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 had to do some research about the meaning of colors to improve my basic knowledge, especially when there are different green and pink. I chose this website because it contained many info. https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/
Since I analyzed the meaning of the headband and the bed, my follower sabashaikhyaa asked me about the meaning of clothes in the manhwa. That’s why I will examine the clothes used by the characters: Yoon Seung-Won, Min, Yoon Seungho (chapter 1-30) and Baek Na-Kyum. Yoon Seungho (chapter 33-44), Jihwa and Jung In-Hun will be analysed in another one because it is definitely too long for one essay. Besides as you know me, I am very detail-oriented. Imagine that I have not only to compare their clothes, but also analyse the choice of colors, the way they wear these and examine if they have their hair loose or a hat. Besides, the focus on Yoon Seungho’s clothes will take the biggest part as he is the only one wearing so many different clothes which outlines his wealth and also indicates his different states of mind and as such his transformation occurring during the season.
Before analyzing the main characters’ clothes with their colors, I believe that I should start with the different kind of clothes worn among the nobles. There is a detail that caught my attention revealing the singularity of Seungho’s personality compared to the other aristocrats. 
(sorry for not respecting the chronology here). What have these robes in common? The exterior robes have all long sleeves and they are quite simple and tight fitting compared to the other nobles. His sleeves never appear puffy like the ones from his brother: 
Let’s take a look at the other nobles. 
Have you noticed the difference? Jihwa, Jung In-Hun and Seung-Won prefer having an exterior robe with short sleeves unlike the main character. The only exceptions for our beloved seme are, when he visits the teacher Jung In-Hun
, he is hunting 
and when he visits the tailor shop in the chapter 39-40:
I have to say that I didn’t pay attention to the different clothes worn by Jung In-Hun or Jihwa, I only chose one for them because these were quite representative for what they usually wear. So what does it mean that Yoon Seungho’s robes have long sleeves with a single layer? It reflects his personality: he is a confident and straightforward man. He doesn’t need to demonstrate his nobility. He doesn’t lie since he always warns people if they have the intention of harming him. It also reveals a certain simplicity. He doesn’t want to attract attention or impress people and by choosing rather dark colors and a rather dark belt it reinforces this impression.
From my point of view, the clothes with short sleeves are mirroring Jihwa, Seung-Won and Jung In-Hun’s personality. They are hiding their true thoughts and intentions. They are not really honest. Furthermore, they are trying to act as if they were quite rich and influential. They definitely want to make an impression on people and if we pay attention more closely on the younger brother, the beholder observes a huge contrast. We have the impression that the brother is wearing so many interior robes as if he wanted to appear much bigger and stronger, especially here. Even if it is cold, neither Seungho nor Jung In-Hun nor Baek Na-Kyum have so many layers. Therefore we can say that Seung-Won’s clothing outlines his deceptive nature but also his inferiority complex in my opinion. Furthermore, the red belt is quite catchy just like his choice of color for his robe and stands so much in opposition to the brother’s colors. The choice of dark colors for Seungho exhibits the seme’s rather pessimistic attitude due to his traumatic past which Seung-Won never experienced. With the bright colors, the younger brother wants to attract attention, he seems to be vain too. Unlike the main lead, he pays attention to his appearance. He is not humbly dressed. Now, let’s focus on the color chosen by him: it is either light yellow and lime green. This is what I found about the negative aspects to yellow:
“being critical and judgmental, being overly analytical, being impatient and impulsive, being egotistical, pessimistic, an inferiority complex, spiteful, cowardly, deceitful, non-emotional and lacking compassion”.
Then if we add the negative features of lime green, then we find this:
“Lime green inspires youthfulness, naivety and playfulness; it is liked the most by younger people. It creates a feeling of anticipation, and helps to clear the mind of negativity.”
And this is what I wrote about Seung-Won in my other analysis: selfish, insensitive, arrogant, deceitful but also naive. So the choice of colors reflects his personality (egoistic, naive but full of anticipation) and reinforces my judgement about him. He couldn’t wait for the brother’s answer, he needed his help hence he barged at his mansion at a late hour. He was indeed impatient.
Then I would like to point out another observation about the younger brother. 
Notice that he never put down his hat while sitting in front of the protagonist. We can’t say that he was in a hurry because a table full of dishes had been brought in the meantime. Seungho showed a certain respect from his side. And this exposes the nature of their relationship. Seung-Won doesn’t treat Seungho as a real brother, only as a tool hence he feels uncomfortable. Besides, it reinforces the impression that he is not honest with him. The clothes as a disguise and shield are mirroring his intention. He is not opening up to Seungho, in reality he is trying to deceive him. A foolish attempt which unveils his naivety. As you can observe with the analysis of Seung-Won’s clothes, we could determine that they reflect their personality, their state of mind and the intention of the characters. So the question asked by my follower was correct, the clothes have a deeper meaning.
Maybe you might have realized that there is one noble I left out, when I compared the clothes of the nobles. Min was not included. Unlike the others, he has a similar dress like Seungho. 
His robe has no short sleeves, unless he hunts, just like the seme. 
Then you might wonder why he is an exception? Besides, we know that he is deceitful and manipulative hence this would contradict my own interpretation above. The exterior robe with short sleeves indicates a double-faced and vain personality. However, there is a simple explication for this. Min is copying Seungho’s style. By dressing in a similar way, it reveals his envy, jealousy and longing to replace him. Now, let’s take a closer to the green.
“This color green relates to stability and endurance, giving us persistence and the strength to cope with adversity”
hence this is no surprise if green is associated to fight too. It helps to hide from the enemy because the person blends in with nature. Furthermore dark green has another connotation. It is linked to jealousy and envy therefore there is this expression “green with envy”. This dark color is also associated with other negative attributes: ambition, possessiveness and greed. We can conclude that dark green signifies greed and selfish desires. Now, you understand why Byeonduck chose this color for Min. He is greedy, ambitious and jealous. This is another clue that Min is determined to dethrone Seungho and take his place as the new alpha in the sodomite community. That’s why he is imitating his style.
Now, it is time to analyse Yoon Seungho’s clothes more closely. Let’s start with the first episode. What caught my attention here is the color.
“Pale green indicates, as the color of new growth on plants, immaturity, youthfulness and inexperience. It allows us to see things from a new perspective, to make a fresh start that’s why green is also the color of growth, the color of spring, of renewal and rebirth.”
Hence I have the impression that Byeonduck’s choice of the color is intentional. It announces the master’s future metamorphosis. He has no experience in a real relationship. He has never learnt how to deal with rejection, reprimand, how to be considerate towards others and feel deep emotions and externalized his thoughts. The light green implies that the noble is here in a rather good mood because he is about to meet his idol. The other thing is that here the noble is only wearing the exterior robe as if he was allowing people to see a certain side of himself. However, if you scrutinize, the domestic is not looking at his master, he is bowing. This indicates that the lord is not paying attention to his appearance because for him, the presence of a servant is not perceived as an intrusion. For him, it was as if there was nobody, the assistant is just a nobody. Hence he can let his robe open as if he wanted to breathe. Moreover, he reveals a certain side of his personality: his determination and his ruthlessness. He is willing to do anything in order to obtain that painter, even if he has to kill someone. Strictly speaking, it looks like he is more talking to himself than to the domestic. From my point of view, this image illustrates that the main lead accords no importance to his image and dignity. He feels more comfortable with a rather loose robe.
But there are other notions linked to the color green. A person wearing green
“is generous and loves to share, yet simultaneously he also looks for recognition. It is friendly and can keep confidences.”
This explains why Yoon Seungho is wearing the same robe on the day he meets his idol, the admired painter Baek Na-Kyum. He wants the artist to feel his genuine admiration and to be recognized as his biggest fan. That’s why he gets touchy from the beginning. In front of him, there is this talented painter who can create emotions in him that’s why he gets aroused.
Now, I’ll focus more on the low-born because unlike the noble, the color of his clothes never really changes, only at the end. It remains light pink for a long time because as a commoner, he has no other clothes. I am quite sure that the readers have an idea what pink symbolize: love.
“The color pink represents compassion, nurturing and love. It relates to unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing.”
No wonder why Byeonduck chose pink for the artist. He embodies pure and innocent love, especially at the beginning. He has deep feelings for Jung In-Hun. But pink is also associated to negative aspects which I’ll enumerate:
“being physically weak, over-emotional and over-cautious, having emotional neediness or unrealistic expectations, being naive, immature and girlish, lack of will power and lack of self worth.”
So the color represents the true personality of our protagonist. He is definitely physically weak, he is very emotional, hence he often has tears and he is too idealistic, so immature and naive that he can’t detect the teacher’s lies and manipulations. It fits his personality so well.
However, as time passes on, the pink becomes darker and darker.
(chapter 35)
(chapter 41)
At the end, the color of his clothes is a mixture of pink with brown. The degrading of the pink is an indication of the character’s growth. He is no longer naive and innocent, his love has been destroyed by Jung In-Hun… yet the pink has not completely disappeared from my perspective. So at some point, the artist could choose pink again, the moment he realizes his feelings for Yoon Seungho. This color marks a crucial moment in Baek Na-Kyum’s life: the loss of innocence and his disillusion at the end of the season. He has somehow perceived the truth: the teacher never cared for him and he meant nothing for him. He was just a tool, a prostitute for the low noble’s interest therefore he has been abandoned.
Striking is that the moment Yoon Seungho wanted to take responsibility for him, he let him wear his own clothes, like in the chapter 26. 
He brought his green robe or in the chapter 36, the dark green.
Because he was wearing the master’s clothes, it illustrates that the lord wanted to make a statement. From now on, Baek Na-Kyum is his partner and as such, he should be treated like a master. However, only after his long illness, he is willing to wear the master’s clothes.
What caught my attention is the powerful noble wore the same green robe from the chapter 12 to the chapter 16. In the meantime, he chose a blue robe from the chapter 5 to 11.
The episode 11 is quite special because it is the only time, we see Yoon Seungho’s long hair.
And this is no coincidence. Even till the last episode of the first season, Yoon Seungho never untied his hair in front of the painter. This displays that he has not really opened up to the low-born. He might love him but there is still this invisible wall between them. The lord was in a good mood that morning hence he left in a hurry.
The question is why? He had heard the masturbation that Baek Na-Kyum did behind the closed door so he knew that the last sex session had aroused the uke and the painter had been lowering his guards. That’s why he wanted to eat lunch with the commoner. The more he treated him with respect, the more he believed that he would achieve his goal, getting new paintings… maybe he had already fantasized to taste the virgin. Now, it is time to pay attention to the color:
Positive keywords for blue include: loyalty, trust and integrity, tactful, reliability and responsibility, conservatism and perseverance, caring and concern, idealistic and orderly, authority, devotion and contemplation, peaceful and calm.
Negative keywords for blue include: being rigid, deceitful and spiteful, depressed and sad, too passive, self-righteous, superstitious and emotionally unstable, too conservative and old-fashioned, predictable and weak, unforgiving, aloof and frigid. It can also indicate manipulation, unfaithfulness and being untrustworthy.
Blue is also associated to coldness and distance. Striking is that many features are mirroring the actual state of mind of our lord. He is caring and wants to take his responsibility for the painter that’s why the commoner has a very good bed, he has the occasion to eat lunch with the master. Besides, Yoon Seungho already thinks that the painter has already conceded to his request. Despite his good mood, he is emotionally unstable because his mood changes so abruptly. One moment he is showing a certain favoritism, the next he treats him like a servant.
However, he shows a certain predictability in his reaction. He acted exactly like Jihwa had anticipated. He would unleash his fury against the low-born. He would show no mercy (unforgiving) hence he would submit him to the straw mat beating. He acted like a noble in that moment.
But before his outburst of rage he was quite idealistic and even devoted to the artist as he wanted to eat his lunch with him. And this explains why he chose a even darker blue robe after he had heard the reproach from Baek Na-Kyum (“he was a man consumed by lust”) and after the rape. He was even more cold, emotionally unstable, unforgiving and conservative. That’s why he can’t get aroused by Jihwa in the chapter 5 or he has an outburst after taking his bath in the chapter 25. 
It did mirror his state of mind. A simple gesture and he would literally explode. That’s why his robe is not closed. In my opinion, he must have some difficulties to breathe due to pangs of conscience. Besides, it reinforces my impression that he is someone who prefers comfort over looks. Even happy, he paid no attention to the way he was dressed, he couldn’t even wait to meet the painter in the chapter 11. He is not vain, quite a natural personal. But the open robe is also a sign of his torment too in my opinion, when he is having some trouble. Finally, we shouldn’t forget that blue is connected to royalty and I have the impression that he chose this color in order to impress the painter and to demonstrate his power. He was a majestic master. The darker the blue, the more he wants to appear majestic.
After the straw mat beating, he switches his robe again and returns to light green. From my point of view, it displays his desire to appear younger and it shows his uncertainty how to treat the low-born. From the chapter 12 to 16, he only wears the light green one. 
Besides, there is one moment where he stands completely naked in front of the artist. 
Sure, this was not the first time that our low-born had seen the lord naked, yet this time it diverges because he is exposing his phallus directly to the painter. He is using his sex-appeal to invite the painter to join him. So the lack of robe here has a purpose. Then after the sex session with Jihwa, he doesn’t wear his light green robe properly. The man is revealing his naked chest. On the one hand, I believe that this has to do with seduction, on the other side this displays his comfort in front of the painter. Here, the latter is not perceived as a nobody, rather as someone where the lord can be himself. He is natural, playful and quite relaxed. 
This is the first time that he is so close to the commoner, there are no distance and no painting between them. He is approaching him so carefully as he has sensed this man’s shyness. Therefore he is wearing the light green robe, when he masturbates the young man for the first time. Everything is new, I doubt that he did something similar to Jihwa, in particular with this special position.
He is embracing the man showing his need to feel close to the low-born. For him, the social gap is non-existent. Only his desires matter. Striking is that after this event, Seungho starts wearing again the lighter blue robe. Interesting is that each time, he chose it, he was in a good mood.
He couldn’t forget the painter’s reaction after the masturbation. He was blushing with some tears.
Even later he even witnesses the argument between the low noble and Baek Na-Kyum so he definitely saw an opportunity to approach the commoner again. What caught my attention is that this time, the noble is wearing a red belt indicating that he wants to impress someone. Sure one might argue that dressing up has something to do with the visit to the brothel. However, I detect that this red belt serves as an announcement: The master has already planned to seduce none other than Baek Na-Kyum. And this did happen but he never realized that deep down, he was looking for acceptance, love and warmth, not sex. Unlike the painter, his unconscious reveals itself, when the man is not dreaming, it is rather the opposite. This is understandable because the lord barely sleeps. Due to his insomnia, his repressed natural desires can only appear, when he is awake which leads me to the following conclusion. That’s why the choice of his robes and the way he wears them is never random and reflect his emotional state of mind. All his moves were triggered by his unconscious, while he thought that it was his own free will. He was fated to fall in love with the painter because the latter embodies the opposite of his own world: artificiality, treachery, vanity, coldness, hypocrisy.
That’s it for now. I didn’t mention the lord’s clothes in the chapter 6 because it makes more sense to examine it with Jung In-Hun. By the way, I am not saying that people wearing now green clothes are jealous or something like that. This serves for literary purposes.
Feel free to comment or to give any suggestion for an analysis (topic, manhwas). If you enjoyed reading it, either retweet it or push the button “like” so that this writing doesn’t become pointless. Thanks for the support.
I have been thinking to write about “At the end of the road” from Haribo which was the first BL manhwa I ever bought. It would be great to know if you would read an analysis about it, either by leaving a comment here or through Twitter. Thanks for any reply.
He knows the painter’s daring attitude, when it comes to Jung In-Hun. The other clue is that he asked his servant Kim to attend the artist personally and take care of the wound on his lip. Striking is that he knew where the innocent man had been injured: the cut on the lip. So he must have paid attention to the artist’s face. 
From my point of view, the lord is someone self-reflecting a lot. How do I come to this conclusion? 
In the bathroom, he is recalling what led to the rape and the fact that he is remembering shows that he is not denying what happened. He wants to know how this could happen since he had never planned the rape. A person without remorse or regret wouldn’t even give a thought and would never attempt to remember like that because bad memories are quite painful. In the bathroom, he cools down and is no longer angry, rather remorseful. Therefore he makes the decision to bring the injured painter his own clothes. 
The deadly gaze he gives to Kim on his way back is a defense mechanism in my opinion. He doesn’t want to be confronted by a critical and reproachful gaze. We all know that he is truly sensitive, when it comes to gaze. And notice that he even attends the poor low-born himself. He stands by the bathtub and looks at him and even wipes the tears from his eyes. 
However, the noble doesn’t truly realize the real impact of his action. He thought that even if he coerced him to sex, the painter would no longer resist him and accept him as his partner. He is a lord after all. That’s why he shows a certain lack of understanding first. 
If he hadn’t acted as Jung In-Hun, then none of this would have ever happened. Striking is that painter is more angry at him because of their first night than the forced sex at the pavilion. That’s why the beholder sees a shock on the master’s face. No one has ever reprimanded him like that, confronting with such harsh words and putting all the responsibility on him. He can’t accept criticism so well as he has never been used to it. We shouldn’t forget that he has never been in a relationship and all his “acquaintances” are just sex partners. He has been a loner for a long time.
Just after the rape, he does the same. He had already felt remorse, when the uke whispered Jung In-Hun hence he left the pavilion.
This terrible and somehow empty gaze serves as a shield, he is so lost in his thoughts and he doesn’t even want to see or hear anything that could resemble a disapproval or reprimand. In other words, the regret or remorse are always connected to a certain cowardice. He doesn’t want to face any admonishment and wants to seclude himself. However, as time passes on, I believe that he reflects on his behavior and has some pangs of conscience. Hence he went himself to release the painter from the straw mat beating and he personally fetched the horse and brought back his own clothes to the commoner. He has a certain self-awareness. And let’s not forget that he personally confirmed that the wound on his lip was healing. 
This gesture illustrates that the lord is definitely taking the blame for the injury.
Here, he can’t blame anyone like in the past (see the straw mat beating, the rape and the fellatio due to the way Baek Na-Kyum is dressed: half-naked and touching his body). He can’t run away either because if he did, the artist could die. He has to face his wrongdoing. Yet we can detect a progression in his change of behavior: he has lowered himself even more than before. When he recognizes that his simple gesture didn’t work, he gets even more concerned. 
He observes a different reaction: there is no resent or hatred like in the bathroom, although what he did, was far worse in his eyes. Therefore he lets the painter leave his bedroom. The low-born could have died and the master is well aware of this fact but he is content enough that there is no hatred from the painter. The pangs of conscience are the reason why he broods the whole night. Besides, he has to find a way to get closer to Baek Na-Kyum. 
That’s why there is this slap in the chapter 41. He still views himself as a master. We have to imagine that he has internalized his role as master so this shouldn’t wonder us that there are some remains. From my point of view, Seungho is now able to digest criticism but he needs to learn to communicate with the painter hence he wouldn’t need to seclude himself in order to reflect. An apology is needed too in my opinion. When the lord does that, their relationship will improve and the gap between them will really disappear. 
The artist is surprised by this sudden brutal behavior, nevertheless he doesn’t complain. What caught my attention in this scene is the alternation of his attitude towards the commoner. First, he is aggressive, then when Jung In-Hun asks the artist to search for a weakness, he has already distanced himself from the low-born. 
Yet, when he witnessed Baek Na-Kyum’s shocked face, he gets aware that he needs to treat the artist better if he wants to convince the painter to act as a spy. That’s why Byeonduck zoomed on the low noble’s mouth. 
He becomes very close to the uke, touches his shoulder with his head and hands, then he kisses his hands. He is definitely seducing the innocent man. One might object that this is just an act but fact is that he is using his body in an alluring way in order to convince the painter. It is like a job he has to do. He knows that Baek Na-Kyum will never ask him for a sexual favor because he has indoctrinated him that he views homosexuality as filthy and disgusting. Sure, one might argue that he has only taken over the part of the pimp. However, what the uke didn’t realize is that he has the upper hand in their relationship. If he had been a corrupted person, he could have proposed a deal: “Sleep with me and you’ll get your info”. Imagine the irony of the situation: Jung In-Hun is here asking the painter to do anything, including sleep with the lord, in exchange for weaknesses, whereas at the same time, the learned sir is forced to become touchy and to caress the painter’s hands with his lips. We have to wonder who is here the whore. The low noble knows that he is safe with the artist and the latter will never come up with the idea to exploit this situation. 
Nonetheless, the elements of prostitution are right here. He is willing to use sex in order to achieve his goal and he is willing to use his body to seduce the naive man. And if we compare his behavior towards Baek Na-Kyum in the past, we will observe that the low noble always kept his distance from him. It was especially visible in the chapter 7 at the teacher’s arrival. While the artist was almost jumping on him, the learned sir could only take a step backwards while making a disgusted face. 
The only time, he touched the man, it was to prevent him from painting so that he would leave the mansion. Nonetheless, he was barely touching the uke’s chin (chapter 10).
But it was not obvious and he thought that this was a small token, nothing in comparison to what he would get from Yoon Seungho’s support. However after the chapter 24, the low noble’s attitude changes drastically. Jung In-Hun keeps touching him illustrating that sex and homosexuality that he abhors so much are now part of Jung In-Hun’s world. 
(chapter 29)
In front of the teacher, the commoner is declaring that Yoon Seungho has become his master and the gesture with the hands symbolizes the allegiance. He is joining his hands to Yoon Seungho. In other words, what Jung In-Hun wanted to do in the chapter 30 is to use Baek Na-Kyum as his whore in exchange for favors but he failed because of the painter’s spontaneity and innocence. The low-born didn’t fall into the teacher’s scheme. 
Then he tries diminishing the lord’s action by declaring that he wasn’t seriously ill. These words do affect the painter. Here, he is able to sense that the low noble doesn’t value him very much. The candid man has to remind the learned sir that his condition was pretty serious. He is already hurt. And just before leaving, this is what Jung In-Hun says: 
This time, he is caressing the cheek with his full hand… Observe the progression. From the head, the teacher went closer to the lips. He is truly increasing his seductive gestures. Imagine that all this time, Yoon Seungho had to witness their interactions. No wonder, when he declares that he would have killed the painter if he had left the domain with the low noble. For him, it was as if they were having sex in front of him.
First, his fist is clenched indicating that there is resent, frustration and even hatred. However, his hand and wrist are shaking revealing a certain fear. Seungho doesn’t want anyone to witness his vulnerability and weakness. 
the moment they first met. Like I mentioned it in another analysis, their first encounter marks a change in the lord’s life. He is actually inviting the low-born to enter his personal space. From that moment, Yoon Seungho kept touching him. Either he wiped the tears on the artist’s face
(chapter 1) or he caressed the hand 
with his cheek (chapter 2) or pushed the low-born 
. I also believe that the hypnotic gaze helped the commoner to come closer to the lord, just like it served to unleash the commoner’s unconscious. 
This explains why Jihwa and Min decided to have the painter killed. As a conclusion, the lord created a fake image of himself as a powerful and self-assured noble with a strong stamina which no one ever questioned. All this underlines how big his fear is to reveal his vulnerability and sensitivity. His strong stamina was the result of drinking a lot of replenishing medicine (aphrodisiacs), no one has been really suspecting that he was no homosexual right from the start, even the readers were fooled by Byeonduck. The lord is a master of deception hence he could only fall for someone who symbolizes the opposite: naturalness and unrestraint. You all know the saying: opposite attracts.
and favoritism, then his sexual charisma 
, 
, 
and finally his sexual experiences.
None of this worked. Only by giving up his position as a noble and lord, he is able to be accepted by the painter. With the fellatio, Yoon Seungho is willing to appear weaker in front of the low-born. 
This position reflects his change of mind. He had already noticed that Baek Na-Kyum was moved, when the latter saw him at his lowest point.
This explicates why the lord has no problem to reveal his vulnerability in front of the uke, when Seung-Won appears. Later the protagonist even requests to the commoner to share his bed with him. By hugging him so closely he showed his true personality. 
There is no disguise and deception from his part. He is literally naked in front of the artist. He had dawned to him that naturalness and sensitivity could be the only tool… That’s the reason why Seungho chose to reveal his weaknesses. However, we shouldn’t forget that Seungho is not manipulating here the low-born, his deep feelings were the cause for all of this. The kiss at the end of the sex marathon marked another pivotal moment in the noble’s life. 
Here, he wants to know if the low-born came back because of the low noble’s request, if he has been asked to sleep with the powerful lord in order to get some info. That’s why he keeps questioning the teacher’s words.
The sudden request accompanied with tears and a certain resignation leads the noble to think that Jung In-Hun has now asked him to have sex with him. Like I mentioned it before, Baek Na-Kyum had internalized the teacher’s words and come to believe that he was indeed a prostitute. All his actions contrast to the spontaneity and the naturalness Baek Na-Kyum exuded before. He was no longer fighting and his gestures were stripped of warmth and genuine sensuality. Yoon Seungho saw the behavior of a prostitute in front of him, resigned to his fate… selling his body which is not what the noble is looking for. At the end, he was convinced that despite the tears, Baek Na-Kyum was doing it on his own accord because the commoner has never been able to lie and hide any ulterior motives. There is a reason why Yoon Seungho fears so much this idea that the painter might sell his body and it is related to his own father. The latter sold his own son in order to save his own skin and as such treated his son as a prostitute, while he was himself the pimp. Now, you understand why he wasn’t willing to sleep with the artist. 
And let’s not forget that the returned poem in the chapter 7 could be a different poem but Baek Na-Kyum failed to notice it. Hence just like Baek Na-Kyum, the readers will discover a new side of our protagonist in the future, like f. ex. his refined sense of poetry which was just implied in the chapter 4.
During this occasion, Jihwa can look again at Seungho’s gaze and what he observes annoys him the most. He sees that Seungho is starring (again) at the painter which means that the noble is neglecting his sex partner. Each time, the powerful lord wants to examine the painter’s reaction and look at his gaze, as if he was drawn to the uke’s eyes. We could even say that both gazes seem to have a hypnotic effect, they help them to unveil their deeply repressed unconscious. Besides their hypnotic gaze serves as a mirror, they see each other as attractive and alluring. There is no contempt and disdain, they perceive themselves as normal and natural, unaware of the effect caused by the gaze. This could be judged as an contradiction to Sartres’ theory, sometimes the gaze from the other can liberate oneself. 
By contrasting both images, the beholder detect the difference in the distance. It was as if Seungho had got closer to Baek Na-Kyum. However, we have to imagine that this is just an impression due to the perspective. Nonetheless it reflects their increasing closeness. Little by little, the noble is definitely getting closer with his seduction but just virtually. We have to remember that each sexual gesture is addressed to the young painter. The climax of their developing intimacy represents the following picture. 
The low noble had never looked him in the eye because he would have revealed his true thoughts, his soul. Besides, the artist would have recognized the disdain for him and his social status. That’s why the voice and words played a huge role in the commoner’s brainwashing. 
Let’s not forget that after that day, Baek Na-Kyum was no longer able to control his body. His blushing, his heart bumping and his erection were more visible and palpable for the uke. The latter could only admit his own sexual orientation and his attraction for the master.
because he is able to meet his idol. In the chapter 22, the seme is oozing sincerity, warmth and more importantly calmness. That’s why he has been patient with the low-born. All this has been triggered by the night spent with Baek Na-Kyum. All this outlines the importance of their “wedding night” and that he has experienced something new. He felt loved although it was just an illusion and deep down, Seungho was hoping that this wasn’t a dream. Baek Na-Kyum’s words during that night expressed what the seme felt too. 
as he personally took care of the uke. This revealed that the protagonist had been keeping an eye on the low-born which we didn’t see. Striking is that after helping him and showing him such a nice and gentle smile, the painter thanks him and the reader is unable to see Yoon Seungho’s face. 
Here, the tailor’s hand on Baek Na-Kyum’s body represents the perspective of the noble and through the switch of perspective, the reader is able to enter the noble’s mind and read his thoughts: he is jealous and dislikes what he is seeing. This explicates why the sensitive readers have come to love the seme because we were seeing the events from his perspective and feel his own emotions and turmoil.
Here, Seungho was reminding his brother that his father was the one who condemned him for sodomy, hence he was left behind. If you pay attention the brother’s reaction, you’ll notice his embarrassment and awkwardness. The man is sweating because he doesn’t want to be reminded of the past.
However, he blames the brother, when the father doesn’t leave his room in order to bid farewell. 
, because the illness is just an excuse. He is quite daring to ask his brother to pay a visit to their father. He knows the true signification of this request, which is the reason why Seungho laughs it off and refuses. 
He used his position as lord to mistreat Kim by threatening him and accusing him to lie, to ignore his words,
, he wanted to outline that contrary to Jung In-Hun, he would become responsible for the painter. Unconsciously, he put a red dot on the painter’s forehead, a sign for a bride. Yet his true goal was to push the painter to ponder about his actual situation. 
He should realize that he did expect something from his learned sir. Since he had helped him to find a sponsor, the painter hoped, the scholar would become reliable for him, as he was just a low-born.
He was the target of bad remarks, because the young artist was wearing the lord’s own shirt. For the first time, the aristocrat was confronted with the negative consequences of reputation and image. The main lead might be fine with his bad notoriety, but it is different for Baek Na-Kyum, as the latter is just a commoner. Yoon Seungho witnessed how the low-born claimed to be an artist, but he was not perceived as such. By giving him new clothes, the main lead wanted to demonstrate that the artist was not a servant, he had a special status. However, this incident was relevant for another reason. Due to the master’s reprimand, the gossips about Yoon Seungho’s household disappeared, hence Jihwa’s servant couldn’t get new information about his childhood friend. 
(chapter 41). Consequently, the author showed us in chapter 38 and 39 the origins of rumors and their function in the story. 
Hence Yoon Seungho decided to join them. Moreover, the main lead is a very possessive and jealous man. While getting dressed, he must have recognized that the tailor would get close to his lover by measuring him too. Note that it was the first question the lord asked, when he penetrated the room.
This definitely exposed that the noble was thinking a lot about this task. Moreover, his gaze was instantly directed at the tailor and his hand. This displays that the main lead had already envisioned the measuring and disliked the idea that someone else would see his partner so closely. 
Striking is that his late arrival truly outlined the artist’s importance in Yoon Seungho’s life, which couldn’t escape the tailor’s notice. Imagine, the lord was ensuring himself that everything was done properly. To sum up, the master had two reasons to join the butler and the artist. He desired to make sure that Baek Na-Kyum was treated properly, at the same time he needed to keep other men away. He had to protect the painter’s reputation: he was no servant, but an artist and his companion! Through his words said in front of the tailor, he deliberately unveiled the nature of their relationship. He knew that the tailor would catch this insinuation. 
In my eyes, it was not just an unconscious expression of love (the lord was not aware of his affection), but also a conscious choice. As a lord, he desired to defend Baek Na-Kyum’s position as a painter and as his lover. That’s why Yoon Seungho became responsible. 
(chapter 1)
(chapter 10) 
(chapter 13)
(chapter 18)
(chapter 22) 
(chapter 33)
Besides, the childhood friend is often mentioning rumors as well, and since Jihwa is Black Heart’s pupil, this could be judged as another proof for my interpretation. Under this new perspective, this explicates why Jihwa, who is close to The Joker, could mention this gossip to Yoon Seungho in chapter 18: 
He desired his childhood friend to tell the others that he didn’t fear this type of gossips. We have to envision that these words must have reached the Joker’s ears. That’s why in chapter 33, he retaliated by using the painter as an excuse. Note that the nobles mentioned Baek Na-Kyum as gossip 
and while leaving they kept talking about another rumor: 
He tried to instill fear in the noble (“look, now you are even associated to a low-born!”) but he didn’t succeed. That’s why The Joker decided to have the painter killed right after. 
If the latter were to die, then Yoon Seungho would truly become lonely, especially after discovering that his childhood friend was the culprit. Let’s not forget that Min was present
, when Jihwa showed a certain empathy for his lost friend despite their quarrel. The Joker recognized that their friendship was not ruined for good. And note that in chapter 76, he is using the same method again. He witnessed how Yoon Seungho showed leniency towards Jihwa despite his wrongdoings, as the lord didn’t punish him. 
Min is manipulating the second lead, making him believe that he has to listen to him, as the protagonist could target him. The Joker is using the second lead’s existential fear to separate both friends. 
Despite all his schemes, Min was not able to attach the red-haired aristocrat to himself. Furthermore, he even has to discover how Jihwa had sex with a low-born like Nameless and he would even listen to his words. No wonder why Min got infuriated in the end. 
Despite all his schemes, he was not able to control Jihwa and Yoon Seungho. Both escaped his manipulations. And now the readers should question themselves Black Heart’s true goal in all this. Why is he so determined to hurt the protagonist and to make him feel miserable? If he was able to hurt and control Yoon Seungho, he would become the ultimate puppet master. However, that’s what The Joker thinks. Remember what I wrote about Black Heart’s real weakness. The latter fears social norms and as such rumors. Strictly speaking, he pays attention to appearances despite his nihilistic tendencies. That’s why he smiles and laughs a lot. However, he has always envied Yoon Seungho for that reason. The latter has always remained impassible to social norms and rumors. He showed real courage and strength, because he never complied through peer group pressure. And the worst is that even Jihwa was willing to be associated to such a man, although the latter has a terrible reputation. I would even say that the bond between the two characters hasn’t been destroyed yet after all, although both figures kept hurting each other. Even after the abduction, the main lead didn’t retaliate against his friend. That’s why Min has to make Jihwa and Yoon Seungho miserable. He envies the protagonist, because he was capable to have such a friend. They have seen the worst from each other, yet they were able to remain friend, even Jihwa wanted to become Yoon Seungho’s lover. Moreover, now he is not hiding his relationship with Baek Na-Kyum. As you can imagine, the episode 76 made me realize Min’s defeat. The latter couldn’t stop Yoon Seungho from revealing his special relationship to the painter in front of commoners. He treated his lover like his wife and the town folks could witness it. 
Therefore this is no coincidence that episode 76 is connecting responsibility to rumors. The water and the music box are the evidences that Yoon Seungho is a responsible man. They reveal his integrity which stands in opposition to reputation. Integrity describes how you act, it is a characteristic of you regardless of who is watching. Finally, Yoon Seungho’s true personality is revealed to the world in chapter 76. He shows moral righteousness, courage, gentleness and responsibility. He allows a commoner to hug him, is willing to lower himself and listen to the low-born’s request: he needs his help. 
And during the second season Min’s only success was in chapter 54. 
Here, he could only wound the main lead, because the painter feared social norms as well. But now, it is no longer working on Baek Na-Kyum either. I believe, the trigger for this huge war is Baek Na-Kyum. I am still convinced that Black Heart is obsessed with the artist, because he wished that the artist would look at him the same way. Imagine this: The low-born showed pure desires, and neither the main lead’s terrible reputation nor his wrongdoings could disgust the artist so that the latter would leave Yoon Seungho’s side. As a psychopath/sociopath, Min can only resent the main lead. 
In chapter 32, he never intervened in order to defend his master’s honor. Moreover, he influenced them with his words. After calling Baek Na-Kyum a no-good painter 
(chapter 11), the maid associated Baek Na-Kyum 
to a charlatan (chapter 17). Besides, I would like to outline that through his words, Kim encouraged the staff to show a disrespect towards the low-born. That’s why they started eating his food. Since, the valet never reprimanded them for their misconduct, it truly shows that Kim had no interest to protect his master’s interests and rights. He is the one who described Yoon Seungho as violent and with mood swings, because he used the incident with Jihwa’s topknot. He had a reason for spreading these rumors. Exactly like Min, he desired to isolate Yoon Seungho so that the latter would always rely on him. He would show care and concern in front of his master, as he knew his true personality: 
he was gentle and considerate. And now, it is time to focus once again on chapter 40. Note that when the protagonists left the tailor shop, the butler didn’t follow them: 
Why? It’s because he needed to speak with the tailor alone. He asked him to never reveal the foreplay to others. That’s why Kim never witnessed this scene: 
This is the reason why the scholar speaks of flourishing. Let’s not forget that he was the only one who knew about the order of winter clothes. And here, they had just been ordered. From my point of view, Kim hoped to create a quarrel between the learned sir and the painter. Another evidence for this evidence is perceptible in chapter 50: 
The valet’s words clearly imply that the conversation had become the topic of gossips. That’s why in chapter 45, Byeonduck introduced Kim in front of commoners spreading gossips.
This is no coincidence. And this led me to realize two important elements. Right from the start, the author wanted to indicate the valet’s true personality. Kim was not only responsible for the rumors concerning his master, but also for the ambiguous status for Baek Na-Kyum. Furthermore, the butler thought, his trick had been successful, yet during his walk through the town, he discovered a new gossip. The town folks had already perceived a change of their lord’s behavior and connected it to a love affair. 
And this showed that the lord’s image was not that bad in reality. They still hoped that their lord would calm down and settle. They were even willing to accept Jihwa as the lord’s mistress. This truly revealed that they didn’t truly reject his homosexuality, rather his debauchery. In chapter 45, Kim discovered that Deok-Jae had ruined his plan. Kim was determined to ensure that Yoon Seungho would keep a bad reputation. The moment he was seen as a responsible man, he would no longer be isolated and rely on him. Moreover, the moment he was judged as responsible and he wouldn’t reject commoners, it becomes possible that the commoners complain to him and ask for his help. However, slowly Kim lost his pawns among the staff, so that he has no one to spread rumors. The maid questioned his authority 
and even defended her lord in chapter 67. She didn’t question Yoon Seungho’s reasoning, it was his right. This means that now he is considered as the real master of the mansion. Kim still used the male servants for his scheme in chapter 69, but in my opinion, he even lost their support, because nothing bad happened after their love session. And note that the domestic’s words are referring to rumor: 
The butler was no longer able to manipulate through rumors, hence he ends up alone in the backyard. 
Imagine, Kim can’t even use the loose-lipped tailor for his schemes, as the shop owner resents the butler for turning him into a liar and fool. 
That’s why we see him whispering to a client, when the lord is standing in front of his shop. 
Now, the tailor can talk to his heart content. Neither Kim nor Kim can ask him to remain quiet. And note that in chapter 76 Yoon Seungho is walking alone with his lover, hence when he helped his panicked lover, the commoners could witness how kind, selfless and generous Yoon Seungho was.
Exactly like in chapter 40, he came later so that his behavior would outline the artist’s importance in the noble’s life.
First, he sat on the ground to comfort his partner. Then after bringing to the planks of woods, Yoon Seungho took care of Baek Na-Kyum’s headgears. 
He made sure that his wife was properly covered and he would get water. Finally, he was even willing to buy an expensive music box, although Baek Na-Kyum never said anything. 
He acted as a responsible man which many people, commoners and nobles, could witness. 
and how he screamed for Yoon Seungho’s help. 
The commoners complained about the behavior of the lord’s servants. Back then, the rumors were that a servant had run away, however the tailor revealed that the lord’s lover was the painter. Hence I am expecting that the town folks will realize that Yoon Seungho’s lover was abducted. And since Jihwa had confessed in public the night before the artist’s disappearance
, the commoners will realize what the ex-lover did, when he got rejected. And maybe that’s the reason why Min is able to bind Jihwa to him. 
The lord’s statement in chapter 40 became true.
, the beholder never see any window, only books or walls. In “Spring Awakening”, Sunstroke asks to have a window opened during a meeting but he is unable to have his wish fulfilled. Either one teacher doesn’t want to have his back facing the opened window or one window was boarded up. This underlines their lack of connection to the youth, they are both living in their own world, disconnected from the students or from people in general. 
Here the excited noble is also following his instincts. For the first time, he is aroused and feels sex with a man quite exciting. He is neglecting his partner’s needs as well. He experiences something new. He feels pleasure for the first time, he also perceives himself differently. Just like Melchior, the noble is only focusing on sex and doesn’t pay attention to love. He is selfish just like the teenager. Striking is the resemblance in the location, a pavilion and a hay loft are quite similar, since they are open.
They made love and they had not just sex, though Seungho didn’t realize the distinction. Melchior in the theater play never got to know what making love feels. However, we could say that this represents the second step in the Spring Awakening of our Korean protagonist. Unlike Melchior, Yoon Seungho can no longer say that love doesn’t exist, since the young artist confessed his love … yet the master is unaware of his own feelings.
, whereas she tried to argue with her partner. They shouldn’t kiss because they don’t love each other. The stronger resistance can be explained very easily. The painter knew what the man wanted, whereas Wendla had no idea what was going to happen to her. Unlike Wendla, Baek Na-Kyum received sex education because he was raised at a brothel, furthermore he knew about homosexual sex. Strangely, both rapes start with kisses which shows that there was more than just sex. 
A kiss serves as a trigger for arousal but reveals a certain tenderness.
and he has no problem to use violence as well. Sure, he is much older than Melchior and as such he has experienced much more than the teenager. 
, why he can feel emotions again, while he was living more or less like a robot in the past.
By inducing fear and giving punishments, Baek Na-Kyum is little by little coerced to give up his own identity and personality. He has to follow the rules and social norms which makes him a perfect tool for deception and lies. He ends up as a drunk because he needs to fill that emptiness. Indirectly, the author is here showing issues concerning blind obedience and filial piety, just like Wedekind. The portray of adults is quite negative: they are superficial, manipulative and hypocrite, unwilling to admit their own failure or guilt. 
Notice, this servant is also wearing a headband. The parents are here making sure that they are dressed according to their social status and age. There is no freedom in both cases.
He makes the young man question the teacher’s intentions through a question. He wants him to become more critical, to develop critical abilities. Yoon Seungho is a supporter of the education for commoners, as the chapter 6 underlined it with the sarcastic remarks from the powerful noble. 
(chapter 35). But what does the window symbolize?
(chapter 44). It looks like there wasn’t much progression, yet this time, the painter walks towards his mansion and remains by his side.
This is important, because I realized that with the vanishing of the learned sir, Yoon Seungho chose to remain in the lord‘s bedchamber. What caught my attention is that the lord always went to the courtyard because of the admired sir. We have two chapters for this interpretation: chapter 7 and chapter 35 
(Chapter 7) This is not random at all, as from my perspective, it introduces the role played by Jung In-Hun in the main lead‘s life. He will be the one forcing the lord to move away from the window so that he can leave the bedchamber. Thus we had this scene: Yoon Seungho is observing the learned sir and his student from far away. 
(Chapter 70) Finally, the main lead organized a hunt for the first time because of his honored guest. 
(Chapter 22) And if you recall the lord‘s behavior, you will notice that he left the city for the first time, when he wanted to meet the scholar. 
(Chapter 6) He encountered him in the woods. Under this new light, it reinforces my conviction that the learned sir‘s death will be the lord‘s motivation to become proactive and leave his past behind. Why? It is because of the painter‘s words. 
(Chapter 94) The painter still respects the scholar, but he already loves Yoon Seungho. He is not disloyal towards his former teacher despite falling in love with the protagonist. With the last incident, Yoon Seungho got aware how much the painter means to him, but at the same time, he realized the importance of the learned sir in Baek Na-Kyum‘s life. He needs to answer his question: 
(Chapter 102) And this question is strongly connected to the scholar, for the main lead was first sent to Jung In-Hun‘s home. 
( 100) Don‘t forget that the main lead saw the room covered in blood, though the latter had already dried. To conclude, the main lead was encouraged to walk thanks to the scholar, and as such to leave his window! 
(Chapter 100)
(Chapter 44) It was the painter’s role. This signified that he was still trapped by his past and trauma, something that he hadn’t revealed to anyone. Since Yoon Seungho is still inside the room smoking in front of the window, it reveals that the lord had not really let go of his past at all, he had not expressed himself in front of Baek Na-Kyum yet. If he reveals his inner feelings and thoughts, this means he will disclose his secret and unveil his vulnerability. This explains why there was no confession from the noble’s side for instance [there were other reasons why he hadn’t confessed anything too], why he was still not sharing his inner thoughts and emotions to his partner. 
(Chapter 102) This signifies that Yoon Seungho will act differently in season 4: he will be proactive. Like I mentioned in the essay „Scandal(s) in Jemulpo“, he will become the scholar’s disciple and follow his footsteps: ruthless, but also caring and gentle. The only difference is that his affection for the painter is genuine. 
(chapter 10),
(chapter 12)
(chapter 20)
(chapter 29)
It is still the same. Despite getting a blowjob, he still wants to hide his homosexuality to the outside. Hence he still gets scared and would like the noble to stop from exciting him. So for the first time, he is experiencing sex with someone.
Note the opened door. The learned sir caught him by surprise. That’s how the learned sir was forced to repress and hide his homosexuality. This is no coincidence that in season 1, the scholar had the opposite attitude. 
By feigning ignorance, he actually encouraged the artist to become a sodomite. After their return to the mansion, the teacher showed leniency. He accepted that his student would paint erotic paintings, but he was well aware of their sexual encounter. 
(Chapter 30) The moment he arrives back and the lord brings him back to his chamber, the nature of their relationship is no mystery any longer, though painting is used as a justification. 
(Chapter 45) He just accepted him as his sexual partner, hence he went to his room and not to the lord’s side in chapter 44. If we compare their respective situation. Yoon Seungho hadn’t progressed much compared to the painter at the end of season 1, because he needed to express his emotions and reveal his secrets and vulnerabilities to Baek Na-Kyum. It took him a long time to open up, as he had been coerced to view himself as a bird of misfortune. He didn’t dare to voice any wish out of fear that these wishes would get ruined. 
(Chapter 96) In his mind, he had no right to voice any desire, as they would be perceived as GREED! 
(Chapter 96) 
(chapter 96) and Heena could hear his words. Hence at the end, the door got broken: 
(chapter 96) This represented the final emancipation of the artist. He no longer cared, if he was seen. He was so moved that he didn‘t pay to his surroundings. 
(Chapter 96), while it was not the case for the noble. The latter knew about the artist‘s shyness. This truly shows that Heena was responsible for the sexual oppression of her brother. The painter was no longer hiding his affection for the main lead, when he decided to wait for his master‘s return in the bedchamber.
(Chapter 98) Observe that the artist was going there on his own will, and he was sharing his bed with his husband. 
(Chapter 1) This memory was from the learned sir. Why was he approaching the painter during the day? Secondly, note that he only scolded the artist in his house! 
(chapter 6) In my opinion, the kisaeng was responsible for this incident. We have a clue for this interpretation: 
(Chapter 94) The noona is the one standing in front of the opened door with her donsaeng. Here, the artist was getting embarrassed and humiliated. That‘s how little by little, the artist associated the closed door to shame and safety. This is not surprising that the kisaeng is also standing behind the closed door, when she hears her brother making love to the main lead. 
(Chapter 96) In addition, she is constantly seen in connection with an opened door, but this opened door is linked to anxieties, pain, shame and guilt: 
(chapter 68) 
(chapter 66) 
(chapter 88) I have the impression that she was acting out of jealousy, and she had intended to tarnish her brother‘s reputation.
(Chapter 102) This symbolized the final emancipation of Yoon Seungho. He could finally move on from his past, and as such leave the darkness of his mental prison. He no longer needs a window to view life. This scene announced that he was starting living again. Thus I am expecting to see Yoon Seungho becoming more proactive and funny in season 4. He will show his intelligence and strength in order to defeat his enemies because so far, he never revealed his qualities to others, only to the scholar. His past had left him somehow paralyzed, hence he has laid a low profile. In his past, he believed that his prison was his protection, for he could observe and remain quite wealthy and powerful. For me, Baek Na-Kyum is in reality his strength, the reason why he will be able to leave his cage and shows his true colors and skills. 
(chapter 7)
(chapter 19)
(chapter 29) 
(Chapter 22)
which is connected to the expression “castles in the air”. His aspirations are boundless, he is aiming at the highest position without being competent or even trying to improve himself. He also attempts to air dirty laundry, when he is hunting with Yoon Seungho. He wants to force the lord to admit his lie so that he can criticize him. But here he fails. As you can observe, many expressions with air reflect his personality. However, there is one scene that contrasts to this observation, that’s when he is in his library in the chapter 40. We actually see him at the library in two occasions: 
His words there are suffocating the poor boy, that’s the reason why Baek Na-Kyum is left speechless. 
(Chapter 40) He can’t breathe properly. Since there is no view and no door to the outside visible in the drawing, we have to imagine this reflects his narrow-mindedness. He is surrounded by books (see the pictures from the chapter 7) therefore he lacks real experience and knowledge. He is literally buried behind his books, therefore his knowledge is superficial. 
(Chapter 27) Even in his bedroom there are books so his own bedchamber gives the readers a suffocating feeling. Since there is no window visible in his room and the library, there is no fresh air in the closed room which explains why it is asphyxiating. Usually, we say in a closed room that it smells musty. He only knows the world through his books and the moral standards. He is not even opened to the outside, only his words and thoughts count. Everything else has no value hence there is no life next to him. People living by his side will end up suffocated as he doesn’t allow them to breathe. He is stubborn and he will never change, a fake, empty and narrow-minded man with no conscience. Because of this connection, I realized that Jung In-Hun had no future in Hanyang. He would end up buried, and this became a reality. Because the moment he left for the capital, he ended up dead. And now, if you think carefully, you will recognize that the learned sir is associated to nature! Thus he was seen in the woods (chapter 6, 22) or in the countryside admiring the moon. 
(Chapter 70) Air means also breathing! Hence he represents the fresh air entering Yoon Seungho‘s bedroom, hence we had such a scene: 
(chapter 35) The lord witnessed the intimate interaction between the learned sir and the artist, thus he was incited to leave the bedroom. Strangely, we could say that he was the initiator for the lord‘s liberation. No wonder, why Kim wished to get rid of the learned sir in the end, and just viewed the artist as less annoying and evil! 
(Chapter 18) so that he ended up letting his guard down. He was not so competent and intelligent like Yoon Seungho, he relied more on the stupidity on others. He could deceive commoners, but not spies. In my first version, I had envisioned that the learned sir had many tricks up his sleeves so he would survive, but I had not realized that he had met a fake servant 
(chapter 37) definitely a noble who could see through him. For me, it was the pedophile himself. I had predicted that he would disappear into thin air, and it became a reality, especially if my theory about his assassination is correct. We could see the transformation of the scholar into a ghost, 
(chapter 50) who would come to haunt the couple because of his resent. 
(Chapter 98) As the air, he became a spirit! And note that the lord was encouraged to stroll too! 
(chapter 33), forced the lord to realize that the artist was indeed a precious treasure, and he was not willing to share him. 
(chapter 33) At the same time, due to Black Heart’s words, the noble was reminded of the painter’s health conditions. Although the lord was talking about the artist, as though the latter was just an object, the reminder forced him to recall that Baek Na-Kyum was a human who could die. That’s why he returned in the end. His abandonment reflected his cowardice, he didn’t desire to be confronted with the consequences of his bad behavior. Consequently, just like in the Russian novel, the main lead was reminded that the low-born was just a human. As you can see, both characters had a similar disposition and also a change of heart.
(chapter 34) Kim’s remark was in fact insinuating that the lord had been very generous and caring for him. He gave the impression to the low-born that the noble was treating him like a noble, as the latter had sacrificed his bed for his recovery. However, this was not true, as the lord had brought the artist to the study before the doctor’s arrival. 
(chapter 33) At the same time, the butler was not entirely lying either. The lord had indeed shown generosity and care, since he had called for the physician. Yet, once he had heard about the doctor’s precription, the aristocrat had ran away from his responsibilities 
(chapter 33) and left everything in Kim’s hands. Remember my statement: Kim is always telling half-truths. Kim was in reality the one who brought him to the noble’s bed. 
(chapter 33) He needed to portray his master in a much more positive light in order to obtain the painter’s cooperation. The valet hoped that the artist would follow his order 
(chapter 34) and become the lord’s sex toy: 
The irony is that although the valet treated the painter as a honorable guest (bringing him to the lord’s chamber and taking care of him as if he was his master), in truth he was just viewing the low-born as an object and tool. was truly making sure that Baek Na-Kyum would get the best treatment, but the domestic used the opportunity to praise his master indirectly. 
(chapter 33) While he was at the sex orgy, he remembered the exhausted young face of the painter, while they were talking about him.
The lord was suffering, but unlike in the past he couldn’t keep his distance from his lover. He needed to sense his presence. He was no longer his sex partner, but he wasn’t treated like an object or a servant. During these two separations, Yoon Seungho was full of worries for Baek Na-Kyum which he was trying to forget, yet he couldn’t. At the same time, he was reflecting on his past actions:
(chapter 33) He was acting as a mediator between the master and the low-born which looks like a good thing. In reality, he was meddling in their relationship. Who was he to intervene? That’s why he acted like a father. With his words, the butler was implying that his lord had been affected by his illness, hence he remained away. However, I believe that in the valet’s mind, there existed a different explanation. For Kim, his master was just a coward. That’s why he said this comment in front of the physician: 
(chapter 33) He anticipated that his master was avoiding to face the consequences of his selfish behavior. For me, Kim doesn’t truly love his master. He views the Yoons as terrible, but he will never confront them. But for his own safety, he needed to deceive the painter. Let’s not forget that Kim had played a role in his escape and the low-born could reveal it to his master. That’s why he needed to fake his care and concern for the painter so that the artist wouldn’t mention the past. Thus he begged the young man not to wander around as a sign of care and gentleness.
(chapter 32) However, the valet Kim was not present, hence when he lied to Baek Na-Kyum, he had no idea that in reality his words were containing more truth than lies in reality. That’s why I chose the kiss as illustration for the analysis. The roles were switched. The master acted as a servant, and the low-born was now the lord. The male lead was acting like Vasili Andreyevich Brekhunov from the Russian novel. Yoon Seungho was even willing to give water to the exhausted man. This situation was repeated in chapter 76: 
(chapter 76). The lord made sure that the painter would feel better with the water. But let’s return our attention to chapter 33. In the bedchamber, the main lead was to blame for Baek Na-Kyum sickness, as he hadn’t paid attention to the artist’s condition. He had acted selfishly, exactly like the protagonist from Master and man. Both realized their huge mistakes, came to regret and took some responsibility, although the chronology in the Russian story diverges. But this shows that both aristocrats came to realize that commoners were humans and no possessions. 
(chapter 36), until he saw the painter’s erection. He was willing to give up his position as master. That’s why he prioritizes the painter’s pleasure all the time. 
(chapter 36) So their relationship master-servant stopped at this moment, hence he lets him stay by his side, when the brother Seung-Won is in his chamber.
(chapter 71) Baek NA-Kyum was no longer a low-born, but a noble, while the main lead was his “servant”. This explicates why the noble was no longer asking for him in the evening 
(chapter 74) and visited him secretly during the night. But this switch of position didn’t remain a secret, the moment the lord embraced his panicked lover. 
the others from the high nobility were busy with different kind of pleasures: hunting
Finally, the masturbation symbolizes the climax of his slow approach. 
He knows that he has to be careful with the painter, since the latter was forced to remain by his side by using Jung In-Hun as leverage. In this scene, it becomes clear that he was already aiming at the commoner. 
He is willing to do anything so that the artist accepts him as his lover. As a conclusion, “Dangerous liaisons” has a lot of common points with the manhwa. 
and dragged by Yoon Seungho
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 