-Kyum’s side, he preferred facing an infuriated man than losing his “possession” to another. 
Imagine what this scene represents to him. He has finally caught the attention of a strong backer through a trick and now he can to leave the shady place he was living in and live like a real noble. He can finally distinguish himself from the commoners he despises so much. Yet, he judges himself as smart enough to think that this proposition isn’t for free. So the offer sounds so good because the only request Yoon Seungho has is that the poor noble returns the favor, once he has become an official. 
He is so happy that the low noble decided to call on him and can’t restrain himself to ask for a confirmation.
There is no mutual admiration and respect. The poor aristocrat abhors the idea of being touched by a commoner. Besides, we shouldn’t forget that his ego has been so amplified by the aristocrat’s fake praises the day before so that his arrogance and his disdain for low-borns has deeply increased. At the same time, he is reminded through the hard way that this is all thanks to the low-born that he could get such a good offer. So his self-pride takes a hit. Fact is that Yoon Seungho is toying with the poor aristocrat’s feelings. The other reason to send the painter first is to let the teacher know that Baek Na-Kyum is also favored. In the chapter 6, he just told him that the low-born was a servant, yet the artist comes from the mansion and the master only joins him after. 
The loyal valet Kim is the one who leads him to his quarter and to the library. Right from the start, the teacher understands that Baek Na-Kyum is a hindrance for his own interest as he knows about the painter’s talent. If he remains at the mansion, then the other will be forced to work hard too. And he had thought, he just needed to rely on the noble’s generosity without working hard. However, he can’t expose his true thoughts right away, he needs to play the game, hence he stays courteous and even thanks the painter personally for the great opportunity. 
That’s why in the chapter 10, the teacher meets the painter and convinces him to stop painting. He uses his dogma in order to appeal to the artist’s guilt. If he is able to persuade the artist one more time to give up on painting, then his problem is solved. The powerful noble will only focus on him and he can enjoy the privileges linked to the favoritism. 
This shows the real value Baek Na-Kyum has in the lord’s mind. Furthermore, the learned sir witnesses how Yoon Seungho even caresses the painter’s cheek while complimenting him. 
He discovers that the painter disobeyed his order and kept painting for Yoon Seungho. But for that, Baek Na-Kyum has to justify his disobedience. The low-born defends his action that he did it for the low noble’s sake. 
He implies that the painter earned the lord’s favor through immoral means (seduction, sex). He describes the artist as a man consumed by lust, whereas the former embodies honesty and purity. That way, he can reject the painter’s words. Based on his words, he is a honorable man, as he belongs to the nobility, while Baek Na-Kyum as a low-born is so perverted that he will do anything in order to get what he wants and to improve his situation. What the low noble is doing here is called projection. He is projecting his own mindset into the commoner’s. His criticism displays his true self: he is dishonest, lazy, corrupted and ruthless. Through his accusations, it becomes clear that for him and the readers, the end justifies the means. We already witnessed his scheming nature in the chapter 10. However, he failed and he is now attempting to put the blame on Baek Na-Kyum. He gained the lord’s benevolence through dishonesty and not hard work. Imagine the irony. Jung In-Hun wasn’t even working really hard until now which was shown in the beginning of the chapter 19. 
He tried to impress him with a plagiarism but he never fell for it. The scholar doesn’t want to admit defeat and implies that because of the bad rumor about his reputation, he is not skilled and talented enough to judge his true talents. He refuses to acknowledge that such an aristocrat can judge him so poorly. He needs to prove his superiority in front of the lord, his ego can’t accept to be damaged like that by such a ruffian. However, the lord forces him to kneel in front of him proving him his strength and supremacy. He is not only educated but also athletic. He is much more than what the rumors describe him. And now compare this scene to the one in the chapter 7. 
He needs the latter to spy on the strong noble in order to blackmail him. Little by little, he is giving up on his dogma “sodomy is dirty and filthy” since he perceives that in such a short time, he has to use extreme measures. From my point of view, this is not just a matter of pride and humiliation. There is this sudden realization that he has been manipulated by Yoon Seungho and that if he fails the exam, the noble’s sponsor could end anyway. For the first time, he gets aware that he has to rely on his skills but the problem is that he never really worked hard in the first place. He thought that Yoon Seungho would deliver everything to him on a silver plate. This truly demonstrates that Jung In-Hun has somehow grasped that he might not be so smart and talented like he imagined, especially after getting a wake up call from the protagonist. So if the scholar fails, then the seme can decide to stop sponsoring him. That’s why the learned sir needs to dig some dirty secret so that he can blackmail the lord. Once he has found some info, he is sure that he has some leverage and can still benefit some privileges from Yoon Seungho. 
The very next morning, he pays a visit to the craftsman and even gives him some money so that the latter can ask around. 
Let us not forget that the man doesn’t possess much money and this proves how desperate and worried he is. He needs to discover some dirty secret about Yoon Seungho at any mean and as soon as possible to force the main lead to support him. In the best case, he could use it later against the wealthy aristocrat. Besides, he can not just rely on the painter’s trust. He even believes that if he uses Baek Na-Kyum as his whore, then he will get some info. That’s why he attempts to sell off the artist to the infamous sodomite. He witnessed the rape hence he knows that the lord is interested in the artist. Nevertheless he thinks that Baek Na-Kyum is just a plaything for the lord. So by telling him (chapter 30) that the painter only obeys the scholar, he finally believes that he has found a way to gain the noble’s support for real. 
Yet, due the painter’s intervention, this deal falls through. What the short-sighted noble fails to realize is that he would have been killed. He hadn’t internalized the warning during the hunt, he should know his place and never act as if he was on the same level than Yoon Seungho. We can feel the urgency of the low noble, he needs to find some leverage in order to get some privileges. That’s the reason why he resents the painter so much. For him, it seems like the artist has it easy. He just needs to sleep with the lord and that’s it. 
Sure, now he had to learn for the examination hence we see him twice in company of books, in his chamber in the chapter 27 (see the picture above) and at the library in the chapter 40. Now, he has not much time left before the day of the civil service examination. However, I sense another explanation. The scholar actually expected and hoped for the artist’s death. For him, this was even better because there would have been no more competition. I sense that in his mind, with the disappearance of the painter, the lord might avert his attention to him. That’s why he resents the painter so much and lashes out to him in the chapter 40. He has to witness the accumulation of privileges, whereas he only gets free lodging and free access to the huge library. He has to pass an exam, while the artist has no constrain. But since Baek Na-Kyum has recovered, the scholar reminds him of his request. He needs to pry into the master’s life. 
During this scene we can even feel the urgency of the teacher because he walks towards the door while talking to Baek Na-Kyum. He needs to meet the washer in order to know if he had found something. The caress on the cheek before closing the door illustrates that Jung In-Hun even values more the info coming from the washer and informer than the painter. First, he is jealous of him and secondly, he has never been helpful before. 
He is not just jealous and envious. Imagine that he is asked by the painter if he will be responsible for him in the future. Yet the teacher is not even sure if he can succeed with the examination. He was put under pressure the whole time. He is so uncertain about his own future and now he needs to be responsible for a low-born. That’s quite daring and insulting for the scholar. Simultaneously he had to witness how the commoner, whom he considers inferior to him, was able to gain the favor of the lord. So he acts on the moment, he feels that his big dream has more or less escaped from his hands so he abandons the painter. What he fails to realize is that the moment he abandons the painter, he will never be able to gain anything from Yoon Seungho.
First, the master is with the learned sir but he doesn’t follow him outside, whereas he welcome in the courtyard in the chapter 7. Now, there is no pretense and hypocrisy. The powerful master just sends him away with a servant. In the final chapter, we sense a certain despair in the scholar that’s why he asked the lord to accompany him to the capital.
He wants him to pass the exam too so that he can be his companion or assistant, if the infamous hell-raiser succeeds. Notice that now Jung In-Hun is finally admitting that Yoon Seungho could be more smart than him. He even hopes that if the lord accompanies him, the scholar can attract the attention of other aristocrats and officials. 
However, the main lead refuses any suggestion from the teacher showing that the rich noble doesn’t care about him at all. Till the end, the low noble hopes that he can get some favor, yet he fails. Furthermore, he is warned that the officials might not be what the naive and scheming scholar imagines. Then when he is about to leave, he is reminded to take his leave from the artist.
Nonetheless Jung In-Hun refuses to do so because he is just a low-born. 
So the scholar’s disdain for commoners from the chapter 7 is still intact, yet this time he doesn’t want to fake his admiration for the painter. He leaves without saying goodbye, although he realizes the master’s love for the artist. This outlines his arrogance and stupidity. 
Striking is that once he is home, the low noble takes off his hat, even his robe in front of his rich and powerful guest. You might wonder why, in particular when you know about the teacher’s pride and arrogance. You are correct to assume that this action is deliberate, he wants to reveal his true financial condition to Yoon Seungho, showing him that as a noble he is not well enough and needs the support of a sponsor. At the same time, we shouldn’t forget that the lord chose a dark purple robe with short sleeves in order to deceive the teacher too. Just a reminder about the meaning of dark purple: 
His speech only illustrates arrogance, entitlement and disdain for commoners contradicting his attitude. The protagonist is no fool, in fact he misled the low noble on purpose. The seme forced the teacher to make lip service in order to obtain a sponsorship, yet simultaneously it actually served to reveal his true thoughts and his true personality: a hypocrite and obsequious (greasy) noble. 
Sure, he immediately puts these back but the fact that in that particular scene he reveals his true self in front of his “fan” just after removing his glasses is significant. This gesture symbolizes and announces what is about to occur. He displays his true emotions and expresses his arrogance and contempt towards the painter. In his eyes, the artist is just a man consumed by lust hence he is a prostitute. He was raised in a brothel therefore he can only live like a whore. This signifies that if the noble takes away his glasses in the second season, we have to observe his future comments and attitude.
He thinks that as a noble, he can touch the powerful lord so easily. He even comes to the belief that since he is controlling the artist, he stands on the same level than the main character. He doesn’t even notice the killing gaze Seungho is oozing. The learned sir has definitely a poor sight, when it comes to people and situations. He believes that his “intelligence” and knowledge gained through the books is enough for his career, but the man is definitely lacking experiences. He has no knowledge of the world and people, he has never meddled with other dirty, scheming and treacherous nobles before. 
And this is exactly what Yoon Seungho is telling him before his departure. He is warning him about what could happen to him in the future. Remember that I associated him to the library where he is buried by the books. Even the books are following him in his bedroom. 
During the hunt, he had chosen to confront the powerful lord and humiliate him by accusing him of hypocrisy and telling him that he was a talented man full of potential. It ended up in a disaster as he never expected the lord to know the origin of the poem he gave to Baek Na-Kyum. Furthermore he has to hear that he is far from being skillful, a terrible statement for the arrogant man. 
Then when he visits the artisan, he wants to impress him because he needs his help. He has to dress like a quite rich noble so that the craftsman will be willing to help him for the investigation in Yoon Seungho’s past. Remember that he even gave money to the man, yet we truly know his own financial situation. He has no real fortune and only his title that distinguishes him from the commoners. 
Based on one cloth, it is not enough, furthermore the color is difficult to discern: grey or khaki. We discovered that Byeonduck is very particular about the colors and the kind of clothes her figures are wearing. We already know what yellow, orange, black, red, burgundy, pink, green and blue mean. The clothing can give us clues about the person’s true personality. Besides, we have to observe if the headband will resurface again or not and if yes, under which condition, though I doubt it. Furthermore, I was always able to associate the figures to animals (Baek Na-Kyum as a lamb, Yoon Seungho as eagle, Min as magpie/crow and snake, Jung In-Hun as a chameleon, a peacock and a snake, Jihwa as pheasant). Since we will see the younger brother and his father more often, we should try to find the fitting animals. We should do the same for any new character. It helps to discern the person more correctly. 
His inaction was reflected in his refusal to meddle in politics as well therefore he refused to follow Jung In-Hun to the capital. However, I anticipate that Jung In-Hun’s “career”, his brother’s decision to take the civil service examination and the failed attempt of assassination on Baek Na-Kyum will provoke a change. He will be forced to take matters into his own hands. This means that at some point, we won’t view the protagonist smoking like before. My theory is that the lord will become Baek Na-Kyum’s teacher and he could become a real sponsor for the painter encouraging to paint something else too. As for Baek Na-Kyum, we could see a change in his behavior through his hands. First, he touched the main lead on the shoulder with his hand 
But here, the noble is taking the initiative again, attempting to show his feelings for the painter.
Striking is that he not only leads the painter to return to the mansion and as such allows him to become a sodomite officially, but also passes through the door himself. So does this mean that this door marks a turning point in Jung In-Hun’s life as well? Will the readers see him selling himself to an official for his own interests? I am inclined to believe so. Therefore pay attention to his gestures and his “lip service”. Will we see another progression where the teacher’s first sexual encounter symbolizes the climax of this evolution? 
Baek Na-Kyum could play a huge role as mediator so that the relationship between Yoon Seungho and the other servants improves. They finally accept him as their true master. Before they showed no respect and loyalty towards their lord (gossiping, the opening of the door of his bedroom, the expressed criticism from the maid in front of his loyal valet). Right now, they just fear him hence they are no longer talking about him behind his back. 
The pavilion was important, because this is the location where Yoon Seungho liberated himself from his self-hatred and accepted his sexual orientation. 
There he saw himself in a different light that’s the reason why he asked the artist to meet him there after the hunt. Therefore the pavilion is linked to a bad memory for Baek Na-Kyum. Will this place appear again and have another symbolic meaning? I have the feeling that the pavilion could become the place where the master will teach the commoner. This would erase the event of the rape but at the same time, become the location of Baek Na-Kyum’s emancipation, just like it occurred to Yoon Seungho. The pavilion could symbolize the protagonists’ liberation in the end. And this would also help the servants to perceive their lord differently and even accept his relationship with the low-born. They would no longer judge him as a sodomite but as an open-minded and caring lord. Remember that he is a supporter for the education of commoners (chapter 6). This could be what he defends later, when he has to go to the capital…
The author wanted to let the bibliophiles recognize the jealousy of the main lead. He doesn’t say anything but the zoom on the hand represented the lord’s vision. Hence for the second season, we have to question the chronology. Why is there a zoom on the hand in this moment? How about the gaze? Or will the focus on Baek Na-Kyum’s hand reveal another progression, like f. ex. he finally caresses the lord’s face or chest? So far, we never saw him caressing his face or his arms with such a tenderness, while we could observe the main lead kissing the low-born tenderly twice. 
We sometimes had the impression we had entered the character’s mind and were witnessing things through the character’s eyes. I could name the fellatio as example. Here we can understand the seme’s fascination for the painter’s gaze. He saw the acceptance in his eyes. 
But we also entered Jihwa’s mind too. 
. Here, he did listen to the lord’s remark and questions. 
to foreshadow the future of our protagonists or reflect the painter’s natural desires or to liberate the uke from the coercive persuasion done by the vicious teacher.
They were not detail-oriented, especially the artist’s facial expressions were still missing. So we have to pay attention to his future creations. They will serve as an indicator of his feelings for the lord. Simultaneously, the drawings will reflect an improvement in his self-esteem. So far, Baek Na-Kyum has a low self-esteem created by the teacher. 
That’s why there is no facial expression on his face and he stands far away from Jung In-Hun in the painting of his inauguration. His erotic paintings should ooze love and warmth as time passes on and maybe the artist will be encouraged by Seungho to draw something else. In other words, the readers should look carefully to the future paintings.
Savor the noble’s intelligence, sarcasm and his jokes. 
or “boy” (chapter 31). Even there he didn’t insult the low-born despite his jealousy and anger.
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 